Cookbook Profile: Simply Organic

the appetizer:

Simply Organic by Jesse Ziff Cool explains how to incorporate organic foods into your kitchen, with recipes like Ricotta-Green Onion Gnocchi; Fava Beans and Orzo Salad; and Fresh Corn Bites with Tarragon.

Simply Organic:
A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal,
and Local Ingredients

by Jesse Ziff Cool

Click to buy Simply Organic

The word "organic" has saturated the world's consciousness, but how many people are really making educated decisions when choosing to buy organic products or not? For anyone wanting to know more, Simply Organic offers realistic, simple, and practical ways to understand organics and how to begin incorporating them into one's life. The beginning chapters clarify the definition of sustainable farming and organic living, including how the foods we choose affect both our families and our environment.

Author Jesse Ziff Cool goes on to provide inspiring and easy recipes, using fresh ingredients that are presented seasonally in 8 chapters. She takes you through the year with recipes like Asparagus and Scallops in early spring, the Vegetable Risotto with Goat Cheese midsummer, and Zinfandel-Braised Lamb Shanks in deep winter. Additionally, each chapter also profiles an organic farmer or producer that is successfully treading the organic path, including both little farms and corporate powerhouses.

Jesse's simple, humble approach to it all is refreshing for anyone who fears that organics are all or nothing. By offering guidance to those wanting to know more about making conscious and contentious food choices, she shows readers how to find out what is right for them and their families.

About the Author

Jesse Ziff Cool has been dedicated to sustainable agriculture and cuisine for more than 30 years as a writer, restaurateur, spokesperson, mother, and consumer. She is the author of Toast: Sixty Ways To Butter Your Toast and More and The Really, Truly, Honest-to-Goodness One Pot Cookbook, both by Chronicle Books. She lives in Palo Alto, California.

France Ruffenach is a San Francisco-based photographer whose work was nominated for a James Beard award in 2006 for Tartine. Her other books include The Country Cooking of France, Cupcakes!, Everyday Celebrations, and Everything Tastes Better with Garlic, all by Chronicle Books.