edit 6. 2010:
denis cotter: for the love of food – isbn 978-0007312757
and yet another brilliant denis cotter book! “the best vegetarian chef in the british isles” says the guardian, and i fully agree. this may sound banal, but the cooking instructions are really fantastic in this book.
edit 8.2010: i added amazon links to the books. plus i added two new books that came along and have to be featured here:
yotam ottolenghi: plenty – isbn 987-0-09193-368-5
this guy is a genius. an israeli living in london, he creates very innovative vegetarian recipes with strong mediterranean influence. ottolenghi was asked by the guardian to write a weekly column of vegetarian recipes, and this book was the result. the rss feed is here. watermelon with feta, olive oil and basil leaves anyone???
denis cotter: wild garlic, gooseberries …and me – isbn 978-0007364060
the third book by denis cotter on this list still delivers the best in vegetarian food. this book focuses on food that can be collected in nature, nettles, mushrooms, berries, you name it. fantastic. again. more please.
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i have been a vegetarian since 1987 (now lacto-ovo, but at times i was a vegan) and a real fan of gourmet vegetarian food. luckily vegetarian kitchen leaves a lot of room to the imagination and offers the opportunity for very creative dishes.
here is a list of my favorite cookbooks and sources of inspiration:
1. denis cotter: paradiso seasons – isbn 0-9535353-4-7
a great book structured in seasons with totally delicious and imaginative dishes created by the superb gourmet vegetarian chef denis cotter of the cafe paradiso in cork, ireland
2. pietro leemann: joia – isbn 88-86116-59-4
pietro leemann is a swiss (ticino) chef who learned his trade in italy and japan and now has the unbelievable restaurant joia in milano, italy. his kitchen is as much a visual as treat – with a strong japanese aesthetic – as it is great to eat. the book is not on amazon but can still be bought at the restaurant.
3. eric tucker & john westerdahl: the millenium cookbook – isbn 0-89815-899-0
eric tucker with his totally amazing millenium restaurant in san francisco, california is who first made me discover gourmet vegetarian cuisine, back when they were running milly’s up in san rafael. the recipes are relatively complicated to make, but they keep it crazy and wild in the trademark california fusion style. vegan deserts!
4. eric tucker & bruce enloe: the artful vegan – isbn 1-58008-207-6
book number two from the mythic millenium restaurant. this book is completely vegan yet just as creative and excellent. the deserts are killing me.
5 denis cotter: the cafe paradiso – isbn 0-9535353-0-4
this was the first book from the cafe paradiso. compared to the paradiso seasons its a bit timid, yet already very inspiring.
6 elisabeth fischer: die internationale vegetarische küche – isbn 3-570-01038-4
one of my first vegetarian cookbooks, but one i still use often. it’s in german and its from keyno restaurant in munich germany. the book is organised after ethnicity: spanish, french, italian, german, greek, arabic, indian, thai, chinese, japanese, mexican and caribean cuisine.
7 hagler & bates: the new farm vegetarian cookbook – isbn 0-913990-60-4
this is my very first vegetarian cookbook issued by the legendary the farm – vegan collective in tennessee. nothing beats their vegan macaroni and “cheese” recipe. not gourmet. but cult!
8 rose gray & ruth rogers: river cafe cook book easy – isbn 009188464-0
warning: not vegetarian per se. but the river cafe chefs are such excellent food handlers that there are tons of fantastic recipes as a vegetarian . creative italian – quick and easy. also worth checking: river cafe cook book green and river cafe two easy
and thats all. for now!
please feel free to sen me info on other interesting vegetarian cookbooks via Contact