An Everlasting Meal is a wonder.  I'm not much of a cook. Most of the cookbooks I own are along the lines of "Fast Meals for Busy Idiots", which is a problem, because I love food, and if you're just shoveling calories in your mouth, why not go for pizza, or burgers, or something out of a box.

Adler is a serious cook. She was the chef at Farm 225 in Athens, Georgia, cooked at Chez Panisse, and has been writing about food for over two decades now. She has opinions, but more than opinions, she has genuine enthusiasm for good meals, for doing it right, and for letting your senses and intuition guide you, rather than mechanically following a recipe.

The central point of An Everlasting Meal is to eat like a certain kind of prosperous peasant. Dietary staples are root vegetables, beans, leafy greens, and fatty gristly chunks of meat. Staple carbs like pasta, bread, and rice can be left to the experts and bought from a store. Learn to love the stewpot. Boiling and simmering is a forgiving cooking method that helps food taste more like itself, and leaves rich flavorful broths and ends to be incorporated into the next meal. 

I'm not sure I have the patience for the farmer's market recommended in-season produce all the time, but the idea of roasting a giant portion of veggies on Sunday and finding ways to reuse it through the week is very appealing. Advice like "now add a grated cup of parmesan and freshly chopped parsley" is face-slappingly obvious. Woodchips would probably be edible with sufficient parmesan. 

This is a book that is a joy to read, and deserves careful study.