A Cookbook About Speedy Cooking from A Man Who Knows Speedy Writing

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Tonight's dinner of "Lemon Grass and White Bean Turkey Chili'' can be on the table in about half an hour.

When the food editor of the Associated Press writes a cookbook, you know it’s got to be all about getting food on the table fast.

After all, J.M. Hirsch’s job at the wire service is all about disseminating information timely and quickly.

His new book, “High Flavor, Low Labor” (Ballentine Books) features nearly 150 recipes designed for busy, working families who want to put creative dishes on the table, but don’t want to be slaving over a hot stove for hours to do it.

His “Lemon Grass and White Bean Turkey Chili” is an example of that. It’s sort of a cross between the classic Thai soup, tom kha gai, and American white chili. Made with ground turkey, coconut milk and jalapenos, it takes only about half an hour to make.

Since lemon grass isn’t always available at every corner store, I’ve taken to keeping a few stalks growing at all times in my back yard. That way, I always have a supply when I need it.

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Fleming’s Breaks the Mold

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Shrimp cocktail reinvented at Fleming's.

I admit to some skepticism when it comes to big-chain steakhouses. So many of them seem to just phone it in when it comes to the food.

That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I tried Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar for the first time.

Fleming’s has more than 50 locations nationwide. Recently, I was invited to dine as a guest at the Palo Alto restaurant in Stanford Shopping Center.

Even on a Tuesday night, the restaurant was packed, with patrons vying for seats at both the bar and the dimly lit dining room with its deep red leather booths that overlook a bustling kitchen line.

As with most steakhouses, the prices here are not necessarily cheap. But the quality of the cooking and the generous portion sizes make you feel that you’ve gotten your money’s worth.

It’s also a good place to go if not everyone in your party is a steak fanatic, as there are plenty of seafood choices, as well as a double-thick pork rib chop with apple cider and Creole mustard glaze, and a double breast of chicken baked in a white wine-mushroom-shallot sauce.

I also like how Fleming’s takes the effort to put a modern spin on steakhouse classics.

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Oakland’s New Cerruti Cellars Urban Winery

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The first vintage made by Tudal Winery, which includes a hand-drawn label done by John Tudal's mother.

For proof that the East Bay is turning into a hub for urban wineries, look no further than the new Cerruti Cellars, which is expected to open any day now across from Jack London Square in Oakland.

Yes, wine-making not in a bucolic, serene setting but a gritty one full of asphalt and concrete.

Nowadays, you’ll find just that at the 22 cosmopolitan wineries that make up the East Bay Vintners Alliance, whose members span Alameda to North Berkeley.

Winery owner John Tudal, holding up an old receipt from his family's produce farm.

John Tudal acknowledges that he’s taken some ribbing from his Napa Valley neighbors, where he operates his family’s more high-end Tudal Winery, about setting up shop in Oakland for his moderately priced Cerruti Cellars wines, which includes the well-known Tractor Shed Red.

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Scenes from “Worlds of Flavor” 2010

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Cold soba noodles in gelee at the 2010 "Worlds of Flavor'' conference on Japan.

Over the weekend, the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena presented its 13th annual “Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival.”

It was the first time that the conference — attended regularly by top chefs, restaurateurs, purveyors, food scientists and media — focused entirely on the cuisine of Japan.

For good reason.

A Japanese dancer.

Everywhere you turn these days, you can’t help but notice the influence Japanese cuisine is having around the world — from sushi being sold in most every American supermarket to ingredients such as edamame, yuzu and nori finding their place in professional kitchens around the world.

Assembling curry udon for the crowds.

Okonomiyaki -- savory noodle pancakes -- get grilled.

Turn on the TV to watch the excitement of “Iron Chef”; visit New York to wait in line at Chef David Chang’s wildly popular Momofuku Japanese-style, street food-inspired restaurants; or pick up the latest Michelin Guide, which awarded its highest honor of three stars to an astounding 12 restaurants in the Kansai region of Japan — more than any other area in the world.

The conference, “Japan: Flavors of Culture, From Sushi and Soba to Kaiseki,” was attended by 750 people, including more than 54 presenters from Japan, some of whom were visiting the Napa Valley for the first time.

It was a kick to see Masaharu Morimoto, Hiroyuki Sakai and Yukio Hattori — all of “Iron Chef” fame — wandering around the storied culinary campus. And even more memorable to hear Morimoto belt out an a cappella song in Japanese at the end of his cooking demo.

Morimoto cooking with suckling pig at a demo.

And what cooking demos there were — from watching a chef from Japan painstakingly make soba noodles from scratch on stage to the intricate details that go into making a perfect dashi stock to seeing Chef Doug Keane of Cyrus in Healdsburg prepare a broth made with his favorite matsutake mushrooms, which he confessed to loving even more than prized European truffles.

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Eating Out for A Good Cause, Bon Appetit’s Barbara Fairchild, Special Ubuntu Dinner and Meal Deals in Silicon Valley

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An event to help preserve Tibetan culture. (Photo courtesy of the Tibetan Aid Project.

Helping to Rebuild Tibetan Culture

Twenty-four top toques will be cooking at the 10th annual “Taste and Tribute” by the Tibetan Aid Project on Nov. 19 at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco.

The chefs will cook in teams of two to prepare four courses, with each table experiencing a different menu. Among those pairing up for the night to intertwine their culinary skills are: Bruce Hill of Bix, Picco and Zero Zero, all in San Francisco, with Liza Shaw of A16 in San Francisco; and Bruno Chemel of Baume in Palo Alto with Martin Brock of Gary Danko in San Francisco.

A silent auction will feature items such as vacation packages, wine tastings, and handmade Tibetan art.

Tickets are $350 per person.

Proceeds will help preserve and ship traditional Tibetan texts, art prints and prayer wheels to Tibetan refugees in the Himalayan region.

Aiding Mission District Youths

Mark your calendar for Nov. 10, when more than 30 restaurants, cafes, markets, ice cream shops and even food trucks in San Francisco will be donating 25 percent or more of sales to Mission Graduates, a non-profit that helps neighborhood youths prepare for and complete college.

The “Food for Thought’‘ event last year enabled more than 100 kids to attend a five-week summer program, and helped secure more than $250,000 in college scholarships to support high school students and their families.

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