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Vegetable Love
Barbara Kafka has been shaping the way America cooks for three decades. She’s doing it again.
With her customary originality, thoroughness, and passion for great cooking, Barbara Kafka has created the cook’s ultimate vegetable 750 original recipes showcasing everything she adores about the vegetable world, from the lowly green bean to the exotic chrysanthemum leaf—even stretching the definition to include potatoes, mushrooms, and avocados just because she’s crazy mad for them.
Her love of vegetables shows in every dish, each impeccably researched, consistently foolproof, and put to the Kafka taste test. Among these delectable dishes are dozens of essays, including personal reflections on the garden and migrations in the vegetable world, for example; all are erudite and unfailingly entertaining.
Kafka’s book within a book—an at-a-glance, we’ve-done-all-the-work-for-you Cook’s Guide—provides practical, encyclopedic information on how to buy, measure, substitute, and prepare every food that ever called itself a vegetable.
With her customary originality, thoroughness, and passion for great cooking, Barbara Kafka has created the cook’s ultimate vegetable 750 original recipes showcasing everything she adores about the vegetable world, from the lowly green bean to the exotic chrysanthemum leaf—even stretching the definition to include potatoes, mushrooms, and avocados just because she’s crazy mad for them.
Her love of vegetables shows in every dish, each impeccably researched, consistently foolproof, and put to the Kafka taste test. Among these delectable dishes are dozens of essays, including personal reflections on the garden and migrations in the vegetable world, for example; all are erudite and unfailingly entertaining.
Kafka’s book within a book—an at-a-glance, we’ve-done-all-the-work-for-you Cook’s Guide—provides practical, encyclopedic information on how to buy, measure, substitute, and prepare every food that ever called itself a vegetable.
720 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2005
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245 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 21, 2009
Simple reference book for cooking with vegetables. The vegetable recipes are listed by origin (like "Beans from Asia"). There is an additional guide at the back with cooking guidelines for each vegetable, buying and storing, washing, ways of cutting, yields and equivalents, etc. This is not a vegetarian cookbook only, as it includes quite a few recipes with meat/veggie combos. The author plays a bit fast and loose with the "vegetable" classification, embracing corn and practicing a kind tolerance towards a layperson's understanding of what encompasses the word veggie.
The recipes included in the book follow the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method for the most part. While you can easily find jazzier recipes, the tried and true variations given (like Maple Glazed Roasted Sweet Potatoes) are great for a friendly reminder that good eating does not always require extreme measures on the part of the cook.
One particular recipe is new to me and I will be sure to try it this summer, as we will be burdened with yellow peppers: Golden Pepper Ice Cream. Peppers are really fruits, as the author notes, so the combination should work fairly well.
The recipes included in the book follow the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) method for the most part. While you can easily find jazzier recipes, the tried and true variations given (like Maple Glazed Roasted Sweet Potatoes) are great for a friendly reminder that good eating does not always require extreme measures on the part of the cook.
One particular recipe is new to me and I will be sure to try it this summer, as we will be burdened with yellow peppers: Golden Pepper Ice Cream. Peppers are really fruits, as the author notes, so the combination should work fairly well.
August 13, 2024
If you love vegetables; if you like vegetables; indeed, if you simply eat vegetables, you need no other book than this to consummate your life of consuming vegetables. If you own but one book on vegetables, this should be it. If you own but two books on vegetables, as I do, they should be this and Jack Bishop's Vegetables Every Day.
Be aware that Kafka does not espouse in this book vegetarianism, so many of the recipes include various fleshly accompaniments. This may be an obstacle to some, but to omnivores like me, it represents a natural focus on the primacy of vegetables in the diet. (Not to mention a focus on deliciousness...)
Be aware that Kafka does not espouse in this book vegetarianism, so many of the recipes include various fleshly accompaniments. This may be an obstacle to some, but to omnivores like me, it represents a natural focus on the primacy of vegetables in the diet. (Not to mention a focus on deliciousness...)
December 10, 2007
This is a big, heavy expensive book, but there's a lot of information about unusual veggies and a great general reference section about choosing, storing and cooking almost any vegetable. I also like that it's not a book for vegetarians. There are quite a few recipes that call for chicken broth and there's a general assumption that you'll be eating meat. It's been the cookbook I've looked to the most, since I love pretty much all vegetables.
August 3, 2008
I love this book. It alphabetically lists every vegetable imaginable, explains what it is and how to prepare it. While some of the recipes are vegetarian, many are not - I often refer to this book when i am looking to incorporate my CSA bounty into our weekly meals.
June 25, 2012
If you are not a vegetarian, the role of the vegetable can be often sidelined - always the bridesmaid but never the bride. Oh, we might wax lyrically about them but always in a supporting role. Maybe this book will help?
