I made my limoncello 100% organic by using Rain vodka (which is only 80 proof, but has a wallet-friendly pricepoint and notable smoothness) and organic sugar (which gave it that mellow earthy color, as opposed to the almost neon yellow that processed sugar allows). And of course, organic lemons from my dad’s bounteous tree.

It’s a perfect warm-weather aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) or digestivo (after-dinner drink); due to its sweetness, I would emphasize the latter. But mixed with soda water, this makes a refreshing grown-up soda, very much akin to San Pellegrino Limonata–with a kick.

Ingredients

(To make about 7 cups)

2 to 3 pounds lemons

4 cups vodka (preferably 100 proof)

3 cups sugar

3 cups water

1. Peel the lemons, carefully avoiding the pith (white part). I used a sturdy vegetable peeler and then scraped the pith off with a paring knife.

2. Put the peels in a big glass jar with the vodka and steep for a week.

3. Make a simple syrup: Dissolve the sugar in the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Let cool completely.

4. Slowly add the simple syrup to the lemon mixture, tasting as you go so it doesn’t get too sweet. Once it’s at the sweetness you like, recap the jar and let it sit a couple more days.

5. Strain the limoncello into bottles (use a funnel!). The bottles need to have been washed in hot soapy water and completely dried. I added fresh strips of lemon peel to the bottles (yellow part only) for decoration and to amp up the lemon flavor.

6. Chill in fridge or freezer. It tastes best after about a month.

The racchette pasta is shaped like little tennis racquets (a very charming aspect of this kind of pasta), however the bow tie pasta needs to be cut in half horizontally in order to resemble the shape of tennis skirts. The slices of bacon can be considered the tennis net and, of course, the green peas make perfect little tennis balls. Sometimes I add cauliflower as a champion’s bouquet to this mix.

Ingredients

Racchette pasta
Bow tie pasta
Olive oil
Garlic, crushed
White onion, diced
Bacon
Green peas
Black olives, sliced
Salt & Pepper

1. Begin by cooking both pastas in boiling water. When they are cooked and drained, slice the bow ties in half horizontally with a knife or scissors (to make tennis skirts).

2. While the pasta cooks, sauté diced onion and crushed garlic with oil in a saucepan. Crisp slices of bacon in the pan and add peas and sliced black olives. When everything is cooked mix it all together with the pastas in a tournament of triumph and defeat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mark Golamco is a painter that lives in New York. He studied art at UCLA and RISD and has had several exhibitions in Los Angeles as well as the East Coast. You can see Mark’s  work at his website.

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

5 or so small pieces wine-and-herb marinated herring

¾ cup of crème fraiche or sour cream

1/2 a lemon

1 tablespoon sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

½ a shredded green apple

Chopped chives.

1. Prepare a sauce for the herring by stirring together the crème fraiche or sour cream with a squeeze of lemon to taste, a tablespoon, more or less, of sugar, and ground black pepper.

2. Add the shredded apple and top with chopped chives.

Elina O’Lague opened Warszawa in 1973 next to the famous Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California. The restaurant was the only one of its kind in the Bay Area at the time and an immediate success. In 1979 Elina relocated Warszawa to Santa Monica. In 2000 the New York Times picked her restaurant as one of the top six in Santa Monica.

The easiest way to crack the coriander seeds is to put them in a heavy-duty baggie and crush with a wooden mallet or rolling pin. The biscuits are delicious the next day as a sandwich with sliced ham or a tomato.

Ingredients

3/4 cup chilled buttermilk
3/4 cup thinly sliced trimmed ramps
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, beaten (for glaze)
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, cracked

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.

2. Mix buttermilk and ramps in small bowl.

3. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Add chilled butter to processor; using on/off turns, cut in butter until fine meal forms. (Or use a pastry blender or fork to work the butter into the flour.)

4. Transfer flour mixture to a medium bowl. Add buttermilk mixture; stir until dough forms. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface and press into round, about 1/2 inch thick.

5. Using a biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out rounds. Gather dough scraps; press out to 1/2-inch thickness and cut out additional rounds.

6. Transfer rounds to a baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg glaze and sprinkle with cracked coriander seeds.

7. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on rack.

Karen Dill lives in Webster, North Carolina, which is located in the Smoky Mountains near the town of Sylva.

