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Read It & Eat: The New Moosewood Cookbook (Win a Copy!)

by · June 29th, 2008
Contest, Cookbooks, Interview, Organic, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Women

The New Moosewood Cookbook

Mollie Katzen is the Jewish patron saint of vegetarian cooking. She wrote, hand lettered and illustrated The Moosewood Cookbook in 1977, and has gone on to write nine other cookbooks, including two for children, and a revised edition of the original Moosewood Cookbook. Mollie has over 6 million books in print, has been inducted in the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame, and is a charter member of the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Roundtable. If you’ve ever had a vegetarian Shabbat lunch, chances are you ate at least one of Mollie’s creations, and at my house we’ve been known to make entire meals using only Mollie’s cookbooks. Her recipes are filling, nutritious, easy, and invariably scrumptious.

The New Moosewood is a staple in any vegetarian kitchen, and Mollie’s latest book, The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without is an instant classic. Buy her books at your local independent bookstore, and visit her website, molliekatzen.com for recipes, resources, and Mollie news.  Mollie spoke with The Jew & The Carrot about buying organic, eating meat, cooking simpler, and okra.

Below the jump: The full interview, and a chance to win a copy of The New Moosewood Cookbook!

Win Mollie Katzen’s The New Moosewood Cookbook! Tell us below about the vegetable dish you can’t live without and be entered in a raffle to win. (One answer per reader will be counted – please leave your comments by Sunday, July 13.)

At the Jew and the Carrot we’ve been thinking a lot about meat lately–kosher meat, meat packing, treatment of workers in slaughterhouses, and pros and cons of organic meat. You write vegetarian cookbooks, but I know you’re not a strict vegetarian. Can you tell us about your own meat-eating policies, and how you came to them?

I don’t really have “policies” about meat. I ate almost none for about 30 years, largely because my plate was so filled with whole grains, beans, and vegetables, that there was no room. Also, because I’d been raised in a kosher home, I was suspicious of the meat out in the world, and worried about its cleanliness and “upbringing,” not to mention bad agricultural practices. So it just receded into the background. But my main focus has always been passion for plant-based foods, not hatred or judgment of meat.

Many people assume “vegetarian” means anti-meat, period – that as long as meat is not served, a vegetarian will be happy with anything – potato chips, bagels, even junk food, anything. Vegetarian, as a negative statement about meat, is not necessarily an embrace of vegetables. I embrace vegetables, and if meat is also on the plate, fine with me. But I want the plate to be 80% plant – based, or maybe even 90% and if there’s meat or fish, I want it to be “clean,” meaning sustainably raised.

Summer is prime time for farmer’s markets and anyone who loves them, but it’s still a little early in the season. What’s your favorite early summer farmer’s market delight?

Peas, herbs, radishes. Strawberries, stone fruit. Fava beans, spring onions, spring garlic. Those are my favorite early birds.

How important is organic food to you? What are the standards you expect from something labeled organic?

Organic is important. Organic standards are not up to me – they are classified by the USDA, so it’s not subjective. The most important points about organic are the absence of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides – so, chemical-free.

Your cooking style has evolved a lot since The Moosewood Cookbook. Can you tell us how that came about, and if you see any more stylistic changes in the near future?

My cooking now is simpler, and that’s largely due to the availability of better produce. When you are blessed with freshly-harvested local tomatoes, corn, broccoli, peppers, etc. do as little to them as possible. Just get them to the table with some good olive oil and salt and pepper immediately!

Another evolution in my cooking: if I want to make something taste rich, I’ll tend to use heat (high roasting temperature, a good sauté environment, etc.) and seasoning (judicious use of garlic, ginger, herbs) rather than sauces. If I do make sauces, they’re very light. And I use vegetables to season other vegetables: pungent greens (basil leaves, arugula, cilantro) or roasted garlic, or sautéed mushrooms and peppers are all seasonings in addition to being vegetables. I’ll roast roma tomatoes at 275°F for 4 hours and then use them to season cooked beans.

We’re beginning to care a lot about buying food that’s locally grown, but sometimes that means leaving out some of our favorites, like bananas and oranges. How do you compromise wanting to buy from farmer’s markets and local producers, and wanting to eat your favorite things?

I try to use the 70-30 rule (easier in California than in other places, but find what works where you are). That is 70% local (150 mile radius) and 30% from as close as possible. My bottom line is that I don’t buy produce from other countries (with the exception of Mexican organic tomatoes – Del Cabo brand). This is not only based on my principles, but people should be aware that with the free trade agreements in place, growers in other countries can use chemicals that are banned in the US, and they don’t have to tell you. This includes hideous stuff like DDT.

I know your new cookbook is called The Vegetable Dishes I Can’t Live Without, but are there any veggies you don’t love?
Okra.

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25 Responses to “Read It & Eat: The New Moosewood Cookbook (Win a Copy!)”

  1. Atarah Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 1:26 pm

    I’m in Texas, and this week our CSA share came with 9 pounds of tomatoes! I’m deighted. I ‘can’t live without’ fresh tomatoes: sliced, drizzled with olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar, adorned with a sprig of fresh basil… I’m doing a whole lot of living this week. :)

  2. Alla Staroseletskaya Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

    I’m the author of cooking “Cooking with Yiddishe mama” (www.allastar.net/blog) and my favourite vegetarian dish is Vinegret (Russian Fiber Salad) (http://www.allastar.net/blog/2.....egret.html)

  3. Nick Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 6:07 pm

    My favorite vegetable dish is definitely ratatouille. The only stewed dish that I’m willing to make even if the temperature is in the nineties. Luckily I enjoy it just as much at room temperature, so it doesn’t have to give me heatstroke.

