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megholo's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars, I guess. If a recipe has ingredients that I can't get in my grocery store - it's fancy.
Don't even think I can get harissa in Yorkton.
Don't even think I can get harissa in Yorkton.
dray's review
4.0
delightful book with a great attitude. I found many recipes that I have not tried, that look relatively easy and delicious.
lukenotjohn's review against another edition
4.0
I've been a fan of Roman and her most famous recipes for about a year now, and have been thoroughly impressed with the accessible, delicious, and creative stuff she puts out. After realizing that her caramelized shallot pasta, #TheStew, and chicken thighs with caramelized dates, lemons, and onions (the latter of which is featured in this book and is currently the most delicious meal I know how to make) had become frequent features in my monthly meal rotation, I figured it was time to invest in one of her books.
I'll be honest, I felt underwhelmed and a bit nervous after completing the first two sections, Snacks and Salads, neither of which had a ton that I was especially eager to try out (with some notable exceptions; the scallion oil dip, spicy cabbage slaw, and smashed cucumber salad sound particularly appealing). But then we made it to the Sides section, and I personally consider that the highlight of the book. I jotted down 10 recipes that seem super accessible, interesting, and delicious and I'm sure more will join that list as I get more comfortable in the kitchen. That section in particular feels like a nice distillation of what I value most about Roman: an inclination to rely on mostly-familiar foods and techniques paired with an element (usually a zingy sauce or crunchy topping) that brings so much excitement to the dish. The Mains section had loads of options that I'd love to order a restaurant, but they aren't necessarily budget-friendly, especially for a still-somewhat-intimidated newcomer to the kitchen like myself. Still, there were a number that I'm eager to try right away and many more I plan to build towards. I'd say something similar for the dessert section, which I will praise for its abundance of recipes that don't require a homemade crust or stand-mixer! I'm especially excited to bake the chocolate hazelnut cake from this section, perhaps for NYE.
As many have noted, "fancy" is in the eye of the beholder, and I think many of these dishes are reflective of Roman's hip, wealthy NYC lifestyle in a way that would ensure they'd garner a few quizzical looks at a Midwestern church potluck. But...isn't that sort of the fun of them! The book seems to entertain a coy self-awareness that these obviously aren't the most straightforward recipes possible (because what fun would that be), but they're also not tremendously fussy either. Along those lines, it seems as though Roman's trademark sass has turned off some readers, but I think it's a definitely asset to the book and made for a reading experience that was not just informative and encouraging but also super funny and fun. I'm genuinely pumped to own this and can't wait to start cooking from it soon.
I'll be honest, I felt underwhelmed and a bit nervous after completing the first two sections, Snacks and Salads, neither of which had a ton that I was especially eager to try out (with some notable exceptions; the scallion oil dip, spicy cabbage slaw, and smashed cucumber salad sound particularly appealing). But then we made it to the Sides section, and I personally consider that the highlight of the book. I jotted down 10 recipes that seem super accessible, interesting, and delicious and I'm sure more will join that list as I get more comfortable in the kitchen. That section in particular feels like a nice distillation of what I value most about Roman: an inclination to rely on mostly-familiar foods and techniques paired with an element (usually a zingy sauce or crunchy topping) that brings so much excitement to the dish. The Mains section had loads of options that I'd love to order a restaurant, but they aren't necessarily budget-friendly, especially for a still-somewhat-intimidated newcomer to the kitchen like myself. Still, there were a number that I'm eager to try right away and many more I plan to build towards. I'd say something similar for the dessert section, which I will praise for its abundance of recipes that don't require a homemade crust or stand-mixer! I'm especially excited to bake the chocolate hazelnut cake from this section, perhaps for NYE.
As many have noted, "fancy" is in the eye of the beholder, and I think many of these dishes are reflective of Roman's hip, wealthy NYC lifestyle in a way that would ensure they'd garner a few quizzical looks at a Midwestern church potluck. But...isn't that sort of the fun of them! The book seems to entertain a coy self-awareness that these obviously aren't the most straightforward recipes possible (because what fun would that be), but they're also not tremendously fussy either. Along those lines, it seems as though Roman's trademark sass has turned off some readers, but I think it's a definitely asset to the book and made for a reading experience that was not just informative and encouraging but also super funny and fun. I'm genuinely pumped to own this and can't wait to start cooking from it soon.
beckylej's review
5.0
I've been heading up BookBar's Cookbook Club for over a year now and in that time, I've not been doing many cookbook reviews here on the blog because I've been profiling them elsewhere. Time to rectify that!
Everyone is looking to cook at home more these days. Understandable considering we're all pretty much on lockdown. And while some items have been difficult to find at the store (everyone is baking right now, it seems!), most stuff is still readily available.
