cover image River Cottage Veg: 200 Inspired Vegetable Recipes

River Cottage Veg: 200 Inspired Vegetable Recipes

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Ten Speed, $35 (416p) ISBN 978-1-607-74472-6

Vegetable cookbooks are becoming all the rage, not only for vegans and vegetarians but for the health-conscious among us. In this glorious celebration of all things vegetal, Fearnley-Whittingstall (River Cottage Cookbook and River Cottage Meat Book) presents one of the most definitive cookbooks available to date on the subject. Dishes are widely appealing with a focus on depth of texture and flavor, running the gamut from sweet to spicy, including updated classics and entirely new recipes. Nearly all 200 recipes are accompanied by full-color photos that will tempt even the most reluctant carnivores and include dishes from around the globe, such as North Africa’s chachouka; Mexican tomato and bean soup; and Spanish patatas bravas. Fearnley-Whittingstall offers a varied and unstuffy array of recipes that elevates vegetables from side dishes to main courses, with chapters covering salads, soups, pasta and rice, mezza and tapas, and much more. Kale and mushroom lasagna; spinach, penne, and cheese soufflé; and beet greens and ricotta tarts are some of the brilliant combinations Fearnley-Whittingstall showcases. A handy chapter on cooking from the pantry shows that a minimal number of ingredients can yield tasty nonmeat meals, such as an upside-down onion tart, and an oven-roasted roots frittata. A collection to be treasured—and, more importantly, frequently and thoroughly used—this book will excite, delight, and sate appetites every time. (May)