I wish you were here in Los Angeles last weekend. Warm breezes blew gently across a cloudless electric blue sky, and there was a palpable exuberance in the air. It was the perfect time to welcome a certain well-seasoned New Yorker, one with a mega presence and a delicious agenda.

Mario Batali, proprietor of 19 restaurants, Iron Chef, author of eight cookbooks and television superstar, came to town. On tour to promote his latest book, Molto Batali, Mario breezed into our boardwalk café, Coast, for a sold-out lunch that included samples of several recipes, accompanied by wines from his Bastianich label.

It was a meal to remember, not as much for the food, which was tasty indeed, but for the outsized personality that jumped out of each dish. Mario is larger than life, and his spirit seasons everything he does, onscreen and off.

I skipped home like a giddy schoolgirl with my autographed cookbook, already thinking about which recipes I would try for dinner. The photo of Trenette with Jalapeño Pesto was so inviting, I decided to give it a spin. Unfortunately, the fiery chiles and zealous quantity of olive oil added a bit too much gusto for my family’s tastes.

But I was so inspired by Mario’s playfulness, I started over from scratch, reinterpreting his recipe with more subdued broccoli in place of the chiles. In honor of Mario, I sprinkled some lively lemon zest and chile flakes to garnish. And that’s when I realized, sometimes the delight you take in cooking is what makes the cooking delightful.

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If you live for pasta (as I do), try my Vegan Kale Pesto; Pasta with Creamy (Dairy-Free) Vodka Sauce; Spaghetti with Lentils and Spinach; and Homemade Macaroni and Cheese.

Win a Kyocera ceramic knife in this month’s Giveaway! Sign up as a subscriber or send in a comment here.

Photo credit: Whole Living

February is the month to think pink!

I was floored when I tried the new ceramic knives from Kyocera. Not only do they slice like a scalpel, they fit well in hand and stay sharp up to 15 times longer than metal-based knives. What’s more, the blades will never rust or damage food. So you can say goodbye to browning when chopping fresh herbs, lettuce and vegetables.

This all-purpose pink Santoko knife is perfect for slicing, dicing and mincing. Plus, $5.00 from each knife sold is donated to breast cancer research.

For a chance to win a Kyocera knife, sign up for the 90210 Farmgirl’s weekly recipes, cooking tips, videos and fun in our subscribe box on the left side of the home page or (if you are already a subscriber), send in a comment here.

Heart-Healthy Asian-Fusion with Chaya Executive Chef Shigefumi Tachibe 
Thursday, February 16, 2012 9:30 am – 12 noon
(NOTE: The M Café class has been rescheduled for April 26 – see below)

Chef Tachibe and Yuji Tsunoda, whose family has owned restaurants in Japan for over 390 years, opened the acclaimed La Petite Chaya 27 years ago. Chef Tachibe now oversees four California eateries, all featuring his elegant Asian-fusion cuisine. We are honored to have him share some of his tastiest healthy dishes and techniques.

Fresh Ideas for Passover and Easter 
Thursday, March 22 9:30 am – 12 noon

Featuring Spring favorites: Asparagus, zucchini, morels and a gorgeous parfait! 

Macro Makeovers with M Café de Chaya 
Thursday, April 26 9:30 am – 12 noon

Just in time for bikini season! M Cafe is all the rage…now you can learn to recreate their dishes at home. We make over your favorite comfort foods…as tasty as they are healthy! 

One Class: $125; Two Classes: $225 

To sign up for a class, give us your name and which class you would like to attend here. Then send a check (made to “Beverly Hills Farmers Market, Inc.”) to: Dana Slatkin / 9950 Santa Monica Boulevard / Beverly Hills, CA 90212. We will confirm receipt of your check via e-mail.

Inquire about gift certificates, birthday parties, corporate and private classes here.
 
Two-hour classes include recipe books, lunch, and a donation to a very worthy local charity. The first 25 people to sign up and send a check will be admitted. Seating is in order of checks received.
 
