The New Vegetarian Epicure: Menus--with 325 all-new recipes--for family and friends [Paperback]

Anna Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 21, 1996

Anna Thomas, author of the best-selling The Vegetarian Epicure, which became the bible of vegetarian cooks in the seventies and remains a classic, now returns with an exuberant new cookbook that reflects the way we live and eat today. The 66 menus are geared to busy, health-conscious families who are drawn to good fresh foods and lighter fare, filled with the pungent ethnic flavors that Anna Thomas loves.

Here are more than 325 recipes for every occasion, from seasonal family meals and little dinner parties to picnics and holiday feasts. For example:

A Simple Autumn Dinner Party that includes a freshly made Focaccia, Lima Bean Soup, Torta di Polenta with a Roasted Tomato Sauce, and Parfaits of Fruit and Mascarpone

A family meal of a Salad of Bitter Greens with Gorgonzola Cheese and Walnuts, Oyster Mushroom Chowder, Fast Buttermilk Rolls, and an Apple and Pear Crumble

A celebratory Cinco de Mayo Dinner of Nopalito Salad, Tamales with Zucchini and Cilantro Filling, Chile Ancho Salsa, Garlic and Cumin Rice, and Flan with Caramel and Pineapple

There are easy Salad Lunches, Soup Suppers, Pasta Dinners, Dinner in a Bowl, and A Casserole Supper--all foods that children love. And there are salad lunches for hot days, mezze (hearty little Middle Eastern dishes) for a crowd, a variety of teas, brunches, and a wine-tasting.

Freshness is all-important to Anna Thomas, and she offers great tips about growing tomatoes, gathering wild mushrooms, and understanding chiles, as well as suggesting strategies for getting children to eat well.

The captivating voice of Anna Thomas, which inspired a whole generation, is now even more irresistible as she persuades her contemporaries, pressured by all the demands of the day, to carve out a little time to prepare delicious, healthy meals and to experience the joy of sharing with family and friends the pleasure of the table.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the 70s, The Vegetarian Epicure set the table for the counterculture. It earnestly introduced a generation of youth to now commonplace ethnic foods like polenta and to the philosophy of good food. Thomas' new book, packed with all new recipes, still resonates with the earnest enthusiasm of an amateur but in the best sense of the word. She is eager to share with readers her love of good food, ethnic flavors and the pleasure of cooking for friends and family. Places like Provence, Italy, Mexico and southern California, where Thomas lives, often provide inspiration for her recipes along with her Polish roots. Sweet illustrations evoke her philosophical and culinary roots.

From Publishers Weekly

A voice from the bellbottom years returns, sounding as fresh and fun now as she did then. In The Vegetarian Epicure, published in 1972 and followed a few years later by Volume II, Thomas was a wacky, workable combination of Adele Davis and Julia Child. Offering one of the first more sophisticated approaches to vegetarian cooking, Thomas's cookbooks gave rise to elegant vegetarian dinner parties as well as solid, meat-free family fare. That tradition is carried forward here, 20 years later, with menu-based recipes arranged by season, beginning with An Early Spring Dinner featuring Risotto de Zucca through a New Year's Eve dinner ("a meal for an occasion") co-starring Wild Mushroom Soup and Cream Cheese Pierogi with Timbales of Tahitian Squash and Pears. There are menus for picnics, for brunches, suppers or for celebrations that few fine home cooks will scorn to follow. That this is the '90s is evident in numerous elements: lowered fat (Revised Caesar Salad replaces the egg with a tablespoon or two of reduced-fat mayonnaise and calls for "a lighter hand with the olive oil"); a marked Southwest slant (lots of salsas and dried chiles, and recipes for nopalitos, the new shoots of the nopal cactus); the use of once exotic ingredients like Kabocha and Tahitian squash; roasting as a favored cooking method for vegetables; and plentiful recipes for the likes of polenta, sorbet and biscotti. Soups figure prominently, among them Raspberry Borscht and a Wild Mushroom and Charred Tomato Soup. There are crepes (Buckwheat Crepes with Onions, Apples and Cheese), numerous salads (Roasted Beet, Asparagus and Garlic Salad, with red and golden beets), breads and some pasta dishes. Dessert is invariably important, e.g., Warm Chocolate Cakes with Creme Anglaise and Boysenberry Sauce. Thomas's menu approach serves vegetarian cooking, where texture and flavoring are crucial to variety, eminently well; an index guides cooks searching for recipes by ingredient. From a simple roasted squash, garnished only with olive oil and salt and pepper, to the elaborate multi-stepped construction of a centerpiece Tamale Pie, Thomas proves once more that meatless meals can be fashionable, fun and satisfying.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (May 21, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679765883
• ISBN-13: 978-0679765882
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 1.3 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 58 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars So much less than the original February 5, 2005

By Jeffrey J. Ward

Format:Paperback

Unfortunately, Anna Thomas has caught the "lean cuisine" bug.

The original Vegetarian Epicure distinguished itself with recipes that showed that vegetarian food didn't have to be bland or thin. I loved (and all of my dinner guests raved about) the Corn & Cheddar Cheese Chowder, for example.

I mean, just because we're vegetarians it doesn't mean we've lost our taste for rich food or bold flavors!

The new version is a disappointment because it focuses on, for want of a better phrase, "health food." Anna Thomas celebrates the abandonment of butter, cream, cheese. And by doing so she abandons the very thing that made the original Vegetarian Epicure interesting.

For my money, don't bother with the new edition -- get yourself the original Vegetarian Epicure!

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid meals for any table, vegetarian or not December 23, 1997

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

I simply love this cookbook. As an occasional vegetarian, it's a thrill to find a source for elegant, delicious food. Thomas' recipes deliver all that she promises in her nicely written text, and everything I have cooked from this book has been luscious, from fresh tomato risotto to roasted winter vegetables. It's easy to forget that's there no meat in menus so beguiling and satisfying. I also like Thomas' emphasis on seasonal fresh ingredients, and the balance she strikes by presenting recipes you can do on a weeknight without compromising on quality. Finally, I was pleased by her decision to organize the book around menus. Although you don't have to cook the courses as she suggests them, I have tried it and found that the dishes blend beautifully, and that they don't all demand attention or the same piece of kitchen gear at the same time--one person working alone in the kitchen can reasonably produce the full menu without too much angst. A gem for cooks and eaters of all persuasions.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inventive vegetarian food August 18, 2002

By Lisa Guinn VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I have dozens of vegetarian cookbooks and they get pretty repetitive. I bought this book because I loved Anna Thomas' Vegetarian Epicure books 1 & 2 -- and I was not disappointed! Like her other cookbooks, the inspiration for these recipes comes from around the world. Also, this book has an updated cooking style compared to her older cookbooks.
The recipes are original and fresh. I particularly recommend the Tomatillo and Squash soup. My family loves Mexican food, but typical vegetarian Mexican fare is heavy on the cheese and fat. Anna Thomas presents a number of Mexican-inspired dishes that offer a variety of tastes; many are relatively low-fat.