'Vegetarian Cooking' sees big changes

When Deborah Madison wrote Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, who knew that the title would end up being so close to prophetic? The book has more than 400,000 copies in print, which isn't literally everyone, of course. But when I think of all the photocopied and e-mailed recipes I've seen, the dog-eared, sauce-splattered editions on the shelves of libraries and home cooks and restaurant chefs, 400,000 suddenly seems like a conservative estimate of the book's impact.

Madison opened up a universe of possibilities for cooking vegetables in that 1997 publication, and a streamlined, elegant, modern sensibility that made many of the vegetarian cookbooks that came before hers seem fusty by comparison. Madison has continued to write interesting, beloved books since, including last year's Vegetable Literacy, but this year she decided to return to her magnum opus and update it. The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (Ten Speed Press, 2014) is an even fresher, honed version of her formidable vision, including an easier-to-read design, 200 more recipes (bringing the total to more than 1,600), and a new introduction. Out: soy milk and deep-frying. In: coconut oil and the slow-cooker.

"I really want to make it resonate more in the times that we live in," she told me when I called her at her home in Santa Fe, N.M., to talk about the new book. "There's a whole new generation of young people who are looking for this kind of information."

Question: How does the book reflect some of the biggest changes in vegetarian cooking over the last two decades?

Answer: There's just been kind of an explosion of ingredients. Today you have almond milk, hemp, rice, coconut - all these nondairy beverages. There are lots more possibilities for smoky flavors. Back then, if you were a vegetarian and you were trying to work smoke in and you didn't want to use liquid smoke, your only choice was chipotle, so everything was hot. Now we have smoked paprika and smoked salt, even smoked tea. Ghee has suddenly become popular. It's not a new ingredient, just new to many of us. Or coconut oil, people are nuts about that. I love it, too. Dairy has gotten so much better. We have access to grains we didn't then: einkorn, farro, spelt. We have red and black quinoa.

Certain things I took out. I've never been a fan of canola oil, and I am less and less - same with soy oil, same with corn oil. I thought, I'm just leaving them out, even if they're organic or supposedly [free of genetically modified organisms]. So many times those oils are rancid, and there are better fats to choose from anyway.

And I always wanted to label the recipes that happen to be vegan, because so many people use this book because they're cooking for somebody else - a child, a spouse or a family member - so why not make it easy? I didn't try to turn things into vegan recipes; I just labeled things that just happened to be. Romesco sauce just happened to be vegan.

Q: Are there things that haven't changed much, and you don't think they will? What are the constants?

A: It was a very interesting process to redo a book rather than write a new one. You want to rewrite everything, of course, and throw it away and start over, but in fact I have to recognize that a lot of people know this book and have their favorites, so those old recipes are there. The point wasn't to write a whole new book, it was to bring things up to date. There are certain American recipes and foods that are constants, for instance, but we can still make them better. Corn bread, that's a constant, but now maybe you can find freshly milled cornmeal from your farmer's market, or use great buttermilk and make it even better.

Q: I enjoyed tracking some of the changes between editions. In the original, knives were "your most important tool," for instance, but in the new one it became your hands, and knives moved to second place.

A: Thanks for noticing that. Hands are not new, but your hands tell you so much. Knives are pretty great, too. I gave a talk at Google, and one young woman said, "Is there anything you would tell me as a new cook?" I said, "Yes, get a really sharp knife and give yourself lots of room to work." These things are basic and fundamental, and I guess they still have to be said.

Q: And you dropped deep-frying from the glossary of basic cooking methods. Why?

A: I realized there is no deep-frying in the book. I just don't deep-fry. I think a lot of people avoid it. I did want to take out certain recipes that were possibly not appropriate, because they were maybe too complicated or too rich. One was a risotto gratin, and it's really good and really rich, and it's basically risotto that's baked with lots of butter, and it gets nice and crusty, but I thought, maybe it should go. Then I was giving a talk, and two women said, "You can't take that out, because we always make it for each other's birthdays." Sometimes food is a celebration, so that's important to remember.

I had a lot of stir-fries in the first book. But I'm not really a stir-fry person, so I went back and looked at the chapter again and pared it way down, and added a group of recipes that are simple sautés; they may use turmeric or chilies or lime, but they don't require a wok. They're a little more casual to make. It's what I tend to do, when all else fails, and I don't have an idea or much time.

