Heather Parlato

Another member of the brassica family that we love to eat in winter is cauliflower, which is in season late winter through spring in California. Though it seems vegetal, we’re actually eating floral meristems of the plant. Cauliflower is typically white, but also comes in a light orange variety [containing 25 times the Vitamin C of the white variety] and purple, which contains the antioxidant anthocyanin.

Foraged Chanterelles, Photo Credit: Gregory Han / thekitchn.com I found myself in the fortunate position of receiving a bag of chanterelles from a generous friend, and figured the situation alone warranted coverage in seasonal eats--for what is more seasonal than foraged food? Before we go any further though, I want to stress that foraging for mushrooms is not for amateurs. Despite the fact that chanterelles are one of the more recognizable species out there,...

I wasn’t raised eating kale, so when I discovered it in my 20s, I didn’t have much of an idea what to do with it, and left it on the shelf in favor of more familiar greens [back when I shopped in places with shelves]. It’s gone from being something I never heard of as a kid to a go-to green I absolutely love, so if you’re lost somewhere along that spectrum, maybe I can help you make it your valentine this year.

They’ve made their way into recipes in every post I’ve written so far, and despite the fact that everyone knows exactly how they like them, I wanted to give oranges a spotlight this week, because there are so many ways to use them.

Kohlrabi is that really sculptural curiosity we’ve all seen, but haven’t all taken home to try [every blog post on it starts out with regret, trust me]. It’s a member of the brassica family, which makes it a cousin to cabbage, broccoli, and kale, all grandchildren of wild cabbage. Though it’s got a light, apple-broccoli flavor all it’s own when raw, it resembles more of a delicate broccoli stem when cooked.

Gibbs (Photo by Jon Setzen) I think the first thing that impressed me about Andrew Gibbs was his youth and energy. I’ve been reading his blog, thedieline.com, for the last couple years, and it’s so comprehensive, professional, and full of content, I somehow assumed he had to be older than 25. But he’s been ahead of the curve since he graduated high school early at 16, so he’s been out and about longer than...

Celeriac at the market (Photo by Heather Parlato/LAist) A good deal of my winter food research leads me to these amazing root vegetable purees and mashes, where a variety of vegetables take your typical mashed potatoes and infuse them with color and flavor. One popular suggestion is celeriac, or celery root, which has the flavor of celery with a touch of fennel, and a nutty warmth when cooked. This nice reader-person asked if I’d...

Every year, AIGA LA (the professional organization for design) bestows the highest honor of the organization upon individuals carefully selected for outstanding contributions to design in Los Angeles, the AIGA LA Fellow Award. But don’t be fooled—this is no stuffy awards show with long speeches from relatively inaccessible stars. This year, the Fellows celebration, AIGA LA: Speakeasy, is a party in a salon-style soirée at the Palihouse in West Hollywood on January 20, 2011,...

An assortment of market-fresh beets (Heather Parlato/LAist) I’ve wanted to write about beets for awhile now, because they’re a cool-season crop that’s available fall, winter and spring here in California. They taste great on their own, highlighting or contrasting from their natural sugar content, and they add bright colors to all kinds of foods. Best known are red beets, but a spin through your local farmer’s market will reveal golden beets and the candy-striped...

Fennel Bulbs (Photo by Heather Parlato) If you're looking for the path back from your comfort-food-filled holiday weekend to farm-fresh fare, we';re taking a look at fennel today. Fennel is a plant with distinctively different parts that can all be used uniquely, for minimal fallout to the compost bin. Before we get into the recipes, let's talk about the 5 usable parts of fennel. We mostly buy fennel for the bulb, but before you...