Vineyard Harvest: A Year of Good Food on Martha's Vineyard [Hardcover]

Tina Miller (Author), Christie Matheson (Author), Alison Shaw (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 10, 2005

Martha’s Vineyard has long claimed a spot in the public imagination as a playground for presidents and celebrities, but also as a place where life can be simple and pure. This ideal of simplicity is exemplified by its fresh, local produce and fish just off the boat, prepared with minimal fuss. In this evocative cookbook, Tina Miller, who grew up on the Vineyard as the daughter of one of the founders of the Black Dog restaurant and who became a chef in her own right, presents the food that has made her the beloved chef/owner of two Vineyard restaurants. Organized seasonally, the recipes range from classic preparations of local fish such as Grilled Swordfish with Green Aioli or Grilled Bluefish with Lemons and Parsley Mayo to dinner party fare such as Lobster Pie with Sweet Peas, Leeks, Tarragon, and White Wine or Crispy Slow-Cooked Duck with Beach Plum Glaze. Local fresh produce grown on organic farms and sold at the farmer's market and farm stands around the island are showcased, too: Zucchini and Tomato Casserole with an Asiago Crust, Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho, Corn and Shiitake Timbale with Baby Greens, as well as Huckleberry Crostada, Roasted September Peaches with Walnut Crust and Sweet Cream, and Apple Brandy Cake.

Throughout, the magnificent photos of Alison Shaw depict the island—with its incomparable beaches, beguiling and diverse towns, and breathtaking scenery—and all those who still practice traditional ways of raising and gathering food. Fishermen still harvest swordfish and tuna using fishing lines rather than nets, prized bay scallops are still collected in freezing weather, and lambs are still raised on an eighteenth-century sheep farm in Chilmark.

For anyone who has never been to the Vineyard, here is a chance to experience this island paradise. And for everyone who knows and loves the Vineyard, this cookbook will be a year-round reminder of delicious memories.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Martha's Vineyard native of the old school—daughter of Black Dog Tavern proprietor Allan Miller, and herself chef/owner of the much-missed Roadhouse Café and Café Moxie—Miller celebrates the fishing and farming traditions that thrive on the island, far from the ferry-hopping day trippers and glamorous summer residents. The best of her 100-plus recipes give her signature modern twist to New England classics—from simple dishes like Grilled Bluefish and Quahog Chowder to more complicated fare such as Stonewall Beach Clambake; Lobster Pot Pie with Early Peas; and Heritage Breed Roast Turkey with Linguica Stuffing. The recipe instructions are disappointingly perfunctory, lacking the more personal stamp that brings to life Miller's short essays on seasonal cooking or her affectionate homages to individual producers, like Alan Whiting and his West Tisbury sheep farm; Caitlin Jones, who grows organic vegetables in Chilmark; and Jack Blake, oyster farmer of Sweet Neck. And it seems strange that a New England island chef like Miller would say, "I don't like raw shellfish." But overall, Miller's text and Shaw's photographs make this work an inviting, seasonal guide to modern New England cuisine, an insider's guide not just to cooking, but also to buying the best local food on the island. Agent, Stacey Glick and Jane Dystel. (May 10)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Advance Praise for Vineyard Harvest

"We Vineyardites who have gloried in our island for some decades find ourselves concerned from time to time that the beauties of the place will lead to overcrowding. Now our concern is redoubled by the publication of Tina Miller's and Alison Shaw's Vineyard Harvest. This beautiful volume is bound to send hordes of newcomers to share the cuisine and the beauty of Martha's Vineyard. It is an imaginative and brilliant book, darn it!"
—Walter Cronkite

"Vineyard Harvest captures the real Martha’s Vineyard—its farmers and fisherman, its lobster shacks and farmers markets—in recipes, photographs, and stories about the people who make this island a microcosm of New England and—although only seven miles from the mainland—a mystical world apart."
—Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue! Bible cookbook series and host of Barbecue University with Steven Raichlen on PBS.

