A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen: Easy Seasonal Dishes for Family and Friends

Cook's Illustrated executive editor Bishop largely succeeds in removing the tarnish from vegetarian cooking, sharing simple, seasonal dishes that make the lack of meat seem like an afterthought. Bishop's no-nonsense attitude toward tofu leads into a series of recipes that call for browning the tofu, then coating it with a pan sauce, such as Pan-Glazed Tofu with Thai Red Curry Sauce. The majority of these dishes can be thrown together at the last minute, such as Wilted Spinach Salad with Japanese Flavors, and Chard Burritos with Tomato-Chipotle Salsa; the few that are more labor-intensive (Orange Risotto Cakes with Pistachio Crust, for example) and are worth the effort. Many of the dishes have Italian or Mexican influences, and Bishop arranges recipes by season. Occasionally it's not clear what connects a dish to its season, (why is Fettuccine with Caramelized Onion Sauce a fall meal?), and there is some repetition: spring's Chickpea Patties with Arugula Salad hardly vary from the Herbed Chickpea Patties with Israeli Salad that appear in summer. There are odd lapses, too, such as a sidebar on blending puréed soups that neglects to mention immersion blenders, and a recipe for Root Vegetable Tarts with Rosemary that calls for a 14-ounce package of puff pastry, then uses only half of the package. Largely, though, the inventiveness of Arugula and Pear Soup and Tender Lettuce and Peach Salad with Pumpkin Seeds and Sour Orange Vinaigrette far outweighs those puzzling blips. These are excellent recipes for alluring food. 16 color photos.
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Simple, seasonal, real-time vegetarian recipes for everyday and every occasion.

As a busy husband, father of two young children, and full-time writer, Jack Bishop demands a lot from the meals that make it into his family's repertoire. In A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen, he guides you through the seasons with 248 of his favorite everyday recipes, which deliciously embody his philosophy of "shop locally, cook globally, and keep things easy." Cooking with seasonal produce, he says, is the best way to bring a welcome variety to the table. In spring, dinner might be Stir-Fried Rice Noodles with Asparagus and Eggs. Summer brings Savory Corn Griddle Cakes and Fresh Tomato Pizza with Avocado. For fall, Root Vegetable Tarts with Rosemary and Orecchiette with Spicy Broccoli are on the menu. And in winter, when most farmers' markets are a distant memory, Pan-Glazed Tofu with Thai Red Curry Sauce and Caribbean Black Beans with Sautéed Plantains await. With ten years of experience working with Cook's Illustrated, he's also able to provide expert guidance on how to choose a good vegetable broth, select the right potatoes for mashing, and more tips tailored just for vegetarian cooks.

JACK BISHOP is the executive editor of Cook’s Illustrated and a principal cast member of the PBS television show America’s Test Kitchen. He is the author of The Complete Italian Vegetarian Cookbook and Vegetables Every Day. He edited American Classics and Italian Classics, which won IACP Awards in 2002.

Introduction

As a husband, father of two young children, cookbook author, and magazine editor, I have a hectic and unpredictable schedule. But every evening, shortly after five, I stop answering the phone and e-mails in my home office and head into the kitchen. The kids are upstairs with my wife, Lauren, practicing piano, bathing, or just hanging out in their rooms, so I usually have the kitchen to myself. I begin by cleaning up the mess from the day— emptying the dishwasher, rinsing my daughters’ paintbrushes, and taking out the garbage. I turn on the radio, pull out a cutting board, and start chopping and slicing. The pressures and frenetic pace of the day fade away as dinner comes together. By around six, the table is set, the kids are seated, and supper is on the table.
Since I cook vegetarian meals almost every day of the year, I ask a lot from the recipes that make it into my repertoire. First, they have to be convenient. Sure, I wish I had hours to prepare dinner, but I don’t: a couple of simple dishes are about all I want to tackle on most nights. Second, every one of my meals has to pack plenty of flavor—my wife, a former pastry chef, has a discriminating palate, as do I. And finally, and perhaps most important, they have to satisfy nine-year-old Rose and five-year-old Eve, who have had their own busy days. In this book, you’ll find the family favorites that I return to again and again.
I love vegetarian meals for the variety they bring to the table. Vegetarian cooking is my connection to the seasons and to local farms and the six-month growing season on eastern Long Island, where we live. One day, I celebrate the arrival of the first new potatoes by preparing home fries with fingerlings so fresh they exude juices when cut. The next week it’s the first really good tomatoes of the year and time to make pasta with sautéed tomatoes, pan-roasted garlic, and fresh basil.
My family belongs to Quail Hill, an organic community farm about a fifteen-minute drive from our home. From June through November, we pick our own vegetables at this farm, which is set on two hundred rolling acres. The people who run the farm demonstrate their passion for vegetables by planting an amazing array of them: forty-two varieties of tomatoes, eggplants in hues of orange, red, green, lavender, purple, black, and ivory. At the farm, Rose and Eve learn how to dig baby Yukon Gold potatoes from the warm clay soil, play on the tire swing, or talk to the hens that lay eggs for us. It’s also where I become inspired by purple basil, red-skinned carrots, or ordinary- looking cucumbers.
By the first weekend in November, Quail Hill shuts down for the season. A few other farmers stick it out until Thanksgiving, selling broccoli, winter squash, and cabbage, but by December the local crops, which were in such abundance just weeks before, are gone.
Since I’m a practical cook as well as a seasonal one, I shop exclusively in supermarkets during the winter and spring. But that doesn’t mean I buy rock-hard tomatoes in January or corn on the cob in March. Winter means greens, root vegetables, grains, beans, and other wholesome, hearty foods in my kitchen. Although many of these ingredients are not local, they are in tune with the season. Even in winter, my basic approach to food remains the same.
Time is precious, and there are lots of other demands on me during the day, so high-impact, high-flavor items from my pantry are a must. Although simple, the food in my kitchen is never boring or dull. If I had to sum up my food philosophy, it might be “shop local and cook global, but keep it real.” In my daily cooking, I draw on the cuisines of Mexico, the Caribbean, India, Thailand, Italy, Spain, France, China, and Japan, adapting dishes to suit the ingredients I have at hand.
Yes, there are nights when I stare into the refrigerator and feel as if I just can’t come up with any appealing ideas. And yes, there are nights when we take the kids out for pizza. But most days I relish the job of preparing meals for my family. Cooking is time for me to relax and to focus on something other than work, the unpaid bills in my desk drawer, the overgrown weed patch otherwise known as our back yard, or the pile of laundry upstairs in the hamper. And dinner is about talking with my wife and kids, teaching my kids about food, and appreciating all the good things in our lives. The food doesn’t have to be fancy—and mine surely isn’t. As long as it’s produced honestly and tastes good, food is cause for celebration, every day of the year.

Copyright © 2004 by Jack Bishop. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Company.