Add These Cookbooks To Your Beach Bag This Summer
Summer is technically still a few weeks away but mentally the picnic baskets and beach bags have been packed since early Spring. The perfect beach bag usually has all the essentials for a long day of sunshine and relaxation, like sunscreen and sunglasses and water and snacks, but surely, a good book or two. Though cookbooks may not be the first on a list of good reads for the beach, each of the books here are good for an experience well-beyond cooking a great recipe. There are characters and curiosities, narratives and plot, life lessons and aha's, all packaged in artfully designed pages that are simply too beautiful to keep on a shelf.
Most of these books focus on traditions and are steeped in personal reflection.
All of these books will enrich your cultural and culinary chops.
All of these books deserve to have a life inside and outside the kitchen.
None of them will be a waste of your time.
Umma by mother and daughter duo, Sarah Ahn and Nam Soon Ahn.
I'm not crying you're crying. Not that Sarah Ahn of Ahnest Kitchen meant to jerk the tears from our ducts, but readers are let in to this beautiful mother-daughter collection and their love of tradition and culture in a way that feels so intimate. The privilege of being let in is poignant and ever present.
There are over 100 family recipes and stories that take us back to their history and lives in Korea to their lives today in the United States. The duo has given readers and Korean food enthusiasts a counter seat to a Masterclass in Korean cooking from Sarah's mom, a former restauranteur. Everything is revealed from pantry necessities or knife skills, to how to choose produce, what she likes from Costco, to her deep dive into rice, and Sarah's childhood tales behind one purple lunch pail.
Can't Wait to Try: The Korean BBQ Short Ribs (p.162); Spinach Fried Rice (p.277); Kimchi Pancakes (p.316); and the Iced Corn Latte (p. 356)
A one-of-a-kind introspective look a Pakistan, its history, its geography, its people, and its ... More extraordinary food.
Rounds and rounds of applause for this beautiful, weighty, tribute. In a book that is the first of its kind and one that is deeply personal, Maryam Jillani the reporter meets Maryam Jillani the Pakistani writer who proclaims her discoveries with a groundswell of pride.
Pakistan gifts readers with a studied view of the country's rich culture, one to be 'seen' and understood well beyond its politics. Interspersed with essays that illuminate Pakistan's geography and culture and the people who make up its complex global story, the book contains numerous recipes that further connect all the dots.
Can't Wait to Try: Borani Banjan (p. 89); Pata Gobi (p.99); Kadhi Pakora (p.103); and the Seviyan for dessert (p. 242).
Dinner by Meera Sodha
Once a cook, not always a cook. After a dark spell blanketing an unknown course, Meera Sodha had to do some soul searching before she could reclaimed her mojo in the kitchen again. Once she did, there was no turning back. It took a shift in perspective from cooking for work to cooking for pleasure and for her family. Whenever joy was sparked in the kitchen again from a new recipe, said recipe went into an 'orange book', which, over time and all dressed up a became what we now hold in our hands.
When flipping through Dinner, it feels like a chatting with a good friend who's just been lit up from her insides out. It's underscored by a rejuvenated cook, and you can't help but want to be part of that. 'The ability to put a good dinner on the table has become my superpower,' she notes. 'And I want it to be yours too.'
Can't Wait to Try: Rojak Salad with Avocado, tofu and tamarind (p. 76); Marbled Egg Omelet with Nam Pla (p.104); Lentil Soup with Harissa and Preserved Lemon (p.159); and Matcha Mochi Cakes with Sesame Brittle (p. 301).
There's Always Room at the Table by Kaleb Wyse
Midwest in the house! Kaleb Wyse of Wyse Guide has brought us into his world one bucolic scene at a time. It feels a little bit like heaven; but nope, it's just Iowa. He introduces us to friends and family as a cast of characters and reminds us how important it can be to turn to our own 'cast' for a rich sense of place and inspiration.
Before even getting to the many delicious recipes inside the book, Wyse tells us three of his rules for gathering it all together: The recipes had to remind him of his mom, grandmas or great-grandmas; they had to be available nearby--he not only lives across from his childhood home but in the home of one of his grandparents'; and the dishes had to be delicious--duh--and no nonsense. Anyone could take one skip-to-the-loo through the pages and see it is as approachable as it is wholesome as it is enticing.
Can't Wait to Try: Chicken & Biscuits (p. 74); Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Frosting (p.4); Roasted Zucchini, Dill & Feta Dip (p. 155); and Peach Shortcake Bars (p. 232).
The Italian Summer Kitchen by Cathy Whims
This a book built not on a family tradition entrenched in generations of nonnas and their passed-down recipes. Instead it is built on one Pacific Northwest chef's pure passion for and allegiance to Italian cuisine.
