Book excerpt: Alain Passard is the chef who astonished the food world in 2000 by removing red meat from his three-Michelin-starred Paris restaurant L'Arp?ge, and dedicating himself to cooking with vegetables, supplied exclusively from his own organic farm. Today L'Arp?ge is widely acknowledged as one of the world's great restaurants, while its visionary owner has inspired a new generation of chefs. Here is a collection of forty-eight wonderful recipes illustrated with Alain Passard's own joyful collages. The Art of Cooking with Vegetables is made up of unexpected combinations, complex flavours created with a few simple elements, a passion for fresh and seasonal ingredients. Simple, and simply perfect.