Month: November 2012

Have I ever told you about my husband’s international food rule? It’s something his parents came up with when he was a young child to encourage him to eat everything except for one type of food of his choice (and he could change his one food once a year). Well, my husband’s consistent choice all through his childhood was squash and, while he has since found out that there isn’t really such a thing as an international food rule, to this day he and for some genetically probably easy-to-explain reason also his male offspring just don’t like that sweet winter produce that lightens up soups, salads, mashed side dishes and gorgeous pies at this time of year. In an attempt to woo my family over to the “other side”, I’m dedicating this week’s post to squash, and to be more specific, to one of the finest of them all, the delicata squash. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Delicata-ly”

We are creatures of habit. And this, more than anything, applies to what we cook and eat. In Northern California where the standard fruit and vegetable selection regularly includes ten different varieties of apples, three different types of kale, and citrus fruit to satisfy a city, habit can be a very healthy thing.  Every so often, however, it pays to pair habit with adventure, and buy those special items that only come available once a season: pomegranates, chestnuts, and, my absolute favorite, persimmons. These little known fruits that make their debut in late October look beautiful, and if ripened to the right point, pack some of the most intense, delicious flavor that I know. And while I normally associate them with my hometown in Italy (where my father is currently harvesting them by the bushel), they are abundant in my new hometown, Marin, where my dear friend Kristine just dropped off her newly plucked crop.  A toast to friendship and family!  Come and cook with us! Continue reading “Long Live the Queen of Fall”