The Broad Fork by Hugh Acheson

We all liked the concept of this book.  Hugh Acheson describes it as part of his small-steps plan to become a better food citizen:  "a vegetable-centric guide to seasonal offerings."  The book is divided up by season and by key vegetable ingredient.  If you are a veggie gardener, or a frequent visitor of local farmer's markets this book could be a valuable resource for you--as it introduces you to techniques and produce that you may not easily find at your local grocery store. If you ever find yourself wondering "what the heck is THAT and what the HECK do I do with it"--this book is for you.

Hugh includes four recipes for each vegetable, one more in-depth than the others.  He admits to imperfection. We enjoyed learning new techniques, like those employed in the steamed potatoes recipe on page 224, the roasted chicken thighs on page 110 and the butter-roasted turnips on page 155.  

Having said that, the issues with this book are many. We didn't find a recipe that really wowed us for starters. We also found that there were not a lot of suggestions for mains to go along with so many veggie sides...which made us then have to look elsewhere in order to cobble together a full family meal.

We really wanted to love this book, and while a 2 of us will keep this lovely book on our shelves, the other 2 will not.

Celery Root Puree p25

What a much maligned root this is. I quite liked the pureed version, but did find it a bit on the wet side.

Kohlrabi Puree p57

I grew up eating kohlrabi grown in my Gma's garden...but it was only ever prepared one way: Steamed, Stuffed with meat and rice and then baked under tomato sauce, so this section was a bit of a revelation for me. Unfortunately, after testing two recipes in this section...I have to say that I still prefer my the way my Gma used to make them.  This puree turned out so wet...it was just soupy. 

Kohlrabi Salad with Pecans, Lime, Paprika and Marjoram p57

Not too bad-but I am not a huge fan of smoky flavours, so if I made this again I'd just use regular paprika.

Julia's Vinaigrette p64

Based on the Julia Child classic, this dressing is simple but overall my view is - meh.  Laura Calder's Basic Vinaigrette from French Taste is MUCH nicer.

Pecan Pralines p67

This was a total failure. 

Pecan Granola with Maple and Oats p67

I liked the idea of using leftover cooked long grain rice in this granola.  I love maple syrup, pecan and cranberry, so I was hopeful.  The end result, however, was chewy and not crunchy, not at all like a granola bar.  Perhaps my oven, but even at 30 minutes, it didn't reach a pleasing granola consistency.

Sweet Potato Gratin p84

This was my favourite dish in the book. SO nice I made it twice!

Crisped Brussels Sprout Leaves p109

We all loved these and they were gone within moments of removing from the oven.  While it is a bit fussy to core the sprouts and separate the leaves, it's a nice change and a good use for this veg.

Roasted Chicken Thighs over Barley and Brussels Sprout Risotto p110

I loved this chicken technique and plan to use it again and again once the weather turns cooler:  crisp and render the chicken skin in an ovenproof sauté pan the flip and put in the oven til cooked through.  Easy-peasy.  The barley risotto was also lovely.  The brussels sprouts and turnips, however, added little.  Unfortunate given that as they are the vegetables, the recipe is intended to showcase them.

Kale Salad with Crisp Shallots and Caper Dressing p133

The caper dressing was good-but the whole affair was a bit too 'chef' for our liking.

Butter-Roasted Turnips p155

I've made these several times simply because they are so lovely.  The recipe is very simple.  What's not to love about turnips roasted in butter and salt.  Similar technique to the chicken - cook on stovetop, flip and roast.

Spaghetti with Arugula Pesto, Salami and Parmigiano-Reggiano p177

I think this is my favourite from the book.  The pesto is very nice and the addition of ice to keep it bright green is smart.  I use the food processor rather than a blender, as my blender is too narrow at the base for this recipe.  Adding lemon zest is also a smart addition.  My only slight criticism is that I don't think the salami adds anything.  As a result, I leave it out.

Roasted Beet Soup with Hard-Boiled Egg and Celery Cream p195

TOO MUCH WORK!  This recipe uses three saucepans, a baking dish, a sieve, and a blender.  And that doesn't include the pan you've had to use to hard boil the eggs!  Overall, the beet soup is very good and I'll likely make that again, but the celery cream didn't add much, and the eggs don't float on top nicely like in the photograph.  Nor does their taste add to the enjoyment.  

Fava Bean Salad with Mint, Garlic, Arugula and Salami p212

I loved this salad so much! I had never fussed with Favas before, but I have to say it was worth the effort in this otherwise super easy and relish salad.

Steamed New Potatoes with Green Garlic p224

When new potatoes are in season, and you can get your hands on green garlic-this really is as simple and delicious as a simple side can be. It is the quintessence of using ingredients at their peak for maximum flavour.

Roasted Potatoes with Yogurt, Dill, Lemon, and Garlic p233

This was the closest I had to a fail.  Two tablespoons of plain yogurt with the juice of a whole lemon is liquid.  As such, it doesn't really dress the potatoes.  There is also no instruction on whether to turn the potatoes while roasting, which I think has to be done.  And the photo shows the potatoes sliced, while there's no such instruction in the recipe.  If I had to guess, I'd say that Hugh didn't write or test this recipe himself...

Crips Toasted Bagel, Fromage Blanc, Tomato, Seal Salt and Basil p259

Not much of a recipe here, but again--the recurring theme of using ingredients when they are at their peak makes them SHINE in simple applications.

Buttered, Roasted Summer Squash with Basil p259

A simple dish, but we all liked it.

Green Beans with Tarragon-Lemon Sabayon p264

This recipe worked perfectly and looked exactly like the picture!  If it wasn't so BORING, I might have brought it to our dinner.  While the recipe is silent on final seasoning, salt (and a fair bit of it) is required.  And it's a lot of effort plus it makes for a lot of cleanup for a side dish: ice bath, pot, two bowls, double boiler and platter.

Grilled Corn Salad with Chiles, Basil and Lime p275

Simple summer salad for your next bbq.

Corn Spoonbread p275

Rich and delicious.

Seared Scallops with Corn, Spinach and Bacon p 257

Just too fatty with 2 T butter + 2 T canola oil.

Leek Fonduta p291

This was good...but it left me wanting something salty to cut through the richness of the cup of Heavy cream and 1/2 C cram fraiche + full cup of Parm. IF (and this is unlikely) I was to every make this again, I'd add a bit of bacon or pancetta.

Chicken Breasts over Ragout of Leeks and Sea Island Red Peas p292

Well--here's another example of simple cooking techniques that really make the recipe shine. While I had no chance of finding Sea Island red peas (and subbed in black eyed peas instead), this was a satisfying meal with super crispy skin and very moist chicken.

Honeydew Agua Fresca p295

This was thick and unappealing. Gross.

Veal Loin with Sautéed Peaches and Arugula P307

Interesting technique in that you have to seal only 2 of the 4 sides of the loin--then roast to completion in the oven. The salted peaches were delicious.