Great meals are just waiting to be made.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2258 or mfisher@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Betty Crocker Cookbook: 1,500 Recipes For the Way You Cook Today (Wiley, $29.99)
This loose-leaf-binder cookbook has undergone what its publisher calls its “most significant update in 60 years,” with 1,500 recipes and 1,100 photos. New chapters include “Entertaining” and “Breakfast & Brunch.” Another new feature is an “Heirloom Recipe and New Twist” that gives readers the ol’ reliable classic rendition of certain recipes — meat loaf, for example — paired with a “new twist” version — Cheesy Stuffed Meat Loaf. And the authors even add a variation of the classic recipe (horseradish meat loaf) that was contributed by a Facebook fan. Oh, and this update of the “Big Red Cookbook” has an accompanying e-book “optimized for all e-reader devices.” Betty Crocker has sold 65 million cookbooks since 1950, but shows that she’s not a stodgy grandma when it comes to learning new tricks.
Essential Pepin (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $40)
All Jacques Pepin has done in his culinary career since first coming to America in 1959 is publish 26 books and host 11 public television cooking series. He reaches into every crevice of his experience to come up with a whopping 700 recipes in this satisfying cookbook. You’ll find everything here, including more than 120 pages of desserts, but first you’ll encounter gems such as Tuna Steaks with Tapenade Coating, Spicy Rib Roast, Hot or Cold Leek Soup, Linguine with Clam Sauce and Vegetables, Roast Turkey with Mushroom Stuffing, and yes, Baguettes.
Nadia G’s Bitchin’ Kitchen: Cookin’ for Trouble (Ballantine Trade Paperback Original, $22)
Every image that comes to mind about a Betty Crocker Cookbook — wipe them from your mind. This cookbook from the Cooking Channel’s celebrity chef Nadia Giosia (aka Nadia G) is the complete antithesis of Betty Crocker. Some of the photos would be at home in a Victoria’s Secret catalog. But if there is a young unmarried male on your Christmas list who thinks he wouldn’t be caught dead displaying a cookbook in his apartment, this book’s for him. Chapters include “Back-of-the-Fridge Bachelorfest” and “(Dysfunctional) Family Pizza Night” and “Happiness = Bacon.” And oh yeah, there are recipes, too.
Soup, Glorious Soup (Kyle Books , paperback, $19.95)
Versatile food writer Annie Bell, who has written books on cakes, desserts and vegetables in addition to a camping cookbook, turns her attention to soups, with an emphasis on soups from around the globe. And she bases the book on walking down Main Street of a small (and foodie-friendly) town, with chapter titles such as The Greengrocer, Fishmonger, Butcher and Cheesemonger. Among the 100 soup recipes are Double Mushroom Soup, which utilizes both crimini and shiitake, and Lamb and Butternut Squash Stew with Pine Nuts, flavored with allspice and cinnamon.
The Silver Spoon: New Edition (Phaidon Press, $49.95)
Its promotional materials call this “the bible for Italian home cooks,” but given its sheer 1,500-page girth, it may be more of a “War and Peace” of Italian cookbooks. It contains an astonishing 2,000 recipes, some of them updated and revised in the six years since this cookbook’s initial publication in English. The tome is edited by Emilia Terragni, editorial director for Phaidon Press, and includes “chef menus” from the likes of Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich. Recipes include Tuscan Minestrone, Meatballs in Brandy, Penne Rigate with Artichokes and Carpaccio Cipriani, the latter from Harry’s Bar in Venice. Work your way through this cookbook and you will become an Italian.
Cook This Now: 120 Easy and Delicious Dishes You Can’t Wait to Make (Hyperion, $29.99)
Author Melissa Clark, a Brooklyn native and New York Times dining section columnist, organizes this cookbook by season and month, with recipes that are designed to reflect what’s available at local farmers markets. And the recipes encourage experimenting with seasonal items including kale, parsnips, leeks, ramps, rhubarb, fennel and rutabagas, among others. Recipes include Honey-Roasted Carrot Salad with Arugula and Almonds; Tuscan Kale with Anchovies, Garlic and Pecorino; Creamy Parsnip and Leek Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons; Roasted Blackfish with Olives and Sage; and Coconut Fudge Brownies.
Sear, Sauce, and Serve: Mastering High-Heat, High-Flavor Cooking (Running Press, $23)
Tony Rosenfeld, author of “150 Things to Make with Roast Chicken,” has written what is more of a book about cooking than it is cookbook, But there is no shortage of recipes.: 250 sauce recipes are divided into “Sauces While You Sear” and “Sauces After You Sear.” Learn to make Spanish Garlic and Thyme Dipping Sauce, Maple Cranberry Glaze, Aunt Debbie’s Bajan Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce and Toasted Sesame-Ginger Stir-Fry Sauce.
Eat Greens: Seasonal Recipes to Enjoy in Abundance (Running Press, $24.95)
Tired of the same old steamed broccoli? Break out of your vegetable rut with this cookbook from Barbara Scott-Goodman and Liz Trovato, who put 120 thoughtful and seasonal recipes arranged in alphabetical order from artichokes to zucchini. Recipes include Oven-Braised Leeks and Garlic, Slow-Roasted Fennel with Feta Cheese, Crispy Kale Chips and Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Walnuts.
The Food of Spain (Ecco, $39.99)
This book by Claudia Roden — a London-based author whose cookbook entitled “Book of Jewish Food” won a James Beard award — explores every corner of Spain, introducing us to the people she encountered during her travels through the country and to the cultures and dishes she discovered. Roden states near the beginning of this 600-page book that “Because of its extraordinary geographic and ecological diversity and its dramatic patchwork history, Spain is a land of breathtaking gastronomic diversity” — then proceeds to prove it. Recipes include Eggplants Stuffed with Ground Almonds, Fish in Onion and Saffron Sauce, and Chicken and Shrimp with Almond and Chocolate Sauce, and a classic Seafood Paella.
Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef (Random House, $26)
This is not a cookbook of recipes. It is, however, an amazing memoir by Gabrielle Hamilton, chef, New York City restaurant owner, author, and spellbinding writer, and it’s simply a must-read for those with a drop of foodie blood flowing in their veins. Perch on Gabrielle’s shoulder as she nurtures her foodie passion during an unconventional childhood, immerses herself in the chaos of operating her own New York City restaurant, cooks in the kitchen of her Italian mother-in-law, and grapples with a prickly marriage. There are times when the unflinching and very personal prose here is a bit too raw, but you won’t be able to put this book down.
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