New Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Veg Book....

[moonblushtomato]

....just got in post, yippee !!!

So which recipes are the best/easiest/yummiest??

Hot squash wrap is lovely as is his Chachouka - both lovely and easy!

The magic dough recipes are great, the resulting pittas were puffy and cute with spaces inside! Nothing like the insole style ones you get at the supermarket. The spicy chips recipe was also a winner. It looks like loads of spice but the result is surprisingly mild after all the roasting.

I'm finding his recipes a bit on the ordinary side...looking forward to seeing what everyone else likes.

I made the ginger and parsnip soup tonight, it was delicious but very hot! Next time I'll put less cayenne and perhaps also a bit less ginger.

The chickpea, chard and porcini soup is also very good (I made it with kale as I didn't have any chard, that worked very well).

Did the pinto bean chilli last weekend and it's really yum.

Has anyone had success with toddlers with any of the recipes? Too many with aubergene for my teenager.

I made the braised celery, dauphinoise potatoes, dressed lentils & cherry tomatoes with honey today. All tasty. I'd never really cooked puy lentils before, so that was good.

The pearl barley soup was really nice - quite different from all the other types I've tried.

There was a thread about the book here.

My 2 year old hasn't liked any of them so far, but he doesn't like any vegetables except frozen peas / corn on the cob, so that's not surprising.

BettyBathroom, out of interest, what books do you normally cook from that are better?
I'm not being sceptical, it's just this is turning out to be by far the best veggie cookbook I've used (and I was a veggie for 10 years, but it was a long time ago) so I'm curious to know which ones I'm missing

my yummiest so far is the sweet potato and peanut gratin, btw, but then it damn well should be yummy with that much cream and peanut in it!

Mmm thats the one I plan to make first!

turnip have you had a look at this list of recommended books - some real gems!

Guardian veggie cookbook recommendations

Ginger and parsnip soup is our face so far, bloody lovely and perfect for this type of weather, Liked the beetroot soup too but not as much. love the Fennel and lemon pasta dish and the quinoa and mushroom one, though we were out of quinoa so used couscous which was equally yummy!

Bloody love that book, it's great to eat more veg and less meat and we haven't missed it in any of these recipes as they are soooo tasty!

Fave obviously, not face!!,

Firstly - I haven't given up on Hugh's Veg book. We have made several dishes now and they've been ok. Hugh's title says it all "Everyday" so far I'd not be tempted to cook anything I've tried a second time, maybe that's because I have most of the recipes contained within "Everyday" in other books.

I tend to choose weekly recipes from several books (I have around 70) and a folder full of cut outs.

Dennis Cotter get's a weekly spot - often more involved but definitely worth the effort with some mid week wonders - his recipes work beautifully, here is a man who loves food...I love all his books but Wild Garlic, Gooseberries....has too many green veg in it for the dcs but it's a great read.

Cranks newer books - Fast Food and Cranks Bible, Gnocchi from Cranks light

Food from the place below - good everyday food, old fashioned veggie I love it but I have yet to convince the dcs.

Curry recipes tend to come from Curried Favours by Maya Kaimal MacMillan (not veggie)

Vegetable Heaven by Catherine Mason

Very excited by Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty, just starting to cook with this - made dh the Egg Spinach & pecorino pizza on Saturday and he said it was the pest pizza he'd had in a long time - making him an interesting pizza every week is a bit of a personal challenge - the dcs and I have fav pizza toppings we stick to.

I am a cookbook tart, if I can find a couple of star recipes in one book I'd call that book worth buying.

ToffeeTip, thank you

Betty, thank you so much for that incredibly helpful post.

I've never heard of Dennis Cotter but anything with wild garlic in the title sounds good to me, I will check that out.
The Yotam Ottolenghi book seems to come up a lot, that will probably go next on my list....

Caponata is lovely, as is Pea and Parsley soup. I now use the Magic Dough recipe for all pizza bases - agree with pettikins, it gives nice pockets of puffiness in the base.

One criticism of Hugh's book and programme - he chose to ignore some interesting textures and meat alternatives (tofu, tempeh, seitan etc) which some of the people he met did use.

We've acquired quite a few recipe books over the years, but the original Cranks Recipe Book is still my favourite and most used.

BettyBathroom I love Ottolenghi, and have both his first book and Plenty. But I don't think he's 'Everyday' like Hugh F-W. I haven't got the book with me as I'm at work, but on top of my head, I've tried the very full tart, paella, mango soba noodles, edamame glass noodles, moroccan carrot salad, quesadilla, lettuce salad and coconut rice with sambal & okra. They are all divine.

It's much more exciting food than River Cottage, but I think some people might find it a tad foreign. (My ILs did for example).

I love the veg book, easy but not dull. The carrot humous is lush. The flatbreads are a big hit too.

Have to clarify my MIL thinks avocado as foreign food. I don't think many MNetters are in this category, but you might be cooking for people who are.