Organic Chef Rockstar

On Tuesday I had a bite of Deep-Dish Summer Vegetable Cobbler. My tastebuds were immediately transported to a place of supreme happiness. Where was this organic, seasonal food nirvana? The cafeteria of the law office that was hosting the Clean Tech Open competition in Silicon Valley. I spent the day there mentoring project teams on sustainability.

Organic Chef rockstar Jesse Ziff Cool was on hand signing copies of her cookbook Simply Organic while the lunch staff served her Deep-Dish Summer Vegetable Cobbler. The crust, topping a medley of late summer vegetables, had a richness and texture that made me dive for the nearest copy of the cookbook to see what was in it. Aha! No wonder the crust was so tasty: cheddar cheese, buttermilk, butter, cayenne, parsley, cornmeal, salt, and unbleached flour.

For those who think organic vegetarian food tastes as good as salted cardboard, I hope you have a chance to check out Ms. Cool's cookbook. Recipes are organized by season so the reader can use the freshest ingredients. There are some meat dishes in the book but most of the recipes involve tasty main course vegetarian entrees: Summer Strata, Vegetable Risotto with Goat Cheese, and Pear, Brie and Olive Tart. If you need some new recipe ideas to add to your cooking repertoire, pick up a copy of Simply Organic and let us know how your recipes turn out.