Product Description

Anna Thomas, author of the best-selling The Vegetarian Epicure, which became the bible of vegetarian cooks in the seventies and remains a classic, now returns with an exuberant new cookbook that reflects the way we live and eat today. The 66 menus are geared to busy, health-conscious families who are drawn to good fresh foods and lighter fare, filled with the pungent ethnic flavors that Anna Thomas loves.

Here are more than 325 recipes for every occasion, from seasonal family meals and little dinner parties to picnics and holiday feasts. For example:

A Simple Autumn Dinner Party that includes a freshly made Focaccia, Lima Bean Soup, Torta di Polenta with a Roasted Tomato Sauce, and Parfaits of Fruit and Mascarpone

A family meal of a Salad of Bitter Greens with Gorgonzola Cheese and Walnuts, Oyster Mushroom Chowder, Fast Buttermilk Rolls, and an Apple and Pear Crumble

A celebratory Cinco de Mayo Dinner of Nopalito Salad, Tamales with Zucchini and Cilantro Filling, Chile Ancho Salsa, Garlic and Cumin Rice, and Flan with Caramel and Pineapple

There are easy Salad Lunches, Soup Suppers, Pasta Dinners, Dinner in a Bowl, and A Casserole Supper--all foods that children love. And there are salad lunches for hot days, mezze (hearty little Middle Eastern dishes) for a crowd, a variety of teas, brunches, and a wine-tasting.

Freshness is all-important to Anna Thomas, and she offers great tips about growing tomatoes, gathering wild mushrooms, and understanding chiles, as well as suggesting strategies for getting children to eat well.

The captivating voice of Anna Thomas, which inspired a whole generation, is now even more irresistible as she persuades her contemporaries, pressured by all the demands of the day, to carve out a little time to prepare delicious, healthy meals and to experience the joy of sharing with family and friends the pleasure of the table.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #310424 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05-21
• Released on: 1996-05-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Amazon.com Review
In the 70s, The Vegetarian Epicure set the table for the counterculture. It earnestly introduced a generation of youth to now commonplace ethnic foods like polenta and to the philosophy of good food. Thomas' new book, packed with all new recipes, still resonates with the earnest enthusiasm of an amateur but in the best sense of the word. She is eager to share with readers her love of good food, ethnic flavors and the pleasure of cooking for friends and family. Places like Provence, Italy, Mexico and southern California, where Thomas lives, often provide inspiration for her recipes along with her Polish roots. Sweet illustrations evoke her philosophical and culinary roots.

