the (other) fall '23 cookbooks on my wish list

the season is upon us!

I’ve been talking a lot about my book recently (thank you for bearing with me!), but that doesn’t mean I’m not thinking about the other wonderful cookbooks I’ll be adding to my collection this fall. Let’s get right into it:

Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen
Leah Koenig | August 29, 2023

I’ve been lucky enough to get to know

Leah Koenig

(of

The Jewish Table

) over the past few years—her many other cookbooks, particularly Modern Jewish Cooking, are staples in my house—and I’ve been counting down the days until this book comes out for almost as long. Portico combines two of my favorite culinary traditions, Jewish and Italian, through the lens of Europe’s oldest Jewish community: the Jews of Rome. The book features 100 gorgeous recipes—humble vegetables (and those fried artichokes, of course!), braised meats, rustic pastas—that reflect the unique hardships this community endured over hundreds of years confined to the Roman Jewish Ghetto. I already have my hands on a copy, and I can confirm that it’s a fascinating read, while also being, like all of Leah’s books, completely cookable. PS: Leah and I are whipping up some dishes from both of our cookbooks next week, so keep an eye out on Instagram for those!

Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Table to Yours
Adeena Sussman | September 5, 2023

This fall is ripe with Jewish cookbooks, and this one by Adeena Sussman strikes an especially personal chord. As a kid, Shabbat—the Jewish day of rest—was my favorite time of the week. Every Friday night, my family would take turns with our close-knit circle of friends to host Shabbat dinner, a veritable feast of soups, salads, meats, and vegetables. It was treasured time to spend with loved ones, disconnect, and put aside our stresses of the week. Shabbat is so close to my heart, that it even inspired the creation of Pasta Social Club, which in its early days gathered friends and strangers to make new connections around heaping plates of pasta. All of that is to say: This book is getting prime real estate on my shelf. Adeena’s recipes are always a joy to make (check out her first book, Sababa), and this new collection of slow-cooked briskets, starchy casseroles, bright salads, and spicy condiments will definitely be making their way onto my Shabbat table.

Gohan: Everyday Japanese Cooking: Memories and Stories from My Family’s Kitchen
Emiko Davies | September 12, 2023

If there’s anyone I’d want to share a publication day with,

Emiko Davies

would without a doubt be top of my list. If you’re not already familiar with her roster of gorgeous cookbooks or

Notes from Emiko’s Kitchen

here on Substack, then I highly recommend running to your local bookstore and stocking up. Emiko has lived in Italy for a long time, and her five previous books reflect as much (I particularly love Acquacotta, Florentine, and Tortellini at Midnight, by the way). But this book is special: It’s Emiko’s first published collection of Japanese recipes. These are the dishes of her roots, the soul food she grew up with:

This is what truly tastes like home to me. It is every day, home cooking: simple dishes, based on peak season foods, that my Japanese mother and grandmother made. The favourite bites and flavours from all our annual trips to Japan as a child and teenager, like onigiri, or the fried prawn sandwiches that remind me of my grandfather.

As a lifelong lover of Japanese food, I can’t wait to welcome these recipes into my home.

Veg-Table: Recipes, Techniques, and Plant Science for Big-Flavored, Vegetable-Centered Meals
Nik Sharma | October 24, 2023

I’m already a big fan of

Nik Sharma

’s newsletter

The Flavor Files

, so it’s no surprise that I’m extremely excited about his forthcoming cookbook. You might know that most of what I eat is vegetable-focused—I only started eating meat again after a decade of pescatarianism in 2021—so any book spotlighting new ways to enjoy vegetables is a must for me. This one explores more than 50 different varieties, with particular focus on science and cooking techniques (not to mention there are a few awesome-sounding pastas!). As Nik sums up in his announcement on Substack:

My goal with this cookbook was singular. I wanted to share all the practical science I’d learned about vegetables and plants through the lens of a cook. At the end of the day, science should improve our lives, which is true even in cooking. Applying the knowledge will teach you to cook more efficiently and prepare tastier and more nutritious meals with vegetables.

Italy Cocktails: An Elegant Collection of Over 100 Recipes Inspired by Italia
Paul Feinstein (no relation!) | October 31, 2023

I might be the only one who hasn’t visited Italy this year, but something about a well-made, well-balanced cocktail immediately transports me back. This small-but-mighty book covers signature drink recipes from across the country—Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Naples, Bologna, Verona, Siena, and Sicily—as well as interviews with top-notch bartenders and mixologists, and lists of must-visit restaurants and bars. I already love this series of books (I recently bought The Essential Wine Book by Zachary Sussman), not only for the recipes and techniques packed inside, but also…just look at the cover! It never hurts to pick up a gorgeous book just because it’s gorgeous.

So, what’s on your fall cookbook wish list? I’d love to know!

—Meryl