Deborah Madison

What We Eat When We Eat Alone
Stories and 100 Recipes

"As Deborah and Patrick reveal in every word and image of their delightfully personal narrative, you're never alone when you eat because food in itself is company -- as intimate and personal as the individuals preparing and consuming it. Never has the world of food been more enjoyably presented, in drawings as spontaneous as the recipes are practical, from 'Mashed Potato Soup' to 'Polenta Smothered with Greens.' As this collection of mini short-stories proves, how we eat alone, no matter our gender, age or background, defines us not only to others but to ourselves. All these voices confessing to what they do when no one else is about form a humane collective of daily life, wrapped in a fine romance between a Yankee cook and a Southern artist, whose love of friends and of each other is as clear as their love of food."
-- Betty Fussell, Author of Raising Steaks:The Life & Times of American Beef

"Eating is at the same time the most social of activities and the most intimate. We present our social side when we eat with others, but we reveal our most private selves when we dine alone. While almost all cookbooks focus social side of eating with others, leave it to Deborah Madison and her artist husband Pat McFarlin to probe the fascinating inner world of eating alone."
-- Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times

"I am hooked on this book. It confirms once again that we humans are endlessly confounding and entertaining creatures. Deborah and her husband, artist Patrick McFarlin, blow the covers of food pros in revealing what they eat when no one's around. Then they move on to friends and acquaintances. You'll smile knowingly, muse a lot, maybe blush, get very hungry and probably end up in the kitchen, enjoying every bite of eating alone. This is another keeper from Deborah Madison."
-- Lynne Rossetto Kasper, The Splendid Table

"Just when you thought there was nothing conceivably new to write about food, Deborah 'Greens' Madison and her artist partner, Patrick McFarlin have devised a truly intimate, startling, funny, and genuinely subversive book. What We Eat When We Eat Alone is like peeping through a one-way mirror into the life of others. Not only what we eat, but how we eat it (spreading newsprint over one's chest to eat in bed) fills this entertaining book with enough fun and good ideas to keep you turning page after page. Even though the chapter 'Men and Their Meat' is not what you think it might be, you will be missing a rare treat if you don't buy and read this book. If there's a second edition I'll offer my singular treatment of half an avocado as a favorite snack."
Peter Coyote, Actor /Author of Sleeping Where I Fall

"The most charming food related book of the season"
-- Denver Post

"This is a truly unique book written by two professionals, but only by trial and error will we ever know if the recipes (should you care to try them) live up to the quality of the text and the genius of the sketches. We can be deeply thankful, however that no technical assemblage is offered for moose stew."
-- Patrick Oliphant, Card-carrying vegetarian in Sata Fe, NM

"What a brilliant idea. I wish I'd thought of it myself - but then it wouldn't have had Patrick McFarlin's illustrations, and be the gorgeous book it is."
-- Paul Levy Writer, journalist, broadcaster, and author of Out to Lunch and The Official Foodie Handbook

"What a fun book! It is totally 100% compelling and I LOVE the illustrations. I have always ranted on about how much I hate eating alone, and how, in fact, I consider eating alone a greater hazard than drinking alone. Then along comes this book which suddenly makes cancelling my dinner date tonight in favor of a fried egg on asparagus in an armchair seems like the most desirable thing on earth! (Not least of all because it means that while I eat, I can keep reading.)"
-- Laura Calder, Television Host and Food Writer

Deborah Madison and Patrick McFarlin's What We Eat When We Eat Alone (Gibbs Smith) is a delightful stream-of-consciousness romp through the highlights of research they compiled about the solo-dining habits of friends and strangers.
-- Joe Yonan, The Washington Post

PRAISE FOR
Vegetarian Suppers

Celebrated vegetarian chef Madison's latest warmly written gem offers everything from quickie suppers to subtle, sophisticated dinner-party dishes while encouraging local, seasonal eating and unfussy kitchen artisanship. Her earthy, vigorous Pasta and Chickpeas with Plenty of Parsley and Garlic comes together in a flash, and is enlivened by the addition of Beluga lentils, a suggestion she makes in her "Variations" column. (It will also convince anyone that whole wheat pasta can be delicious.) The Onion and Rosemary Tart with Fromage Blanc is rich, creamy and gorgeously smooth, with a crisp and flavorful shell. And the Brussels Sprout and Mushroom Ragout with Herb Dumplings employs fresh tarragon to brilliant effect (it flavors both the ragout and the dumplings) to make a kind of sophisticated comfort food that's only slightly too heavy on the sprouts. And if Winter Squash Lasagna with Sage, Walnuts and Black Kale seems too ambitious for a Tuesday night, there's always Wine-Braised Lentils Over Toast or even a Fried-Egg Sandwich. Madison's recipes do call for good kitchen gear (Dutch ovens, double-boilers, numerous gratin pans and casseroles) and some hard-to-find ingredients (fromage blanc, blanched nettles, Thai basil), but they're flexible enough to allow for substitutions. Though not as broad as Madison's James Beard–winning Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone nor as detailed as her classic The Greens Cookbook, this volume is a wonderful addition to any vegetarian or "vegophile" kitchen.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PRAISE FOR
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

