Last March, just as the first crop of spring cookbooks rolled in, I gave shoutouts in this space to early arrivals with fresh ideas for invigorating our menus for the mild days ahead. Now, as humidity levels rise and desires to hover over hot stoves evaporate, I call attention to late spring and summer titles befitting the season of relaxation.
Within these volumes, you’ll find new motivation for firing up the grill, maximizing your farmers market bounty, hosting an easygoing get-together or feeding your brain with some scintillating food stories while you take a break from the kitchen.
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Credit: handout
“The Meathead Method: A BBQ Hall of Famer’s Secrets and Science on BBQ, Grilling, and Outdoor Cooking with 114 Recipes” by Meathead Goldwyn (Harvest, $40).
Barbecue Hall of Famer Craig Goldwyn — who goes by the single moniker “Meathead” — is the mastermind behind AmazingRibs.com, a 20-year-old website devoted to all things barbecue that draws millions of visitors annually. Now he’s channeled his infectious humor and incisive knowledge into a follow-up to his bestselling first book, “Meathead,” that is chock-full of new revelations and innovations. Besides spilling the secrets behind Championship Brisket and Burnt Ends, he shows how to safely deep-fry chicken on a gas grill, turn barbecued leftovers into fajitas and pho, stir-fry in a wok with an outdoor chimney, “torch” sugarcoated figs for an elegant dessert, and other feats with fire and smoke you likely haven’t encountered.
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Credit: handout
“Barbecue: Smoked and Grilled Recipes from Across the Globe” by Hugh Mangum (Phaidon, $49.95).
The pitmaster and co-founder of the critically acclaimed barbecue restaurant Mighty Quinn’s provides a few pages of barbecue basics in this hefty volume. His primary mission, however, was to scour the world for great food cooked with fire and smoke and learn the customs and traditions behind them. The result is a well-curated collection of 280 recipes representing more than 80 countries that showcase the diversity of local flavors while revealing the spirit of community that connects them all. Instructions and ingredients for Congolese Beef Skewers, Montreal-Style Smoked Meat, Nepali Grilled Chicken and Yucatecan Fish are well within reach of any backyard cook. To round out the meal, there’s Dutch Pepper Slaw, Vietnamese Pickles, Paraguayan Cornbread, Charred Peaches with Labneh and a smoky take on an all-American Skillet Fruit Cobbler.
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Credit: handout
“Craveable: All I Want to Eat” by Seema Pankhania (Ten Speed, $30).
Once a chef in other people’s kitchens, the exuberant force behind the wildly popular Seema Gets Baked social media channels leans into her own daily cravings in her debut cookbook. Her food passions began in her mum’s humble Indian kitchen in London, and continue to diversify and grow — along with her fan base — as she travels the world. Chapters are defined by flavors she’s in the mood for — fresh, salty and savory, spicy, green, comforting, special and sweet. Peach and Halloumi Tacos, Shrimp and Green Onion Pakora, Sticky Tamarind Cola Ribs and Coconut Cream Key Lime Pie are among the cross-cultural creations that fit in these categories. A final chapter called Something Now! is devoted to spontaneous creations such as Mum’s Emergency 10-Minute Dal and Cheesy Gochujang Tortellini when she’s craving something delicious without the wait. On sale July 1.
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Credit: handout
“What Can I Bring? Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life” by Casey Elsass (Union Square & Co., $30).
For those times when a bottle of pinot grigio seems too lame of an offering for a potluck, a prolific Brooklyn-based cookbook author offers help to get those creative juices flowing. Here you’ll find totable dips (Salt + Vinegar Salsa Verde), salads (Bagel Panzanella), drinks (Spiced Hibiscus Punch), brunch fare (Gochujang + Cheddar Scones), breads (Dreamy Focaccia with three topping combos) and desserts (Blackberry + Basil Pie) that are sure to impress. Elsass’ good-humored writing and helpful “party tricks” make these pages fun to flip through whether there’s an invitation awaiting your RSVP or you’re thinking of organizing a gathering of your own.
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Credit: handout
“The Food for Life Cookbook: 100+ Recipes Created with Zoe” by Tim Spector (Ten Speed, $35).
“Eat 30 plants a week” is among the mantras renowned U.K. epidemiologist Dr. Tim Spector preaches for maintaining a healthy gut. That goal appears less daunting — and far more pleasurable — than it sounds, once you dive into his inviting new cookbook produced with recipe creators and nutrition coaches at his nutrition science company, Zoe. The recipes within also show how to incorporate other dietary principles previously laid out in the book’s bestselling predecessor, “Food for Life,” including consume more fermented foods, minimize ultraprocessed foods, and “eat the rainbow” (the full spectrum of colorful fruits and vegetables). The 11-Plant Orzo I made was as easy and delicious as promised and now has me motivated to try others such as Green Goddess Chickpea Sandwich, Corn and Spinach Dal, Broccoli and Walnut Orecchiette and Mixed Berry Clafoutis — especially while the bounty is so plentiful.
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Credit: handout
“In for Dinner: 101 Delicious, Affordable Recipes to Share” by Rosie Kellett (Clarkson Potter, $35).