“A wonderful book, with delicious, unfussy recipes that are as connected to the sea and soil of Martha's Vineyard as its very talented author.”
—Keith McNally, co-author of The Balthazar Cookbook and owner of Balthazar Restaurant and Bakery

"You don't have to be a resident of the island of Martha's Vineyard to fall in love with this book--all you really need to be is hungry and wanting to do something about it! With her delicious recipes, Tina has captured the essence of the island--but her tributes to the small farms and local food purveyors will ring true almost anywhere. This book is unique and special, just like Tina herself, and the wonderful Alison Shaw photographs make it just as much fun to read as it is to cook from."
—Susan Branch, author of the Heart of the Home books

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Broadway (May 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767918339
• ISBN-13: 978-0767918336
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,125,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Island Food, Classical Martha's Vineyard, February 15, 2006

By 

Margaret Martindale "Marty Martindale" (LARGO, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vineyard Harvest: A Year of Good Food on Martha's Vineyard (Hardcover)

Vineyard Harvest:
A Year of Good Food on
Martha's Vineyard
By Tina Miller with Christie Mathewson
Photography by Alison Shaw

This cookbook concentrates on the simple and pure. This simplicity is evidenced by uncomplicated, relatively short recipes. The book is a seasonal sequence of tempting dishes prepared from the bounty springing from the seas and soils of Massachusetts' Martha's Vineyard. Between many of the recipes are profiles of some of the caring citizens of the island.

Here's some recipe samplings:

Corn-Crusted Calamari with Roasted Red Pepper Remoulade -
With the simple ingredients, of cornmeal and cornstarch, the calamari is cooked. The Remoulade contains capers, chopped cornichons, garlic, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and a touch of cayenne.

Strawberries with Sweet Crème Fraiche -
Just add sugar, lemon juice, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla.

Martha's Vineyard Mock Maki -
Combines cucumbers, lobster meat, red bell pepper, pickled ginger and sprouts. An accompanying dipping sauce contains soy sauce, lime, sesame oil, mirin and chopped scallions.

Zucchini and Tomato Casserole with an Asiago Crust -
Blend with shallot, bread crumbs, olive oil, seasoning and fresh basil.

Bumper-Crop Cucumber salad -
Calls for red onion, fresh dill, crème fraiche, lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning

Sold-Out Grilled Lobsters with Lime Butter -
Seems simplest of all - limes, lime zest, limes quartered and butter.

Watermelon and Champagne Parfait -
Mix raspberries, lemon zest, champagne and Chambord liqueur.

Broccoli Soup with Essence of Morels -
This is a mixture of olive oil, onion, chicken broth, seasoning, grated nutmeg and fresh spinach leaves

Great Pond Oyster Pan Stew -
Use butter, onion, a leek, cream sherry, a little ketchup, shucked oysters with their liquor, heavy cream, seasoning and a few dashes of hot sauce

Morning Glory Farm Pumpkin Crème Brulee -
Calls for heavy cream, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, eggs and sugar.

Vineyard Lobster Salad with Asian Twist -
Combine olive oil, sesame oil, fresh ginger, scallions, mirin, lemon juice, light soy sauce and mayonnaise

Two Winter Pizzas -
Smoked Salmon Roasted Red Onion Pizza:
Plus Crème Fraiche, fresh tarragon, olive oil and capers.
Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza:
Plus red onion, olive oil, spinach leaves, fresh rosemary, parsley and garlic.

Red Cabbage Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Oranges --
Combine Orange juice, balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the dressing

Portuguese Codfish with Linguica and Littlenecks -
This calls for olive oil, onion, fresh thyme, clam broth, a diced tomato and tomato paste.

Reviewed by Marty Martindale, owner Food Site of the Day.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well done!, June 13, 2005

By 

mvcoyote (Martha's Vineyard) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vineyard Harvest: A Year of Good Food on Martha's Vineyard (Hardcover)

This book is terrific. The recipes are tempting, the comments in between are interesting and informative, and Alison Shaw's photographs are extraordinary. It's a pleasure from beginning to end. Thank you, Ms. Miller and Ms. Shaw!