Chef Cathy Whims, of Nostrana in Portland--which turns 20 later this year--is like many of us who fall in love with all things Italian. Unlike many of us, however, she followed her passion directly to the doorstep of legend Marcella Hazan's kitchen and with the experience she gained therein, was forever changed. Every recipe in the book is made all the more enticing by artist Kate Lewis's lively illustrations; together, La Dolce Vita feels achievable, Italian or not.
Can't Wait to Try: Insalata Nostrana (p. 30); Ligurian Seafood Stew (p. 61) Potato Gnocchi--a la Marcella Hazan-- (p.87); and Almond Granita (p. 148).
Baking for Two by America's Test Kitchen
I am overjoyed by this book, and I've dog-eared more recipes than not. But wait a minute! Where has this book been all my life? Or the last five years, at least? I've empty-nested and remarried and have had to learn how to cook all over again. Cooking for less than a houseful takes training.
So here we go. The pros of pros at America's Test Kitchen have not only made cooking smaller doable, they've done so by including mouth-watering recipes presented with endless tips on tools, recipe variations, or equipment. The calories don't shrink, however, but learning to cook smaller can reap big dividends of joy.
Can't Wait to Try: Cherry Cobbler with Spiced Wine (p. 66); Whole-Wheat Carrot Snack Cake (p. 108); Bean and Cheese Pupusas (p. 209); Pineapple, Ginger, and Lime Tarts (p. 175)
You won't lose this book at the beach. With bright, vibrant illustrations from Danny Miller and ... More photographs by Ren Fuller, tinned fish is loud and proud.
Tinned fish is one of life's culinary treasures and something that has come back to the forefront in a big, beautiful way, thanks to the badassery of our resident Fishwives, Becca Millstein and Caroline Goldfarb. Because of them, tinned fish no longer hides in the cupboards as a second thought; it can be up, front, and first.
As a matter of fact, I have a stinky, fishy breakfast quite regularly; the stinkier the better, in my book. Throw in a serving of stinky kimchi and I'm very very happy. So, when a book shows up that regals tinned fish with such esteem, I'm an instant fan. Along with recipe developer Vilda Gonzalez, we get to make tinned fish a meal, a snack, a soirée, or a full-fledged, fishy celebration.
Can't Wait to Try: Chili Crisp Salmon Lettuce Wrap (p. 79); Risotto with Tinned Octopus and Smoked Paprika (p. 114); Anchovy Bagna Càuda (p. 157); Latkes with Sour Cream and Chives, and Smoked Mackerel (p. 199)
Cover to So Easy So Good, a perfect book for light dishes; made for summer or no fuss cooking ... More anytime.
How lucky are we that we have a book here so rooted in nutrition, not just deliciousness. That said, it took a dark time and place for Kylie Sakaida to come out the other side in health, healing, and cooking with joy and confidence.
Not only does she walk us through a trying time in her youth when food was the enemy but shares the details of her recovery. And, not only did she regain a love for food, but she became a dietician who now helps millions of people everyday across her social platforms to find balance in their relationship to food. Full of delicious recipes and lessons on finding balance, everyone who strives for it in any form could take a lesson from So Easy So Good.
Can't Wait to Try: Chinese Steamed Eggs (p. 79); Sesame Garlic Tofu (p. 139); Kimchi Beef & Tofu Stew (p. 157); Onigiri Rice Balls (p. 243); Creamy Peach Pops (p, 254)
The following two books here are not about cooking or food per se, but sit happily in the world of hospitality.
One party of a book on wine, Rebel School of Wine by Tyler Balliet.
I have a sign near my dining room table that says 'this kitchen is for dancing'; this book by the originator of Wine Riot and Rosé Mansion comes with the similar jubilant plea. Wine is about enjoyment; drinking it shouldn't feel like anything but the pursuit of pleasure.
Within five pages of Rebel School of Wine you will very quickly discover a world you want to live in. The intimidation factor surrounding the libation's history or enthusiast's landscape falls away and you are walked though every element of the wine world in a very straight forward, dare I say, fun way. No matter how much other books on wine try to be less of an affront to your intelligence, it is rare to see a text that is so inviting on the subject. To how wine is made and regional highlights to the economics behind the industry and tools of the trade, there's nothing left out. Covered in bright, bold illustrations by Amber Day, Balliet and Creative Director Morgan First give us a wine book with back-to-school-colorful-doodles-energy, and the step-by-step insider's guide you wish you wrote yourself.
Last but certainly not least, lessons from a legend…
The latest book from José Andrés, Change the Recipe, was released on April 22.
To many, José Andrés is a larger-than-life figure who has gone from sprinkling a bit of his beloved Spain and its beautiful cuisine across the globe to someone with a Herculean capacity to give and to feed those in need.
In Change the Recipe, however, he draws us in with his signature voice--full of kindness and passion--while peeling back the curtain on some of the major lessons he's learned from the early days of the military and professional cooking to becoming a U.S. citizen and navigating the high stakes that comes with his work for the World Central Kitchen.
All in all, readers catch wind of one person finding purpose and that in itself makes for a hearty, enriching read.
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