I was skeptical as I tasted it while cooking ("Get ready for a plain but healthy dinner," I called out in warning to my family). But this pulled together nicely at the end into a warm, filling, and satisfying winter meal. I subbed leeks and shallots I had on hand for the onions, but it is the parmesan and nutmeg that really make this nutty risotto-like dish work. Entire family approved; this one will be repeated at our winter table. I used par-cooked(?) farro from Trader Joe's that cooked up a bit faster than the recipe stated--still enough time for sweet potato (subbed for Swede) to cook.

Surely a sign that I have too many cookbooks--I've barely touched this one. But (!) tonight I made the ribollita and it was flavorful and hearty. A lot more flavor than that one I made from River Cottage Veg cookbook a last month. The fennel sees and dried red chili seem to be essential for giving this basic dish a boost. One note: Mine came out very, very dry (looked not nearly as liquidy or as green as the pic in the book). If you want a more soup-style dish, add more than the 2 cups or so broth/water I added as I cooked. I also decided not to cook the bread into it, and served it with the garlic-rubbed bread recommend in Veg.

I made this with lemon-pepper pasta, but I think that was a mistake: the strong pasta flavor overpowered the subtle flavors of the fennel. But this was delicious, and as fennel is a common CSA veggie, I think we will be making it again (esp. because my daughter loved it). Quick and easy.

Very hardy stew/soup. I didn't think it was worth cooking my own beans. Serving with garlic-rubbed bread is essential as it adds just a small garlic flavor that complements the soup perfectly.

Wonderful winter stew. I used up that CSA pumpkin that was kicking around my kitchen, and my kids liked it because it wasn't as spicy as some of the curries we've been trying lately (although still flavorful). I subbed pureed canned roasted tomatoes for the roasted tomato sauce. I felt like it needed some more garnishing, so we topped with sour cream/plain yogurt and a couple salted tortilla or pita chips. I think some toasted pumpkin seeds or almonds might be a good garnish, too.

I've made this twice now and it is loved by all, young and old. I leave the shrimp out because we are not fans; that made for a very bacon-heavy chowder the first time (or bacon chowder, as we called it). The second time I added more potatoes, and it was great. I use frozen corn and cod and otherwise follow the recipe. Goes together quickly--dinner in about 30 if you are making just the chowder. Double it to serve more than four.

Easy and tasty veggie curry dish. Easy to create variations by changing veggies, and ingredients are common enough to whip up most any night. Not spicy (although I'm sure it would be easy to ramp it up), so perfect for families with kids. Doubling chickpeas and tomatoes (and little else), I was able to stretch this to feed four adults and 4 kids (with leftovers).

Quick and easy. Everyone in the family loved these! I substituted sweet potato for the swede (aka rutabaga), and used frozen pastry (I had to change the shape of them because of this, but still tasted great). I also subbed a light shake of curry powder for the powdered vegetable bouillon (which I didn't have). You could probably make these vegan with a few subs (for butter in mixture and using a vegan pastry) and by leaving out optional cheese. Reheated well for an afternoon snack the next day.

Good side for meat eaters, and kind-of main for veggies. We substituted gluten-free flour to accommodate one of our diners with no real mishaps. The soy sauce would need to be substituted too for any gluten allergies. We served the sauce on the side for our dairy-free folk. Very flavorful. It did take a bit of time to fry them all up, but we just got every one in the kitchen and fried these and the socca cakes at the same time.

The absolute, hands-down favorite out of three or four recipes made from this cookbook for one small dinner party. Everyone loved this and wanted the recipe. The flavors are bright and clean. Might be a bit spicy for kids, but pepper could be left out.

I served this at a small dinner party that included some vegetarian diners, some vegan diners, and some gluten/dairy-free diners. Everyone (including the meat-eaters) enjoyed it! We ate the leftovers the next day. Reheated well.