Photo by Carla Rozman

Chef Darren McRonald of The Tinhorn, is dedicated to the idea that with food, less is more. Having worked for many years at Alice Water’s Chez Panisse in Berkeley, where the movement of restaurants toward using local and organic providers first started in America more than 30 years ago, McRonald likes to keep things simple. “I’m not into fusion food,” McRonald says. “I don’t believe that we are reinventing the wheel here. I like classic dishes simply prepared with high quality products.” To McRonald, “classic” means dishes like the French peasant staples like cassoulet or pot-au-feu, as well as provincial, often one-pot meals, from various cuisines, from Italy to Mexico and beyond. In McRonald’s culinary cosmology, the chef isn’t a fame-seeking alchemist, mixing a potion of heretofore uncombined ingredients, hoping to strike gold; the chef is the steward of tradition, handed down in restaurant kitchens—McRonald did not go to culinary school—which pays homage to the abundant bounty of the earth, simply. “We don’t try and place too many of our personal beliefs in our food,” McRonald says. “We just try and take the product and showcase it the best way we know how.”

Manhattan Style Seafood Stew

INGREDIENTS:

1 Tsp. Chili Flakes

2 Tbsp. Oil for sautéing

¼ Cup Shallot or Red Onion, diced

¼ Cup Fennel, diced

1 Tbsp. Garlic, chopped

1 Idaho Potato, diced and boiled until tender

½ Cup White Wine

1½ cups Chicken Stock
(College Inn brand preferred)

1 Cup Tomato Sauce (or good quality canned peeled tomatoes)

2 Handfuls Spinach

1.5-2 lbs Fish, cubed (Halibut, Tuna, Salmon, Mussels)