  4. Debra Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 6:35 pm

    My favorite vegetable dish is really a grain dish with lots of vegetables! It is barley-casserole. Its a snap to make, delicious, and filling. I put one cup of barley in an olive-oiled round casserole dish. Add a lot of chopped onion, celery, carrots or whatever I have from my CSA; 2 cloves of garlic; fresh or dried basil, oregano, and sage; and a tsp of sea salt. Add 3 cups of vegetable stock or water and bake in the oven at 350 until all the water is absorbed (about 1 hour, 15 minutes). Whatever I throw into this recipe (even beans), it always tastes great and my toddler loves it! [Based on a Faye Levy recipe in "1,000 Jewish Recipes"]

  5. Sara Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 8:00 pm

    I can’t live without my dad’s version of Iraqi breakfast:
    1. Broil or fry some eggplant
    2. Hard boil some eggs
    3. Chop fresh tomato, parsley, and red onion
    4. Serve together in pita, with or without hummus
    Its delicious!!!!

  6. martyne Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 8:08 pm

    garlic, lentils, onions & tomato sauce. Simmer, when it smells ready, it is ready. So easy and delicious.

  7. Avi Says:
    June 29th, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    Caprese Salad. Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Basil, and some good Olive Oil. It doesn’t get more perfect than that.

  8. Devo K Says:
    June 30th, 2008 at 5:41 am

    When I make a broccoli kugel for Shabbat, I always make sure to make an extra one… otherwise it doesn’t make it to candle lighting!

  9. Yael Says:
    June 30th, 2008 at 5:45 am

    Steamed broccoli. I like it with cheese or sesame oil and soy sauce.

  10. shayna Says:
    June 30th, 2008 at 7:38 am

    this year, i have discovered a love for brussel sprouts roasted, with just a bit of olive oil, sea salt,and balsamic vinegar.

  11. rebmoti Says:
    June 30th, 2008 at 2:40 pm

    I’ve been making this my whole adult life, and in fact call it “bachelor’s special” because it’s so easy. I still make it for a quick meal in a pinch. All it is is broccoli, steamed for a couple of minutes and then stir-fried in butter and garlic, served over spaghetti. You could throw a couple of cubes of tofu in there or some beans you have in your freezer, if you like. Easy-peasy, and by now it’s become a comfort food.

  12. mollyjade Says:
    June 30th, 2008 at 3:20 pm

    Now I want to roast okra for Mollie Katzen. It’s not at all slimy that way.

  13. Tabatha Atwood Says:
    June 30th, 2008 at 7:30 pm

    cole slaw- cabbage and whatever else is in frig

  14. Shari Says:
    June 30th, 2008 at 8:11 pm

    Peppers – any color!!! (I even tried purple peppers last year from the local farmer’s market…)

  15. Kam A Says:
    June 30th, 2008 at 8:14 pm

    My favorite vegetable dish is a simple salad! I could eat one with every meal!

  16. Carla Pullum Says:
    June 30th, 2008 at 11:08 pm

    Pea Snaps!!

  17. Tara Says:
    July 1st, 2008 at 11:50 am

    I love cucumber. Especially if it is mixed with tomato, onion, a pinch of salt, and some good vinegar. The ultimate summer dish. On top of tacos, a salad, with hummus, pretty much anything goes well with it. I am getting hungry just thinking about it.

    The humble tomato though is the most useful tasty veggie. You can eat them raw, dry them, or can them and they provide a multitude of uses through out the year.

  18. Michael Says:
    July 1st, 2008 at 12:05 pm

    Impossible to name a “one true favorite,” but my wife and I love the “Greek Pizza” from Mollie Katzen’s “Enchanted Broccoli Forest.” The crust is filo (phyllo – which is correct?) dough, the toppings are some grated mozzarella, garlicky cooked spinach and tomatoes, kalamata olives, and feta cheese (I might be leaving something out). Other than preparing the crust, it is quick and easy to make and just preposterously good.

  19. Jaime Says:
    July 1st, 2008 at 12:46 pm

    Black bean-corn-cilantro salad vs. tomato avocado salad- how to choose just one? YUM! And poor Mollie Katzen needs to try fried okra- otherwise, I agree about the sliminess!

  20. Rachel Says:
    July 1st, 2008 at 10:09 pm

    So hard to pick one..probably heirloom tomato salad with garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil. Add some mozzarella and maybe some cubed bread to make it into a meal.

  21. Larry Lennhoff Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 2:53 pm

    Sweet potato pie with ground nut crust. With cardamom, cinnamon, and other lovely spices.

  22. Sherri Says:
    July 6th, 2008 at 7:22 pm

    Fresh Corn in season, anything at all with mangoes, garlic with everything, big juicy homegrown tomatoes,are all favorites and putting them all together maybe with black beans, cilantro and jalapeno would put me over the top!

  23. Sarit Says:
    July 7th, 2008 at 8:01 pm

    Fresh roasted chiocha beets sliced into an arugula/mustard green salad with goat cheese, toasted walnuts, and dried cranberries topped with a balsamic vinnagrette and a little sea salt!!

    poor okra being given a bad rap – souther fried is the way to go!

  24. Leah Koenig Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 8:05 am

    Congratulations Sherri for winning the copy of The New Moosewood Cookbook! Keep checking back for more chance to win great books, cookbooks, and other foodie treasure. :)

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