Head of Pig

A long-awaited project is now at hand.

Several weeks ago I co-purchased an entire pig from Afton Field Farm. I’m new to pork and in my excessive curiosity I thought it best to buy in bulk, rather than piece by piece. So I called some friends and had them call their friends, and then 6 households when in on the pig. Like any good meat eater/avid hobby cook, I want to learn how to cook “head to tail.” There is a clear and steep learning curve to preparing cuts of meat that are not found in grocery store meat aisles. Most of the time, the meat left behind includes the head, feet, tail and bones of the carcass. Having the opportunity to buy a whole pig, came the opportunity to make head cheese. And so begins the journey!

I received a recipe from a friend of a friend, a guy who makes charcuterie at Paley’s Place. He provided a basic recipe that requires 3 steps. Therefore, you shall expect and I shall provide three blog entries on this process. The first step is to brine the head.

We begin with the brine.

Nowadays, many people associate brining with Thanksgiving as it has become trendy to brine the turkey before roasting. Though, let it be known, the process of brining is old and well-known among many cultures. Ostensibly, it is a means to preserve but the restaurants use the technique to add flavor and moisten the final product.

A simple brine, like the one I used includes warm water, salt and sugar. Basically, you find the ratio that works for the weight of meat in terms of water, salt and sugar. Once that’s determined, you could add many other ingredients to enhance the layers of flavor. The idea is that the salt in the water opens up the cells in the meat and allows the other flavors to be absorbed. Depending on the size of the brine (i.e. the weight of the meat,) the length of the brine will vary. In the case of the pig’s head, the brine will last about 24 hours.

A pig head in my sink.

Not being an expert on butchery or charcuterie, I was unable to cut out any unnecessary parts of the head. To be honest, I don’t know what should and what should not be included. I know the brain is not needed but when I looked at the back of the head I had no idea what was what. I decided to cut off part of the throat and throw that away. I also cut off the ears to make it fit more easily in the giant stock pot. But really, I just made the brine solution, placed the head inside the pot and covered the head with water. The result is that same strangely adorable and grotesque face looking up at me, through the lens of salty water.

The brine begins.

With the help of a neighbor we carried the covered pot outside, where it is plesantly cold. I learned that a day outside and an evening in the basment over a 24 hour period is equivalent to 48 hours in the fridge. Given that our fridge is too small for such a container, outside it goes.

Tomorrow begins step 2 in which the head is strained and a stock is created and boils for many, many hours.

Stay tuned for part 2 of “head cheese.”

Related posts:

1. Chicken Stock
2. Risotto is worth the effort, trust me
3. If time is money, then we eat like king and queen

To vary the experience a bit, I wrote a new menu for the Spring series. (In the future I intend to change the meals with the seasons.) Previously, the first meal was a Bittman recipe of pasta with shredded vegetables. Actually, to be honest, that recipe was not so seasonal, but for my first time doing this I needed some leeway. This time around, the pasta dish could fit the needs of any season here in the NW. Last night families prepared pasta with spicy kale. (Another simple recipe of Mr. Bittman from his masterpiece, How to Cook Everything.)

The beauty of the dish is the simplicity of the preparation. In one pot you make pasta and in another pan you saute garlic and red chili pepper flakes. Throw in some chopped kale and a bit of water and then cover the pan for 5 minutes, till wilted. Once the lid is removed and the remaining water cooks off the kale pan, the pasta is cooked, drained and then thrown in with the kale. With some help in the kitchen or a semi-experienced home cook, you can prepare the kale while the water boils and then cooks the pasta. In 20 minutes it’s all done and it’s super delicious.

I should also mention that the use of kale is totally interchangeable. You could use swiss chard, collard greens or spinach. Hearty leafy veggies would work best because all they have to do is wilt. But you could easily try broccoli or cauliflower if you blanch them in the pasta water first.

In any case, my point is that this meal is relatively simple, while also being affordable, filling and tasty. And yet, last night I hit an interesting road block. Of the ten people present last night, only one had encountered kale before. (I base this comment on what I heard from members of the class and questions I had asked the participants.) The foreign-ness of kale was so strong that many of the families did not know what to do with it. Yes, I was surprised by this. And yet, I was in their same situation but 5 years ago. It’s only in the last 2 years that I learned about kale or swiss chard. This moment shows not only how far I’ve come as a recovering junk food addict, but also how immersed I am in the kale vacuum.

