Lisa Messinger's
Cookbook Corner

Plenty: A Collection of Sarah McLachlan's Favourite Recipes

by Sarah McLachlan with Jaime Laurita (Madrigal Press)

If you haven't gotten enough of Sarah McLachlan, there's plenty more. But this time she expresses herself in the form of recipes rather than songs. The popular singer, who established the successful female-helmed music tour Lilith Fair, proves with Plenty that she's as talented in the kitchen as she is on stage.

Of course, like all the acclaimed artists on her tour, she has backup: chef Jaime Laurita. Laurita is a graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, who has trained in Italy and France and catered the tours of other top musical acts like the Rolling Stones and Placido Domingo.

Although McLachlan is an accomplished cook herself, she didn't have time to prepare meals on the road. When she noticed her energy dragging and weight creeping up while on grueling tours, she hired Laurita to cook for her whole gang. Soon, instead of a small repertoire of greasy food, McLachlan and crew were munching on curried orange lentil salad, creamy mushroom sherry soup, Thai salad rolls and spinach pine nut cannelloni. McLachlan collaborated with Laurita on the book and also included some of her favorite family recipes.

Although not marketed as such, this is a vegetarian cookbook for those who eat dairy and seafood. However, like McLachlan's staff, even nonvegetarians will probably find themselves clamoring for more simply because these are dynamic, creative recipes relying on only the freshest ingredients. Some standouts include sun-dried tomato and pecan pesto with prawns, roasted root vegetable stew and smoky poblano pasta with black bean and roasted corn cream sauce.

Gorgeous, color food photography by Kharen Hill accompanies the recipes. And McLachlan fans don't go hungry: There are also some stunning portraits and performing shots of the famous redhead.

Because there is no room for time-consuming, complicated recipes on the road, all are concisely written and easy to prepare. However, the results are clearly gourmet. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to have your own personal chef coming up with recipes for you, á la a celebrity, you'll certainly get a delicious taste of it here.

RECIPES

—Creamy Mushroom Sherry Soup
—Smoky Poblano Pasta with Black Bean and Roasted Corn Cream Sauce