• kbrooks on May 04, 2026

  This is a beautifully illustrated cookbook with recipes for a large variety of vegetables. I have made over 40 of the recipes in this book. Having said that, so far I would only repeat 7 of them. The other recipes are all okay, but nothing special. Still have a few more recipes to try. I would recommend this cookbook for beginning cooks as it doesn't have a lot to offer experienced cooks.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Artichokes with garlic, thyme, and Parmesan

  • kbrooks on April 09, 2025

    This was just okay. Won't make again.

  • jfleissn on June 10, 2025

    We thought this was fabulous! My son prepared the baby artichokes, which appeared unexpectedly at Whole Foods. Make sure to really trim them down and cook till nearly all the water evaporates. They were beautifully tender and the lemon and Parm were perfect finishers.

• Asparagus and spring onions with buckwheat linguine

  • westminstr on May 28, 2013

    Again, I didn't follow the recipe exactly (no chervil or ricotta salata) but used it as inspiration for a spring pasta dish of soba noodles with asparagus, spring onions (white and green parts) and green garlic. I liked the resulting dish quite a bit, but I have to say I enjoyed it more than anyone else in the family. My son actually spit it out (he is not a fan of asparagus). This is definitely a dish for the spring vegetable lover (guilty as charged).

• Avocado and smoked trout salad

  • Ileana on July 16, 2021

    The lemony dressing with ripe avocado and smoked trout was so good. I didn't have endive or chervil but it was good with the crispy romaine and parsley I had on hand. Would make this again.

• Baby leek salad with mustard vinaigrette

  • CRCarroll6 on November 24, 2011

    The dressing was overwhelmed by the mustard. I think I would reduce the mustard if I were to make this again.

• Beet salads

  • kbrooks on April 09, 2025

    Perfect guide to perfect beet salads in a variety of ways.

• Beet-green pasta

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2020

    This was good, much better with loads of pepper and pecorino romano. I thought I had currents, but they turned out to be raisins, which were a tad sweeter than I liked. (Currants would be much better.) I only had two big bunches of beet greens, but that seemed to be plenty.

  • metacritic on June 03, 2024

    I have made this many times, usually with anemic-looking grocery store beet greens. This time I had gorgeous, bright greens from the green market. What a difference that made. I had only raisins (and usually have currants or sour cherries) but added a bit of vinegar. I served it as a side, which I had never done before, and it was relished by all.

• Braised chard

  • kbrooks on April 09, 2025

    We like this. Can substitute shallots for the sweet onions.

• Braised red or green cabbage

  • macfadden on May 11, 2016

    I substituted butter for the duck fat to make it vegetarian, but otherwise followed the recipe. It was delicious. I would recommend a small head of cabbage for the amount of seasoning listed.

  • abrownb1 on January 28, 2022

    This was a quick hands off side for a weeknight (as long as you do all the slicing and grating in the food processor!). I used bacon fat (about 2 tbsp) and red wine vinegar (to taste) and it was delicious.

  • kbrooks on April 09, 2025

    Used bacon fat, tart green apple and increased vinegar to taste.

• Brussels sprouts pasta

  • twoyolks on November 14, 2012

    Separating the leaves takes a very long time. I would probably just slice the Brussels sprouts next time.

  • twarner on November 22, 2020

    I just ran the sprouts through the food processor using a thick slicing blade, used orzo for the pasta. It was very good.

• Cannellini beans and wilted greens

  • westminstr on October 31, 2016

    Made a small quickie version for lunch w chard from garden and Christmas lima beans. Delicious!

• Caramelized fennel

  • lhaddad7 on May 19, 2026

    10/10 no notes.

• Cardoon, cannellini bean, and artichoke ragout

  • Avocet on December 02, 2018

    I had high hopes for this recipe, but it turned out to be very bland. Perhaps as a side dish to a highly seasoned meat dish, it would be more satisfactory, or perhaps with the addition of spicy sausages.

• Carrot and cilantro soup

  • ashallen on July 24, 2021

    Sometimes the cilantro bunches at the store are realllly big and I need only a small amount for a dish. This is a super recipe for using up the rest of the bunch since it's easy and uses ingredients I usually have sitting around. The soup had a nice, velvety texture and the cilantro flavor works really nicely with the sweetness from the carrots. I didn't make the salsa, but lime juice, yogurt, and/or sour cream were all good additions. I used a mixture of yellow onion and scallion whites in place of white onion and homemade chicken stock. After cleaning and plucking the cilantro bunch, there were 1.5 oz of leaves+tender stems which yielded a good level of cilantro flavor in the soup for me. Sieving as specified in the recipe didn't remove much material - maybe I used too coarse a sieve or maybe my blender obliterated everything. Next time I'll skip the sieve and see how that goes.

