Pasta e Verdura: 140 Vegetable Sauces for Spaghetti, Fusilli, Rigatoni, and All Other Noodles 
asked by crafty1 on November 10, 2006 2:38 PM
Pasta e Verdura provides endless ideas for cooks who love pasta, but prefer greens to meats. Yet this is not a health-food book, nor is it a vegetarian's take on Italian cuisine. Rather, Jack Bishop made the astute observation somewhere along the line that Italians, as a consequence of tradition, and of being Italian, eat a lot of different pasta dishes that have absolutely nothing to do with high levels of meat, fat, or dairy. Healthy dishes, in other words. And impossibly delicious.
So, starting at the beginning of the alphabet, Bishop gives the reader Braised Artichokes with Tomatoes and Thyme served over linguine--while also explaining how to shop for the best artichokes, how to store them, and how to prep them for cooking. This format is followed for all 27 individual vegetable entries. Arugula is next, right on through to zucchini (Sautéed Zucchini with Lemon, Pine Nuts, and Basil served over fettuccine).
Anyone who opines that eating well and living within the parameters of a sensible diet are impossible bedfellows needs this book. The results will be delicious and healthy. --Schuyler Ingle
Reviews
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There are few cookbooks that are as universally useful as this one. While the subject matter (pasta sauces) is limited, the situations in which you can use these recipes is almost limitless. The book contains simple recipes that make me think that my mom was slacking when she fed us bottled sauce when I was a child. And you can find elegant recipes that use unusual ingredients in imaginative ways. Best of all, you'll love this book if you're a budget-constained novice (like my recent college-grad brother to whom I gave this book - many of the recipes are neither expensive nor difficult) or an accomplished cook, especially in Italian cooking, looking for new ways to prepare pasta. Regardless of your situation, you can find a good recipe in this book. Frankly, this book is indispensible if you want to cook interesting pasta. My copy is so stained from the many sauces that I've cooked that I have an extra "clean" copy that I'm saving for posterity.
I have cooked recipes from this book for my Italian colleagues who were universally impressed by the results. And, quite honestly, I'm not sure if my wife would have married me if I hadn't delved into this book. The first time that I cooked "Spicy mixed peppers with basil and parmesan" was an unqualified success.
This book contains over 100 great recipes for pasta sauces, but if you want suggestions for some specific ones (the type for which you'd bend a corner of a page if you were to give the book as a gift) try (page numbers refer to the hardback version):
Cheap sauces
1) Chopped broccoli puree with garlic (pg. 65)
2) Blanched broccoli with spicy black olive vinaigrette (pg. 67)
3) Aglio e olio (a great garlic and olive oil recipe) (pg. 148)
4) Pasta alla puttanesca (pg. 290)
5) Pasta arrabbiata (pg. 296)
Sauces to impress
1) Golden Cauiflower in Spicy Tomato Sauce (pg. 101)
2) Sauteed endive with bell peppers, shallots and white wine (pg. 124)
3) Carmelized vidalia onions with black olives and rosemary (pg. 152)
4) Steamed green beans with double mushroom sauce (pg. 164)
5) Spicy mixed peppers with basil and parmesan (pg. 234)
6) Roasted red pepper sauce (pg. 238)
7) Roasted new potatoes with herbs, garlic and balsamic vinegar (pg. 248)
8) Spinach in tomato sauce with shallots and carrots (pg. 263)
9) Slow-cooked zucchini with tomato sauce (pg. 312)
Of course, almost anything else from the book is worth trying as well. These are just some recipes to start. Overall, this book is fantastic. I use it at least twice a week, and the inspiration that it has provided is even more pervasive. Grazie, Jack Bishop!
I have cooked recipes from this book for my Italian colleagues who were universally impressed by the results. And, quite honestly, I'm not sure if my wife would have married me if I hadn't delved into this book. The first time that I cooked "Spicy mixed peppers with basil and parmesan" was an unqualified success.
This book contains over 100 great recipes for pasta sauces, but if you want suggestions for some specific ones (the type for which you'd bend a corner of a page if you were to give the book as a gift) try (page numbers refer to the hardback version):
Cheap sauces
1) Chopped broccoli puree with garlic (pg. 65)
2) Blanched broccoli with spicy black olive vinaigrette (pg. 67)
3) Aglio e olio (a great garlic and olive oil recipe) (pg. 148)
4) Pasta alla puttanesca (pg. 290)
5) Pasta arrabbiata (pg. 296)
Sauces to impress
1) Golden Cauiflower in Spicy Tomato Sauce (pg. 101)
2) Sauteed endive with bell peppers, shallots and white wine (pg. 124)
3) Carmelized vidalia onions with black olives and rosemary (pg. 152)
4) Steamed green beans with double mushroom sauce (pg. 164)
5) Spicy mixed peppers with basil and parmesan (pg. 234)
6) Roasted red pepper sauce (pg. 238)
7) Roasted new potatoes with herbs, garlic and balsamic vinegar (pg. 248)
8) Spinach in tomato sauce with shallots and carrots (pg. 263)
9) Slow-cooked zucchini with tomato sauce (pg. 312)
Of course, almost anything else from the book is worth trying as well. These are just some recipes to start. Overall, this book is fantastic. I use it at least twice a week, and the inspiration that it has provided is even more pervasive. Grazie, Jack Bishop!
reviewed by csean85 on November 13, 2006 5:20 PM
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This is one of the very best cookbooks I have ever used! Out of 75+ cookbooks I own, this one gets used repeatedly. The sauces are delicious, and for the most part, very easy to prepare. The recipes are so simple to follow that I prepare most of the sauces from memory now, and it should take only 2 or 3 preparations before you can do these sauces by heart. With a few exceptions, the ingredients are all pretty commonplace. There is almost nothing in your garden that cannot be used in one of these sauces.
This is just a great cookbook in all respects!
reviewed by vladi on November 23, 2006 1:26 AM