The observant reader may note that this is not a newly-published book, but one that has stood the test of time. Written by an author who has also stood the test of time - keeping many Americans fed for over three decades - this is a veritable treasure trove of information for the vegetable lover or the "vegetable tolerator" (if such a phrase can be used). If it isn't covered in this book, maybe there is a good reason for its omission might be a good guide here, as over 750 original recipes take the reader through everything from a green bean to exotic flowery leaves. Split into six main chapters - Vegetables of the New World; Vegetables of the Mediterranean Basin, Europe & The Arab World; Vegetables of Asia and Africa; Citizens of The World; Basic Recipes & Techniques and Cook's Guide the book is rounded off, if such a monster of a heavyweight can be rounded off, by an extensive source list, bibliography and index.
Within each chapter the recipes are organised around ingredients and throughout the reader can dive in-and-out as required with the aid of the (somewhat subdued) navigational aids within the book. These could be a little clearer, it is fair to say, when you are navigating something the size of a telephone directory (younger readers may need to ask their parents what this strange beast is!). There is a lot more than just recipes though, with many little hints and tips, historic nuggets and even thought-provoking statements dotted throughout like mushrooms in a forest trail. Photographs and line drawings are mostly conspicuous by their absence, yet the written word is powerful enough here that the reader does not really miss them. Much better to do without them than to double (or more) the book's price and require several volumes...
Everything is presented in a fuss-free, workman-like way which just fits with the book's overall style and demeanour. This is not a book for idle browsing and leisurely looking for inspiration - well it could be, but this reviewer submits that this would not be the most effective way of using it. The reader might want to think of it as a resource to search by a given ingredient that they plan to use within a meal OR a jumping-off point when they know they want a particular style of vegetable but they have not determined which type.
Just like the versatile potato, there are many ways of serving up this book in accordance to your individual desires. The best way is to just get it, try it and make of it what you can. Unless you only ever want a recipe book to tell you what to cook and when, you cannot fail to find this book a permanent fixture within your reference library.
Vegetable Love: Vegetables delicious. alone or with pasta, seafood, poultry, meat and more, written by Barbara Kafka & Christopher Styler and published by Artisan/Workman Publishing. ISBN 9781579651688, 720 pages. Typical price: GBP22. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
The observant reader may note that this is not a newly-published book, but one that has stood the test of time. Written by an author who has also stood the test of time - keeping many Americans fed for over three decades - this is a veritable treasure trove of information for the vegetable lover or the "vegetable tolerator" (if such a phrase can be used). If it isn't covered in this book, maybe there is a good reason for its omission might be a good guide here, as over 750 original recipes take the reader through everything from a green bean to exotic flowery leaves. Split into six main chapters - Vegetables of the New World; Vegetables of the Mediterranean Basin, Europe & The Arab World; Vegetables of Asia and Africa; Citizens of The World; Basic Recipes & Techniques and Cook's Guide the book is rounded off, if such a monster of a heavyweight can be rounded off, by an extensive source list, bibliography and index.
Within each chapter the recipes are organised around ingredients and throughout the reader can dive in-and-out as required with the aid of the (somewhat subdued) navigational aids within the book. These could be a little clearer, it is fair to say, when you are navigating something the size of a telephone directory (younger readers may need to ask their parents what this strange beast is!). There is a lot more than just recipes though, with many little hints and tips, historic nuggets and even thought-provoking statements dotted throughout like mushrooms in a forest trail. Photographs and line drawings are mostly conspicuous by their absence, yet the written word is powerful enough here that the reader does not really miss them. Much better to do without them than to double (or more) the book's price and require several volumes...
Everything is presented in a fuss-free, workman-like way which just fits with the book's overall style and demeanour. This is not a book for idle browsing and leisurely looking for inspiration - well it could be, but this reviewer submits that this would not be the most effective way of using it. The reader might want to think of it as a resource to search by a given ingredient that they plan to use within a meal OR a jumping-off point when they know they want a particular style of vegetable but they have not determined which type.
Just like the versatile potato, there are many ways of serving up this book in accordance to your individual desires. The best way is to just get it, try it and make of it what you can. Unless you only ever want a recipe book to tell you what to cook and when, you cannot fail to find this book a permanent fixture within your reference library.
Vegetable Love: Vegetables delicious. alone or with pasta, seafood, poultry, meat and more, written by Barbara Kafka & Christopher Styler and published by Artisan/Workman Publishing. ISBN 9781579651688, 720 pages. Typical price: GBP22. YYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
September 5, 2008
This is fun, quirky book but I can't decide if I like it enough to want to keep it. There are certain sections which I find to be ordinary and not very interesting--the recipes can be found in many other cookbooks. Some parts are useful, especially where she includes microwave directions. A lot of foodies might scoff at her use of the microwave, but her inclusion shows her interest in the ordinary cook. We often only think of the microwave for heating food. It's true that the results can't match the usual cooking techniques, but it could be useful should a cook find oneself with just a microwave with which to make a meal. She's also forthcoming about where she gets her recipes, more than most other cookbook writers I've read.
