British food personality and restaurateur Dawson’s love letter to veggies is a creative collection of more than 250 recipes for 50 different vegetables. Dishes range from inventive riffs on classics (like a lentil tart made with sweet potatoes and topped with a dollop of sour cream; chicken soup spruced up with juniper berries, star anise, shallots, and dumplings; and wine-braised herb-stuffed artichokes) to more elaborate and impressive fare (like fennel and salmon ceviche, a handmade tagliatelle with porcini and girolles, and a “kohl slaw” made from shredded kohlrabi and carrots, studded with pomegranate seeds, capers, and pine nuts). In addition to individual recipes, Dawson includes several “Feasts,” like curry and Tex-Mex menus, as well as easy-to-follow “Skill” sections (e.g., roasting or pickling) that will keep cooks and their guests on their toes and eager for more. Dawson (The Acorn House Cookbook: Good Food from Field to Fork), a vocal proponent of sustainable eating, even provides ideas for leftovers, like dipping spinach stalks in a tempura batter and then frying them. Arranged according to veggie type (e.g., “Roots & Tubers” and “Fruits & Fungi”) and with a handy guide to “What’s Best When,” this collection of inspired sides and mains is one of the most outstanding vegetable cookbooks in recent memory, accessible to novices and imaginative enough for veterans. Photos. (Aug.)
Eat Your Vegetables
