North Bay Woman

S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 | NORTH BAY WOMAN 35 And she knows what she's doing." In addition to a wide range of professional interests, Weir is a devoted home cook. She rarely goes to restaurants, she says, preferring to create luscious meals, exactly to her taste, for family and friends. It helps that she lives in Northern California, which Weir sees as "Ground zero for the farm to table movement. The ingredients here are fantastic — olive oil, wines, cheeses, the artisan foods. One of my favorite things to do in Marin is to go to the Marshall Store on Tomales Bay, sit outside and eat oysters. It is fantastic to be able to do that just an hour from San Francisco." Weir relishes down time that also enhances her ongoing explorations of cuisine. "I work seven days a week. I'm constantly busy. It's not even that I'm afraid to slow down, it's more about, I have to keep my mind busy. Even as a kid I was always busy, always with a project. It's just my nature," she says, reflecting on this. "On my desk it says, 'Passion keeps me realizing my possibilities.'" Joanne Weir proposes the following recipes, all from her new book, "Kitchen Gypsy," as a celebration of spring. Root vegetable chips with roasted carrot hummus Root Vegetable Chips: 1 turnip, unpeeled and washed well 1 parsnip 2 watermelon radishes, unpeeled and washed well 3 large red radishes, unpeeled and washed well 1 red beet, peeled 1 yellow beet, peeled 1 large carrot 1 recipe roasted carrot hummus Using a mandolin, slice each raw vegetable into paper-thin slices keeping the beets separately. Place the turnip, parsnip, watermelon radishes and radishes in a large bowl of ice water for 15 minutes. In a separate bowl of ice water, place the beets and let sit 15 minutes. Remove from the water and dry on towels. Roasted carrot hummus 3 large carrots, about 12 ounces, roughly cut into 1-inch pieces Kosher salt 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste), well stirred 1 teaspoon light brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin Pinch crushed red chili pepper, or to taste 2 to 4 tablespoons water Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place the carrots, salt and olive oil on a large piece of foil or parchment paper. Toss together. Wrap them up and seal the edges so the steam doesn't escape. Bake in the oven until tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Open the paper and continue to roast for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Add the carrots to the food processor with the remaining ingredients except for the water. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add water if needed to make a thick dip the consistency of hummus. Season with salt. This will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. Makes about 1 1/4 cups and serves 6. Halibut and squash ribbon skewers with pistachio mint salsa verde 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives Left to right: Root vegetable chips with roasted carrot hummus and halibut and squash ribbon skewers with pistachio mint salsa verde. – Photo by Thomas J. Story, courtesy of Sunset

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