From the Publisher
For twenty-five years, Chez Panisse, Berkeley, California's landmark restaurant, has enchanted its patrons with the excitement of delicious garden vegetables. Alice Waters and the cooks at Chez Panisse have long known that the best-tasting food is grown, harvested, and brought to market by people who practice sustainable, organic agriculture. Here, in more than 250 spirited recipes, are the vegetables that have delighted eaters at Chez Panisse. Alice and the cooks of Chez Panisse have selected the restaurant's most irresistible vegetable recipes to inspire cooks at home. The recipes are enhanced by original full-color linocuts that capture the vibrancy and individuality of produce taken straight from the garden. This remarkable compendium of culinary expertise covers a broad range - from unexpected combinations such as Grilled Asparagus with Blood Oranges and Tapenade Toast to dishes as radically simple as Spring Onion Sandwiches. More than forty vegetables, from amaranth to zucchini, are represented. For each, there is a short essay describing its cultivation, how it is used in the Chez Panisse kitchens, how to shop for it at the market, and how to prepare it for cooking. The ingenious and varied recipes that follows are drawn from all seasons of the Chez Panisse repertoire, and the curious cook who browses among them will find a rich source of possibilities and inspiration. The recipes for fennel, for example, include uncomplicated classics such as Fennel Gratin and Grilled Fennel and unusual inventions such as Shaved Fennel, Artichoke, and Parmesan Salad.
