Quarantine Cookbook Recommendations

I don’t know about you guys, but I have been cooking a ton during quarantine. It’s been refreshing (excluding the mountain of dishes…). It’s like my art project for the day. It’s also given me the opportunity to go through my not-so-small collection of cookbooks and try things I’ve never done before. In case you’ve been looking for some solid new ones to purchase, here are some recommendations from chez Spencer.

Chrissy Teigen’s Cravings and Cravings: Hungry For More

It’s easy to dismiss celebrity cookbooks—most are shameless cash grabs—but these are not. Well, they might be, but they’re worth buying. Don’t believe me? Ask chef Brian Moxey. He’ll tell you the same thing. Both of these cookbooks are full of ‘craveable’ dishes, which is fitting considering their titles. Almost every dish in the book sounds like something I’d want to make, and very few of them are a long time commitment. Her chunky creamy mushroom soup (with no dairy) is a winter favorite of mine. I just opened the cookbook to John’s fried chicken wings with spicy honey butter and BRB going to eat some wings.

Ivan Orkin’s The Gaijin Cookbook

I love Japanese food. So much. When I discovered takoyaki (basically pancake balls filled with octopus, ginger, crispy bits, scallions, etc.), my whole life changed. Then I met takoyaki’s larger, more impressive brother, the okonomiyaki. And now, thanks to Ivan, I have nearly perfected the cabbage and meat filled pancake, smothered in okonomi sauce, Kewpie mayo, and dancing flecks of bonito. Okonomiyaki has become almost a weekly addition to my menus. Life is good. Besides okonomiyaki, this cookbook is a great intro to making Japanese food at home and developing a sense for the flavors of Japan without being overwhelmed with new techniques and ingredients.

Michael Solomonov’s Zahav and Israeli Soul

Things I am planning on doing in the near future: going to Philadelphia and eating (almost) all my meals at Michael Solomonov’s restaurants. He has completely redefined my views on the Jewish cooking I more or less grew up with. So many dishes in both of these cookbooks are amazing—make Zahav’s lamb shoulder for a dinner party and drink up the accolades—but my absolute favorite is his falafel. I’ve never had a better falafel than the ones I’ve made using his recipe. The flavor is incredible, the texture is perfect. That recipe is in Israeli Soul and I think you should make it as soon as you possibly can. Here’s a video of him making it so you can see how easy it is.

Bonnie Frumkin Morales’ Kachka

Unlike Solomonov, I’m an Ashkenazi Jew, meaning my family comes mostly from Eastern Europe & Russia, rather than the Middle East or Mediterranean. Instead of getting to grow up falafel, pita, and kibbeh, we had stuff like noodle kugel, borscht, and gefilte fish. Bummer. In my head, Eastern European food was boring and plain, mostly made up of root vegetables, potatoes, and cabbage. Then I went to Kachka in Portland. Good god. That single meal completely shifted my thoughts on Russian cuisine. It’s delicate and thoughtful, taking mostly simple ingredients and combining them into something bursting with flavor—not unlike what Balkan Treat Box does. I was embarrassed for generalizing and putting down an entire cuisine. I’ve yet to make the Russian dumplings (pelmeni) that my dad and I absolutely demolished in Portland, but that will be changed shortly.

Jim Lahey’s Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook and My Bread

Before there was Ted Wilson, there was Jim Lahey. And there still is Jim Lahey. You can probably find him at his NYC bakery, baking loaves of bread that are at least 10 times better than anything you or I have made at home during quarantine. My Bread is a great intro to bread making; I’m particularly fond of it because of how many no-knead recipes there are in it. I hate kneading. I am a lazy baker. If I can set it and forget it for 18 hours, I’d rather do that. Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook includes more savory dishes that the bakery sells, so it’s not just bread. He also has My Pizza, which is nice, but not as useful as these two.

