Summer
19 September 2010 by
Jean Johnson
The polenta I talked about in the preceding post had some long legs. In addition to the green bean toss, it became the topping for a cobbler. Here's how it all came down.
First I roasted some plums and peaches. Balsamic on the plums, red wine over the peaches and ...
Posted in Desserts, Food Thoughts, Fruit, Kitchen Tips, Peeling Garlic, Roasting Fruits and Vegetables, Scratch Cooking, Seasonal, Summer, Thrift | 3 Comments »
10 September 2010 by
Jean Johnson
Not too much longer to revel in the world of harvest, so I hope you can score on some eggplants for this great spin on pizza pie. It's a great way to use the last of the coals after you've grilled, and the next day it's a breeze for the ...
Posted in Recipes, Seasonal, Summer, The Cook Counts To, Vegetables | Add a Comment »
28 August 2010 by
Jean Johnson
In Cooking Beyond Measure I purposely call the Italian salad, caprese, this: Sweet Basil with Tomato and Mozzarella. That's because I wanted to turn it from something exotic and perhaps strange to a salad everyone can enjoy. And right now with the tomato harvest starting to come in most places, ...
Posted in Bioethics & Sustainability, Food Thoughts, Recipes, Salads, Seasons, Summer, Vegetarian | 4 Comments »
10 August 2010 by
Jean Johnson
There's something elemental about a kettle of plums simmering on the stove. The pink foam percolates up around the burnished round fruits. Purple skins burst on ruby red flesh. Leaning in over the pot for a deep breath of harvest: sweet, sticky, dense, royal.
The neighbor around the corner ...
Posted in Food Thoughts, Kitchen Tips, Preserving, Putting Up Food, Seasons, Summer | 7 Comments »
3 April 2010 by
Jean Johnson
Some things just don't change. I wrote an article in 2005 on the nasties surrounding conventional strawberry production. Here are two excerpts.
The papery star of leaves capping the red fruit might be green, but the California strawberry industry has a way to go. At issue is the ozone-depleting ...
Posted in Food Politics, Fruit, Health and Wellness, Innocent Sweets, Spring, Summer | 2 Comments »
19 March 2010 by
Jean Johnson
Facebook friends, Laura and Emily, commented on my cast iron skillet, so thought it time to share this entry from the pages of Cooking Beyond Measure. There's both a video of me reading and below that the text so you can follow along. Enjoy...
Cooking Beyond Measure, p. 72.
On Roasting Vegetables—
Vegetables ...
Posted in Equipment, Fall, Family, Friends, & Love, Food Thoughts, Kitchen Tips, Roasting Fruits and Vegetables, Spring, Summer, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Video, Winter | 2 Comments »
6 September 2009 by
Jean Johnson
These peaches are inspired by how they treat jicama in Mexico. I also do them with pineapple and melons of all stripes. Expect the fans to roll their eyes in bliss on this one because magic trio sets the sweet fruit off to a very fine angle indeed.
Latina Peaches
For ...
Posted in Culti-Multi Food, Desserts, Equipment, Fruit, Health and Wellness, Holidays, Sides, Spices, Summer | 2 Comments »
19 August 2009 by
Jean Johnson
Julia. Even the sound of her name brings lavish thoughts--grounded in a no nonsense approach to life. Bon vivant she was with her "bon appetit!"
That's why I've been smiling since watching Meryl Streep bring Julia Child alive once again on the big screen. Ah, yes. Wasn't our Julia a grand ...
Posted in Books, Blogs & Links, Dinner, Family, Friends, & Love, Fish, Sauces, Toppings, & Pestos, Sides, Summer, The Cook Counts To, Vegetables, Vegetarian | 3 Comments »
9 August 2009 by
Jean Johnson
Well, it's true. During tomato season fresh slicers are the bees knees done up in all our specially favorite ways. Then there's putting those plump tubby babies up for later on, whether it be in home canned salsa, lovely dried halves, or simply frozen whole, plopped into big baggies for ...
Posted in Sides, Summer, Vegetables, Vegetarian | 8 Comments »
19 June 2009 by
Jean Johnson
It started with Cucumber Melon Soup in Cooking Beyond Measure (page 105)--this business of whizzing up delicious concoctions in the blender.
Historically, of course, my affair with blended things began with smoothies in the Sixties--the old faithful banana-yogurt-honey-wheat germ routine. Given such a sagacious history, it hasn't been ...
Posted in Drinks, Equipment, Fresh Herbs, Fruit, Soups, Spring, Summer, Vegetables | 1 Comment »