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Rating: 
Summary: Spectacular!
Review: I am a huge fan of Viana La Place, I have several of her books...Verdura is another fantastic addition to the foodie's library. I have prepared a number of the recipes in this book and they have all been winners. Her descriptions are spot on, and her cooking advice is always appreciated. I'm a little annoyed to see people complaining about this not being a "true vegetarian" cookbook. Guess what, folks, it's not supposed to be!
Rating:
Summary: Rave Reviews for Fundraiser Menu
Review: I received this book as a gift from my father because I kept checking it out from the library. This past weekend I used the Risotto with Swiss Chard and Winter Herbs as a stuffing for winter squash and Rapini with Garlic Bread Crumbs as the main course for a fund-raising dinner for 60 at my daughter's high school. The diners absolutely raved about it! The recipes are simple and straightforward and sooooooooooo good. It's one of my favorite cookbooks.
Rating: 
Summary: Garden Recipes
Review: La Place presents here Italian-themed dishes that spotlight vegetables. The book is much in the same vein as the great Cucina Rustica, which La Place co-authored. The book is a wonderful resource for gardeners who sometimes are overwhelmed with the gifts of their plots. The author provides good notes with each recipe and lists the Italian names of each dish. There is a nice variety of dishes.The chapters include Antipasti, Salads, Grilled Breads/Sandwiches, Soups, Pasta, Rice/Polenta, Main Dishes, Sides, and Desserts. Noteworthy recipes include Tomato and Peach Salad with Walnuts; Cauliflower with Lemon Dressing (includes radishes and olives); Summer Rice Salad; Potato and Arugula Soup; Pasta with Peas, Scallions, and Mint; Pasta with Green Tomato and Almond Sauce; Pasta with Fennel and Tomato; Rice with Squash and Sage Butter; Polenta with Broccoli Sauce; Potato and Artichoke Torte; and Golden Herbed Goat Cheese Rounds.
Rating:
Summary: A work of delicious inspiration
Review: The best book on vegetable cooking I have ever owned, am on to my third copy.All dishes are easy and delicious, her relaxed
approach to food is one we should all embrace.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent resource
Review: The nice thing about Verdura is that it has everything-- Antipasti, Salads, Grilled Breads/Sandwiches, Soups, Pasta, Rice/Polenta, Main Dishes, Sides, and Desserts--featuring vegetables cooked the Italian way. Other than the Chinese, I think the Italians have the best feel for how to bring out what's wonderful in a vegetable. I love the cauliflower with lemon dressing in particular, and the squash recipes as well. The pizza basic recipe is really great. We made it last night and it came out so well. (We did use a pizza stone, which really makes a difference.) Next time we will try the Arugula version of the pizza. Arugula is a pungent green, looking a bit like dandelion leaves and it not only tastes great, it is really good for you.
Rating:
Summary: Great recipes but not all vegetarian
Review: There's some of everything in this cookbook but if you're vegetarian or vegan be prepared to alter the recipes here and there. There's a recipe for chicken broth and another for beef broth and they're used in a bunch of the recipes -not a big deal - I just substitite a nice vegetable broth and all is well. Anchovies are used here and there too. For the vegan - you'll need to do your own substititues where cheeses are called for and there are a few egg recipes. Anyway, that said, there are lots of great recipes in here. Here's a quick view of the table of contents and a few of my favorites: - Antipasti (vegetables, fruits, cheeses, marinated vegetables, hot antipasti) - Artichokes Griti Style is really tasty - it has olive oil and parm. cheese; also some really easy recipes for things like raw vegetables with olive oil, marinated eggplant, spicy carrots, etc - Salads (leafy, little, and salads as main courses) -lots of nice, mostly simple salads. I made the one called Warm Cannellini Bean and Herb Salad and served it at our Christmas dinner alongside raviolis etc and it was a hit - Grilled bread and sandwiches - haven't tried any of these but they look tasty - Soups for every season (minnestrone soup with rice was excellent - I did it in the slow cooker - yum! There's also an escarole soup similar to what my grandmother used to make - it was good but not as good as hers :) - Pasta Sauces (excellent, fresh ideas straight from the garden. pasta with 10 herbs was great. I haven't tried it yet but there's a recipe that uses tomoatoes and avocados that sounds really good. These sauces are pretty much all things you can whip up fast, no cooking for hours on the stove - its focus is fresh and almost raw - really good - and good for you :) - Rice and Polenta dishes (I haven't tried any of the polenta dishes - had some bad experiences with that so far) - A sampler of Main Dishes (many interesting recipes here like zucchini stuffed wit mushrooms, gnocchi, ftittatas.) - Side vegetables (I love side dishes and there are some good ones in here that I've tried and were great. The ones I've tried are: artichokes w. sundried tomatoes, artichokes braised with thyme, broccoli w. garlic and red chili pepper, etc. There are some tasty sounding bean dishes that I haven't tried yet but plan to) Overall great cookbook - I've tried a sampling of recipes and they've all been good, just need to modify ever so slightly to make them vegetarian. I'd buy it again!
Rating:
Summary: Great recipes but not all vegetarian
Review: There's some of everything in this cookbook but if you're vegetarian or vegan be prepared to alter the recipes here and there. There's a recipe for chicken broth and another for beef broth and they're used in a bunch of the recipes -not a big deal - I just substitite a nice vegetable broth and all is well. Anchovies are used here and there too. For the vegan - you'll need to do your own substititues where cheeses are called for and there are a few egg recipes. Anyway, that said, there are lots of great recipes in here. Here's a quick view of the table of contents and a few of my favorites: - Antipasti (vegetables, fruits, cheeses, marinated vegetables, hot antipasti) - Artichokes Griti Style is really tasty - it has olive oil and parm. cheese; also some really easy recipes for things like raw vegetables with olive oil, marinated eggplant, spicy carrots, etc - Salads (leafy, little, and salads as main courses) -lots of nice, mostly simple salads. I made the one called Warm Cannellini Bean and Herb Salad and served it at our Christmas dinner alongside raviolis etc and it was a hit - Grilled bread and sandwiches - haven't tried any of these but they look tasty - Soups for every season (minnestrone soup with rice was excellent - I did it in the slow cooker - yum! There's also an escarole soup similar to what my grandmother used to make - it was good but not as good as hers :) - Pasta Sauces (excellent, fresh ideas straight from the garden. pasta with 10 herbs was great. I haven't tried it yet but there's a recipe that uses tomoatoes and avocados that sounds really good. These sauces are pretty much all things you can whip up fast, no cooking for hours on the stove - its focus is fresh and almost raw - really good - and good for you :) - Rice and Polenta dishes (I haven't tried any of the polenta dishes - had some bad experiences with that so far) - A sampler of Main Dishes (many interesting recipes here like zucchini stuffed wit mushrooms, gnocchi, ftittatas.) - Side vegetables (I love side dishes and there are some good ones in here that I've tried and were great. The ones I've tried are: artichokes w. sundried tomatoes, artichokes braised with thyme, broccoli w. garlic and red chili pepper, etc. There are some tasty sounding bean dishes that I haven't tried yet but plan to) Overall great cookbook - I've tried a sampling of recipes and they've all been good, just need to modify ever so slightly to make them vegetarian. I'd buy it again!
Rating:
Summary: Great book, brings out the essense of vegitables.
Review: Verdura is a great book which we have had for years now. Viana has a delightful cooking style which really focuses on the essense of vegitables... particularly fresh, in-season produce. Her recipes such as tomato and peach salad, or cucumber and orange opened our eyes to new combinations. One of our favorites.
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