Edible/Usable

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

I'm not a vegetarian. I was a vegan for about 3 years, and I worked in college as a vegetarian cook, but I'm a meat eater now.  I really do think that everyone should try being a vegetarian (or even a vegan) for at least a few months of their life.  I think it gives you a full appreciation of how good meat can be, and also how we take vegetables for granted.  And you might loose a few pounds.

That said, if you are a vegetarian, thinking about becoming one, you just joined your local CSA, or you just love vegetables, this cookbook is for you.  Not only can you find delicious recipes for most common vegetables, there are also recipes for the most uncommon ones - things like kamut, salsify, Jerusalem artichokes, Jicama and amaranth.  It also has great basic recipes for desserts, salads, condiments, side dishes and main courses.  Vegetarianism has changed in the last 15 -20 years.  It's moved away from the "crunchy," soy-based, Braggs flavored, Moosewood Cookbook,  "counter culture"  hippie inspired fare, to something that is both political (green) and trendy (green).  Deborah Madison has been at the forefront of the local, sustainable "slow food" movement since 1979 when she helped open Greens Restaurant in San Francisco at the Zen Center.

But besides all of the issues about food, where we get it, how it affects the ecology of the earth and  how this is all relevant to what we eat and how we eat it, this is one of my favorite cookbooks because of it's sheer utility.  Using the 'cookbook grading methodology' I wrote about previously, here's how this book stacks up:

Inspiration:  This is one of my go-to cookbooks when I have an ingredient, especially a vegetable that I don't know what to do with.  It has great photos, ideas for menus and a really great introduction that inspires you to cook.  Most recipes also feature suggested substitutions, alternate ingredients, food pairing and serving suggestions, mostly in the sidebar of the main recipe so as not to interfere if you want to stick to the original.

Instruction:  Most of the recipes in this book are not difficult, especially for a cook with some experience.  But, for more difficult items like making fresh pasta or explaining different varieties or types of vegetables (e.g Flageolets, Jacobs Cattle and Marrow are all different types of beans) she provides clear instructions on handling, amounts, cooking times and storage.

Resource:  Even for basic recipes like risotto, pie crust and pesto, I often turn to this book to get direction.  The index is comprehensive, and since it's organized by type of food (salads, sandwiches) and courses, it's easy to find what you are looking for.

On that note, I'll leave you with a random recipe that I haven't tried yet, but plan to in the near future: 

Braised Red Radishes

• 20 plump radishes (red or multicolored)
• 1-2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1 teaspon chopped thyme or several pinches dried
• Salt and freshly milled pepper

Trim the leaves from the radishes, leaving a bit of the green stems, and scrub them.   If the leaves are tender and in good condition, wash them and set aside.  Leave smaller radishes whole and halve or quarter large ones.

Melt 2-3 talbesppons of butter in a small saute pan.  Add the shallot and thyme and cook for 1 minute over medium heat.  Add the radishes, a little salt and pepper, and water just to cover.  Simer until the radishes are tender, 3-5 minutes.  Add the leaves if using and cook until they are wilted and tender.  1 minute more.  Remove the radishes to a serving dish.  Boil the liquid, adding a teaspooon or two more butter if you like, until only about 1/4 cup remains.  Pour it over the radishes and serve.

(she's big on braising vegetables, which truthfully is a really great thing if you haven't tried it.  The braised fennel recipe in this book is one of my favorites)

From "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison

It's Gettin' Hot In Here

Yes, today feels like spring.  Finally.  I have my (newly cleaned) windows open.  But what I really want to talk about is kitchen thermometers.  I'm going to a friend's house for Sunday lunch (a lovely British tradition) tomorrow, and I'm bringing dessert.  I decided to make a lemon tart, and found a really nice recipe in the "Baking" cookbook that L&R gave me last year.  There's a whole story behind the 'creamy lemon tart' - some fellow in France emulsifying lots of butter - so I decided to make it.

 The recipe calls for a double boiler, constant whisking, and heating the lemon curd to a temp of 180 degrees.  Often the issue I've had with thermometers is that they don't measure high enough heat - say if you're making caramel, candy or jelly (generally 250 degrees).    I actually have two kitchen thermometers, and they both go beyond 180 degrees.  My problem this time was that I had a really hard time keeping the thermometer in the mixture while stirring at the same time.  I dropped each of them into the pot at least two times.  I also got a steam burn on one of my hands.  I'm sure it was funny to watch, but it was frustrating and I actually never got the curd beyond 170 degrees.  I just kind of eyeballed it.  I'll find out tomorrow if it really worked or not.

What I'd really like to have is some sort of thermometer that you could clip to the edge of the pan, and that would stick out away from the side so you could get an accurate temperature.  Does this exist?  If not, it should.

Overall assessment - kitchen thermometer=fail.

Update: I'm trying out the Foodista web site to drive traffic to this site. Here's a link: (btw, this is NOT the recipe that I used for my lemon curd...)

Amusing Cutters Lurk in Antique Shops*

I've been lax about posting lately.  Part of it is because I started working on a cookbook review post, and I think I got a little intimidated.   I realized I needed to write a post about my approach to cookbooks in general before I wrote about any book specifically.  I studied literature, so I always revere the sanctity of the book and the author.

I don't have that many cookbooks.  Around 11.  And some of them I rarely use (Charcuterie - no space to dry age smelly meat, and Classic Indian Cooking - not sure why)  In general, I use cookbooks for three reasons:

1.  For cooking, generally it's for inspiration - I have an ingredient, I go to my cookbooks to get an idea of what to do with it.  Once I have an idea, I often don't follow a recipe. 

2.  For baking or more complicated recipes, it's about instruction.  I pretty much always follow a recipe for baking.  Sometimes I'll add or subtract something, but I follow the recipe where it counts.

3.  For reference - This is kind of a combination of both.  Often I'll have an idea to make something, and I'll compare recipes and methods between multiple books.  Or if I need to know the ratio of stock to rice for risotto.  Things I generally know, just need a reminder or some guidelines, or in order to compare one recipe to another.

Some books offer all three things.  Some just one or two.  Not every cookbook can be the Joy of Cooking - to me the ultimate reference cookbook.  But I think that the true mark of a great cookbook is the addition or inclusion of the spirit of the cookbook author.  Anecdotes, situations, photos and history all add up to make a book that is a good list of accurate and usable recipes into something that is a pleasure to read and reason to come back to time and time again.  This is one of the reasons that I think I vastly prefer cookbooks to recipe web sites.  I'll definitely write more about websites later, but my criteria for them will be different.

So for cookbook reviews, I'll be using these general criteria.  My next post will be a cookbook review.   I bet you can't wait.

*From "The Joy of Cooking" "About Rolled and Molded Cookies"