Ingredients

(Serves 6)

1/2 cup bacon grease (or vegetable oil)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 quarts chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 bunches fresh ramps, trimmed and large leaves removed

1. Combine the grease or oil and the flour in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until it forms a thick, smooth paste (the roux), 5 to 6 minutes. Whisk in the stock and the cream. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low.
2. Brush the ramps with olive oil and lightly grill them. Cut all but 6 ramps into 1-inch pieces. Add the chopped ramps to the soup, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 40 minutes. (If you’d like a smooth soup, remove from the heat and using a hand-held blender, puree until smooth).
3. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls, and garnish with the grilled ramps.

Karen Dill lives in Webster, North Carolina, which is located in the Smoky Mountains near the town of Sylva.

Ingredients

McClure’s Spicy Pickles

Tomato juice

Black pepper

Vodka

Ice

1. Buy a jar of McClure’s Spicy Pickles.

2.  Eat the pickles and smile.

3.  With the remaining brine still in the jar, pour tomato juice in till it is a full jar again (about 1/2 brine, 1/2 tomato juice)
.

4. Add a dash of black pepper
.

5. Cap and swirl to mix.

6. Put vodka and ice in a glass and pour the brine mixture in to have a spicy-pickle-brine bloody mary
.

7. Get out your cell phone and invite people over for brunch.

Ingredients

Ice cubes

Gin (Hendricks is my favorite for Negronis because it has a good flavor but doesn’t overwhelm any of the other ingredients.)

Sweet vermouth (such as Cinzano Rosso)

Campari

Orange slices (blood oranges are even better)

To make one cocktail:

In a rocks glass, throw in around 5 ice cubes.
Add one part gin, one part sweet vermouth and one part Campari.
Toss in a slice of orange.

Enjoy.

Ingredients

7 small zucchini, sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ to1teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken or veggie broth

1. Steam zucchini and onion until just soft, but not mushy.

2. Heat curry powder in butter to point of fragrance.

3. Blend all in food processor, adding salt and pepper and just enough broth to become smooth as velvet.

4. Correct the seasoning. Serve hot in winter. For a summer treat, serve cold with a dollop of sour cream.

Nan Watkins enjoys the good life of reading, writing, music, and travel, all fueled by lots of fresh veggies and fruit. Her home base is Tuckasegee, North Carolina.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 cups dry lentils

8 cups water

1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons vinegar

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Parmesan cheese (optional)

1.    In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, oregano, bay leaf, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.

2.    Stir in the lentils, water, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, stir in spinach and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper and more vinegar, if desired.

3.    Top with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Karen Dill lives in Webster, North Carolina, which is located in the Smoky Mountains near the town of Sylva.

While it is on the stove, the key is to keep things moving. Once it is in the fondue pot the key is simply to keep eating, then there is no danger of burning the cheese. I served two separate batches of fondue, that way the cheese stayed evenly melted and everyone got their fill.

Before you even begin to mix the cheese you should cut the crusty bread into squares that will fit onto the fondue forks. We also set out some speck and cornichons in little bowls for people to snack on and take a break from the cheese.

Ingredients

½ lb. each Emmenthal, Gruyère, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Appenzeller (Other cheeses can be used, the key is freshness and strong flavors. Any fine foods store should have a few good Swiss cheeses; try them at the cheese counter and fit the fondue to your taste. I would suggest: Entelbucher Schwingerkase, Hoch Ybrig, Comté, Napfkase and Chartreaux.)

1 peeled clove of garlic

3 cups dry white wine (an inexpensive Pinot Grigio works fine)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/8 cup cassis or kirsch

Dashes and sprinkles of salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Grate all of the cheeses into separate bowls.

Rub the clove of garlic all around the inside of a saucepan. Discard the garlic and pour in the white wine and a spoonful of fresh lemon juice and bring it to a simmer.

From each bowl, take small handful of cheese and add them to the simmering wine along with a tablespoon of cornstarch and mix until it becomes liquid-like. Add the cassis for a touch of fruity sweetness then add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon to taste.

Keep adding small handfuls of each cheese to obtain a balance of flavors that you like.  When it’s done, pour the fondue into your fondue pot and place it over the little burner at a low heat.