BACK TO OUR ROOTS

Growing up, I heard my German grandmother singing the praises of an odd vegetable she called CELERIAC, or Celery Root. I would love to know how she used it then, probably grated in salad or roasted with other root vegetables. Turns out, it's the gnarled, starchy, bulbous root of the celery plant, loaded with a lot of the same minerals and phytonutrients that other root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips and turnips boast. Just as a lot of the colorful fruits and vegetables are great sources of anti-oxidants that help fight degenerative diseases, even the WHITE VEGETABLES provide decent amounts

of ANTHOXANTHINS which may help lower cholesterol and blood pressure as well as fight some types of tumors. In this month's recipe, CREAMY CELERY ROOT SOUP, I'm including a few other white vegetables - some in the ALLIUM(onion) FAMILY and some in the CRUCIFEROUS (cabbage)FAMILY, both of which contain sulphur compounds (think strong smells!) which enhance the immune system, detoxify carcinogen exposure, repair DNA and protect against cancer.

I've grown to love celery root for its bright fresh taste in a raw salad and for its earthy, almost sweet flavor when roasted or slow cooked in a soup. Think of this recipe as a multi-dimensional version of a potato/leek type soup - still richly satisfying on chilly Fall days and bringing even more deeply stored nutrients to the table.

CREAMY CELERY ROOT SOUP makes 8 servings

2 T. butter or coconut oil

1 large white onion, minced fine

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

2 stalks celery, diced fine (save any celery leaves to chop for garnish)

2 parsnips, peeled, diced

2 small white turnips, diced

2 medium white potatoes, peeled, diced

1/4 cauliflower, broken into small florets

1/2" ginger root, peeled and minced

1 large celery root, cleaned, peeled and diced

1 large honey crisp apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1/4 tsp. celery seeds

1 tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

water or stock to cover vegetables (about 10 cups)

a few drops of lemon juice

a few drops olive oil

In a large soup pot, melt butter or oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another few minutes. Be careful not to let garlic get brown. Add celery and sauté for 5 minutes or so until getting soft and slowly releasing liquid. Add parsnip, turnip, potato, cauliflower, celery root and apple. Toss in pot until coated with juices, stirring for a few minutes. Add celery seeds, a little salt and a little pepper and sauté for a few more minutes. This will glaze and caramelize the vegetables to bring out their flavors before adding the stock.

Add enough water or stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a low boil. As soon as boil is reached, reduce soup to lowest simmer. Simmer until root veggies are soft enough to mash with a fork.

Add more stock if necessary. Check salt.

Remove pot from heat. Using an immersion blender, begin to purée the soup. Continue to purée until uniformly smooth. Check for seasonings. Use a few drops of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and/or pepper to enhance/adjust flavors. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with a drizzle of good olive oil and chopped celery leaves.

I and my colleagues at Bauman College featured this recipe at a recent event in Berkeley SPICE OF LIFE. On stage with some very fun guys of KITCHEN ON FIRE pictured here in a few photos we managed to take even though it was raining and chefs were everywhere! I am using an immersion blender in the pot, but they had a bicycle powered blender set up which made the whole demo, well, Fellini-esque!. My kind of day. The few hardcore attendees LOVED the soup and were happy to learn an EASY, EVERYDAY use for CELERIAC. Enjoy!

GAZPACHO or PARFAIT?

The theme for this week's farmer's market demo was BERRIES. With a concentration on STRAWBERRIES, since that's what's plentifully available right now. There were some amazing little baskets of RASPBERRIES a few weeks ago from Mt. Barnabe Farms (my first Marin CSA in Lagunitas). I used them in June's demo, but they have a short season. BLUEBERRIES don't seem to be local just yet, so I picked these and a few BLACKBERRIES up from Whole Foods, just for a garnish.

The recipes were all bright and colorful and loaded with flavor: A spinach salad with a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, a strawberry gazpacho and a berry cream and cacao pudding parfait. My demo partner, Jessica, wanted to bring some chia seeds into the mix so we put some in the chocolate pudding which added a tapioca texture and some much appreciated EFA's.

GAZPACHO has to be one of the most refreshing dishes I look forward to making, serving and slurping down each summer. Traditionally made with cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and onions, this recipe introduces another juicy player - strawberries! They add a natural sweet flavor, that compliments beautifully the crunch and tang of the vegetables. Other ingredients that might be fun to experiment with: watermelon, honeydew, kiwi, papaya, lemon cucumber, jicama, avocado. I like a chunky version of gazpacho, but some like to blend it and make it more 'drinkable'. Play with blending half and half. Blend the red ingredients and chop the green so they don't blend and make brown.

