The Culinary Institute of America has updated one of their most popular cookbooks and created “The New Book of Soups” (Lebhar-Friedman, 2009), filled with more than 160 “new and improved” soup recipes from the expert chefs at the CIA. Here is a recipe for a Catalan Beef Stew that marries a flavorful cut from the shoulder with some typical ingredients from  Catalonia, Spain: oranges, olives, red wine and bacon. I’m going to try this dish my new La Chamba micaceous clay… Read More »

My family always demands Dungeness crab when the season first opens in November, and we often go to outrageous lengths to procure fresh crab  for Christmas Eve. But then we kind of forget about it. Which is a shame, because there’s still plenty of the sweet, delicate  crab meat around through the winter months, when you really need a seasonal treat to keep you going. If you haven’t done it yet, try to reserve a spot at a local crab… Read More »

It’s that time of year when we all start thinking about cutting back on the fat to help lower  our cholesterol and take care of that hard-working pump inside our chest. The American Heart Association and Kendall-Jackson are teaming up for a special  Heart Healthy Cooking Demonstration at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19,  at G & G Supermarket, 1211 West College Ave., Santa Rosa.  Kendall-Jackson Chef Ryan Pollnow will demonstrate three recipes – a Curried Cauliflower Soup, Miso Glazed Salmon with… Read More »

I’ve been cooking a lot of cabbage lately, using a recipe from my  CSA farm, Tierra Vegetables. They call it “Cabbage for Those Who Hate Cabbage.” It’s so easy it’s almost embarrassing. Chop cabbage, sauté in butter, add salt and pepper. That’s it! My son could not get over how delicious this veggie was, served alongside a pork tenderloin with a peach-chipotle chutney I made from our peaches and Tierra’s chipotle powder. But just think of the heights the lowly… Read More »