New Cookbooks To Add To Your Collection
Photography by Alison Engstrom
AmmU: Indian Home Cooking to Nourish Your Soul
by Asma Khan
When a cookbook invites you into the author’s life, it makes you feel even more connected to the recipes they share. In Asma Khan’s newest book, the Indian-born British-based chef from the acclaimed London restaurant Darjeeling Express shares recipes from her childhood and is also an ode to her mother, Ammu. This beautiful book reads like a family picture album that is marked with photographs of heirlooms paired with recipes to warm your heart. Highlights include Malpua, ghee-fried pancakes that are soaked in a cardamom sugar-laced syrup; Sabit Masoor Dal, brown lentils scented with chiles, ginger, and turmeric, and Tomato Bhorta, a versatile condiment of crushed tomatoes, onions, and chiles.
To the Last Bite: Recipes and Ideas for Making the Most of Your Ingredients
By Alexis deBoschnek
Every so often a cookbook comes along where you want to make everything, such is the case in Alexis deBoschnek’s debut book. The book is an homage to her childhood growing up in the Catskills and is centered around using up all of the ingredients you purchase instead of letting them go to waste. An unsettling fact is that 30 to 40% of food produced in the United States goes into landfills producing methane which adds to the devastating effects of climate change. This vegetarian-centric forward book includes dishes for Pasta with Tomato Confit and Ricotta, White Wine Braised Leeks, Fingerling Potato and Leek Top Frittata, and Israeli Couscous with Herbs. She also includes recipe directives on what to do if you have extra herbs, leftover rice, extra nuts, or celery tops.
Saka Saka: South of the Sahara – Adventures in African Cooking
by Anto Cocagne
In her first cookbook, Anto Cocagne recounts her journey from growing up in Gabon to becoming a successful chef and expert on African fare in Paris. This lively book is a primer and a revelation in pan-African cooking spanning countries like Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Congo. She shares how to stock your pantry with staple ingredients and how to cook specialties from these various regions. In the recipe section, you’ll find an abundance of fresh, vegetable-forward meals like Papaya Gazpacho, Chakalaka, a spicy vegetable dish with beans, and desserts like a decadent Baobab Crème Brûlée. You’ll also learn that in 2016, the West African diet was ranked, by the World Health Organization, as the fourth healthiest cuisine in the world. Alongside the recipes, she introduces the world to notable African personalities who recount their favorite dishes and their intimate connections to the food they love.
I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To): Low-Effort, High-Reward Recipes: A Cookbook
By Ali Slagle
After a long day of work, the question inevitably becomes, what should we make for dinner? If you are anything like me, you might put a lot of thought into what to make for breakfast and lunch, and when evening rolls around, you aren’t feeling as inspired. In Ali Slagle’s new book, I Dream of Dinner, she takes the guesswork out of that very question with easy meals that come together in less than 45 minutes and doesn’t call for more than ten ingredients. A few recipes worth noting include Green Soup to the Rescue, which combines leafy greens with coconut milk and rice noodles; One-Pot Rice & beans is the ultimate in comfort food, or as she dubs it, ‘The power couple’, and a vegan-friendly option is Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas.
Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in México
By Rick Martínez
A celebration of culture and food, each page of Mi Cocina by Rick Martínez is like experiencing the sunshine of Mexico. In this vibrant ode to the country’s diverse landscape and cuisine, he shares the recipes and stories from the region’s 32 states including the bustle of Mexico City, the open spaces of El Norte, and the sleepy beach towns of Baja California. He lays the groundwork with condiments, like Salsa Tatemada, a blend of charred tomato, onion, earthy serrano peppers, and Salsa de Aguacate, where avocado cream, serranos, and jalapeños make a perfect sauce for spooning on top of a myriad of his dishes. He also doles out tasty recipes for Pan de Cazón, a toasted tortilla that’s layered with fish, refried beans, and a spicy tomato habanero salsa, Baja fish tacos, tostadas, flatbreads, and tortillas. For those who relish in Mexican food—and who does not?—this book is not to be missed!
A year at catbird Cottage: recipes for a nourished life
By Melina Hammer
Inspiring seasonal recipes, a homage to local food—like bounty reaped from the garden—and mouthwatering photography—are just a few reasons to pick up A Year At Catbird Cottage, by Melina Hammer. Inspired by her home in Amenia, an enclave in Upstate New York, she shares recipes that she serves to her guests at Catbird Cottage, her popular bed & breakfast. Recipes to bookmark are her Black Raspberry-Bourbon Mascarpone Tartlets, the Ultimate Nibble Platter—perfect for summer gatherings—and the Summer Skillet with Crispy Eggs and Scarlet Runner Beans. In addition to widely-known ingredients, she goes above and beyond to share recipes for unexpected ingredients that can be foraged like milkweed, honeysuckle, autumn olives, and spruce tips.
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