STRAWBERRY GAZPACHO RECIPE

2# strawberries, hulled and lightly crushed

1/2 C. red onion, chopped

1/2 C. red bell pepper, chopped

1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 T. fresh tarragon leaves

1/4 C. balsamic vinegar

1/2 C. olive oil

splash of red wine

a few drops of lemon juice

coarse salt

fresh ground black pepper

Crush all the above ingredients together with the back of a large spoon in a large bowl. Cover and transfer to refrigerator to chill and allow flavors to meld. When ready to serve, you can blend some or all of the soup and divide between bowls or large mugs. Each serving can be garnished with strawberry slices, minced chives, finely minced red bell pepper, diced avocado and or a drizzle of olive oil.

Serves 6.

Here is a picture of the sample PARFAIT we built at the market. Ideally, each layer will be poured and set up for a minute or two so you can see all the layers you're serving. But we were in the sun and had a time frame, so the layers kind or oozed together. But, no worries, it tasted divine!! I will feature the recipe for all the layers in an upcoming post, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, know that there's a CHOCOLATElayer, a creamy BERRY layer, a sweetened NUT CREME layer, all interlaced with whole or sliced berries, your favorite granola and/or sweetened cacao nibs. Sweet, tart, creamy, chocolatey, crunchy, berry-y, you decide what to put where.

The is dairy free dessert that satisfies any sweet tooth, a healthy dollop of which could be part of breakfast or a cooling snack.

Check in next week when the secret ingredients will be revealed!

So, I knew they'd LOVE the pudding, but guess what?

They asked for seconds of the GAZPACHO.

Gotta love the FARMER'S MARKET!

Nettle Soup and Dandelion Salad

The other night I went to see Robin Hood. My ears pricked up and I had to smile when Maid Marion was out plowing and bitching about how there was no grain to plant because it had all been designated to the King or Pope or someone and the community was having to subsist on Nettle Soup and Dandelion Salad! I thought, Hey, wait a minute, isn't that the new gourmet stuff? Isn't that what we made for our chef showcase last year? Isn't wild food, foraging, bitter greens and medicinal herbs what being a therapeutic chef is all about? I think it's interesting that we are coming back to our roots, literally, as hunters, gatherers, foragers, healers, survivors. The stuff that grows without being planted and cultivated. The stuff that re-seeds itself and thrives in a diverse community of animal, vegetable and mineral companions. They're called WEEDS. My yard is full of volunteer nettles, dandelions, mint, wild onions, sourgrass, purslane, lemon balm, chicory and other delicacies. I let them be, because they keep nutrients in the soil, protect against erosion, need no watering, attract pollinating birds, butterflies and bees along with the California Natives I've introduced and the naturalized Euro figs, olives, grapes, persimmons, pomegranates, lemons that I get to harvest from my neighbors' yards every year. If I was a little closer to the coast, I'd revel in gathering seaweeds, those nutrient rich and salty flavor powerhouses!

Admit it, didn't you always want to live like Marion and Robin and the merry men of Sherwood Forest? We all may have our adventure fantasies come true sooner that later, as "food" takes on more and more bionic properties and we lose complete touch with how to live, grow things, find edibles, make medicine, clothes, dwellings, families, communities, civilization. I secretly dream of the life of the outlaw, the gypsy, the selkie, the witch, the spinner, dyer, weaver, basketmaker, builder, the gleaner.

Maybe that's why I keep close to the farmer's markets and gardeners around me. Although, there is something ironic about seeing dandelions, nettles and miner's lettuce and even collards for sale along with the gourmet salad greens and hybrid strawberries. Everything was wild once. Everything came from some kind of diversity rich community and knew how to survive its particular habitat. Even us.

Here's a couple of recipes you can try with your Spring foragings.

Creamy Nettle and New Potato Soup

makes 4 servings

1 large handful of wild onion bulbs (1 large yellow onion, diced)

1/2 cup of wild ramps bulbs (2 cloves of garlic, minced)

1 T. fresh churned butter

2 C. tiny new potatoes, left whole, with skins on (can also use celery root, cauliflower, parsnip)

handful of miner's lettuce, chopped (handful of Italian parsley, rough chopped)

several pepperwood kernals (pinch of ground black pepper)

pinch of dried, ground sea palm (pinch of sea salt)

2 C. whole nettles, chopped and thick stems removed (wear gloves!)

3 cups of water, broth or stock

Heat skillet to low medium heat. Add butter until melted. Add onions and garlic and sauté slowly for 10 or 15 minutes until soft, not browned. Add potatoes and sauté for a few more minutes. Add miner's lettuce, salt and pepper and sauté until flavors are blended. Slowly add water and bring to a low simmer. Simmer until potatoes are soft. Add nettles and simmer until they soften. Adjust seasonings. To make a creamy spring green soup, use immersion blender to purée. Serve with a generous grinding of fresh pepper on each bowl.

