Cookbooks & Food Writing

In his newest cookbook (and surefire hit), bestselling author Yotam Ottolenghi teams up with colleague Ixta Belfrage to explore vegetable cooking by focusing on three key elements: process, pairing, and produce. The result is an exciting collection of 100 vegetarian recipes (more than half are vegan) with an emphasis on Italian and Mexican ingredients and techniques. Gorgeous and enticing (Miso Butter Onions! Spicy Mushroom Lasagna!), this collaboration will make Ottolenghi fans super happy. — S.B.

Somali chef Hawa Hassan, in collaboration with Julia Turshen, has brought together the recipes and stories of grandmothers from eight African countries that touch the Indian Ocean in this transporting book. In Bibi’s Kitchen is absolutely filled with great food, but my favorite parts are the interviews with the grandmothers, who speak to the meaning of home and the importance of passing on food traditions. Beautiful in every way. — S.B.

Nik Sharma’s debut cookbook, Season, is one of my all-time favorites, and now he has wowed me once more with The Flavor Equation. Sharma trained as a molecular geneticist before embarking on a culinary career and he brings those two fields together in this fantastic book on kitchen science. Sharma’s stunning photographs and his enticing recipes and fascinating text make this an irresistible choice for fans of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat (who isn’t?!) or anyone interested in understanding how delicious food is created. — S.B.

Caroline Eden has followed up her award- winning book Black Sea (which featured Odessa, Istanbul, and Trabzon) with another excellent travelogue with recipes, Red Sands. Venturing into Central Asia (Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), Eden traverses mountains, sand dunes, and cities, and writes of the people, history, and culinary culture of the region. I love learning about a new-to-me part of the world through its food, and Eden is an excellent guide. Her captivating prose is matched by the book’s exquisite photography. — S.B.

With food as the basis for this cultural narrative, Ayubi makes a place for the people of her family to tell their stories of Afghanistan and its influence across generations of the family’s passed-down recipes. Just the rich, spice-induced color alone of some of these dishes had my mouth watering. I found multiple dishes to add to my list of go-to recipes. Parwana is a soulful and, frankly, gorgeous book that would make an excellent addition to anyone’s cookbook collection. — Tori

The incomparable Ina Garten has a new collection of comfort food recipes that arrives just when we need it the most. Who wouldn’t feel better with a slice of Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata (it’s excellent!), a serving of Maple-Roasted Acorn Squash, or a bowlful of Creamy Tomato Bisque? “Food has an almost magical ability to comfort us, soothe us, and bring us together,” she writes. Thankfully, Ina Garten continues to show us the way.  — S.B. 

My obsession with baking took a weird turn during shelter-in-place. Finding the intersection of history and baked goods took over my life (I even started a blog), and I totally fell in love with Michelle Polzine’s passion for Middle and Eastern European Old World recipes. Her cookbook is funny, insightful, and full of surprises. Making the now-famous Honey Cake is definitely an exacting trial, but there are recipes for bakers of every level. I’ll be referencing this one a lot for the wow factor alone!  — Ivy

Beloved cookbook author Deborah Madison, famous for her vegetarian cooking, has influenced generations of home cooks. Madison takes a deeper dive with this memoir, sharing scenes from her childhood, her time as a Zen practitioner, and the years she spent as a chef. She also muses about the importance of food throughout her life and what vegetarianism means to her.  Madison’s writing is transporting and deeply nostalgic, offering a look back at the genesis of the slow food movement, of eating locally, and of course, of vegetarian cooking. — Jade

“Black food is not just one thing. It is an energy. A force.”

In The Rise, Samuelsson honors and explores Black foodways in a unique and powerful way—by weaving discussions about history and culture with recipes created in honor of Black chefs and people he admires. (A profile on New Orleans legend Leah Chase, for example, is followed by a recipe inspired by her gumbo.) The Rise is a joyous celebration of the breadth, depth, and diversity of Black cooks, where everyone’s invited. Don’t miss this fantastic book! — S.B.

Asha Gomez has the uncanny ability to bring different cultures together with care and ease. In her acclaimed cookbook My Two Souths, Gomez combined the cooking traditions of the American South (where she lives) and southern India (her homeland). In her follow-up, I Cook in Color, her influences expand to around the globe. This is a vibrant and exciting collection of recipes, from Japanese Eggplant with Peanut Sauce to Tandoori Masala Crawfish Boil, that will make you want to head right to the kitchen. — S.B.