Here on Whidbey Island, there's something special about cooking for people you care about. It doesn't matter if we're gathered around our portable grill at Fort Ebey State Park with cheese and tomato sandwiches, or serving up a fancy dinner at home – the joy comes from seeing faces light up when food hits the table. It's our way of saying "we're glad you're here" without having to say the words out loud.
The fun starts way before anyone takes their first bite. There's something almost magical about planning what to cook. Sometimes it's as simple as remembering that Shannon can't eat shellfish or that Jackie absolutely loves anything with my South African marinade. Other times we'll spend an evening with recipe books scattered across the kitchen counter, dreaming up the perfect combination of dishes.
When it comes to actually cooking, that's when everything feels right with the world. Maybe it's the rhythm of chopping vegetables, or the way bread dough feels under your hands as you knead it, or just how the house fills with amazing smells as dinner comes together. Some of our best memories are of friends showing up early to help in the kitchen, everyone bumping elbows as we work, sharing stories and stealing tastes when we think nobody's looking.
Our cookbooks tell their own stories. Each stain and splatter marks a meal shared, a birthday celebrated, or a time when someone needed comfort food to lift their spirits. Those little post-it notes sticking out everywhere? They're like old friends pointing the way to recipes that never let us down: the spaghetti and meatballs that our picky eater loves, the roasted portobello mushrooms that delight vegetarians and meat lovers alike and, the chocolate Bundt cake that's become the mandatory request for every birthday.
Getting a new cookbook is like opening a door to new possibilities. I love that first quick flip through, getting a feel for what's inside. But the real pleasure comes later, when I can curl up in my favorite chair with a cup of tea and really dive in. Each recipe gets considered carefully – will our friends like this? Can I find these ingredients here on the island? Would this work for our next camping trip? Every sticky note I put in becomes a promise of good times to come.
Our cookbook collection isn't anything fancy. You won't find rare editions or expensive coffee table books. What you will find are trusted companions that have helped us bring people together around our table. Most were carefully chosen gifts from friends who know how much we love to cook. Others we picked up ourselves, usually because something caught our eye or we were looking to try something new.
It's not about showing off or being perfect – honestly, some of our most memorable meals have been the ones where something went hilariously wrong! It's about the warmth that fills a room when people come together to share a meal, the conversations that flow more easily over a home-cooked dinner, and the connections that grow stronger with every shared bite.
Our Five Essential Cookbooks
If you love food and cooking, let me introduce you to someone who has fundamentally changed the way I and countless others approach cooking: Yotam Ottolenghi. Born in Jerusalem to an Italian-Jewish father and German-Jewish mother, he transformed a small London deli into a culinary empire that has revolutionized how we think about vegetables and Middle Eastern cuisine. Through his groundbreaking books like "Plenty" and "Jerusalem" (written with Sami Tamimi), he introduced us to a world where vegetables take center stage and ingredients like za'atar and sumac become everyday essentials in our pantries.
What makes Ottolenghi special isn't just his innovative recipes – it's his generous spirit and ability to make complex flavors accessible to home cooks. My first encounter with Ottolenghi was a dinner party at my friend Uli's house. She explained that the delicious food we were eating came from a cookbook called Jerusalem. She kindly lent us her copy and that started our love affair with the man and his food. Over the years, various friends have given us copies of his cookbooks as gifts. Being in possession of all this delicious potential makes it challenging to select a favorite. It was a toss up between Simple (which offers slightly pared down recipes with fewer ingredients) and Ottolenghi Test Kitchen (OTK). In the end, OTK won.
The OTK Cookbook feels like a warm hug from a friend who really gets how we cook at home. If you've ever been intimidated by hunting down specialty ingredients for other Ottolenghi recipes (guilty as charged!), this book is a game-changer. Working with his talented test kitchen team, Ottolenghi has created something that feels more like a conversation than a set of rules. What I love most is how they encourage you to make each recipe your own – if you don't have preserved lemons, they'll suggest alternatives. No za'atar in your pantry? They've got you covered with simple substitutions that still capture those signature Ottolenghi flavors we've all fallen in love with.
Grilled Zucchini with Warm Yogurt and Saffron Butter
Serves: 2-4 | Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 30 min
This recipe perfectly captures what I love about Ottolenghi's approach to cooking: it transforms humble zucchini into something extraordinary through thoughtful layering of flavors and textures. On the surface, it's just grilled zucchini with yogurt, but the magic happens in the details - the warmth of saffron-infused butter, the unexpected comfort of heated yogurt sauce (a technique many home cooks might not think to try), and the final bright notes from fresh mint and lemon.
