Mediterranean Vegetables

by Wright, Clifford A.

• ISBN13: 9781558327757
• ISBN10: 1558327754
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-05-08
• Publisher: Harvard Common Pr

Summary

Mediterranean food is the home cooking of many local cultures, a way of cooking derived from generous people, rustic foods, and simple pleasures. Its clear, robust flavors and uncomplicated preparations have made it a favorite of Americans and have earned it an honored place in our culinary tradition. What makes Mediterranean vegetable cookery so wonderful is the way its ingredients have been combined to create a host of delicious dishes virtually unknown until now in American kitchens. Vegetables are high on the list of foods we all want to eat more of, and we're always looking for new ways to prepare them. With Mediterranean Vegetables, a masterful AtoZ culinary reference and cookbook, Mediterranean food expert Clifford A. Wright gives us a new world of great tastes. Never before has such a wealth of information on vegetables of the Mediterranean been collected in one place. Each entry describes a vegetable and its varieties, explains its origins and its culinary history from ancient times right up through the present, and details how to grow and harvest is and where to buy it. Included are many vegetables that you may use every day, such as spinach, carrots, peppers, and tomatoes, as well as those you regularly see in markets but are unsure how to prepare, such as celeriac, kohlrabi, and taro. There are also those that you can easily cultivate in your garden or find growing wild, such as borage and garden cress. The countries that border the Mediterranean Sea are exotic and diverse, as is their multitude of vegetable preparations. These 200 recipes, incorporated into appropriate entries, tell stories about the people who created them and the cultures from which they were born. Such a connection between food and history makes cooking, and eating, even more satisfying. Here you will find authentic recipes for such classics as ratatouille, gazpacho, and tabbouleh, as well as recipes for less familiar, but no less delicious, dishes including Artichoke Hearts in Citrus Sauce and Golden Breadcrumbs, Fried Eggplant with Yogurt, Etouffee of White Beans, Carrot Frittata, and more. Comprehensive and eminently accessible, Mediterranean Vegetables is for anyone who wants to read about, grow, cook with, and eat vegetables. It is, quite simply, a must-have reference and cookbook.

Excerpts

Introduction: This isNotYour Mothers Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook

Dinnertime.The thought can evoke memories of lively, engaged voices, cozy suppers, and candlelight, images of forks chasing the last morsels of this or that on the plate, flavors blending in a happy symphony, satisfied hearts and tummies. Contentment.Or, the notion of dinnertime can bring to mind that frantic feeling when you come home tired. The dog is barking, the phone is ringing, and the entire household is clamoring, Whats for dinner?You grope for an answer: fast food? TV dinners? canned soup? These are all quick fixes, but at what cost? All have excess sodium and preservatives, dubious ingredient sources, and questionable taste. What can you do instead to make mealtimes more enjoyable without resorting to less-than-best menu options? How can you make the first dinnertime illustration the norm and the latter the rare blip on the radar screen?Turn to your freezer, what Alton Brown calls the most potent food preservation device ever devised. That precious icebox can save your bacon when it comes to putting healthy, wholesome meals on the table in record time. Ive been preparing make ahead and freeze meals for almost 15 years now, since I was a young high school teacher with no one to feed but my husband. Today I cook for a small army of eight: my husband and I as well as our six children, aged tot to teen. And while we have our fair share of Calgon, take me away moments, mealtimes are usually enjoyable at our house.Good eating has always been part of our family culture, from our dating years in affluent Santa Barbara restaurants to laughing as our firstborn devoured peach salsa from a spoon at the age of 10 months to grilling pizzas on the backyard barbecue while famished children wait in line. Mealtimes are an event in our home.And while I love to cook, as a work-at-home mom, I also like to enjoy time with my family without spending too much time in the kitchen. Making many meals ahead of time allows me to have the best of both worlds. I regularly spend focused time in the kitchen, cooking up a storm, as we call it, and stashing it away in the freezer for later use. The result? Perfect homemade convenience foods that serve me and my family well.In as little as an hour a week, you, too, can stock your freezer with make-ahead meals and meal components that are tasty, filling, healthy, and budget-friendly. But dont worry, these are not your mothers or your grandmothers -- frozen casseroles. Drawing on modern technology and a global food market full of diverse ingredients, the recipes that follow feature a wide variety of flavor profiles and cooking methods. They appeal to modern, global taste buds, and they can all be prepared in bulk to help you save time in the kitchen. These meals will put the engaged voices and cozy suppers back into your dinnertime memories.