The Vegetarian Option

by Simon Hopkinson, Jason Lowe (Photographer)

From the author of the best-selling Roast Chicken and Other Stories comes this next book focused entirely on cooking mouth-watering recipes without meat or fish. Throughout The Vegetarian Option , ingredients with a natural affinity are paired together: tomatoes and olive oil; ginger and scallions; chilies and avocados; and blueberries with blackcurrants. Simon Hopkinson's evocative writing brings his food to life on every page of this gorgeous book, lushly illustrated with photographs by Jason Lowe. The Vegetarian Option is not just for vegetarians, but is a fresh source of inspiration
for food lovers of all kinds.

Simon Hopkinson is widely recognized as one of the UK's finest food writers. He is the author of Roast Chicken and Other Stories and Second Helpings of Roast Chicken. He lives in London.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Please see: Simon Hopkinson


Simon Hopkinson is often hailed as the ‘food writer’s food writer’. He left school at 17 to begin a career as a chef in the kitchen of Yves Champeau, which formulated a lasting impression, developing his passion for French regional cooking.

Simon announced himself onto the London restaurant scene in 1983, opening Hilaire and drawing attention as a leading young chef. Designer and entrepreneur Terence Conran spotted his talent and persuaded him to lead the kitchen for the opening of Bibendum in 1987. Simon left the restaurant in 1995 to concentrate on writing cookery books. Notably Roast Chicken and Other Stories was declared the ‘most useful cookbook of all time’ in 2005 by Waitrose Food Illustrated.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laid out a bit like your grandmother’s holiday table — everything in its carefully doilied place —, The Vegetarian Option separates recipes by ingredient into more than fifty small sections. Despite this fusty approach, Hopkinson manages a feat most vegetarian cookbooks don’t even attempt: singular focus on the vegetables. While he turns to a handful of rice and pasta dishes at the back, Hopkinson embraces even unpopular veg like watercress, sorrel, and turnips with expert ease. Imagine what he does for the usual suspects.

Recipes range from quick, two-step prep to several complicated paragraphs of work before a final, though impressive, meal emerges. Simple dishes like spaghetti al aglio and peperocino (i.e. garlic and pepper) and broiled eggplant with pesto are hearty and manageable dinner options for even novice home cooks. Or spend a few hours creating the asian fried turnip paste or mushroom cannelloni, multi-step meals with breathtaking results.

Despite the high level of ingenuity in his recipes, Hopkinson’s ingredients are widely accessible and budget friendly. Some of the more creative dishes, the tomato jelly with basil and goat cheese for example, feature ingredients like agar agar — an easy to use vegan thickening agent rarely used outside of the raw food realm but available at a decent supermarket. It's the experimental pairings and texture variations that set this cookbook apart.

A few sample recipe titles:
Cheese-crusted fried parsnip stripes with romesco sauce
Cream of fennel soup with garlic butter
Red pepper and potato stew with jalapeno relish
Warm asparagus custards with tarragon vinaigrette

Hopkinson’s compiled a thorough, adaptive collection with enough diversity to keep you thumbing its pages seasonally. Though he's thrown in a few easy ones, his recipes aren’t the simplistic, 30-minute fare so popular lately. But if you’re looking for a vegetarian Sunday dinner that will impress people, start your browsing here.

(Originally posted on www.christinereads.com.)

[Holly Scudero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Hopkinson may not be a vegetarian, but that didn’t stop him from setting his sights on creating a book of mouthwatering vegetarian recipes! "The Vegetarian Option" is, as the author puts it, just that: an option for those who agree that the best meals don’t always contain meat or fish. The recipes within are organized into chapters pairing vegetables that are alike or with complementary flavors. Most of the recipes don’t actually contain both vegetables of the section heading, which was disappointing, but the recipes mostly sound delicious, and the accompanying photos will make mouths water. The only other dissatisfaction to be found is that there are not more recipes given for each vegetable; most of the sections only have four or five recipes, and vegetarian cooks will likely find themselves wishing for more. The recipes range from simple to complex, and the more time-consuming ones may seem downright impractical for those who are pressed for time in their cookery. Vegans also be warned that this book is not for you – Hopkinson’s love of eggs and cheese makes for a savory collection but will also be off-putting to those who do not share that love.

[^ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hopkinson’s recipe for Tomato Risotto (p.182) is delicate, penetrating fragrant, and superb: even though, being carnivorous, I use chicken stock. Just what home grown tomatoes are grown for! Utterly, utterly yummy.

However, Clee, in “Don’t Sweat The Aubergine” would be less than impressed with Hopkinson’s directions to make Caponata (pg 106). How often do great chefs write recipes without actually cooking them; especially when laying hands (metaphorically?) upon a quiet and unsuspecting aubergine, before issuing a series of time-consuming & washing-up creating directives to the home cook, to manipulate the said vegetable into submission?

But there again, the majority cookbooks are read for leisure only. In the genre of gastro-porn this book is right up there, in body, mind, and spirit. Where it is different is that this is a book for which it is very well worth rolling up sleeves for, and indulging in a little practical and delicious experimentation.

[Maya Panika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book, an eclectic, unusual mix of vegetarian recipes interspersed with musings on the principal vegetables involved. Nicely presented, beautifully illustrated, attractively written and the recipes (at least, the few I’ve tried so far) are delicious. The nicest cookbook I’ve seen in years.

[Liz De Coster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book really sparkles in the simple, classic preparations focusing on quality ingredients and seasonings. Some of the cream-and-gelee type recipes strike me as missing the point of seasonal ingredients, but it's nice to have options for something a little more fancy than my standard bowl-o-vegetables.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has written intesting reading about the different foods in each chapter and then follows it with recipes. The recipes make lite meal when you are not wanting a heavy one. It is not a true vegetarian meal with all the nutrition of a vegetarian meal. The recipes seem to be great for those meals I only want some veggies. Maybe this is just what you have been looking for too.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would consider this book for purchase. It is fabulous.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

@Cath, feel free to make the parsnips for me. :)

[Niki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't think that the recipes sounded very appetizing. I found only three that I thought I would be willing to make.

[Tenli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this out of the library for weeks, and just renewed it. Everything I've cooked out of The Vegetarian Option has been absolutely delicious. I might have to buy it.

[Rosemary Grace Bartlett Libby · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a vegetarian cookbook. Don't be fooled.

[Suzanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. It was free from the Boulder Bookstore around Christmas and I was hoping for some good recipes. I didn't find any that I wanted to make.

[Rachel Maxwell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Complicated and unappealing recipes

[Maryancka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book, recipes are very good.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed in this book - although written only 8 years ago it feels really out of date! Recipes might be good for someone that doesn't know how to cook at all, but not much to offer experienced home cooks.