New Moosewood cookboook expands tradition

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Every so often, a cookbook comes along that makes a mark in culinary history. Think Julia Child. Think “Joy of Cooking.” Think “Silver Palate.”

For vegetarians, one of the landmarks in 1970s cooking was Mollie Katzen’s “Moosewood Cookbook.” In addition to offering recipes that offered vegetarians a serious and simple approach to whole foods, the cookbook introduced the food concepts of “chunky” when it came to soup, “heaped” when it came to salad, and “ethnic” when it came to flavor.

In short, the Moosewood name, taken from a rustic restaurant in upstate New York, became one to trust. In fact, last year, Bon Appetit magazine named Moosewood one of the most revolutionary restaurants of the 20th century — alongside Chez Panisse, An American Place and McDonald’s.

The newest addition to the restaurant’s library of cookbooks is “Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special,” put together at the end of last year by the Moosewood Collective. With a few tweaks for a more modern world, the book falls squarely into the tradition of Katzen’s original innovation with dishes such as Curried Cauliflower Soup, Korean Pine Nut Porridge, and Zesty Feta Garlic Dressing.

Among the main dishes, soups, salads, accompaniments and side dishes, there are also two surprises from the bastion of vegetarianism: seafood soups and seafood salads. For those who embrace the more liberal definition of vegetarianism (i.e. including fish and chicken), these expansions potentially make good use of Maine’s famous resources from the sea. Shrimp, clams, mussels and salmon are all well represented in dishes such as Classic Clam Chowder, Scandinavian Salmon Soup, and Curried Scallop and Noodle Salad.

The American trend toward nouveau dishes shows up here with goat cheese, portabella mushrooms, radicchio, arugula, orzo, polenta, and peasant food from Eastern Europe, Mexico, Africa, Indonesia, Asia, Italy and France. There’s even a suggestion for what to serve at your zydeco party. And if you’re in the goddess tradition, you can count on food notes for the solstice.

The original Moosewood book paid no attention to fat content. Real butter, heavy cream, lots of oil — these were the foundations of that homey sense of security in the flavors of those pre-panic-about-fat dishes. Ah, the very memory.

But we know better now, and the Moosewood Collective has kindly offered nutritional information with each recipe as well as suggestions for cutting calories through lowering fat. The recipes are designed to go either way, but if you do decide to 86 the fat, then there is the very bright suggestion of adding more spices. And if you cook too much and have mounds of leftovers, there’s also a section on how to cope. (Use the leftovers as a garnish or a stuffing.)

The recipes I sampled were easy to follow, included whole foods, most of which I found in my cabinets or fridge, and were generally appreciated by the testers I called in for meals. The East African Groundnut Soup, with curry, tomatoes and peanut butter, was the clear favorite. Spicy, hearty and rich, this passed the test of even the harshest critics — but wasn’t so popular with younger members at the table.

While brown rice is a staple of many vegetarian diets, I, for one, am tired of preparing it, eating it, and finding ways to resurrect it. The Moosewood has numerous recipes that call for brown rice, and I have to admit my compulsion was to skip them. I also found that some of the flavoring was too bland and needed riskier amounts of salt, spice and herbs. That’s a personal call, however, and others who sampled the fares made according to recommendations felt the true flavors of the whole foods came through without additional doctoring.

Since 1973, when the Moosewood Restaurant opened, more than a half-dozen cookbooks have been created, and the place itself has expanded to include a cafe and bar, as well as a new line of bottled salad dressings. Moosewood, which has grown with the times, is here to stay. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to appreciate and enjoy this selection of recipes. You just have to like to cook, and to eat, and to take it all in by the heaps and mounds and chunks of healthy and whole-food cuisine.

Moosewood Recipes

Bean and Radicchio Salad

1 1/2 cups cooked small red beans (15-ounce can, rinsed and drained)

1 1/2 cups cooked butter beans (15-ounce can, rinsed and drained)

1 small head radicchio (about 1/2 pound)

1 tablespoon minced red onion (optional)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

Combine the beans in a serving bowl. Cut the radicchio into fine shreds about 1 1/2 inches long. Mix them into the beans along with the minced red onion, if using. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Gently toss and serve immediately.

Butternut Squash Soup with Sizzled Sage

1/4 cup olive oil

2 or 3 small butternut squash (about 3 pounds)

6 unpeeled garlic cloves

2 large Spanish onions, peeled and quartered

1/4 cup water

3 cups of apple juice or vegetable stock (see note)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon of salt, or to taste

ground black pepper to taste

2 teaspoons butter

20 fresh sage leaves, sliced on the diagonal

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush the bottom of a large baking pan with about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and set aside.

Cut the squash through the stem ends into halves, prick the skin in several places with a knife, and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Brush the cut surfaces with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Nest the garlic inside the squash cavities and place the squash halves in the pan cut side down. Add the onions to the pan and brush with the remaining olive oil.

Pour the water into the bottom of the pan, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more, until the squash is tender and the onions are soft. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and discard the skins.

In batches in a blender, combine the baked vegetables, apple juice or stock, thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper and puree until smooth. Pour the soup into a pot and heat gently.

In a small skillet, melt the butter and saute the sage leaves until dark and curled. Garnish each bowl of soup with sage leaves.

NOTE: Using only apple juice or cider yields a thicker, sweeter soup. Using vegetable stock or replacing part of the juice or cider with water yields a thinner, more savory soup. If the soup becomes too thick, add more water or stock and adjust the seasonings.