Introducing the Cookbooks of July 2023!
Introducing the Cookbooks of July 2023!
Hot books for the depths of summer.
Howdy cookbook fans!
And welcome to your July cookbook preview. We are in the thick of summer, which means the selections here are about quality, not quantity. So for July, some things to try: Put stuff in jars! Make bunny-shaped food! Learn about Jewish delis! Cook all kinds of seafood! Rewatch Supernatural with themed cocktails! Make paella! Transform Puerto Rican classics into vegan delights! Malta! Just, Malta!
Here are the cookbooks of July 2023.
The Stained Page News July 2023 Cookbook Preview
Sometimes it’s fun to bring a big ol’ jug of something tasty (and maybe slightly dangerous) to a cook out. And with Jugs & Punches by Steve Quirk, you’ll have plenty of ideas for doing so! New Holland, July 4.
Want to get into canning but aren’t sure where to start? Try Preserving and Canning for Beginners by the Editors of the Harvard Common Press. Adapted from The Ultimate Guide to Canning and Preserving, this is just the stuff that’s beginner-friendly—learn to preserve your own jams, pickles, ferments, and more. New Shoe Press, July 4.
Love food that comes in the shape of bunnies? Has Annie’s got the cookbook for you: Annie’s The Cookbook includes recipes for Fruity Bunny Cinnamon Rolls, Skillet Breakfast Mac & Cheese Bake, Watermelon Birthday Cake Shakes, Veggie Nuggets with Barbecue-Hummus Dipping Sauce, Beef and Veggie Lasagna, Mac & Double Cheese Sticks, Frozen Cocoa Bunny-Banana Pops, Raspberry-Banana Split Parfaits, and Bunny and Carrot Brownies. And, presumably, they all use Annie’s products. Harvest, July 11.
This is fun: The Jewish Deli by Ben Nadler is an illustrated guide to delis that covers the history, hallmarks, and landmarks (Canter’s! Katz’s! More!) of this storied genre of food purveyor. Chronicle, July 11.
Here’s a nice, tidy concept for a cookbook: in Cook Me by Sam Parish, 30 dishes are covered in 3 different versions each. One is “hack-style,” a shortcut way to produce the dish; one is “go-to,” the proper, solid version; and one is “long game,” a deeper dive that takes longer for when you really want to show off. Koa Press, July 11.
I haven’t seen Coco, because I can’t do tearjerker kids’ movies (sorry, I know, sorry), but I know it is much beloved. And now there is an officially official cookbook, written by Gino Garcia! 50 recipes for Dia de los Muertos-inspired dishes. Insight, July 11.
Salt! The only rock we eat. And the subject of James Strawbridge’s Salt and the Art of Seasoning, a look at curing and brining and other salty endeavors. Chelsea Green, July 13.
Seafood gets the spotlight in Coastal Kitchen by Jenny Shea Rawn, with over 120 recipes. Globe Pequot, July 15.
Mil Centro is a restaurant in rural Peru that overlooks the Moray archaeological site, facts I learned1 from the Kitchen Arts & Letters write up of the book Mil by Pia León, Virgilio Martinez, and Malena Martinez. I say that because here is the jacket copy for the book: “This book invites the reader, through stunning photographs, stories, and more, to enter a journey that will forever and completely strengthen the link with what we eat. It will also help everyone understand that a dish represents more than its ingredients and recipe, but also reflects a deep and intricate relationship with the environment.” It’s very pretty! Catapulta, July 17.
Speaking of fancy pants restaurants, here’s Signature Dishes by Amelie Vincent, a book that collects, well, the signature dishes of 50 chefs from around the world. Participants include Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro and Eduard Xatruch from Disfrutar (Barcelona), Julien Royer from Odette (Singapore), Sergio Herman from Pure C (Netherlands coast) and Le Pristine (Antwerp), Sang Hoon Degeimbre from L'Air du Temps (rural Belgium), Santiago Lastra from KOL (London), and more. Lannoo, July 18.