“The Kale Vacuum” : A place or state of mind wherein you assume everyone else can identify, prepare and if desired, consume kale. And let it be known that kale is but a symbol for many other whole foods that are unbeknownst to the average person. Be it kohlrabi, rutabaga, endive or fava beans, etc.

As an educator is this type of classroom, I am learning to assume nothing. At first, I thought families would take the class to improve their cooking skills. It turns out that some attend to experience cooking as a family. Others show up to show their kids what eating healthy looks like. Many arrive with the interest of improving their skills and knowledge base. Few begin the class thinking they will learn critical food literacy.

From my perspective, there are numerous goals of the class, including: food literacy, cooking skills, questioning food marketing, empowering young and old, encouraging kids to cook with their parents, and introducing participants to new techniques, foods and meal options. For all this good intention, there’s something deeply satisfying in knowing that a bunch of kale is a learning experience unto itself. Though I may remain in the kale vacuum for some time, I do hope to expand its holding capacity with each new set of families who complete my class. That’s a goal that I can surely live with.

Related posts:

1. A Successful Cooking Class
2. Session 1 Complete!
3. Simple, healthy and delicious

Eggs!

I have not eaten an egg for 64 days. As you may recall I began an elimination diet on the first of January, and I have diligently (and strictly) avoided the 19 items on my allergy list. Tomorrow I will visit the narturopath to discuss the effects of the cleanse on my digestion and general health. As agreed, the 2-month elimination will cease after the allotted time has passed. Therefore, tomorrow begins a new stage in the “allergy experience.”

For the next 19 weeks I will re-introduce each of the individual foods items back into my diet. Now that I have experienced the effects of strict eating restraints, I will soon learn the nuanced needs of my body. Each week I will introduce one item from the list; I will consume the “foreign” food for 3 days. Thereafter I will end the consumption of that same item. In 3-4 days time I will likely grasp the varying intensities of each food allergy.

It is my hope that I can choose the order of food introductions. Some I crave far more than others. The most difficult foods have been eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, yeast and lemons. If I can reintroduce at my leisure, I will surely begin with the egg.

As you might expect, breakfast has been challenging. Yes, I have grown to enjoy the texture of porridge and the sweet summertime taste of smoothies, but there’s something about eggs that leaves me satiated. To both celebrate the egg I intend on eating lots of eggs for 4 days. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will find room for my egg binge. If I’m allergic, I’ll have to say good-bye to a food I really enjoy. Given this uncertainty, I want to treat each ingredient like its the last time we’ll dine together.

To this end, I want to write a series on this process. Each time I re-introduce a food item, I will write an article on that item, with emphasis on the different recipes or dishes I want to make with the ingredient. In this particular case, I think it’s important for me to note that todayI will not be posting a typical weekly menu post. I have decided instead to write a list of meals I look forward to making that require the use of egg(s).

Starting this weekend and going through the first couple days of next week, I hope to eat many egg dishes. Here are a list of ideas/desires that I want to fulfill in the coming days:

• quiche or souffle
• a tasty banana muffin recipe I have awaiting me
• salty caramel ice cream
• an omelette with broccoli and cheddar cheese
• a desert with meringue
• corn pudding

I’m salivating just at the thought of making any of these much-wanted treats!  Please allergy-gods, please let me eat eggs again!

Related posts:

1. No Idea (weekly menu 24)
2. The Elimination Diet and a Cleanse
3. Bring Me the Meat! (weekly menu 13)

Well it turns out that the “healthy eating and meal planning class” is like an episode of Top Chef.

Let me explain the scenario:

The gentleman who hired me to teach the class has a roughly $500 budget, 300 of which pays for my services. The remaining $200 has to cover the cost of ingredients for all of the meals we will cook in the class and the supplies needed to prepare each dinner. Given this incredibly tight budget we are currently seeking donated goods. This week I’ll be cold calling various cooking schools and kitchen stores to seek out used equipment. I also contacted staff at local grocery stores and coops to source gift cards or donated food. The timeline is 2 months.

So clearly the financial issue is important, but I feel good that we can make it work. That said, to make our needs as minimal as possible, I had to write a menu for the class that met our budget. Given the diversity in the classroom and the infinite recipe options, I considered a variety of menu possibilities. In the end though, I realized that sticking to my own meal planning strategies was the best choice.

