Delia’s Vegetarian Collection
Delia Smith has tossed the odd crumb to non-meat eaters in previous books: in Delia’s Vegetarian Collection, finger on the pulse as always, she pulls the best of those together, tops them up with a selection of new ones, and presumably has herself and the BBC another bestseller. Lest this sound ungenerous, it’s as well to say that this is a fine collection, wide-ranging and full of variety; and also visually very appealing. Vegetarians are likely to feel that the wait was worthwhile; many other cooks will be grateful for an inspiring repertoire, which happens not to contain meat. As always with Delia Smith, there is nothing here to frighten the tentative cook. Perhaps the most demanding recipe is the rather modish Red Onion Tarte Tatin. But even here, Delia’s calm directions provide the most reassuring of guides (practically every sentence in every recipe starts with the words “First” or “Next” or “Then”).
Delia has cast her net widely, both geographically and, as it were, chronologically. While Vegetarian Sausage Rolls , “Not Pork” Pie and a variety of hefty vegetable gratins, such as Roasted Vegetable and Brown Rice, evoke a time of wholefood earnestness, before vegetarian food lightened up, most of the recipes belong to a more modern era, characterised by the flavours of the Mediterranean and the Pacific Rim, where vegetables play a more central role in the cuisines. Pasta and noodle recipes, for example, include the wonderful Trofie with Pesto, Green Beans and Potatoes, together with many other classic Italian dishes; while the East contributes Singapore Stir-Fried Noodles and Soba Noodles with Soy and Citrus Dressing. One of the pleasures of this book is the presence of many classic recipes, included simply because of their deliciousness. This is plainly the case in the Puddings chapter. Suet aside, puddings can’t cause vegetarians too many problems. But here are Crepes Suzettes, Bananas Baked in Rum, Cr?me Br?l? and Strawberry and Balsamic Vinegar Ice Cream to remind us that some of the best things to eat have always been meatless. –Robin Davidson
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Customer Review: NOT AS GOOD AS IT LOOKS
My initial reaction to this anthology of recipes from earlier Delia Smith books was much the same as that of earlier reviewers. The recipes are generally inventive, and the book itself is well laid out, and visually attractive. But the more I use it, the more irritated I get. First, the colour photographs are a 50 per cent waste of space. There are typically four pictures on each illustration page, two of them of one of the dishes, which is fine, and two of pretty arrangements of a few ingredients. This is OK if you’re a fan of photographic still lifes, but not much use if you want to see how a given recipe is meant to look. Second, Delia’s style is execrable. Every step in a recipe is prefaced by wholly unnecessary phrases like “after that you do X..” or “the next thing to do is…”. Given the price of the book, it would have been nice if someone could have converted Delia’s telly-speak into good plain English instructions. Third, and most important if you are trusting her to take you through a recipe for the first time, she is sometimes ambiguous or downright wrong. Take, for example, her basically admirable recipe for mushrooms in Madeira in puff pastry cases. She specifies “900g of both oyster mushrooms and chestnut mushrooms”. 450g of each, or 1800 g in total?. She then goes on to tell you how to roll out 500g of ready made pastry into 6 13 cm squares 2 cm thick. Try it - she obviously hasn’t. You’ll be lucky to get three squares out of this quantity of pastry. So do you roll it out more thinly or double up the quantities? You can probably work it out what she means by going to something like the magnificent Mastering the Art of French Cooking; but should you have to? In short, a nice book to look at, with some creative ideas, but marred by sloppy writing, arty production values, and some glaring mistakes.
Customer Review: Delia’s Bandwagon Book
This is Delia jumping on the Vegetarian bandwagon, thinking that she can do it right. The answer is an indigestible NO. Not all Veggies can wallow in gluts of cream. Some of us are Galactosemic - no that does not mean we are Vegan, you can choose to be Vegan - but Delia wouldn’t care about that. This is a total rip-off. Avoid if you want to be healthy.
Worcestershire Sauce, Vegetarian, Organic, 5 oz.
The Wizard has taken a very well-known and beloved table sauce and given it his special, magical twist. Common worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, but our innovative Wizard has created a delicious full-bodied, vegan worcestershire sauce without the anchovies. Crafted from costly organic spices and seasonings, The Wizard’s Organic Worcestershire sauce is delicious on all your favorite foods, from veggie burgers to Bloody Marys!
Snacks and Starters: Vegetarian (Any Time Temptations Series)
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Vegan Smoothie
2 bananas, sliced
Handful of frozen or fresh strawberries
Rice milk or soy milk
Vanilla flavoring (optional)
Honey (optional)
Place bananas on a cookie sheet and freeze for several hours (or until completely or
almost-completely frozen). Put fruit in blender. Blend thoroughly, until creamy. Add
rice or soy milk to your liking (less for a thick, creamy frozen-yogurt type of
dessert- More for a drinkable smoothie). Vanilla and/or honey can be added to your
liking.
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