Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients by Jesse Ziff Cool; Photographs by France Ruffenach. 248 pages. 150 recipes. On sale for $16.50 at Amazon.com. The Kindle edition is only $10! I picked it up at T.J. Maxx for $6.
Great resource for those thinking about going organic! Detailed definition of terminology and absolutely gorgeous photographs of the recipes! It starts with an inside look at what to keep on hand: Your Organic Pantry. Then it goes season by season and provides recipes using the seasonal fruits and vegetables. It is my goal to cook through every recipe in this book. Each section has 15-20 recipes. Below are a list of the chapters and my favorite recipe from each.
- Introduction: Lots of background on family values and traditions, definitions, as well as health and environmental reasons to go organic.
- Chapter 1: Your Organic Pantry – a step by step list of moving towards organic.
- Chapter 2: First of Spring – My favorite so far is the Exotic Mushroom Soup recipe!
- Chapter 3: Late Spring – You can’t go wrong with Lamb Burgers with Caramelized Shallots.
- Chapter 4: Early Summer – Mmmm! Roasted Chicken and Peaches!
- Chapter 5: Midsummer – Gotta love Zesty Zucchini Quesadillas.
- Chapter 6: Indian Summer – I’ve used the Harvest Pot Roast recipe on multiple occasions. It turns out perfectly every time!
- Chapter 7: Autumn Harvest – The Roasted Parsnips are quite good, especially if you add a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
- Chapter 8: Early Winter – The Chard and Feta Pie is my favorite in this section.
- Chapter 9: Deep Winter – I’m so looking forward to winter to try the Penne with Beets, Beet Greens, and Goat Cheese.
- Conclusion: Organic Resources, Index, and Table of Equivalents
At the end of each chapter is a Pioneer Profile section, dealing with all kinds of practical advice for organic living.