Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen

by Deborah Madison

I love supper. It’s friendly and relaxed. It’s easy to invite people over for supper, for there’s a quality of comfort that isn’t always there with dinner, a meal that suggests more serious culinary expectations—truly a joy to meet, but not all the time. Supper, on the other hand, is for when friends happen to run into each other at the farmers’ market or drop in from out of town. Supper is for Sunday night or a Thursday. Supper can be impromptu, it can be potluck, and it can break the formality of a classic menu. With supper, there’s a willingness to make do with what’s available and to cook and eat simply. It can also be special and beautifully crafted if that’s what you want.
— from the Introduction

In her first collection of suppertime solutions, the author of the bestselling cookbook classic, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone , solves the perennial question of what to cook for dinner, with more than 100 inspiring recipes to enjoy every night of the week.

What’s for supper? For vegetarians and health-conscious nonvegetarians, the quest for recipes that don’t call for meat often can seem daunting. Focusing on recipes for a relaxing evening, Deborah Madison has created an innovative array of main dishes for casual dining. Unfussy but creative, the recipes in Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen will bring joy to your table in the form of simple, wholesome, and delicious main dish meals.

These are recipes to savor throughout the week—quick weekday meals as well as more leisurely weekend or company fare—and throughout the year. The emphasis is on freshness and seasonality in recipes for savory pies and gratins, vegetable stews and braises, pasta and vegetable dishes, crepes and fritters, delicious new ways to use tofu and tempeh, egg dishes that make a supper, hearty cool-weather as well as light warm-weather meals, and a delightful assortment of sandwich suppers.

Recipes include such imaginative and irresistible dishes as Masa Crêpes with Chard, Chiles, and Cilantro; Spicy Tofu with Thai Basil and Coconut Rice Cakes; Lemony Risotto Croquettes with Slivered Snow Peas, Asparagus, and Leeks; and Gnocchi with Winter Squash and Seared Radicchio.

Vegan variations are given throughout, so whether you are a committed vegetarian or a “vegophile” like Deborah Madison herself, you’ll find recipes in this wonderful new collection you will want to cook again and again.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Nonfiction, Vegetarian, Health

228 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Deborah Madison is an American chef, writer and cooking teacher. She has been called an expert on vegetarian cooking and her gourmet repertoire showcases fresh garden produce. Her work also highlights Slow Food, local foods and farmers' markets.

Reviews

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a lot of delicious recipes here, some beautiful pictures too. These recipes take time, they are worth it though. A great book to use those summer vegetables from the garden.

[Lisa R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The focus here is specifically on suppers, as the name implies. I love Deborah Madison and her cookbooks, and her emphasis on real foods. The only reason I gave this one four stars is because many of the recipes are, to my untrained mind and moderate skill level, rather elaborate and timely to prepare - and I felt the book sort of promised quick, easy suppers - but perhaps I was reading too much into things?

Some of the best and simplest dishes are the egg ones, which have become favorites at my house (feta skillet pie, sweet ricotta cakes).

Kudos to Deborah for giving wine recommendations for each and every dish - to me, that alone makes this cookbook worth purchasing!

[Inge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say, this is a little gem of a cookbook. I keep turning to it time and time again. Every recipe I've made so far has been delicious and most have ended up as part of the regular rotation. So far, our favorites are the Stuffed Peppers with Quinoa, Corn, & Feta (seriously good), Black Beans with Yellow Rice (adding coconut milk to the beans and rice cooking liquid was a revelation!), and the Black Bean Tostadas with Cabbage. I really want to try the Feta and Ricotta Skillet Pie next....and then the Fragrant Red Lentils! Deborah Madison never disappoints!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love making Madison's more complex recipes (such as many of the ones in this book) when I have the time to do so. The brussel sprout and mushroom ragout alone would make this book worth keeping in my opinion. I find that my colder climate and less foodie location tends to mean that tweaking the recipes often helps (for example, in the ragout recipe mentioned above, I substitute fresh mushrooms for dried in the stock, as it's difficult to find high-quality dried mushrooms here) but I have a tendency to tweak recipes anyway. As always, Madison's focus is on incorporating fresh, seasonally available produce into one's cooking as much as possible.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My most used and loved cook book.

[BookBec · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep thinking I ought to like Deborah Madison's cookbooks -- fresh seasonal produce, real food -- but they just don't work for me. It's probably time to go our separate ways.

Part of it seems to be our metabolisms: the author says she's happy with a sweet potato and salad for dinner; I'd be hungry an hour after that meal. Part of it's our willingness to make multipart meals: she suggests adding soup, salad, and so on to complement light recipes; I strongly prefer one-dish meals. And part of it's our tolerance for complicated recipes: I made a ragout that was indeed tasty, but it involved a saucepan, two skillets, six mixing bowls, the food processor, and an electric mixer ... and also called for a separate gratin dish for baking (at which point I put my foot down and left it in my oven-safe skillet!).

