Cookbook Recommendations

I haven't yet mentioned this anywhere here on this blog, but I am a vegetarian, a fact which some people find very vexing and a fact I find vexing on the rare occasions I visit my family.  One time where my vegetarianism isn't vexing, though, is when it comes to finding cookbooks.  There are so many great vegetarian cookbooks out there these days, and so many great cookbooks in general.  Of course, a cookbook is usually an investment; they aren't cheap, right?  Also, a cookbook is no substitute for using your own head and figuring out what's best for you and your tastes.

The cookbooks I own have either been gifts or were purchased at used bookstores or as remainders from places like the Strand or the Harvard Bookstore, two of my very favorite bookstores in the world.  Still, even if you can't find it for cheap, a good cookbook is a great thing.  It doesn't matter if you are like me and ignore all the parts of recipes that you disagree with or if you are the type to follow a recipe to the letter.  Below is a list of my very favorite cookbooks and why I love them.

The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook by Christopher Kimball--More than anything, I love this cookbook for the stories and the information.  I rarely follow Kimball's recipes to the letter (except the Rich Nutmeg Cinnamon Apple Cake, which is heaven), and often, I use this more for consultation than for actual cooking.  The charts in it as well as the how-to illustrations, though, are mind-bogglingly good.  I've yet to try too much from this cookbook, especially since it is filled with meaty, non-vegetarian creations, but what I have tried has been great, even if I did tweak the recipes a little to get them the way I wanted.

The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen--Katzen should write a book of just soups because her soup recipes are the best things in this cookbook.  Again, I don't follow what she says to the letter, but this was the first cookbook I ever bought, so it holds a special place in my heart.  If you know anything about vegetarianism, you know that this is a vegetarian cookbook, and when it sticks to vegetables, it cannot be beat.  I especially adore the recipe for zuccanoes, which are stuffed zucchini extraordinaire, but Katzen loves mushrooms, a problem for me since I hate them, which is also a big problem for a vegetarian, believe me.  Another problem with this cookbook is the desserts/baked goods.  I haven't tried many of them, but that is because I've been seriously disappointed with the ones I have tried.

Entertaining for a Veggie Planet by Didi Emmons--This is by far my favorite and the most used of my cookbooks.  I love it.  I can't get enough of it.  I don't think I've tried a recipe that I didn't think was good.  I may not have enjoyed the finished product in some cases, but it was always a question of taste not quality.  Furthermore, I have to thank Emmons for not only getting me to try but also getting me to love lots of foods I was skeptical about.  (Hello, sweet potato.  You are so much better than those pies and Thanksgiving marshmallow concoctions had led me to believe.)  To top it off, the cookbook is visually appealing and full of great stories, and the baked goods are out of this world.  Her Stowe Brownies have sent many people I know into fits of ecstasy as has her Blueberry Cardamom Cake, and if you look closely, you can find the base for one of my treasured secret recipes.  I just bought her first cookbook, Vegetarian Planet, on sale at Housing Works Bookstore (all cookbooks 30% off in November), and I cannot wait to try the recipes.  I met Emmons herself at a greenmarket behind my co-op when I lived in Cambridge, and she said that her second cookbook was much better than her first.  She may turn out to be right--the second is certainly prettier--but there's a lot in Vegetarian Planet to get excited about.

Mediterranean Harvest by Martha Rose Schulman--If you haven't yet, you must check out the Recipes for Health section of The New York Times.  Oh my god.  Schulman writes the recipes, and they are great.  Some of them, or versions of them, appear in this cookbook.  I swear, except for my pale, pale skin which can barely handle your average sunny day, I should have been born in a Mediterranean country.  I love all the fresh vegetables they put in their food.  It doesn't matter if it is France, Italy, Spain, Greece, or North Africa; Mediterraneans know vegetables, and so does Schulman.  The dishes I've tried have been astounding, but I've yet to make any baked goods from the cookbook.  Emmons and my own creations have my heart when it comes to baking right now.

These are it for my cookbooks.  I have one or two others, but they aren't good enough to mention.  I also have A Joy of Cooking CDROM, which is a pretty good resource.  Otherwise, when in doubt, I start at the Cook's Illustrated website for an overview, google what I'm looking for, and then make up my own recipe based on all the information I've gleaned.  I like to live dangerously, I guess.