Q: I'm happy that people don't harass you for not being totally vegetarian, something you're very up-front about. In fact, I noticed that there was just one review on Amazon complaining about that, and dozens of other reviewers jumped to your defense to say that, of course, it doesn't matter.

A: I did have 20 years of hands-on experience, so it's not like I'm discovering my inner vegetarian. I'm doing a book signing . . . in Santa Fe, at a butcher shop, with Joseph Shuldiner, who wrote Pure Vegan. He sent it to me and I thought, "You can't possibly be vegan, this is way too much fun." We're both coming from the same point of view. We're not interested in fundamental lifestyles of vegetarianism and veganism. We're interested in integrity, which is the same as the person who started the butcher shop. The meat is local, it's grass-fed, and we admire that.

It's not about saying no to this or no to that. It can be if you want, or it can be that you simply want to eat some vegetables.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

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For the cakes:  

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the ramekins

3 large eggs, separated

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated tangerine zest, plus 1/3 cup fresh tangerine juice (from 2 to 4 tangerines)

1 cup whole milk or light cream

3 tablespoons flour

Softly whipped cream, for serving

For the coulis:

2/3 cup water

3 tablespoons organic sugar, plus more to taste

3 cups frozen organic, unsweetened raspberries

3 tablespoons orange muscat wine or other sweet wine (optional)

1 teaspoon fresh tangerine juice, plus more to taste

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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter eight 4-ounce or six larger ramekins or custard cups and seat them in a roasting or baking pan large enough to hold them all with a bit of space around each one. Boil a kettle of water for the bain-marie (water bath).

2. Combine the egg whites and salt in the grease-free bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the balloon whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed until foamy; increase the speed and gradually add 2 tablespoons of the sugar, beating to form thick, glossy peaks. Scrape into a large bowl.

3. Rinse out the mixing bowl, wipe it dry and return it to the mixer. Switch to the paddle attachment. Beat the 3 tablespoons of butter with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and the tangerine zest until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating to incorporate before each addition. Gradually pour in the milk and juice, then sift in the flour, beating on low speed until combined. (A few lumps are OK.)

4. Pour the batter over the whites and fold them together. Distribute evenly among the ramekins or custard cups. Place the pan on the middle oven rack (pulled out halfway), then pour enough of the just-boiled water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins or cups (to create the bain-marie). Bake for about 30 minutes, until the tops have risen and are golden; they should spring back when lightly pressed with a finger.

5. Meanwhile, make the coulis: Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and give it a stir, then reduce the heat to medium or medium-low so the mixture is gently bubbling; cook until the sugar has dissolved.

6. Stir in the raspberries; cook for 1 minute, then turn off the heat and let the fruit stand in the syrup for 5 minutes. Force the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer placed over a bowl; discard the solids. Stir in the wine, if using, and the juice. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

7. Remove the pudding cakes from the water bath. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Drizzle sauce over each pudding cake; top each one with a small cloud of whipped cream.

Note: The baked cakes can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months; defrost before serving, and reheat in a low oven if desired. The coulis can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 6 months.

Per serving (based on 8, using whole milk): 270 calories, 4 grams protein, 50 grams carbohydrates, 43 grams sugar, 7 grams fat, 85 milligrams cholesterol, 75 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber.

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Makes 6 servings

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11/2 cups shelled fresh or frozen edamame (green soybeans)

Sea salt

1 small clove garlic, minced

11/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon Meyer lemon juice, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon black sesame seeds, toasted (see note)

1 scallion, thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish

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1. Bring a few cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the edamame and a few pinches of salt; reduce the heat to medium or medium-low so the water is gently bubbling. Cook until the edamame are tender, about 4 minutes, then drain, reserving at least 1 cup of the cooking water.

2. Transfer the edamame to a food processor along with the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of the oil. Pulse, adding the reserved cooking water as needed to make the mixture smooth and creamy - about 1/2 cup or more. Stir in the teaspoon of lemon juice, and taste; add lemon juice and salt as needed.

3. Scrape the puree into a shallow bowl and run a knife back and forth over the top to smooth it. Drizzle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oil over the top, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds and scallion.

4. Serve on crackers at room temperature.

Note: Heat the sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently, until fragrant, 4 to 8 minutes. Watch carefully; they burn easily.

Per serving: 60 calories, 4 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, no sugar, 3 grams fat, no cholesterol, 180 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.