Hot vegetables

Title: Hot Vegetables
Author: Hugh Carpenter & Teri Sandison
Publisher: Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, California
ISBN: 0- 89815-975-X
Published Year: 1998

Review: 4/5 ( Very good read)

Hot Vegetables is a very colourful book. It has many pictures of food photography, which allows the readers to judge and also to reference the end-product to. All pictures are in full colour.

The book is also very informative. It has descriptors of different methods of cooking and the handling of different vegetables. There are very concise instructions on batter frying, and additional notes on the secrets to achieve a nice crisp finish. Also included are additional suggestions in accompaniment for the dishes and possible replacement of ingredients.

Overall, the book is a rather comprehensive read. Although the instructions of the recipe may be difficult to follow because of the adoption of prose, the extra commentary before each recipe allows the reader to visualise the final product well.

Recommended Recipes from Book:

1) Asparagus Mu Shu with Shiitake Mushrooms - An attractive dish with colourful visual representations.

2) Grilled Eggplant Lasagna - Complex dish but with interesting flavour. The baking as the final step makes it easy to cook. However, be careful not to over cook the eggplants or the lasagna will lose its firmness.

3) Smoked Tomatoes Tossed with Fusilli Pasta - A very simple dish, tasty and appetising. The smoked tomatoes makes the dish especially appealing to the taste buds.

4) Pumpkin Soup with Cilantro Swirl - A simple dish. The pumpkin lends a nice sweet taste to the soup and the crème fraîche gives a creamy finish. Visually appealing orange pumpkin mixes with the verdant green of cilantro. A personal favourite.

5)Pizza with Roasted Pepper Topping - A dish that requires high skill with the preparation of the dough. The pizza stone and the paddle is difficult to acquire and the logistics in a limited kitchen will need to be sorted out for this dish. However, with the proper equipment, this would be a wonderful tasting pizza.

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