Each class will last 4 weeks, which means I need 4 meals to share with the families. The recipes have to be basic – simple directions, require minimal cookware, use common ingredients and take no more than 60 minutes to prep and cook. With the financial issue looming overhead, I decided seasonality would be great but overlapping ingredients is best. As such, the recipes I chose for the class fit all of these requirements, and I’m fairly certain the total food cost could be around 100-150$. Now, know that I have never done this before. I expect error in my calculations but overall, I really really hope we can afford to make these recipes.

Here’s what I put together:

• Week 1 – Pasta with shredded vegetables and rosemary. I found this on Mark Bittman’s blog and have used it many times. Everybody loves pasta, and it’s got three vegetables in it with some seasonal flavor. It’s easy to make, it fills you up, and it’s delicious.
• Week 2 – Vegetable stir-fry with white rice. Although I’m not drawing from one particular recipe, I’ll write one up for the class that will serve as an “intro to stir-fry.” Again, lots of vegetables but this time over rice. I’ll also introduce families to the various condiment options for cooking Asian food at home. Specifically, sriracha, fish and soy sauce.
• Week 3 – Mushroom barley soup. Here we’ve got a simple soup that easily takes less than an hour to make. Whether it’s cold, dark or wet outside, everybody’s got to want some soup!
• Week 4 – Pizza margherita (cheese pizza) and a side salad. The last class will celebrate with some homemade pizza. I think we’ll provide some vegetarian options for the pizza, but I think that unlike the other meals, pizza is somewhat holy to the individual. Most folks I know only like certain things on their pizza. Thus, I went with the plain cheese pizza. The pizza will be served with a greed salad and shredded carrot.

So that’s the plan. I also have the ingredient list to go along, but that’s not so interesting to post here. The next piece to plan is the content curriculum. This is the good stuff. I have a number of ideas, all of which I will share on the blog over the next 2 months. For now, time to ask for donations.

Related posts:

1. The Food Curriculum Project (part IV) “Lesson Plan 2″
2. The Food Curriculum Project (part VI) “Lesson Plan 4″
3. A simple menu (weekly menu 2)

For most people a simple meal is one they don’t make – they eat out. For others, a simple meal might be cooking from a box or can. For me, ‘simple’ is defined by the list of ingredients, the required prep work and the time needed to make the meal. By the end of every week I want to plan a simple meal – minimal prep work and little time used. And yet, come Friday when I post my menu I see that this goal of mine is again, disregarded. In my attempt to write an easy menu for next week’s pre-Thanksgiving meals, I may have failed myself all (again.) That’s the bad news. The good news is that we will be eating some more fabulous dinners. Maybe this is a win-win paradox?!

Starting tomorrow and following through till Tuesday, here is what I put together:

• Coconut curry squash soup
• Baked lamb shanks with mashed sweet potatoes
• Pasta with tomato cream sauce and steamed broccoli
• Fennel risotto with dried chili and ricotta

My desire for simplicity originated with Mark Bittman, and he is still a guiding force in my food-focused thinking. I recommend his modern bible, How to Cook Everything to anyone new to the kitchen. When I think about simple foods I think about Bittman. The soup recipe I’ll use this week comes from Bittman, specifically an article he published this week on 101 simple holiday meals. It’s almost mechanical how easily he creates easy to prepare meals. I didn’t take the time to read through the list, but I imagine if you are interested it would be a good site to bookmark for future use.

The lamb and risotto come from another favorite chef of mine, Jamie Oliver. He’s another celebrity chef hailing from Britain and eager to spread the gospel of healthy eating. I won’t go into great detail here, but if you come across any of his cookbooks or his website, I highly recommend reading about him, his philosophy and the numerous recipe ideas he creates. I would say he is a step up from Bittman, at least when I compare their recipes. Oliver is especially honed in on fresh, seasonal and sustainably-raised ingredients. No matter who you choose, both gentleman are excellent starting points for novice home cooks.

The grand irony of the week is Thanksgiving. For the first time in my life I will not be going home (to Virginia) for the holiday. The trip is too costly and too short in length to make sense. And so, an almost dream-come-true scenario is born this week. I will be cooking and hosting our Thanksgiving meal. One day I hope this will be one of the traditions we take on as a household; a day when my East coast family travels West for the celebratory turkey day.

