The Book of Greens: A Cook's Compendium of 40 Varieties, from Arugula to Watercress, with More Than 175 Recipes [A Cookbook] Hardcover – April 11, 2017

I cook a lot. With greens. A lot! But it only took a few minutes of hearing an interview on the Splendid Table to know this book could teach me things. I have been flipping through it and love it already. I find it inspiring and it's broadening my ideas about greens, even though I might take a different path (making her shu mai recipe into a meatloaf, for example, using her seasonings!). I thought I was an open greens eater, but now I'm looking forward to more. More!!

Jenn Louis' recipes are innovative, honest, and genius, to say the least. This should be a book in any cook's back pocket as it not only teaches you techniques and pairings, but also opens up the the world of underutilized greens without being "extra". Basically, it introduces unfamiliar greens not as exotic ingredients, but as old friends that you've been missing out on.

If you are looking to expand your use of green leafy vegetables, this has some good ideas. If you are looking to do that without adding oils and salt? this may not be the book for you. We did try the grilled Romaine lettuce - although I did it in a non-stick pan cause that's what I had - and it wasn't bad. So will look at some of the other ideas and see what I can incorporate into our diets for a change of pace from the same old same old.

Jenn Louis's books are the best. Why is she not more famous? This is exactly the kind of cooking I want to do these days. She is brilliant and has a great palate for a variety of international flavors. Many of the greens in the book are obscure and I may never come across them, but Louis always recommends a more-accessible substitute. This is a new favorite for me. That said, I have a well-stocked pantry, access to international groceries of every kind, and happily make things like preserved lemons and hot sauce. This book is probably not for a novice or for someone without international markets and no desire to order ingredients online.I buy relatively few cookbooks, but I will probably always buy anything Louis releases. Check out Pasta by Hand, her first book, for absolutely perfect recipes for dozens of dishes that will have you impressing yourself again and again.

I operate a wonderful business specializing in herbs, microgreens, and field greens. This book has been an outstanding resource for not only home cooking, but expanding our knowledge on the culinary side; making conversations with our chef customers much more beneficial. We are able to speak knowledgeably together, and be a better resource to the chef. Buy the book. Cook your heart out. Share the love!

I really liked the book format\table of contents Jenn used. Wished more food and cookbooks were this well thought out. Even though I am vegan, I bought her book for its educational value which was front and center with photographs. The recipes are secondary and exemplifies how to incorporate the green in question.

I was excited to thumb through this book after seeing it on the James Beard cookbook nominees/winners list (don't recall which). I wasn't expecting a vegetarian cookbook as I understand the trend in cookbooks is to be vegetable-forward, not necessarily vegetarian. However, I was disappointed to find that the majority of recipes seem to rely on some sort of meat to round out the dish or as a significant ingredient.Would love to see a Book of Greens focused more on highlighting the natural splendor of greens instead of masking them with animal products. I know not all will agree, but hope this may help someone else in similar shoes. Otherwise, the recipes are thoughtful and creative (multiple recipes for cooked lettuce which are unique) , but do suffer from a familiar lenience on super- specific ingredients not always available to the home cook (examples include nasturtium leaves, minneola tangerines, so on).Edited: found some good recipes with less of a meat focus, but now feel after cooking through some that they don’t seem to have been tested. Swiss Chard with Garam Masala and Coconut Milk for example— way, way too much liquid to create any type of sauce. Take these recipes with a grain of salt and use as a guide for new flavor profiles instead.

We should all eat more greens but often have fairly mundane ways of serving them. Then get bored. I keep a large garden and forage as well and found truly new ways to look at greens in this book. I would recommend this book to anyone already on the green train particularly if they keep a garden. Lambs quarters in brown butter heading for the table tonight.