Vegetable Cooking Of All Nations

The garden has been full of vegetables and I have been looking at many of those vegetable gardening cookbooks that had a resurgence in the late 60’s and 70’s in much the same way they are having a resurgence now.


Florence Schwartz compiled a collection of 700 vegetable recipes from around the world. There are 27 variations of artichokes, 36 for beans, 34 for eggplant, 37 for mushrooms, and 72 for potatoes, not to mention chestnuts, chayote, hops, leeks, nettles, salsify and more. Vegetable Cooking Of All Nations gives a good variety of vegetables but the “world” leans toward Europe.

The dishes are plain and easy to follow. One of the dishes that represent Israel is an onion and fruit recipe.

Onions and Prunes

1 1/2 ponds firm onions
4 tablespoons margarine
1 pound prunes

Select onions about the size of the prunes. Peel and sauté them gently in the margarine over low heat. Soak the prunes for half an hour and then add to the onions. Cook until tender (20 to 30 minutes). If necessary, a very little water may be added to keep the ingredients from frying quickly.

If you think about the slow roasting of onions, you will know that they grow sweeter the longer they are cooked. Adding the prunes makes this a chunky marmalade like accompaniment to pork or chicken.