Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The serious, observant vegetable farmer peers beyond the traditional growing calendar and marks out six seasons, splitting summer into early, midsummer, and late summer to express how vegetables bud and ripen in a specific sequence as summer months elapse. McFadden brings to the table both significant farming experience and the palate of a creative chef. Asparagus signals the start of spring's bounty, and McFadden combines it cleverly with stinging nettles to crown a frittata. In midsummer he combines tuna, wild mushrooms, and green beans to transform green-bean casserole. An expansive variation on potatoes Anna combines sliced potatoes with cheese for a showstopping dish to outshine even a perfect T-bone steak. Mcfadden's estimable talents yield a technique that manages to serve hard winter butternut squash raw in a salad. For the serious farmer/gardener and the dedicated farmers-market shopper, McFadden's debut cookbook is an invaluable resource for all things veggie.--Knoblauch, Mark Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
McFadden (the chef at Ava Gene's in Portland, Ore., and former chef de cuisine at Brooklyn's Franny's) and Holmberg (CEO of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and former editor of Fine Cooking) have created a must-have cookbook that stands out from the crowd of vegetable-centric cookbooks for its variety of recipes, each one tempting in its own way. No surprise that McFadden, a farmer and a chef at some of the country's most innovative restaurants, would bring a clever spin to vegetables. He's the man who made the kale salad famous, and this cookbook is filled with recipes that deserve to be as popular. There are plenty of new, equally tempting kale recipes in here, including a kale and mushroom lasagna, and kale sauce served over pappardelle. Other popular vegetables get makeovers: the cauliflower ragù is a subtle dish with layers of flavor and texture; roasted fennel is paired with sausage, apples, taleggio cheese, and almonds; and braised eggplant and lamb are dressed with yogurt, spiced green sauce, and sweet and hot peppers. McFadden devotes an entire chapter to creamy enhancements to vegetables, including pistachio butter and whipped ricotta, and also has a section on hot and cold pickling. This cookbook deserves to become a well-thumbed, vital addition to any kitchen cookbook shelf. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
McFadden is the executive chef-owner of Ava Gene's, a trattoria-inspired restaurant in Portland, OR. After a glowing foreword by Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman (The Four Season Farm Gardener's Cookbook), who employed McFadden at their farm in coastal Maine, the author begins this cookbook with pantry and pickling guides, go-to recipes (e.g., compound butters, breads, dips, dressings, fry batter), and essential techniques that can help cooks become better at preparing seasonal and local vegetables. He follows these basics with a year's worth of recipes grouped into six "microseasons." Attractive vegetable recipes, written with Holmberg (Modern Sauces), range from brightly colored raw and cooked salads to indulgent appetizers, pastas, and baked goods. VERDICT Under McFadden's tutelage, cooks will learn how to bring out the best in every humble vegetable. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
