The best cookbooks use cuisine as a vehicle for a larger story — and “Genuine Skagit Cooking,” co-written by Blake Van Roekel and Stefanie LeJeunesse, and photographed by Charity Burggraaf, does exactly this. In addition to spotlighting hyper-local recipes, the book is a tribute to Skagit Valley’s deep-rooted agricultural history.
Cascadia Daily News jumped at the chance to learn more about the making of “Genuine Skagit Cooking” and test five recipes ahead of its release on Tuesday, May 7 via Raspberry Bow Press. After a flurry of cooking (plus a staff potluck), our reviews are in.
The making of ‘Genuine Skagit Cooking’
Van Roekel, director of Genuine Skagit Valley, said the cookbook was a yearslong labor of love and collaboration. She began the project by recruiting Michelle Gale, who has edited “countless” cookbooks and owns Raspberry Bow Press — Skagit Valley’s first printing press — with her husband Tim Hubner.
“We were working with over 80 food producers, farmers, community members, residents, organizations — it took some time to get this cookbook done. So three years later, here we are,” Van Roekel said.
Van Roekel began by putting out a call for recipes in both English and Spanish. In addition to sourcing via submissions, she made a concerted effort to include recipes from Skagit’s numerous multi-generational farms.
From there, the team identified producers and crop profiles that “really highlighted the diversity and distinctiveness of Skagit Valley agriculture,” Van Roekel said. Skagit Valley is among the most fertile regions in the U.S., and given the wide range of commercial crops, choosing just 10 producers to profile was an “excruciating” decision.
Van Roekel then co-wrote the book with LeJeunesse, a writer and editor who Van Roekel said “tied so many different aspects to our agricultural economy and community together in a celebratory style.” Hubner was responsible for the book’s layout and design.
All this work was brought to life with vivid imagery from Burggraaf, a veteran food photographer. In addition to shooting on location, Burggraaf captured a sense of place in her food photos by sourcing ceramics, dinnerware and other props from local shops and artisans. She tried to capture Skagit Valley’s atmosphere by keeping the lighting “a little moody, but then also [having] those little sun sparkles that happen this time of year and in summer.”
The entire “Genuine Skagit Cooking” team has ties to the valley: Gale and Hubner live in Edison and own Book Shucker, Van Roekel lives in Alger and LeJeunesse lives in Mount Vernon. Though Burggraaf lives in Bellingham, her mother hails from Anacortes, and Burggraaf used the project as a way to learn more about the region and her own history.
“It was important for me that every person involved in this project had roots here in the Skagit Valley,” Van Roekel said. “It’s the basis of Genuine Skagit Valley, right? We certified Skagit-grown and -made products, and I would say closed-loop support for an economy is very important to me.”
Cookbook overview
The contents of “Genuine Skagit Cooking” are divided into six sections: vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy, seafood, grains, and flowers and herbs. Recipes are interwoven with local purveyor spotlights and bits of Skagit County history, including the region’s evolving farming culture. Van Roekel hopes this context will give readers a deeper understanding of “all of the people that work to keep farmers farming, and how a successful farming community needs to work together.”
But if you’re just in it for the food, the book includes more than 45 easy-to-follow recipes. A wide swath of community members are represented in each dish: Recipes are provided by everyone from chefs, bakers and farmers to artists, professors, “food-wrangling poets” and “enthusiastic gardeners.” Locals are bound to recognize a few names.
Each recipe has a story; some are closely tied to local agriculture, such as a frittata that recipe author Leah Brooks described as “a love letter to Waxwing Farm.” Van Roekel said WSU Skagit Valley extension director Carol Miles’ pumpkin pie recipe speaks to the university’s important agricultural research — especially since Miles has developed strains of vegetables herself. (Van Roekel noted Miles developed the orca bean, a distinctly patterned kidney bean hybrid.)
Other recipes are highly personal, weaving in family heritage or culture into what would otherwise be a straightforward dish. An enchilada recipe, passed down from recipe author Jorge Estefan’s grandmother, is presented in both Spanish and English.
Most recipes specify certain ingredients, such as specific breads and cheeses, from local purveyors. In keeping with the spirit of the book, we recommend planning ahead and sourcing ingredients as recommended (though a competent cook would be able to substitute most in a pinch).
Test kitchen
Of the five recipes we tried, the Marionberry Focaccia by Laurie Pfalzer (local chef, teacher and author of the cookbook “Simple Fruit”) stole the show. One CDN staffer (bravely) undertook this project despite never having made bread before. Her results were impressive: The focaccia had a springy, fluffy crumb, with savory rosemary contrasting with a sweet explosion of marionberries.
Mesman Farm’s Bulgogi Bowl recipe is easy enough for beginner cooks to tackle without stress. The variety of ingredients leaves room for experimentation; if we were to make it again, we’d add kimchi for a spicy kick (and buy pre-grated carrots to save the arm workout).
The Italian Sausage Pasta by Skagit County Commissioner Peter Browning was packed with flavor. The vegetables provided a nice contrast to the richness of the sausage, and sun-dried tomatoes added an acidic bite.
The Radicchio Caesar Salad recipe by chef and author Leah Brooks is more a dinner party meal than a weekday staple. The recipe prompts you to make your own breadcrumbs — which most of us aren’t looking to do on a Tuesday night.
But if you’re looking to impress a crowd (and have time to source local radicchio), this salad should do the trick: It’s complex in both texture and flavor, with a bright, lemony dressing contrasting the bitter radicchio and funky, umami-rich anchovies.
On the whole, most sampled dishes were crowd-pleasers — with the divisive exception of the Spring Greens Cupcakes from Water Tank Bakery. They were inspired by ispanakli kek, a Turkish spinach cake, and developed as a celebration treat for the La Conner Elementary School garden club, which baker Rachael Sobczak led for a decade.
The cupcakes’ flavor might be surprising to those used to traditional, birthday party-style cupcakes, but the earthiness was balanced nicely by the addition of lemon and a hefty dollop of (very sweet) cream cheese frosting. If you’re into matcha, these confections might be up your alley.
“Genuine Skagit Cooking” is published by Raspberry Bow Press. Christianson’s Nursery will also host a release party on Tuesday, May 7 featuring small bites and cookbook copies available for purchase. To learn more or order a copy of the cookbook, visit genuineskagitvalley.com.
Cocoa Laney is CDN’s lifestyle editor; reach her at cocoalaney@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 128.