[Stephanie]

I have recently come back to this lovely cookbook: some of my favorites are the twice-baked goat cheese souffles with tomato-beet sauce, the zucchini skillet cakes (I add quinoa to mine so they're kind of a hybrid of these and Heidi Swanson's little quinoa patties), and the semolina gratin, which I could eat for every meal. I learned to cook in part from Madison's Greens era cookbooks, and I think I own eight of her cookbooks, and this has been one of the most useful. It has the worst binding, however, of any book I've ever owned: most of the pages have come out and are now messily shoved in. I've used it a lot, but not THAT much.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I made quite a few of these and they were delicious, as Madison's recipes always are.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed browsing this book. I own just about every other book Madison has written, and I didn't feel the need to rush out and get this. The recipes are quick and simple, and they certainly sound delicious, but they are more for those who like to cook something new each night. As my style is much more to cook in bulk, freeze, and reheat, there wasn't much here for me. It's a lovely book, but I can glean enough quick, simple recipes from the books of hers that I already own. Still, if the style of cooking suits your lifestyle, this could be the book for you.

[Sheral · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love reading Deborah Madison cookbooks her food is always so pretty. The recipes that I have made don't need much toying with and that says a lot about her food ideas. I'm not vegetarian but I do like cooking her dishes they are wonderful and flavorful to the point that you really don't miss the meat, or if you do it would not be hard adding it to the dish. Most anyone would be satified with these wonderful recipes I know I enjoy the adventures in taste she takes you on.
I highly recommend this book.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although we've net met, Deborah Madison taught me to cook. The best dishes I've ever tasted outside of a restaurant have been from her recipes. I have most of her books, and highly recommend them to friends, family and people interested in vegetarian cooking. This one is great because it contains some quick and easy options, and might work better for cooking for one or two people, or people with busy schedules. Her other books are fantastic, but in general, the recipes require many ingredients and can take quite a long time to prepare. I save them for entertaining and special occasions.

[Heather Mayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely, lovely meals...
This book taught me to make delicious polenta. I recommend the porcini and tomato ragout, the spongy semolina crepes, the winter squash lasagne, Neelam's festive rice Pilaf, tomatillo salsa, and stock for stir-fries (only need a little at a time, so freeze in ice-cube trays, transfer to a freezer container, and it will last you months of stir-fries).

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We've made a lot of recipes from this lately. Madison focuses on mixing seasonally available produce and eggs, beans, tofu and other protein sources. Some of these recipes are great for using large quantities of farm share produce.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, this is FANTASTICO. I am crazy about Vegetarian Cooking for everyone and my cousin recently gave me this to add to my collection. I made the stuffed peppers on the cover the other night and wished I had made twice as many. She is a purist and the food is amazing.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

while this one isn't quite as versatile as 'vegetarian cooking for everyone,' it still shows that deborah madison is a whiz with fresh, seasonal produce. i don't know if i could get through a market season without some inspiration from her recipes.

[Inder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not as useful and comprehensive a book as Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, but it's full of good recipes and beautiful pictures. Lots of wonderful, simple recipes for a summer garden here, especially.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book because it provides you with a whole meal solution. No need to scramble for side dishes after cooking fancy main dish. It's all here with directions about what to do when so it is all ready at the same time.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cook many recipes from this book each month. Some of my favorites so far are the cover recipe - quinoa stuffed peppers, black beans and saffron rice with pickled onions, and brussels sprouts and mushroom ragu.

[Aguess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I checked out this book from the library to get Vegetarian inspiration for weeknight dinners. It worked. I didn't find this as comprehensive as some of her other books but it was well organized and the recipes were easy to follow.

[Sarah]

I am really digging this so far. Each recipe comes with suggestions for sides and wine and it all looks so goooood...

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great recipes.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alot of these don't sound good, but end up really tasty when you make them.

[Wendy Hollister · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very good vegetarian cookbook.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A- What a wonderful cookbook. There are so many fantastic-sounding recipes in here that I need to buy this book!

[Sally]

Gotta be ready for all those veggies once the CSA begins.

Good stuff, but I'm taking it back to exchange it for "The One Armed Chef"

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made some great dishes out of this cookbook - I think I may buy it and add it to my collection.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good Deborah Madison cookbook but not amongst her classics

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is good but not in my top five for her

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, but nothing that appealed to me.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want to try the Braised Fennel with a Saffron Rice Timbale, Pasta and Chickpeas, and the Vegan Migas recipes.