Cookbook Roundup - Local Flavors by Deborah Madison
A short discussion of some of my favorite and oft used cookbooks!
I have accumulated a collection of 60-odd cookbooks, as well as probably hundreds of recipes torn from magazines, photocopied out of books, or scribbled on scrap paper, and another few hundred bookmarked on my computer. A solid 90% of them I’ve never actually made, and likely never will, but still, I keep on collecting.
I have cookbooks devoted entirely to things like cookies, cupcakes or pies. Books on tofu, mushrooms, paela, and raw foods, and even a cookbook in French, which sadly I cannot read, and most of my cookbooks are vegetarian or vegan with a few notable exceptions. Strangely though, it’s these exceptions that seem to get more use in my kitchen than all the others. Why? Because they contain recipes for real food, that people will actually eat, and enjoy, and not pretend to enjoy. Don’t get me wrong… some of my vegan cookbooks get hearty use, but others have been untouched for years because their pages are filled with unpalatable recipes for things that try to resemble something else, the cursed “faux” foods.
During the early part of my tenure as a vegan, I wouldn’t touch faux meats, soy balogna, soy burgers, etc. I found them to be offensive and thought, “hey, if i want to eat something that tastes like balogna, why don’t I just eat balogna” (forgive me, I was still in highschool, and strangely thought balogna was delicious). But as the years wore on, I somehow fell victim to their siren call and quickly found myself practically living off of them. Tofu-dogs, Boca Burgers, Tofurkey, soy milk, soy ice-cream. I bought cookbook after cookbook about tofu, and soy ice-creams, and vegan cookies. As I matured, so did my tastes, and I longed for real, simple foods cooked in a way to maintaining the integrity of the natural flavors. I was over the whole “tofu absorbs the flavor of whatever you cook it with” thing, and wanted to maybe just taste the actual tofu!
BOOK 1
Some cookbooks proved more helpful than others, and over the next few weeks I’m going to review for your some of my most, and least favorite cookbooks. I’ll start off on a positive note with my all time most used, most loved cookbook, and one that I recommend to everyone, vegan, vegetarian, or otherwise: Deborah Madison’s LOCAL FLAVORS Cooking and Eating From America’s Farmers’ Markets.
I’ll admit that this book probably sat on my shelf for a few years before I really looked it. Likely purchased as a gift when I was still in my soy-everything phase, it recipes probably seemed too “normal” at the time. But a few years ago I pulled it out and haven’t put it down since. At 400 pages and with gorgeous full color photographs and laid out in a seasonal order, this book has more flags (and stains) than any other of my books. I’ve never made anything out of here that wasn’t absolutely delicious, as it’s recipes are rich in flavor, and beyond all, dependably tasty!
My favorite pasta recipe of all time comes from this book, and I’ve made it over and over. Located in the early chapters of the book, devoted to spring vegetables stands Pasta with Peas, Fresh Sage, and Breadcrumbs. With only 10 ingredients, this is such an absolutely perfect dish, it makes me want to cry! Fresh spring peas are amazing on their own, but paired with sage, crunchy breadcrumbs and al dente pasta, this cannot be beat.
Another simple dish is her White Beans with Black Kale and Savoy Cabbage, which, as she states in the introduction to the recipe, makes a hearty bruschetta when served over toast, or a wonderful and flavorful minestrone with some added stock. The fact that her dishes typically contain few ingredients (this one only has 9) is a testament to her true understanding of foods and her ability to let their flavors speak for themselves.
When we reach the autumn section of the book, another beyond simple, but intensely scrumptious dish is her Winter Squash Braised in Pear or Apple Cider. Combining butternut squash, rosemary, and apple cider is not something I ever would have thought of on my own, but they work perfectly together. The sweetness from the squash and the cider are highlighted by the salt and cider vinegar added at the end. The squash comes out tender and manages to be both sweet and savory at the same time. This dish also looks as good as it tastes, and has been showcased at more than one holiday meal.
There are a few things in here that I haven’t tried yet, but have been flagged for a long time; Braised Root Vegetables with Black Lentils and Red Wine Sauce (mostly because I never drink wine, and don’t want to end up throwing out the other half of the bottle!), Apricot-Cherry Crisp, Asparagus and Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding, and Pea and Spinach Soup with Coconut Milk.
While this book does have recipes for lamb, and beef and chicken, and uses eggs and dairy, it should still not be overlooked by vegetarians or vegans. Deborah Madison is a huge supporter of local farmers markets, which predominantly sell produce and this is reflected in her recipes which are almost all based on vegetables. Easily adaptable for those looking for meat/dairy free recipes, this book is my numero uno and I love it dearly. I have the hefty $40 hardcover, but the paperback is available on Amazon for only $17 - an absolute steal for a cookbook you’ll likely use over and over and over again! Trust me on this!
Tags: cookbook roundup
February 1st, 2010 at 10:09 pm
The recipes you mentioned all sound incredible. I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of this book!