Favorite Cookbooks

 I traveled home to Santa Barbara recently and retrieved some of my favorite cookbooks from storage.   Among the books I shipped back to Oneida is Patricia Wells' Vegetable Harvest.  Although it is not vegetarian, it has many wonderful recipes inspired by her own vegetable garden in Provence (of course!) and includes a lot of useful information about food  [why remove the little green 'germ' from a clove of garlic?  According to Wells many people find it indigestible, so she recommends removing it when including raw garlic, but not it you're going to cook the garlic], folklore ["If you eat salad before consuming alcohol, you won't get drunk"], customs ["Traditionally, the planting of arugula, was forbidden in the convent gardens in France, for the Mediterranean green was considered to be an aphrodisiac"], wine and menu suggestions.

I love her other cookbooks, too. She has an easy take on complicated dishes and of course is all about knowing the source of your ingredients. 

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In my quest to conquer my fear of vegetables, I accumulated at least 10 new cookbooks last year which are all wonderful in their own way.  Here are my favorites:

For spicy dishes, I turn to Vegan Fire & Spice by Robin Robertson.

 The book features the most flavorful cuisine from around the world.  The "Portuguese Spicy Kale Soup" featured in my most recent post is Ms. Robertson's take on a Portuguese classic.  It has inspired a whole new level of respect for that most unglamorous of vegetables, Kale.  The soup is simple and quick to put together, the ingredients are ordinary (onions, carrots, garlic, potatoes, kale, red pepper flacks and red kidney beans) and the results are exceptional.  If you can wait, let it cool in the refrigerator overnight.  It'll taste even more delicious.

 

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The Seasoned Vegetarian by Simon Rimmer.

Mr. Rimmer hails from England and is the proprietor of the award winning (vegetarian) restaurant, Greens, in Manchester, UK. The book is divided into seven sections: Brunch, Soups & Salads, Small Platefuls, Large Platefuls, Spicy Platefuls, Add Ons & Puddings.  The recipes are wonderfully varied and the photography is exceptional.  My favorite recipe from the book is Oyster Mushroom & Tofu Laksa which just happens to be wholly plant based! My husband makes it for me on special occasions.

My husband, Frank, prepping my birthday dinner - Oyster Mushroom & Tofu Laksa

It is so delicious,  I could eat it every day.  According to Rimmer, a "laksa" is a "cross between a soup, a curry and a noodle dish."  Here's Frank's version and below a photograph from Rimmer's book.