Homegrown Pure and Simple: Great Healthy Food from Garden to Table (Hardcover)

~ (Author), (Photographer), (Contributor) "LORI AND I STARTED OUR GARDEN IN AUGUST 2003, NEARLY A YEAR BEFORE THE FIRST SEED WAS PLANTED IN ITS SOIL..." (more)
Key Phrases: hot electric coil, clabbered cream, countertop grill, Walla Walla, New York, George Foreman (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Warm, enthusiastic and sweetly dedicated to the author's garden-devoted mom, this volume celebrates the bounty that can come from a home garden (assuming the involvement of a dedicated gardener) with simple, mostly very healthy recipes. Following an introduction to his own garden, Nischan—author of the James Beard Award–winning Taste Pure and Simple and former chef of New York City's Heartbeat restaurant—organizes recipes into straightforward chapters on salads, soup, main courses, side dishes, "extending the harvest" (jams, pickled veggies, infused oils), breakfast and desserts, all interwoven with garden-related anecdotes. The recipes are appealing, with many options for both vegetarians and carnivores. Sugar Snap Peas with Fennel, Onions, and Grilled Peach Dressing; Grilled Lamp Chops with Home-Dried Tomatoes and Citrus Yogurt; Pistachio Pork Loin Chops with Pumpkin Sauce; Oregano Chicken with Grilled Kale and Heirloom Tomatoes; Shiitake Mushroom and Koshihikari Rice Cakes; and Roasted Pear and Spoon Bread Tart with Cranberry, Orange and Jalapeño Glaze are all a few gourmet steps above standard homey garden fare—and color photos by Susie Cushner add to the book's sophisticated feel. (Oct.)
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Review

Easily the most appealing new American cookbook is HOMEGROWN PURE AND SIMPLE: Great Healthy Food From Garden to Table. -- New York Times Sunday Book Review, December 4, 2005

Warm, enthusiastic and sweetly dedicated to the author's garden-devoted mom, this volume celebrates the bounty that can come from a home garden (assuming the involvement of a dedicated gardener) with simple, mostly very healthy recipes. Following an introduction to his own garden, Nischan author of the James Beard Award-winning Taste Pure and Simple and former chef of New York City's Heartbeat restaurant organizes recipes into straightforward chapters on salads, soup, main courses, side dishes, "extending the harvest" (jams, pickled veggies, infused oils), breakfast and desserts, all interwoven with garden-related anecdotes. The recipes are appealing, with many options for both vegetarians and carnivores. Sugar Snap Peas with Fennel, Onions, and Grilled Peach Dressing; Grilled Lamp Chops with Home-Dried Tomatoes and Citrus Yogurt; Pistachio Pork Loin Chops with Pumpkin Sauce; Oregano Chicken with Grilled Kale and Heirloom Tomatoes; Shiitake Mushroom and Koshihikari Rice Cakes; and Roasted Pear and Spoon Bread Tart with Cranberry, Orange and Jalape o Glaze are all a few gourmet steps above standard homey garden fare and color photos by Susie Cushner add to the book's sophisticated feel. -Publisher's Weekly

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 232 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811844722
• ISBN-13: 978-0811844727
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #223,085 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What we all need to read, December 2, 2005

By	Jennifer A. Wickes "Food Writer" - See all my reviews

Delicious, appetizing recipes fill this book, all of which were made from the freshest organic ingredients, giving a pure simple taste. An excellent second book by Michel Nischan, winner of a James Beard cookbook award in 2004 for his book, Taste Pure and Simple.

Michel Nischan grew up in Illinois where his mother grew most of their fruits and vegetables. His love of food coninued as an adult where he became the executive chef of Heartbeat in the W Hotel (NY-1997). Nischan is a contributor to numerous magazines including: Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Cooking Light, and much more. He has also appeared on various television programs. He is the founding member of New American Farming Initiative. He currently lives in Connecticut with his wife and five children.

Mary Goodbody is a food writer who has worked on over 45 cookbooks.

Susie Cushner is a photographer whose work has appeared in Real Simple, Gourmet, Martha Stewart Living and more. She has worked on numerous books: The New England Table, The Cape Cod Table, The Pleasures of Slow Food and The Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook.

Michel Nischan yearned for the days where his mother grew all their vegetables in their garden when he was a child. With the tragic findings that two of his five children were diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes (at ages five and two), his focus on his cooking changed. He decided that not only should he and his family eat healthier, but also his restaurant customers. This book has been inspired by his children and his desire for fresh pure ingredients without the use of cream, butter, processed starches or processed sugars. Michel has made it his mission to educate people on eating and cooking healthier.

This is more than a cookbook, but also a book filled with cooking and gardening tips, planting seeds, storing produce, sterilizing jars, choosing knives, and handling food. There is an excellent glossary in the back of the book, as well as a list of sources if some items are hard-to-find in your area. And I must comment on the gorgeous photographs throughout this book.

This book has even received kudos from the American Heart Association and Alice Waters.

The book is broken down by the following chapters: My Garden and How It Grew; Salads; Soups; Main Courses; Side Dishes; Extending the Harvest; Breakfast and Breads; Desserts. The recipes are wonderful. They are simple to make and extremely tasty. In fact, I never even noticed, initially, that the book had no recipes laden with fat and sugar! Some of my favorites in this book were: Osaka Mustard Greens Salad; Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage Garnish; Baked Fresh Ham with Roasted Apple and Almond Salad; Skillet-Browned Broccoli and Cauliflower with Pan-Toasted Garlic; Homemade Applesauce; Butternut Squash Muffins; and Sweet Corn and Toasted Almond Rice Pudding.

In our society, where everything runs at such a fast pace, I think it is time to slow down, and appreciate life and family. Eat healthier. Buy this book!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This isn't your usual vegetable cookbook, December 6, 2005

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Vegetable gardening and recipes seldom blend so seamlessly as in Homegrown Pure And Simple: Great Healthy Food From Garden To Table. Here's a compendium of dishes spiced with color photos by Susie Cushner throughout which celebrate both gardening and cooking. This isn't your usual vegetable cookbook, either: Grilled Lamb Chops with Home-Dried Tomatoes and Citrus Yogurt and Pistachio Pork Loin with Pumpkin Sauce are dishes not to be found in any cookbook. That's because author Michel Nischan has served up healthful haute cooking at a range of upscale restaurants: so these are largely his own inventions.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, pure and simple, June 13, 2006

By	ellie "rice oil queen" (san rafael, ca) - See all my reviews

I really like this pure and simple cookbook. The recipes are so beautiful!!