  • patioweather on May 15, 2023

    My partner doesn't like soup very much, but his love of cilantro won him over with this one. I added a tomato to the salsa to make it more of a pico. I use the cilantro stems as well as leaves, and didn't sieve it because it seemed like a lot of work and all I would be removing is the healthy fiber. Update: Made this a second time and felt like a genius because I used the carrot tops and less of the cilantro. Love being able to use the whole carrot in one go.

  • crandall57 on February 09, 2026

    This was easy to prepare and it tasted great. The salsa on top is essential. I used a sweet onion, because I didn't have a white onion and I used vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock. I made croutons from gluten free bread (that I rubbed with a garlic clove) and we served those with the soup. I didn't strain the soup, the blender pureed it perfectly.

• Cauliflower soup with salmon caviar

  • mcvl on August 24, 2020

    Oh, drat, this would have been delicious if I hadn't ruined it by using inferior caviar. My usual supermarket caviar is fine for taramasalata, where there's lots else going on, but in this soup it stands nearly alone, contrasting sharply with the creamy, elegant, and bland cauliflower. Nothing but the best will do -- here, cheap caviar is a false economy.

• Chanterelle pasta

  • Emily Hope on November 19, 2010

    This was delicious--we went easy on the dried porcini because the taste of chantrelles can be a bit delicate. Also, reduce the sauce a bit before adding in the pasta. We didn't have a leek, so used a small onion instead. Leftovers were great with a little shredded chicken (leftover from stock making) thrown in.

• Chard stem gratin

  • metacritic on May 25, 2026

    Made with 2 cups heavy cream rather than bechemel. Absolutely easy and fantastic. A great way to make use of stems, which I typically discard. Will make again for sure.

• Chard, spinach, and escarole pasta

  • mcvl on September 27, 2017

    Very good, better for hot weather than cold, I think, tangy but subtle.

• Chickpea and farro soup

  • TrishaCP on June 27, 2013

    This is a rustic soup, but that doesn't mean it is simple to make. The recipe calls for separate cooking of the chickpeas and farro, before they are combined with cooked aromatics. While tasty, I've had equal to better results with simpler Deborah Madison and Paula Wolfert chickpea and farro soups, so I probably won't make this version again. One takeaway from this though is the bay- it is used extensively here and is amazing with the chickpeas.

• Chickpea salad with pickled onions

  • twoyolks on August 07, 2017

    A simple chickpea salad. I really liked the pickled onions as they add both crunch and a nice tang of acidity. It's not clear if this recipe includes pickled spring onions (which is on the referenced page) or pickled red onions (which is the name listed). I went with pickled red onions and they worked well.

• Corn and summer chanterelles

  • GoldenLeica on August 13, 2013

    This is a very simple and tasty recipe. When you find chanterelles, buy some fresh corn as well. It's special for a nice dinner!

• Corn soup with salsa

  • ksg518 on January 20, 2022

    I wanted a light corn soup to use up some corn I froze last summer from my CSA share and this was perfect. I'm not sure this would be as good with commercial frozen corn. Besides using frozen corn, I only had dried thyme. I also skipped the prosciutto (the recipe also suggests bacon) in the first phase but added bacon in the final soup. The salsa is just roasted tomato with some corn and the recipe has suggestions for other toppers. One small issue - this only makes six servings if you consider a serving to be about 6-8 ounces.

• Curly cress and blood orange salad

  • kris.mundt on January 02, 2026

    A great winter salad! Simple and delicious. I used escarole for the greens and dekopon oranges.

• Eggplant and tomato pizza

  • Waderu on September 10, 2012

    Used Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough. Rolled into rectangle. Spread olive oil mixed with middle eastern spice blend and garlic salt on one side. Grilled cornmeal side down about 5 minutes, flipped and grilled 3-5 min on olive oil side. Flipped again. Layered light portion of shredded mozzarella, then grilled eggplant and peppers in single layer, another light layer mozzarella then fresh tomato slices and basil. Cooked about 5 more min.

