Even the vegetables can be different: Classic now has even more recipes

I acknowledge: Vegetables are my meat – Misquoting the writer, musician and actor Heinz Strunk. I’m not a vegetarian, but I like to eat vegetables. So if I find crisp Brussels sprouts or young kohlrabi at the market, I buy them. It’s a good thing that cookbook author Bettina Matthaei has 226 great recipe suggestions in the comprehensive new edition of her cookbook, “Vegetables Can Be Different, Too.” “.

Even the vegetables can be different: the book can stay

The cookbook is beautiful, feels good and I enjoy turning the page. “Vegetables can also be different” is not yet written on a shelf. It sits on the kitchen table, sofa or next to the reading chair. Photographs by photographer Wolfgang Schardt make you want to revisit the cookbook again and again. Look at the book cover. Isn’t the picture sensational? In addition, there is a lot of interesting information to read about the vegetables presented, from A artichoke to Z onion. I am particularly pleased that the author has reinterpreted well-known classics. Because so far I haven’t come across ketchup made with pumpkin or a fine sherry mushroom essence.

I got the cookbook within a day of holding it for the first time Red pepper soup with coconut milk (page 139) prepared. Class! I now have two servings in the freezer. That too Bean curry with lentils (page 50) he was a good kneeler. And the porcini gnocchi (pages 158-159) were simply sensational. This elaborate dish is perfect for cooking with friends. Because cooking together listening to music and chatting is a beautiful thing. That’s why I chose to present this recipe.

Porcini gnocchi recipe

Ingredients for 4 people

• 750 g of potatoes
• Salt
• 20 g of dried mushrooms
• 200 g of fresh mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons of rapeseed oil + oil for the mold
• vanilla pepper; otherwise: black pepper
• freshly grated nutmeg
• the dock
• 1 bunch of four parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon grated organic lemon peel
• 2 egg yolks
• 100-120 g of flour
• 100 g durum wheat semolina
• 1 tablespoon Noilly Prat
• 1 small bay leaf
• 100 g butter ice
• black pepper
• Anchovy chili (aka cayenne)

the preparation

1. Wash the potatoes and cook covered with salted water for 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour 250 ml of boiling water over the dried mushrooms and let them rest for about 20 minutes. Wash and dry the fresh mushrooms, cut lengthwise into slices approximately ½ cm thick and set aside.
2. Drain the cooked potatoes and allow the steam to evaporate well. Strain and squeeze the soaked mushrooms well, strain the liquid through a paper filter and set aside.
3. Cut the mushrooms into small pieces. Peel the shallots, mince them finely and sauté them in 1 and a half tablespoons of oil until translucent. Add the chopped mushrooms and fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes. Season everything with salt, pepper, nutmeg and cayenne. Wash the parsley, shake dry and chop. Mix half with lemon zest.
4. Peel the potatoes, press through the press and mix with the egg yolks. Gradually knead the flour and semolina until the dough is smooth and not sticky. Stir in the mushrooms and shallot mixture. Taste the dough again.
5. In a large pot, bring water to a boil with salt. Preheat the oven to 80°, grease a baking dish with a little oil and put it in it. Shape the dough into 3 cm thick rolls, cut them into 2 cm pieces and place them in boiling water. Once the gnocchi have risen to the surface, they are done. Lift with a slotted spoon, drain and oil. Keep warm in the oven. Do the same with the rest of the dough.
6. For the mushroom butter, boil the strained mushroom liquid with Noilly Prat and bay leaves and reduce to approximately 70ml. Turn off the stove. Gradually beat the iced butter in small pieces until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Season with salt, pepper and anchovies and heat.
7. Fry the reserved fresh mushrooms in the remaining oil for about 5 minutes until browned on all sides. salt and pepper. Take the gnocchi out of the oven, place them in deep preheated dishes, pour the butter sauce and sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Place the fried mushrooms on the side.

My conclusion!

Absolutely: buy it! Christmas is coming soon. Give it to a lot of kind people. It really is a great gift. This beautiful cookbook shows how you can let off steam in a plant-based kitchen. Then a creamy saffron-mosasa-cream sauce and a poached egg with pointed cabbage. And we give the pumpkin cheese and hemp sauce. And tomatoes can be prepared as jelly and served with dip. Wonderful.

Bettina Matthaei: “Vegetables can be different too – vegetarian recipes for every season” New expanded edition with many new recipes. GU Verlag, 29.90 euros.

With our food book recommendations and guides, you can take your favorite cuisine home and go on a culinary journey. We present selected books in the gallery.