Melissa Martin’s Mosquito Supper Club

A few weeks back, I was complaining to my friend Mary that I didn’t have so many of my grandma’s recipes from when we were growing up. She lost a majority of her recipes years ago during a move, and being that she’s 90 years old, she doesn’t do much cooking these days. Mary, knowing that my grandma is from New Orleans, recommended a cookbook I’d never heard of: Mosquito Supper Club. I didn’t know who Melissa Martin was, I didn’t know that Mosquito Supper Club was the name of a restaurant in New Orleans. I knew nothing, but I went ahead and bought it anyway and I couldn’t be more glad that I did. This book is killer. Proof: I surprised my grandma with Martin’s shrimp stew recipe last week and, while she gave me a few tips for next time, it got 98% of her approval. And my grandma isn’t one to mince words about food.

George Calombaris’ Greek

I think Masterchef USA is incredibly dumb and overproduced, but Masterchef Australia is great. It’s just talented home cooks pushing themselves, not unlike The Great British Bake Off. After watching a few episodes where one of the judges, George Calombaris, showed off some of his Greek restaurant’s dishes, I was intrigued. In St. Louis, we have very limited Greek options, and outside of Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern shows, I really had no frame of reference for what modern Greek food could be. This cookbook is it. There are some wild dishes in here, mixing the traditional with the modern—like lamb brain ‘chicken nuggets’. But most of all, it’s just fun, out of the box dishes you might expect at a place like Taste Bar.

Cookbook Picks: Winter 2016

We are living in a digital world, and I am a digital girl—except when it comes to cookbooks. I'm a cookbook collector (and possibly a burgeoning hoarder). Last winter, I put up a list of 5 cookbooks I'd used the most in 2015, but seeing as my collection is growing at a rapid pace, I'm going to start posting quarterly recommendations. Unless I get bored and decide not to. No promises. I present to you: the Winter 2016 collection.

Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes

Yotam Ottolenghi

About 5 years ago, I went on a trip with my college friends to New Orleans. When I got home and they started posting pictures from the trip, I came to the realization that I was not the svelte panther I thought I was. I looked more like late 1970s Elvis Presley than 1950's Elvis. I went to a dietician who, in short, told me to stop eating garbage and start eating more vegetables.

But vegetables suck, I thought to myself. Ottolenghi's Plenty (and its follow up, Plenty More) changed the vegetable game for me. With these two books, I've become the vegetable master. I am the inspiration behind L' Arpége and Blue Hill.

Amazon link

Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking

Michael Solomonovand Steven Cook

I'm Jewish, but I'm not a cool Israeli Jew. I'm not even a tan Sephardic Jew. I'm just a boring ol' Ashkenazi Jew. My Russian family recipes all involve beets, potatoes, and cabbage.

I bought the Zahav cookbook partially because it won a James Beard award for Best Cookbook, but mostly so I could cook Israeli food and pretend I was the Zohan. It worked. I blew everyone away at our Thanksgiving dinner with Solomonov's braised lamb shoulder with pomegranate molasses and chickpeas. Every single dish I've made so far has been a winner. I give this book 5/5 yarmulkes.

Amazon link

Greek

George Calombaris

Most Americans won't know who George Calombaris is, which is a shame. He's a good natured, extremely talented Greek-Australian chef from Down Under, and also the co-host of Masterchef Australia. Unlike its American and Canadian relatives, MC: 'stralia is not a giant stinking heap of bullshit drama. It's a great show.

Calombaris' new cookbook, Greek, isn't even being sold in the US. I don't know why. It's an incredible book full of modern—yet home cook friendly—Greek recipes. The photos are stunning, the writing is great, and the recipes work. It's a lot like this blog.

It keeps popping up at the Amazon link below for a variety of prices. I got it for $28, but now it's at $81. Keep your eyes peeled. If I find it somewhere cheaper, I'll let you know.

Amazon link

Singapore Food

Wendy Hutton

The best Singaporean cookbook I've found. Originally published in the 1989, this cookbook has been my link back to the food I love so much. For many of the recipes, Hutton went to the hawker stalls or restaurants and straight up asked how they made their signature dishes. If you're at all interested in the real flavors of Singapore, get this. Alternatively, you can get The Little Singapore Cookbook, which is kind of like a "best of" from the larger book.

Chili crab will change your life.

Amazon link: Singapore Food or The Little Singapore Cookbook

Thai Street Food

David Thompson

This book is huge, just like your mom. If you're into coffee table books, this might as well be one with its enormous, bright street photography from all around Thailand. The shots of the food are equally beautiful. Thompson doesn't dumb down or simplify the recipes either: if you want to make authentic Thai food, you're going to need to buy a lot of ingredients. Make it a team effort. Get the kids chopping lemongrass.

