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Diva Green : A Vegetarian Cook Book

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Item Code: NAG834
Publisher: Hachette India
Author: Ritu Dalmia
Language: English
Edition: 2013
ISBN: 9789350095751
Pages: 224 (Throughout Color Illustrations)
Cover: Paperback
Other Details 10 inch X 8 inch
Weight 550 gm
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
More than 1M+ customers worldwide
100% Made in India
100% Made in India
23 years in business
23 years in business
Book Description

Introduction

I was born in a vegetarian household and grew up with only vegetarian food, so technically this should have been my first book. When I wrote Italian Khana and Travelling Diva, my mother was proud of me, but never bothered to open either book because they were not vegetarian cookbooks. Now, finally, I have a book that will make her both proud and happy. Better late than never!

 

Everyone in my family is fond of food, and along with our staple Indian food, we ate a lot of European, Middle Eastern and Asian food. The authenticity of the dishes was another story altogether, for they were normally prepared by the maharaj who followed the cookbooks given to him, substituting ingredients willy-nilly. The epitome of ‘continental food’ while I was growing up was macaroni baked with Amul cheese and vegetables.

The day I started experimenting with cooking, I knew that I would be willing to eat everything. For one, I was curious and wanted to know more about the styles of cooking meats and fish, and secondly, the vegetarian cookbooks available at the time were a total disaster. The ones published in India had Indianized versions of recipes from all over the world, substituting pane er for most cheeses and using overly sweet tomato puree for any pasta sauce. As for cookbooks published abroad, they only tackled the vegetables and did not treat them as we vegetarians did. For many years after that I was a pure carnivore. In fact, my friends who were not vegetarians laughed at me and said I was more of a meat-eater than they were. But as I get older, I find vegetarian food more delicious, more wholesome and more uplifting. As they say, you really cannot get away from your roots.

At all my restaurants, the vegetarian section of the menu is fairly large because I suffered a lot as a vegetarian while travelling abroad. I remember going to a restaurant called La Tour D’argent in Paris, France, where the chef first told me I should go elsewhere if I was a vegetarian and then, when he finally gave me a plate of steamed vegetables, he charged me close to 50 euros! My parents told me that in the sixties and seventies, apart from Italian restaurants, ‘Hare Krishna’ temples were the only places in Europe where they could be sure of getting a totally vegetarian meal, without the fear of being served anchovy fish! For most vegetarians it was embarrassing being in a restaurant, because their friends or hosts would be in a fix trying to arrange for something for them to eat.

For many years foreign chefs thought that a vegetarian would only eat vegetables. Even in Italian restaurants, where there is always a large vegetarian selection, if you made the mistake of mentioning that you were a vegetarian they would just shake their heads, and say there was nothing for you. For the life of me I could not understand why these chefs did not understand that vegetarians need a complete meal rather than just a plate of grilled vegetables or steamed kohlrabi. For my first event in Italy, when the caterers proposed ratatouille and grilled mushrooms as vegetarian options for the main course, I did not know how to explain to them that that alone would not make a meal for us.

The situation has changed remarkably over the years, and today a good chef and a good restaurant anywhere in the world will have fabulous complete vegetarian meals on their menu. At Michelin-starred restaurants like Per Se in New York or La Calandre in Padua, Italy, you will be able to enjoy a full vegetarian tasting menu! Recently, for some of the events I have catered, we have had chefs come from all over the world and created extravagant vegetarian menus.

Even now, I am not really a true ‘vegetarian’; I don’t even know what that word exactly means. Some vegetarians don’t eat eggs in any form while others eat them in desserts but not otherwise. Some Americans who call themselves vegetarian say they eat fish. Some vegetarians in India don’t eat garlic and onion. It is a tough one!

But what we do know is that it is time to cut down meats in our diets, not only for the environment but also for our own sakes, to be healthier and feel better about ourselves.

In Diva Green, I have divided the chapters based on how I think of my recipes. There is always one prominent flavour or ingredient and the remaining components of the recipe dance around this cutie so that the hero is presented in the best manner possible. When I think of beetroot, my aim is to create a dish which highlights its uniqueness, so when I make the Pearl Barley Risotto with Beetroot and Goat Cheese, it is not about the risotto or the goat cheese. The hero here is the beetroot. mainly, ingredients I love, some a tad more than others. This also means that I have not been able to cover all vegetables and all ingredients. That’s why vegetables like pumpkin, eggplant, tomato and potato have greater prominence than, let’s say, a fancy vegetable like asparagus. And you will find no recipe that has broccoli because that is one vegetable I truly detest. I should say here that this book cannot be used by a vegetarian who does not eat eggs or is strict about eating Parmesan or other European cheeses which have rennet, an animal product that is used in the production of cheese the world over. My books reflect what I love to cook and what I am good at cooking, and how I see and serve most of my vegetarian guests. However, altogether it contains a large number of starters, soups, entrees and desserts. At the end of the book I have suggested some meal plans for you, to serve at an intimate dinner for two or a grand cocktail for fifty.

