The Vegetable Butcher How to Select, Prep, Slice, Dice, and Masterfully Cook Vegetables from Artichokes to Zucchini

by Mangini, Cara

• ISBN13: 9780761180524
• ISBN10: 0761180524
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2016-04-19
• Publisher: Workman Publishing Company

Summary

A root-to-leaf guide to vegetable butchery, with 150 recipes. Winner, IACP Cookbook Awards for Single Subject and People's Choice.

Applying the skills of butchery to the unique anatomy of vegetables—leafy, lumpy, stalky, gnarly, thin-skinned, or softly yielding—Cara Mangini shows, slice by slice, how to break down more than 100 vegetables for their very best use in the kitchen. Here's how to peel a tomato, butcher a butternut squash, cut cauliflower steaks, and chiffonade kale. How to find the tender, meaty heart of an artichoke and transform satellite-shaped kohlrabi into paper-thin rounds, to be served as a refreshing carpaccio.

And then, more than 150 recipes that will forever change the dutiful notion of "eat your veggies"—Grilled Asparagus, Taleggio, and Fried Egg Panini in the spring; summery Zucchini, Sweet Corn, and Basil Penne with Pine Nuts and Mozzarella; and Parsnip-Ginger Layer Cake with Browned Buttercream Frosting to sweeten a winter meal. Plus everything else you need to know to enjoy modern, sexy, and extraordinarily delicious vegetables—and make the the center of the meal.

Author Biography

Cara Mangini was Eataly's first official Vegetable Butcher; she is now the executive chef and owner of littleEATERY and littleEATER salads in Columbus, OH, and writes the "Vegetable Butcher" column for TheKitchn.com. Cara has a culinary arts degree from the National Gourmet Institute in New York City, and has partnered with acclaimed chefs and cookbook authors, working at the James Beard House and as a sous chef at New York's Culinary Loft. Before her pursuits in food, Cara attended the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and wrote about fashion for the Chicago Tribune and travel for Conde Nast Traveler. She spent nearly 10 years as an executive in the New York beauty and fashion industry.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS
A Note from Your Vegetable Butcher 1
Butchery Basics 4
(Selection. Storage. Washing. Cutting Board. Equipment. Tools. Basic Cuts)
A Visual Guide to Basic Cuts 12
Pantry Support 17
The Vegetables
Artichokes 22
Arugula and Mizuna 32
Asparagus 34
Avocados 41
Beets 46
Bok Choy 54
Broccoli and Broccolini 58
Broccoli Rabe 64
Brussels Sprouts 69
Cabbage 76
Cardoons 79
Carrots 83
Cauliflower and Romanesco 88
Celery 96
Celery Root 100
Chicories and Endives 106
Collard and Other Hearty Greens (Kale,  Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard) 114
Corn 128
Crosnes 135
Cucumbers 138
Eggplant 141
Fava Beans and Cranberry Beans 150
Fennel 155
Fiddlehead Ferns 161
Garlic 164
Ginger 168
Green Beans 171
Herbs (Basil, Chervil, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme) 175
Jicama 181
Kohlrabi 185
Leeks 191
Lettuce 196
Mushrooms 200
Nettles 210
Okra 214
Onions 219
Parsnips 227
Peas and Edible Pod Peas 233
Peppers 238
Potatoes 245
Radishes 252
Rhubarb 259
Rutabaga 263
Salsify and Scorzonera 268
Spinach 273
Sunchokes 279
Sweet Potatoes 283
Tomatillos 291
Tomatoes 294
Turnips 305
Wild Greens (Amaranth, Dandelion Greens, Lamb’s-Quarters, Orach, Purslane, Sorrel, Watercress) 310
Winter Squash 314
Zucchini and Summer Squash 327
Conversion Tables 336
Recipes by Season 337
Index 339