A Taste Of Heaven And Earth: A Zen Approach To Cooking And Eating [Paperback]

Vegetarian and Zen in persuasion, this volume is beautifully conceived: not only does Vitell search various culinary traditions for unusual yet appropriate offerings--sushi, raita, couscous, crepes, tostadas--but Morningstar, a Buddhist nun, calls on pen and ink to set the scene with improvisational abandon: a frog opens the soup chapter; a rough-and ready tomato sits on the guacamole page, as if about to burst in two. Sophisticated simplicity is Vitell's apparent standard; her recipes have a spare purity, and though her directions are thankfully replete with the usual details, she supplies unusual asides: Buddhist stories, jokes, or evocative prose to usher in a meal. So while Zen taste may not be everyone's, the book is unfailingly impressive in conception and execution, and may very well win converts. Illustrated.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

"Bettina Vitell has successfully wedded her lively palate with a purposeful sense of simplicity in the kitchen to create delicious, healthful, and unpretentious recipes. That they are vegetarian is incidental; this food will excite any lover who values fresh imaginative cooking." -- Jeanne Lemlin, author of Quick Vegetarian Pleasures

"A Taste of Heaven and Earth has the right proportions of heaven and earth. It doesn't gag our throats with philosophy, but rather seasons our cooking and eating with small morsels of reflection. It's a wonderful book to read, taste... and keep forever. It knows that cooking with care is more important than just about anything, and that food is a sacred path to soul." -- Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul

For Bettina Vitell the simple art of cooking holds the seeds to a deeper, more life-enriching experience. It is a way to become more aware of ourselves and the world around us, to think clearly and to delight in even the most basic daily activities of our lives.

The dishes in A Taste of Heaven and Earth reflect this Zen philosophy. Bettina Vitell's uncomplicated recipes produce sophisticated, creative meals without ever losing site of her goal of preparing low-dairy vegetarian food. Tastes from both East and West merge with delicious results: here kale and tofu adorn pizza, and udon noodles are dressed with pesto. There are recipes for soup stock and tomato sauce, as well as cashew ginger sauce and apricot lime chutney. The homey breakfast and dessert sections provide recipes for muffins and crisps; and sections on pizza, sushi, curries, and Mexican-inspired foods expand the traditional range of vegetarian cooking.

A Taste of Heaven and Earth explores beyond the reaches of traditional cook-books by offering contemplative essays and ink drawings that heighten the cook's sensory experience in the kitchen. They provide questions and stories that help readers realize the simplicity and beauty inherent in preparing and eating good food.

Bettina Vitell is assistant to the director of the San Francisco branch of the Urasenke Foundation of Japan, the most respected school of tea in the world. She lives in San Francisco, CA.