FOR LOVE OF VEGETABLES

Martha Stewart's Vegetables: I love this book! As soon as I unpacked it I opened it to gorgeous centerfold of two kohlrabi bulbs: one purple, one green, wonderful, natural works of art. And the whole book is just as beautiful; each recipe has a photo on the facing page that appeals to the eye as well as the stomach. I know there are people out there who don't like vegetables, and I'm very sorry for them. I also think this might be the cookbook to change their minds. The recipes are delectable, none of them look difficult, and they include vegetables from the everyday - peas, carrots, potatoes - to the less familiar, such as fennel, rutabagas, parsnips, and more. And they're not necessarily just side dishes. Main dishes of various kinds include vegetables in more than supporting roles (some but not all are vegetarian), as do breads, soups, salads, and desserts. I am definitely going to try the corn ice cream, and the rainbow carrots and chard stems below.

The organization of the book is also interesting, and brilliant. Unlike most cookbooks that are organized by the above categories - breads, soups, etc., etc. - this one is organized by types of vegetables: bulbs, roots, tubers, greens, stalks and stems, pods, shoots, leaves, flowers and buds, fruits (a category that includes more than just tomatoes; take a look at the Blistered Eggplant with Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta, above), and kernels. Leafing through to see what category various veggies fall into is part of the fun, but if you want to go straight to bok choy, the index is excellent.

More than just recipes, the supporting text offers excellent background information on each vegetable, along with useful information on selecting, storing, prepping and basic cooking, and other foods that pair well with, say, Jerusalem artichokes or fennel (or peas, carrots, and potatoes for that matter). This beautiful book offers an approach to clean eating, using healthy, natural ingredients to delight the palate and maybe even convert the veggie-phobic.