Russ Parsons: The California Cook

There is none so pure as the reformed sinner.

It used to make me wonder a little when people would begin their critiques of dinner at the French Laundry by saying, “Well, it didn’t change my life.”

We go to great restaurants for magic, for an extraordinary experience that is beyond our reach as home cooks.

Unlike some of the blighted, benighted areas where some of our friends live (hello, Manhattan!)

The world is cruel and unfair.

The California Cook: A few misfortunes in the garden were rescued with some inventive cooking, but sometimes talent in the kitchen doesn’t translate to the soil.

The 2014 California king salmon season that begins May 1 is predicted to be one of the better years recently, despite this winter’s drought.

Conde Nast Traveler’s readers may be seriously out to lunch, but it won’t be at Providence, Mozza or any other Los Angeles restaurant.

The California Cook: The perfect hard-boiled egg should have firm but creamy whites, a set and orange yolk, and no green ring.

One of the Hollywood Farmers Market’s most popular vendors has been arrested on suspicion of stealing other people’s fish and has been permanently kicked out of the market.

One of the Hollywood Farmers Market’s most popular vendors has been arrested on suspicion of stealing other people’s fish and has been permanently kicked out of the market.

Community Seafood, Grist & Toll, Good Eggs and Belcampo offer ways to get sustainable food.

A weekend weeding through shelves of salts, peppers and countless herbs in tins and pouches raises a question: Where did all this stuff come from?

The California Cook: Zuckerman’s Farms jumbo spears are best, but with so many ways to prepare the spring vegetable, there’s no reason to set limits.

The California Cook: What’s more delicious (and pungent?) than a really good canned sardine? Try them on toast with chermoula or as the stars of a simple pasta.

California Cook: Defy convention and cook them a little longer for a surprising difference in flavor.

The California Cook: It’s time to put aside the dried fruit hate. Particularly this time of year, when raisins, prunes and other dried fruit can come to the rescue.

The California Cook: Here are seven steps that will help you become a better cook. It’s about focus, taste, tools and trying again.

California Cook: When his daughter requests Christmas morning chilaquiles, he’s stumped. Then he remembers a snowbound year and a thrown-together dish. He sets about re-creating it.

The California Cook: Spiced pork terrine is an easy step into homemade charcuterie, and rillettes and terrines are great to have on hand when holiday guests drop by.

The California Cook: Lasagna can be made so many ways. It’s the perfect project for a Sunday afternoon.

The California Cook: With quince, appearances can be deceiving. With a little attention, it transforms into a sweet, spicy treat that can lend flavor to many dishes.

The California Cook: Monster zucchini doesn’t have to be a garderner’s nightmare. Stuff them and bake them to tame the beasts.

California Cook: Burrata and tomatoes, a combination made in culinary heaven. But that’s not all. Zucchini, eggplant, pepper and prosciutto pair well too.

Granita is easy to make. Here’s how to make granita with flavors including coffee and peach.

Sqirl’s Jessica Koslow starts with Blenheim apricots and goes through the steps of making one of her artisan jams.

Deviled eggs can be heavenly. Restaurants in L.A. and beyond are rediscovering them, but it’s easy to create your own. Start with a good hard-boiled egg.

From gazpacho to a tart dairy soup, few dishes are more satisfying on a hot summer’s day. Serve as an appetizer or a light dinner.

The basketball trainer takes his Italian heritage and his love of good food and glides like a pro around his indoor-outdoor kitchen in Manhattan Beach.

Once many years ago I came across a fish vendor at the farmers market with a whole tray full of beautiful fresh anchovies.

Every good cook should know the simple technique of glazing vegetables.

Yes, the state’s abundant produce can make cooking seem effortless. But a real test is making something grand out of that thing from the back of the fridge. Example: broth from old Parmesan rinds.

A well-boiled egg can be hard to peel. But we’ve cracked the case.

The cook’s year can be divided in two: tomato and not-tomato.