• French cream of cauliflower soup

  • rmardel on May 28, 2023

    This is essentially the same soup as the one that appears in Paul Bertolli's "Cooking By Hand", not surprising since Bertolli cooked at Chez Panisse, with the exception that Bertolli is a bit more precise with measurements. Bertolli actually uses olive oil rather than butter, and does not add the creme fraiche at the end, instead drizzling the soup with additional olive oil. I suppose this is the difference between the French and the Italian influence. I found the creme fraiche added nothing to the soup, and perhaps muted the flavor of the cauliflower, which is already subtle, with its milky creaminess. To my taste, Bertolli's version tops this, but it would be easy enough to make his version from this recipe by simply swapping out olive oil for the butter and omitting the creme fraiche.

• Garden tomato and garlic pasta

  • Shelmar on September 10, 2021

    Easy and frugal pasta dish. I made with parsley, will do basil next time. Recipe was vegan, but I added Parmesan cheese to my serving after tasting, just because I love cheese.

• Green garlic soup

  • westminstr on May 21, 2013

    Made soup last night inspired by this recipe. Sauteed a few shallots in butter, added chopped green garlic bulbs and greens (about 12 garlic plants - they were quite small with no bulbs forming yet), 2 small potatoes peeled and chopped, water. Simmered till tender, seasoned with s&p, then pureed and added creme fraiche and a bit of meyer lemon juice. Delicious!

• Green goddess dressing

  • firecooked on June 28, 2014

    Good... very garlicky. I used cilantro, tarragon, garlic chives, and a little oregano for herbs, and creme fraiche instead of cream.

  • blintz on May 04, 2016

    Found online at http://www.alexandracooks.com/2016/05/04/little-gems-green-goddess-dressing/

• Green risotto with fava bean purée, peas, and asparagus

  • annabelle_dc3563 on May 06, 2026

    Delicious!! I subbed more fresh favas for the peas.

• Grilled spring onions

  • TrishaCP on June 04, 2020

    Simple and perfect. We used the lemon spritz at the end and I would say that made the dish.

• Long-cooked broccoli

  • Linda04101 on February 18, 2022

    I’ve cooked this a few times and enjoy it on grilled sourdough, domes times with mozzarella or ricotta.

• Moroccan carrot salad

  • Lindacakes on February 05, 2012

    This is very easy to make and popular with guests. Good for lunches.

• Sweet potato purée with comice pear

  • LouiseStaley on August 07, 2012

    Supposedly this recipe serves 6-8 as a side dish, well it sure made a mountain of mash. The pear is an interesting textural and flavour addition to what is essentially mashed sweet potato and potato with herb infused cream/milk. It's OK, certainly not offensive in any way but because it requires a firm yet ripe pear it will probably be one of those dishes that I never get around to buying the pear for again. I served it with lamb paloise from Joe Beef with some green beans and it all made for a good combination.

  • mcvl on November 26, 2020

    I used roasted sweet potatoes (the skins are a cook's treat for me), no potato potatoes, and unpeeled pear cubes. It made my solitary Thanksgiving supper (I refuse to eat tofu on Thanksgiving with my vegan husband) quite the festival.

• Summer squash and corn pasta

  • twoyolks on August 16, 2012

    A little jalapeno goes a long way here.

  • ksg518 on June 27, 2016

    Added about one cup of favas since I had them on hand. My jalapeno must have been very mild because I regretted not using the whole pepper. Overall, pretty good recipe but I didn't feel the pasta added anything to the dish. Maybe next time I'll skip the pasta but add some sautéed shrimp.

  • EdM on August 20, 2016

    Fusilli is a good alternate to fettucini. Jalapeno varies a lot in spicy heat, so pay attention and taste - too little is as bad as too much.

  • TrishaCP on August 07, 2022

    We liked this recipe. There seemed to be a lot of corn compared to the other ingredients- I made half and next time would use 2 ears instead of 3 ears. We get really sweet corn in the summer, so the lemon and jalapeño are necessary to keep flavors balanced properly. Added crab for some protein (good but increased the sweetness).

• Tuscan bean and farro soup

  • twoyolks on September 16, 2013

    I pressure cooked the beans for 12 minutes under high pressure instead of skimpy simmering them. It worked very well. The flavor is understated ion a very Tuscan way but the overall result is very good. The quality of the chicken stock is very important.

