Melissa's Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce

Starred review from April 26, 2010
In this invaluable guide to fresh produce, food columnist Thomas (Melissa's Great Book of Produce) proceeds alphabetically through 56 popular fruits and vegetables, offering tips on varieties, buying year-round, and proper prep and storage. The real bounty, though, is the recipes-more than 400-that give readers copious suggestions for those persimmons, leeks, or eggplants that look so tempting at the market, and so perplexing on the kitchen counter. While obvious applications such as salads are included, Thomas's recipes are anything but phoned-in: cooks with too many cherries can use them in Cherry, Chocolate and Toasted Almond Ice Cream or as a relish for a grilled pork tenderloin; fresh ginger can be used to liven up Chicken Saté with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Raita; and even the spinach-averse will reconsider when facing Linguine with Baby Spinach and Blue Cheese, complemented by toasted pine nuts, fresh basil, and prosciutto. Thomas even ventures beyond mains and sides to include a tasty Kiwi Martini and White Sangria, as well as a Nectarine Barbecue Sauce, basic carrot vinaigrette, and easy-to-accomplish pickled shallots.