Still Life with Menu Cookbook

by Mollie Katzen

More than thirty-two menus for gourmet vegetarian dining feature recipes that are lower in fat and easier to follow

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Vegetarian, Nonfiction, Food, Reference

241 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Educated at the Eastman School of Music, Cornell University, and the San Francisco Art Institute. Although her formal training was as an artist and musician, she exhibited natural cooking inclinations from a very early age, and cooked professionally - in restaurants and as a caterer - for ten years. In 1973 she was one of the founders of the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York, and during her five years of cooking there, she compiled, illustrated and handlettered the Moosewood Cookbook.
In addition to her writing and illustrating, Mollie is a committed student of classical piano.

Reviews

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5★

If I was judging by appearances only, this would be a 5★ book.

I love the idea, as each menu looks like an it is indeed an illustrated menu from a fancy restaurant.

Design, editing & above all Katzen's pastel drawings - all impeccable.

And this book contains my favourite pasta sauce from weird ingredients - the wonderful Spaghetti Elliana. (Page 204 -I'm noting the page number because I always have trouble finding the recipe. It is listed under spaghetti but not under Elliana, Pasta or Sauces) Who would think the (optional) anchovies, nuts, garlic, parmesan & raisins would work so well together? Katzen fell off the vegetarian wagon for this recipe!

But other than the eccentric indexing system, I just don't like cookbooks where the the recipes are grouped by menu - in particular if the indexing isn't perfect. I may want to choose a different selection of dishes together & having to flick randomly through a recipe book isn't my idea of fun and is why this book is in just about immaculate condition.

The other standout recipe is the yoghurt scones - my family was very grateful that I found this one, as my NZ scones always turned out like flat pieces of cardboard. I've just made the Sunonomo (Japanese Cucumber & Noodles Salad) I remembered it from 20 years year ago & it is still just as good.

I'm going to try some of the eggplant recipes as eggplant very cheap in NZ this year & I just love it.

This is a cookbook I would recommend borrowing rather than purchasing. It is good, but not quite good enough to justify the shelf space.

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[Abilouise · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a long time, I've had a theory that Molly Katzen may have been struggling with depression while writing this book. The menus are carb-heavy and she puts chocolate in a lot of places that concern me, and the recipes are hit-or-miss in terms of how well they turn out. The exception, as it often is with Molly Katzen, is the Ashkenazi soul food. The Passover menu is why I still own this book.

[Lisa Headings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic book. Even though it is several years old, there are still some recipes out of here that I pull out from time to time. It is organized by menu ideas, so groups of coordinating recipes are placed together. This can make it difficult to find things when you're just in the mood to browse through and you don't have a particular idea/ingredient in mind. There is an index though that can help identify recipes by main ingredient.

[Rosminah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was more about the drawings than the recipes. Could be cute for some, but it did not do much for me.

[Jennifer Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

With this book, Mollie Katzen taught me how to cook.

[Cyndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to love this cookbook and its menus, but somehow it seems rather dated to me...

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mollie Katzen is the best. Finally a vegetarian cookbook for real people who don't have time to run around searching for obscure ingredients and don't want to eat pasta for every meal. I also like the menu format she uses, suggesting dishes that work well together.

[Jensownzoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another collection of recipes from one of my favorite vegetarian cooks. This one has recipes arranged by menus to take some of the effort out of meal planning. Also noted in each recipe is what can be done in advance, a plus for dinner parties or busy cooks. Sample recipe below:

Turkish Bulgur Pilaf

1 1/2 c minced onion
2 med stalks celery, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried dill
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
2 c uncooked bulgur
2 1/2 c boiling water
1/2 c dried currants
1 c sliced dried apricots
1 c chopped, toasted walnuts
1/2 c finely minced fresh parsley
lemon wedges for garnish

1. In a large heavy saucepan, cook onion and celery with the salt and dill in oil over medium heat until the vegetables are tender (8-10 minutes). Stir intermittently.
2. Add the bulgur. Continue to saute, and stir fairly attentitively over med-low heat until the bulgur is lightly browned and everything is well-coated and integrated (about 5-8 minutes).
3. Add the water, currants, and apricots. Cover and simmer over very low heat for about 25 minutes, or until the bulgur is tender and the water is absorbed.
4. Mix in the walnuts and parsley just before serving. Garnish with generous, squeezable wedges of lemon.

4-5 servings

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

5+ stars when I bought a brand new copy in 1995. Living in a rural area (not far from the Moosewood), this was the first time I had ever even heard of things like Pad Thai or Polenta and it was so exciting to learn how to make vegetarian cooking more exciting.
Still a 3 star book in 2020, it's just that things that used to require a recipe are now what you throw together when you're looking at the odds and ends in your fridge. But I'm glad I picked it up again, as it reminded me of some long-forgotten favorites. I'm looking forward to some Sweet & Tart Cabbage with Cottage Cheese dumplings this week!

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still Life with Menu is a cook book no longer in print but certainly one that should be on every dedicated vegetarians cookbook altar, or perhaps that is just the nostalgic child in me speaking from the distant memories of happy times spent gazing at the beautiful pictures while yummy smells wafted through the kitchen....ok, I refuse to accept that. This cook book rocks hard and Molly Katzen should be revered for the pioneering vegetarian chef that she is. You can still find it and other books by Katzen; you’ll just have to try a little harder than normal.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't used a recipe from this book in, oh... 72 hours. When my children were young and meal planning was an issue, this book was a lifesaver because it gives a complete dinner menu, from soup or salad to dessert. I think I have made every recipe in this book at least once, but there are some, like the chickpea and carrot salad with dill, or the Chilequile Casserole, that I make all the time. This is a fresh, delicious approach to vegetarian cooking that is guaranteed to please.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I made dinner tonight, I realized I hadn't added this one yet. This has some of my favorite go-to recipes -- the chilaquile casserole & black bean chili are always hits when I serve them. The recipes are tasty, hearty, and easy to follow, and Mollie Katzen's beautiful illustrations are an added bonus to this cookbook.

[Emilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aw. This book and I had some great times. It was fun making the whole menus sometimes or just picking out the recipes that looked good. This was written so that vegetarians in the eighties in the middle of Kansas could make themselves something that was kind of Pad Thai.

[Kandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Up-scale, easy vegetarian recipes

[Dottie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food as art. Cookbook as art.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't actually own this book but borrowed it from a friend a while back and LOVED it. Great recipes coupled with art, and designed for setting up entire meals (or not). Good stuff.

[Linda Harkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this cookbook and use lots of recipes, especially those with carrots!

[G.G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still remember the summer I spent cooking my way through this bewitching book. Mollie Katzen's recipes are somehow more than the sum of their parts.

[Peg Schuler-Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a go-to cookbook for when you want something easy. That said, there are a number of great recipes in here, including the one I use for latkes.