Deborah Madison
Deborah Madison is a chef, writer and cooking teacher. She is the founding chef of Greens Restaurant in San Francisco. She is the author of several books, including Seasonal Fruit Desserts from Orchard, Farm and Market, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Local Flavors, Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers Markets
Recipes and Stories by Deborah Madison
Eliot's Breakfast Parsnips
Master organic gardener, Eliot Coleman made these parsnips for me one cold spring Vermont morning with monster-sized roots dug from under the snow-covered ground. They were the best parsnips I’ve ever tasted. He was remarkably carefree with that sweet Vermont butter, but they certainly were memorable!Winter Squash Soup with Red Chile and Mint
Despite the inclusion of red chile, this is not a hot and spicy soup, unless, of course, you use a lot of it. The sweetness of squash naturally tempers the heat of the chile, as do the cinnamon and mint. I prefer to puree this soup, but you can leave it chunky. Either way, it is not taxing to make and it can be prepared the day before you plan to serve it -- or even an hour before.Spring Garden Hodgepodge
IngredientsCauliflower with Saffron and Pasta
Steam the cauliflower florets and core over boiling water for about 3 minutes. Taste a piece. It should be on the verge of tenderness and not quite fully cooked. Set it aside.Candied Sweet Potatoes
These are still a holiday favorite and are even better the next day with leftover cold cranberries. Use your favorite type of sweet potato, or mix all varieties in a single dish.Brussels Sprouts and Walnuts with Fennel and Red Pearl Onions
An elaborate preparation for a special meal, you can cook everything except the Brussels sprouts the day before. Reheat the vegetables, blanch the sprouts, and combine them at the last minute. Instead of chestnuts, which I find to be disappointing and expensive (and the canned ones are just too soft), I use walnuts instead.Concord Grape Tart
Grape pies have all the voluptuous qualities of a blackberry pie, but I've never found a commercial one, or even one from a farmers' market, that's even half as good as homemade. The filling can also be used to make individual tarts or a lattice-covered pie. It freezes well, too, which means you can have a grape tart on Thanksgiving, which I always do.Roasted Onions on a Bed of Herbs
I love making this dish with the onions from the farmer's market, but the recipe works just fine with storage onions too. With their golden, caramelized surfaces framed by the sides of an earthenware gratin dish, these onions look spectacular, yet they require minimal effort to prepare. They're perfect for winter holidays in place of the traditional creamed onions. Look for firm onions with crisp, papery skins.Lemony Risotto Croquettes with Slivered Snow Peas, Asparagus, and Leeks
I love risotto, but not as a main dish, unless something has been done to it to give it form. Here, a lemony risotto is formed into ovals, then shallow-fried until golden and crisp and served over a bed of finely slivered spring vegetables. These croquettes make a lovely supper dish for company and can be made vegan if no butter and eggs are used, although the egg does help bind the rice.Red Berry Soup with White Peaches and Summer Berries
Peaches (or nectarines), raspberries, red currants, strawberries, and other berries that share the season are happy companions.