The 2021 Summer Cookbook Preview, Part 2
The 2021 Summer Cookbook Preview, Part 2
Those hot, hot July and August releases.
Howdy cookbook fans!
And welcome to part two of your summer cookbook preview, full of July and August releases. There’s a lot to get to—a bunch of fun vegetarian titles, some fandom cookbooks, glimpses into the cuisines of cities and regions around the world, and much more—so I’ll get right to it. And if you are looking for part one of the summer cookbook preview and all of its May and June releases, click the big orange button below.
The Stained Page News 2021 Summer Cookbook Preview, Part 2: July and August
July
Modern Freezer Meals: Simple Recipes to Cook Now and Freeze for Later by Ali Rosen
Do you use your freezer as a tool in your kitchen, or is it just a place where you store ice cream and forget about frozen peas? Let Ali Rosen help you transform it into the former, with make-ahead meals and freezer pantry items always at the ready. Skyhorse: July 6.
Barantined: Recipes, Tips, and Stories To Enjoy At Home by Mike Wolf
Get it? “Barantined”? For when you’re quarantined and… You get it. Tips from the pros for making cocktails at home, whether you’re there because of a global pandemic or just because there’s something good on TV. By Nashville bartender Mike Wolf. Turner: July 6.
Indian Vegan & Vegetarian: 200 traditional plant-based recipes by Mridula Baljekar
I love this cover, it feels old fashioned, like the big cookbook bibles of the 60s and 70, but still fresh and modern. UK-based chef Baljekar is the author of T W E N T Y S E V E N previous books on Indian food, so you know you’re in good hands. Lorenz: July 7.
The Turkish Cookbook: Exploring the Food of a Timeless Cuisine by Ghillie Basan
UK-based Ghillie Basan is a food anthropologist, so this volume on Turkish cuisine is equal parts recipes and context, culture, and history. Nearly 400 pages of it, in fact, covering the region’s food from festival treats to everyday meals. Lorenz: July 7.
The Art of Preserving by Emma MacDonald
Did you find yourself with a pandemic garden last year, and, perhaps an overabundance of a particular fruit or vegetable? Emma MacDonald, owner of UK preserves brand The Bay Tree, has you covered. From classic preserves to modern twists, if it goes in a jar, this book probably has a recipe for it. Nourish: July 13.
The Simcha Cookbook: Over 100 Modern Israeli Recipes, Blending Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Foods by Avi Shemtov
Sharon, Massachussetts restaurant Simcha serves chef Avi Shemtov’s riffs on Turkish/Israeli-inspired dishes, and here he shares recipes for them in his first cookbook. Recipes include “Yemenite fried chicken with labne and smoked potato purée, whole-roasted cauliflower with soom tahini, and ras el hanout pork belly with pickled apple sauce, shakshuka, and octopus salad with green zhug.” Cider Mill Press: July 20.
Nadiya Bakes: Over 100 Must-Try Recipes for Breads, Cakes, Biscuits, Pies, and More by Nadiya Hussain
Nadiya stans, assemble! The Netflix star is out with a new cookbook, Nadiya Bakes, offering recipes similar to the ones she made on her series of the same name. The promo copy says the recipes have been “Americanized” but I think they just mean the measurements; recipes include “Raspberry Amaretti Biscuits and Key Lime Cupcakes to Cheat's Sourdough and Spiced Squash Strudel.” Clarkson Potter: July 27.
Beet This: An Unofficial Schrute Farms Cookbook by Tyanni Niles and Sam Kaplan
As fans of The Office can tell you, this is a cookbook about the beet farm owned by the family of paper salesman Dwight Schrute. (My boyfriend told me I should insert a line about bears, beets, and Battlestar Galactica here.) The Office has enjoyed a new popularity thanks to folks streaming it, and, well, now they have an entire volume of beet recipes to eat while they watch: recipes include “Beet Biscuits with Rabbit Gravy (a breakfast classic), Beet and Cabbage Salad, Beet Fries, Russian Beet Soup, Whole Roasted Beets, Spicy Fried Rattlesnake with Pickled Beets, Moist Chocolate-Beet Cake…[and] Home-Distilled Beet Vodka.” Sounds magenta! Ulysses Press: July 27.
Wine Style: Discover the Wines You Will Love Through 50 Simple Recipes by Kate Leahy
Looking to learn more about wine? Veteran cookbook author Kate Leahy will show you the way…with snacks. Because the only thing better than trying out new wines is trying out new wines with snacks. 50 recipes and a heck of a lot of wine info. Ten Speed: July 27.
Vegetarian Cuisine from the Himalayan Foothills: Flavours and Beyond by Veena Sharma
The Himilayas aren’t a cuisine you see represented in cookbooks very often—in the US anyway—so I was excited to see this book come up. This book seems to have a bit of a health angle and promises some vegan and gluten-free offerings, along with “lentil kebabs, vegetables with a twist, zesty chutneys, nourishing soups, and even extraordinary desserts like phony gulab jamuns and luscious puddings.” I’m also charmed by the cover, it has a sort of community-cookbook-but-polished vibe going on. Niyogi Books: July 28.
