Karen Page has done it again, this time with The Vegetarian Flavor Bible! This book is a massive encyclopedia of ingredients, flavors, and flavor pairings, with an A to Z listing of hundreds of ingredients, and the herbs, seasonings and spices that will best enhance their flavors. It’s also filled with interview snippets from dozens of leading chefs at restaurants like French Laundry, Per Se, Crossroads, Greens, Vedge and many more (including many chefs and bakers from Portland). This is not a recipe book per se (although there are simple recipes scattered throughout), but truly a book on flavors, techniques and pairings. This book seriously belongs in everyone’s kitchen.
I’m super excited to be part of the virtual blog tour for this book! Not only is the publisher giving away a copy of this fabulous book to one of my readers, but Karen Page is also sharing her tips on cooking legumes as well. So don’t forget to leave your name and a way to reach you in the comment section, as well as sharing your favorite herb or spice. Also, this giveaway is only open to US addresses.
And now I leave you with Karen’s tips on cooking legumes…
Cooking Legumes
Adapted from THE VEGETARIAN FLAVOR BIBLE by Karen Page
There are three major categories of legumes:
• pulses, including chickpeas, lentils, dried beans, dried peas
• fresh beans and fresh peas
• peanuts and soybeans
It’s best to follow the specific directions on the package of legumes you are using and to understand that timing can still vary depending on a number of factors, including heat level and heat conductivity of the pot you use.
However, here are some helpful rules of thumb:
• Rinse legumes to remove any dirt or foreign objects (e.g., tiny pebbles).
• Soak most legumes overnight in water before cooking. This shortens their cooking time and increases their digestibility. Discard the soaking water. (If time is of the essence, legumes can still benefit from a quick soak achieved by bringing them to a boil in water, then removing from heat, and letting them stand for at least an hour. Drain and rinse before proceeding.)
• Combine legumes with cooking liquid (e.g., water, stock) in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, partially covering the pot, and simmer. Check to ensure that the desired tenderness has been achieved, and then remove from heat.
Once legumes are cooked, they can be seasoned to taste. Looking for ideas? Skim the listings of herbs, spices, and other seasonings that pair best with the legume you’re working with, and see which ones make your mouth water. Once you select a secondary ingredient, make sure that the third (and any other) ingredient you add to the dish is compatible with the previous ingredients as well. For shortcuts, look to the Flavor Affinities (three or more compatible ingredients) at the end of the listing.
For example:
• BEANS, CRANBERRY
(and BORLOTTI BEANS,
a popular type of cranberry
bean)
Season: summer (fresh); yearround
(dried)
Flavor: slightly sweet, with
earthy notes of chestnuts, meat,
nuts, and/or peas, with a creamy,
yet firm texture
Volume: quiet
Nutritional profile: 73% carbs
/ 24% protein / 3% fat
Calories: 240 per 1-cup serving
(boiled)
Protein: 17 grams
Techniques: boil, braise,
pressure-cook, simmer
Timing: Boil and simmer
presoaked dried cranberry beans
until tender, about 1 – 2 hours.
Boil fresh beans about 10 minutes.
Possible substitutes: kidney
beans, pinto beans
bay leaf
beans, baked
bell peppers, e.g., red
“brandade”
broccoli rabe
butter
carrots
casseroles
celery
chard, Swiss
cheese, e.g., feta, Gorgonzola, Parmesan
chili, vegetarian
cinnamon
dips
farro
garlic
gratins
herbs
hummus
ITALIAN CUISINE
lemon juice
oil, olive
olives
onions, e.g., yellow
oregano
parsley
PASTAS
Portuguese cuisine
quinoa
rosemary
sage
salads
scallions
SOUPS, e.g., bean, minestrone, pasta e fagioli
Spanish cuisine
spinach
stews
stock, vegetable
succotash
thyme
tomatoes
walnuts
zucchini
Flavor Affinities
cranberry beans + cinnamon + tomatoes
cranberry beans + feta + walnuts
cranberry beans + garlic + green onions + lemon + olive oil
cranberry beans + garlic + sage
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book to review, but all of the thoughts and opinions expressed are completely my own.This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I love. When you buy something through my links, I receive a commission that helps support this site. Thanks for your purchase!
Being a vegetarian myself I would love this book! I’ve done a lot of research on vegetarian cookbooks…haven’t come across this one yet, but it sounds perfect for someone like me who is not a savvy vegetarian in the kitchen. I love cilantro, clove, and ginger!
Oh what an essential book! My favorite herb/spice definitely rotates, but right now I am loving on cardamom!
I recently discovered fennel, which I am.loving now.
It seems like such an awesome book!! I’ll make a controversial pick and go with cilantro as my favorite herb!
I’m a big fan of cinnamon!
This book looks amazing. My favorite herb is dill but I don’t know how to pair it so I put it on everything, with mixed success.
I could definitely benefit from useful tips like this! I go through phases of adding some spice/herb to everything – I had a turmeric phase, a smoked paprika phase, etc. These days I’m going through a berbere phase.
As I learn to cook more rathe than eating out or buying prepackaged food, understanding combinations of foods and the like will be extremely helpful
This book sounds good! I definitely need to “spice” things up in the kitchen. My favorite is cumin and fennel seed 🙂
I’d love to win this book
That book looks awesome. 🙂 my favorite spice right NOW is cumin. 🙂 it gives almost everything a really nice flavor. 🙂
thanks for the review.
Brianne
This book sounds very useful. My favorite herb is basil.
Oh there is a lot to love! But my best friends are garlic, basil and chilli!
Would love to win a copy of this book! My favorite herb is dill. It reminds me of my mom’s cooking. I love it in rice or dolmas.
Karen’s book sounds so inspirational. I’d be thrilled to have a copy. I’m hard pressed to choose just one favorite seasoning, but I’ve fallen in love with thyme as my palate has matured.
I have been waiting to check this book out from my library for a few months now, but it has an extremely long hold list! I have seen so many people recommend this book and as someone finally getting more comfortable cooking I would love to learn more about how to spice my food without recipes.
I would love to page through this! Looks great!
Hello!
I would love this book and my fave veggie is Cauliflower!!!!!!!!!!
Enter me in the contest, please!
Veggies are the best!lol
Would be cool to win the book!
What a great book. I’ve been plant based for almost a year now so this would be a great book for me to start venturing out a little further.
I saved my pennies and finally bought The Flavor Bible last year – I wish I had known this one was being released! I’ve gotta go with smoked paprika as my #1 favorite at the moment…
This looks like a great resource!
Sounds like a book that this veteran vegetarian could sure use!
Smoked sea salt for savory, nutmeg for sweets
My favorite herb is basil! Thanks for the giveaway 🙂
This sounds fantastic! My favorite spice is smoked paprika. It does so well in so many dishes. I love it in gravies, chili, tofu scrambles…just about any savory dish. Thank you for this giveaway! I also love rosemary, cumin, and dill. But smoked paprika is my fav!
My favorite herb is parsley.
Garlic is my favorite.
Sage is one of my favorites. It reminds me of my Grannie who grew her own sage. Her chicken dressing with her home grown sage smelled so good and the taste was delicious!