Anyone Can Cook: Cookbook Recommendations From Me (A Dumbass) and My Mom (Not a Dumbass)
I'm actually an OK cook, I'm just selling myself short for a cheap laugh.
I can only imagine, that when I am in the kitchen, there is a little rat named Remy watching my every move, wailing from the skylight that I am ruining the soup. This is a real shame, because I will be eating the soup and if I have ruined it, it is both my fault and my punishment. Tragique!!
Since I only have 2 brain cells and only one of them knows how to cook, I enlisted the premier cook of my life, My Mom, to help me out on this one.
Shroom by Becky Selengut
Mattie: My beloved bff Andi got me this cookbook for no reason last year and it’s my prized possession. There’s a recipe for mushroom bánh mì in here that is possibly my favorite meal of all time. I love mushrooms the absolute most and covet their delightful umami taste nearly always, and this book has so many delightful things to do with them. The absolute premier part of this cookbook, other than the mushroom facts, is that it’s organized so that there are three recipes for each kind of mushroom arranged by increasing difficulty. I only do the easiest recipes and I’m valid! They’re incredibly delicious! (Since this is a mushroom cookbook, it’s totally vegetarian).
Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day by Jeff Hertzberg M.D. and Zoë François
Mattie: What I find mildly perplexing about this break book is that the aesthetics seem to be slightly in the vein of ‘As Seen on TV.’ The Bread, However. The BREAD! This is the bread book my mom uses and I can personally confirm that the bread quality is high and the relative bread difficulty is low. My mom constantly has her eyes peeled for a gift giving opportunity that involves pressing this cookbook into the waiting arms of any potential baker. It’s very ‘LOOK UNDER YOUR CHAIRS! YOU GET A BREAD BOOK! AND YOU GET A BREAD BOOK!’ which I love for all of us, really.
They also have an entirely gluten-free version which I can’t personally speak to, but, if your sights are set on a loaf to cure all your ails, this book is a great place to start.
Mary: As it turns out, the most important book on my bookshelf right now is one that I have owned and loved for years: Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. If I had to name one book that truly changed my life, this would be it. This book takes bread baking back to its simplest elements: Flour, water, salt, yeast and time. Make the dough, let it rise, then shape a loaf and bake it. The book offers many breads using the basic recipe, from sandwich bread to pita. If you bought a stockpile of yeast and flour to get you through this pandemic, you owe it to yourself to buy this book so that you can put those staples to good use.
I also do recommend this book for gift giving. I generally inscribe it with this lovely quote from Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Lathe of Heaven: “Love doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.”
Camp Cocktails: Easy, Fun, and Delicious Drinks for the Great Outdoors by Emily Vikre
Mary: On my last trip to the library before the world shut down, I flipped through Camp Cocktails by Emily Vikre and decided to bring it home for a closer look. I’m so glad I did. More that just a recipe collection, this book is a celebration of outdoor living and camaraderie. Vikre includes lighthearted tales of adventures gone awry and the book is liberally illustrated with photos of her cocktail creations in various outdoor settings. Each time I pick it up, I find myself remembering my own outings with friends and dreaming of the day when we can once again safely meet for a bike ride or kayak. When that day comes, a special cocktail will definitely be in order, and this book offers a great variety of beverages to consider.
As for the recipes themselves, most use common ingredients and the author includes directions for making batch cocktails to share as well as for individual drinks. There are also recipes for syrups with foraged ingredients that I think are more aspirational than practical, but as long as I’m daydreaming, why not imagine that I’m pouring a cocktail made with homemade lilac syrup or crab apple bitters? And no, I’m probably not going to make toasted marshmallow shot glasses, but it’s fun to pretend I will.
I did an online check-in at the craft distillery Vikre owns in Duluth, and it’s currently making high proof alcohol for hand sanitizer. The place looks marvelous. When we’re once again free to roam I’m putting a visit there on my wish list. Read this book and I think you will, too.
Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a Party of One by Anita Lo
Mattie: It’s here!! The ultimate cookbook for those of you taking on Quar solita!! Put on Yo Perreo Sola and make an absurdly fancy meal for you, you, and yourself. Maybe light a candle. An outfit. Get your qrush (quarantine crush) on facetime. Set yourself up opposite your Louis Tomlinson cardboard cut out and get cooking.
These are definitely high class recipes for one and seem frankly perfect for those of you who are like ‘In The Quar I Will Become Master Chéf’ but also live by yourself. (Not vegetarian, I think there’s a pork belly recipe in here somewhere. Also I do want to make clear that this is High Class Solo Dining and probably would be better for exciting solo meals as opposed to those of us who are alone but not willing to like, “braise” something, whatever that means, so shop accordingly).
Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat
Mattie: You all may not know this fun fact about me, but Samin Nostrat is actually my long term girlfriend and wife who I am endlessly devoted to. I would risk it all for Samin. That part in the Netflix special where she eats a piece of cheese and cries because she loves it so much? Oh Samin you sensitive soul, whisk me away!!!
This cook book is absolutely the apex of gentleness and love. The illustrations are beautiful, the writing is friendly and encouraging, and the recipes are extremely doable! Samin is so knowledgable and does a fantastic job of closing the gaps for those of us for whom cooking isn’t intuitive.
