the spring '24 cookbooks on my wish list

italian snacks, indian-american comfort food & easy desserts

Another spring cookbook season is upon us, and there are quite a few new releases I’ve been eagerly anticipating. Here’s what’s currently at the top of my list:

Stuzzichini: The Art of the Italian Snack
Stef Ferrari | Released this week!

I’m on an Italian snack kick. Ferrari’s book is the third in a slew of titles I’ve been binging—Cinnamon and Salt by

Emiko Davies

and Italian Snacking by Anna Francese Gass are the others—and I can’t wait to use this book to whip up some fun new bites for my next gathering (farfalle chips and sage & brown butter popcorn, I see you). It’s always nice when a book reminds you that entertaining can be fun, even relaxed. Not to mention there’s something entirely magical about aperitivo hour, especially when the sun is out and the air is warm, and this book might very well inspire me to make it a summer ritual. I was sold by the description alone: “Stuzzichini is your guide to elevated snacking and recreating that sun-soaked piazza energy, chilled Spritz in hand!” Sign me up.

PS: Stuzzichini is published by Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company—my publisher for Pasta Every Day—so I know it’s gonna be good!

Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora

Khushbu Shah

| June 4, 2024

Khushbu! Shah! Wrote! A cookbook! I’ve been counting down to the release of Amrikan for, well, years—ever since I first met Khushbu back in 2021. You’ve probably come across her work before, perhaps during her time as Food & Wine’s Restaurant Editor, where she developed the magazine’s annual list of Best New Chefs, or maybe even here on Substack, where she writes the newsletter

Tap Is Fine!

. But now we finally, finally, get a book from Shah, and 125 new recipes inspired by the Indian American diaspora. I’m talking cool, innovative comfort food like saag paneer lasagna (top of my list), achari paneer pizza, and masala chai basque cheesecake, not to mention staples like classic dosas and spinach tadka dal. Paired with her brilliant storytelling, this book is sure to be a gem on my shelf for years to come.

The Jewish Holiday Table: A World of Recipes, Traditions & Stories to Celebrate All Year Long
Naama Shefi and Devra Ferst | Available now

My Jewish cookbook collection gets mightier by the day, and this jewel of a book from the Jewish Food Society is its latest addition. I’ve been an avid fan of the organization—dedicated to preserving Jewish cuisine around the world—for a long time (their tote is my favorite accessory; their yeasted hamantaschen are my Purim go-to), so it’s no surprise that when I saw they were releasing a cookbook, I had to have it.

It’s easy to think that Jewish food is one particular thing. Yes, Jewish food is matzah balls and challah and kugel and latkes. But it’s also so much more. For over 3,000 years, Jews have lived—and assimilated—in nearly every country and culture in the world. And so, famous European staples aside, there’s also lamb stew and crispy rice from the Jewish communities of Iran; spiced semolina cake from India; dabo, a sweet bread from Ethiopia; matzah and spinach pie from Turkey; spicy gefilte fish from Mexico; and jelly donuts from Egypt and Morocco. This is a book worth having for the recipes, of course, but also for the stories that Shefi and Ferst have transcribed—stories that might have been lost without them. And the chanterelle-stuffed matzah balls from Moldova? I already know what’s on this weekend’s Passover menu!

Hot Sheet: Sweet and Savory Sheet Pan Recipes for Every Day and Celebrations
Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine | Available now

Sheet pans make an appearance in my kitchen at least three times a week, though I’ve generally associated them with quick and easy dinners rather than sophisticated fare. Until now. Massov and Lemoine have transformed this humble workhorse into a creative superstar, with more than 100 mouthwatering recipes for every occasion—from breakfast (buttermilk-cornmeal pancakes with blueberries) to dinner (cauliflower steaks with parsley-shallot sauce) to dessert (labne cheesecake bars with berry compote), not to mention dishes to impress a crowd (there’s a gorgeous orange-sriracha roasted duck in there). My favorite though? The “all-the-crispy-bits” mac and cheese. Mind. Blown. Hot Sheet is truly a triumph of cooking that’s low effort and high reward.

I’ll Bring Dessert: Simple, Sweet Recipes for Every Occasion
Benjamina Ebuehi | Released this week!

I’m no baker, but sometimes I think I could be. I can also confirm that the Great British Bake Off is one of my top 3 favorite TV shows of all time. It’s the tea that gets me—how not even one of the world’s most popular cooking competitions can get in the way of an English tea break, the milky concoction held steadily in contestants’ hands while crouched in front of an oven just…patiently waiting. A reminder not to take things—especially things like baking—too seriously.

Benjamina Ebuehi, who appeared on Bake Off’s fourth season, exudes this tea-time grace. She is calm and poised and collected. She is light-hearted and warm and encouraging. She makes me want be a little more like her. And, most of all, she makes me want to bake. The air of ease is everywhere in this book—divided into chapters called Something Fruity; Something Chocolatey; Something Creamy; Something Nutty; and Something on the Side—with recipes accessible to all skill levels and dietary needs (vegan, gluten-free). It hits that difficult cross-section that satisfies those who really like to bake and do it often (miso and nutmeg custard pie; gingerbread mascarpone roulade), and also those, like me, who want to try their hand at quality desserts without them being time-consuming or fussy (smoked salt and halva cookies; thyme-roasted grapes with whipped ricotta). I think this book might finally help me become a baker—okay, maybe not a baker, but at least a dessert-maker.

Cured: Cooking With Ferments, Pickles, Preserves & More
Steve McHugh with Paula Forbes | Available now

I’m first and foremost a home cook, but sometimes I’m tempted by fancy cookbooks. This one by six-time James Beard Award nominee Steve McHugh is coffee-table beautiful, but it’s also one I’d actually use. I love preserved foods—pickles, jams, hot sauces, fish—and making them at home is far simpler than it seems. This book helps readers use what they have, whether by transforming fresh ingredients into scratch-made preserves or grabbing the store-bought stuff to make flavorful everyday cooking. It’s packed with over 150 recipes, covering the basics—with deep-dives into key curing ingredients like salt, sugar, spices, and acid—and then guiding readers on how to put those concepts into action. Count me in for the kimchi meatloaf, hot sauce-brined fried chicken, and smoked nuts chocolate tart.