V Is for Vegetables: Inspired Recipes & Techniques for Home Cooks - from Artichokes to Zucchini

by Michael Anthony

One of America's most highly acclaimed chefs gives us more than 150 simple recipes and techniques for imaginative vegetable cooking at home. Gramercy Tavern's Executive Chef Michael Anthony believes a cook's job is to create delicious flavors and healthy meals. Written for the home cook, and featuring both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, V is for Vegetables celebrates the act of cooking vegetables he loves. Anthony shows how unlocking the secrets of vegetables can be as simple as roasting a beet, de-knobbing a Jerusalem artichoke, peeling a gnarly celery root, slicing a bright radish, washing a handful of just-picked greens. V is for Vegetables is personal, accessible, and beautiful. Its charming A to Z format celebrates vegetables in richly detailed illustrations, glorious food photographs, and lots of helpful how to do it techniques. Recipes include crispy composed salads, fresh herb sauces, satisfying warm gratins, vibrant stews, simple sautéed greens over a bowl of grains, and veggies with meat and fish, too. V is for Vegetables delivers the tools to transform and conquer the vegetables in a CSA basket, from the farmers market, and even the grocery store. It is an eye-opening book for vegetarians and omnivores alike.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Nonfiction, Cooking

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 27, 2015

Reviews

[Chaitra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Beautiful pictures, but not my thing. I did expect it to be a bit more in-depth rather than an introduction to vegetables. It's more for people who go in a market and are perplexed at anything that doesn't look like a potato. I am an ovo-lacto-vegetarian, grew up with vegetarian food, cook it regularly and as such have a basic working knowledge of how to use even an unfamiliar one like kohlrabi. It's not to say I didn't like some recipes, I did and would love to try out some of them. But it just wasn't the depth I was expecting.

[Christine D · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book is gorgeous, no doubt. Truly, things just look tasty in this book. Even if you thought you were never eating anything with a certain vegetable in it, this book could probably convince you to give it a try.
are there any groundbreaking recipes in here? no so much. but it was interesting; although at the end when it got to the yam versus sweet potato debate I was starting to think this guy was taking vegetables a little TOO seriously. So bottom line, this book is totally for you if you care about the differences between a yam and a sweet potato. For the rest of us who can't tell the difference, it's worth a glance anyway.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous cook book! I enjoy reading about a chef’s own experience with cooking and food, and Chef Michael Anthony has had a tremendous amount of experience with preparing veggies in a beautiful and palatable way. With my plant-based life style, I wouldn’t make every recipe, though there are enough that make this book delightful, such as:

Roasted parsnips with Hazelnut pesto

Warm wilted pea shoots (I love all of the parts of pea plants, and grow them in my garden!)

Nettle custard made with tofu

Stuffed zucchini blossoms with gold tomato sauce

I recommend V is for Vegetables to anyone with an interesting in cooking!

[Donna Siebold]

I want to add more vegetable dishes to my eating patterns. I was hoping to read a receipe and feel the need to rush out and buy the vegetables featured and whip something up immediately.

I did not. There is nothing wrong with the book, several of the recipes do look worth trying, it just did not pique my interest as much as I had hoped. As is normal for me, the best recipes seemed to be the ones involving potatoes. I eat way too many potatoes, so I am going to refuse to allow my brain to focus on those!

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following the current trend for food porn, this book features lots of huge, glossy color photos. It’s fun to look at, but would be a nightmare to try to keep open on the kitchen counter to follow a recipe. Many good-sounding dishes, but (and by but I mean because) most are very heavy in fats (butter/cheese/bacon/deep-fried). Nice inclusion of quite a few lesser-known vegetables.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not read this book word for word but rather skimmed through it at the library. There are lots of beautiful photographs in here along with loads of information and recipes using a wide variety of veggies.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a big, heavy, beautiful book. It is formatted just the way that I like: large picture on one page with the recipe on a single page facing the picture. Unfortunately, I did not find many inspirational recipes here.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty pictures uninspired recipes.

[Maryalene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book for the author's realistic take on eating vegetables (i.e. he's not expecting us to become vegetarians), the beautiful illustrations and the ABC approach to ordering recipes.

Now, I have to admit that I didn't flip through this book and think, "oooh, I want to make this and that and that and that." That may be because many of the recipes are for sides and sauces and purees which I always seem to have trouble envisioning as part of a complete meal. However, I do think this book will be exceptionally handy during the summer months when my CSA shares arrive with vegetables I normally wouldn't buy.

I made Goldie's cole slaw, and it turned out well. Not crazy good, but as someone who doesn't particularly like coleslaw, it was acceptable to me. (In case you are wondering why I made coleslaw when I don't like it, it was because of the cabbage that was lingering in my fridge as one of the final remnants from my CSA.)

I had also planned to make the celery root and chestnut soup, but alas, whole chestnuts are nowhere to be found in my town in January.

