Reviews
"The book is loaded with photos and is smartly designed. Readers will come away with plenty of new techniques and tips for breaking down artichokes, conquering the fear of prepping nettles (gloves, tongs, and kitchen shears are a must) in order to prepare nettle pesto and ricotta crostini, and prepping beets." - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, "The book is loaded with photos and is smartly designed. Readers will come away with plenty of new techniques and tips for breaking down artichokes, conquering the fear of prepping nettles (gloves, tongs, and kitchen shears are a must) in order to prepare nettle pesto and ricotta crostini, and prepping beets." -- Publishers Weekly "For cooks flummoxed by fava beans or perplexed by purslane, Mangini (once a "vegetable butcher" at Eataly, an Italian marketplace in New York City) demonstrates the essentials of cutting and preparing more than 50 kinds of vegetables and herbs...Blending practical aspects found in such manuals as Jacque Pepin's New Complete Techniques with the varied recipes familiar to titles such as Michael Anthony's V Is for Vegetables, Mangini's debut will augment most vegetable cooking collections." -- Library Journal "People get so flustered by vegetables that I think it's best to start with the basics, and The Vegetable Butcher is a butchery bible and vegetable boot camp all in one. If you ever wanted to know how to slaughter a squash or eviscerate an eggplant, here's where you start." --Amanda Cohen, chef and owner of Dirt Candy "With step-by-step butchering instructions and a bunch of tasty recipes, The Vegetable Butcher demystifies a cornucopia of vegetables, including up-till-now esoteric ones like cardoons, crosnes, and stinging nettles. Hooray, more vegetables to play with!" --Sara Moulton, TV host and author of Home Cooking 101 "When things are done properly, they get easier. In The Vegetable Butcher , Cara Mangini shares simple recipes that highlight a vegetable's flavor, but more importantly, teaches you the proper...way to slice, dice, and julienne it." -- Epicurious "Chef Cara Mangini's forthcoming book, The Vegetable Butcher , is nothing short of a veg-o-pedia. It's packed with tips for buying the best stuff, plus a haul of killer recipes and step-by-step instructions for slicing and dicing everything from artichokes to zucchini." -- Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE "For someone new to cooking, this book will become a well-worn reference, while seasoned cooks may benefit from pieces on lesser-known produce, like crosnes and cardoons. All can enjoy the 150 recipes (mostly savory, but some sweet), which include some surprising yet effective cooking methods and intriguing flavor pairings." -- Fine Cooking "While most Americans view preparing produce as a tedious chores--and a barrier to cooking veggie-heavy meals--chef Cara Mangini, who comes from a family of meat butchers, sees it as a pleasure. In her new book The Vegetable Butcher , Mangini shares the knife skills needed to break down a whole garden of vegetables efficiently enough for a weeknight dinner." -- TIME magazine "If you love vegetables, this book is a must-have!" --Dorie Greenspan "An encyclopedic guide to vegetables ... full of revelations." -- The Washington Post "It is THE guide for selecting, preparing, slicing, dicing and, of course, cooking all things vegetable." -- The Chicago Tribune, "The book is loaded with photos and is smartly designed. Readers will come away with plenty of new techniques and tips for breaking down artichokes, conquering the fear of prepping nettles (gloves, tongs, and kitchen shears are a must) in order to prepare nettle pesto and ricotta crostini, and prepping beets." --Publishers Weekly "For cooks flummoxed by fava beans or perplexed by purslane, Mangini (once a "vegetable butcher" at Eataly, an Italian marketplace in New York City) demonstrates the essentials of cutting and preparing more than 50 kinds of vegetables and herbs...Blending practical aspects found in such manuals as Jacque Pepin's New Complete Techniques with the varied recipes familiar to titles such as Michael Anthony's V Is for Vegetables, Mangini's debut will augment most vegetable cooking collections." --Library Journal "People get so flustered by vegetables that I think it's best to start with the basics, and The Vegetable Butcher is a butchery bible and vegetable boot camp all in one. If you ever wanted to know how to slaughter a squash or eviscerate an eggplant, here's where you start." --Amanda Cohen, chef and owner of Dirt Candy "With step-by-step butchering instructions and a bunch of tasty recipes, The Vegetable Butcher demystifies a cornucopia of vegetables, including up-till-now esoteric ones like cardoons, crosnes, and stinging nettles. Hooray, more vegetables to play with!" --Sara Moulton, TV host and author of Home Cooking 101 "When things are done properly, they get easier. In The Vegetable Butcher , Cara Mangini shares simple recipes that highlight a vegetable's flavor, but more importantly, teaches you the proper...way to slice, dice, and julienne it."--Epicurious "Chef Cara Mangini's forthcoming book, The Vegetable Butcher , is nothing short of a veg-o-pedia. It's packed with tips for buying the best stuff, plus a haul of killer recipes and step-by-step instructions for slicing and dicing everything from artichokes to zucchini."--Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE "For someone new to cooking, this book will become a well-worn reference, while seasoned cooks may benefit from pieces on lesser-known produce, like crosnes and cardoons. All can enjoy the 150 recipes (mostly savory, but some sweet), which include some surprising yet effective cooking methods and intriguing flavor pairings."-- Fine Cooking "The Vegetable Butcher can rescue the novice who has just purchased a scary new vegetable at the farmers market--or the experienced cook who yearns for a little inspiration for preparing that bunch of carrots."-- Edible Columbus
Table of Content
CONTENTS A Note from Your Vegetable Butcher 1 Butchery Basics 4 (Selection. Storage. Washing. Cutting Board. Equipment. Tools. Basic Cuts) A Visual Guide to Basic Cuts 12 Pantry Support 17 The Vegetables Artichokes 22 Arugula and Mizuna 32 Asparagus 34 Avocados 41 Beets 46 Bok Choy 54 Broccoli and Broccolini 58 Broccoli Rabe 64 Brussels Sprouts 69 Cabbage 76 Cardoons 79 Carrots 83 Cauliflower and Romanesco 88 Celery 96 Celery Root 100 Chicories and Endives 106 Collard and Other Hearty Greens (Kale, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard) 114 Corn 128 Crosnes 135 Cucumbers 138 Eggplant 141 Fava Beans and Cranberry Beans 150 Fennel 155 Fiddlehead Ferns 161 Garlic 164 Ginger 168 Green Beans 171 Herbs (Basil, Chervil, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme) 175 Jicama 181 Kohlrabi 185 Leeks 191 Lettuce 196 Mushrooms 200 Nettles 210 Okra 214 Onions 219 Parsnips 227 Peas and Edible Pod Peas 233 Peppers 238 Potatoes 245 Radishes 252 Rhubarb 259 Rutabaga 263 Salsify and Scorzonera 268 Spinach 273 Sunchokes 279 Sweet Potatoes 283 Tomatillos 291 Tomatoes 294 Turnips 305 Wild Greens (Amaranth, Dandelion Greens, Lamb's-Quarters, Orach, Purslane, Sorrel, Watercress) 310 Winter Squash 314 Zucchini and Summer Squash 327 Conversion Tables 336 Recipes by Season 337 Index 339