  • kbrooks on April 09, 2025

    This is really good. If you don't have farro, you can add 1/2-3/4 cups small dried pasta 10 minutes or so at the end, cooking until tender.

• Spanish chickpea soup

  • twoyolks on October 21, 2014

    This makes a thick and hearty soup. The pureed portion of the soup was better than the whole chickpeas.

• Sautéed Brussels sprouts

  • twoyolks on January 04, 2015

    This is a simple, quick Brussels sprout recipe. The flavor is good and tames some of the bitter, cabbagey flavor of the Brussels sprouts.

• Summer squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta

  • ellabee on July 01, 2015

    p.311. Appealing because stuffed blossoms are poached and served with herbed butter rather than battered and fried. Used chopped chives rather than sage. As good or better the next day, reheated gently in herbed butter, so would be ideal for company. Used the ziplock bag with corner cut off trick for stuffing, *much* more successful than spoon or small spatula.

• Sweet potato purée with roasted garlic

  • twoyolks on March 28, 2016

    This is a nice twist on sweet potato puree. It's not nearly as sweet as many sweet potato recipes. The roasted garlic also is a nice counterpoint to the sweet potatoes.

• Warm potato salad with crème fraîche

  • twoyolks on April 14, 2017

    A bit unusual potato salad. It mostly tastes like boiled potatoes in cream.

• Pickled red onions

  • twoyolks on August 07, 2017

    Nice but I liked the Zuni Cafe pickled red onions better.

• Onion panade

  • veragusta on November 19, 2017

    Made this dish with variations from David Tanis with the addition of butternut squash. Absolutely, amazingly delicious. November 19, 2017. Perfect for Thanksgiving.

• Potato and sorrel gratin

  • twoyolks on April 23, 2020

    This is a good potato gratin that also just happens to have some sorrel in it. I thought it was a nice addition.

• White beans and wilted greens soup

  • apattin on July 08, 2020

    Good, simple soup. I had to sub some things: red kidney beans (3 cans) smoked ham in small pieces. I added a piece of parmesan rind and chopped sage into the soup

• Roasted tomato sauce

  • TrishaCP on September 01, 2022

    This is one of my favorite homemade sauces that I have made. I was generous with the basil.

• Ratatouille

  • abrownb1 on September 08, 2021

    Lovely recipe that makes good work of summer abundance and is pretty flexible if you don't have enough of one or too much of another. There's a lot of chopping but the actual cooking is very simple and you're rewarded with a huge pot of goodness. I love the little bit of warmth from the red pepper flakes - just a hint of something a little extra. As a note, the only difference I could see between this one and the one in Art of Simple Food is the cooking time for the last simmer. Otherwise it just looks to be 1.5x the recipe in that book.

• Spinach Roman style with raisin and pine nuts

  • Rachaelsb on April 26, 2022

    Yum! Great new way to make spinach-the splash of vinegar at end is just right element.

  • kbrooks on April 09, 2025

    Our favorite way to have spinach.

  • colinary on May 28, 2026

    Bain marie method with golden raisins, vin from Greens and breadcrumb & nuts from Lucques.

• Sautéed chard with lemon and hot pepper

  • metacritic on May 25, 2026

    Delicious and the easiest way to cook chard I've found.

• Warm cabbage, onion, and apple slaw

  • kbrooks on April 09, 2025

    Nice recipe with a variety of flavor options.

• Potato gratin

  • kbrooks on April 09, 2025

    This is delicious,. Lots of variations. I've sometimes added caramelized shallots.

• Whole-wheat pasta with cauliflower, walnuts, and ricotta salata

  • Linda04101 on August 03, 2022

    I really enjoyed this recipe. Quick, easy and Dey.

• Moroccan chickpeas

  • Shelmar on September 15, 2021

    Chickpeas took longer to cook than expected. I substituted ancho chili powder for cayenne, but the dish could take the heat of recommended amount of cayenne, will try as written in future. I think doubling carrot and onions would help make this a better one dish meal.

• Sautéed kale with garlic and vinegar

  • rhb on December 26, 2025

    Easy and good. Takes at least 15 minutes to cook Laciniato kale.

• Red cabbage with chestnuts

  • dpettry on November 28, 2025

    Simple and delicious. I used what I had -- green cabbage, jar of chestnuts, butter, dry Riesling, and sherry vinegar.

• Vegetable stock

  • dvallot on June 03, 2026

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