I digress. The irony of the holiday is my strong desire to cook as simply as possible, something I rarely do on a daily basis. I will write more on this later next week, as I want to share the menu I planned and discuss the tasty possibilities of single-ingredient dishes. Until next Thursday though, it looks like I’ll continue to complicate my kitchen plans!

Related posts:

1. Thanksgiving Menu
2. Between the Holidays (weekly menu 14)
3. The Recipe vs. Spontaneity (weekly menu 11)

Butternut squash risotto with parmesan shavings

Last week we deviated from the plan. The “rice dish” for last week was intended to be a Thai curry with vegetables, but unexpectedly, the desire for more curry dissipated during the week. This turn of events was rather serendipitous though, for it forced me to consider the realm of rice dishes beyond the stir-fry model. When we plan meals for the week we almost always include a meal with rice. This whole time I had forgotten the risotto option. It is possible that this act of forgetting was Freudian at best, since I had bad experiences with risotto in the past.

As far as I understand and have experienced, risotto is a daunting task; and as I hope to share today, it is time consuming but also worth the work. If you do not know this, risotto is an Italian rice dish. Unlike any other ‘rice dish,’ risotto requires a specific cooking method – more than just adding water and waiting. First off, a dish of risotto uses arborio rice, not brown or white or black rice. Arborio is a short-grained white rice grown in Italy (originally.) Almost all risotto recipes you might find also include another vegetable, meat or mushroom to add flavor and texture. For the meal I made, butternut squash played the leading role.  As I explain the method I will use the meal I made as example.

I began with 1 3lb butternut squash, which was twice the size necessary because I wanted to double the recipe. The squash was sliced in half lengthwise and one half was completely peeled and diced. The other side was left in tact, dressed in olive oil and laid next to the cubed pieces.

Thanks to the assistance of a horizontal peeler, the processing time was cut in half.

While the squash roasted in the oven, I had time to prep the remaining ingredients. Every risotto recipe I have seen uses 4 main ingredients – arborio rice, onion, stock and white wine. I often see butter as the fat to cook with but I’m not certain it is a risotto staple. For this recipe I also had garlic and ginger to spice it up a bit.

Sliced, diced and minced.

Once all the knife work was complete I could begin the actual cooking.

The first step includes melting butter in a pot and then adding the onion, garlic and ginger. This cooked until softened and took maybe 10 minutes. I would like to add that meals like this make me realize that butter is magical, and is way under appreciated in our modern ways. I’m not sure if butter is always used for risotto; but I have learned that the rice must first cook in the fat before any liquid is introduced. Once the grains are added to the pot, they are stirred and cooked for about a minute.

   

The star of the show!

Now another important trick to making risotto is the stock. All the while the squash has roasted and the onions, ginger and garlic softened, there is a pot of chicken stock (though it could very well be vegetable stock too) barely simmering on an adjacent burner. Once the rice is added and covered with fat, you add some white wine and cook until evaporated. Then, the real time consumption begins. Once the wine has evaporated, you add stock a little bit at a time and stir constantly so that the liquid is fully absorbed. It is here where the real risotto is distinguished from the crummy stuff.

In the past I did not respect this process, and I think it is important to let all the liquid diminish after each addition. While the stock is stirred with the rice, the hot liquid removes the starchy shell of the rice and results with a creamy texture. It takes roughly 18 minutes to add just enough liquid and cook it through over the course of multiple additions. Once the stock has been completely incorporated, the vegetable is ready to join the party.

While adding stock and stirring the risotto, make sure to move the spoon all over. The risotto can not get burnt nor stick to the pan, all the while the liquid must be equally distributed.

Throughout the cooking process, taste the rice to determine its doneness. Risotto grains are to be served al dente, providing just enough resistance to each bite.

As you can see to the right, the squash is mixed into the rice mixture. At this point you can also add some parmesan cheese and salt to taste.

When you serve the risotto use a flat plate, making sure that no liquid is there to ruin the presentation nor the final taste of the dish. In the case of this meal, the parmesan shavings were an excellent aesthetic touch and really finished the flavor of the meal.

Even though this meal required some standing time and lots of stirring motions, the result is a rich and satisfying meal with plenty of leftovers!

