Articles by The Cookbook Company

I have a produce availability guide. Why? Well, I was walking through one of those mega bookstores one day, and there it was in the discount section. A guide to fresh produce! I wanted to incorporate more vegetables into my diet and there was this book staring me in the face. So I bought it.

According to my handy guide, beets are on the list of vegetables available in March. I love beets so here’s a roasted beet salad. Enjoy!

About 3 medium beets
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Assorted salad greens
1/4 cup crumbled feta
Optional: 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
Vinaigrette dressing

Preheat oven to 375F. Trim leafy green tops off beets and wash beets well. Rub beets with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 1 hour. Test for doneness by piercing with a fork–should be tender. Mix salad greens with red onion. Slice beets into strips and place on greens. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve with your favorite vinaigrette.

3 beets are more than you will need for your salad, but save the rest for another salad the next day, or just enjoy the remainder drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.

Have fun working on your cookbooks everyone!

Hello to all you fellow chefs working on your family and group cookbooks!

Here is a recipe for cornbread with the addition of whole corn kernals. I found this recipe in a cookbook of Southern recipes. It calls for one teaspoon of finely ground black pepper, which I found interesting. I usually look at a recipe and then change it to my liking. You can omit the black pepper, and if you like a slightly sweeter cornbread, add a little more sugar. I love to eat this with lots of real butter and sometimes a dollop of honey.

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup fresh (or frozen) corn kernals or 1 cup canned whole-kernel corn, drained well
3 eggs, beaten until frothy
2/3 cup half and half

Preheat oven to 400F (205C).Thoroughly grease a 13” x 9” baking dish; set aside. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar, pepper and salt into a medium bowl. Add cornmeal and toss with a fork to blend. Add corn, eggs and half and half; stir just to blend and moisten all ingredients. Pour batter into greased baking dish and bake in preheated oven until golden brown (about 25 minutes). Cut into squares and serve hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.