[Juli Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a solid vegetable cookbook for beginning cooks, with a host of recipes that I can see many people cooking over and over. I think it's too basic for an established cook, and it felt a tad dated to me both recipe-wise and design-wise (I was surprised it was published in the last few years). But it's definitely worth a perusal for beginner cooks who want to up their veggie game.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusually special recipes for home cooks from a fine-dining chef...offering ingenious flavor and texture combinations to perk up even mainstays like broccoli and carrots.
The Seattle Times

---

some have said this book reminds them slightly of Alice Waters Vegetable book
some are bothered that you only see one or two recipes for some vegetables

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the vegetables I'm familiar with, I found the recipes uninspiring. For the vegetables that I don't cook, I didn't feel the book gave me enough information to attempt it. Overall, a beautiful book that wasn't worth it's heft.

[BookTrib.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many amazing recipes in this cookbook! Check out our review here: https://booktrib.com/2016/11/v-is-for...

[Marcie Marzullo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yummy recipes - large book though

[David Brinkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant! Easy to read, solid recipes and delicious creative ideas from one of the most talented, humble chefs around. Great for the home cook and the chef!

[Kevin Lippert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since we used to live on E. 20th St. in NYC, I had the opportunity to go to Gramercy Tavern more often than anybody probably deserves, and I often remarked to our waiter that Gramercy Tavern is not only the best restaurant in New York, but the best vegan restaurant, too (after my own picky eating habits), a well-kept secret. Never did Michael Anthony fail to dazzle us with some by-special-request vegetable dish, bursting with flavors, colors, and textures, with preparations, sauces, and garnishes that looked and tasted elaborate, but really weren't; Anthony is able to take advantage of the natural flavors of the vegetables rather than drown them in heavy sauces, tempura breading, butter, or cream. Almost always, I justified the bill (actually not that bad if you eat in the front Tavern rather than the formal main room) by thinking, well, this is nothing we could've made at home. Happily, this is no longer the case, and V is for Vegetables has brought Anthony's genius right into our kitchen. So far, we've made about two dozen dishes, every one a keeper or game-changer, and bookmarked dozens of others to try asap. The best news is that not only are the results delicious, but the preparations and techniques straightforward, even simple, and absolutely within the reach of anyone who likes to cook, not just would-be-professional-chefs. If I had to pick my favorite cookbook of all time, V is for Vegetables is now the obvious, and beautiful, choice. Bravo, chef.

[Lilah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is huge and could probably be a good coffee table book. It covers just about all the vegetables you could grow in your garden. This book was designed for the home cook who wants to learn how to cook vegetables and maybe get a little creative. For each vegetable, a cooking tip or technique is highlighted and explained. There are pictures that complement the instructions. All recipes have a photograph which helps when making something new. A variety of cooking styles are used. The veggies are the center of each recipe with a few recipes featuring fish or chicken. The vegetables always remain the star of each dish.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs, but these recipes seem to be mostly routine. For people who aren't familiar with cooking vegetables at all. I expected more original or unique recipes and more in-depth information on each vegetable. A good cookbook for those just beginning to learn their way around a parsnip, though. But if you're looking for just one cookbook to keep as a vegetable reference, this isn't it.

[False · Rating 1 out of 5]

A chi chi eatery in Manhattan publishes a huge and heavy chi chi cookbook on vegetables. Overblown photographs of a leek. The recipes don't look particularly good. If you want a better cookbook that is modern and novel in it's approach to using vegetables go for "The Love and Lemons Cookbook" by Jeanine Donofrio published this year in 2016. You'll be trying more of those recipes than this book. It feels like it weighs five pounds. Does that give it value?

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this cookbook to be both beautiful and informative. Most of the recipes consisted of ingredients that most people would have on hand or could readily purchase. The carrot soup with coconut milk was definitely delicious, as well as the roasted Brussels sprouts with maple syrup, to name just two. The photos are mouthwatering and make you want to try every tempting recipe.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most beautiful cookbook I have read in a long time. I am going to buy this one. And I appreciate the lessons for making cooking tasks easier and quicker. Recipes are simple with few ingredients. They are so appealing to the eye as well as the pallet. I can't wait to get started..........

[Correen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so pretty and interesting that I bought it after checking it out from my local library. The photography is magnificent and the recipes look and sound wonderful. Usually, I like to cook at least one thing from the book but currently, I do little cooking so will save that part until later.

[Veronica Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic cookbook with gorgeous photos that make me inspired to cook and eat more vegetables! Almost all the recipes are simplistic and seem possible, even to me, a novice chef. And, not all the recipes are vegetarian. I'm looking forward to mastering the vegetable alphabet and my CSA box!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great reference!

Vegetables are in alphabetical order. Each entry gives the name of the vegetable, a picture of the vegetable, a little information about the item, and a couple of recipes. Color photographs accompany each entry. There is an index at the end.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book -- it's not only a delight to browse through (lots of gorgeous photos and well designed), but there are a lot of great bits of info in here, and obviously, some great recipes. I've made a few of them now, and they're well done. A great gift cookbook, too.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book filled with lovely recipes for vegetables from A to Z. Lots of little tidbits about each vegetable prior to the recipes make you want to try some you may have never considered before.

[Angela Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very beautiful.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with great photos Covers just about every vegetables

[Shawn Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

An original take on vegetable dishes, by a non-vegetarian/vegan. Definitely going to work some of these into the menu.

[Dylan Mierzwinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information on cooking vegetables in a way that honors their natural flavors and makes them the star of the show. Helpful for people who need a break from steamed broccoli.