Related posts:

1. If time is money, then we eat like king and queen
2. Chicken Stock
3. Simple, healthy and delicious

In the kitchen there are two camps of cooks. There are those like myself, who follow recipes, often to a T. Be it our own recipe or that of someone else, we respect the work that went into creating the meal and its said recipe. We find it difficult to disregard the instructions, to deny certain ingredients their rightful purpose, though what we lack in ingenuity we make up for with diligent perseverance and hopefully, a well-crafted meal.

The other philosophy for cooking is almost perfectly antithetical. There are many people like my wife, who find recipes frustrating and too particular about the food-making process; and instead, provide a new interpretation of the recipe. Or, even more deviant (from the other side’s view), they attempt to create a new, never-before-done meal of their own genius design. Sometimes the meal is fabulous and deserving of notation (isn’t this ironic?) Or, often in my experience, the spontaneity falls flat and copious amounts of salt tries to save the day.

Even though I write rather sarcastically on this dichotomy, we all know it exists and we all know our camp. At this point in my “culinary career” as a home cook, I am proud of my allegiance to the ‘recipe-following group.’ Though I must admit, there is a traitor inside me. I do, on occasion, dream of creating a meal of my own creation. After years of following other people’s ideas, I like to think that I have developed a basic, if not intermediate knowledge of cooking trends and “rules.” That said, I am also cognizant of my weak palate and often rely on my partner’s unbelievable ability to taste nuanced flavors. As a team we are surely the N Portland dynamic duo of home cookery.

It is humorous – these opposing groups. Every time I talk about food with someone else the issue will arise. “Do you like to follow recipes?” A member of my camp will follow-up with, “what is your favorite cookbook?” And then the conversation unfolds. If, on the other hand, I come upon a member of the spontaneity-type, our shared feelings on food quickly diminish when I ask, “what’s your favorite cookbook.” Luckily, there are many other topics that fall under the conversational umbrella known as “food.” And my chatty self moves on to the next subject.

As you might expect, this tension of ‘following the rules’ vs. ‘breaking the rules’ is the theme in this week’s menu. On Wednesday my wife and I took the holiday to visit a hot springs in the mountains of Oregon. While I drove we talked about the menu for next week. The plan we developed is more of her creation than mine; something that makes me really happy. Of all the chosen meals, there were two that I knew I wanted to eat and coincidently they both contain meat and have a recipe. And of course, as a recipe-following cook, I know what to expect with the dinner. My wife on the other hand, serves the other group and proposed several meals that have no guidelines or ingredient list per se. Working together, our food-focused minds created the following:

• Chicken tikka masala with rice
• Grandma Dolly’s Kale Soup (not my grandmother but a friend’s)
• Baked acorn squash with roasted beets, rice and mushrooms
• Pan-fried catfish with swiss chard, beet greens and mashed potatoes
• Baked potatoes with cheese sauce and steamed broccoli
• Vegetable pie (what’s in this is currently unknown)

The first two meals have a recipe and everything else will come together on its own. This menu is unique for the very reason that most of the meals will favor spontaneity over reading and measuring. It’s true that some of the spontaneity is lost by the very act of planning the menu, but when we do the shopping we will have to base our choices on the whim and not a recipe’s ingredient list. Probably the most striking aspect to the plan is that we are not incorporating any of the meat we bought last night from the lovely farmers of Afton Field farm. That mentioned, you can expect a lot of lamb recipes for the next several months, cause we got ourselves a good 15 pounds last night!

Oh, the possibility!

Related posts:

1. Seasonal and then some (weekly menu 4)
2. Where have all the simple meals gone? (weekly menu 12)
3. Hearty Food Returns (weekly menu 18)

As such, a bimonthly trip to the neighborhood library heeds its call. Now, I have to state for the record that Portland is a great city, BUT the libraries here are unequal to those in Minneapolis. I make this judgement based on the variety of books at the local book depot and the times I’ve searched for sources via inter-library loan. Nonetheless, I have found some good ones and since I mostly search for cookbooks, my snobbery should not be taken too seriously. I’m just too broke to afford some of the ethnic or specialty books I occasionally seek.

