"What Alice Waters has taught us is to be interested not just in food but in the history of food: Where does it come from? Who grew it? How was it grown? What happened to it on the way from the ground to the kitchen? What then happens to it in "her" kitchen is understood both as cooking and as appreciation for all that has happened before. This makes a difference. At Chez Panisse, the difference is tastable."-- Wendell Berry, author of "What Are People For?" and "Another Turn of the Crank""A marvel of a book. An encyclopedic monument of common sense, dedicated to honest produce, natural, uncontaminated and fresh. The food is simple, inventive, often surprising-dishes that one creates daily by fiddling around in the kitchen, but rarely finds in cookbooks. And such a pleasure to discover that mushrooms are presumed to be wild and anchovies salt-packed (when not fresh).... Patricia Curtan's illustrations are exquisite."-- Richard Olney, author of "Lulu's Provencal Table" and "Simple French Food""Say 'vegetables' in America and you think of Alice Waters. Few cooks have so clearly instilled in us the concept of 'superfresh.' And like no one else, she has truly championed the pure, whole flavors of foods fresh from the garden and market, prepared with respect, integrity and simplicity."-- Patricia Wells, author of "The Food Lover's Guide to Paris" and "Bistro Cooking""You will break this book's binding from long and loving use, I'll wager. You will soil its pages. You might even cut out a favorite linocut and frame it over the kitchen counter, for this book is about quality-food quality from ground to mouth. Here is Alice Waters going against the grain again, this time featuringvegetables."-- Wes Jackson, founder of The Land Institute"Alice Waters has done more than anyone else to change the way we eat. This book is a triumph."-- Paula Wolfert, author of "Mediterranean Cooking"

For twenty-five years, Chez Panisse, Berkeley, California's landmark restaurant, has enchanted its patrons with the excitement of delicious garden vegetables. Alice Waters and the cooks at Chez Panisse have long known that the best-tasting food is grown, harvested, and brought to market by people who practice sustainable, organic agriculture. Here, in more than 250 spirited recipes, are the vegetables that have delighted eaters at Chez Panisse. Alice and the cooks of Chez Panisse have selected the restaurant's most irresistible vegetable recipes to inspire cooks at home. The recipes are enhanced by original full-color linocuts that capture the vibrancy and individuality of produce taken straight from the garden. This remarkable compendium of culinary expertise covers a broad range - from unexpected combinations such as Grilled Asparagus with Blood Oranges and Tapenade Toast to dishes as radically simple as Spring Onion Sandwiches. More than forty vegetables, from amaranth to zucchini, are represented. For each, there is a short essay describing its cultivation, how it is used in the Chez Panisse kitchens, how to shop for it at the market, and how to prepare it for cooking. The ingenious and varied recipes that follows are drawn from all seasons of the Chez Panisse repertoire, and the curious cook who browses among them will find a rich source of possibilities and inspiration. The recipes for fennel, for example, include uncomplicated classics such as Fennel Gratin and Grilled Fennel and unusual inventions such as Shaved Fennel, Artichoke, and Parmesan Salad.