The last weeks before the local asparagus and strawberries arrive may be the most discouraging of the year for those of us who try to cook local.

The sun is shining, the tulips are blooming, and the fruit trees are breaking out in clouds of pink and white blossoms.  But the produce aisles of most markets are still dominated by sturdy greens, roots and cruciferous vegetables.

At times like these, I really welcome new ideas for preparing old standbys.  This cauliflower curry is one of the best. (more…)

The vegetable selection is rapidly shrinking at local farmers markets with the arrival of a wet and chilly fall here in the Northwest.  One of the compensations, though, is the arrival of beautiful squash in every imaginable shape, size and color.

One of my favorites is the aptly named delicata.  Like many of its cousins, this little squash boasts rich, sweet flesh that’s great in a soup, fabulous in a salad, and terrific in pasta.   Unlike the better known butternut, Hubbard and acorn squashes, though, the delicata has skin that is thin and tender.  For many dishes, you don’t even have to peel it.

This is one winter squash that I can prep for a recipe without worrying that I’m going to take a finger off in the process.  That alone would make it attractive in my book but I also love the way it cooks up quickly and takes to a wide range of flavor combinations. (more…)

After Labor Day, summer just slips away.  Kids are in school, store windows are filled with sweaters, and the annual flood of Christmas catalogs begins.

I usually start thinking about soups and stews and roasted root vegetables right about now. But summer is far from gone in the Northwest.  The mercury is hovering in the 80′s and the corn is at its peak.

With all the best summer produce just now flooding the farmers markets, the soups and stews can wait.  Salads are what I want to eat right now. (more…)

There’s no question Julia Child changed the way America thinks about cooking.  The first television food celebrity made food look like fun.  At her urging, home cooks began to expand their horizons, baking their own baguettes and serving coq au vin at dinner parties.

Over the years, she became known more as a beloved celebrity than a cook as she hosted television series in which other people prepared the food.  I was one of dozens of people lined up outside the Sur La Table in Los Gatos some years ago to get her scrawled signature in “Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom,” the last book published before her death in 2004.  She was in her late 80s at the time and just as charming in person as on the small screen.

What is often overlooked, is how good Julia’s recipes are.  Although early editions of both volumes of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” will once again share an honored place on my new kitchen bookshelf (as soon as it arrives), I rarely cook out of them anymore.   Like everyone else, I’m always looking for new ideas. (more…)

The “caviar” on my mind these days involves black-eyed peas, not those extravagant little fish eggs.  Marinated with chiles, onions, bell pepper, corn and tomatoes, the humble legumes are transformed into the classic Texas caviar.

This chunky salsa is a staple in the Lone Star State—a little bit Southern, a little bit Mexican, and altogether irresistible.  Countless variations have made the round of backyard barbecues and tailgate parties since the 1950s, but the original was the creation of Texas culinary star Helen Corbitt, a cookbook author who served as food consultant for Neiman-Marcus in Dallas. (more…)