Simon Hopkinson

"Published as the companion volume to the BBC Television show of the same name, The Good Cook is a collection of 100 of legendary chef Simon Hopkinson's favorite recipes, drawn from his childhood, his restaurant career, and his most memorable meals. A good cook, for Simon, is someone who cares as much about eating as cooking. A good recipe becomes a great dish when the cook has thought about the ingredients and treated them well. These ingredients do not have to be expensive. Simon's genius lies in his belief that a cheap cut of meat, for example, cooked with care can often taste nicer than a choice one prepared by indifferent hand. Structured around Simon's love of good ingredients and written with his trademark perfectionism and precision, this book is for anyone who loves to cook and wants to learn from one of the best"--

A cookbook arranged from anchovy to veal based on the main ingredient of the dish and complemented by the author's notes on preparation.

British food writer and chef Hopkinson takes various foods and ingredients, from almonds to vinegar, and gives three widely varying recipes for each.

All too often, the vegetarian option is an afterthought on a restaurant menu or the vegetables are relegated to a side dish at home. Here, for the first time, Simon Hopkinson focuses entirely on cooking mouth-watering recipes without meat or fish. Using fresh good-quality produce and combining appropriate ingredients in season are key to Simon Hopkinson's cooking. Invitingly, throughout the book, ingredients that go together are paired together: aubergine & pimento; tomatoes & olives; pappardelle & porcini, peaches & plums, for example. Vegetables feature strongly, of course, but there are also plenty of original ideas and gorgeous recipes for herbs, pasta, rice, pulses, eggs and dairy, fruit - and cocktails! Simplicity, practicality and sensitivity are the essence of Simon's cooking, and his recipes are a joy to make. But there is so much more to appreciate in this highly original book as the author's evocative writing brings his food to life on every page. Superbly photographed by Jason Lowe, The Vegetarian Option is not written exclusively for vegetarians, but as a fresh source of inspiration for all genuine food lovers.