Abrams & Chronicle Call

Named a best cookbook for spring 2019 by The New York Times and Bon Appetit, and a 2020 James Beard Award nominee for best cookbooks in vegetable-focused cooking, "Ruffage: A Practical Guide to Vegetables" is not your typical cookbook; it is a how-to-cook book for a variety of vegetables. Author Abra Berens, a chef, farmer, and Midwesterner, shares a collection of techniques that result in new flavors, textures, and ways to enjoy all the vegetables you want to eat. From confit to caramelized and everything in between—braised, blistered, roasted, and raw—the cooking methods covered here make this cookbook a go-to reference.

This treasure trove contains 300 recipes, spanning 29 types of vegetables. Each chapter opens with a homage to the ingredients and variations on how to prepare them. 140 photographs showcase not only the finished dishes but also the vegetables and farms behind them.

Vegetables can be served as a side or a main. Take any vegetable recipe in this book and add a roasted chicken thigh, seared piece of fish, or hard-boiled egg to turn the dish into a meal that everyone will enjoy. Some bound-to-be favorite recipes include:

• Shaved cabbage with chili oil, cilantro, and charred melon
• Blistered cucumbers with cumin yogurt and parsley
• Charred head lettuce with hard-boiled egg, anchovy vinaigrette, and garlic bread crumbs
• Massaged kale with creamed mozzarella, tomatoes, and wild rice
• Poached radishes with white wine, chicken stock, and butter

"Ruffage" will empower you to shop for, store, and cook vegetables every day in a variety of ways. You'll learn about the life and life-giving properties of plants from a farmer's perspective, build experience and confidence to try your own original variations, and never look at vegetables the same way again.