Ask Digestivo: Read a Book
But not too many – let us be a cautionary tale.
Welcome back to another week of Ask Digestivo! We’re relieved to report that you’re still curious about things, and we’re still pedantic pleasers. In this issue, we shout out a few mainstays within our cookbook collection (think of it as a more curated version of our sprawling round up from Fall 2020), as well as some tried and true LES treats to satisfy that post dinner sweet tooth with your sweetie. Your messages – regardless of the content within – will always find us well at askdigestivo@gmail.com
As someone with few physical cookbooks, I’m looking to start expanding my small collection — what are some of your favourites, essentials, must-haves?
-Cannot for the life of me come up with a pseudonym today lol
Anonymous reader seemingly educated in the commonwealth, we’d be delighted to share some of the cookbooks we most regularly use, plus a new one we’re most excited to get our grubby little paws on. Read up, try a few recipes floating around the internet, and perhaps mosey on over to your local bookstore to take things to the next level.
Jake’s Picks: Below are a few of the books which are among my most frequently consulted, whether for exact recipes or loose inspiration that jibes my cooking style. I’ve narrowly resisted the urge to include something particularly for baking, in part because – hot take – I don’t have a single all purpose baking book that I really love! If there’s something more specific you seek in that realm, our inbox remains open. Until then…
Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour: This is neither the time nor the place to discuss the role of Ottolenghi in contemporary recipe discourse, but to put it very succinctly, this book has what Simple wants – a collection of diverse yet accessible weeknight recipes that can be tinkered with according to your tastes and what’s in your fridge. If you’re seeking a deep dive into the culinary history and traditions of Iran, the Middle East, or North Africa, this probably isn’t the book I’d recommend. But if you’re looking for how to achieve Ottolenghi level flavor with about half the ingredients, this is a very good place to start.
Sample Recipes: Mirza ghasemi, fistikli kebap
Prune by Gabrielle Hamilton: Essentially a facsimile of the recipe notes the chef kept for her cooks to consult, this book keeps anecdotal headnotes to a minimum, but it’s still a volume to pore over and explore (in part because it has no index). Although it’s very much a restaurant cookbook, I’d venture that it was foundational for the sort of eclectic, snack-heavy, serve what you like to eat manuals for “honest entertaining” that are super popular right now. Beyond your standard menu offerings, there are inventive sections dedicated to family meal and garbage, plus a goldmine of recipes from her Italian ex mother in law.
Sample recipes: Shaved celery, fennel, and radish salad with buttered valdeon toast, Alda’s zucchini tian
Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules: An ode to often but not always rustic, seasonal cooking through the lens of the Ukrainian summer kitchen, an indoor-outdoor space for preparing food during the warmer months, and a workshop for fermentation and pickling ahead of times when fresh ingredients are harder to come by. Olia’s heavily researched collection draws from her own family recipe archive, as well as countless interviews with cooks across Ukraine, showcasing the breadth and depth of the country’s rich culinary legacy.
Sample recipes: Pot roast chicken cooked in herby creme fraiche, fish broth with dill and garlic lyok
Made in India by Meera Sodha: Inspired by the food she grew up eating every day, Meera’s debut book sells itself as fresh, simple, quick and easy. The Indian food I grew up eating at Coromandel in New Rochelle was heavy on the dairy, largely slow cooked, and gently spiced. I refuse to engage with “better than takeout” rhetoric, so instead I will share this is one the books I’ve cooked through most thoroughly, and has perhaps the highest number of recipes I return to time and again. (SB: I’d like to co-sign this rec, and also add that Sodha’s “Fresh India” is equally spectacular.)
