A Gift for the Vegetarian Cook

| published December 15, 2015 |

By Thursday Review staff

 

Looking to give the gift of vegetarianism to someone this Christmas, but you’re afraid that you don’t know how to do that without making it boring or bland?

Well, make a bee-line to your nearest used book store (we hope you live in a town which still has locally-operated book stores) and locate Julia Della Croce’s handsome collection of Italian recipes, Italy: The Vegetarian Table. This book is sure to please that vegetarian—or would be vegetarian—with mouth-watering, eye-popping recipes with a flair for the colors, textures and tastes of Italy.

This gorgeous cookbook is not new on the bookstore shelves; it was originally published more than 20 years ago by Chronicle Books of San Francisco. But the recipes are still right on-the-mark—easy to follow with clear instructions and a wide variety of dishes, salads, and desserts. In keeping with Thursday Review’s love of books, and our love of food—even older books—this would still make an excellent addition to your book shelf in the kitchen, and it would make a great gift for that vegetarian in your life.

We found the book at our local used book store (it was still in near perfect condition), but it can also be easily tracked down on Amazon.

Among Julia Della Croce’s delectable offerings: Bruschetta Semplice (Toasted Peasant Bread with garlic and olive oil); Cuscus Siciliano-Arabo (Couscous with stewed vegetables and chick peas, Sicilian-Arab style; and her grandmother’s special recipe for Pennette con Melanzane, or Giustina’s Little Penne With Eggplant. One minor complaint about this book: the limited number of photos and illustrations. We like our recipe books to be accompanied by a clear visual indication of what to expect.

Related Thursday Review articles:

Zucchini’s Magical Qualities; Maggie Nichols; Thursday Review; October 10, 2015.

Tasty Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer; R. Alan Clanton; Thursday Review; Food Archives.