"e;For twenty years Richard Olney's Simple French Food has been one of my greatest sources of inspiration for cooking at Chez Panisse."e; -Alice WatersRichard Olney was considered a culinary genius for his ability to elevate cooking to a practical art. He wrote evocatively about the beauty and pleasure in cooking by focusing on preparing simple foods well. This new edition of his classic cookbook, with a foreword by Mark Bittman, allows a whole new generation of food lovers to enjoy this inspiring book. Olney's 175 recipes are so straightforward that cooks will be inspired to go right into the kitchen: herb omelets, fish with zucchini, lamb shanks with garlic, and many more. He also shares techniques (several featuring his own illustrations), such as fermenting vinegar, in line with the back-to-basics trend in cooking. Olney's emphasis on simplicity and improvisation in cooking will resonate with today's cooks and food lovers. "e;A classic of honest French cooking and good writing. Buy it, read it, eat it."e; Lydie Marshall"e;Simple French Food has the most marvelous French food to appear in print since Elisabeth David's French Provincial Cooking."e; Nika Hazelton, The New York Times"e;I am unable to find an adequate adjective to express my enthusiasm. . . . I have never read a book on French cuisine that has so excited and absorbed me."e; Simone Beck