Greene on Greens

Greene on Greens by Bert Greene, copyright 1984
Roots in Escabeche, page 390
Prepared on February 17, 2008

Greene on Greens is a great vegetable cookbook. As an 80s cookbook, it is heavy on rich recipes: lots of cream and butter and cheese. But, it is also chock-a-block full of interesting and vibrant recipes as well.

Roots in escabeche is a refreshing dish: turnips, carrots and rutabegas are boiled until tender, then tossed with a vinagrette, sliced onions and chopped olives.

Super Natural Cooking

Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson, copyright 2007
Black Tea Spring Rolls with Mushrooms and Mango Chutney Dipping Sauce, page 132
Prepared on February 19, 2008

Heidi Swanson runs the website 101 Cookbooks. Her cooking style focuses on natural foods. She is single-handedly responsible introducing me to quinoa and reintroducing me to muhumarra (these are great things). Super Natural Cooking has a lot of interesting recipes and I tried a few already.

These spring rolls are delicious but weren't exactly what I was hoping for. The filling is good, and the dipping sauce is great. After reading the recipe through, I was pretty sure these wouldn't end up as crispy as I wanted, and I was right. That said, I am going to try them again: they were easy to make, I could make them ahead and they look great on the plate.

Chow!

Chow! Secrets of Chinese Cooking, 75 Selected Recipes with Notes on Table Etiquette by Dolly Chow (Mrs. C.T. Wang), printed 1954 (original copyright date is 1939)
Sour Tientsin Cabbage (Suan La Pai Ts'ai), page 116
Prepared on February 18, 2008

This is a slim book, containing, as advertised, 75 recipes and information on meal etiquette. The recipes are simply written and interesting. There is not a lot of information on ingredients, so I had to do some quick research to find out that Tientsin cabbage is Napa cabbage. She also leaves out preparation instructions for vegetables, so I made the assumption that I should chop the cabbage into thick strips.

Dolly had the right idea. This was a great dish - there was a great contract between the sourness provided by the vinegar and the Napa's cabbagey funkiness. This one's going into my repertoire.

Since Chow! appears to be out of print, I will go against my normal rule and provide the recipe for all of you:

Sour Tientsin Cabbage
Serves 2-3

• 2-3 tablespoons peanut oil (the original called for lard)
  
• 1 1/2 pounds Napa cabbage, cut into thick strips
• 2 hot chili peppers, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/3 cup white vinegar

Mix the cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil and vinegar together.

Heat the peanut oil in a wok or skillet and fry the chili peppers. Add in the cabbage and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir fry 3 minutes until the liquid is thickened.

Serve immediately.

Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian

Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey, copyright 1999
Spicy Eggplant Stew with Potatoes, Mushrooms and Chickpeas, page 196
Prepared February 13, 2008

Madhur Jaffrey's books of Indian cookery are fabulous resources for anyone interested in cooking in that style. This cookbook, as you can see by its title, takes a broader view. The recipes are varied and interesting. At over 700 pages, this book has something for everyone. I do think that her Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan dishes are the heart of the book, but many cultures are represented and those recipes do not seem like an afterthought.

This dish was fantastic. We served the stew over basmati rice with roasted cauliflower on the side. It was filling, and the mushrooms gave it a meaty texture.

It was also a quick fix - much faster to pull together than I thought. I was planning on making something else, and from inspiration to service, the stew took about 40 minutes total (with only 10 minutes of active work). It is a saucy mess (note the puddles under my cooking dish) so make sure you use a large enough pot (I should have used my Dutch oven, instead of this gratin).