California Home Cooking: 400 Recipes that Celebrate the Abundance of Farm and Garden, Orchard and Vineyard, Land and Sea (America Cooks) [Paperback]

Michele Anna Jordan (Author)

Book Description

Series: America Cooks | Publication Date: October 11, 2011

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

California is the home of the food revolution that has transformed American eating for the better since the 1960s. Michele Anna Jordan lucidly and lovingly defines California home cooking as a simple style that evolved from the rich diversity of the state's resources, the availability of excellent fresh ingredients, the interweaving of ethnic influences (Spanish, Mexican, Italian, American, Chinese, and Japanese), and widespread appreciation of good food. California cooking relies on flavorful ingredients, and Jordan's 400 recipes enhance them with minimal fuss, such as her Potato Salad with Grilled Steak, Tomato-Cilantro Soup rich with caramelized onions, and Ginger Chèvre Tart. Jordan also includes stories about the history of the state's original 27 counties and many of the people in them. If you like the flavors of fresh California home cooking, you'll often reach for Jordan's collection of delicious recipes.

From Library Journal

Jordan, a food writer and prolific cookbook author, has written about California cooking before, in A Cook's Tour of Sonoma (Addison-Wesley, 1990). Her latest book includes 400 recipes for the casual but often elegant food she likes to cook for herself and guests: Monterey Artichoke Risotto, Chicken with 100 Garlic Cloves (40 aren't enough in California?), Bing Cherry Compote. Alice Waters, the "doyenne" of California cooking, and M.F.K. Fisher are influences, and they, along with Jordan's fellow Californians Betty Fussell and James Beard, are mentioned often in the readable headnotes and informative sidebars. Occasionally, California's abundant produce seems to have gone to Jordan's head?do we really need Blueberry Coleslaw or Chicken and Raspberry Sandwiches??but most of the recipes sound delicious.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press (October 11, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558321195
• ISBN-13: 978-1558321199
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #758,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars my favorite cookbook, January 27, 2002

By 

Stevie (Fort Collins, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: California Home Cooking: 400 Recipes that Celebrate the Abundance of Farm and Garden, Orchard and Vineyard, Land and Sea (America Cooks) (Paperback)

I cook alot and I have many cookbooks, but this one has become
my favorite. Of the many recipes I've tried from this book,
all have been successful and required very little tampering
to adjust to my personal taste. My husband and I now make
Shrimp 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 Linguine
with Chevre Herbs and Tomatoes. Next on the list is probably
Roasted 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 this
cookbook. It will keep you busy for a long time trying out all
the different recipes and you'll probably find a few favorites
of your own.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ONE of the BEST, November 28, 2001

By 

Elise Meyers (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: California Home Cooking: 400 Recipes that Celebrate the Abundance of Farm and Garden, Orchard and Vineyard, Land and Sea (America Cooks) (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a great cookbook, September 26, 2002

By 

Donna L. Rose (Santa Rosa, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: California Home Cooking: 400 Recipes that Celebrate the Abundance of Farm and Garden, Orchard and Vineyard, Land and Sea (America Cooks) (Paperback)

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.