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VEGETABLE LOVE

Barbara Kafka with C. Styler

The newest book by award-winning author Barbara Kafka is a testament that vegetables are so varied that they deserve their own cookbook.

Vegetable Love is divided in six chapters, the first four are dedicated to history and recipes of the vegetables of the New World, Europe and the Arab World, Asia and Africa, and vegetables available around the globe, what she calls Citizens of the World, respectively. These chapters offer detail descriptions of each vegetable and their specific recipes.

The last two sections are reserved for basic recipes and cooking techniques so you can learn to makes sauces, dressings, dough, stocks, rice and much more. The last, and perhaps most useful, section, is a guide where you can read about each vegetable, how to buy, store, wash and cook it in different ways. This guide will show you how to cook everything from anise and cactus pads to dandelion greens and wasabi. With Kaka's detailed descriptions you'll know, for example, that 1 medium bunch of radishes yields ¾ cups trimmed and quartered, or that 8 cups of raw scallions, equals 1 cup cooked.

With over 700 recipes, you won't run out of ways to prepare what vegetables you find at your farmer's market. This is not a strictly vegetarian cookbook however, Kafka includes many recipes where meats, chicken and fish complement the wonderful taste and texture of vegetables.

About the author: Kafka is the author of eight other cookbooks, including Soup, A Way of Life, and Microwave Gourmet. She has a Lifetime Achievement Award from the James Beard Foundation.