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There is no cheese that I enjoy more than high quality, handmade ricotta. For years I poo-poo’d it because all I had ever tasted was the shelf stable, strangely homogeneous, fairly tasteless, mass-produced grocery store variety. And then a few years ago…

Oven-Roasted Dungeness Crab with Fennel and Orange
Adapted from Lucid Food by Louisa Shafia
Serves 2
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. olive oil
2 T. dijon mustard
1/2 an orange, zested, then cut into supremes
10 sprigs fresh thyme
1 dungeness crab, cooked, cleaned, cracked, and split into halves or pieces
1 small shallot
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
3/4 c. dry [...]

Orange, Pomelo, Lemon and Ginger Preserves
Adapted from Christine Ferber’s Mes Confitures
makes a scant 6 cups
1 3/4 lb oranges (800 g), or 1 lb 2 oz (500g) net (cara-cara oranges are delicious here)
2 lb pomelos, or 1 lb 2 oz (500g) net (or substitute grapefruits to follow Ms. Ferber’s original recipe)
2 lemons
3 3/4 c. (800 g) [...]

Absolute Simplicity: Cucumber and Cantaloupe
2 long English-style cucumbers, peeled, and cut into small chunks
1 ripe cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and cut into small chunks
a few leaves fresh mint or parsley (optional)
Place cucumber pieces in a strainer and sprinkle with about 1/2 t. salt.  Mix and let stand for about 20 minutes to get rid of some [...]

Blueberries at the San Carlos Farmers Market (2006)

Warm Blueberries with Sour Cream and Sugar
Serves 1
1/3 – 1/2 c. blueberries
approx. 3 T. sour cream
1/2 T. brown sugar
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In an oven proof ramekin or small bowl, mix the blueberries and sour cream.  Sprinkle the sugar on top.  Bake for about 8-10 minutes, then [...]

1 lb raw homemade sausage
Homemade Sausage: Greek Orange / Loukanika
Adapted from ‘The Sausage Making Cookbook’ by Jerry Predika
makes 5 lbs
5 lbs boneless pork shoulder, chilled (or 5 lbs finely ground pork butt/shoulder)
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 T. dried thyme
1 T. dried marjoram
1.5 T grated orange zest
1 T. ground allspice
1 T. black pepper
1 T. salt
1 c. [...]

Homemade Limoncello
makes about 2.5 liters
Stage 1: Infusing
Zest of 15 medium-sized organic lemons, cut into long strips using a vegetable peeler or knife
1 liter grain alcohol (Everclear, etc.)
1 liter vodka (low end stuff is ok here — save the Grey Goose for your martinis)
Combine lemon peels and alcohol in a large glass jar (choose a jar [...]