I was giving one of my periodic talks at local libraries the other day, and someone asked if I knew a good way to prepare artichokes.

In most cases, I’m a terribly traditional cook.

As culinary fashion continues to wind inexorably lower on the luxury scale — from tournedos to beef cheeks, from foie gras to pork belly — it was probably inevitable that we would eventually come to lentils.

Teaching structures rather than recipes for roast chicken, vegetable pasta and salad leaves room for a couple to improvise, as they’ll surely have to.

For him, here was only one way to cook Dungeness crab — until he tried it grilled at Russell Moore’s Camino restaurant in Oakland. Now he’s grilling it at home.

Now that Thanksgiving is out of the way, maybe we can talk about something that is really important: oatmeal.

My mom has a recipe on Epicurious. At first I found that amusing.

Cookbook writer Yotam Ottolenghi points the way to perfect rice.

At Ventura’s Arroyo Verde Park on Sunday, if you squinted really, really hard, you could almost believe you were in the mountains of New Mexico — the steep, brush-covered hillsides, the pine trees and, most important, the smell of roasting green chiles hanging in the air.

Zucchini can be used in a variety of tasty summertime dishes. Here are some quick ideas.

Feta can harmonize with watermelon, smoked chicken with cantaloupe. Vinegar, pepper, mint. It can be an interesting summer fling.

The California Cook: Simple techniques and ingredients yield wonderful results.

Panna cotta perfection comes down to three factors: the jiggle, the cream and the sweetness.

Almond macaroons and snickerdoodles are simple but elegant complements to fresh fruit for dessert.

It seems everyone’s method of cooking a hard-boiled egg is the best way. But here’s one that really is.

Now that trees are raining down bushels, it’s time to peel, slice, squeeze and experiment.

To make raw kale perfect for salads, give it a good rubdown.

A Minnesota restaurant spurs the columnist to tweak a favorite pancake recipe.

Rare, signed or well-used cookbooks are as much a part of his kitchen as pots and pans.

With fall in the air, at least one chef’s thoughts turn to a warm and satisfying meal of this low-fat, high-fiber food. And he’s got a soaking tip too.

Two new books can be a boon to people with kitchen aspirations, from a solid steeping in the basics (‘How to Boil Water’) to next-level practitioners (‘Ruhlman’s Twenty’).

A bruschetta bar can liven your next gathering with a little work and a lot of combinations. Set out bread, cheese, herbs and vegetables, and your guests will get busy and full.

Barley, bulgur and quinoa — whole grain salads using these and other grains are so good you won’t mind that they might be good for you too.

After an enforced three-year hiatus, the state’s salmon are back, and here are two recipes that showcase the fish.

Skye Gyngell’s ‘A Year in My Kitchen’ and Yotam Ottolenghi’s ‘Plenty’ take different approaches to vegetable recipes.

Toast fresh bread shavings and toss with pasta or vegetables to transform the dish.

A bold stuffing of bitter greens, salty feta and a sauce spiked with green olives makes this Easter dish. And really, it’s not that complicated, and your guests will think you’re a genius.

Scrambled eggs for dinner doesn’t mean you have bad timing. Just add a few simple ingredients and they become a delicious and sophisticated light main course.

Mix and match veggies, butter or olive oil and herbs.

Sure, this classic California dish needs fish and shellfish, wine and tomato sauce. But beyond that, it’s up to you.

The savory French cream puff dough can be made ahead of time, frozen and popped in the oven at the last minute. They taste as good as freshly made.

Going a step beyond brining, grilling the Thanksgiving bird is an easy and delicious option. And it leaves the oven free for other duties.

With just a few simple ingredients and a few minutes cooking and resting time, you’ve got a wonderful appetizer, dessert or pasta filling.

A favorite dish for quick and delicious dinners just got even simpler thanks to a chance glance at a cookbook.

Quick ways to turn small amounts of fruit into jam while indulging your spontaneous, experimental side.

