Simply Julia

December 21, 2020
Food writer Turshen (Small Victories) provides a peek into her home kitchen in this appealing compilation of more than 100 no-fuss recipes for healthy comfort fare. Recipes feature the usual shortcut techniques (one pot, sheet pan, make-ahead) and employ pantry staples such as jarred kimchi, canned salmon, and Ritz crackers. Turshen’s tweaks on heavy classics go a long way toward lightening them up: a shepherd’s pie uses turkey in place of lamb and is topped with a cauliflower puree rather than mashed potatoes, and chili is given a vegan spin. There are flexible recipes such as her Kitchen Sink Frittata with spinach, sausage, shallots, and tomato (all the vegetables can be swapped out for whatever is on hand) and international dishes such as biryani, pelau, and parsnip latkes. Among the desserts are a pear, polenta, and almond cake and lemon ricotta cupcakes. Turshen’s love of lists helps cooks get organized (“Five Things That Are Always in My Fridge,” “Five Tools I Swear By”), while suggested menus for a vegan Thanksgiving take the worry out of planning. Turshen’s what-works-for-you approach succeeds in reminding home cooks that “delicious food doesn’t have to be complicated.” This spirited collection charms on every page.

January 1, 2021
New Yorker Turshen (Small Victories, 2016) has been cooking as private chef and in community settings, and she's learned a lot that she's eager to share with readers. Many dishes that hungry people turn to for comfort can be nutritionally unwise, and she wants to remedy that. Turshen is an intuitive cook, sharing ways to use all sorts of ingredients as well as leftovers and other oddments that might pile up in the refrigerator. She leans toward vegetarian cooking, but by no means eschews meat in her recipes. Some of her inspirations come from Jewish relatives, but she repurposes them, offering gefilte-fish bites, or latkes made with sweet and nutty parsnips instead of potatoes. Brussels sprouts roast with hot sauce and Gorgonzola for vegetarian "Buffalo wings." Seven-item lists cover what she learned as a private chef, uses for leftover buttermilk, advice for organizing one's kitchen, and even ways to get conversations started at the table. Cooks needing inspiration more than exacting recipes will find a lot of use for Turshen's creative ideas.

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February 1, 2021

The laid-back recipes in chef Turshen's latest cookbook are crafted to embrace simplicity in all aspects of home cooking, from widely available and affordable ingredients to straightforward techniques and methods. The recipes are also endlessly creative as Turshen puts her personal stamp on comfort food with inspiration from a wide variety of global cuisines (a vegetarian muffuletta sandwich) and improvisational suggestions for making each dish your own (a red lentil spread that can be served as a party dip or transformed into a vegetarian soup). The author believes that home cooking is an important way of caring for others, which includes sensitivity to dietary needs and preferences; her book features more than 80 vegetarian recipes and dozens of vegan, dairy- and egg-free, and gluten-free options. Turshen also offers brief essays on topics such as positive body image, gas grills, and the importance of volunteering. VERDICT Turshen writes from a home cook's perspective, and her fourth solo cookbook offers relaxed comfort food with a slew of creative, contemporary twists. Reach for this book when you want simple dishes, global flavors, and a stress-free vibe.--Kelsy Peterson, Forest Hill Coll., Melbourne, Australia

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