Customer Reviews

Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant/Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant

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so what the heck am I doing with a vegetarian cookbook?!?? Well, I was given the book and some suggestions -- Sopa de Lima (from the Mexico section) and Saffron Butterflies. But it's a veggie cookbook, so it just sat on my shelf -- until I had dinner with the person who gave it to me. It wasn't until AFTER dinner, she told me it was recipes from this book -- the meal was so good, I didn't even notice it was meatless.

So, I tried them, and now I'm HOOKED! Sopa de Lima is great food for during halftime of basketball and football games -- and I later found out I can make it fast and easy with some simple substitutions (hint: use a jar of salsa instead of a bunch of other ingredients). Saffron Butterflies is SMOOOOOOOTH and good -- with or without some meatballs thrown in. These two were so good I've had to try others and now "Rumpledethumps" (silly name, but GREAT DISH) is a personal favorite -- I just use it as a side dish along with a London Broil. Okay, so I'm a carnivore -- these recipes are great standing alone, and most of them work well with meat added or on the side.

More than just the great recipes, this book is great for the stories, too. I never would have thought cookbooks make good reading, even when I'm not cooking, but this one is.

I've had this book for more than 10 years and still return to it periodically when looking for something unusual, yet easy to prepare.

The book is organized into 18 ethnic regions, less a comprehensive collection of world recipes, more like an eclectic, culinary passport to some areas perhaps less familiar to American cooks: Africa South of the Sahara, Caribbean, Finland, Armenia and Eastern Europe. Each chapter features an essay on the region by the contributing writer, followed by a sampling of the region's cuisine, from appetizers and salads to desserts and after-dinner drinks.

The recipes are as varied as the cuisines, though all are fairly straightforward, emphasizing fresh, easily accessible ingredients. Some recipes can be prepared in under 30 minutes, while others can be an hours-long labor of love (assuming one finds meal preparation theraputic, as I do.) I've found the chapter on North Africa to be a favorite; I can't count how many times I've prepared Fatima's Salad, an intoxicating blend of potatoes, carrots, beets, peppers, vinegar and olive oil, each time with raves from my guests. And Mahshi Filfil, a dish of rice-stuffed bell peppers with a creamy feta cheese sauce, has convinced my finicky Armenian family that there's more than one way to stuff a vegetable.

As to the recipes' authenticity, most are modified creations of ethnic dishes, in many cases substituting vegetables or soy products for meat or for hard-to-find ingredients. It is not a book for the cook interested in authentic ethnic cooking; a more accurate description is a collection of Americanized recipes that pay their respects to world cuisines.

An eclectic book, it has a little something for everyone; it specializes in nothing, celebrates everything and encourages the cook to gently step beyond the boundaries of one's own culinary traditions, into exotic cuisines from around the globe.

I own all of the Moosewood Cookbooks and this book is most likely my favorite. All of the cookbooks are wonderful and the recipes are always great. This book combines the simple goodness of the Moosewoods normal recipes (vegetarian, but not *weird* vegetarian) with a decided ethnic flare. I am not a vegetarian but with recipes like these you don't even notice that they are vegetarian recipes. This book is especially nice because of the many cultures that are highlighted as well as the in depth information that is given about each area or culture. Because each section is edited by different authors you get a real feel for each region as well as each author. It is truly a delightful book.

I had reservations about this book since I usually only buy cookery books with photos, and this book has none. That said, I thought I'd give it a go, since the food at the Moosewood resaurant is so great.

The focus is on cuisine from around the world, with each section including an interesting precursor to the region, detailing a little history of the area/writer/recipes.

The recipes offer a really good variety of international cuisine (including numerous fish dishes for the "pesco-vegetarians" amongst us). I was thrilled to also find a British section included, since this is an area of the world that gets so often slammed for it's cuisine. (The Shepherd's Pie recipe is a must!)

It's a rare cookery book indeed in which all the recipes you try turn out well - but this is certainly one of them. This has now become my staple recipe book, and comes thoroughly recommended.

