Fields of Greens: New Vegetarian Recipes From The Celebrated Greens Restaurant: A Cookbook

I got this book the year it was published after reading a thumbnail review in one of the food magazines, and about 6 years ago, realized I'd made everything in it at least once. The original book was used so much it fell apart and I have one in Boston and one in NM. They are covered in notes of who was here when it was made, corrections and ingredient swaps. These are not after work on Wednesday night recipes -- they use hard to find or expensive ingredients (e.g., good luck finding sorrel in New England, $18 lb. chanterelles), need lots of shopping, prep and time at the stove but the pay off is WHOA restaurant quality meals, this is food at its best. Your friends will always show up and never want to leave. The best of the best: the corn and mushroom stocks, in the summer, Grilled New Potato Salad with Cherry Tomatoes, Green/Yellow Beans with Pesto, Orange Pecan Scones, Pepper and Corn Soup (get out your food mill). The real show stoppers are the Lasagne with Mushroom Port Sauce (serious special occasion meal, two days of work but out of this world delicious), any of the risotto and cannelloni (pasta making days at my house are over, use large shells, trust me, no one will complain) and the Winter Vegetable Pie (double the tart crust, half of the vegetables is plenty). The deserts are so-so and none are worth the effort (Raspberry Almond Bread - bleh), forget the focaccia and the pizza crust.

I'm not vegetarian, though I do have leanings...but I find myself coming back to this book whenever I am stuck for a meal. The recipes are incredibly diverse and delicious -- wonderful salads, soups, curries, stews, pastas, risottos, breakfast goodies, desserts: most of my daughter's favorite meals come straight from Annie Sommerville's well thought out and lucidly written book (it was her favorite birthday present when she turned 21). Along with the recipes are a myriad of helpful tips for various small details encountered in the preparation of these recipes, which are not complicated but are based on the principle of fresh ingredients presented to accentuate that freshness. Nothing canned beyond tomatoes are ever called for; spices are ground and often roasted as part of the prep: the cooking requires only a willingness to submit to the preservation of the ingredients' integrity. The reward is a meal where the love that went into it is as evident as the actual foods used. The follow-up book (Everyday Greens) is also wonderful, though I favor this one slightly. Its predecessor by Deborah Madison (The Greens Cookbook) is also very good but the recipes are heavier -- more butter and cream, for instance. They make a great triumvirate, but I would definitely start with Field of Greens.

My favorite vegetarian cookbook by my favorite vegetarian author. I have all of her books but this was my first nearly 30 years ago and remains my favorite. There are so many excellent recipes including my sons favorite Potato Pizza with smoked mozzarella and a bit of fresh sage.

We are not vegetarians, but we like to enjoy vegetarian meals. So we have a few veggie cookbooks. This one is by far the best. This one teaches you to use what is fresh and in season and has 100's of recipes. Some of the spices are harder to find, but well worth the effort. You will never think of potato salad the same again after you try just one of the potato salad recipes. Fresh beet salads changed our whole perception of beets (they're not only from cans and they taste wonderful). The variety of ingredients, seasonings, and flavors make this book an adventure you will surely enjoy.This book was printed in 1993. We're just sorry we didn't find it sooner.

Annie Somerville's Field of Green's is easy to follow and a few recipes into it you feel like you're attending cooking school. It takes some time to accumulate the pantry basics she uses but in time you'll be shopping easily for her delicious, classic fresh California cuisine. If you love a good salad you'll be pleasantly surprised by her wonderful dressings. The focaccia recipe is perfect and turns out artisan bakery quality every time. Her enchiladas rojas are to die for. Unbelievably delicious soups. You'll need access to an excellent produce section, farmer's market or garden. I've been using my copy for 20 years now and have never come across anything comparable in explanations, readability etc... I'm a convert!

I had this book many years ago and loaned it out and never received it back so am happy to have another and it looks brand new

This was a gift for a family member recently gone vegetarian. The recipe selection is lighter and has more character than traditional publisher's versions of veggie cook books. Wish it had more illustrtions. When trying things out for the first time it helps to have a visual of how the end product should look, especially for novices.

This is a good cookbook, with creative recipes. A lot of them call for more complexity than suits me, (like making your own homemade pasta, as step one, for example). I'm not likely to have that kind of time -- but otherwise, I'm enjoying this book.

Recipe book is OK

Excellent book, loved all the soup and bread recipes

True, this is the book I was looking for. But I agreed to pay more then the other used book choices because this was the best condition of them all: Almost like new.This is totally false. Yes, there is no notes in the book, but there are a lot of pages with stains. This book price should have been less, and condition should have been nothing more than 'Good'. Disappointing.