Which is where a collection of trustworthy cookbooks and food blogs comes in.
Alison Roman has been on my radar since the release of her first cookbook, Dining In. She garnered so much praise and such a fervent fan base that I knew I had to get my hands on a copy of Nothing Fancy.
I have to say, the fervor is well earned!
Within days of getting my hands on an early copy of this one, I had plans to make over a dozen recipes. The first was the Citrusy Cucumbers with Red Onion and Toasted Sesame. This light and refreshing salad is a perfect example of the bevy of fabulous salads featured in the book. It's also a perfect example of the fact that much of the book is focused on easy to find ingredients that you likely have on hand already.
Yes, there are some specialty ingredients. I discovered I didn't have my trusty jar of harissa anymore, but the new jar has stretched for quite a few recipes now!
Roman's main focus for this book is entertaining. Cooking for guests and crowds. To that end, her goal is not to have you slaving away in the kitchen while everyone else is enjoying themselves. So, many of the recipes actually have make ahead tips!
Another bonus that goes along with the theme, there are tons of recipes for snacks! And I do love a good snack. A binge of Locke & Key was accompanied by Roman's Labne with Sizzled Scallions and Chile (Almost Ranch), a recipe Roman herself actually calls "The Dip." It's wonderful! Even better, if you don't have labne on hand, Roman says you can sub in Greek yogurt, or sour cream.
While we had family visiting, I made a smorgasbord of Roman's snack recipes including: Spicy-Tomato Marinated Feta (there's that harissa), which was a hit with my toddler! We served it alongside Tangy Roasted Mushrooms and fancy bread. Haloumi is a favorite in my family, so the Crispy Haloumi with Honey and Pistachio was a perfect choice. And the Vinegar-Marinated Butter Beans almost take the place of a favorite marinated giganto bean salad I used to buy.
As for main dishes, she doesn't lie calling her lasagna A Very Good Lasagna and the One-Pot Chicken With Dates and Caramelized Lemon is divine!
By no means have I cooked every recipe in the book as of yet, but this is already a favorite in my kitchen, joining the ranks of other fantastic cookbooks of late. Dining In has also joined my collection!
Everyone is looking to cook at home more these days. Understandable considering we're all pretty much on lockdown. And while some items have been difficult to find at the store (everyone is baking right now, it seems!), most stuff is still readily available.
Which is where a collection of trustworthy cookbooks and food blogs comes in.
Alison Roman has been on my radar since the release of her first cookbook, Dining In. She garnered so much praise and such a fervent fan base that I knew I had to get my hands on a copy of Nothing Fancy.
I have to say, the fervor is well earned!
Within days of getting my hands on an early copy of this one, I had plans to make over a dozen recipes. The first was the Citrusy Cucumbers with Red Onion and Toasted Sesame. This light and refreshing salad is a perfect example of the bevy of fabulous salads featured in the book. It's also a perfect example of the fact that much of the book is focused on easy to find ingredients that you likely have on hand already.
Yes, there are some specialty ingredients. I discovered I didn't have my trusty jar of harissa anymore, but the new jar has stretched for quite a few recipes now!
Roman's main focus for this book is entertaining. Cooking for guests and crowds. To that end, her goal is not to have you slaving away in the kitchen while everyone else is enjoying themselves. So, many of the recipes actually have make ahead tips!
Another bonus that goes along with the theme, there are tons of recipes for snacks! And I do love a good snack. A binge of Locke & Key was accompanied by Roman's Labne with Sizzled Scallions and Chile (Almost Ranch), a recipe Roman herself actually calls "The Dip." It's wonderful! Even better, if you don't have labne on hand, Roman says you can sub in Greek yogurt, or sour cream.
While we had family visiting, I made a smorgasbord of Roman's snack recipes including: Spicy-Tomato Marinated Feta (there's that harissa), which was a hit with my toddler! We served it alongside Tangy Roasted Mushrooms and fancy bread. Haloumi is a favorite in my family, so the Crispy Haloumi with Honey and Pistachio was a perfect choice. And the Vinegar-Marinated Butter Beans almost take the place of a favorite marinated giganto bean salad I used to buy.
As for main dishes, she doesn't lie calling her lasagna A Very Good Lasagna and the One-Pot Chicken With Dates and Caramelized Lemon is divine!
By no means have I cooked every recipe in the book as of yet, but this is already a favorite in my kitchen, joining the ranks of other fantastic cookbooks of late. Dining In has also joined my collection!
voya_k's review
3.0
Giving strong Brooklyn Nigella energy in terms of format, booziness, and encouraging tone. I made the roast radishes with greens and appreciated how they made 99 cents come off like 9 dollars, but found the green goddess butter to be tew much. Considering eating my first anchovy.
