Customer Reviews

The Vegetarian Epicure, Book Two

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's definitely a cookbook of its time. The illustrations have a homespun look, and the introduction even makes mention of passing around a joint before dinner "to sharpen gustatory perception". I missed the seventies, personally, but the cheerful hippieness of this book is irresistable.

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 love both of these books. These are not cookbooks for anyone who has never cooked or baked before, but for those of us who have, I find both of them to be invaluable.

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*.

I love this cookbook! The recipes remind me ofthings that may have been popular in the 60s (I was born in 1969 so this is just my impression). But it has all sorts of comfort type foods that I grew up with like newburgs, soufles. casseroles, omelets. Lots of great salads too as well as different pasta dishes. Ithink this is a must have for any vegetarian. High;y recommmend and I'd buy itagain in a heartbeat.

Has something for everyone, you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy it.
Some of my favorite recipes are : Challah (Jewish egg bread) Milk and Honey Bread,Sauce Veloute, Oriental Citrus Squash,Cheese Souffle, Blini, German Apple Pancake (mmmm!)and Leniwe Pierogi.
Contains an interesting assortment covering different nationalities: Indian, Italian, Slavic, German, French, Jewish......
Chapters Include: Breads, Soups, Sauces, Salads and Dressings, Vegetables, Eggs, Omelets and Souffles, Crepes and Pancakes, Cheese, Rice and other grains, Pasta, Curries and Indian Preparations, Sweets and contains a nice chapter on recipes for the holidays. Also an index.
All presented very nicely on parchment-like paper. Very nice.

This was the very first vegetarian cookbook I bought, and is still my all-time favorite. I have made many (if not most) of the recipes, and they've been unfailingly delectable WITH THE NOTABLE EXCEPTION OF THE DESSERTS. I'm an excellent dessert cook, and people always beg for my recipes -- but every sweet I tried from this book was LOUSY, so I gave up. But the other recipes are awesome

I'm working on my second copy of this book. Somebody gave it to me when I was first learning to cook, and I ususally had to bungle a recipe once or twice before I got it right. I was frustrated to begin with because so many of the recipes do not list exact times and temperatures, or sometimes even amounts (how much is "a little" anyway?).

But now I know what I'm doing around a stove (mostly), the book has grown on me. I love re-reading the gently humorous between-chapters advice. And now that I have enough confidence not to worry about exactly what temperature is a "medium oven" I'm completely in love with the recipes. I especially like the Indian foods she introduces, like the potato curry and spiced dal.

And this is not just for vegetarians, either. It's great for anybody who wants to make their cuisine more interesting than your standard chicken-and-mashed-potatoes fare. I can't recommend this cookbook enough.

--and now I have to go check on the asparagus pastry in the oven...

I've never been a real vegetarian, but that's no fault of Anna Thomas's. Very clear directions, good tastes. I have probably made Mushrooms Berkeley (mushrooms cooked in a Dijon mustard/brown sugar/red wine sweet and sour sauce) for 50 potlucks over the years, and I never take any of it home.

My mom bought this book the year I was born (1978). It's now dog-eared, splotched, and bent out of shape. This is the book that taught us both to make the best bread when I was little (still a comfort activity and food), as well as the book that taught me that eggplant is not scary. I'm not giving it five stars only because some of the recipes are rather unhealthy, with a lot of butter, high-fat dairy, and MSG. Of course those are the ones that taste the best.

... is if you observe kashrut (the Jewish dietary laws) and want some good recipes, both main and side dishes, that won't violate the prohibitions. Many, many times i've resorted to this book to find something meatless to go along with the rest of the menu, and i've even found many Passover-friendly dishes in there also. In fact, i've found it more useful than all but one of my Jewish cookbooks. i got my first copy about 20 years ago as a gift, and have just ordered another as i loaned it out and can't remember to whom.

Some of the recipes are beyond my interest or skill, but there is enough variety here to suit just about anyone. Along with my Joan Nathan book (who can keep a Jewish kitchen without Joan Nathan?) and my Joy of Cooking, this is my most-used recipe book. i don't cook that much any more, but when i do this is where i turn first for meatless meals.

I nearly loved this book to death. I had to take it to the copy store and have it spiral-bound with a new cover. The recipes are not all simple but tasty and worth the effort. This one's a classic!