Root-to-Stalk Cooking: The Art of Using the Whole Vegetable

The main draw of this thoughtful, plant-centric (not strictly vegetarian) volume by San Francisco Chronicle contributor Duggan (The Working Cook, The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee) is its collection of creative ideas for preparing a wide variety of vegetables (and fruits). And the fact that many—but not all—recipes offer suggestions for using parts of ingredients that typically wind up in the compost is a great bonus. The author organizes the chapters by type of veggie (“Roots & Tubers,” “Bulbs & Stems,” “Leaves,” and so on), and offers more than 65 straightforward recipes, such as a carrot slaw with Greek yogurt, lemon, and coriander; crispy fried leek greens; and Gialina’s Kale and Farro Salad with Avocado—perfect for anyone trying to cook up the contents of a CSA box. Of course, there are also plenty of dishes that use ingredient parts that are typically thrown away, like carrot-top salsa verde with roasted root vegetables; chard-stalk hummus; and shaved-broccoli-stalk salad with lime and cotija. It’s an eye-opening education for those seeking to embrace the waste-not food-preparation ethos. (Aug.)