The Savory Way

by Deborah Madison, Patricia Curtan (Illustrator), David Bullen (Designed by)

A personal collection of more than 300 elegant recipes, The Savory Way presents Deborah Madison's innovative style of vegetarian cooking.  The recipes are flexible and forgiving and fit into her philosophy of cooking.  Some are quick fixes, designed to quell an urgent appetite; others are more leisurely affairs.  Some are low-fat; others, more decadent.  All allow for substitutions.  Using fresh fuits and vegetables, spices, flavored vinegars and oils, edible flowers, salsas and cheeses, she creates a vegetarian palate that is sophisticated and healthful. From soups to salads, sandwiches to crepes, breads to sweetmeats, The Savory Way reflects Deborah Madison's personal brand of contemporary vegetarianism.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Vegetarian

464 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 1990

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

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and excellent recipes that are epicurian but not too difficult. My volume unfortunately has no picutres, which is one of my favorite things about cookbooks, but it doesn't matter. Still 5 stars worth. Oh, and these are vegetarian recipes, not that that should discourage carnivores.

[Tracy O · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a vegetarian cookbook, but I never think of it that way. Deborah Madison is not only so inventive, but her recipes really work and she is very humane (you'll find asides to the effect of, "try to find this ingredient, but it's not a big deal if you can't," or, "you really have to use this particular ingredient and here's where you can probably find it." I LOVE the Spinach Pasta with Ricotta and Walnuts in this book - there's also a great recipe for Pear Coffee Cake, one for macaroni and cheese, etc. My passion for carbohydrates is showing - the book is much broader than my personal hang-ups. You could pick this up and make something great in a very short amount of time - that's one thing I really like about this book (plus, the breadth of interesting ingredients and flavors). The thing I don't always love is buying some unusual oil that I wouldn't normally use to make something - I probably don't cook enough. But, even, I, a complete ditz, in the kitchen can make nice things with this book. I highly, highly recommend it.

[Lucinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great in concept, but frustrating. She seems to be locally and seasonally challenged even though it's part of her shtick. Is there really lovage available in the Southeast in December? Is lovage available anywhere? What the hell is lovage?

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my very favorite cookbooks, and one of the first ones I ever owned. I actually read this, not just consult it. I love Madison's writing style and her sensibilities.

[Kate W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of my favorite recipes come from this book, recipes that I feel that now I can't live without. Lentils stewed in red wine. Winter squash soup with milky herb broth. Garlic tonic soup.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite cookbook of all time

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This format, which seemed like a good idea at the time, actually makes it harder to find recipes.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as good as the first Greens Cookbook--really luscious but somewhat complicated food

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

the food in here reflects what was great about Green's but it is not simple food to put together