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Forager of wild foods or not, any cook will be titillated by the gourmet quality and variety of author “Wildman” Steve Brill’s recipes in The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook. Those familiar with wild edible plants, of course, have an advantage, but it’s surprising how much usable information is included for those of us whose experience goes not much beyond our backyard dandelions. In a lengthy but most interesting introduction, Steve imparts his enthusiasm for a healthful vegan diet (no meat, fish, poultry, dairy, or eggs does use honey), based not only on foraged plants but upon a wide variety of foods, herbs, spices, and products found in supermarkets and health food stores. Indeed, the recipe section of the book starts with 11 pages of “Unwild Food Recipes,” which include some delicious-sounding tofu cheeses and spreads. In this almost-coffee-table-sized book, the 500 recipes are organized by season, according to what time of year various plants are to be foraged, although alternatives to the wild ingredients are often given. For example, there are ten wild apple recipes (applesauce, torte, fritters, ice cream) that, should one not find a supply of wild apples, can be made with Granny Smith apples. |