No Caprese Salad in Winter!- Part 2

Last time I mentioned Judith Jones, legendary publisher and pioneer in the area of cookbook publishing, and author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, in my rant about Caprese salad.  So here’s what she has to do with my opinion on serving Caprese salad in winter. Jones was involved, in the 1980’s, in developing a cookbook by Ed Giobbi, an artist, and an avid gardener and home cook. Alice Waters, the groundbreaking and seminal chef in the development of “California cuisine”, wrote for the book’s cover  “what is so distinctive about the cooking in this book is that there is flavor and richness here that is the product not of manipulation, but of a profound respect for what comes from the earth and a true connection to nature and the cycle of the seasons.”

Jones adds her own perspective writing  “I certainly learned, as I made one inspired dish after another, how, when the seasons dictate what goes together, flavors and colors and textures play off each other and create a natural harmony that is always naturally delicious.” She even mentions basil in an example, stating that basil leaves… turn tough and slightly bitter if they have to endure too much chill.

So I’m sticking with my story- no Caprese salad in winter!