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I love cookbooks – old cookbooks, new cookbooks, American cookbooks, ethnic cookbooks, cookbooks with pictures, cookbooks without pictures, and so on. I can easily while away the hours flipping through their pages. It’s my favorite way to spend a weekend morning – curled up on my couch with a steaming mug of coffee, my pups, and a pile of cookbooks. It’s like hunting for treasure. I find great recipes but I also learn new techniques to apply elsewhere and gain culinary inspiration.
When I find one I really like, I will carry it around for weeks reading it from cover to cover. Those who know me can attest to the fact that I bring cooks books with me everywhere including vacations.
While I frequently reference specific cookbooks in my recipe posts, I thought it would be fun to start a series on my current favorites. Just the ones that really stand out. I bring home dozens of cookbooks each month but I find I only get inspired by a handful.
Tip: I get cookbooks from the public library – it’s a great way to save money and shelf space. Seriously, check out your library’s cookbook section.
So, by way of that introduction, here are 5 cookbooks I’m loving right now!
1. Duck Soup: The Wisdom of Simple Cooking
By Clare Lattia and Tom Hill
In my opinion, this is a fantastic cookbook. It has great recipes, to be sure, but what I love is how the authors really teach you about the art of simple cooking. They start with a larder chapter on ingredients, quick sauces, spice mixes, ricotta, mayonnaise, etc. that is super useful. The chapters then progress from “quick things” (essentially no cooking), to “from the stove” (fairly quick with limited cooktime), and then onto “a little more time” and finally “cooking” (the most time intensive). I’m still working my way through this book but I’ve already leaned quite a bit. Oh, and I have to mention the gnudi. I’d never herd of gnudi before but now I’m obsessed. They are little ricotta dumplings that you can serve all kinds of ways.
What I made: Hmm, lets see – I made a lot of recipes in this book including but not limited to the:
- Lamb Chops, Cumin & Garlic Yogurt: Quick and delicious – perfect for a weeknight alfresco dinner. I made this at least 3 times this summer. Tried several different sauces – all were great!
- Razor Clams, Wild Garlic & Lemon: My first attempt at razor clams. I loved them but, alas, my husband was not a fan. I made them again when he was out of town.
- Blistered Tomatoes, Ricotta & Marjoram: Love this. Perfect for summer nights when something light is all you need. I also served it as an appetizer with crusty bread. After I followed the recipe once, I tried many variations. Hard to go wrong.
- Grilled Shrimp, Lemon, Salt & Chile: These are sooo good and sooo simple. I wrote a post about them: https://dining-alfresco.com/grilled-shrimp-with-zesty-lemon-chili-salt/
- Orzo Pasta, Spicy Tomato Sauce & Feta: Fabulous. I made this over and over. I also started riffing on the seasonings. So many possibilities!
2. Guerrilla Tacos
By Wesley Avila
I don’t know about you, but I make tacos all summer. I have a few classic recipes I go back to time and again but I also love to experiment. This book is great for inspiration – the recipes are fun, fresh, packed with flavor, and offer a ton of variety – chicken, shrimp, fish, pork, lobster, vegetable, sea urchin, etc. I’ve learned to make all kinds of great salsas from this book too. The recipes come from the creator of the successful Guerrilla Taco enterprise in L.A.. If you want to improve your taco game, I highly recommend this book.
What I’ve made: So far, I’ve tried the recipes below (and loved them). I’m planning to try the chili colorado recipe later this week too!
- Chicken Taco: A simple grilled chicken taco recipe with a classic marinade and fresh tomatillo salsa – perfect for summer nights.
- Chicken Adobo Taco: WE LOVE THIS RECIPE!! So easy and full of flavor. I wrote a post about it here.
- Carnitas: These were fun. The recipe was pretty different from carnitas I’ve made in the past. You make a green salt (with herbs and chilies), coat the pork shoulder in it, and let it sit overnight. Then you slow roast the pork the following day.
- Avocado-Tamatillo Salsa: This stuff is great. I make it all the time now and we eat it with chips, sliced veggies, or top our tacos with it.
- Burnt Tomato Salsa: Another great salsa! It’s a little more work than my go to pico de gallo – but I love to mix things up.
3. The Bordeaux Kitchen
By Tania Teschke
This is more than a cookbook. The first 100 pages or so serve as a pretty comprehensive guide to French cuisine and culinary culture. There are discussions of history, the secrets of French cooking, French regional differences, a wealth of information on ingredients, butchery, and more. There is also a lot of emphasis on health, nutrition, and the benefits of ancestral French cuisine. Many recipes here would work well for the paleo/keto crowd.
What I’ve made so far: I’ve tried several entrees and sides from this book including the:
- Flambeed Sirloin Steak with Cream Sauce: We tried this the other night – it was simple and delicous and paired very well with a Syrah from the Rhone Valley (love all the wine pairing suggestions the book provides).
- Butter-Fried Scallops: Ok, this hardly counts as a recipe (butter, scallops, salt, and parsley for garnish) but the scallops did turn out excellently.
- Orange Duck Breast: Duck breast is one of my favorite dishes. This cooking method was a little different than my typical approach – I’ve always started duck in a cold pan. It came out great.
4. Curate
Katie Button
This book is by award winning chef and restaurateur, Katie Button. Don’t miss her Spanish Tapas bar “Curate” if you find your self in Ashville, NC. The book is full of great Spanish recipes and beautiful pictures that remind me of my last trip to Spain.
What I’ve made so far: I’m just getting started with this one but we tried a great appetizer and entree.
- Tomato Bread: Toasted split ciabattas rubbed with tomato, garlic, olive oil and salt. Easy but so good! I think I ate whole loaf myself.
- Clams with Chorizo in Cider: Another super simple but delicious meal. It can be hard to find dry Spanish-style hard ciders. I’ve had better luck at Whole Foods than most places lately. If you’ve got a local cidery, they often have nice dry varieties.
5. Duck Season: Eating, Drinking, and Other Misadventure in Gascony – Franc’s Last Best Place
By David McAninch
Ok, so this isn’t really a cookbook – it’s a more of a culinary memoir by food writer David McAninch (a few recipes are included though). I would recommend it highly to Francophiles and anyone who enjoys reading about French culinary traditions, gourmet food, or travel to less known destinations. I ended up heading to the Basque region of Spain and France after reading this book. It also inspired me to create several recipes including this rustic sheet pan apple tart.
