The Broad Fork

Hugh Acheson sounds like someone I’d get along with really well. His love for food and being a better food citizen is apparent from the very first page of his introduction in his new book, The Broad Fork. I love that he wrote this book in answer to the fact that so many of his neighbors kept asking him how to use different ingredients. :]

Someday (aka when I’m no longer traipsing the country and in a different state almost every month), I hope to live in a place where I can sign up for a CSA + shop at the local farmers’ markets, and this vegetable-centric cookbook provides a great insight into what you can make with all that in-season produce!

(Totally unrelated, but I also love that he has a cat named Fig.) See below for the rest of my review:

The Broad Fork

By Hugh Acheson

Genre: Cookbook
Pages: 336

The recipes here are all about vegetables–what to do with them, ideas to get you excited to cook and eat them. It’s not a manual to a vegetarian lifestyle, but rather a compendium of seasonal recipes to help you bring vegetables to the center of your plate–from quick things you can do right away with what you just picked up to longer, more involved dinners.”

The Broad Fork is divided into 4 sections–Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. For the record, I’m not naming every single veggie/fruit that he showcases because there’s about 60 of em’, and each one has multiple recipes. :O

Fall

Need an idea for apples, sunchokes, fall mushrooms, figs, kohlrabi (this is the alien-lookin’ veggie that inspired this book!), and/or sweet potatoes? This is your go-to section!

Snapper Ceviche with Apple & Lime, Celery Root Salad with Buttermilk Dressing, Enoki Custard, Fig Jam, Lettuce with Pomegranate, Tangerine & Cider Vinaigrette, Persimmon “Pop-Tarts,” Poached Eggs over Sunchoke Hash…

Winter

I am guilty of thinking that there really wasn’t all that much going on in the winter, but…I am very happily wrong about this–this section includes recipes for collard + mustard greens, kale, parsnips, shiitake mushrooms, winter squash, bok choy, cauliflower…

Tatsoi Salad with Citrus-Soy Vinaigrette & Pickled Radishes, Broccoli Soup with Roasted Chicken, Fried Brussels Sprouts with Lime Vinaigrette, Lamb Meatballs with Kale, Cumin Yogurt & Rice, Pearl Barley, Salsify & Sweet Potato Stew, Cured Egg Yolks, Kabocha Squash Soup with Pear, Coconut Milk & Red Curry…

Spring

Avocados!!! <3 There are also lots of recipes for beets, morels, ramps (I still haven’t had a chance to try those! :[ ), asparagus, cabbage, fennel, radishes, bamboo…

The Broad Fork is also on a mission to dispel the misconception that Southern food is unhealthy (r’member my other Southern cookbook review? :O )–makes me happy, because I am all about the healthy recipes! <3

Southern Artichoke Dip, Spaghetti with Arugula Pesto, Salami & Parmigiano-Reggiano, Savory Asparagus Custard (did you know there’s a such thing as a cooking pot?!), Roasted Poblano & Pecan Guacamole, Roasted beet Soup with Hard-Boiled Egg & Celery Cream, Carrot Soup with Brown Butter, Pecans & Yogurt…

Summer

Not gonna lie, summer is my favorite season, partially because of the weather, but also because of all the delicious fruits + veggies that go in season. This section includes recipes featuring melons, peaches, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, summer berries, okra… I want that Honeydew Agua Fresca in my life!

Raspberry Cobbler with Drop Biscuit Topping, Corn Spoonbread, Cucumber Sunomono, Chicken Breasts over Ragout of Leeks & Sea Island Red Peas, Sauteed Catfish with Cantaloupe, Lime & Cilantro Salsa, Steel-Cut Oats with Peaches & Sorghum Cream, Southern Ratatouille…

I unfortunately do not have a recipe to share with you today because…

1. I’ve been battling an upset stomach and am somewhat wary of eating again (yesterday was really rough), and ain’t nobody got time to deal with a GI upset when there’s a crap ton of studying to be done. :[
2. We are deep in a game of Refrigerator Tetris back at the farm (this is what happens whenever Linda and I combine refrigerators), so we need to eat everything before we add more delicious foods to the fridge!

That being said, I’m sure I’ll be referencing this a lot later on this year to make all kinds of delicious recipes! <3 He includes an introduction on each veggie/fruit that he’s showcasing, and each recipe comes with a short introduction, serving size, and of course, the ingredients + instructions.

The Broad Fork covers a variety of different recipes ranging from simple to somewhat more complicated. The food photography is gorgeous, and I love Hugh Acheson’s passion for promoting good-quality local produce for better health, and a better community. He is the chef/partner of 4 different restaurants in Athens, Georgia, but don’t let that intimidate you into not checking this out! It provides a good mix of simple + quick and some that are more labor intensive. Although this is a vegetable-centric book, it is by no means a vegetarian cookbook, so I truly believe this has something for everyone!

(Linking up with Mary, Ashley, and Tami over at Literary Musing Mondays!)

• Have you ever read The Broad Fork?
• What’s your favorite farmers’ market/CSA find?
• Are you also kinda lost when it comes to finding uses for obscure vegetables?

Check out my other book reviews!