Please note our new cancellation policy: Kindly cancel with at least 72 hours notice. After that point, credit will not be given. You may choose to either send a friend to the class in your place or donate your spot to charity.
 
The Farmgirl Store is open!
2012 is all about color, and we have a rainbow! Brand new collection of ceramic pans, kitchen scales, chic serving pieces, gadgets and  utensils, plus hard-to-find ingredients, gloves, Farmgirl aprons, and lots more.  

Checks or cash only please.

Once in a very rare while, there’s a pause in my day, when nobody needs me, there is nowhere I need to be, and all is quiet. A shot of bliss. It’s when you’ll usually find me doing one of two things: hiking or playing the piano.

Last week, there was one such moment and, while playing a Bach fugue, this dessert came to me. I had been trying to come up with the grand finale for my Modern Mediterranean class, featuring the owner of Momed Beverly Hills. I was looking for the impossibly perfect dessert with a Mediterranean twist. It had to be decadent but light, simple to make but complex in flavor, minutes to prep but memorable.

And in the middle of a particularly melodious contrapuntal passage, I thought of halvah, the Middle Eastern candy bar I used to eat as a kid to give me energy before a piano lesson. Of course, sesame and chocolate…counterpoint at its best.

I finished the fugue and rushed to the kitchen to test my inspiration. It took me all of five minutes to prepare and, while I waited for my pudding to set in the fridge, I went back to business, crossing ten items off my to-do list for the day. By the time I was able to take a creamy, chocolatey bite, the swig of serenity had long passed. But I was left with a sweet reminder to appreciate the gift of a brief but precious gap.

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There’s still time to enter the January Giveaway for a chance to win this handy OXO Good Grips Egg Beater!

Photo credits: Simply Recipes

One of the perks of writing a food blog is the culinary journey I get to take each week. Just in the past few days, I’ve traipsed from France to Turkey to Greece and Japan, crossing over borders without leaving the dinner table. I even get to drag my family along for the ride.

Last night’s dinner combined a trip to Paris (cheese fondue) with a stopover in Kyoto for these sweet and salty glazed Brussels sprouts. Once the baguette and roasted potatoes were gone, the kids and husband had no choice but to venture their skewers to the bowl of little green-brown orbs, dunking them into the rich, ever-so-funky fondue. Much to my surprise, the sprouts disappeared in minutes.

Try them over brown rice or quinoa, as a side dish for any grilled or roasted protein, or (trust me on this) slathered in fondue. If you’re up for the adventure, here’s one of my favorite recipes for Classic Cheese Fondue from Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes.

Travelling across the world in one meal may not be your idea of exotic but in my house, there’s every reason to keep on trekking.

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Here are two more delicious ways to enjoy Brussels sprouts: Brussels Sprouts Two Ways: Chips and Roasted with Anchovies and Dates.

Here are some more side dishes to try: Sesame Soy Roasted Cauliflower; Sautéed Spinach with Porcini Powder; and Shiitake Mushroom Fries.

Try my Easy Barbeque Spiced Roasted Salmon with brown rice and Brussels sprouts for a quick weeknight dinner!

There’s still time to enter the January Giveaway for a chance to win this handy OXO Good Grips Egg Beater.

Photo credit: Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

Heart-Healthy Asian-Fusion with Chaya’s Executive Chef, Chef Shigefumi Tachibe
Thursday, February 16, 2012 9:30 am – 12 noon

(NOTE: The M Café class has been rescheduled for April 26 – see below)

Chef Tachibe and Yuji Tsunoda, whose family has owned restaurants in Japan for over 390 years, opened the acclaimed La Petite Chaya 27 years ago. Chef Tachibe now oversees four California eateries, all featuring his elegant Asian-fusion cuisine. We are honored to have him share some of his tastiest healthy dishes and techniques.