August
The High Country Cook by Pip Cameron
The country in question here is New Zealand, specifically a “high-country station Otematata in Canterbury, near Lake Benmore” that author Pip Cameron documents on her Instagram (above). Stories and recipes and lots and lots of sheep. A&U New Zealand: August 1.
The Unofficial Simpsons Cookbook: From Krusty Burgers to Marge's Pretzels, Famous Recipes from Your Favorite Cartoon Family by Laurel Randolph
It’s a cookbook, and it’s about The Simpsons. You know, “don’t have a cow, man,” and all that. 70 recipes include “Chief Wiggum's Chili to the Flaming Moe (a.k.a. Flaming Homer) to Super Squishees to Krusty Burgers.” And hopefully some vegetarian recipes for Lisa. Adams: August 3.
The Great Outdoors Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes for the Campground, Trail, or RV by Melanie Jenkinson
Camping season looms and Melanie Jenkinson of the camping recipe blog Trail Forked knows what you’ll be cooking, whether you’re car camping or entirely off the grid. Recipes include “Banana Bread Pancakes, Spicy Peanut Soba Noodle Salad, and Blackened Salmon with Pineapple and Thai Basil Salsa” and everything is made with an eye towards keeping you feeling good while hiking, canoeing, spelunking, or whatever you get up to during the day. Sterling: August 3.
Take One Fish: The New School of Scale-To-Tail Cooking and Eating by Josh Niland
People adored Sydney chef Josh Niland’s 2019 book, The Whole Fish Cookbook, and it won just buckets of awards. So I am thrilled he’s got another one cooking: Take One Fish, which, via the tipline, will cover “the potential of fish in the kitchen, with 60 mind-blowing recipes from just 15 global varieties of fish, from elaborate to easy, small to large and—always—scale to tail.” I also got a sneak peek of some pages and it carries over the design from book one, a true companion piece. Another fish book! ANOTHER FISH BOOK. Hardie Grant: August 3.
The Thrifty Veggie: Economical, sustainable meals from store-cupboard ingredients by Nicola Graimes
I wish more cookbooks focused on budget cooking. I know it’s a tricky topic, because food costs vary and ingredients that are cheap in some places are expensive in others, but learning how to cook good food with very little money is such an important skill. Anyway! In this book, former-Vegetarian Living editor Nicola Graimes takes a economical approach to vegetarian cooking, with tips for “in-season ingredients combined with trusty store cupboard staples, buying in bulk, and making full use of leftovers.” Nourish: August 10.
Sicilia: A love letter to the food of Sicily by Ben Tish
London chef Ben Tish runs Norma, a restaurant serving Sicilian-Moorish-inspired food. Here, he explores the foods of the island, with recipes including “smoky artichokes with lemon and garlic, roasted pork belly with fennel and sticky quinces, bitter chocolate torte, and Limoncello semifredo.” The marketing copy promises many granitas, as well. Bloomsbury: August 10.
The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook by Sara Bir
Pawpaws have a cult following in the region of the US where they thrive, namely east of the Mississippi and sort of in the middle. A custard apple with a tropical scent (or so I’m told, I’ve never actually had one), author Sara Bir describes them as “a fruit, and also a challenge, locus of folklore and desire.” Everything you could want to know about pawpaws, including recipes. Belt Publishing: August 17.
The Art of Fufu: A Guide to the Culture and Flavors of a West African Tradition by Kavachi Michelle Ukegbu
Named after the art shows Kavachi Michelle Ukegbu puts on in and around Houston, this collection of recipes pairs prepared recipes for the cooked, starchy dough with accompanying soups. “Just as there are many different types of fufu, there are many different types of soups,” she writes. “Part of the joy of fufu is discovering which flavors pair best together.” Greenleaf Book Group Press: August 24.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Cookbook: Official Recipes from the Four Nations by Jenny Dorsey
Another fan cookbook, this one for those who love the Nickelodeon show. Which I have never seen. SO! From the marketing copy: “This official cookbook collects signature dishes from all four nations, like vegetarian plates of the Air Nomads, fiery entrees from the Fire Nation, seafood from the North and South Poles, and delectable cuisine from the Earth Kingdom.” Fantastic. Insight: August 31.
Divine Your Dinner: A Cookbook for Using Tarot as Your Guide to Magickal Meals by Melinda Lee Holm and Courtney McBroom
We’ve been seeing more astrological cookbooks in recent years, so a tarot cookbook was sure to follow. 78 recipes—same as the number of cards in a deck—that “interprets a specific tarot card and its energy.” Examples include The Moon's pumpkin corn bread, juniper berry-laced duck confit for the Five of Swords, and a rosé punch for The Empress. Clarkson Potter: August 31.
The Weekday Vegetarians: 100 Recipes and a Real-Life Plan for Eating Less Meat by Jenny Rosenstratch
This feels like one of those fall releases that just happens to squeak in at the end of August, but anyway: Jenny Rosenstrach of Dinner: A Love Story is back with a new cookbook, this time looking at taking the meat out of dinner. Recipes include “Pizza Salad with White Beans, Cauliflower Cutlets with Ranch Dressing, and Squash and Black Bean Tacos.” If the idea of going meat free (or simply putting dinner on the table every night) is overwhelming to you, you’ll want to check out this book. Clarkson Potter: August 31.
The 2021 SPN Summer Cookbook Preview, Part 1 >>>
