Title:	Five Ways to Cook Asparagus (and Other Recipes): The Art and Practice of Making Dinner
	Author:	Peter Miller
	Published:	April 11, 2017, Harry N. Abrams
	No. of Pages:	256
	Cover Price:	$29.95 Hardcover, $11.99

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In the cookbook Five Ways to Cook Asparagus (and Other Recipes): The Art and Practice of Making Dinner, the key theme is five. Author Peter Miller suggests five types of foods to keep in stock in the larder (dairy products, greens, liquids like olive oils and vinegars, breads, and fruits). He gives explanations of each, and includes a recipe or two using ingredients in each of his categories.

In Part 2, Miller has an excellent chapter on vegetables, and includes five recipes for each (Asparagus, broccoli, carrots, onions, and cauliflower). These recipes aren’t your everyday – throw-together vegetable dishes; rather, they are innovative and absolutely mouthwatering.

Part 3 of the cookbook includes Legumes, Rice, Pasta, and More, and, you guessed it, gives five recipes for each: rice, quinoa/couscous, spaghetti, lentils, and beans. Once again, these are not run-of-the-mill recipes, and look good enough that you actually want to cook all of them. There’s a chapter on protein (fish, chicken, beef, lamb, etc.) as well as a chapter on basics and how to prepare them.

This is actually an unconventional cookbook; it’s a simple concept (five), and it works. The pictures are beautiful, the chapters are well organized, and the recipes are delectable. The only thing that isn’t particularly great about this cookbook is the cover, which is fairly boring. However, since it will be hidden on the bookshelf next to your other favorite cookbooks, it really won’t matter. The recipes are simple, the instructions are easy to follow, and the finished dishes turn out just like the pictures. The author also includes five (of course) menus, including wine suggestions.

Favorite recipes so far are the gorgeous and delicious Spaghetti Frittata, Cauliflower Baked in Butter and Parmesan, Spaghetti and Dungeness Crab, and Asparagus with Parmesan and Arugula. The list of what I want to try is getting longer every time I pick up this cookbook.

Five Ways to Cook Asparagus (and Other Recipes): The Art and Practice of Making Dinner is a cookbook with good information, hints, and recipes for cooks of all skill levels. It makes an excellent addition to any cookbook collection.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.