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But what about the darn food?
It's good stuff. Not low-fat, really, but if you compare the olive oil, butter, and eggs called for in these recipes a meal would still balance favorably with the average meat-including diet. My favorite section is the one on curries--having had a lot of real Indian it's not QUITE the same, but it's reasonably close. Given that it was written when supermarkets were less global, I can forgive a few shortcomings in authenticity. She gets the basics across with readily-available ingredients. And every one of the curries is delicious on its own merits. There are sweeter ones, spicier ones, sides, a couple of desserts, and it's impossible to go wrong with any combination of recipes in this section.
Most of her soups and stews are also excellent. The ratatouille in particular is fantastic. However, in place of her potato peel broth or garlic broth I recommend saving a lot of time and effort by starting off with plain water and adding extra seasoning, or by the quick & dirty expedience of a veggie bouillion cube or two. It's okay to cheat.
Perhaps the best thing to bear in mind when using this book is that with a lot of the recipes you'll need either a fair amount of time or a liberal dose of common sense when it comes to cutting corners. The author had a lot of time on her hands, to make broth, clarify butter, and let things simmer for an hour. You probably don't, and neither do I. Use the butter plain. Heck, use margarine. Simmer for 30 minutes. Spice a little more heavily. And use that darn veggie bouillion.
It would be nice if we could all be so relaxed and agrarian about our cooking as the author is. Just reading the book is like taking a deep breath. But alas, most of have day jobs and time constraints. Rest assured that you can still use these recipes and enjoy some absolutely succulent grub.
I've had both of them for close to 20 years, and I finally had to replace both!
From the first book, I adore the whole wheat bread with the optional onion. And, the herb bread makes *fabulous* stuffing for Thanksgiving if you cube it and dry it out a bit in a low oven. I love the "Dutch Cheese and Potato" soup and the recipe for Tomato Rabbit.
From the second book, my all time favorite is "Menestra de Veduras", or Spanish-style stewed vegetables. It's a *lot* of work, but so worth it. Do try it, especially in the spring when asparagus, peas and artichokes are fresh.
Another favorite of mine is the "melanzana al forno", aka "baked stuffed eggplant. Cook this in the summer when you can get tiny eggplants.
Both of these books are based on one concept - freshness. If you can't buy the best and the finest, change your menu. That's always a good philosophy to cook by, and Anna Thomas consistently emphasizes that concept throughout both of these books.
Just remember, this is *not* low-cal, low-salt, low-fat, no-flavor vegetarian cooking! It's almost vegetarian cooking with a bit of "Julia" tossed in for flavor. The dessert recipes are *to die for*.