THREE WOMEN CHEFS SPEAK VOLUMES WITH NEW COOKBOOKS.

Byline: William Rice Chicago Tribune 

Respect for women chefs, already high in this country, can only increase with the recent publication of three books in which the chef-authors successfully reach out to involve the home cook in food selection as well as preparation.

The books are ``Savannah Seasons'' by Elizabeth Terry (Doubleday; $30), ``Chez Panisse Vegetables'' by Alice Waters (Harper Collins; $32.50) and ``Cooking with Nora'' by Nora Pouillon (Park Lane Press; $35).

All three authors are restaurant veterans, without formal culinary educations, who cooked for fun or families before becoming professionals. Waters founded Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., in 1972. Pouillon opened Restaurant Nora in Washington, D.C., in 1979. Terry's Elizabeth on 37th made its debut in 1981 in Savannah, Ga.

But after long years in a grueling business, there is not a hint of ennui on any of their pages. Furthermore, these are books to cook from.

Instead of relying on chefs' secrets or tricks to make food taste special, they advocate ferreting out the finest raw, seasonal ingredients (preferably organic for Waters and Pouillon). As a result, their recipes are not intimidating once you've done the shopping.

Waters' beautifully designed and illustrated book contains chapters on more than 40 vegetables, many as familiar as carrots and broccoli, a few as rare as cardoons and amaranth greens. The recipes are not complex. There are no irritating cross references to sub recipes. In fact, some are simply sketches of a preparation.

``Cooking With Nora'' is well summarized by its subtitle, ``Seasonal Menus From Restaurant Nora ... Healthy, Light, Balanced and Simple Food With Organic Ingredients.'' Pouillon has recruited more than a dozen farmers in nearby Maryland and Virginia to provide her ingredients. They are used for dishes such as softshell crabs with cilantro vinaigrette in summer and roasted duck legs and winter vegetables in winter. She also provides seasonal vegetarian plates and vegetarian menu suggestions.

Terry, who did ``Savannah Seasons'' with her daughter Alexis, cooks Southern and manages to make even grits taste exciting, without the addition of hot sauce. Her food has the accessibility of family fare, yet is classy enough to present at a dinner party.

But do your own taste test. Just try the recipes that follow, and I suspect you will want to own the books.

NORA POUILLON'S WATERMELON GAZPACHO WITH LIME AND MINT

6 pounds watermelon

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 whole red chile

1/2 cup sliced red onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup minced mint

1 zucchini, seeded and cut in 1/4-inch dice

1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut in 1/4-inch dice

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh mint for garnish

Cut watermelon into wedges, remove rind and seeds. Put watermelon pieces into a blender, in batches, pureeing until smooth.

Pass puree through a colander or sieve to remove any remaining seeds.

Pour 1/2 of puree into a large bowl and other 1/2 back into blender. Add lime and lemon juices; chile, onion and garlic to blender and puree until smooth.

Pour seasoned puree into a bowl with reserved puree and stir in mint, zucchini and bell pepper. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.

Portion soup into bowls. Garnish with mint. Serve chilled. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Adapted from ``Cooking With Nora.''

ALICE WATERS' SUMMER BEAN RAGOUT SWITH CREME FRAICHE AND SAVORY

1 pound fresh shell beans (cranberry, lima, butter, etc.)

Water

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt

1 pound assorted beans (green, yellow, wax, romano, etc.)

1/4 cup creme fraiche

1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped summer savory

Pepper

Shell beans and place in a saucepan with enough water to cover, by about 1 inch. Add olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer beans and liquid to a shallow bowl to cool. Keep shell beans in their liquid until ready to use.

While shell beans are cooking, trim assorted beans of tops and tails and any strings. Parboil 4 or 5 minutes in a large pot of boiling, salted water or until tender. (They should be cooked separately according to variety in order to control cooking times.) Drain and spread out to cool at room temperature until ready.

Drain shell beans and put in a large saute pan with all other beans. Add about 3/4 cup water and cook over high heat until beans are heated through and liquid has almost evaporated. Add creme fraiche and savory and continue cooking until creme fraiche has reduced a little and beans are well coated.

Season to taste with pepper and serve. Makes 6 servings.

From ``Chez Panisse Vegetables.''

ELIZABETH TERRY'S SOUTHERN CREAMED RICE

2 tablespoons butter

2 ounces country ham OR prosciutto, minced

1/2 cup minced shiitake mushroom caps

1/2 cup grated small zucchini

1/4 cup peeled and grated carrot

2 1/2 cups cooked rice, preferably Elizabeth Terry's Basic White Rice (recipe follows)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 slices bacon, cooked crisp and chopped (optional)

In a large skillet or casserole, layer ingredients as listed beginning with butter and ending with whipping cream.

Cover skillet and simmer over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, until most of liquid is absorbed. Do not stir.

Just before serving, stir cheese into rice and sprinkle with chopped bacon. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

From ``Savannah Seasons.''

ELIZABETH TERRY'S BASIC WHITE RICE

1 cup raw white basmati rice (found in health food stores and some specialty markets)

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepot with a lid over high heat, combine rice, water and salt. Bring to a boil; stir, reduce heat to very low, cover and simmer 12 minutes.

Lift lid, stir rice, replace lid, turn off heat and place covered pot in a skillet or warm water over low heat 10 minutes to finish steaming rice.

Do not lift lid until ready to serve. Makes 2 1/2 cups.

From ``Savannah Seasons.''

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO (color) Watermelon Gazpacho With Lime and Mint is one of the r ecipes in Nora Poullion's new cookbook, ``Cooking With Nora.''

Tony Berardi/Chicago Tribune