This cookbook is INCREDIBLE! I got it for my birthday 10 years ago and have tried at least half of the recipes in it -- and my copy is battered enough to prove it. I especially recommend the Tapenade, Turkish Spinach & Lentil Soup, Sayra's Greens, Pasta e Fagioli, Pepperpot Soup, Mocha Pecan Pie, Galletas de Nueces, Polvorones de Canela, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Pulla, Ukrainian Almond Crescents (OK, so I have a sweet tooth). The best gift I've ever gotten!!

I purchased this cookbook about 15 years ago - - a little while before I moved out on my own. I purchased "The Joy of Cooking" and "The Silver Palate" at the same time. This is an excellent cookbook.

-Every single recipe turns out well and as it should. A rarity in any cookbook.

-It is well laid-out. One recipe per page, ingredients separate from method, limited cross referencing required, easy measurements.

-simple techniques.

-informs you ahead what can be made in advance.

-excellent index; a necessity in a cookbook so often overlooked.

I now own about 40 cookbooks or so, am married with children and have entertained many guests. This book taught me how to cook gently and easily. I highly recommend it to anyone just starting out whether they are vegetarian or not. I still use it and (although you may not believe me) some of the recipes are much, much better than those in fancier cookbooks for the same items. And easier too. Oh and did I mention? Everything made from it tastes good.

I found this in a used bookstore a few years ago. Recognizing Moosewood as something my mom and oldest sister used, plus loving all kinds of ethnic food, I figured I'd love it. I was right. This book totally changed how and what I cook. While many people focus on one type of cuisine (Italian, Indian, fast food...) I use this book and cook EVERYTHING -- Italian, Indian, Chinese, Jewish, Bulgarian, North African. My favorite and most often used recipes are Shepherd's Pie (British Isles), Moroccan Stew (North Africa), and Vegetable Biryani (India) but I've made a lot of these recipes. I made Chinese last night and it turned out tasting restaurant quality. The recipes are very tasty and the directions are great. It's also wonderful how the book has base ingredients (sauces), appetizers, soups, entrees and deserts for each type of cuisine so you can make complete meals (often there are suggestions in the recipes saying waht goes with what). The ingredient guide is very descriptive and helps you learn a lot about the herbs, vegetables, different tofu prepations. I highly recommend this to anyone who doesn't eat a lots of (or any) meat and wants to be able to cook ethnic food w/o having to worry about meat.

As a food industry professional, I am quite selective about the books I choose to add to my cook book collection.
A few of the reviewers here are correct in saying that the book is not 100% vegetarian but for me, not a vegetarian that's fine. The nice thing about cooking is that you do have the option of ommiting or adding ingredients to please your individual tastes.

The recipes in this book are divided by country with recipes that cover all continents with the exception of Australia (and yes there is such a thing as Australian cuisine but good luck finding ingredients). There are soup, entree and dessert recipes for each region with very consice directions and useful footnotes where appropriate. No photos whatsoever, but if you follow the recipe carefully you shouldn't have to worry about that at all.

This particular book was introduced to me by a very talented chef who used to work for me in my restaurant in Australia. I have since come accross two other chefs who have this book in their collection and use it for inspiration and motivation to come up with tasty vegetarian dishes! Need I say more?

Check out the Moroccan date cake on page 529 Yummy!

The few dishs I have cooked from this book have been wonderful and the book itself it good reading. But beware, almost all of the receipes feature very long lists of ingredients. Nice for lazy weekends when you feel like puttering in the kitchen, but not an everday book for someone on the go.

My father was one of the lead contributors on this cookbook (he wrote the English food section). I grew up involved in Moosewood and was always a firm believer in McDonald's as a result. However, as I grew up I became a bit more adventuress in my eating habits. And as an adult I use this cookbook very often. It is my favorite of the Moosewood bunch - and about as close to eating at the world famous restaurant as being there. Don't be fooled - the "original" Moosewood cookbook isn't actually indicative of the restaurant itself. Sunday's at Moosewood, however, is the real deal! Come visit them in Ithaca some time! We're a beautiful town and we serve some good food!