I've not (gasp) read Madhur Jaffrey's books but my sentiment toward Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is similar to yours. It is one of the biggest disappointments in my library. I like the idea of it more more than the actuality - its not dog-eared, tagged and stained like most of my collection. I am vegetarian (and gluten-free).
A recipe from Ms Katzen denigrates that its animal friendly. Sadly, she's off the vegetarian bandwagon, as you can tell from this recipe.
No animal parts?? The first three ingredients...
tofu "schnitzel" even though I've never had any other kind!
I never (have, or do) go to bed on an empty stomach. Its how I get a good night's sleep and maintain my girlish figure even over 40.
I'd settle for a veggie sandwich from Schlotsky's. Seriously.
Thank you cheffy!!!
I'm Irish and I'll take my potaoes any way I can get them!
I'm very late on this but the book was almost a total loss for me. It's holding up my computer screen otherwise I would say it is a total loss.
The recipes are disappointing. The taste always leaves me scrambling to fix it and sadly most of the time it doesn't get beyond a 2 out of 10 when I do fix it a bit. The methods leave me with undercooked, overcooked, never cooked right items.
And it does stupid things like the recipe that calls for putting flour in the boiling water. Now beginning cooks may think this does something but those who have been cooking for a while will suspect that Ms Madison was on something and so was her editor when that got into the book.
Your right about your feelings about the book. Thank Goodness I bought mine at a library sale where someone else junked it too no matter if it said "To .... Love Dad and Mom." So it was poor Mom and Dad whoever they were who wasted the cost of the book. And the kid was smart enough to dump it the next year. Smart kid.
I will eat any sandwich as long as it not called a "sammie". Gives me chills to think about the name and the inventor of the name.
I hadn't really thought about this before, but I tend to use Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone as more of a reference book (as in, hmm...I just picked up some beets and rainbow chard at the market...what cooking methods should I use?) - but not really for the recipes. I turn to Bittman's HTCEV more often for recipe inspiration. I suppose both of them have their place in my bookcase, though.
I don't own the book, but I checked it out from the library a few years ago and copied down three recipes that I make quite often: the potato and chickpea stew is out of this world, especially with some romesco sauce swirled into it--I don't use her recipe for the sauce, I use one I found on the internet. I also love the lentils with wine glazed vegetables, covered in puff pastry, and the winter squash galette. I think she is a wonderful recipe writer, she has a knack for creating dishes that use simple ingredients that just work together.
I agree with renzata too--Vegetarian Suppers is wonderful. I just got it a few weeks ago and have made about 4 things out of it--the root vegetable ragout with goat cheese sauce is delicious. I skipped the wild rice pancake and just put them in the buckwheat crepes from the previous page. I highly recommend this book for those looking to cook more vegetarian meals.
I also have Mark Bittman's HTCEV, and I would say that it's more for people who haven't a clue about vegetables. That doesn't mean it's not a good book, because it really is, especially the wide use of nontraditional ingredients to bring depth of flavor (umami, I guess) to vegetable dishes.
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is perhaps my all-time favorite cookbook, although I'm no longer vegetarian. I find it inspiring. Even if I don't follow a recipe exactly, it gives me ideas on what foods to combine to create wonderful meals and flavors. The vegetable section is a wonderful guide to how to prepare nearly every vegetable as well as what flavors complement it. All the soup recipes I've tried (which are many) have been amazing. The barley soup and white bean soup in that book are two of my favorites that I make every winter. I think it's a book for true veggie lovers -- I have a CSA and the vegetable section is great for trying new types of produce. I happen to love Deborah Madison's style - earthy yet refined - and I think it has influenced my own approach to cooking more than any other book.
I bought the book soon after publication and use it now and then, often for inspiration when I have some vegetables to use up. There are quite a few personal favorites in the book. Off the top of my head: the carrots and hijiki seaweed, the sunflower-seed bread, the chickpeas with ginger, and the oat bread.
i have vcfe and never crack it either. although i used to love to eat at greens when she was the head chef.
one of my favorite cookbooks, even though i'm not a vegetarian, is the tassajara recipe book by edward espe brown. i've been making some of those recipes for over 20 years now. some of my favorites: carrot orange soup, currant scones, polenta mushroom gratin, grandmother mary's coffee cake, cottage cheese dill bread. all the recipes are delicious and elegant and you can serve them at your nicest dinner parties.
Thank you so much for all your information, fellow eaters. I have literally hundreds of cookbooks, not to mention a disgusting glut of magazines and periodicals. One thing that has been sorely lacking as a resource is a really great vegetarian book in the collection. I have browsed Deborah's VCE several times and also Bittman's new one. I recently discovered Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking and have to admit I was impressed (not as much with Cooking .01) but she does take really scrumptious photos of her food also, which goes a long way with me. I have a somewhat difficult time with cookbooks when they don't present a delicious photo of their finished product. (Julia is about the only one who gets a pass on this point with me). We're not committed vegetarians, however we are making a concerted effort to have one or two total veggie days a week for many reasons.
Now I can't wait to look for Veganomicon and Madhur Jaffrey's books. I have come so close to purchasing and always back out because I just want one that I know I'm really going to use. A lot. Any other suggestions for the favorite go-to vegetarian cookbook would be most appreciated for my little research project.
If anyone lives in the mid-west, have you been to Chrissie Hynde's new restaurant Vegetaranian in Akron, OH? Looking forward to that sometime this year.
I agree with the general sense about Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I don't often cook straight from it, though I'll take ideas.
But I got her much smaller Vegetarian Suppers for Christmas, and I love it. I've made 4 or 5 dishes from it already and all have been delicious, interesting, and well-received (the masa crepes with chard, spinach crepe cake, and mushroom and brussels sprout ragout are my favorites so far). I look forward to trying more and more. It's very dog-ear-able.
Hey, great feedback! This has been such a helpful discussion for me. Thank you. I'm going to check out the Eggplant & Chard Lasagna and her recipe for Pita Bread. But I'm going to stop feeling like a bad veggie-lover for not using this book more often.
I'm also going to investigate Bittman's HTCEV and Veganomicon–those girls are awesome. As for Moosewood, I liked the books at first, but there's something about the recipes where they all start to taste really similar after a while.
Thanks everyone!
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