Photo by France Ruffenach

Simply Organic begins with an introduction to organic foods and your organic pantry.  It is then divided into eight different times of year with recipes for the ingredients available during those times.  The sections are first of spring, late spring, early summer, midsummer, Indian summer, autumn harvest, early winter and deep winter.  Each of these ‘seasons’ has an introduction talking about what Jesse cooks during that season followed by a collection of recipes for that season.  The recipes have short introductions followed by detailed descriptions on how to prepare them.  The book is colorful and has photos for some of the dishes.

I dug right into this cookbook when I got it since it is inviting and you can almost feel Jesse’s strong devotion to organic, seasonally available ingredients as you read it.  Of course, it helps that I’ve met Jesse and heard her talk, as I read it could hear her voice in the words.

Asparagus is in season now so I asked what does Simply Organic offer?  The answer is a great recipe for Asparagus and Scallops, see below.  It is simple and delicious.  I have green onions in my garden right now (actually small Walla Walla onions that need to be thinned and can be used as green onions) and I found a great recipe for Ricotta Gnocchi with Green Onions in Simply Organic.  I’d never made ricotta gnocchi before and this was a fun one to try. The recipe was really easy and the result was wonderful.  Even Husband who doesn’t usually like Gnocchi really enjoyed Jesse’s version.  I’ll definitely be making these gnocchi again and again.  I also loved the details Jesse provided such as how to determine if I’d added enough flour and not merely stating how long to cook the gnocchi but telling me how to know when they were done. 

With the eight different sections each containing 15-20 recipes I think I’ll be turning to Simply Organic rather frequently – especially when my garden is in full production mode!

Asparagus and Scallops

From Simply Organic by Jesse Ziff Cool, Chronicle Books 2008

This is a perfect dish for springtime, served with fresh rolls and a crisp white wine.

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 whole canned chipotle chile pepper, pureed or minced
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 pound sea scallops
• ¾ cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Lime wedges for garnish

In a small bowl, combine the oil, lime juice, sugar, garlic, chile pepper, and cilantro.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Remove and discard the tough muscle from the scallops.

In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal, coriander, salt and black pepper. Toss the scallops in the cornmeal mixture and set aside.

Pour ½ cup water into a heavy skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the asparagus.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 4 minutes, or until tender-crisp.  Remove to a platter and keep warm.

Wipe the skillet and add the butter. Place over medium heat to melt the butter. Add the scallops and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned and opaque.

Divide the asparagus evenly among 4 plates. Top with the scallops. Drizzle with the chipotle dressing, and garnish with lime wedges.

Kitchen Tip

Often scallops are soaked in sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) to help keep them moist.  To avoid chemical-laden scallops, look for scallops labeled Day Boat, Diver, Dry Pack or Chemical-Free.  These scallops are more readily available these days and, of course, area much healthier choice.  They may not be perfectly white and uniform in size but those qualities are not natural to scallops; they are human-induced.  As always, opt for the most natural products available.  And, as always, ask questions.  The fishmonger should know exactly where the fish is from and how it has been treated.

About Simply Organic

The world is changing, and along with it, so must our eating habits. Author and restaurateur Jesse Ziff Cool has compiled over 30 years of knowledge about organic, local, and sustainable food into one magnificent cookbook. With 150 enticing recipes, Simply Organic encourages home cooks to embrace organics as a lifestyle rather than a fad. Cool organizes her chapters seasonally to ensure that the freshest, ripest ingredients enhance the flavors of dishes like Filet Mignon with mashed Potatoes and Leek Sauce in early spring to Pumpkin Raisin Bread Pudding in autumn. Inspiring profiles on farmers and producers reveal how these individuals are working to create a sustainable future every day.

Available at Amazon.com

Like the great Tiger Woods I am also a multi-racial individual. Being one quarter Latina I have longed to be able to master Latin Cooking, but few cookbooks have given me the confidence or inspiration to do so until now. Isabel’s Cantina written by Isabel Cruz, a restaurant owner from San Diego who grew up in a wonderfully diverse Los Angeles neighborhood. Latin Foods have traditionally been known to be pretty heavy and calorie laden, but Isabel’s dishes are light and healthy without sacrificing any of the great flavors.  It was pretty difficult for me to pick a favorite recipe to share with you as I love them all, but I managed to settle on one that I hope you will enjoy making and serving as much as I have. Isabel’s Easy Turkey Empanadas are just that, super easy, and so good.  Using ground Turkey instead of the more common ground beef and baking them instead of frying, she introduces us to an Empanada that may be light on calories but heavy on taste.   

Easy Turkey Empanandas

From Isabel's Cantina by Isabel Cruz, Clarkson Potter 2007

When I was a kid, my dad loved to make empanadas, but the dough would stress him out (and made the kitchen look like a tornado hit it).  Then he figured out that store-bought flour tortillas could form the pockets for the empanada filling.  He turned into an empandad-making fiend, coming up with all sorts of fillings for these little pies.

