Sandra's Kitchen Studio: Vegetarian

Perhaps my favorite aspect of food writing is the creation and development of new recipes. I love to cook, to invent and create new dishes for you to try. I find myself testing and developing a lot of recipes this week for magazine articles so I will not be able to offer you a recipe on this post.

If you would like to get the recipe for my Asparagus Panzanella with Local Cheese that appears in my photograph, please visit the website for Edible Piedmont :

www.ediblepiedmont.com/content/pages/articles/spr09/dressingUpSpring.pdf

This wonderful magazine is published by my friends Fred Thompson and Belinda Ellis. I am a Contributing Editor for this magazine, and am proud to share this honor with some of the top food writers in North Carolina (including my dear friend Nancie McDermott www.nanciemcdermott.com ). In the pages of this magazine, you will be able to find more of my recipes using local produce that I find in my farmers' markets in North Carolina. I invite you to join the locavore movement and to begin shopping locally in your own farmers' markets, wherever you live. I hope you will support this magazine (which you can find at local Whole Foods Stores, farmers' markets and local shops in North Carolina). Visit their website often to see what else is happening in our area.

Here is a peek of one of my recipes on the Summer Issue (a Yellow Tomato Gazpacho). You will have to get the magazine for the recipe.

I shall have some exciting news for you soon, so stay posted. In the meantime, keep on cooking!

4 cups toasted Israeli couscous*

2 cups seeded and chopped yellow tomatoes

1 cup seeded and chopped red bell pepper

1 cup seeded and chopped orange bell pepper

1/4cup lemon zest

1/2cup lemon juice (or to taste)

1cup extra-virgin olive oil

3/4cup fresh basil chiffonade

1/3cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped finely

Salt and pepper to taste

*Note: Israeli couscous is not the same as regular couscous. Its grains are much larger—almost the size of pebbles—than its counterpart. You will find it in gourmet stores in the Triangle area.

In a large pot filled with salted, boiling water, cook the couscous according to package instructions (for al dente this will take between 10-15 minutes). Drain the Israeli couscous in a colander over the sink and rinse it under cool, running water. Transfer cool couscous to a large bowl. Add the yellow tomatoes, red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, basil and parsley. Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper; chill until ready to serve. This recipe serves 6-8.

Sandra Gutierrez

Born in the USA, Sandra grew up in Guatemala. A food writer by trade, she is the former food columnist for The Cary News, NC. She featured a weekly column for 8 years, on food history, cookbook reviews, recipes, and cooking techniques. She featured exclusive interviews with celebrities including Emeril Lagasse, Sara Moulton, Jean Anderson, Patricia Wells, Chefs Karen and Ben Barker of Magnolia Grill, and Michael Green, wine consultant of Gourmet Magazine. As a recipe tester and developer, Sandra has had over 1500 original recipes and over 600 articles published. Sandra served as the Hispanic Advisor for "ducklings" magazine, published by Albertson’s. Her writings also appeared in TASTE-FULL magazine, EASY magazine, and in "ducklings". Sandra is a cooking instructor at A Southern Season in Chapel Hill, and in Cary, NC. She is frequently called on to assist other instructors in their classes and has assisted numerous celebrities including Daisy Martinez, Hugh Carpenter, Presidential Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier,and Diana Kennedy. In a career that spans two decades, this food writer and professional cooking instructor has taught thousands how to cook.

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