Charred

May 4, 2020
British cookbook author Taylor (The Ultimate Wood-Fired Oven Cookbook) provides spicy and smoky vegetarian options for gas or charcoal grills in this solid collection of hearty recipes. Kebabs fill the opening chapter, with tofu needing to be gently handled when constructing skewers flavored with, for instance, yakitori tofu, pineapple, and red pepper. Then it is on to burgers, where red meat is replaced by black beans in a Mexican black bean burger with avocado and chipotle sour cream. White beans have their moment as well, with white bean, grilled pepper, and mozzarella burgers. Both dishes are cooked in a frying pan, with vegetable oil, atop the heat source. The “Low, Slow and Smoked” section offers smoked mushrooms with sherry and garlic cream, and a surprising smoked onion soup with black olives and thyme, for which onion wedges are smoked for 90 minutes before being added to a pot with milk and heavy cream. Vegetables stuffed with other vegetables, such as grilled peppers with chickpeas, tomatoes, black olives, and harissa yogurt, can be found in a section of “stuffed and wrapped” treats, while 17 different plates meant for sharing round out the collection, many of which can be prepared on the stove top. This cornucopia of colorful vegetarian recipes should make for mouthwatering meals.

June 1, 2020

Taylor (The Ultimate Wood-Fired Oven Cookbook) shows that there are more options to grilling vegetables than just corn-on-the-cob as illustrated in this innovative resource. Presented are over 70 recipes for vegetarian barbeque fans; even nonvegetarians can appreciate these recipes that could be provided as accompaniments to traditional chicken and beef dishes. After a brief chapter on equipment and techniques, a section on "Kebabs" features recipes using such various ingredients as tofu, potatoes, asparagus, plantain, and eggplant. Other chapters cover burgers, fritters, salads, stuffed vegetables, and soups. The recipes are easy to follow and icons indicate whether they can be made on a grill, griddle pan, or frying pan. Some meals, like hasselback potatoes with salsa verde dressing, can even be prepared in the oven. Every recipe in this attractive book is accompanied by a full-page color photograph. VERDICT A welcome addition to the BBQ library and one that will be of interest to vegetarians, or anyone looking for more plant-based recipes.--Phillip Oliver, formerly with Univ. of North Alabama, Florence

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