The results are worth the effort.

Amazon link

5 Cookbook Necessities

Cookbooks are an easy gift for the holidays, but which ones to get? The onslaught of new cookbooks is never ending. My in-depth researched has taught me two things: avoid the new seasonal cookbook from your favorite Food Network 'chef' (it's like the crappy Christmas album bands put out) and stay away from celebrity cookbooks. I don't know why people think that recipes from Smash Mouth, Al Roker, or Kris Jenner are going to be good. They're not. Don't even get them as a 'funny' gift for a friend. They're just going to get thrown into the trash where they belong. You wouldn't buy Mario Batali's guide to tennis, would you?

Instead, you want to go for quality cookbooks. The kind that you'll be able to reference for years and years. Here are my recommendations for 5 great cookbooks that will make great gifts for your friends and family—or, better yet, for you.

The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (IG, Twitter)

I would go so far as to say that this book is not only the best cookbook of 2015, but also a modern home cook necessity. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Managing Culinary Director of Serious Eats, the best food website there is, and the work he put into this 1,000 page epic is nothing short of impressive. He explains the science behind his recipes and techniques, helping the home cook have a better understanding of what makes the food taste great.

If reading all those words is too hard, skip the explanations and just hit the recipes. I guarantee you'll see an increase in cooking compliments. Get this—it's the 21st century's Joy of Cooking.

Amazon, $27

the food lab cookbook kenji

The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Deborah Madison

I was tired of scouring every cookbook and website for vegetable dishes that weren't just roasted or sauteed with some butter, which led me to Deborah Madison's vegetarian cooking bible. Finally, I could do something interesting with all my CSA veggies! A huge chunk of the 700-page book is separated by vegetable, which makes deciding what to do with that kohlrabi much easier.

The book also includes recipes for a plethora of sauces, dressings, desserts, and more. Just because it's vegetarian doesn't mean it's healthy. Just look at Prince Fielder!

Amazon, $28

cookbook vegetarian cooking madison

Hot and Hot Fish Club

Chris and Idie Hastings with Katherine Cross (IG, Twitter)

This is a must have for anyone looking to impress with fine Southern cooking. Multiple award winner Hot and Hot Fish Club is located in Birmingham, Alabama and owned by the husband and wife team of Chris and Idie Hastings. The book is uniquely separated by month, which results in recipes that are focused on showcasing the best of each season.

This isn't a book for the casual home cook. If you're the kind of person who likes to host dinners that your friends will talk about for weeks, this is for you.

Amazon, $30

chris hasting hot and hot fish club cookbook

Smoke And Pickles

Edward Lee (IG, Twitter)

This book came out in 2013, but I didn't get my hands on it until December 2014, just after a phenomenal meal at chef Ed Lee's Milkwood restaurant. I bought it for one reason: I needed to know how to make his "Black BBQ," an intense mix of Asian (black bean paste, sesame oil) and Southern (bourbon, cola) ingredients that resulted in a thick, spicy BBQ sauce. It has remained one of my secret weapons ever since.

The book is full of great stories and even better recipes, a mix of Asian and Southern food that speaks to me like few other combinations can. His Filipino adobo fried chicken and waffles is incredible, and his Bourbon-and-coke meatloaf has become a family staple.

Amazon, $18

chef ed lee smoke pickles cookbook

Tacos

Alex Stupak and Jordana Rothman (IG, Twitter)

I wasn't sure that a book solely focused on tacos was going to be worth getting, but boy, I was wrong. Stupak's writing reminds me of my own, so of course I enjoyed that, but his passion for tacos and creativity shine through. The first half the of the book runs through how to properly make corn and flour tortillas (including a version using raw chicken), as well as how to make a ton of salsas, moles, and other sauces.

The second half is taco focused, ranging from classics like carnitas and barbacoa to a cheeseburger taco, a buffalo chicken taco, and a pastrami taco. I'm slowly making my way through it, but everything I've made out of it so far has been incredibly delicious. Plus, Evan Sung's photos are amazing.

Amazon, $18

alex stupak jordana rothman tacos cookbook