These are the empanadas that I make with my kids, using ground turkey.  They're light, delicious, and perfect for almost any meal.  And the kitchen stays pretty clean, too!

Serves 6 as an appetizer or 2 as a main course 

• 1 Large Red potato, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
• Kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
• 1/2 Medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 8 ounces Ground Turkey
• 1/4 cup drained sliced Green olives with pimientos
• 1/4 cup drained Capers
• Freshly ground Black pepper
• Six 6-inch flour Tortillas
• 2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
• Easy Espanola Tomato Sauce 

Put the potato in a small saucepan and cover with salted water.  

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain well and set aside.

While the potato is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the cumin, stir to combine, and then add the ground turkey.  Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat, and cook until the turkey is no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.  Add the potato, olives, and capers and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Preheat over to 350 F.  Place the tortillas on a clean work surface.  Brush the edges with the egg wash.  Divide the filling among the bottom halves of the tortillas, and then fold over the top halves to form half-moons.  Crimp the edges with fork.  Brush the tops of the empanadas with the remaining egg wash.  Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

Serve warm with small bowls of tomato sauce alongside.

Easy Espanola Tomato Sauce 

From Isabel's Cantina by Isabel Cruz, Clarkson Potter 2007

This simple no-cook condiment is like a Spanish version of homemade ketchup and you'll find as many uses for it as ketchup.  I serve this with Easy Turkey Empanadas and Lomo Saltado.  Keep some on hand, and you'll discover new ways to serve it everyday.

Team this up with Cilantro sauce for an excellent pairing of flavor.

Makes 2 cups

• One 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juice
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup Extra-Virgin olive oil
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black pepper

Combine the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste in a blender and puree until smooth.  Use immediately or store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

About Isabel’s Cantina: Bold Latin Flavors from the New California Kitchen

When Isabel Cruz opened her first small restaurant in San Diego, she cooked what she loved to eat: simple Latin comfort food spiced with the Pacific Rim flavors she knew from her old Los Angeles neighborhood. In Isabel’s Cantina, she shares the deceptively simple recipes that make her five West Coast restaurants so popular, as well as many of her own personal favorites. By relying on the boldly flavored ingredients common to both Latin and Asian cuisines—like mangoes, limes, chiles, mint, ginger, coconut, and cilantro—Isabel’s healthful dishes are never bland. Blending fresh flavors with an eye for health, Isabel’s signature Latin food with Asian accents is not only good for you but—most important—it’s delicious. 

Available at Amazon.com

Photography by John James Sherlock

First up is “Fresh” by John Bishop, Dennis Green and Dawne Gourley.  John Bishop is the owner of Bishop’s restaurant in Vancouver that is known for using organic, locally grown produce.  Fresh is divided into recipes for the various seasons: spring and early summer; late summer and early fall; and late fall and winter. Each section highlights the ingredients available in those seasons.  The layout is appealing, the images enticing and the recipes delicious. 

I had some beets ready in my garden and was enticed into creating Beet Ketchup to serve on Chicken Burgers with Sunflower Seeds, Cilantro and Ginger.  While the beet ketchup was unlike any other ketchup I’ve had before, I enjoyed it and it really complimented the chicken burgers nicely.  The burgers were also interesting in that the chicken was ground allowing the other items to be mixed into the chicken before grilling.  The beet ketchup and a wasabi mayonnaise topped the burgers.  My only complaint with this dish was the amount of beet ketchup it created.  As written, the recipe yielded 4 cups of beet ketchup which was clearly too much for the four chicken burgers.  That may have been alright if a list of other uses for the ketchup were provided, but they weren’t.  I made a third of the beet ketchup recipe and had plenty for the burgers. 

Not all of the recipes in Fresh are produce focused.  In fact, many of the recipes focus on seafood or meat while remaining appropriate for the season.  For example, the Sesame Sushi Rice Cakes with Smoked Salmon, see recipe below, is a great early summer appetizer.  Similarly, the Roasted Prime Rib with Mushroom Jus is a perfect entrée for the peak of mushroom season in the early fall.  While I’d like to have seen a bit more of an emphasis on using vegetables, I really like that the recipes are seasonally appropriate even if many are meat centric.

Fresh has about 30 recipes in each of the three seasonal sections.  The recipes range from appetizers, to main entrées, to sides and desserts.  Clearly, with that number of recipes I won’t find something for every ingredient every season but the recipes are interesting and appealing so I suspect I will trying out many more of the recipes.

Sesame Sushi Rice Cakes with Smoked Salmon

From Fresh: Seasonal Recipes Made with Local Foods by John Bishop, Dennis Green & Dawne Gourley. C 2007. Published by Douglas & McIntyre Ltd. Reprinted with permission of the publisher.

