Veg

by Jamie Oliver

It was Jamie Oliver who inspired me to cook more than 15 years ago - and I have been been a loyal fan of his shows and books since then. Jamie's passion for cooking is as authentic as it is contagious. One would like to jump up right away and get started. I've tried many of his recipes - the ideas never seem to go out to Jamie. Hard to believe, although Veg is already his twenty-second cookbook, it's his first with purely vegetarian recipes. As he writes himself, he has been working on this book for eight years, visiting many countries where vegetables are highly valued.

“I’ve travelled halfway around the world to watch, listen and learn from some of the best veggie cooks on the planet, to really amplify flavor and scrumptiousness, and to give you beyond-tasty plates of food.

Since I’ve been cooking mainly vegetarian or vegan lately, I'm glad that Jamie Oliver finally has a cookbook that deals exclusively with vegetables.

The book is divided into eleven chapters, you will find curries, casseroles, pies and sandwiches, but also classics such as pasta and salads. Right at the first glance I discovered numerous recipes that I find interesting and that I really want to try. His “Puff Pastry Pizza” is really easy to do - cut and season vegetables, the rest is done by the oven. Tastes great!

Typical of Jamie's cookbooks is that the recipes are fun. His "Fantastic Bang Bang Cucumber" is carved with a fork and flattened with a fist.

The book ends with tips and tricks on cheese, alternative dairy products and healthy fats as well as a chapter on balanced nutrition. Although you do not really learn much new here, you will quickly be brought up to date in the concise text. (Jamie Oliver never was the type with the raised index finger.)

What I particularly like about Veg is that Jamie has been trying to work with ingredients that are available in every supermarket. Exotic, hard-to-find spices are few. And I like that Jamie (who is not vegetarian himself) deliberately addresses meat eaters.

“This book is not just for vegetarians: everyone’s welcome - especially your classic meat eater who might be stuck in a bit of a rut but knows that they could, and should, be welcoming more veg into their diet. I designed these recipes to leave you feeling full, satisfied and happy - ans not missing the meat from your plate.”

So there is no excuse not to cook vegetarian more often!

The book Veg has been published by Dorling Kindersley.