Notes about Recipes in this book

• Steamed bok choy with black vinegar and sesame oil

  • Wlow on December 03, 2021

    Good, though a little vinegary—maybe not full amount of bok choy for the dressing quantity (made half recipe). Like a warm salad, nice as a kind of relish alongside a stir-fry. Used chili garlic paste, full-size bok choy, Chinese black vinegar.

• Basic buttered brussels sprouts

  • bwehner on January 29, 2012

    Very easy, basic. Make sure you have good Brussel sprouts & let them shine!

  • bwehner on January 29, 2012

    Basic & easy. make sure you have good Brussel Sprouts & let them shine! You can, also, brown the butter a little and / or add some freshly ground nutmeg for more complexity.

• Mixed salad à la Grecque

  • wester on September 29, 2015

    Tastes good, looks good, easy, and great for cleaning out the vegetable drawer.

• Italian bean, parsley, fennel, and lemon salad

  • amoule on November 15, 2016

    Nice bean salad! In my opinion, it could use a little less bean and a little more veg., but I was interested in it as a side dish rather than as a main course.

  • wester on February 08, 2017

    I agree with the previous reviewer: a very nice bean salad, but it could use more fennel relative to the beans.

• Red cabbage salad with pecans

  • wester on September 26, 2015

    While I did like this salad and will probably make it again, I have a few bones to pick with the recipe. First, the portion size is way off. I made half a recipe, which the book claims should feed 5-8 people, and finished it off with my nine-year-old daughter. And we didn't eat abnormal amounts. Second, the ratio of oil to vinegar is weird. I already decreased the amount of vinegar on first try, and I thought there still was to much of it. Next time I will decrease it further to my normal 1 vinegar/3 oil ratio. Last, while the method given for presalting is great for softening cabbage salads, I find that just squeezing the cabbage is not enough to get rid of excess salt - it needs a good rinse as well.

• Orange, endive, and walnut salad

  • wester on January 16, 2016

    This tasted of grapefruit, which is sort of weird considering there is none in it; on the other hand, not that surprising that orange + bitterness = grapefruit. A nice salad but nothing special. The nuts did not really add much.

• Fennel, orange, and walnut salad

  • wester on January 15, 2016

    Nice enough but nothing spectacular. If I make it again, I would chop up the walnuts more. Half walnuts means that any bite will contain either too much walnut or none. ETA: But don't chop the nuts too finely as that gives a very unpleasant texture.

• Grated carrot salad

  • sturlington on April 22, 2013

    This is a nice salad, although I think I prefer the Alice Waters version. It is not substantial enough to be served alone, but would make a good component on any sandwich platter, as Peterson suggests.

• Tomato and onion salad with fresh basil

  • wester on September 22, 2015

    Classic and simple.

• Shredded daikon salad

  • kitchen_chick on August 11, 2019

    I added a carrot to the salad for some additional color.

• Sicilian-style cauliflower salad

  • wester on November 03, 2015

    The sauce was very tasty and versatile (for instance, very good on white fish), but also very basic. The cauliflower was definitely overcooked. Next time cook no more than 2 minutes.

• Indian winter squash gratin with saffron, cardamom, and almonds

  • kitchen_chick on January 01, 2018

    Delicious way to prepare winter squash. I left out the sugar. It doesn’t need it in my opinion. The squash is sweet enough on its own.

• Grilled potatoes

  • sturlington on April 22, 2013

    Par-boil the potatoes before grilling. A good technique.

• Mashed potato pancakes

  • becca.rice on December 09, 2013

    good basic recipe. more egg than other recipes for mashed potato pancakes I've tried in the past meant that this held together better in the pan (rather than melting & smooshing...)

• Slow-roasted assorted summer vegetables

  • sturlington on April 24, 2013

    Takes a long time! I ended up raising the temperature and cooking the vegetables faster, which worked fine.

• Roasted vegetable salad

  • sturlington on April 24, 2013

    Simple salad, but good. I'm not sure it needed the addition of croutons.

• Mozzarella and tomato salad from Capri (Insalata Caprese)

  • sturlington on October 16, 2013

    Can substitute fruit like melon for tomatoes.

• Aïoli and garlic and saffron mayonnaise

  • becca.rice on December 09, 2013

    from the recipe description: "It can be eaten in horrifying amounts with artichokes..."