Hello and welcome back to The Stone Soup Cook–I’m really glad you’re here!
A couple of months ago, I introduced the idea of pivoting this blog to focus on California Cuisine. And then my life went right off the rails–and I mean REALLY off the rails. My dogs died. My dad died. I was out of town more than I was in town. Somewhere along the way, autumn began and my blog wandered aimlessly around in a densely forested area for a while. I tried to write a few columns here and there when I was able, but travel, bouts of unmanageable grief and an attempt to recapture joy in…anything, has tended to get in the way of any real progress. In my struggles, however, I have been fortunate enough to have close friends who believe in me, support me, and who traveled to be there for me when I needed them the most, not to mention a husband who loved me in spite of myself.
I think I am home now, at least for a while, and my goal is now to get a life back. Probably easier said than done. However, as my first real dive back into life, I decided to refine my goals with this blog. I have logged a lot of hours on airplanes in the last year and during those long hours, I did a good bit of thinking about California Cuisine and how I wanted my blog to fit into that continuum.
The first question I tackled was “what is California Cuisine?” At its heart, California Cuisine is a philosophy of food that strives to use seasonal, local food, fresh from the farm, and to prepare it in such a way that the natural flavors really shine. “Out” is the idea that ingredients need to be cooked to death or drowned in heavy sauces. “In”, is “less is more.” “Out” is a pantry or a freezer drawer full of processed produce. “In” is a well-curated farmer’s market. “Out” is hiding the cooking process. “In” is cooking as entertainment. “Out” is eating to live. “In” is sharing food as an expression of love that builds community.
And the next question for me has to be “what is Stone Soup Cook Cuisine?”
I believe Stone Soup Cook Cuisine fits nicely into this California Cuisine continuum for the most part: I’ve been a devoted fan of my little farmer’s market ever since I learned of its existence about two decades ago. I believe that I should buy my food locally if I can and that I should eat produce that is in season. I also believe that the less I do to food, the better it tastes and the healthier it is. Furthermore, Mr. Stone Soup and I love to entertain and have created an entertainment space that brings everyone into the kitchen with me while I’m cooking.
California Cuisine is also a reflection of the melting pot of cultures we welcome–Asian, French, Italian, Indian, Hispanic and so many others. Fusion of these wonderful flavors can be delightful and it can also get confusing–especially when cooks become obsessed with packing as many different flavors into one dish as possible. Historically, California Cuisine has had a tendency to get fussy. It can get a little too wrapped up in itself with hard-to-find ingredients, too many ingredients and over-the-top plating. Add in the pretension of the wine culture, and you could have yourself a real problem, not to mention a whole lotta dishes.
I think perhaps Stone Soup Cuisine is a less complicated, more user-friendly version of California Cuisine. I distinctly try to stick to one cultural influence at a time: I’m a simple girl and I find that my palate gets overwhelmed with too many complications. And pretentious food seems out-of-sync with my desire to just enjoy a laid back, delicious meal with my adopted family. So while my philosophy on food generously intersects with California Cuisine, it also seems there are areas where my food philosophy diverges from it: I love exploring and including inspiration from other cultures into my cooking and I can do a little pretense, but I just can’t maintain it for very long. Eventually, I just want a great big slice of meatloaf because while I love the freshness of California Cuisine, I also love the comfort that food brings. I think that’s where my re-thinking of my place in the California Cuisine continuum has been coming from. In recent weeks, for better or worse, I have been turning more to foods that comfort me to get me through my grief and self-doubt, rather than to those that feel particularly healthy. So how can I do both?
The answer came over coffee with a good friend. She said “but isn’t that the fun part, Keri? I mean–interpreting your favorite dishes in a way that embraces both the freshness of California Cuisine and the comforting style of Stone Soup food?” She was right: that sounds right up my alley.
I think the answer is “California Cuisine: The Stone Soup Way,” and perhaps, I will call it “California Stone Soup Cuisine.” Either way, I think it is a modified version of California Cuisine–one where a big dish of mac and cheese is just necessary sometimes, but will include pancetta, good quality local butter and cheese and will add in fresh vegetables and herbs, like this recipe for mac and trees:
Or corn chowder, made with fresh-from-the-field corn, potatoes, fennel, celery and onions, not to mention high-quality butter, cream and pancetta. Not exactly health food, but also not processed food, and decidedly unpretentious. Plus, I would never make or serve this dish in the winter when I would have to use frozen or canned corn because I want to cook seasonally and, whenever possible, use local ingredients–including the staples like butter and cream.
On this blog, I intend to make space for both the super fresh, minimally prepared and quintessentially California Cuisine, as well as their comforting cousins like the corn chowder and this vegetarian shepherd’s pie made with aubergines, zucchinis, tomatoes and peppers:
Not exactly minimally prepared, but always made from fresh-from-the-farm ingredients.
This is not to say that there aren’t ingredients that are just too dang much trouble to not buy prepared, but I try to make sure they are few and far between. I include in this list such ingredients as pearl onions, which I will buy frozen because 1) they’re hard to find at the market and 2) an utter and complete pain in the ass to peel individually, as well as artichoke hearts, which I will also buy frozen because of largely the same reasons. There will be other ingredients, too, but I’ll be sure to let you know what those are.
I am still refining this topic, but I will leave it here for now.
Join me later in the week, when I will continue this conversation by taking a deeper dive into the California wine culture–how it’s influenced California Cuisine, as well as California Stone Soup Cook Cuisine and what I will and won’t abide.
Until then,
Peace, love and good food,
Keri
