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    Books: Cooking by Cuisine -> Cooking Mediterranean

    Mediterranean Vegetables: A Cook's ABC of Vegetables and Their Preparation

    by:
    Wright, Clifford A.




    Publisher:
    Harvard Common Press
    Published: September 1, 2001
    ISBN: 1558321969
    Format:Hardcover
    Pages:388


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    Book Description
    Amazon.com's Best of 2001
    First born as a simple appendix to Clifford A. Wright's bestselling A Mediterranean Feast (the 2000 James Beard Cookbook of the Year), Mediterranean Vegetables has grown up to be a stunning and useful guide in its own right. Part cookbook, part scholarship, part gardening guide, this A-to-Z reference encompasses the entire Mediterranean region and is sure to interest food scholars, those who grow vegetables, amateur cooks, food industry professionals, and foodies of every stripe, and open up the American kitchen to a whole new world of vegetables. Each of the more than 200 alphabetical entries--from Acanthus-Leaved Thistle to Zucchini--describes a vegetable; explains its origins, its culinary history, how to grow it, and where to get it; and provides recipes that range from simple to downright exotic.

    Qarac bi'l-Tahina (Pumpkin Spread with Sesame Paste) is a pleasingly lighter and infinitely more intriguing version of the ubiquitous chickpea hummus, flavored, like its cousin, with sesame tahini, plenty of garlic, lemon juice, and freshly ground cumin seeds. The Syrian dish Bamya bi'l-Zayt (Okra with Olive Oil), flavored with 40 cloves of garlic, an onion, a bit of lemon juice, and fresh coriander, is made distinctly Middle Eastern by the pomegranate molasses that sweetens it. Carciofi con Mollica, or Artichoke Hearts in Citrus Sauce, harks back to the 19th century, when French-inspired Sicilian chefs of the aristocracy invented fabulous baroque recipes. The earthiness of the artichokes is drawn out by the tangy sauce, while salty anchovies and crunchy bread crumbs add welcome layers of complexity.

    While most American cooks will never be able to get some of the vegetables and herbs listed (when was the last time you saw paper pumpkinseed or skirret at the local market?), the majority of the most popular vegetables in the Mediterranean--and of those included in Mediterranean Vegetables--are easily found in American markets. --Robin Donovan

    From Publishers Weekly
    A thoroughly comprehensive guide to vegetables from Mediterranean countries, Wright's latest is part cookbook, part academic reference. Originally an appendix to Wright's Mediterranean Feast, this book's alphabetically ordered vegetables run the gamut from acanthus-leaved thistle to zucchini. Wright admits that "practically speaking, only about eighty or ninety of the over two hundred vegetables listed will be even remotely available to a typical American cook." The book lists vegetables' English and Mediterranean names, characteristics, varieties, plant origins and history, and explains how to buy, store and prepare them for cooking. No nutritional information is given; the author wants to guide the reader away from what he views as "the gastronomically destructive `food as fuel' concept." While information on grape hyacinth, paper pumpkinseed and sea holly might seem esoteric to the average cook, some of Wright's recipes are treasures indeed. Shawandar bi'l-Laban (Beets with Yogurt) is stunningly colorful, and the fresh mint along with garlic is new and unexpected. Makbuba (A Potato and Bell Pepper Frittata in the Style of the Tunisian Jews) is made with ingredients most American cooks have, and caraway and coriander seeds enhance its simple ingredients in new ways. While Wright's recipes focus on vegetables, they are not exclusively vegetarian; it is common in Mediterranean cuisine for meat and dairy products to be used as condiments for vegetables. Impeccably researched, this book will appeal to botanists, food scholars and vegetable aficionados. Agent, Doe Coover.

    Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


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