I’m at Rancho La Puerta this week, reveling in daybreak mountain hikes, spinning classes, a new-found appreciation of yoga, “exercise” sessions that fly by because they are so much fun (Cardio Hip-Hop, anyone?) and sensational vegetarian food.
Rancho la Puerta, the first spa on the North American continent, was founded in Tecate, Mexico in 1940 by Edmond and Deborah Szekely. Edmond, a Hungarian-born scholar-philosopher, died in 1979, but the 88-year-old Deborah continues to guide and grow the fitness resort which was recently named by Travel & Leisure magazine the “#1 Destination Spa in the World.”
Located about 40 miles from downtown San Diego, “the Ranch” is renowned for its vast, unspoiled landscape and a low-key, guilt-free ambiance that nurtures physical and spiritual health.
I was invited to the Ranch to teach cooking classes and to speak to guests about my strategies for surviving 30-plus years eating and drinking my way around the world without gaining weight or inches. (There’s a talk or musical presentation each night after dinner.) My cooking classes, held at the Ranch’s stunning La Cocina Que Canta cooking school, feature some of the best recipes I’ve discovered during my decades as food editor and columnist for The San Diego Union-Tribune.
About 120 guests gather at the Ranch each week (the usual stay is one-week, though three- and four-day packages are available, space permitting). A typical day’s “class schedule” includes Mountain Hike, Stretch and Relax, Pilates Matwork, Fitness Walking, Tennis Clinic, Sand Volleyball, Cardio Kickboxing, Latin Dance, and Trekking: Treadmill Workout.
Unlike many spas that serve weensy portions of bland, uninspired fare, the Ranch is well known for its creative, delicious and satisfying food. On my first evening here, the chef prepared a ratatouille dish that was as good or better than anything I ate during my recent week in ratatouille heaven --- Provence, France. That first dinner also included roasted cauliflower saffron soup (herbs and spices such as saffron are used as substitutes for salt); roasted pear and blue cheese salad with cranberries and sweet balsamic vinaigrette; and warm apple strudel with berry sauce. Fat- and calorie-counts here are minimal. Presentations are stunning, with plenty of edible blossoms, herbs, nuts, seeds, and crispy, shoestring-thin strips of baked vegetables such as leek and potato. (Below, one evening's carrot salad with spinach leaves, orange wedges and sesame ginger dressing. Photo by Pat Harrison.)
The Ranch’smenu, which changes frequently, is predominantly vegetable-based, though there’s a seafood entrée option two or three nights a week. It’s a multi-cultural celebration with Moroccan root vegetable stew and Thai shrimp skewers sharing the stage with guacamole made from fresh peas instead of fattier avocados, and a Mediterranean egg frittata. All grains are whole; most produce comes from the organic gardens on the property. (Rancho La Puerta guests who opt for the two-mile morning hike to the gardens are served breakfast in the adjoining La Cocina Que Canta cooking school, which Deborah’s daughter Sarah Livia Brightwood created so that Ranch guests could learn techniques to “take the Ranch home with them.”
No alcohol is served at the Ranch, with the exception of one glass of wine from Mexico’s Guadalupe Valley for each guest on Friday nights. The policy exception was created when it became clear that some guests were pigging out on steak, margaritas and local beer in Tecate restaurants on the last night of their stays!
I’ll write more about my cooking classes (with recipes) later this week. For now, here’s a recipe for one of the Ranch's lip-smacking salad dressings that offer maximum flavor with minimal fat and calories. Other salad dressings are included in the book "Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta" by Deborah Szekely and Deborah M. Schneider
Creamy Basil Dressing
1 teaspoon chopped shallots
1 small clove garlic, chopped
2/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
3 tablespoons white (or golden) balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup whole fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Blend everything but the salt and pepper in a processor or blender, pureeing until smooth. Season to taste. Makes one cup.
Comments