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Cooking with Johnny Vee - International Cuisine with a Modern Flavor
by John Vollertsen
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
ISBN 1-4236-0155-6
Published April 2008 - Softcover - 216 pages - $24.95

Director and creator of Las Cosas Cooking School in Santa Fe, NM, John Vollertsen, or Johnny Vee, is not only a teacher and a chef, but is also now a cookbook author.  This, his first cookbook, is a compilation of recipes with an international flavor.  I enjoyed reading about Vee's entry into cooking and his subsequent segue into teaching and his Santa Fe school.  He says that "The chapters in this book are laid out exactly as they are on our school schedule," which makes it easy to choose which course you'd like to take.  He's had an interesting culinary life, both in this country and also in Australia and New Zealand, where he opened the chain of Arizona Bar & Grills.  He has an unusual array of Contents, per his school schedule, which are: Fabulous New Year's Brunch; Comforting Covered Casseroles; Luscious Lamb Cookery; Celebrating Salty; Savoring Wild Salmon; Shrimply Delicious; Flamin' Tonsils and Smokin' Ears; The Art of the Artichoke; Green Chile Fest; Red Chile Fest; BBQ Bravado; Fab Fajitas and Sexy Salsas; Sauce on the Side; Hostess with the Mostest; Delicious Decadent Desserts, and A Dickens Christmas Feast.  These recipes appealed to me: New Zealand-Style Lamb Chops with Roasted Root Vegetables and Homemade Mint Sauce (I grew up on lamb and mint sauce, even though I'm not from New Zealand); Chicken Piccata (I don't eat veal so this is a great alternative); Artichoke Ravioli with Lemon and Parmesan-Cream Sauce; Cuban-Style Barbecue Pork, and Crème Anglaise.  I must try the Lemon Curd, another "food" from my youth.  Since living in the US, I've never seen guavas, so it was great to see Guava Cake in the book.  We had a guava tree in our yard back home.  There is also a kitchen store at the school.  What I wouldn't give to browse around there.  I need everything as I only have one pot and a muffin tin to my name.  Hey, I'm just up the I-25.  Visit the Las Cosas Cooking School website.
Exquisitely illustrated.  No nutritional guides.
Conclusion - I loved this book - it's got recipes from my childhood that I haven't had in years, and it's full of really interesting and uncomplicated recipes.  Get this book!