eGullet Society/Creative Commons

Ruth Reichl has long been one of my idols in the food world. OK, I'll admit that I'm actually mildly obsessed with her writing. She is a former restaurant critic for both the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, the author of several books, and the current editor in chief of Gourmet magazine. I love her writing because she is able to tell a story with food, outlining her past by tastes. She finds a perfect balance with her use of descriptive words, careful not to go too over the top, as is easy to do when talking about food, yet still painting a clear and delicious picture.

Enough raving about Reichl and on to raves about her magazine, Gourmet. I've been a fan of the publication for quite some time, and I can't express how happy I was when it began publishing a monthly vegetarian column. The column is still fairly new, but so far the recipes sound very promising—both interesting enough for longtime vegetarians and accessible enough for the new ones. The magazine has become so sensitive to vegetarian issues that in June 2007, it featured a cover story on the extreme pain and abuse suffered by chickens raised in factory farms. I couldn't believe that a magazine that always features meat would take the time to address animal welfare. It signifies a significant step in the right direction.

In the April 2007 issue of Gourmet, Reichl summed up the publication's view on vegetarianism when she said, "Isn't it time we realized that eating vegetarian meals is neither penance nor virtue but simply another mealtime option?" Finally! A mainstream magazine that makes vegetarians a part of the culinary world instead of relegating us to "the others."

Thank you, Ruth. And other food editors, take note.

Fritters often seem like a bit of a snooze to me, but after trying corn-and-shiitake fritters based on a recipe I found in Food and Wine , I have completely changed my mind. The beauty of the recipe comes from the corn purée that is stirred into the batter. The combination of the purée and whole kernels leads to a strong corn flavor that perfectly complements the smokiness of the sautéed shiitakes and the sweetness of the onion.

The recipe below calls for fresh corn, but I have to admit that I used canned corn, and it was still delicious. I also topped mine with a dab of guacamole, sliced red onion, and cilantro, but the fritters are just as good on their own.

I'll leave you with a catchy rap I once heard that always pops into my head when I think about shiitake mushrooms. It went a little something like this: "My name is Robin Blake. My name is Robin Blake. I like to drink sake, or is it called sake? Portobellos, chanterelles…no, I like shiitake." (Many more food raps from my wonderful friends to come. I promise.)

The chatter will be kept to a minimum in this entry because the recipe itself is quite long. It's not difficult or all that time-consuming—it just needs a lengthy explanation.

On Gourmet magazine's site, I found an interesting recipe by David Chang that pairs sautéed mushrooms with a pistachio purée. I made just a few changes to his recipe—mostly just to make it easier—without greatly altering the main components of the dish. Enjoy.

The VegNews 2007 Veggie Awards have been announced. They cover all things vegetarian-related, including food, beverages, restaurants, books, nonprofits, and even blogs! That's right. VegNews lets the readers pick their favorite veg blog, and this year's winner is…FatFree Vegan Kitchen.

Yes, much to my surprise and great disappointment, the VegCooking blog was not named the winner, but there is always next year. I should follow the lead of our current presidential candidates, who seem to have the "it's never too early to get started attitude," and start campaigning now.

Before I go to start working out the details of the campaign, I'll fill you in on a few of the highlights from the winners list:

•Favorite Cookbook Author: Isa Chandra Moskowitz (of Post Punk Kitchen and now Veganomicon fame

•Favorite Non-Dairy Milk: Silk

•Book of the Year: Committed by Dan Mathews

•Cookbook of the Year: The Joy of Vegan Baking (more to come on this book later in the week)

•Best Excuse to Visit the Valley: Chef Dave Anderson of Madeleine Bistro

The above winner I agree with the most is Madeleine Bistro as the best reason to visit the Valley. Actually, I think the restaurant's desserts alone are reason enough to visit the Valley. The menu includes perfected versions of those fantasy desserts many of us wouldn't attempt at home, such as vegan crème brûlée and even a vegan meringue. I know someone who works there and is sworn to secrecy on the recipes, but if he ever budges, I'll let you know.

What I love most about the restaurant—and what I think is needed to raise the bar for all vegetarian restaurants—is that it creates high-quality and creative food that stands out amongst all cuisines, instead of just being "good for a vegan restaurant." Now that is worthy of an award.

It was a pleasant surprise when I received an e-mail a couple of weeks ago from VegNews magazine offering up a free gift pack for a contest on this blog. VegNews is the first magazine about vegetarianism that I remember seeing in "normal" stores, and it looked just like all the other "normal" magazines. Something about that was quite comforting to a vegetarian teenage girl (me). At first I didn't know any other vegetarians, so seeing an entire magazine about my lifestyle—and in full color with glossy pages, no less—made me realize that I was not alone.

That's exactly why I'm happy to offer up the VegNews gift pack as a prize to one of my lucky readers. The pack includes the magazine's signature oversized tote bag, six jumbo vegan cookies, a copy of the current issue of VegNews, and a one-year subscription! Entering is easy. Just leave a short comment below telling me why you deserve to win the gift pack, and I will choose the best answer. That's it!

Details, details: We will be giving away one VegNews gift pack. The contest ends on April 18, and the winner will be notified by April 25. And just so you know…by giving us your details here, we're taking that as acknowledgment that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy. And by commenting, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions.

Good luck!