“The Produce Bible” by Leanne Kitchen (Stewart Tabori & Chang, $29.95)
How many times have you looked at something in the produce section and said to yourself, “Wonder what you do with that?”
If you don’t know the difference between celery and celeriac, a tomatillo and a tamarillo or why lemon thyme is different from ordinary roast-it-with-the-chicken thyme, you want “The Produce Bible.” It celebrates fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, peas, pods and nuts in a way not before seen.
Beautifully illustrated and intelligently compiled, this “bible” tells you about Asian greens, for example, explaining what baby bok choy and Chinese cabbage are, and that water spinach is a cousin to the morning glory – and has nothing to do Popeye’s favorite.
This book is a wonderful resource, even for the person who will never cook a lick but would like to recognize the ingredients on a menu. So when you present a hostess with a half-dozen satsumas, you’ll be the only one at the party who can wax intelligent on the difference between them, tangelos and clementines. | Ellen Sweets
RECIPES
Cointreau-Glazed Peaches
Serves 6
6 peaches
1-to-2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
1/3 cup Cointreau
1 cup mascarpone cheese ground nutmeg, to dust
Line a broiler tray with foil and lightly grease the foil. Preheat the broiler to medium. Cut the peaches in half, remove the pits, then place the peaches, cut side up, on the tray.
Sprinkle peaches with the sugar and Cointreau and broil for six minutes, until the peaches are soft and the tops are glazed.
Serve immediately with dollops of mascarpone cheese, dusted lightly with ground nutmeg.
Grilled Vegetable Terrine
Serves 8
8 large slices grilled eggplant
10 slices grilled red bell pepper
8 slices grilled zucchini
1 1/3 cups ricotta cheese
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 handfuls arugula
3 marinated artichokes, drained and sliced
1/2 cup semidried tomatoes, drained and chopped
2/3 cup marinated mushrooms, drained and halved
Line a 9 X 5 X 2 1/2 loaf tin with plastic wrap, leaving a generous overhang on all sides. Line the base with half the eggplant, cutting to fit. Next, layer in half the bell peppers, then all of the zucchini.
Beat the ricotta cheese and garlic together until smooth. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then spread evenly over the zucchini. Press down firmly and top with the arugula leaves. Arrange the marinated artichoke, tomato and mushrooms in three strips over the arugula. Top with another layer of peppers and finish with the eggplant.
Cover securely with the overhanging plastic wrap. Top with a piece of cardboard and a weight to weigh down the vegetables (canned food is good for this). Chill the terrine in the refrigerator overnight.
Peel back the plastic wrap and carefully turn out the terrine onto a plate. Remove the plastic wrap and cut into thick slices to serve.
Note: If using store-bought grilled eggplant, bell peppers and zucchini, drain them of any oil or marinating liquid before use.
Open Lasagna of Mushrooms, Pine Nuts and Thyme
Serves 4
7 ounces (or 2 medium) fresh lasagna sheets
1/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/3 cups sliced assorted mushrooms (10 ounces)
2 bacon slices, cut into pieces of similar size to the mushroom slices
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup roughly shredded pecorino cheese
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cut each lasagna sheet into eight 3 1/4-inch squares (you will need 16 squares in total). Boil half of the pasta squares for four minutes or until al dente. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl of cold water, leave for 15-20 seconds, then drain. Lay flat on a dry dishtowel and cover with another dishtowel; it doesn’t matter that the squares may have cooked to uneven sizes. Repeat this process with the remaining pasta squares.
Heat the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the mushrooms and bacon and cook over high heat, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add the pine nuts, cream, and two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir until combined. Remove from the heat and season to taste
Reheat the broiler to medium-high. Put a pasta square in each of four shallow heatproof pasta bowls. Cover with a heaping tablespoon of mushroom mixture. Repeat twice more, then top with the last four pasta squares; the pasta doesn’t have to be in uniform stacks, nor the piles neat.
Drizzle the remaining extra virgin olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the cheese. Place the bowls under the heat for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve hot or warm.
Note: Use your favorite type of cap mushroom, such as chestnut, cremini, portobello or even shiitake, as long as they are no bigger than 1 1/2 inches across. To prepare, cut off the dirty end of the stalks, shake off excess soil and wipe the caps with a damp cloth.