• 1 cup sushi rice
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil for frying
• 4 oz thinly sliced smoked salmon

Place rice in a strainer and rinse well under running water. Drain, transfer to a medium pot with a lid, add the 1 cup of water and soak for 30 minutes. Bring to a boil on medium heat, then reduce to very low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes before lifting the lid. 

While the rice is cooking, combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl.

Turn rice into a large bowl, add half the dressing and stir with a cutting and turning motion. Add the remaining dressing and continue to stir until rice has cooled to room temperature. Store at room temperature, covered with a damp towel, until you are ready to make the rice cakes.

Add sesame seeds to sushi rice and combine. Using a spoon, form rice into small cakes, each about 2 inches in diameter and inch thick.

Heat vegetable oil in a nonstick pan on medium heat. Fry cakes until golden brown and crisp on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

To serve: Top each cake with a small slice of smoked salmon and arrange on a serving platter.

About Fresh

Bishop’s Restaurant is famous for its use of organic, locally grown produce and sustainable seafoods, from peaches to chanterelles, from Fanny Bay oysters to Fraser Valley lamb. Owner John Bishop regularly meets with the region's farmers and fishers, learning about their cultivation and conservation practices and building a community of growers as committed to good food and a healthy environment as he is. Fresh combines more than 100 of Bishop’s award-winning recipes with the stories behind the ingredients: where they come from, how they’re harvested, who nurtures them as they grow. Choose from luscious creations such as mascarpone cheese and tomato coulis, dry-rub pork ribs with corn muffins, or pan-roasted sablefish with mussel chowder, finished with a hazelnut tart or a steamed pudding with homemade jam. Packed with tips on preserving fruits and vegetables, Fresh is an exquisite homage to local, sustainable food and the committed growers who raise it.

Available at Amazon.com

Photo by France Ruffenach

Veal Chops with Mustard

From The Country Cooking of France, by Anne Willan, Chronicle Books, 2007

Serves 4 

The savvy mustard makers of Dijon have done such a good marketing job that today the town is synonymous with the classic aromatic French mustard flavored with wine and herbs.  In this recipe, you can take your pick of smooth or grainy mustard, with or without herbal or fruity flavorings.  Veal chops, particularly with this creamy sauce, suggest to me a similarly luxurious vegetable, perhaps fresh asparagus, or fine green beans.

• 4 veal chops (About 2 pounds/900 g total)
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6-ounce/170-g piece lean bacon, cut into lardons
• 16 to 18 baby onions (about 8-ounces/255 g total), peeled
• 1 tablespoon/7 g flour
• ¾ cup/175 ml white wine, preferably chardonnay
• ¾ cup/175 ml veal broth, more if needed
• 1 bouquet garni including a sprig of fresh thyme, dried bay leaf, and several sprigs fresh parsley
• ¼ cup/60 ml Crème Fraiche or heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Season the chops on both sides with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or frying pan over medium heat.  Add the bacon lardoons and fry until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Lift them out with a draining spoon and set them aside in a bowl.  Add the onions to the pan and sauté over medium heat, shaking the pan often so they color evenly, until browned, 7 to 10 minutes.   Remove them with the draining spoon and set aside in a separate bowl.  Lastly, add the chops and brown them, allowing 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn them and brown the other side, 2 to 3 minutes longer.  Take them out, whisk the flour into the pan, and cook until bubbling.  Add the wine and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Stir in the broth and return to a boil.  Stir in the lardoons, then replace the chops, pushing them down into the sauce, and add the bouquet garni. 

Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes.  Add the onions and continue simmering until they are soft and the chops are tender when poked with a two-pronged fork, 10 to 15 minutes longer.  The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chops.  Turn the chops from time to time and add more broth if the sauce gets too thick.

When the chops are tender, transfer them to 4 warmed plates.  Discard the bouquet garni, stir the crème fraiche into the sauce, and bring just to a simmer.  Stir in the mustard and parsley and take the pan from the heat.  The fresh, piquant taste of mustard turns bitter when overcooked, so mustard should not be boiled and should always be added toward the end of cooking.  Taste the sauce, adjust the seasoning, and spoon it over the chops. Serve at once.

About The Country Cooking of France

Renowned for her cooking school in France and her many best-selling cookbooks, Anne Willan combines years of hands-on experience with extensive research to create a brand new classic. More than 250 recipes range from the time-honored La Truffade, with its crispy potatoes and melted cheese, to the Languedoc specialty Cassoulet de Toulouse, a bean casserole of duck confit, sausage, and lamb. And the desserts! Cr pes au Caramel et Beurre Sal (cr pes with a luscious caramel filling) and Galette Landaise (a rustic apple tart) are magnifique. Sprinkled with intriguing historical tidbits and filled with more than 270 enchanting photos of food markets, villages, harbors, fields, and country kitchens, this cookbook is an irresistible celebration of French culinary culture.

Available at Amazon.com