Dandelion Green Salad

makes 4 servings

1 large bunch of dandelion leaves, end of stems trimmed up to leaf, chopped in forkful sized pieces

1 large handful of arugula

1 handful of pea shoots

1 handful of buckwheat or other colorful sprouts

1/2 C. wild strawberries (or the smallest, reddest, sweetest ones you can find)

1/2 C. olive oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1/2 orange, juiced

1/2 tsp. fine chopped fresh rosemary

drop of honey

pinch of salt

grind of pepper

Combine greens in large salad bowl. Drizzle olive oil, vinegar, orange juice over greens and toss until fully coated. Sprinkle herbs, honey, salt and pepper across salad. Toss again. Add strawberries (sliced if need be). Serve immediately.

Greetings! Doesn't Spring feel fabulous? I have apples and pear trees blossoming and out my front window a flowering cherry (planted in honor of my mom) just about to burst. It's a continuous toss-up to spend time in the kitchen and time in the garden. I am blessed to have both.

Here's me demonstrating almond milk at my recent retreat. We had a great kitchen to work/teach/learn in and gorgeous spring weather just outside. Once again - hard to choose.

But I've promised recipes. Last month I made a recipe several times for different classes and demos and even though we're moving out of "root season" it's tempting to just keep a good thing going.

The "heart healthy" theme of February was the original inspiration. Turns out there are so many of my favorite foods that are cholesterol lowering (flax, garlic, olive oil, onion, cayenne, cinnamon, walnuts), super anti-oxidant (beets, green tea, figs, citrus) and loaded with magnesium, potassium and other alkalynizing minerals (leafy greens!)

Roasted Beet Carpaccio w/ Blood orange, Watercress and Horseradish

serves 6

5 medium beets, scrubbed and stems trimmed - use a variety if available

1/4 C. water

4 blood oranges, peeled and sectioned

1 small shallot, minced

2 t. olive oil

1 tsp. lemon juice

fresh ground pepper

handful baby watercress or other micro greens

1/2 C. creme fraiche

1/4 C. prepared (or 2 T. fresh grated) horseradish

Preheat oven to 375º F. Place beets in shallow baking dish. Pour water in the pan and cover tightly with foil. Roast until beets are pierced easily with tip of a sharp knife, about 45 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and let beets cool. Wearing gloves, peel cooled beets (skins will slide right off). Then slice into thinnest rounds using a mandoline, V-slicer or a very sharp knife. Divide beet slices among 6 plates, arranging in overlapping circular pattern.

Peel and section blood oranges over a bowl to catch juices. Measure out 2 T. orange juice and pour into a small bowl. Add shallot, lemon juice, pepper and pinch of salt. Whisk in olive oil.

Mix together horseradish and creme fraiche.

Divide water cress and blood orange segments among the plates of beets, mounding them in the center. Drizzle with dressing, then a dollop of horseradish mixture.

Serve immediately.

Recipe for Connection

A few weeks back I called together a group of friends that all have their own businesses, services, practices and works with the intent of creating a small referral network. We met at Café Gratitude, sampled some of their food, drinks and desserts while we went around and introduced ourselves, what we do and directions we're of going in. I thought I would share them with you here and maybe their profiles will strike a chord with you or someone you know. I will keep you posted if we meet again and perhaps you will join us!

To date we are: Check us out! Enjoy!

Christine Bandettini San Rafael christine@thelightfoundation.org

Christine teaches restorative and breath/hatha yoga, ayurvedic nutrition/cooking for self-healing and mind/body fitness. She can help you find the yoga postures for your dosha type and foods that cause less toxins in the body. Her range of clients runs from kids with Down's Syndrome, couples and intimacy, through geriatrics. She teaches meditation for stress reduction as well as tools for working through the emotions.

Nancy Bennett San Anselmo www.fengshuiperceptions.com

Nancy specializes in mind and body feng shui, energy clearing and interior/exterior home- business-community analysis. She offers classes and talks as well as treatments. In addition to these practices, she is a life long musician, playing piano in the "We Three Trio" along with a cellist and clarinetist.

