Book Review: "Vegtable Harvest: Vegtables at the Center of the Plate"

This book is both a visual feast for the eyes and a salute to vegetables and the farmers/growers responsible. The book, the latest in a number of cookbooks written by this author, is designed around the premise that vegetables should be center stage on the plate. Instead of creating meals around meats, fish or poultry, the author writes in the introduction she began putting the vegetables first and working everything else around that.

The result is a colorful ode to vegetables that provides many different ways of cooking and using them to shake up the meal and your palate. Moving from appetizers, to salads, to soups, to poultry and meats and ultimately breads and desserts with every stage in between, author Patricia Wells creates meal after delectable meal on paper. Almost every single recipe is illustrated, not with a picture of the dish, but instead with a picture of the vegetable or vegetables for sales in the markets near the author's home in France.

Cooks experienced with various types of cooking equipment and utensils will find these recipes simple while those of us with less experience may find some of the more complex ones intimidating. Still, the instructions are straightforward and understandable and each recipe comes with a small amount of dietary information on calories, fat, carbohydrates, etc. Those on salt sensitive diets may wish to do a little research on items within a recipe before actually making the dish as that information is not provided.

At 324 pages, including an index and a detailed section on various things that each cook, according to the author, should have on hand such as homemade chicken stock, basil-lemon dressing, watercress pesto, etc. this book is aimed primarily at cooks that have the time and skills necessary to go beyond the standard fare. As such, this book is interesting, colorful and inspiring and can be used as tool to increase variety at the table.

Vegetable Harvest: Vegetables at the Center of the Plate
By Patricia Wells
http://www.patriciawells.com/
William Morrow/Harper Collins
http://www.harpercollins.com/
2007
ISBN# 978-0-06-075244-6
Hardback
324 Pages



Kevin R. Tipple © 2008