New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant, rev [Paperback]

Moosewood Collective Staff (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 1, 2000

For almost 30 years, Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York, has been at the epicenter of America's evolving vegetarian cuisine. These 200 classic dishes are as sophisticated and eclectic as the first time the innovative cooks of the Moosewood Collective served them. Bon App?©tit named Moosewood Restaurant one of the 13 most revolutionary restaurants since the beginning of the 20th century. From soups and sandwiches to main dishes, this spirited collection of creative and accessible recipes will liven up your table.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ten years ago, Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook popularized the meatless fare of the Ithaca restaurant, and this latest effort proves that the Moosewood Collective still has its finger on the pulse of superior, innovative vegetarian cuisine. A new sophistication is evident: Katzen's hand lettering, a much-imitated cookbook motif, is replaced by more practical, conventional type, and dishes like chilled buttermilk and berry soups are surpassed by chilled cantaloupe-amaretto and avocado-grapefruit offerings. Inspired by ethnic and international traditions, and enhanced by fresh, seasonal ingredients, the delicious recipes feature fish with Cantonese black-bean sauce, Japanese braised eggplant, West African groundnut stew, Russian vegetable strudel, Tuscan potato salad and apricot baklava. Directions are lucid and straightforward, and even the more complicated dishes are accessible to novices. A detailed appendix defines ingredients, equipment and techniques, but preparation times are omitted from this Moosewood version. Illustrations not seen by PW. BOMC/Cooking & Crafts Club and QPBC selections.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

MOOSEWOOD RESTAURANT -- named one of the 13 most revolutionary restaurants in the 20th century --has been operating in upstate New York since 1973. The first edition of NEW RECIPES FROM MOOSEWOOD RESTAURANT by the Collective sold over 240,000 copies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press; Revised edition (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580081487
• ISBN-13: 978-1580081481
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The Moosewood Collective has nineteen members who share responsibilities and participate in the various jobs necessary to run what has grown from a very small natural foods restaurant to a larger and more diversified company. Most members of the Collective have worked together for at least 15 years, and some have worked for the restaurant since it was founded in 1973. The Moosewood Collective is the recipient of three James Beard Awards and numerous nominations. Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health is its twelfth book.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 52 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Genuine "there's more than brown rice and broccoli" cookbook February 24, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Anyone who searched in the 80's for vegetarian recipes found a consistent diet of macrobiotics, imitation meatloaves and pasta recipes. Even the original (wonderful) Molly Katzen books were lacking in the divine. "New Recipes from Moosewood" seemed a true breakthrough to me. Try their salad dressings, try their tofu burgers and tofu falafel. Above all, try the bulgar wheat casserole with feta, zucchini and tomato, the Japanese eggplant and tempeh and YOU MUST NOT MISS THE EGGPLANT STUFFED WITH CURRIED POTATOES AND VEGETABLES. In most, if not all, recipes, double the spices. Even visitors to the restaurant have described the food as somewhat bland. For instance, for tofu burgers (baked, freezable, and miles above any other "veggy" burger I've run into, use all the spices and half the tofu. And MAKE THEIR PITA BREAD!!

They would have done well to omit the dessert section. Common recipes, tending toward the heavy and sweet(Honey Cake, pound cake, fruit cobblers, and so on.).

Leans heavily on cheeses (which a creative chef can substitute out, especially with the low fat cheeses available now, 12 years after the book was written) and is light on vegan. But you can't go truly meatless and maintain the sensuality of food without this book.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars worth it for one recipe alone July 13, 2001

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

i've had this book for something like thirteen years now, it's a classic of course and my copy is falling apart it's so well-used. all the recipes i've tried have been well-conceived, well-explained and really good, though i should mention that a few of the dishes sound so dull i haven't even tried them. but only a few, and that's true of any cookbook. but all that is beside the point, since this book is worth FAR more than $16.95 for one recipe alone: the spinach lasagna bechamel. it's just ridiculously good, and you will make it over and over, whether you're veggie or not (i am not). if only for that recipe, you can not miss with this cookbook and i highly recommend it.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative meatless cooking --some of my favorite recipes June 6, 2002

By Joanna Daneman #1 HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

The Moosewood cookbooks have some very creative, elegant and not too difficult recipes that are worthwhile even if you aren't vegetarian. Some of my favorite recipes are in this book, and it's really useful for dinner parties, especially if some of the guests don't eat meat.

The Moosewood Collective is a hold-over from the late 60's and early 70's. It's a restaurant near the Cornell University campus, run by a "collective" or communal group of owners who share the restaurant proceeds equally while doing any of the jobs, such as cooking or washing dishes.

The Moosewood New Recipes are international in flavor, ranging from Middle Eastern dishes like Baba Ganoush and Hummus (eggplant and chickpea dips) to French soups, Asian noodle dishes and Hispanic, Greek, and Italian dishes as well. There are some "gourmet" creations like Chilled Cantaloupe-Amarretto Soup and also some earthy ones like Creole Beans and Rice.

My particular favorite is the Tempeh Reuben Sandwich. Tempeh is a fermented soybean cake that scares off all but the most dedicated vegetarians. But here, tempeh becomes a delicious substitute for corned beef. In fact, I prefer Tempeh Reubens to the classic ones--more flavor, less fat. Frankly, the book is worth the price for this recipe alone.

Now, this book isn't 100% vegetarian (because fish is included, and they were part of the animal kingdom last time I checked.) And cheese is used, so vegans will find the recipes limiting. But if you want to jazz up your cooking and use more vegetables, this book is a real find.... In particular, the appendix section on cooking dried beans is particularly helpful if you want to make inexpensive but delicious dishes like rice and beans (black beans or Creole red are both included here, as well as a navy bean soup.) Read more ›

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Skip this - it's not worth buying December 22, 2008

By M. Franz

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been a vegetarian for roughly 20 years and have managed to accumulate about 150 vegetarian cookbooks over the course of my veggie existence. For anyone who is an avid vegetarian cook, Moosewood cookbooks will sooner or later rear their head - mainly because there are quite a few raving reviews. As such, I have owned three Moosewood cookbooks for quite a few years - none of them make it out of my bottom-ten worst cookbooks - and that includes this one. I bought one, hated the recipes, thought I must be crazy because there were so many great reviews, and bought another one only to be disappointed again.

Obviously, expectations vary widely as do individual palates - and this particular book falls flat on it's face. The recipes are little more than outdated versions of an "let's-find-a-substitute-for-that-meat-centerpiece" approach to vegetarian cooking. Sure, some of the approaches used within this book sound rather appetizing (Buddha's Jewels on p. 83) come to mind - and yet, they cannot live up to their promises. Results are consistently bland and consistency can easily be a turn-off as well.

I simply cannot recommend this book - not while other, much better books are available. Instead, opt for Jack Bishop or Carol Gelles - who rarely disappoint. If you want a restaurant cookbook, look for Green's - but be prepared for long recipe lists...

For me, Moosewood is more a brand-name than actual substance. I'd stay away but perhaps Moosewood cooking is simply not for me - if you are unsure, buy one book and try it out. If you hate it, you've only lost a few bucks, if you love it (like most others), you will have many more cookbooks to choose from in the future.