"Here it is--the complete vegetarian bible."
-- Susan Westmoreland, Good Housekeeping

"Whether you are a vegetarian or an omnivore, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is a stunning book worth having."
-- Dana Jacobi, Amazon.com

* "It would be difficult to select a favorite section from this incredibly complete and triumphant effort."
-- Publishers Weekly, starred review

"If I could have only one book on the subject of vegetables, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone would be it.  Deborah Madison has produced an impressive collection of  information, instruction, and recipes."
-- Marion Cunningham, author of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook

"Deborah Madison is an intuitive, intelligent, and passionate cook who presents her broad knowledge in a lovely, lyrical writing style.  She has clearly poured all of these gifts into this impressive book, which I know will be an inspiration to experienced cooks and beginners alike."
-- Mollie Katzen, host of public television's "Mollie Katzen's Cooking Show," and author of The Moosewood Cookbook and Mollie Katzen's Vegetarian Heaven

"Deborah Madison's new book is utterly credible and accessible, because she writes the same way she cooks and gardens: with passion and knowledge."
-- Alice Waters, owner, Chez Panisse

"Deborah Madison is one of our country's finest cooks.  Her recipes bring so much flavor, beauty, and excitement to the plate, but with so little fuss.  The book is aptly named, for everybody, whether beginner, occasional, or passionate cook, meat eater or vegetarian or somewhere in between, will love this food.  But Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is not only a cookbook.  It's the standard text we've been waiting for, and I'm so glad Deborah Madison was the one to write it."
-- Martha Rose Shulman, author of Mexican Light, Provenςal Light, and Mediterranean Light

PRAISE FOR
Vegetable Soups

Madison continues her quest to make vegetarian food palatable to all, banking on her belief that soups are "almost universally popular." Still, though the author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone mostly refrains from using tofu, few of her recipes are as "uncontrived" as she claims: for instance, Roasted Fall Tomato Soup is vastly better than anything canned, but the curry, saffron and quinoa swirled in may intimidate the palates of less ambitious cooks. The other recipes—including hearty broths, bean soups, lentil soups, grain-thickened soups and soups for each season—either riff on classics or take wholly innovative directions. This approach will attract experienced cooks bored with the usual noodle soups or minestrones, and who have access to top-quality spices and vegetables, plus plenty of time and patience. While not all of the recipes are demanding, readers who are willing to commit the necessary effort will be rewarded by rich layers of taste in elegant selections like Rice and Golden Turnip Soup with Fontina Cheese. An excellent opening section on stock sets the stage, and in the margins Madison provides helpful tips on ingredient buying, preparation, presentation and wine accompaniment. Her fans, as well as soup connoisseurs, are sure to lap this book up eagerly.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PRAISE FOR
Local Flavors
Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets

"This book is important on several levels. First, for the brilliance of consumate cook and recipe writer, Deborah Madison. Her food is superb. Second, it is a guide to getting to the heart of America and our foods, visit our farmers’ markets. Third, it is a book to believe in. If pressed to select a single thing that could save our food supply from a hellish destruction by international corporate interests, I would have to say it is our farmers’ markets. Deborah Madison brings them to life for all of us. Bless her for this gift.”
-- Lynne Rossetto Kasper, Host of Public Radio's national food show, "The Splendid Table"™

PRAISE FOR
The Greens Cookbook
Extraordinary Vegetarian Cuisine from the Celebrated Restaurant

Reading through these delicious recipes, I'm impressed by a certan refined taste and style and consistently critical and good palate that comes through.  The book is especially important because it's vegetarian, and the excellence of ingredients makes the dishes irresistible.
-- Alice Waters, Chez Panisse

For all of us who remember the glorious dishes Deborah Madison created at Greens, this book is a particular pleasure.  What makes it special is not only her enticing and original way with fruits and vegetables, but her generous and inventive spirit.
-- Carol Field, The Italian Baker

This dazzling cookbook presents a new cuisine that is intelligent, inventive and above all delicious.  This is brilliantly crafted food that.just happens to be made without meat.  Bravo!
--Anthony Dias-Blue, CBS Radio Food Critic and Nationally Syndicated Columnist, American Wine

PRAISE FOR
The Savory Way
High-Spirited, Down-to-Earth Recipes for Savory Vegetable Dishes

The Savory Way represents the most complete and delicious introduction to a new kind of cooking in this country, one that begins with the garden--its freshness, flavors, and seasons. We have a new Joy of Cooking here."
-- Alice Waters, author of Chez Panisse Vegetables