Christine DeCamp Pt. Reyes Station www.christinedecamp.com

Christine is a long-time painter and ceramicist specializing in dreamlike images of women, animals and nature. She has had her work published in "Inquiring Mind" magazine among other publications. Currently along with maintaining a studio in Pt. Reyes, she sells her work at the Marin Farmer's Market and various open studios around the county. She puts her new work on her blog which you can visit at passionforpainting.blogspot.com and sells through Etsy at christinedecamp.etsy.com

Hari Lubin Greenbrae hari@mcn.org

Hari is a master practitioner of "Emotional Freedom Technique" or EFT, a uniquely gentle approach to letting go of unresolved negative emotions, beliefs and feelings that get in the way of living a more fulfilled life. In addition to his private practice with individuals and couples, he volunteers one day a week working with male prisoners at San Quentin. He is deeply insightful and supportive as he imparts his wisdom through his practice.

Catherine Abby Rich Larkspur medicinewoman2006@gmail.com

Catherine Abby is a life-long herbalist extraordinaire. She is currently offering Spring Herb Walks (in the next few weeks) and will be starting her hands-on herbal apprenticeship - a series of 4 all-day wild gathering and medicine making. Send her your e-mail to be contacted about this opportunity to study with our own local treasure! In addition to the herbs, her latest modality of diagnosis and treatments is using all natural medicine Quantum Biofeedback and the Pulse device used for mitigating pain,

inflammation and other markers of dis-ease. She has recently joined the practice of Dr. Lois Johnson of Santa Rosa who specializes in herbal medicine in her oncology practice.

Delisa Sage San Rafael collage-gallery.com

Delisa, a collage artist in her own right, has owned and operated her shop in Potrero Hill, San Francisco for over 16 years. She lends her unique artistic eye to interior design, home staging, remodeling and merchandising. She recently expanded her shop to the space next door where she is now carrying locally designed and collected clothing on consignment. Her collage workshops which she offers in her fabulous vintage home in Gerstle Park are full for months in advance.

Michael Sage San Rafael atmospherestaging.com

Michael's career has included home inspection, remodel and pre-sale consulting, finish carpentry, project management, staging and interior design. He is looking at moving from physical construction into more consulting and management. But what he really dreams of doing is being a full time musician! Teaching piano, operating a recording studio and restoring music from film and video are a few of the projects that are calling to him at this time.

Jennifer Una San Anselmo www.passionpalate.com

Jennifer is working as a personal chef for persons with special dietary limitations, needs and/or challenges. She does chef food demos at farmer's markets in Santa Rosa, Berkeley and the South Bay. She just completed the first "Kitchen as Sacred Space" hands-on culinary retreat at Harbin Hot Springs and is scheduling the next one for late summer- early fall. She maintains a website and blog that shares weekly recipes and more details on her services, products, projects and events.

Since I'm getting ready to work at the Santa Rosa Farmer's Market tomorrow and then up the coast for some rest, relaxation and romance(?), I'm going to keep this week's post short and sweet. Here's an little cordial you can create to have on hand throughout the year, for whenever you may want to get "in the mood". It takes a while to come of age, but I guarantee, it's worth the wait. And it will give you something to do while you are waiting for my more in depth talk on "Nutrition for Lovers" coming up on the 24th (see calendar on my website www.passionpalate.com.

We'll check in in a month or so and see how it's coming...

"In the Mood" Damiana-Orange-Chocolate Cordial

(recipe from Jeannine Pollak's book Healing Tonics)

Read recipe all the way through, because there are some time gaps between stages.

1 oz. damiana leaves

1 vanilla bean, sliced lengthwise, seeded

1/4 C. sliced fresh orange rind

2. C. brandy

1 C. honey or maple syrup

1/4 C. chocolate syrup

1 T. vanilla extract

1 T. orange blossom water

Place damiana, vanilla bean and orange rind in a wide mouthed jar.

Cover with brandy, cover jar, shake well every day for 2 weeks. Store at room temperature and out of direct light and heat.

Add the rest of the ingredients and steep for 2 more weeks, shaking daily.

Strain, squeezing all liquid possible from the herbs. Save the vanilla bean but discard the rest of the herbs. Rebottle cordial and add the vanilla bean back in. Let sit in a dark place for 1 more month.

To use: Sip in small amounts (this is alchohol) as a delicious love treat to help set the mood and enhance all the senses.

Note: Damiana (Turnera aphrodisiaca) is a relatively small shrub native to Central America, Mexico, South America and the West Indies. It produces small, aromatic flowers which blossom early to late summer and are followed by fruits that taste similar to figs. The shrub is said to have an odor somewhat like chamomile or Cannabis sativa, due to volatile oils present in the plant. The leaves have traditionally been made into a tea used and beloved by native people of Central and South America (as well as modern herbalists) for its aphrodisiac effects. Spanish missionaries first recorded that the Mexican Indians drank Damiana tea mixed with sugar for its ability to enhance sensuality and lovemaking.

