California Home Cooking: 400 Recipes That Celebrate the Abundance of Farm and Garden, Orchard and Vineyard, Land and Sea

by Michele Anna Jordan

Book Overview

A comprehensive and authoritative cookbook covering California cooking and California cuisine, one that unites several different cuisines: Spanish, Mexican, Asian, and Italian, and that makes use of California's year-round harvest of produce. To pull together four hundred recipes, the author combed through old and current newspapers, cooking magazines, and restaurant menus, and talked with home cooks.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558321195
• ISBN13: 9781558321199
• Release Date: October 2011
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 7.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Not just a great cookbook

I have been a fan of Michele Anna Jordan's writing for a long, long time. Her recipes resonate with me as we have similar tastes and cooking styles, but I love this book for much more than the recipes. All throughout the book are little sidebars filled with delicious little tidbits of information about California, both past and present. One may read about the first canned chile produced in Ventura or mid-1800's recipes from Senora Benecia Vallejo, the wife of General Mariano Vallejo. Ms. Jordan has produced a book that is filled with good things to eat, but is also filled with a wealth of information that makes ourcooking and dining experiences even richer.

Excellent Cookbook - a Tool for Everyday Cooking

I fell in love with this cookbook in 1997, when I met Michele Anna Jordan at Johnson & Wales University, where I was attending culinary school. She was there for a book signing, and was the most open, kind and bright chef I had met in a very long time. California Home Cooking not only has inventive recipes, but bits of history tucked in the margins about California's wonderful culinary background. Jordan is quite skilled at utilizing the freshest ingredients while holding true to the state's wealth of cultural influences. This can be used in everyday cooking, or for a dinner party - my husband and I find ourselves returning to it again and again.

my favorite cookbook

I cook alot and I have many cookbooks, but this one has becomemy favorite. Of the many recipes I've tried from this book,all have been successful and required very little tamperingto adjust to my personal taste. My husband and I now makeShrimp Tacos with Avocado Sauce every week, although in the winter we saute the shrimp instead of grilling. Other recipes we've enjoyed include Asian Cucumber Salad, Ginger Beef Stir-Fry,Lima Beans baked Baked with Jack Cheese and Chiles, and Linguinewith Chevre Herbs and Tomatoes. Next on the list is probablyRoasted Salmon with Thai Chile Sauce. I have no financial interest in this book, but of you like simple recipes that use a variety of flavors and fresh ingredients, you should buy thiscookbook. It will keep you busy for a long time trying out allthe different recipes and you'll probably find a few favoritesof your own.

ONE of the BEST

I picked up this cookbook as I left California. It has become my favorite with each recipe a winner with cook and guest. I especially enjoy the emphasis on fresh ingredients and the ethnic food selections that we were accustomed to in the restaurants in the San Francisco North Bay area. Highly recommend.

Gotta have it.

I'm getting a replacement copy of this cookbook because it is so great that I took it on vacation to a cabin (I wanted to impress my friends with the great recipes)...and forgot it there. I've bought this book for so many friends, and just noticed while visiting relatives last week that it's not on their bookshelf - guess what they're getting for Hanukkah! I looked at two bookstores today and didn't see it and you wouldn't believe the panic I was starting to feel when they didn't have it in stock (no pun intended) - the thought of life without Satan's Lily Soup or the Salmon Chowder (and I don't typically like seafood) and so on was *just* too bleak. I love gourmet cooking, and ocassionally take on challenging cooking projects; what I love about this cookbook is that the recipes go together so quickly, I can get the satisfaction of a big cooking project with a fraction of the effort. The flavors are fresh and the combinations wonderful. Oh, and have I mentioned that this is a great cookbook?