Carla Lalli Music

I love "remix" cookbooks. If there's a sub-genre I'm a sucker for, that's it.

I love Music's "a dozen to [cooking method]" concept, where she explains a common cooking method, loosely, and then shows 12 ingredients that benefit from that treatment. It's simple, the photos are inviting, and it encourages experimentation and educated guesses.

In the same vein, her "spin it" concept (when she offers substitutions right off the bat, as a means of cooking to the produce that looks good that week) is a good one, and the two or three recipes I've made so far have all been with substitutions (kale instead of collards, e.g.).

My only gripe is that while I am a foodie and will totally spend my extra money on the nice anchovies, this shit gets to be a little bit wealthy and brooklyn-y and doesn't so much raise my hackles as it makes me long for class revolution. lol.

Using fucking instacart for your pantry staples is mayyyybe logistically sensible in nyc, but it's underpaid gig labor that shifts risk to contractors, and I'm ashamed that a hippie/boho cookbook made it from draft to publish with that still in as time-saving advice. We can do better, world.… (more)

The one recipe I tried (Steamed Sweet Potatoes) took much longer than described and the sauce was awful (but fixable), so not sure if I can recommend this cookbook even if on the surface the basic techniques seem sound. I do like the idea of "start simple, add sauces and extras" (her basic techniques all involve only salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice with other flavorings being add-ons). I also like that she provides alternative "spins" for when you don't have the specific ingredients listed. If you're not familiar with the basics of Sauté, Pan-Roast, Steam, Boil/Simmer, Confit, Slow Roast you can read about them here, but it's unclear how many of the recipes are going to work out.… (more)