Ultimate Veg: Easy and Delicious Meals for Everyone

Oliver achieves admirable variety with his 22nd book (after 5 Ingredients), a compendium of vegetarian recipes that ticks all the boxes without adding much new to the conversation. Oliver is British, and it shows in vocabulary like sarnie for sandwich (made by stuffing a loaf of rustic bread with mozzarella and grilled vegetables, then slicing it into wedges), while the lack of recipe headnotes will likely leave some readers scratching their heads as to the meaning of some recipes names, such as a Burns Night Stew of barley and root vegetables with buttery dumplings. Oliver easily dips in and out of different cuisines, offering, among other dishes, a cauliflower and chickpea biryani with a bread lid, and a pretty pinwheel-like French-style pithivier pie served with creamy blue cheese sauce. A self-defined “meat lover who will absolutely not compromise on flavor,” Oliver also creates ersatz meat dishes, such as shawarma of roasted mushrooms on a skewer, and black bean burgers topped with slices of mango and avocado. A chapter on “traybakes” is rife with weeknight dinner options: Florentine eggs and stuffed peppers are perfect for making in advance. Oliver Fans will enjoy this solid effort, but it’s unlikely to attract a new following. (Jan.)