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

Jesse Ziff Cool (Author), France Ruffenach (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 6, 2008

The world is changing, and along with it, so must our eating habits. Author and restaurateur Jesse Ziff Cool has compiled over 30 years of knowledge about organic, local, and sustainable food into one magnificent cookbook, including indispensable elements of her earlier cookbook, Your Organic Kitchen, which is now out of print. With 150 enticing recipes, Simply Organic encourages home cooks to embrace organics as a lifestyle rather than a fad. Cool organizes her chapters seasonally to ensure that the freshest, ripest ingredients enhance the flavors of dishes like Filet Mignon with Smashed Potatoes and Leek Sauce in early spring to Pumpkin Raisin Bread Pudding in autumn. Inspiring profiles on farmers and producers reveal how these individuals are working to create a sustainable future every day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients by Jesse Ziff Cool encourages home cooks to embrace organics as a lifestyle rather than a fad; includes 150 recipes." Publishers Weekly, March 10, 2008

"Now updated, those first easy recipes and thoughts on buying and cooking sustainably raised foods, meaning those that protect the planet and people in their production, are the basis of this sunny, stunning new volume. It's full of uncomplicated dishes like these, says Cool, designed to show off the quality of whole, fresh ingredients. 'It's what it means to cook, really, in the old-fashioned way,' she says." NY Daily News, March 22, 2008

"A book by Jesse Ziff Cool, cookbook author and advocate of sustainable agriculture and cuisine, tells how to convert kitchens to organic and how what we pluck from grocery store shelves affects the environment. Simply Organic walks you through the conversation. (Her advice: You don't have to do it all at once.)" The Arizona Republic, February 2008

"If you want a book that is a little more back to basics, give Simply Organic by Jesse Ziff Cool a try...The recipes are straight-forward and easy to follow. There are guides for recipes such as green goodness chicken and asparagus salad, beef stew with baby spring vegetables, stuffed pattypan squash, grilled green tomatoes, and old-fashioned cream spinach. It's sure to take you back to your cooking roots." Tyler Morning Telegraph, March 2008

"I dug right into this cookbook when I got it since it is inviting and you can almost feel Jesse's strong devotion to organic, seasonally available ingredients as you read it I also loved the details Jesse provided such as how to determine if I'd added enough flour and not merely stating how long to cook the gnocchi but telling me how to know when they were done." ProjectFoodie.com, April 9, 2008

"a hefty cookbook loaded with semi-glossy pages and gorgeous photographs" 7x7 Blog, March 7, 2008

About the Author

Jesse Ziff Cool is dedicated to sustainable agriculture as a writer, spokesperson, and restaurateur. Her books include The Really, Truly, Honest-to-Goodness One-Pot Cookbook.

France Ruffenach is a San Francisco-based photographer whose work includes Tartine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; 1st Chronicle Books LLC Ed edition (February 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811860442
• ISBN-13: 978-0811860444
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #291,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Organic Cooking

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An improved update of a book I lost a few years ago..., February 28, 2008

By 

WireChairsMissing "wirechairsmissing" (Emeryville CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients (Paperback)

I'm thrilled this book is back in a much improved, gorgeously formatted version. I had the original edition from some years back, lent it to a friend that ended up moving out of the country, and I'd been meaning to order a used copy for eons until I read something about it recently. The seasonal organization makes it so easy to eat the real food that Jesse's been advocating for, and cooking with, for decades. I can't wait to make the angel food cake again!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the word "organic" put you off., September 10, 2008

By 

Leilani Bennett (San Jose C) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients (Paperback)

Even though I am a huge fan of Jessie Cool's restaurant, the Flea Street Cafe, I wasn't planning on getting this cookbook--a cookbook devoted to organic foods just didn't float my boat. However, after tasting three of the recipes at dinner parties, I was hooked. I've made four of the recipes so far and each tastes as good as I anticipated it would. My only negative comment, and the reason I withheld the final star, is that everything is arranged by season--It would be so much easier to find things by recipe categories or meals. With the wealth of recipes available on the internet, I no longer buy cookbooks. I'm glad I made an exception for this one.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I think it's great, March 11, 2008

By 

Katrika Scott - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal, and Local Ingredients (Paperback)

I received the book in the mail the other day. The book was bigger than I expected but that's cool. I found myself reading most of the introduction which is rare. The only thing I regret about this book is that there were not enough pictures. I found the recipes to be simple and interesting enough to want to try them. I have'n read anything else by this author but I can say I like this one and am excited about trying the recipes.