Synopses & Reviews
In this follow-up to Taste Pure and Simplewinner of the James Beard Cookbook Award—Michel Nischan takes his philosophy of healthy cooking from garden to kitchen. Inspired to provide his growing family with meals as full of flavor as those he'd enjoyed at his mother's table, Michel planted a garden of his own. The result was a delicious array of recipes based on the best the garden—or, if you're not that fortunate, the organic produce in the farmers' market or grocery store—has to offer. Sweet tomatoes and bitter lettuces, peppery radishes and succulent strawberries—these are but a handful of fruits, herbs, and vegetables that, served alone or combined with quality meats and poultry, ripened cheeses, or whole grains, inspired these 80 seasonal recipes, each one as good for the body as it is for the palate. Including a superb chapter on extending the harvest, full of fruit preserves and jams, pickled vegetables, sauces, salsas, flavored oils, spice mixes, and even a few refreshing drinks, Homegrown Pure and Simple is a book that not only conveys the sheer joy of feeding family and friends well, but also takes healthy cooking to an exciting—and delicious—new level.
Review
Warm, enthusiastic and sweetly dedicated to the author's garden-devoted mom, this volume celebrates the bounty that can come from a home garden (assuming the involvement of a dedicated gardener) with simple, mostly very healthy recipes. Following an introduction to his own garden, Nischan author of the James Beard Award-winning Taste Pure and Simple and former chef of New York City's Heartbeat restaurant organizes recipes into straightforward chapters on salads, soup, main courses, side dishes, "extending the harvest" (jams, pickled veggies, infused oils), breakfast and desserts, all interwoven with garden-related anecdotes. The recipes are appealing, with many options for both vegetarians and carnivores. Sugar Snap Peas with Fennel, Onions, and Grilled Peach Dressing; Grilled Lamp Chops with Home-Dried Tomatoes and Citrus Yogurt; Pistachio Pork Loin Chops with Pumpkin Sauce; Oregano Chicken with Grilled Kale and Heirloom Tomatoes; Shiitake Mushroom and Koshihikari Rice Cakes; and Roasted Pear and Spoon Bread Tart with Cranberry, Orange and Jalape o Glaze are all a few gourmet steps above standard homey garden fare and color photos by Susie Cushner add to the book's sophisticated feel. -Publisher's Weekly
Review
"Easily the most appealing new American cookbook is Homegrown Pure and Simple: Great Healthy Food From Garden to Table, by Michel Nischan and Mary Goodbody. The recipes have been gathered from many cultures, but somehow they all seem homespun, perhaps because of the book's rustic design. I was especially drawn to the recipe for crispy striped bass with tomato and onion sauce." -New York Times Sunday Book Review
About the Author
Michel Nischan is the best-selling author of Taste Pure and Simple. He appears frequently on the Food Network, has been a guest on Oprah, and is regularly featured in O, The Oprah Magazine. He lives in Fairfield, Connecticut, with his wife and five children. Mary Goodbody is a nationally known food writer and cookbook editor who has worked on over 45 books. Susie Cushner is a Boston-based photographer whose work can be seen in numerous cookbooks.