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Thursday, May 31, 2012

Pangaea and the Orange Dressing

I've mentioned this before. While Quincy is a really great town, we are lacking a little bit in the restaurant department. There are actually around 10 restaurants in Quincy but because there is only one that we go to, it feels like there is only one restaurant in Quincy. That's not very many..... And the next town is quite a journey away. 


But oh, how we love this one restaurant! It is called Pangaea. If it weren't for Pangaea.....I don't know. I'm not saying we would move for sure but Quincy wouldn't be the same. We don't go there a lot; maybe once a month, but the fact that it is there when we need a family restaurant fix it is huge. It is walking distance from our house (as is all of the downtown). As a popular local gathering place it is usually buzzing with conversation, music, laughter and a busy kitchen. Out of the kitchen comes delicious, creatively presented, mostly organic and local fare. They carry a variety of local craft beers on tap so many patrons saunter right on up to the bar for their evening tipple. If you've lived in Quincy any length of time you are guaranteed to see familiar faces as you enter. The atmosphere is relaxed, the service prompt and friendly. It is always a good experience which is why we will continue to return again and again. It's a gem; I can't say it enough.


We have been bringing our son there since he was a baby in a stroller, an orange BOB that now can be seen rolling around town with a new little occupant. When they bring your plated food, they also bring a 4-pack of dressings, 3 of which are house-made. One of the house-made dressings is an invigorating orange color, kind of like the stroller. It is Leo's favorite. It is my favorite. Husband loves it too. We can go through three quarters of a 12oz. bottle in one meal. It is great on rice dishes, salads, home fries, steamed veggies, wraps, you name it. It's packed with flavor and it is healthy! One of the primary ingredients is carrot. 


I've had the recipe for years. It traveled around the Quincy underground via emails and whispers....... But for years I didn't make it. I would say most dressings that I make average 5 ingredients. This one has 11. Every time I pulled out the recipe to make it there would be one or two ingredients I was missing. Oh well. "Does anybody feel like going to Pangaea tonight?"


This dressing is worth the effort. The recipe makes a whole quart and if you like it as much as we do, that is not too much. It keeps well refrigerated. 


Pangaea's Orange Dressing
You will need:
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 cup canola oil
2 t. sesame oil
1/2 to 1/3 cup of apple juice
1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup sesame seeds
a small piece of fresh ginger (~1"x1/2") coarsely chopped
5-6 peeled cloves of garlic
2+ cups grated carrot
1/4 onion cut up
3 T. prepared mustard or 1 T. mustard powder


Gathering all the ingredients is the work. Once you have them you just put them all into a blender and blend until smooth.



Ready to be drenched in orange goodness


Enjoy!
And if you ever find yourself in Quincy, California, you know where to go: Pangaea Pub and Cafe!

4 comments:

  1. Yum! We made the dressing (cut the recipe in 1/2 since there are just 2 of us) and we have been putting it on everything. What a burst of interesting tastes. Our fresh garden greens never tasted so good, and used as a substitute for butter on our sourdough biscuits. YUMMY!

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    1. Hey Back40!
      So happy to hear you are enjoying the dressing. I am eating it right now on some rice, salad greens, sprouted mung beans and avocado! Just got back from a 10 mile out and back hike on the PCT. Couldn't help thinking of Evan on the same trail but many miles to the south of me, trekking along ever northward! What an adventure!

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    2. Yes Evan is having an incredible adventure and his blog has been wonderful to follow. So glad you are going to be able to be a part of his trip in about 4-5 weeks.

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  2. Hi Karen...as often as we can we time our arrival to Quincy so we can eat at Pangaea. Our favorite too!

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