Smoky, savory, and just a little unexpected, this Pumpkin Chipotle Salsa is a wonderful way to use pumpkin beyond the usual sweet recipes. The pumpkin adds subtle sweetness and body without making the salsa taste overtly “pumpkiny,” while tomatoes, lime, cilantro, cumin, and chipotle peppers give it plenty of bright, smoky flavor. Serve it with...Read More

Fresh figs need very little embellishment when they’re perfectly ripe, but a few minutes in the oven turns them into something especially luxurious. As the figs warm, their natural sweetness deepens and their centers become soft and jammy—the perfect contrast to creamy cheese, toasted nuts, and a drizzle of golden honey. For a lovely local...Read More

Sweet, crisp, and lightly spiced, these candied walnuts are one of those simple recipes that quickly becomes a favorite. A little cinnamon and vanilla give them warmth, while a touch of salt keeps the sweetness nicely balanced. Set out a bowl for an easy appetizer, scatter them over salads, add them to a cheese board,...Read More

Many of the people who stopped by the Edible Paradise booth this past weekend at the Aptos Farmers Market asked about the focaccia we used for sampling. It is a bread I’ve made for years and years, and one of those dependable recipes I return to again and again — so, as promised, here is...Read More

If you’ve never eaten a perfectly ripe fresh fig, you’re in for a treat. With their tender skin, jewel-toned flesh, and rich, honeyed sweetness, fresh figs are one of summer’s most anticipated farmers market fruits. Right now, you’ll find beautiful figs at Minazzoli Farms, with Kashiwase Farms and Borba Family Farms bringing more as the...Read More

Fresh mint gives this pesto an unexpectedly bright, cooling flavor, while basil, toasted pistachios, Parmesan, lemon, and gently cooked garlic add richness and depth. It is especially delicious with grilled vegetables, lamb, chicken, or fish, but it is just as good tossed with pasta, spooned over roasted potatoes, or spread on crostini. For an easy...Read More

Peppery arugula gives classic basil pesto a lively twist, while Parmesan, garlic, lemon, and olive oil round out the flavors. Bright, fresh, and wonderfully versatile, this pesto is delicious tossed with pasta, spooned over grilled vegetables, chicken, or fish, spread on sandwiches, or stirred into soups and salad dressings. INGREDIENTS: 4 cups loosely packed baby...Read More

For generations, potatoes were one of the great workhorses of the kitchen: inexpensive, filling, easy to store, and endlessly adaptable. Somewhere along the way, though, the humble potato acquired a complicated reputation. It became associated with carbohydrates, blood sugar spikes, weight gain, and—perhaps most unfairly—with the nutritional baggage of French fries, chips, loaded baked potatoes,...Read More

Bright, spicy, and intensely herbaceous, zhoug is a fresh green chile and herb sauce with roots in Yemen that has become popular throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean. Made with cilantro, parsley, fresh chiles, garlic, warm spices, and olive oil, it has a lively flavor that falls somewhere between a pesto, salsa verde, and hot...Read More

It’s one of those kitchen instructions many of us follow without thinking: scrub the potato, grab a fork, and prick it all over before baking. We’ve been told the holes allow steam to escape—and, more dramatically, keep the potato from exploding in the oven. But is poking a baked potato really necessary? Not necessarily. While...Read More