Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Review Since its 1991 publication, Viana La Place's Verdura has become a classic. And with good reason: Its 300 accessible recipes represent the best of the Italian approach to vegetable preparation, an earthy yet spirited technique that celebrates fresh ingredients simply treated. Many readers have made the book their vegetable cooking bible; those who have not yet added it to their kitchen libraries will want to do so. Contending that eating well-prepared vegetables helps us to appreciate life's natural cycles, La Place presents recipes for antipastos, salads, soups, sandwiches, pasta, risottos, pizzas, and more. The vegetables she explores run the gamut from the familiar--artichokes, eggplant, radicchio--to the more exotic, such as chayote, cardoons, and brocciflower. (La Place sautés this cauliflower-broccoli hybrid in garlic and oil, then strews it with pungent provolone.) Other recipes, such as Soup of Dried Fava Beans with Fresh Fennel, Fettucine with Peas, Green Onions, and Mint, Grilled Bread with Mushrooms and Herbs, and Baked Red Pepper Fritatta, give further evidence of La Place's original yet thoughtful way with the earth's bounty. Desserts are also included, among them Watermelon with Bittersweet Chocolate Shavings, Grilled Figs with Honey and Walnuts, and Lemon Granita and Brioche. With a vegetable and herb guide and an ingredient glossary, Verdura provides comprehensive information while exciting the mind's palate. --Arthur Boehm From Publishers Weekly " Verdura means vegetables," writes cooking teacher and food columnist La Place ( Cucina Fresca ). It "represents a style of cooking directly related to nature." By scouring the homes and restaurants of Italy, here she proves her case with 250 recipes and 50 menus featuring "vegetables in all their remarkable variety"--antipasti, salads, sandwiches, soups, pastas, risotti, tarts and stews. As in her previous books, ingredients fall into unexpected combinations--carrots with porcini mushrooms, fried yellow peppers with mint. Whimsy is also revealed in recipes for "olive oil from hell" and "angry rice." Mainly, however, common sense and creativity combine forces. The roster of Italian vegetables is well represented, from olives to peppers to artichokes, and now-familiar foods like pasta are given new life (e.g., tubetti with diced tomato and avocado sauce). La Place tells us that "it is through vegetables that I have found my greatest expression." Verdura is the proof. Illustrations not seen by PW. Author tour. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal La Place is the coauthor of Cucina Rustica ( LJ 3/15/90), Pasta Fresca ( LJ 11/15/88), and Cucina Fresca (Harper, 1985). Like her previous books, this offers a collection of bright, vibrant dishes, this time with the emphasis solely on vegetables--as antipasti, in salads and soups, as main dishes, with pasta, rice, or polenta. Mint Frittata with Tomato Garnish, Inflamed Green Olives, and Pasta with Fennel, Tomato, and Red Onion are just some of La Place's fresh, unpretentious, and unusual creations; an excellent ingredients guide and a sampling of fruit desserts round out the book. Highly recommended.Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus Reviews The co-author of those sprightly Italian recipe collections Pasta Fresca (1985) and Cucina Rustica (1990) single-handedly takes on Italian ways with vegetables here, as she roasts, fries, stuffs, tosses, and even smashes them against the table in a variety of antipasti, soup, stews, pastas, salads, sandwiches, and rice and polenta dishes. (She cheats a bit on desserts, using mostly fruits instead.) The simple, snappy style established in the previous books continues, to generally bright and tasty effect, though you might be moved to wonder (while perusing, say, the countless fresh green salads spelled out for people who can't think of their own combinations) how many variations on the fresh, fast Italian theme our shelves and menus can absorb. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Review "[La Place's] uncomplicated recipes are filled with really innovative ideas. She thinks carefully about the way things taste and comes up withsuggestions you have probably never considered." -- Los Angeles Times"Verdura extols the glories of fresh produce in recipes for antipastos, salads, sandwiches, soups, pasta, risottos, pizzas, fritattas, and more." -- -- Food & Wine"The simple elegance of La Place's recipes is inspirational. All in all,Verdura is an exceptional cookbook." -- -- Vegetarian Times About the Author Viana La Place is specialist cookbook author. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Smashed Salad Insalata SbattutaServes 4 One of the salads from A Snob in the Kitchen, a little cookbook written in 1967 by the legendary Italian couturi re Simonetta. In her recipe cucumber, fennel, and watercress are wrapped in a clean dish towel and literally beaten against a table, then marinated, to make them "tired." To Simonetta the only good salad was a "tired" salad. If beating the salad seems too barbaric, simply omit this step. The salad is delicious eaten immediately, but it acquires its special wilted character after resting for 1 hour. Fresh tarragon in the salad accentuates the licorice-like flavor of the fennel. 1 hothouse cucumber 1 fennel bulb, trimmed 1bunch watercress or 2 bunches arugula, thick stems removed 2 heaping tablespoons chopped tarragon leaves 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Peel the cucumber and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and cut into thin crescents. Chop the fennel into small dice. Cut the watercress or arugula into thin strips. Wrap the cucumber, fennel, and watercress or arugula securely in a clean dish towel and beat against the table a few times. Transfer the contents to a bowl and add the tarragon, olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss and let stand for 1 hour before serving. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Butterfly Pasta with Fennel and Balsamic Vinegar Farfalle Ai FinocchiServes 4 To 6 Slivers of fennel bring an intriguing sweetness to this fresh tomato and basil sauce. A spoonful of balsamic vinegar intensifies and deepens the flavors. This is an elegant pasta to serve to guests--the flavors and the lovely butterfly shapes make it special. 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 large garlic cloves, peeled 2 medium heads fennel, cored and cut into slivers 4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped Small handful basil leaves 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1 pound imported dried farfalle Freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese Place the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the garlic cloves and saute over medium-low heat until golden. Add the fennel slivers, toss, and cook over low heat until fennel is very tender and the garlic breaks down, about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the garlic from sticking to the pan. Add the tomatoes, the basil, torn into fragments, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste, and cook over medium heat until a sauce forms, about 15 minutes. Cook the farfalle in abundant salted boiling water until al dente. Drain well and place in a pasta serving dish. Add the sauce to the pasta and toss well. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese at the table. Read more