The Book of Salads

Seven years ago my husband Dub and I sailed into Whangarai Harbour in New Zealand. On our way in I spied some friends or ours, Gayle and John, who we'd met in Tahiti. They were Kiwis and they were ending their five year circumnavigation, home at last. We anchored close to their boat and later dinghied over for sundowners (usually Coke and Rum). That evening, as usual, we told tall tales of our adventures at sea and we congratulated ourselves on being in this wonderful place at this wonderful time. Later, as we were saying our goodbyes, Gayle gave me her set of the Salamandar Book of Series Cookbooks. They are sold by HP Books in the States as paperbacks. Gayle carried these books around the planet and now she was giving them to me, complete with her notes (written in the books) on the recipes, how well she and John liked certain dishes, which were their favorites, how hard they were to prepare. She knew I was a cook and she thought I'd appreciate them. She was right. Like all the books in the series "The Book of Salads" is about five inches wide and about a foot tall, making them kind of unique among cookbooks. But one should not be put off because of the odd shape, these are real books and you can find mighty darned good recipes in them, like all of the delicious salad recipes in this book. Plus you get a short course on basic dressings, something any chef out to know. But as for the salads, here you can get everything from Caesar to Ceviche salads and a whole bunch of others. Spinach, Italian and Salade Nicoise. Seafood or Goat Cheese salads and still more. You're gonna want this book of you're a salad lover. Review Submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

In its roughly 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes. This installment, the Book of Salads, starts with a brief section on basic dressings, and then presents recipe suggestions for all major types of salads, from appetizers to fruit salads and side dishes. Special chapters are dedicated to warm salads, main courses, pasta, grain and legume salads. Classics such as Caesar and chef's salad, coleslaw, salade nicoise, Greek, Waldorf and Oriental chicken salad, tossed greens and winter salad appear next to unique dishes such as lake trout salad, Moroccan sugared lettuce, Persian carrot salad and marinated beef salad. From apple and celery root to zucchini salad, this collection of recipes, while not all-encompassing, is a great introduction to the endless possibilities of tossing food items together in a bowl with sauce or a dressing - and at a relative bargain price, to boot. Also recommended: This series' installment on dressings and marinades. Also recommended: Around the World Cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery) Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals (4th Edition) Textbook only Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006