October 25, 2007
Not a great everyday cookbook. She advocates a lot of butter and my misguided selection of carrot soup left me with a grainy, pizza-tasting mess on my hands. BUT. In the back of the book, she has an encyclopedia of vegetables that has come in handy when the Penguin Companion to Food offers just a little too much information.
January 20, 2019
I got this cookbook yesterday and already made a delicious recipe from it! The focus is on vegetables, helpful to me because I tend to get stuck in a rut with my side dishes. I appreciate the organization, because if I have, say, carrots on hand, I can easily look up a huge list of dishes which feature carrots, all listed together. Although this organization takes some getting used to, it's useful for the way I cook. I tend to plan meals around what's left over in the fridge and needs to be eaten, rather than looking through recipes, buying all the necessary ingredients, and making the dish. For the most part, the ingredients required are accessible in regular grocery stores (at least in urban areas) and I don't feel the recipes are unnecessarily time-consuming or fiddly.
June 8, 2017
Some of the recipes in here are fairly simple, but incredibly delicious. Several of the recipes have been great. My favorite so far is the jade soup (a spinach soup that left me deeply satisfied). But both the lamb hominy stew and the chile-corn souffle were big hits.
March 4, 2013
I loved this book. It made me want to have a garden so bad; so I could grow all these fabulous vegetables. Since I don't have a garden, I will be visiting the farmers markets all spring, summer and fall. Getting the freshest produce to make the sumptuous recipes that are in this book. Bon Appetite!
October 22, 2007
667pages of recipes and lots of vegetable history. I am not familiar with Kafka, but many of the recipes are common (hey, I want something different!), so I copied 3 (Russian meat Borscht stood out) and returned it.
February 21, 2008
This book is really hit or miss. The index focused on selection, storage, and cooking options is excellent. The recipes themselves are a gamble. Never, ever try the carrot ice cream. It's tasted like orange soap. But the broccoli puree is easy and fabulous.
May 13, 2009
I think I like the idea of this book more than I like this book. The encylopedia-style information in the second half is nice and useful. Sadly, I find a lot of the recipes underwhelming, although not across the board. Ultimately, I find it to be a good reference, but an uninspiring cookbook.
September 13, 2011
Yeah, no, OF COURSE I did not finish this book! It's HUGE. I liked what I skimmed through, though. In particular, I enjoyed the author's friendly, conversational tone. Didn't get a chance to try any recipes before returning the book to the library, but perhaps in the future.
November 21, 2013
Vegetable Love should be about vegetable, but a significant number of the recipes rely on meat, dairy, and wheat (gluten) ingredients and the veggie is a bonus. Decided to keep it anyway because I found some I'd like to try. Very thick book!
September 11, 2007
yummy recipies...soon to try...avacado ice cream...yum!
Read
July 4, 2008I just picked this up at the library. It's a really great cookbook. I think I found my joy of reading cookbooks.
October 8, 2008
I LOVE this book. Mucho thanks to Lisa S. for picking a copy up for me! xoxoxoxo Re-reading right now!
December 6, 2008
Kafka is a wizard. A great reference.
February 3, 2009
Just picked this up...love it! Though it is obviously vegetable themed, it DOES have meat too. Expands the options, and you can't go wrong with Kafka at the helm.
May 25, 2009
Here are great tasting gourmet vegetable dishes. Not always the healthiest but I'm telling you TASTY! I love my veges. . .
August 24, 2009
This is one of my favorite cook books right now!! I highly recommend it!
October 28, 2009
Very simplistic. Was looking for more creativity
March 9, 2010
Indispensible.
April 12, 2010
This book is awesome! It's got so many great recipes ranging from easy to really complex and Kafka's love for vegetables is contagious!
Want to read
January 28, 2012A good friend just recommended this book to me. She found it indispensable last summer as she chugged through recipes using up her CSA foodshares.
Want to read
August 30, 2012Not all the recipes are vegetarian, but enough of them are to make this book interesting.
April 4, 2013
My go-to for anything veggie related. Her asparagus in the microwave method is just perfection every single time.
August 28, 2015
This was a quirky book. I enjoyed the writing style. This book is huge, so I skimmed it. I didn't really find any recipes that jumped out of me.
October 13, 2021
This cookbook has it all! Down-home recipes, fancy recipes, exotic recipes. It's so fun and easy to navigate.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews