Simple, Elegant Pasta Dinners: 75 dishes with inspired sauces by Nikki Marie
Pasta is one of the easiest and most versatile ingredients to cook with. It can be a side dish or a main dish and can be made fresh or purchased dried. In this cookbook Nikki Marie gives 75 seasonally inspired pasta dishes. She starts with an introduction that answers many common pasta questions - does the shape matter? (yes), should you add oil to the pasta water? (no), etc. Then she walks through how to make basic pasta dough with several very helpful pictures. The recipes in the book can be used with fresh or purchased, dried pasta. I really like that the recipes are organized by season and at the beginning of each section Marie talks about what is in season and how the recipes reflect that season. Overall, there were several recipes I want to try and this is a great cookbook if you want to expand your pasta nights.
On Vegetables by Jeremy Fox
In the Introduction Jeremy Fox talks about his success with Ubuntu, the first vegetarian restaurant to earn a Michelin star. He was seen as a brilliant chef who followed a "seed-to-stalk" philosophy with using every part of the plant in his cooking. But, Fox was miserable and on several medications for anxiety and stress. After walking away from Ubuntu and taking some time to figure things out Fox ended up working as the chef at Rustic Canyon. This cookbook showcases the food Fox cooks at Rustic Canyon - still highlighting every part of the vegetables, but not as pretentious as what he was known for at Ubuntu. His story is sad and compelling and definitely gave me more insight into the author than many cookbooks, but overall the recipes are still too fancy for the average home cook. I did like that he highlighted several of the farms Rustic Canyon buys from and gives several pages of tips for buying the best quality produce yourself. But, overall there weren't any recipes I wanted to try from this one.
The Goodful Cookbook: simple and balanced recipes to live well by Buzzfeed
The Goodful Cookbook's goal is to help you eat good, healthy food. In the Introduction the goal for this cookbook, how to stock your kitchen, they also explain some of the more common diets (keto, vegan vs. vegetarian, etc.), they also cover sustainability and what is in season. Each recipe is noted if it's vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or dairy-free, but there are notes about how to adjust any recipe for your eating habits/diet. Normally any cookbook that promotes vegan/gluten-free/etc. recipes is not for me, but I feel like this cookbook has a LOT of really great options and recipe ideas. There are several recipes I'd like to try, so if you're trying to start 2020 by eating a little healthier you might get some good ideas here.
Gifts From the Modern Pantry by Rachel De Thample
Rachel de Thample has put together a beautiful book with lots of handmade treats and gifts. The book is divided into gift categories - infuse, ferment, pickle, jam, bake, temper, and dry. At the beginning of each section she gives an overview of that technique and tips. In the Introduction she also gives gift suggestions from the book for various occasions. Overall, there were some good ideas and there are a few things I want to try.
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