Moosewood restaurant simple suppers Fresh ideas for the weeknight table

The Moosewood Collective adds to its growing list of indispensable titles with this compendium of delicious, healthful recipes that aim for simplicity and speed. As in many Moosewood titles, the recipes are mostly vegetarian, with the addition of a seafood section. Included are sections focusing on pasta, eggs, grains, beans, soups, salads, and desserts as well as an unusually large section of homemade sauces and dressings to enliven basic staples and encourage experimentation. Each chapter begins with helpful tips about even the most basic foods (there's a double-page spread just about corn on the cob, for example), and there's also shopping advice, as in the pasta chapter's explanation of why made in Italy matters. Every recipe is followed by ideas for variations and menu planning. Moosewood devotees will recognize the familiar blend of cultural influences represented here--Asian, Middle Eastern, French, African, Cajun, and more--and an appendix offers detailed explanations of the elements in a well-stocked pantry. Timely, reliable, and inventive, this is sure to inspire harried diners to reach for the cupboard doors rather than the takeout menus. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2005 Booklist

For many baby boomers, Moosewood Restaurant is synonymous with vegetarian cooking, thanks to Mollie Katzen's 1977 classic cookbook, which brought the joys of hummus, tofu and other veggie staples to home kitchens. The Ithaca, N.Y., establishment now publishes books in the name of the collective; this is the 11th. By emphasizing ease of preparation and reliance on as few ingredients as possible, the authors must stretch to find new twists on the vegetarian repertoire they've covered previously. They include new dishes such as Indonesian Sweet Potato and Cabbage Soup, and Cranberry Bulghur Pilaf-but it's ultimately familiar fare like Warm French Lentil Salad that is most appealing. The book's only real surprise is a section devoted to fish, the sole animal protein included. Working parents and students will welcome the consistent use of canned and frozen ingredients, but the quick and easy approach combined with the preponderance of dishes like Corn on the Cob, Greek Salad, Coconut Rice, and Easy Egg Rolls result in a book that might've been better in an inexpensive paperback format than a glossy hardcover. Those seeking a cheap, simple vegetarian supper are better off pulling that old, dog-eared paperback off the shelf. Photos. (On sale Oct. 25) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Spinach Artichoke Risotto Serves 6 Time: 35 minutes Ingredients • 1 quart vegetable broth (see below) • 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 1.5 cups arborio rice • 1 cup dry white wine • 1 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered • 1 tablespoon dried dill (2 tablespoons chopped fresh) • 10 ounces baby spinach, rinsed and drained • .5 cup chopped scallions • 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 ounces) To Prepare In a saucepan, bring the broth to a boil and then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. In a large, heavy saucepan on medium-high heat, cook the garlic in the oil until golden, just a few seconds. Add the rice, stirring to coat each grain with oil. Stir in the wine, artichoke hearts, and dill if using dried. Cook, stirring often, until the wine is absorbed. Ladle in the hot broth a cup at a time, stirring frequently. After each addition, cook until the rice has absorbed most of the broth before adding the next ladleful. When most of the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender but still al dente, stir in the spinach, in batches if necessary. When the spinach is wilted but still bright green, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the scallions, feta cheese, and dill if using fresh. Serve at once. Vegetable Broth is our favorite shortcut product for home cooking. At Moosewood Restaurant, we make fresh vegetable stock every day because it gives our soups depth and complexity. But when you're pressed for time, homemade stock just isn't going to happen. So, how can you turn out soups in an instant that still have plenty of flavor like those that simmer half the day? Good news: Quart boxes of organic vegetable, mushroom, and mock chicken broth are on the shelves of most natural food stores and supermarkets. We like Imagine and Pacific brands. These broths taste great, have pure ingredients, and can be used directly from the box for soups, stews, and risottos. Once opened, the brother keeps for a few weeks in the refrigerator. Unopened, they sit in your cupboard until you need them. If we were to poll Moosewood cooks, we think these broths would probably be named "favorite convenience product used at home." Excerpted from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: Fresh Ideas for the Weeknight Table by Moosewood Collective Staff All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.