On Sharing Family Recipes and Finding Joy in the Kitchen

Q&A with Elizabeth Poett of Lompoc, author of The Ranch Table

It’s pub day for my latest co-write! This cookbook, The Ranch Table, written with Magnolia Network star Elizabeth Poett, is particularly dear to me because Elizabeth has been one of my closest friends since kindergarten. Helping her share her story has been an absolute joy (and a fantastic excuse to get on the phone with her every few days), and I can’t wait for the world to enjoy her gorgeous recipes and learn about life on her family ranch. (You can get the book from Amazon or through Bookshop or order a signed copy from Omnivore Books or Chaucer’s.)

Elizabeth and I got on the phone again last week for a little Q&A so that I could give you all some behind-the-scenes info about the book and her approach to cooking. There’s also a fantastic recipe for beef chili below—a sneak peek of what you’ll get in the book. Here’s our conversation, edited and condensed for clarity.

A little sneak peek:

When did you first start thinking about writing a cookbook? What was your inspiration?

I think it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do because the ranch is so focused around food, and all the events throughout the year are really focused around what's in season and what are we feeding people. So, it's something that I've really wanted to do for a really long time.

But I think I really started thinking about this cookbook seriously when I was pregnant with Hank, my second boy. He's nine now, so it was a long time ago.

People had wanted my mom to do a book, because my mom was kind of the force behind getting people together when I was younger. It's something that I think she loves to do. But she's running a whole business and working, and a cookbook was just not something that she was really going to do. I’ve always been really inspired by everything she does, so her approach is also in my book.

When you started doing your show, how did the way you think about cooking change? How has developing recipes shifted how you think or how you operate in the kitchen?

It has really made me focus my attention on how recipes are written and the importance of each step. In the beginning, it was new to me to actually be paying attention every step of the way. I think that I'm a person who just throws things in and throws things together. And when I started writing things down for the show, I really needed to focus a lot more on being precise about things. But as I have grown, especially with the show, it really has become second nature to me. When I cook now, I usually always have a pen and paper in the kitchen, and I will jot down things and I will focus a little bit more on how much of each ingredient I'm actually putting in.

I will say that I still am a very relaxed cook. I am not a professionally trained chef. I would never call myself a chef. I'm a person who just loves to cook. And I've been cooking for a long time for a lot of people. I almost feel more comfortable cooking for, you know, 50–100 people than my family of four.

I enjoy writing recipes, but I am still a person who really believes in the importance of tasting food as you go and adding in a little bit here and there if you feel like it is missing something that you love. I really try to bring that joy to the show, and I really wanted that to show up in the cookbook—that this is about bringing people into the kitchen and about having the joy and relaxation of cooking be the most important thing.

Where do you find recipe inspiration? How do you decide what to cook every night or what kinds of recipes you want to do for the show or the book?

I’m a person who learns a lot from tasting things and putting flavors together. For example, pears and chocolate. Right now, we have a ton of pears, so I get inspired by them and think, What should I do with this? I love canning, so that is something that I do so I can enjoy them throughout the entire year. But also, I think about How can I put these ingredients together? What do I want out of these flavors?

The thing about the cookbook, as you know, is that all of the recipes are made with ingredients that you can get anywhere. The whole point of this book is that these are very accessible ingredients, and these are things that you can easily find in any market, any grocery store. It’s more about creativity and having fun in a kitchen. And hopefully the book will really inspire people to do all of those things.

The cookbook, and all of the recipes in the show, are things that our family loves to eat, that we've served at gatherings over the years. These are tried and true recipes. The chile relleno casserole, for example, that's a dish that my mom has been making for years and years and years. But it's something that she never really had a recipe for. We just made it.

I think recipes are such a gift. Being able to hand down these recipes—I love that part. What's the bread that you make at the holidays?* That sort of thing, I believe, is really the best gift. You know, my grandfather left me all of his recipe index cards. Those are a huge gift because I'm able to cook those recipes. My boys were never able to meet my grandfather, but in a way, they are able to enjoy the food that he made and that he loved.

I feel that way about many of the recipes in this cookbook. These are stories and recipes that people hopefully will enjoy. Simple, delicious food that they can share over generations.

*I send stollen to family and friends every Christmas

What recipes from the book have you found yourself going back to, going, “Oh, that version is really a good one. How much of that ingredient, exactly, did I add?”

I already have flour in my cookbook, in my advance copy.

I geek out on these sorts of things—making sure things are perfect—so, everything has obviously been tested a million times. But it's still fun to be able to go back and see it. I've made those Blueberry Yogurt Pancakes every Saturday for years, but I've already pulled the book out a couple times, just to be like, What did I do that time? I think that’s so fun. That's been kind of a surprise to me. It's really fun to have all of these recipes that I use so much all in one place.

Is there anything you particularly want people to know that we haven’t talked about?

Well, I think that we should definitely mention that we did this together, and that we have been friends since kindergarten. I am a person who really needed help writing about my own history, and it was just so important to me that you were able to come in and really help make this something to share with the world.*

*I feel both touched by this sentiment and a bit awkward sharing this part of the chat :)

Rancher’s Beef Chili

Chili might just be the very best food to make for a crowd. It’s filling and contains everything you want in a meal, from protein to fiber. It’s also incredibly portable: you can make it ahead of time and reheat it anywhere from a friend’s kitchen to a campsite. I make chili with cubes of meat rather than ground beef. This way, you end up with a variety of textures in the pot and you can actually taste all the individual ingredients as you eat. While this makes for a pretty hearty dish, I do make it year-round. We’re close enough to the coast that we can get lots of fog in the evenings, even in summer, and it’s nice to have something really satisfying to eat after a long day of work, no matter the time of year.

Active time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Serves: 8 to 10

2 pounds chuck roast, at room temperature
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon chile powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ cup beer, ideally a lager or ale
One 14.5-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
One 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained
One 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
2 cups Bone Broth a.k.a. Beef Stock (page 85) or store-bought
Freshly grated queso fresco or Monterey Jack, chopped cilantro, and sliced green onions

1. Cut the chuck roast into 1-inch cubes and use paper towels to pat the pieces dry. Season them generously with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-duty pot over high heat. Lightly brown the meat on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the meat from the pot and set it aside.

3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pot, then add the onion and garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin, chile powder, and paprika to the pot and stir.

4. Add the beer and mix everything well. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until most of the beer has evaporated, about 2 minutes.

5. Put the beef back into the pot and add the canned tomatoes (and their liquid), both types of beans, and the broth.

6. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the flavors have melded and the meat is fork-tender, at least 1 hour.

7. Serve with cheese, cilantro, and green onions.

Images and Recipe from THE RANCH TABLE by Elizabeth Poett. Copyright © 2023 by Elizabeth Poett. Reprinted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Photos: B.J. Golnick