Rosie Kellett grew up in a food-obsessed family in Derbyshire, England, and honed her culinary skills in various professional kitchens in London before moving into a warehouse with six housemates she’d just met after a challenging breakup. She quickly bonded with her new friends, started a seasonal supper club and began documenting her newfound love of communal living on social media and in a Substack newsletter. Now she’s turned those stories and the budget-friendly, mostly vegetarian meals that grew out of them into a charming cookbook. Recipes covering breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert range from simple (Pantry Ramen, Caramelized Banana Bread, Herby Vinegar-Laced Potato Salad) to more involved (Tomato, Spinach and Ricotta Lasagna, Lemon & Passion Fruit Party Pavlova) with detailed instructions for success. Many lend themselves to batch-cooking for crowds and group participation to make the cooking feel less like work and more like a good time, such as pizza-making, pierogi rolling and assembling a mezze feast. On sale Aug. 19.
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Credit: handout
“In Edith’s Kitchen: Recipes from My Mostly Mexican-American Home to Yours” by Edith Galvez (Simon Element, $32.50).
This new author began creating calming, ASMR-style TikTok cooking videos as a way of combating stress and shyness. Little did she imagine she would become an internet sensation when her recipe for Tostadas de Tinga (aka Spicy Shredded Chicken Tostadas) went viral. That recipe is emblematic of the simple, unpretentious dishes inspired by memories of visits to her grandparents’ ranch in Mexico that she prepares regularly for her husband and two young daughters in Los Angeles. She’ll tell you how to make it in these pages along with other family favorites both traditional and reimagined: Huevos Rancheros, Pollo en Chile Guajillo, Mexican Corn Dogs (hot dogs wrapped in tortillas and fried), Loaded Carne Asada Nachos and Chocoflan Bundt Cake. On sale Aug. 12.
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Credit: handout
“Setting a Place for Us: Recipes and Stories of Displacement, Resilience, and Community from Eight Countries Impacted by War” by Hawa Hassan (Ten Speed Press, $37.99).
Having spent her early years as a refugee during Somalia’s civil war bouncing from one country to another, Hawa Hassan knows all too well how a taste reminiscent of her mother’s cooking can ease the pain of homesickness. Now a James Beard Award-winning author and entrepreneur living in New York, she spent the last year traveling across the world to connect with others who have been displaced from their war-torn homelands and help them preserve the food memories that keep them tethered to their heritages. This gorgeously written and photographed book is the result, with transportive scenes from eight countries and interviews with their natives, along with recipes for beloved dishes from each. To name a few: Stuffed Flatbread from Afghanistan (Bolani), Fish and Shrimp Ceviche from El Salvador (Ceviche de Pescado de Camaron) and Spicy Cilantro Condiment from Yemen (Sahawiq). Instructions for re-creating them at home are clear, but if you need help pronouncing their names, a QR code with each will lead you to an audio that will facilitate.
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Credit: handout
“Braided Heritage: Recipes and Stories on the Origin of American Cuisine” by Jessica B. Harris (Clarkson Potter, $35).
The preeminent culinary historian Jessica B. Harris builds her latest book on the premise that this country’s original foodways resulted from an intricate braiding of three overarching cultures: Native American, European and African. Having friends from each strand of that braid, she turned to them for recipes and insights into their cultures. In introducing the Oglala Lakota chapter, for example, Minneapolis chef and Native American activist Sean Sherman describes hunting on the reservation where he grew up and provides a recipe for Maple Spruce Braised Rabbit with Nixtamalized Corn. Other voices lend cultural context to both traditional recipes (Texas Chile Con Carne) and more contemporary ones (Peach Bread Pudding Cupcakes with Bourbon Glaze). Woven together, these tales and tastes form a rich tapestry that, in Harris’ words, “remind us of just how magnificently mixed we are on the plate and have been from the very beginning of our national history.”
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Credit: handout
“Georgia’s Historical Recipes: Seeking Our State’s Oldest Written Foodways and the Stories Behind Them” by Valerie J. Frey (University of Georgia Press, $34.95).
One afternoon, while taking a break from editing her previous history-related book, “Preserving Family Recipes,” Athens archivist Valerie Frey picked up a tattered paperback in an antique store called “The Annie Dennis Cook Book.” Seeing that it was published in Atlanta in 1915 sparked her curiosity, and she bought it for a dollar. That purchase led her on a decade-long treasure hunt for other culinary gems — some found in old cookbooks and newspaper clippings; others scribbled on errant scraps of paper — that would help her piece together this astonishingly in-depth account of how everyday Georgians cooked and ate from the Colonial era to World War II. Though meticulously footnoted, this academic tome is a breeze to read thanks to Frey’s entertaining storytelling and sleuthing skills. Even if you’re not inclined (as Frey was) to try your hand at Hickory Nut Macaroons, Swamp Plum Preserves and other old-time delights, they provide fascinating insight into bygone days where neighbors bonded over homemade treats at town-wide picnics, peanut “boilings” and tally ho parties (singing carriage rides). And you’ll acquire a new appreciation for people like Annie Dennis and their roles in creating Georgia’s delectable culinary history.
Speaking of Georgia authors … don’t overlook two other worthy titles recently featured in the AJC: Duane Nutter’s “Cutting Up in the Kitchen: Food and Fun From Southern National’s Chef” (Gibbs Smith, $35) and Buttermilk Kitchen chef Suzanne Vizethann’s “Brunch Season: A Year of Delicious Mornings From the Buttermilk Kitchen” (Gibbs Smith, $35).
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