From Publishers Weekly
A voice from the bellbottom years returns, sounding as fresh and fun now as she did then. In The Vegetarian Epicure, published in 1972 and followed a few years later by Volume II, Thomas was a wacky, workable combination of Adele Davis and Julia Child. Offering one of the first more sophisticated approaches to vegetarian cooking, Thomas's cookbooks gave rise to elegant vegetarian dinner parties as well as solid, meat-free family fare. That tradition is carried forward here, 20 years later, with menu-based recipes arranged by season, beginning with An Early Spring Dinner featuring Risotto de Zucca through a New Year's Eve dinner ("a meal for an occasion") co-starring Wild Mushroom Soup and Cream Cheese Pierogi with Timbales of Tahitian Squash and Pears. There are menus for picnics, for brunches, suppers or for celebrations that few fine home cooks will scorn to follow. That this is the '90s is evident in numerous elements: lowered fat (Revised Caesar Salad replaces the egg with a tablespoon or two of reduced-fat mayonnaise and calls for "a lighter hand with the olive oil"); a marked Southwest slant (lots of salsas and dried chiles, and recipes for nopalitos, the new shoots of the nopal cactus); the use of once exotic ingredients like Kabocha and Tahitian squash; roasting as a favored cooking method for vegetables; and plentiful recipes for the likes of polenta, sorbet and biscotti. Soups figure prominently, among them Raspberry Borscht and a Wild Mushroom and Charred Tomato Soup. There are crepes (Buckwheat Crepes with Onions, Apples and Cheese), numerous salads (Roasted Beet, Asparagus and Garlic Salad, with red and golden beets), breads and some pasta dishes. Dessert is invariably important, e.g., Warm Chocolate Cakes with Creme Anglaise and Boysenberry Sauce. Thomas's menu approach serves vegetarian cooking, where texture and flavoring are crucial to variety, eminently well; an index guides cooks searching for recipes by ingredient. From a simple roasted squash, garnished only with olive oil and salt and pepper, to the elaborate multi-stepped construction of a centerpiece Tamale Pie, Thomas proves once more that meatless meals can be fashionable, fun and satisfying.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
For anyone who started to cook in the 1970s, vegetarian or not, The Vegetarian Epicure was one of the most sophisticated cookbooks around, and Thomas was a household name. Now she's back, with hundreds of fresh and sophisticated recipes for simple family suppers, elaborate celebrations, and everything in between. She offers 66 year-round menus, ranging from Tomato Harvest Dinner to A French Soup and Salad Lunch to A Gala Dinner for Late Spring. There are both "little dinner parties" and "easy family menus," with digressions on such topics as What Do Children Eat? The recipes are mouthwatering and enticing, with an emphasis on seasonal produce; although a few low-fat ingredients do creep in, no one would feel deprived eating any of these meals, and there are lots of delicious desserts, both indulgent and less so. Thomas has a lovely style, and her audience will certainly not be limited to vegetarians. An essential purchase.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Splendid meals for any table, vegetarian or not
I simply love this cookbook. As an occasional vegetarian, it's a thrill to find a source for elegant, delicious food. Thomas' recipes deliver all that she promises in her nicely written text, and everything I have cooked from this book has been luscious, from fresh tomato risotto to roasted winter vegetables. It's easy to forget that's there no meat in menus so beguiling and satisfying. I also like Thomas' emphasis on seasonal fresh ingredients, and the balance she strikes by presenting recipes you can do on a weeknight without compromising on quality. Finally, I was pleased by her decision to organize the book around menus. Although you don't have to cook the courses as she suggests them, I have tried it and found that the dishes blend beautifully, and that they don't all demand attention or the same piece of kitchen gear at the same time--one person working alone in the kitchen can reasonably produce the full menu without too much angst. A gem for cooks and eaters of all persuasions.

Inventive vegetarian food
I have dozens of vegetarian cookbooks and they get pretty repetitive. I bought this book because I loved Anna Thomas' Vegetarian Epicure books 1 & 2 -- and I was not disappointed! Like her other cookbooks, the inspiration for these recipes comes from around the world. Also, this book has an updated cooking style compared to her older cookbooks.
The recipes are original and fresh. I particularly recommend the Tomatillo and Squash soup. My family loves Mexican food, but typical vegetarian Mexican fare is heavy on the cheese and fat. Anna Thomas presents a number of Mexican-inspired dishes that offer a variety of tastes; many are relatively low-fat.

NOT a vegetarian cookbook!
Don't be fooled by the title of this cookbook, it's not a vegetarian cookbook at all - unless of course you consider TURKEY to be a vegetable! The author mentions something to the effect of "..... even vegetarians enjoy the turkey ....."

It wouldn't bother me if she had said something about "even vegetarians ate the food although it contained cheese or eggs" (that's fine as some vegetarians do eat cheese and eggs) but to say that vegetarians would eat turkey is totally ignorant. I'd suggest the author needs to look up the definition of "vegetarian" before writing a cookbook for vegetarians.

This cookbook is just a glorified "mostly vegetable cookbook". It's definitely not suitable for vegetarians of any persuasian. Spend your money on something that's REALLY vegetarian - like "Vegan Planet" by Robin Robertson or "Very Vegetarian" by Jannequin Bennett, or "Passionate Vegetarian" by Crescent Dragonwagon. Note that the first 2 books are vegan and the 3rd book contains eggs and cheese, but easily adaptable if you're vegan. Amazon sells all three books.