MINNIE MUENSCHER'S HERB COOKBOOK

As an herb cookbook, this won't top our list of favorites: it omits some traditional recipes associated with specific herbs (pesto, aoli), which are found in Craig Claiborne's and Sheila Howarth's cookbooks, and it lacks the zest which distinguishes Mildred Owen's recent dual-purpose offering, A Cook's Guide to Growing Herbs, Greens, and Aromatics (p. 363). Muenscher includes some diverting asides (anise was a tithing herb), occasionally calls for exotic ingredients (rose petals, Good-King-Henry greens), and reaches back into other centuries for special treats, such as an onion pie with caraway seeds. An introduction to the flavors, but not the best of its kind.