With the arrival of Spring, farmer markets throughout Los Angeles are experiencing a revival of crop. The end of winter was very tedious; the herbs were dour looking, and many of our favorite stalls downsized their inventory. In the last month or two, however, there’s been an abrupt shift in momentum. Strawberries, fava beans, carrots, asparagus, artichokes (particularly the baby artichokes), and cucumbers are now available in abundance. The strawberries are hit-or-miss, so you always need to sample before buying. But the other produce is fairly consistent, especially a new favorite of mine: fava beans.

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Occasionally, my mother served us "pigs in a blanket" for dinner—and no, I’m not speaking of pastry wrapped hot dogs or sausages! In our household, "pigs in a blanket" always meant meat rolled in whole cabbage leaves and simmered in a tomato-based sauce. I can’t imagine where Mom picked up the reference, since the term (when referring to cabbage rolls) originates from Slavic-influenced regions like Pennsylvania.

Regardless of what they’re called, cabbage rolls exist across Europe, parts of Asia, and parts of the U.S. which are heavily influenced by Eastern European immigrants. There are many variations on the recipe depending on the region of origin. Sometimes cabbage rolls are cooked in tomato juice. In other recipes, you’ll see a sour cream sauce. Occasionally, people use pickled cabbage leaves to wrap the meat or add citric acid salt (sour salt). Cabbage rolls may even be distantly related to meat-stuffed versions of the dolma wrapped in grape leaves. In summary, this dish is a ubiquitous classic of rustic country-fare and (in my opinion) one of the ultimate comfort foods of Fall.

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In the short lull between the end of October and mid November, I like to have a break from the kitchen to recoup. That means no eight hour kitchen days for at least one week. So I threw together a chimichurri in 10 minutes, marinaded thinly sliced steak overnight, and spent 15 minutes pulling together a plate of fried sweet onions and bell peppers, seared mushrooms with truffle oil, and steak finished on the cast iron griddle. Super easy.

There’s really no single recipe for chimichurri. It can be done with red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar, cilantro or no cilantro, lemon juice or lime juice, olive oil or vegetable oil, etc. Typically there are red pepper flakes, but even that can be substituted out for another spicy ingredient.

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Having obtained a fabulous baking stone from Fibrament in August, I’ve subjected the stone to a rigorous baking schedule—boules, batards, and sandwich loaves at least twice a week. I was quite pleased with the performance, but as of last weekend the final test had yet to be performed: pizza. Years prior, I’d experimented with several hand-made whole wheat pizza crusts on cheap sheet metal; the results were o.k., but nothing worth preserving in the annals of Jenn kitchen-history. However, this time ‘round I was armed not only with the proper equipment, but also a baker’s formula from Peter Reinhart. The stage set, Fall arrived just in time to crank my oven up to 525°F.

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The theme this week was Spanish cuisine and flavors. (More on why in the next article.) I needed an all-meat dish to accompany the other main, so I bumbled around on the internet until I ran across "albondigas"—or meatballs. The snafu: the online recipes were all over the map. Many of the meatballs were basted in a tomato sauce, but some were in wine-vegetable broths. Beef, pork, veal, bacon, and chicken were all candidates for the actual meat content. One of them called for Parmesan cheese, and that’s where I just drew the line. Parmesan cheese? As in the Parmigiano Reggiano of Italy?! Why would Spain, with all its lovely and wonderful cheeses, use Parmesan in what is considered a classic dish of Spain? I dove for the nearest bookstore. Save me from the hordes of sameness! I was not going to be conned into some American rendition of spaghetti and meatballs (minus the spaghetti), no matter what the internet said.

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The weather in coastal Southern California can’t seem to decide what season we’re in, but I’m already jazzed about the arrival of Fall. Hot chocolate, morning fog, shorter days, impending food-filled celebrations, time off with the husbot—can I count the ways I love thee? And perhaps more than any other produce, squash is the signature item of the season. There’s quite a selection of squash readily available these days. Butternut squash, pumpkin, acorn squash, and kabocha are only a few of the varieties sold at the local grocery mega-mart and farmer’s market. That said, I don’t cook as often with squash as I would like. The few times I had squash served to me when I was young, the squash was bland or overly sweetened. (Think candied yams.) My husband is even more averse to squash than I am because of his prior experience. But I don’t think the humble squash is to blame for this poor reputation; I think many recipes for squash are just plain boring or poorly thought out. So when I got the yen to use some butternut squash this weekend, I avoided reaching for the traditional (and overused) butternut squash soup and instead tried to recall cuisines that might blend the savory with the sweet in a delicious, but starchy dish. Morocco and Algeria anyone?

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