The Big Book of Sides: More than 450 Recipes for the Best Vegetables, Grains, Salads, Breads, Sauces, and More: A Cookbook

by Rick Rodgers

Whether planning a quick dinner after work or a holiday meal for a crowd, you will never be stumped for a side dish again.  Side dishes make the meal. Think about What’s a burger without fries, turkey without stuffing, or barbecue without coleslaw, baked beans, or macaroni and cheese—or all three? The Big Book of Sides contains more than 450 delicious recipes to complement any dish. Award-winning cooking teacher and author Rick Rodgers has carefully compiled a variety of wonderful options, from traditional to inspired, Americana to ethnic, Southern fare to California cuisine. Sections include “Eat Your Vegetables,” “From the Root Cellar,” “A Hill of Beans,” “Righteous Rice and Great Grains,” and “Pasta and Friends.”   The Big Book of Sides shares   • more than 100 information-packed entries on vegetables alone, from artichokes to zucchini, including root vegetables and grains • tutorials on the cooking techniques you need to know, such as grilling and deep-frying • at-a-glance charts for a variety of perfectly roasted vegetables and freshly cooked beans • carefree menu planning, with a complete list of special-occasion meals and suggested side dishes   Home cooks of all levels will delight in preparing Roasted Summer Squash with Pepitas and Cilantro; Chard Puttanesca; Parsnip, Apple, and Bacon Hash; Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes; Quinoa with Carrot and Mint; Farro, Cherry, and Feta Salad; and Butternut Squash and Potato Gratin. Rodgers also shares recipes for relishes, chutneys, pickles, baked goods (from biscuits to foccacia), and even sauces.   With helpful tips on how to stock your pantry, easy-to-follow cooking techniques, gorgeous color photos, and main dish pairing suggestions, The Big Book of Sides is sure to become a trusted staple in your kitchen.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference

1015 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2014

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook, as the subtitle states, is CHOCK FULL of recipes. Over 450! So I found quite a few to try.

The good: most recipes called for 10 or less ingredients. I don't want to sink a lot of time & money into sides, and this cookbook fit that profile. Also, each recipe has a few sentences about the provenance and what dishes it might pair well with, whether or not it can be prepped ahead of time, and also how long it should expect to keep in the fridge as leftovers. Also, the author does a lot of holiday/special occasion catering (according to his short bio in the front of the book), so he offers sample menus for major events like Christmas or New Years at the beginning.

The downers: a few of the recipes called for ingredients I don't usually stock in my pantry, like anchovy paste. But hey- it could be me. Maybe I should be stocking anchovy paste. And it was only about 10-15%, not a majority. Also, a major deficit in pictures. While my food never looks as awesome as the pictures in cookbooks, I like to have something to aim for! This cookbook only has a select few of the recipes photographed, and all the photographs are concentrated in two glossy sections near the middle of the book. Last little downside: the book is quite thick, with standard blinding. So it doesn't want to lay open flatly unless you break the spine. I checked out my copy from the library, so I wasn't about to go breaking the spine! For a small charge, FedEx will turn any standard binding into a spiral binding, so this isn't a make-or-break factor (for me).

Here are some of the recipes I tried: Boiled Corn with BBQ Butter; Sweet Potato & Pecan Dinner Rolls; Jalapeno, Bacon, and Corn Muffins; Couscous With Garbanzos and Herbs; Irish Soda Bread; Green Beans With Hot-and-Sweet Almonds; Broccoli With Easy Lemon-Butter Sauce; Whole Wheat, Cheddar, and Sage Drop Biscuits; Tomato-Stuffed Bell Peppers; Sauteed Mushrooms With Garlic and Rosemary; Boiled Baby Potatoes With Green Beans and Pesto; Sweet Potato and Pear Casserole With Bourbon, Bacon, and Maple Syrup.

Overall, I'm wavering around 4 out of 5 stars on this cookbook. Especially since I was able to look at it for free through my library.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little overwhelming (more than 450 sides!) and it's likely that I wouldn't put this much effort into side dishes.

[Robyn Schultz (ladyrobyns) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a ton of great side ideas in here. Might have to purchase a copy.

[Cris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could use more photos. Nice selection of types not commonly found in vegetable-oriented books such as sauces and breads.

[Wisteria Perry]

Fantastic recipes

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were some interesting (Cantonese celery, chayote and mushrooms with cotija and jalapenos, carrot and chive timbale) ones, but these didn't sound that appetizing. And the ones that sounded yummy (miso-glazed eggplant, rosemary garlic mushrooms, avocado green goddess dressing) weren't noteworthy enough to bookmark. I did like the variety, though.

[Cecilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has over 450 recipes for side dishes, pickles, relishes, and sauces that are great for everyday meals, special occasions, and the holidays.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Big book indeed. But ended up being a little underwhelming when it came to sides and recipes.