Cookbook Review: The Humane Table Cookbook

I’ve been an on-again, off-again vegetarian my whole life. On one hand, I know that the meat industry comes with its share of environmental and ethical concerns. On the other hand, crispy-skinned chicken, brunswick stew, and pasta bolognese make me really happy. The newly released cookbook from American Humane’s president and CEO, Dr. Robin R. Ganzert, intrigued me. Titled The Humane Table: Cooking with Compassion, it promised seasonal recipes that highlight meat, eggs, and dairy products from humanely raised animals. It sounded like the answer to my ethical struggle with my love for cheese, meat, and eggs.

Ganzert taps a list of approved businesses and purveyors who reflect American Humane’s pillars, including Springer Mountain Farms’ broiler chicken, Coleman Natural Pork, and Clover Stornetta Farms, Inc. dairy products. Each recipe makes conscious use of one of the products on the list—a move that’s as easy as deciding which brand of eggs to buy at the store. They’re also organized by the season, which means delightful roasted turkey and whole duck during the holiday season and grilled delicacies during the summer. I love cooking with the season, so I stuck with recipes that let me hover over the warm stove and oven. Sure, the heat made me feel cozy in the middle of December, but the knowledge that I was cooking with humanely produced ingredients didn’t hurt either.