When I opened award-winning author Peter Berley’s book Fresh Food Fast: Delicious Seasonal Vegetarian Meals in Under an Hour* (Regan Books, $34.95 U.S.), I was hooked. Here was an incredibly busy chef, teacher and family man who spoke my language. Berley understands how little free time most people have these days to cook healthy, hearty dinners made from fresh, flavor-packed ingredients.
Berley, together with Melissa Clark, offers recipes for 48 delicious, seasonal vegetarian meals that can be prepared with ease in under an hour. There are 12 mouthwatering menus for each season, including recipes, a shopping list organized by grocery aisles and an equipment list. There are delectable dessert recipes for each season. The recipes will bring pleasure to vegetarians and omnivores alike.
Berley offers speed tips that reveal the tricks of the restaurant trade. He believes that knowing the right tools and techniques to use is essential for getting dinner on the table amid the high-speed life most of us lead. He suggests using a food processor to help cut and shred vegetables if you are not skilled with a knife. Use a single pot of boiling water to blanch vegetables before cooking pasta. If you need to cut onions for two different dishes in the same menu, cut them at the same time. He suggests trying to cook seasonally, buying produce at its peak – when it will definitely taste best.
Unlike like most other cookbooks, which give only recipes, Berley’s book of menus gives the reader a peek into the kitchen of a committed and professional fast, fresh cook. Each menu has a step-by-step game plan that shows you how to orchestrate the whole meal, including tips on how to combine the prepping steps so the recipes are quicker and easier to put together than they would be if made separately.
Learn more about Fresh Food Fast* on Amazon.com.
Norene Gilletz is a Canadian food writer and is the leading author of kosher cookbooks in Canada. Her most recent book is Norene's Healthy Kitchen.* Visit her extensive food site, Gourmania.
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