Anyways, this complaining stated, I did get myself some great books this week. Due to the lack of specific direction or theme-based planning, I claim to be ‘mixed up in the head.’ I picked up one book on Thai cooking, another devoted to recipes for eating mushrooms, and a third claiming to provide an Indian-American experience. The third book is rather boring and I don’t remember why I bothered to get it. I do want to get my hands on an Indian cookbook and since the one I seek is unavailable, I went with mediocrity. That said, if you have the opportunity, get yourself a copy of Neelam Batra’s 1,000 Indian Recipes. I found a number of great recipes there and I hope to get my hands on it again soon.

After this past week of Asian emphasis, I find myself meandering back to what I know – local produce and tasty combinations. Though, I must admit that spice is good, very good and I want to incorporate more of it in my cooking, hence the desire for more Indian. As that search continues, here is what I put together for the upcoming week:

• Roasted chicken, squash and brussels sprouts
• Hot and sour pumpkin soup
• Spinach and red pepper quiche with a side salad
• Hamburgers with sweet potato fries and homemade spicy pickles
• Thai curry with vegetables and rice
• Pan-fried catfish with spinach and mushrooms

Another exciting feature to this week’s meal is tomorrow night’s third installment of the World Cuisines potluck, as we travel to Portugal! Since I do not yet have a recipe pinned down, I cannot yet share that with you. Though I assure you, I will have photos and stories to tell. That said, looking at this week’s menu I am also excited about the soup, as it is my wife’s favorite to make and eat. The hot and sour soup represents a fusion between the Asian spice and seasonal produce – a happy medium for me. The curry on the other hand, is my attempt to use some of the same non-local ingredients as efficiently as possible. If we are to serve prepare cuisines from other parts of the world, it is best to find a way to still overlap the use of these speciality ingredients.

All in all, I think it will be a great week. What are you having for dinner?

Related posts:

1. A Fresh Perspective (weekly menu 20)
2. New York, New York (weekly menu 1)
3. The New Year (weekly menu 15)

As someone who is gluten-free and hates buying processed foods, breakfast is a major challenge. In a different life I would have a library of cereals to choose from: cheerios, rice chex, life, puffins, rice krispies, and maybe even some froot loops! The little boy in me who still suffers from sugar addiction and loves whole milk would go crazy (literally and figuratively) in this imaginary kitchen. The adult in me wants to eat something healthier and definitely more filling, but continues to struggle in the search for the best breakfast foods.

This morning, while worrying this daily worry, my wonderful wife devised the best solution – leftover brown rice with a fried egg and some tamari (wheat-free soy sauce.) The sugar addict in me always forgets the possibility of savory foods. The meal was simple, delicious and filling. After devouring this egg and rice combo, I realized that I cannot plan on having the same thing every day. Maybe the beauty of breakfast is the possibility of variety. Some mornings have oatmeal, other times an egg with rice, and on an especially good day, pancakes or waffles. When it comes to meal planning I mostly consider dinner, but this new realization makes me want to also browse breakfast possibilities.

My ideas only stretch but so far. Like the cookbook post, please share your favorite sweet, savory and routine meals.

Related posts:

1. The Pains of Eliminating (weekly menu 19)
2. Eggs (weekly menu 23)
3. Thank you Alex Roberts (or) Chocolate Pudding on a new level

1. * How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman (a modern Joy of Cooking)
2. * The Gourmet Cookbook edited by Ruth Reichl
3. * Cook With Jamie by Jamie Oliver
4. The Best Italian Classics from the editors of  * Cook’s Illustrated (a monthly magazine)
5. Baking Illustrated from the editors of Cook’s Illustrated
6. * Splendid Soups and Spectacular Sides published by Cuisine at Home
7. Open House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase
8. The Jewish Holiday Baker by Joan Nathan
9. Fresh from the Farmer’s Market by Janet Fletcher
10. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
11. The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart
12. What to Have for Dinner published by The Best of Martha Stewart LIving
13. The Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook presented by Renewing the Countryside

Here is a list of books I hope to get some day (assuming my wife does not hate a cookbook library!)

1. The Silver Spoon by Phaidon Press
2. Other books by Jamie Oliver
3. The French Laundry by Thomas Keller
4. The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
5. Books devoted to seasonal NW cuisine

I’m leaving room here so that I can add books to my “hope to own” list. Please leave a comment on books you love to use or love to dream of owning.

Related posts:

1. Where have all the simple meals gone? (weekly menu 12)
2. I Thought I was Starting the Food Revolution!?
3. The “hidden cost” of convenience (follow-up)