Would I Buy This Cookbook?
Smitten Kitchen Every Day
I was excited to find this cookbook at the library. It’s not the most recent Smitten Kitchen cookbook but I didn’t know that when I picked it up and also that doesn’t matter. Released in 2017 this cookbook is described as “a celebration of triumphant and unfussy home cooking”. The recipes I chose to make from this cookbook are indeed unfussy — easy in technique, simple ingredients, and triumphant — forgiving of my shortcomings in the kitchen, like how I overboil and overcook everything. I would not classify all of the recipes in this cookbook as easy and unfussy, but that might just be me. I was able to make some of the easiest recipes in this cookbook, which gave me a bit of confidence, and with that confidence I would perhaps try the other not easiest-to-me recipes like Manhattan-Style Clams with Fregola. I made three dishes from this cookbook: Spaghetti Pangrattato with Crispy Eggs, Sizzling Beef Bulgogi Tacos, and Broccoli Melts.
Spaghetti Pangrattato with Crispy Eggs
I’ve never been a big “eggs on everything” person but this recipe sounded good to me. It’s spaghetti noodles and grated cheese and breadcrumbs with an egg on top. I overcooked the noodles and the crispy egg and my resulting dish was still delicious. It was fresh and light and satisfying and next time I will not overcook everything. There will definitely be a next time because I will make this again.
Sizzling Beef Bulgogi Tacos
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I knew I wanted to make these tacos as soon as I saw the recipe because I love tacos. Also the cookbook picture makes them look amazing. Also the narrative story about eating taco stand tacos by the ocean in the summer really hooked me. The recipe seemed easy enough and it was. You cook some meat, chop some vegetables, then throw it all in a tortilla. It’s so easy that the taste is surprising…shocking, actually. The flavor of the meat is…it’s the best taco meat I’ve ever tasted. I will definitely make these tacos again but I will double or triple the batch because I want leftovers.
Broccoli Melts
I told a friend I made “broccoli toast” and she was like “broccoli toast?” and I was like “yeah, broccoli toast”. That’s what this recipe is: broccoli toast. It’s broccoli and cheese (and some other key ingredients) on toast. I served these with grilled pork chops. I wish I would have toasted my bread a little bit more before I added the toppings — my toasts weren’t as crispy all the way through as I’d want them to be, but again, my small failings did not ruin this dish. My son gave his broccoli melt a thumbs up. I will make these again, and I will more thoroughly toast my toasts before topping them.
Would I buy this cookbook? Yes, I would. There were a couple of recipes in this cookbook I wanted to make but could not find the ingredients for locally, like Whitefish and Pickled Cucumber Salad. If you can find flaked smoked whitefish in Monticello, Indiana please advise because it is my mission now to make Whitefish and Pickled Cucumber Salad. It sounds amazing and delicious and I want to make it today, or whenever I figure out where to get whitefish. I also wanted to make Chopped Liver on Rye, Roumanian Steakhouse Style but could not figure out how to garner the half pound of chicken skins called for in the recipe. These are problems I am confident I could solve if I had more time with this cookbook than the library checkout period allows. Also the easy recipes in this cookbook are easy enough to conquer and delicious enough to make the more challenging dishes worth the challenge. I made three dishes and there are so many more I would love to try. The recipes are interesting and forgiving, the photography is beautiful and the narratives are not annoying. For these reasons I would buy this cookbook.