Oh, and I 100% appreciate her utter ban on bell peppers, which makes me feel seen.
Oh, and I 100% appreciate her utter ban on bell peppers, which makes me feel seen.
linde_euw's review
5.0
My family and I love this book! Most of the recipes are simple enough, very flavourful, and a lot of them have become staples in our household. There’s also some great dessert dishes in here, mostly pies and cookies, that type of stuff. We especially love her chicken recipes. My one critique would be that many of the more involved recipes seem to require one or two “specialty” ingredients that can be hard to get depending on where you live, so for example gochujiang or fresh turmeric. And as many people have said, she does cook with very outspoken flavours (salty and sour/tangy in particular), which results in her using lots of thing like anchovies, preserved lemon, pickles etc. which may not be to everyone’s taste. I personally love it, but if you’re not sure, you can look up some of her videos on youtube (just type in ‘alison roman’) and see if you like her style of cooking. She’s recently made some videos about recipes from this book. Hope this helps any people who are on the fence!
m0rganh's review
4.0
Listen: I'm equally beguiled by both of Alison Roman's cookbooks (2017's Dining In and 2019's Nothing Fancy) and will shout my love for her Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread from the tallest of rooftops (https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/salted-butter-and-chocolate-chunk-shortbread JUST DO IT).
That being said, these recipes - and Roman's signature style/unapologetic voice - aren't for everyone (word to the wise: anchovies, citrus, and vinegar are the lifeblood coursing through these cookbooks' veins). Even so, I felt inspired by the deft flavor pairings, elevated simplicity, and general idea that somewhere out there in another timeline there's a cooler version of me serving up a Salted Citrus Salad with Fennel, Radish, and Olive to my vintage-clad foodie friends in my quirky/small Brooklyn apartment with endless martinis on the side and Hibiscus-Roasted Peaches with Brown Sugar Bread Crumbs for dessert.
Roman says in the intro to Nothing Fancy that "this is not about living an aspirational life; it’s about living an attainable one" - but somehow the effortlessly-cool-vibe of her and her recipes leave me feeling a liiitttttle bit like someone you'd see on a Middle Class Fancy meme. Case in point: there are no sandwiches, I REPEAT: NO SANDWICHES!, to be found in these books - by Roman's admission - which both wounds me to the core AND motivates me to break out of my comfort zone (which is maybe what truly great cookbooks are all about, anyway).
That being said, these recipes - and Roman's signature style/unapologetic voice - aren't for everyone (word to the wise: anchovies, citrus, and vinegar are the lifeblood coursing through these cookbooks' veins). Even so, I felt inspired by the deft flavor pairings, elevated simplicity, and general idea that somewhere out there in another timeline there's a cooler version of me serving up a Salted Citrus Salad with Fennel, Radish, and Olive to my vintage-clad foodie friends in my quirky/small Brooklyn apartment with endless martinis on the side and Hibiscus-Roasted Peaches with Brown Sugar Bread Crumbs for dessert.
Roman says in the intro to Nothing Fancy that "this is not about living an aspirational life; it’s about living an attainable one" - but somehow the effortlessly-cool-vibe of her and her recipes leave me feeling a liiitttttle bit like someone you'd see on a Middle Class Fancy meme. Case in point: there are no sandwiches, I REPEAT: NO SANDWICHES!, to be found in these books - by Roman's admission - which both wounds me to the core AND motivates me to break out of my comfort zone (which is maybe what truly great cookbooks are all about, anyway).
thejourneyofmybooks's review
3.0
I'm a fan of Alison Roman from her Instagram and watching her Bon Appettit YouTube and her New York Times column, but I had never read any of her cookbooks, so I decided to start with this one. I like her personable writing style, it was like talking to a witty, sarcastic, attentive friend who good at hosting parties and can sense when you need a refill on your natural orange wine. That being said, even though the book title is called "Nothing Fancy", um a good chunk of the recipes are kinda fancy (which she admittedly acknowledges in some of the recipes). For the recipes that aren't "fancy", even though they're simple, they're pretty pedestrian.
Also, this book is tailored to her personality so you have to be on board with her brand to want to attempt a lot of these recipes. She is extremely opinionated about a lot of food products and she lets it be known, which I enjoyed reading. I found myself only finding a few recipes from this book that I wanted to try.
Also, this book is tailored to her personality so you have to be on board with her brand to want to attempt a lot of these recipes. She is extremely opinionated about a lot of food products and she lets it be known, which I enjoyed reading. I found myself only finding a few recipes from this book that I wanted to try.