Mangini - The vegetable butcher : how to select, prep, slice, dice, and masterfully cook vegetables from artichokes to zucchini

For my family

with infinite love and gratitude

I worked on this cookbook in my mind and in practice for about 10 years before it actually took shape. I experienced immeasurable serendipity on my path to making this dream a reality, and had many very special people in my life who encouraged me along the way. I offer them the deepest kind of thank-youtied up in endless gratitude and appreciation. Thank you...

Peter Greenberg, for teaching me to say yes to everything and encouraging me to keep taking steps forward until a path became obvious. Sara Moulton, for being an inspiration and for making it clear that there are no shortcuts to success, that you must work hard to get anywhere, and that I should go to culinary school. Paule Caillat, for being an extraordinary teacher, for contributing to this cookbook, and for leading me to Dorie Greenspan and a table of talented women at The Culinary Loft who, along with you, confirmed my decision to join the professional culinary world. Kathy Lewis Perialis, for showing me what it means to be a leader and for supporting me as I took a terrifying leap out of the corporate world. I owe you so much.

Sarah Currid and my dear New York girls, for your encouragement and friendship, which gave me the strength to follow a new path. Ryan OKeefe Testa and Dana Sexton Vivier, for the many pep talks and culinary adventuresfrom small Paris apartments to peach farms in Spainthat helped lead me to my center.

Chef Stephen Barber, for giving me a chance and an opportunity that confirmed my professional purpose and for allowing me to experience and know what an authentic commitment to local food means. Antonia Allegra, for sage advice and giving me a space to write and imagine what this book would be. Jim White, for your mentorship, friendship, and can-do spirit that makes me want to (and believe that I can) achieve everything. Dave and Nancy Yewell, for housing me, for trusting me, for sharing recipes and food stories, for listening and encouraging, for all the recipe testing, for introducing me to many people that have influenced my journey, and for being extraordinary, loving friends.

Leah Wolf, for your immense help with research. Lisa Radigan, Elizabeth Anderson, and Sharon Halkovics, for testing recipes and making them better. Gina Manion, for supporting me in everything and offering up your very professional recipe-testing skills. Emily Mangini, for helping me imagine and test many of the desserts in this book. Your many talents and constant willingness to help blow me away. To my Columbus friends and the Bauer family, for welcoming me, supporting me and Little Eater, and for your involvement in and excitement for this book.

Stacey Glick, for believing in me and this book idea from the start, for advising me to keep working hard, and for finding the most perfect editor and partner to bring this book to life. Kylie Foxx McDonald, that perfect editor and partner, for your undeniable standard of excellence, attention to detail, and commitment to making this book the absolute best it can be. I am forever grateful for this opportunity, for getting to work with you, and for your trust in me and this project.

Anne Kerman, for working tirelessly to assemble an all-star team to bring this book to life in pictures. The Chefs Garden and Melissas Produce, for providing gorgeous vegetables for our shoot. Matthew Benson, for your love and passion for vegetables, and Nora Singley and Sara Abalan, for your spirit and talenttogether you made everything beautiful. Rachel Joy Baransi, for your stunning cover shot. Becky Terhune, for bringing it all together.

To everyone at Workman Publishing who has supported me and this cookbook and continues to do soespecially Suzie Bolotin, Rebecca Carlisle, Moira Kerrigan, Beth Levy, Selina Meere, Rachael Mt. Pleasant, Barbara Peragine, Jessica Wiener, and Doug Wolff. I am grateful for this true collaboration and propelled by your energy and enthusiasm for this project.

The entire Little Eater team, for your dedication and hard work that allows our company to grow and prosper while giving me the opportunity to plan the future of our company and spread the word about this book. Ethan Fink, for stepping up and helping run Little Eater in its beginning days, and every day, so that this project could happen. You were an invaluable part of this, and a source of organization, ideas, and consistency that I am so lucky to rely on. Janelle Kilbane, for your partnership, leadership, creative energy, and commitment to this cookbook and our mission from the very beginning. Without you, I could not have completed this project nor could our company have survived my time away from it. You helped shape these pages through hours and hours of recipe-testing, your always-right culinary instincts, your focus, and simply for being there. There are not enough words to describe the magnitude of my appreciation for you.

Mom and Beth, for being with me every step of the way during this project and always. Your work, insight, and brilliance are a part of this. Dad and Nick, for being my listeners and advice-givers. Nana, for being an inspiration and a master in the kitchen who has taught me everything. To each of you and the rest of my big, wonderful family, thank you for being an unparalleled force of love and support in my life. The magic that happens around a table with you has inspired this work and everything that I do.

Tom, my incredible, selfless, hardworking husband: You have sacrificed so much over the years in supporting me, this book, and my business. I am thankful for every dish you washed, for every late-night run to the grocery store, for every delivery you made for Little Eater, and for every social event you went to and Saturday you spent without me. I am forever and ever grateful for you. Thank you for believing in me and all the crazy dreams I described to you when we first met. I couldnt do any of it without your unwavering strength and cheerleading. I am bursting with joy and excitement for our next adventure.

Cara Mangini , who comes from a family of traditional butchers, was one of the first vegetable butchers at Eataly in New York City. She is now the owner and executive chef of Little Eater, a produce-inspired restaurant, and Little Eater Produce and Provisions, an associated local and artisanal foods boutique, in Columbus, Ohio.

Before you butcher anything, you have to take care in selecting, storing, and washing your vegetables. This will maximize their shelf life and set up your prep work and cooking for success. Determine your personal sourcing philosophy to focus your options and streamline shopping. Are you interested in joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program or do you prefer shopping at the farmers market, a local specialty store, or the supermarket? Is certified organic produce right for you? My best advice: Get to know a general growing calendar for your region at sustainabletable.org/seasonalfoodguide/ and always pay attention to the time of year.

No matter where youre shopping, take some time to choose the pick of the crop. Seek out brightly colored, fresh-looking produce that is in season. It may seem obvious, but take care to avoid vegetables that are discolored, limp, overly soft, shriveling, or dry. (Dont be afraid of fresh-looking but irregularly shaped vegetables. Nature produces vegetables that are perfectly imperfect, and just fine to eat.) Veggies in their prime have a much better chance of lasting longer and remaining in good condition until you are ready to cook them. Shopping at farmers markets and specialty produce stores is a good guarantee of freshness. At the supermarket and big-box clubs, look for in-season vegetables or items that last a long time if stored correctly, like onions, beets, cabbage, carrots, and rutabaga. Procure the seasons best and most vibrant vegetables from the start, and much of your work is done for you. Not only will your vegetables last longer, but theyll offer incomparable flavor.