(www.damiana.com)

Recipe for a Celebration: a man, a birthday, a book, a dinner.

Sometimes a recipe isn't a lot of stuff from the grocery store. Sometimes the ingredients can be elements brought together to create an experience, an event, precious memories. What's on the menu can be the company of great friends, warm conversation, a candlelit room strewn with holiday leftovers that refuse to be boxed up before Groundhog's Day. Each course can be a dream of a life to be shared with friends, lovers, family, children, neighbors. A hope for peace and happiness for all beings, a meditation on a meaningful, passionate life. And of course there can be food!

A few weeks back, I picked up a used book written by Marlena deBlasi who has written about her experiences living and cooking her way through all of Italy, the places she's lived, the people she's met (and married). This one was called The Lady in the Palazzo about buying an old house in Orvieto, Umbria, the main room of which used to be the ballroom of a much bigger place (i.e. palazzo). It took over two years to move in, at which point she threw a big dinner party for her neighbors, clients and friends. The menu consisted of a number of dishes that she felt were in keeping with that particular region and could be obtained in that season (midwinter). Since the recipes are included in the back of the book, I was tempted to try to recreate at least some of the meal for my friend Larry's upcoming birthday dinner party.

A visit to the Fancy Food Show in SF presented an opportunity to sample artisan cheeses from several renowned cheese making regions in Italy. I absolutely fell in love with one family's wares from a tiny town in Abruzzo (east of Rome). They served samples of pecorino and smoked ricotta to us paired with local honey - chestnut, sunflower and wildflower among others. Out of this world. Magically, FedEx delivered a small sampler packet to my door in time to include them in the feast! Thank you Andy! www.marcelliformaggi.com

We had some vegans on the guest list, so I wanted to make an alternate dish for them. Even though the recipe wasn't "in the book" or even necessarily "regional" I went for a hearty minestrone. Everybody had some. It proved to be the perfect medium for dunkable foccacia. You can refer to Marlena's book to try some of her creations. Olivada, Walnut Focaccia, Roasted Chestnut Polenta, Brown Sugar Gelato were our favorites. I'm including my minestrone here for you to add to your repertoire of winter soups. Truth be told, I like a "cooked down" version of this soup. It brings back the feeling of canned minestrone, though it's much fresher and tastier! I love when the noodles are soft and the once hard, dry beans melt in your mouth. Leave the greens to add nearer the end if you prefer.

Memorable Minestrone

Ingredients

3 T. olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/4 tsp. chili flakes

1/2 C. each dried kidney, cannellini, borlotti, chickpeas and lentils - soak together in a bowl overnight. Or use 1/2 can of each type of bean added later in recipe.

6" kombu seaweed (cooking with the beans can reduce intestinal gas)

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 large potato, scrubbed, unpeeled and diced into 1/2 " cubes

1/2 small cauliflower, cut into small florets

3 celery stalks, finely diced

1 bunch Italian parsley, leaves only

1/2 bunch Swiss chard, stalks finely sliced, leaves chopped and reserved

2# ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped if in season. Or use

2 - 14 oz. cans diced Italian tomatoes

5 quarts water. Can substitute 1 quart stock and 1 cup red wine.

1/3# pasta (about 1" lengths) I used "strozzapretti" from AG Ferrari Foods

Or try a gluten free (rice, buckwheat, quinoa) pasta if desired.

1/2# broccoli, cut into small florets

1 medium zucchini,cut into 1/2" cubes

1/2# shelled peas, fresh or frozen

salt and freshly ground black pepper

grated grana padano to serve

Directions

If using soaked beans, bring 10 cups cold water to a boil in your stew pot or large dutch oven or casserole. Add a grind of coarse grained salt and kombu. Drain soaked beans, rinse under cold running water and add to the pot of boiling water. Simmer half uncovered, until cooked but still firm, 45 minutes - 1 1/2 hours, depending on the dryness of the beans. Stir occasionally.

When beans are ready, drain, saving cooking liquid. Discard kombu. Put beans in crockery pot or glass bowl and cover.

Meanwhile, prepare vegetables. Heat oil in pot and add onion, garlic and chili flakes. Sauté until beginning to sweat. Add carrot, potato, cauliflower, celery, Swiss chard stalks and parsley and sauté 5 more minutes. Add tomatoes, water and/or stock, wine, cooking liquid from the beans, a grind of salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for 1/2 hour.

Add beans, cooked pasta, chard leaves, broccoli, zucchini and peas and cook for 5 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper again. Serve with shaved or grated grana padano.

Buon appetito!