Fresh Ideas for Passover and Easter
Thursday, March 22 9:30 am – 12 noon

Macro Makeovers with M Café de Chaya
Thursday, April 26 9:30 am – 12 noon

One Class: $125; Two Classes: $225
Inquire about gift certificates, birthday parties, corporate and private classes here or here.

2-hour classes include recipe books, lunch, and a donation to a very worthy local charity. The first 25 people to sign up and send a check (made to “Beverly Hills Farmers Market, Inc.”) will be admitted. Seating is in order of checks received. Send to: Dana Slatkin / 9950 Santa Monica Boulevard / Beverly Hills, CA 90212.

Please note our new cancellation policy: Kindly cancel with at least 72 hours’ notice. After that point, credit will not be given. You may choose to either send a friend to the class in your place or donate your spot to charity.

A new year can seem like a mixed blessing. It’s 12 more months to accomplish our dreams, to matter more, to shoot for the moon.

But from here it looks dang overwhelming. The holidays are over, and the next vacation seems miles away. Only a few weeks in and I am already snowed under. So I remember the words of my mother, the best pep-talker in the world: “Take small bites, and your plate won’t seem so full.” Whether you’re trying to lose weight, get organized, go meatless, or just be happier, take it one morsel at a time.

One of my goals for this year is to help my kids learn to love what’s good for them. So I came up with this vegan pasta dish. The appealingly pink sauce uses no butter or cream but is rich, creamy, and properly slurpable. My family devoured it for dinner (perhaps the cup of vodka helped). A few days later, I made the recipe again, this time adding some frozen peas to the sauce. The next day, the leftovers went into the lunchboxes, along with some steamed green beans.

Now I am three meals closer to realizing a resolution. Maybe 2012 won’t be so hard to digest after all.

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2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion (or 1 large shallot), finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white miso paste
1 cup vodka
1 (28-ounce) can tomato purée (preferably San Marzano or organic)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 cup light unsweetened coconut milk
Pinch of sugar, if needed
1 pound organic Kamut spaghetti, penne, or your favorite shape pasta
Grated vegan Parmesan cheese or Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over low heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the miso paste and vodka, increase the heat to medium, and simmer until reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and herbs and continue cooking until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk; return to a simmer. Adjust seasoning, adding a pinch of sugar if the sauce is too acidic. You should have about 3 cups of sauce.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous handful of salt to the water. Cook the pasta until it is tender but al dente; drain (do not rinse) and place in a large serving bowl.

3. Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth. Pour about half the sauce onto the pasta and toss, adding more sauce as desired.

4. Transfer the pasta to serving bowls. Top each portion with a little extra sauce and your favorite grated cheese.

Enter the January Giveaway for a chance to win this handy OXO Good Grips Egg Beater. When it comes to kitchen gadgets, retro is the new cool!

Some of you like to start out the year with resolutions. A few days into 2012, and I’m betting you’re still on a roll. This month, you’re rocking your new clean, virtuous lifestyle. Bravo!

Me, I’m back in the kitchen, cooking up comfort food. Because in the first few weeks of the year, I’d rather do anything than get back to work. Call me sentimental, but I want to hang on to the warm glow of the holidays for as long as possible (maybe that’s why I can’t bring myself to toss all those shiny, happy holiday cards).

So even though it hardly feels like winter here, I’m sticking with hearty, reassuring fare. This beautiful vegetable torte fits the bill. I’ve made it several times for dinner parties and there weren’t any leftovers. It’s got all the appeal of a deep-dish pizza, with a rustic crust and anything-goes charm. Just about any sautéed or roasted vegetable — eggplant, zucchini, fennel, broccoli or broccoli rabe, even potatoes — would make a lovely layered contribution.

Make the torte a day or two ahead and slice it into wedges. It freezes and reheats beautifully.

As for my resolutions? They’re on my to-do list, and I know I’ll get around to them eventually.

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Photo credit: Slashfood