The recipes here are simple, straightforward and quick; no fuss, just great food that I love to cook. It just happens that they don’t contain any meat or fish. And, as I always say to all my readers, these recipes are just your guidelines. The real fun of cooking is when you create your own recipes by using your imagination, substituting, adding, deleting ingredients. At the end of the day you want to cook in your individual style; I am just here to point you in the right direction.

Writing this book has made me fall in love with vegetarian food once again and reminded me of the magic simple vegetables can create. I am raring to redo all my restaurant menus and add more vegetarian dishes in there. I feel inspired, and I hope these recipes will inspire you too, to embrace new tastes and methods of preparation.

Contents

Introduction

vi

Potato

10

Green Vichyssoise

 

Warm Caramelized Potato and Onion Salad

14

Mustard Patato

16

Pan-fried Gnocchi with Butter and Leeks

18

Risotto with Sweet Patato and Mushroom

22

Sliced Potato and Rosemary Pizza

24

Potato and Mushroom Tart

26

Sweet Potato Chupcakes

28

Pumpkin

30

Pumpkin and Coconut Soup

32

Pumpkin Salad with Parmesan Cheese Pumpkin Seed Dressing

34

Pumpkin and Feta Cheese Dip

36

Tortelli with Pumpkin

38

Pumpkin Roesti

42

Thai Pumpkin Curry

44

Pumpkin Pie

48

Sweet pumpkin Fritters

50

Eggplant

52

Baba Ghonouj

54

Chilled Eggplant Gazpacho

56

Begun Bhaja (Crispy Eggplant, Bengal-style)

58

Marinated Eggplant Sandwich

60

Grilled Eggplant with Pepper and Sesame

62

Melanzane alla Parmigiana (Eggplant Parmesan in White Sauce)

64

Mrs M’s Divine Baby Eggplants

66

Melanzane Sott’olio (Preserved Eggplant)

68

Grilled Eggplant Salad with Yoghurt and Mint Dressing

70

Tomato

72

Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup

74

Grilled Tomato Gazpacho

76

Burmese Tomato Salad

78

Italian Bread and Tomato Salad

80

Tomato and Couscous Salad

82

Kim’s Oriental-style Bruschetta

84

Pasta with Fresh Cherry Tomatoes and Ricotta

86

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

88

Carrot And Beetroot

92

Carrot and Ginger Soup

94

Beetroot and Green Mango Salad

96

Carrot Salad

98

Carrot and Orange Arancine

100

Beetroot and Pearl Barley Risotto

102

Beetroot Souffle

104

Anna’s Carrot Cake

106

Beetroot, Pineapple and Ginger Cooler

110

Mushroom

112

Mushroom and Coconut Soup

114

Spicy Mushroom Salad

116

Mushroom Ceviche

118

Marinated Mushroom

120

Polenta with Mushroom Ragu

122

Wok-Fned Mushroom Rolled in Pancakes

124

Fruits

128

Glass Noodles, Asparagus and Papaya Salad

130

Grapes Dipped in Cheese and Crusted with Nuts

132

Green Mango and Banana Flower Salad

134

Roasted Fig and Camembert Bruschetta

136

Spaghetti with Strawberries

138

Papaya Curry

140

Apple Dumplings

142

Apricot Knodel

144

Lemon Tart

148

Pear Skillet Cake

150

Dairy

152

Halloumi Skewers with Cherry Tomatos and Onions

154

Jordanian-style Labneh

156

Papa a la Huancaina

158

Pita Pizza with Dipping Sauce

160

Tambli

162

The World-famous Kadi

164

New Year Cheesecake

166

Zeppole di San Giueppe

168

Greens

170

Rocket Soup with Roasted Almonds

172

Green Bean Salad with Peanut Sauce

174

Zucchini and Basil Salad

176

Scrumber

178

Spinach Tempura with Radish Dipping Sauce

180

Plecing Kangkung

182

Green Pea Falafel Burger

184

Risotto with Green Beans, Chives and Goat Cheese

186

Everything Else

188

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Tomato Sprinklings

190

Easiest Chickpeas in the World

192

Corn and Pumpkin Fritters

194

Tofu and Vegetables with Wasabi Coconut Dressing

196

Corncakes with Mozzarella and Avocado Salsa

198

Red Pepper and Avocado Wrap

200

Saint’s Day Pasta

202

S’more Cookies

204

Orange and Campari Cake

206

Stocks, Dips, Sauces and More

208

Dukkah (Eqyptian Spice Blend)

208

Vegetable Stock

210

Bechamel Sauce

210

Pesto Sauce

211

Tomato Salsa

211

Delicious Mustard Dressing

212

Spicy Honey Dip

21:2

Detox Dip

213

Red Chilli Sauce

213

Set for a Feast: Suggested meal plans

214

Index

216

I need to thank

224

 

Sample Pages

 

 

 
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