In ‘Four Fish,’ Paul Greenberg examines the creatures as food source and part of the ecosystem.

Why not make that good steak a great steak? And here’s how to take the potato salad, roasted corn and homemade ice cream to a new level too.

He loves spending a weekend morning with a mixing bowl and a classic copy of ‘Joy of Cooking.’

Just because a meal is easy to make doesn’t mean it’s bad. On a weekday evening, tortillas filled with melted cheese and grilled mushrooms or braised greens can be perfect.

Deborah Madison’s new cookbook shows a skilled chef’s approach to sweets.

The farmers market revolution may have been born in farmers markets, but if it is to continue, there will have to be other paths for farmers as well.

The seasonal vegetable is so tasty that a chef doesn’t have to do much to become a dinner table hero.

Restaurant menus are featuring pork parts that once were unmentionable: ears, tails, trotters. And — surprise — diners are ordering them.

Shortcuts for making polenta usually sacrifice flavor for convenience. But this stir-and-bake method really works.

The popularity of Caesar salads plucked the lettuce from obscurity.

Let’s not join one of the armed camps deeply suspicious of one another shouting past each other.

The big bang captures too much of our attention at Christmas.

How about a good saute pan? Or a mortar and pestle? Gift ideas for cooks at every level of expertise.

Thanksgiving is a holiday built on tradition.

Sometimes, listening to the pundits and ponderers, I get the feeling that cooking is my duty.

No need to travel hundreds of miles east -- they’re available in SoCal. But a trip to the Land of Enchantment isn’t complete without a chile sampler.

Tomatoes are arriving by the bushel now. Here’s how to make the most of the harvest.

For the non-cook -- or even the out-of-ideas cook -- here are a few luscious dessert ideas starring the luscious fruits of the season.

Nora Ephron’s ‘Julie & Julia’ gets the tale just right.

When I wrote a column recently about my questions about organic produce, I expected that I’d get a lot of mail.

A frozen fruit soufflé is more sophisticated than ice cream and just as delicious.

Just because it’s organic doesn’t mean it’s the best. Let flavor dictate.

Done right, cheap steaks cooked on the grill taste great. Your guests will never know the difference.

His ‘Kitchen Confidential’ revolutionized the chef memoir. Now young chefs are taking a similar approach with ‘Spiced,’ ‘Cooking Dirty,’ ‘The Hunger’ and ‘Under the Table.’

Improvisation is the name of the game when searching out and preparing farmers market finds.

The best -- at least for now.

Breaded and fried pork cutlets can be a quick and easy dinner at home.

Alexandra Panousis passes down her passion for the wild mustards and other plants of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Too many dandelions in the mix threatens to derail an easy first course, but a little vinegar rounds out the bitter notes.

Salt has its uses, but acidic seasonings such as lemon, vinegar and red wine add a whole different flavor dimension.

Every once in a while, it’s good to take stock of the fridge, if only to discover what’s in all those little jars.

Caramelizing onions over several hours creates a complex taste and smooth texture that can be savored in just about any dish or as a spread.

With its new facility being built near San Diego, Japan’s Hokto Corp. and U.S. partner Golden Gourmet Mushrooms hope to bring a wider array of earthy delights to mainstream market shelves.

Given the slow treatment, vegetables become rich and silky -- and reveal themselves as unexpected appetizers.

Preserve it in spiced olive oil and you get a rich, meaty taste ready to serve in salad, with pasta or as a topping for bruschetta.

Smoky and moist, quick-barbecued fish is an easy dish -- if you know a few tricks.

Russ Parsons’ favorites include pickled radishes, peppers, zucchini -- and even grapes.

Stick with basic equipment, keep a close eye on the charcoal and flames, and you’ll get wonderfully moist results.

Rhubarb starts tart, but in a crisp, a pie, a sorbet, a compote, with strawberries or even oranges, it ends with a bang. Or go savory as a side with duck.

Seasonal vegetables inspire vibrant bisques, chowders and broths.