Any Supernatural fans in the crowd? Get your drink on for a rewatch with Supernatural: The Official Cocktail Book by James Asmus and Adam Carbonell. Seems like the drinks are mostly inspired by characters; there are recipes for snacks too. Insight, July 18.
I’m not quite sure why but this cover really speaks to me. It’s punchy, you know? Anyway Malta by Simon Bajada looks at the foods of these Mediterranean islands, which the jacket copy describes as “a seductive blend of Arab, French, Italian and English flavors.” Hardie Grant, July 18.
If you’ve been reading this newsletter for awhile, you know I love me a one-pot rice dish. So obviously I am excited for Paella by Omar Allibhoy, which boasts more than 50 recipes for the classic Spanish dish. Including vegetarian and vegan options! Quadrille, July 18.
Nick Sakagami is an LA-based seafood importer who boasts the distinction of being “the only person outside of Japan to be certified as an osakana meister, or fish master.” This is from his biography: “He got his start working part time for a seafood wholesaler in Japan. His entire body would smell like fish. But that excited him and so he decided to explore that feeling around the world.” And now he’s here to teach you how to make sushi in Sushi Master! Chartwell, July 18.
Cornish chef Emily Scott has written Time & Tide, an exploration of the food she cooks at her coastal restaurant, Emily Scott Food. Recipes include “breakfasts of overnight oats and buttery crumpets to lunches of sea-herb focaccia, and from suppers of Cornish bouillabaisse to desserts of treacle tart and bramble and peach crumble.” And lots of seafood, one assumes. Hardie Grant, July 18.
UK-based chef Maria Bradford explores the food of her home country of Sierra Leone in Sweet Salone. The book looks at key ingredients that characterize the flavors of this diverse cuisine, including tamarind, beans, sesame seeds, mango, chile, and pineapple, and dives into the history and culture as well. Quadrille, July 18.
Lyana Blount shares the recipes of her NYC pop-up restaurant in Black Rican Vegan. Recipes draw on her Puerto Rican and Black heritage as well as her lifetime in New York City, and include “Holiday Vernil, Chicharron sin Carne, Mofonguitos con Vegan Camarones, Sopa de Salchicon…Moxtails, NYC Bacun Eggin Cheeze, Succulent Birria Tacos, Titi's Lasagna for Dad and Bronx Fried Oyster Mushrooms.” Another good cover, I like the font. Page Street, July 25.
And last but definitely not least is Baking Yesteryear from TikTok phenom B. Dylan Hollis (10 million followers). July is maybe a weird time to release an anticipated title like this, but maybe rules don’t apply to TikTok? Anyway, Hollis brings his vintage recipe show to the printed page in a book organized by decade, “from Chocolate Potato Cake from the 1910s to Avocado Pie from the 1960s.” DK, July 25.
Other Books I’m Excited About…
The Grilled Cheese Cookbook by Becks Wilkinson. Kyle, July 3.
The Witch’s Cookbook by Deanna Huey. Skyhorse, July 4.
Welcome Home 30-Minute Cookbook by Hope Comerford. Good Books, July 4.
The Plant-Based 5 Ingredient Cookbook by Kylie Perrotti. Skyhorse, July 4.
Gin Cocktails by Steve Quirk. New Holland, July 4.
Hocus Pocus: The Official Cookbook by Elena Craig and S.T. Bende. Insight, July 11.
Charcuterie Boards by Miranda Ballard and Louise Pickford. Ryland, Peters & Small, July 11.
Vegan Camper Van Cooking by Anina Gepp. Grub Street Cookery, July 13.
Cooking With Beer and Bourbon by Hunter Reed. Fox Chapel, July 18.
The Horror Movie Night Cookbook by Richard S. Sargent. Ulysses, July 18.
Recipes from the World of H.P. Lovecraft by Olivia Luna Eldritch. Thunder Bay Press, July 25.
I used to have to know all these kinds of fancy top 50 restaurants professionally, but these days, it’s mostly cookbooks. Seems like a neat place!