The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkinson

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Notes about this book

  • Eat Your Books

    See Susie's review of this cookbook in her round-up of the best summer 2010 cookbooks at NPR plus two sample recipes.

    Susie also did a more complete review in The Boston Globe.

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Braised fennel & celeriac with pastis

    • wester on January 13, 2017

      Nice and sweet but lacked some oomph.

  • Celery hearts in mushroom juice, vermouth & tarragon

    • wester on January 08, 2017

      Very tasty - the combination with vermouth and tarragon is a good one. Next time I want to cook them longer or at higher temperature, as there was too much bite and too much (and too thin) sauce even after an hour.

  • Onion & blood orange salad with olive oil

    • wester on January 16, 2017

      Nice & different. I used shallots. The children liked it, although they asked if I could decrease the amount of onion. I don't know if salt was omitted from the recipe on purpose, but I think it needs a pinch of it.

  • Parsley, radish & celery salad with capers

    • wester on January 10, 2017

      Nice salad, strong bright flavors.

    • Bloominanglophile on September 12, 2013

      This is a nice salad with spritely flavors. Since my supply of parsley was a bit low, I added some of the leaves from the celery heart, and their yellowish green color contrasted nicely with the dark green of the parsley. Wish I had access to French radishes--but regular ones work just fine. I made this to accompany Ottolengi's Sweet Corn Polenta from Plenty.

  • Persillade of porcini & potatoes

    • JoanN on September 30, 2012

      Liked cooking shredded potatoes this way. This was good, but it could have used more punch--maybe just more garlic and pepper. A sprinkle of Parmesan wouldn't hurt any, either.

  • Globe artichoke, fava bean & pea stew

    • JoanN on September 30, 2012

      Made this with frozen favas from Chinatown, frozen artichoke hearts from TJ's, and frozen peas. Very tasty, especially with some grated Parmesan.

  • White beans, porcini & cream

    • kari500 on August 18, 2011

      This is really wonderful. I used just regular sliced button mushrooms and canned beans, and served over polenta. Absolutely great.

  • Piquant zucchini with sour cream & dill

    • mcvl on September 19, 2020

      Nice the first day, even nicer the second. I first learned about grated zucchini from Julia Child and Simone Beck in Mastering V2, and their ideas for flavoring it are still worthy.

  • Sorrel & sour cream omelet with chives

    • Astrid5555 on May 19, 2015

      Such a simple yet delicious recipe! This has become one of my go-to lunch recipes when I can find sorrel. I only use 2 instead of 3 eggs, which is plenty.

  • Pappardelle with artichokes and sage

    • Astrid5555 on October 13, 2012

      Disappointing! After all the work preparing the artichokes, we just did not like the taste of the dish. Adding some soft goat cheese helped in the end.

  • Chard leaves with ramps & olive oil

    • Antonio on June 26, 2017

      Note for U.K. - ramps is wild garlic leaves or ramsons

  • Broccoli with courchamps sauce

    • Antonio on June 26, 2017

      For UK readers- this uses purple sprouting broccoli

  • Cauliflower & cheese

    • etcjm on August 31, 2021

      Don't normally follow a recipe really so this was interesting. Infuse the milk, like you do for bread sauce. Allow the cauliflower to dry fully in a teatowel. Lots of cheese. Make sure the veg is coated properly-all things I don't really do... Worth it. Definitely.

  • My vegetable bouillon (stock)

    • SaraPlataan on October 13, 2021

      Really GREAT method for vegetable stock. The best.

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Reviews about this book

Reviews about Recipes in this Book

  • Spinach mousse with Parmesan cream

    • Lisa Is Cooking

      ...a fabulous way to eat your greens. It’s a little rich, but it’s also nice to see such humble greens turned into a decadent, silky mousse gilded with that luscious parmesan cream.

      Full review
  • ISBN 10 1584798475
  • ISBN 13 9781584798477
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Apr 01 2010
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 224
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
  • Imprint Stewart, Tabori, & Chang

Publishers Text

Not so long ago, vegetarian choices were an afterthought on restaurant menus or were relegated to side dishes at home. But times--and eating habits--have changed, and vegetarianism is being touted not just for health reasons but for environmental ones, too.

Using fresh produce and combining seasonal ingredients have always been key to Simon Hopkinson’s cooking. Now, in The Vegetarian Option, the celebrated British chef focuses entirely on mouthwatering dishes without meat or fish. By pairing ingredients that naturally go together--eggplants with red peppers, tomatoes with olives, and peaches with plums, for example--he brings out the fullest flavor in foods. Vegetables take center stage in the book’s 125 original recipes, but there are also plenty of creative ideas for fruit, herbs, pasta, rice, legumes, eggs, dairy, and even cocktails. The Vegetarian Option is not written exclusively for vegetarians, but as a source of inspiration for all food lovers.

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