For me, the worst part about cooking from recipes is that Ms. Betty Crocker just Assumes you know things. She’s like “cut the onion and put it in the soup, when ready, add carrots” and I’m like how in the fresh and funky hell am I supposed to cut this onion, much less know when it’s ready. Samin would never leave me so in the lurch! There’s a whole section in here about how to cut things! Drawn to scale! Thank fuck! If you have one cookbook honestly it should be this one. Samin, if you’re reading this, call me. (Not strictly vegetarian but definitely good for vegetarians)
6. Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book
Mattie: Look at these good ice cream boys. Look at them and their ice cream. Like me, you may have noticed that ice cream is apparently an essential grocery item, as the ice cream aisle is always completely decimated when I go to pick up my favorite leetle Häagen Dasz. But never fear! If, unlike me, you don’t have upwards of four Donvier Ice Cream Makers, you can order them on Ebay and then make the ice cream of your dreams (this is not a joke I have ended up with four it happened very fast).
This book is my most treasured of cook books, and I can personally vouch for the deliciousness of its ice creams. I would also like to reassure anyone concerned about the frozen/fresh fruit debacle that frozen fruit works just as well for these, and while you’re allowed to whinge about the fact that there’s no farmer’s market to pick up Michigan Blueberries, you and your Jewel Osco Blueberries will still be Even Better Than Blue Bunny TM. There are also some delicious sherbert options in here for those of u whose ancestors didn’t spend their days just shoving pints of butter into their mouths and developing crucial enzymes. (Certainly not vegan that’s for sure lol)
Mary: Faded and sticky, my copy of Ben and Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book has earned a special place in my cookbook hall of fame. It begins with the heartwarming story of a couple of great friends who learn how to make delicious ice cream and build a successful business together without losing their sense of social responsibility.
And then, of course, there are the recipes. While it’s filled with many tempting options, the most important ones in my life are made using Sweet Cream Base One. During the short and shining season each spring when strawberries are available to pick in local fields, strawberry ice cream is a fantastic way to celebrate. Best of all, if you pick berries and can’t gather friends to eat that ice cream immediately, you can freeze the berries and make the ice cream later. It will still be a spectacular ice cream, far better than anything bought at the store. The same is true of peach ice cream, which I hope to make for my good friend when her birthday comes around in August. In both cases, purée the fruit thoroughly before adding it to the base. Fruit chunks in the ice cream will harden into unpleasant, icy bits. Instead, you can cut up some extra fruit, toss it in sugar, then serve it on the side.
I can also highly recommend the raspberry sorbet made with red wine. It is a magical combination, and frozen raspberries are always available. It’s a perfect party dessert if ever there was one. (Mattie: parties… I remember parties…)
7. Traditional Indian Curry in a Hurry by Babita Taneja and Win Dulai
Mary: Some years ago, a friend gave me Traditional Indian Curry in a Hurry written by Babita Taneja and Win Dulai, a couple of second generation British Indian women who wanted to share versions of their favorite foods that did not involve hours of standing over a stove. It is a treasure. The names of the dishes and the British spellings are enough win you right over. Would you like some Brilliant Vegetable Samosas right now? How can you possibly resist Majestic Cauliflower? How about some Delicious Five Lentil Dahl? Nearly every recipe includes a little anecdote about the auntie who makes it or why it’s special.
Happily, the recipe names are quite appropriate. Those Brilliant Samosas? They use flour tortillas as a wrapper. Definitely brilliant. And Majestic Cauliflower? It’s a delicious combination of cauliflower and raw cashews. If you bought a bag of frozen, riced cauliflower during your last, panicked trip to Trader Joes, this recipe is for you. Mum’s Extraordinary Egg Curry is another easy winner of a dish. Hard cooked eggs and potato cubes in a curry masala sauce was one of Babita’s comfort foods as a child, and its a fantastically cozy meal.
You may need to mail order some spices if you don’t have access to an Indian market, and we find the dishes a little mild for our taste. Don’t be afraid to add a little extra heat if you like things spicy. To balance the spice, I always serve the meal with a bowl of tangy Spiced Yoghurt.
Finally, I want to let you in on a a little secret. Next time you visit Trader Joe’s, look for Palak Paneer and Channa Masala in the freezer section. Serve either or both with your home-cooked curry. Heat a piece of Trader Joe’s Naan (also from the freezer section) in a hot oven and brush it with a little butter. You are now looking at feast sure to lift you and your co-isolationists out of your doldrums. The leftovers, if any, will be no less delightful tomorrow.
8. Dining In by Alison Roman
Mattie: I have to be Fucking Honest. This book makes me feel nice in my aesthetics-loving little heart. I see the weird-looking cutlery and feel a gentle wave of calm wash over me. Is my plate presentation this nice? Absolutely fucking not. Do I sometimes close my eyes and dream that my coasters are artisanal? I couldn’t lie to you, dear reader, of course I do. I am a simple non-binary with simple needs and those needs are at least 80% pottery-based. The recipes in this book are fairly un-difficult but fancy enough that you feel like you’re having a special little treat when you make them, which personally feels like the perfect balance to me.
Alison Roman has a newer cookbook about cooking to entertain which honest to god no one needs right now but might be nice in an aspirational way. Perhaps you could get it and then cook the recipes for a cadre of your own stuffed animals. It would be normal and not sad at all.
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