Sample recipes: Garlic chicken chaat, daily dal
Salonee’s Picks: Sweet reader, your question initially had me wrestling a great deal with what kind of books to recommend– timeless classics or contemporary favorites? Would my choices seem extremely passé in just a few years? How trendy was too trendy? Should I devote an entire section to Indian cooking? Then, I stopped being quite so neurotic and took a clarifying trip down memory lane: cookbook trends create zeitgeists of their own. When I was growing up, the West Side moms were all about Alice Waters; the Moosewood Cookbook became really big among the college co-op vegetarian set; the release of the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook coincided with my peer group’s transition into tentative adulthood– out of the dorm room and into the apartment! So, it’s in that spirit of constant change that I make these recommendations. These are what I’m cooking from right now.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat: There’s a good chance that Samin Nosrat’s tour-de-force exploration of the essential elements of building flavor is already on your radar. It’s also got a spin-off Netflix series, has won quite a few awards, and has accordingly had a press junket to match. There are a lot of reasons to love this cookbook: Nosrat’s recipes are accessible, rooted in equal parts technique and science without being overbearing, and tend to be great canvases for creative experimentation. (JS: I have contemplated tattooing the World of Fat on my lower back.)
Sample recipes: tomato vinaigrette, buttermilk marinated roast chicken, Lori’s chocolate midnight cake
Afro-Vegan by Bryant Terry: This cookbook has really reminded me of the value of following directions. I downloaded it early in the wintertime, and have had a great time reading through it and plotting meals based on which Bean Club wares I might be able to use. The flavors are fresh and intriguing, and I’ve been learning a lot about how to build flavor without animal products. Kombu features heavily. Plus, while I was initially tempted to resist the playlist conceit, I find the songs that Terry includes with each recipe exceedingly charming.
Sample recipes: curried corn and coconut rice, dirty millet, sweet potato and lima bean tagine
Indian-ish by Priya Krishna and Korean American by Eric Kim: Okay, you caught me, this is a little bit of a 2-for-1 pick. Both of these cookbooks speak to a really exciting recognition of the ways that diasporic home cooks have approached cooking for decades. I have cooked often from Krishna’s book and look forward to Korean American for the same reasons: both books feature recipes for innovative, weeknight-friendly dishes that are steeped in traditional flavors and might once have been relegated solely to the world of food blogs. Given that the market for Indian cookbooks is pretty steeped in Royal Court Cuisine, I’m particularly grateful for the wisdom of Krishna’s relatives who deftly wrangle quinoa into pulao and garam masala into ribollita.
Sample Recipes from Indian-Ish: achari fish, feta saag & dahi toast, shrimp and quinoa pulao
Korean American is on shelves 3/29 (JS: I am also desperate to get a copy! Consider this our collective wishlist for this week!).
I have a dinner date straddling Chinatown and the LES next week and the weather seems nice enough to wander elsewhere for desert. Any recommendations?
-Tricks and Treats
While I (SB) have visions of you cozying up with a tasty olive oil cake at Dimes Square’s hottest Iberian-eatery-cum-tinned-fish-purveyor, I also have visions of a neighborhood where you need a reservation to breathe. Honestly, spring time is boba time in my book (JS: lest we forget, in Los Angeles, it’s always Boba Time)— stroll, sip, and chew it up with your lover after your meal. You’ll be spoiled for choice, but Lazy Sundaes, Gong Cha, Xing Fu Tan, and The Alley are all open fairly late. You might also try your luck at a full-on desert bar, like the Prince Tea House.
Should you and your date find yourself enjoying an early bird special, I (JS) might suggest you snag some sweets before 7pm close at a local bakery – Michaeli on Division street does excellent babka and rugelach, while Double Crispy on Grand makes a mean (and affordable) egg tart. Alternatively, you could kickstart your Netflix and Chill with a Soft Swerve – the coconut ube swirl is my favorite.
PETITS FOURS
I (SB) found myself poking around the Third World NewsReel archives (classic) and came across The Right To Vend (2015.) It made me crave a Nuts4Nuts and appreciate anew how much street vendors contribute to the rich tapestry of our city.
You say: The Goop cleanse punished and distorted my body image. We hear: you don’t support other women. The future? It’s female.
Lots of great suggestions for a (belated) Nowruz bash in this roundup from Naz Deravian over at The Strategist. Do we need a saffron-specific kettle and mortar/pestle set? Probably not, but it sure does seem like a nice way to welcome in the blooms of spring. (Something something about Troye Sivan and Bottom of the Pot; IYKYK.)
Last, but not least, we are once again asking: do you have recommendations for the perfect beach-and-park chair? Bonus points if it’s not a pain to lug around in addition to being comfortable and chic. Not all of us have trunks, you know!