What You Need:
2 tablespoons (30g) unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, roughly crushed
4 small pale green or regular zucchini, halved lengthways
2½ tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon corn flour
1⅓ cups (300g) Greek-style yogurt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ teaspoon dried mint
¾ teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
1½ tablespoons picked mint leaves
½ lemon
Salt and black pepper
How to Make It:
Preheat the oven to broil (high grill setting).
Put the butter and saffron into a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, set aside to infuse.
Place the zucchini on a parchment-lined baking tray and toss with 2 tablespoons of oil, ⅓ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Arrange them cut side up and broil for 15-20 minutes, until nicely charred and softened.
Towards the last 10 minutes of grilling time, make the sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together the corn flour and 3 tablespoons of water until smooth, then add the yogurt, garlic, dried mint, the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil and ½ teaspoon of salt. Whisk to combine, then transfer to a large, non-stick sauté pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring continuously, for about 10 minutes, until thickened slightly and warmed through. Do not let the sauce boil, or it will split.
Transfer the warm yogurt sauce to a plate with a lip and top with the zucchini, grilled side up. Spoon over the saffron butter, then sprinkle with the coriander seeds and mint leaves. Squeeze over the lemon half and serve right away.
"Let's Eat France!" is unlike any other cookbook or food reference book you'll ever encounter - it's more like stumbling into the world's most fascinating French culinary museum where every page turn reveals a new delight. The book came into our lives as a birthday gift to Jean-Michel from our French friends Valerie and Yusuf, who share our passion for exploring food cultures.
When François-Régis Gaudry, one of France's most celebrated food critics and radio hosts, created this magnificent tome, he wasn't just writing another book about French cuisine - he was crafting a love letter to France's entire food culture. Opening this oversized book (it literally weighs six pounds!) feels like embarking on a joyful treasure hunt through French culinary history, with every page offering maps, charts, illustrations, recipes, and delightful bits of food lore.
Unlike traditional cookbooks that march you through appetizers to desserts, "Let's Eat France!" invites you to wander and get delightfully lost. One moment you're learning about the proper ripening stages of camembert, the next you're discovering why Marie Antoinette's private dairy at Versailles caused a scandal, and then you're suddenly deep in a detailed illustration of classic French mother sauces. The recipes, when they appear, feel like welcome gifts sprinkled throughout your journey - authentic versions of classics that help ground all the fascinating cultural history in real, cookable food. It's the kind of book that makes you want to clear your calendar, brew a pot of coffee, and spend the whole afternoon exploring its pages, preferably with a piece of good cheese nearby.
Belgian Endive and Ham Gratin
Serves: 4-6 | Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 1 hour 30 min
This cozy gratin showcases the simple elegance of French Alpine cooking through one of Jean-Michel's most cherished family recipes. In the mountains of France, where winters are long and comfort food reigns supreme, dishes like endives wrapped in ham and blanketed in béchamel sauce are essential to the region's culinary soul. Jean-Michel has been making this gratin for decades, perfecting the balance between the endive's subtle bitterness, the salty-sweet ham, and the rich, creamy sauce. It's become such a fixture in his cooking repertoire that his daughters have grown up marking special occasions and family gatherings by the appearance of this beloved dish.
What You Need: For pre-cooking the endive:
8 Belgian endives
1 tablespoon (15g) butter
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and black pepper to taste
For the béchamel sauce:
4 tablespoons (60g) butter
⅓ cup (40g) all-purpose flour
2 cups (500ml) whole milk
Fresh nutmeg, for grating
Salt and black pepper to taste
To finish the gratin:
8 slices ham
1 cup (100g) Gruyère or Swiss cheese, grated
How to Make It:
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously butter a 9x13-inch (23x33cm) gratin dish.
Trim the bottom ends off the endive and remove any discolored outer leaves. The endive should be very white with hints of yellow. If there is green then it has been exposed to light and will be more bitter.
Season with sugar, salt, and black pepper, cover with aluminum foil, and roast for one hour.
While the endive is roasting, make the béchamel: Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Whisk in flour and continue cooking over very low heat for five minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk and cook over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg.
Wrap each endive in one slice of ham and arrange in your gratin dish.
Cover with béchamel sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbling and golden brown. Serve hot with roasted meats, chicken, or a big green salad.
Asha Gomez brought the flavors of Kerala, India to Atlanta first through her innovative supper club, then through her acclaimed restaurant Cardamom Hill, which earned her national recognition including a James Beard nomination. I met Asha when she hired my company to build a new website for her new business, Tulip & Tea, but our professional relationship quickly evolved into a cherished friendship, bonded by our shared belief in food's power to tell stories and connect cultures.
Through her cookbooks "My Two Souths" and "I Cook in Color," she masterfully weaves together the vibrant spices of her South Indian roots with the soulful comfort of the American South in ways that feel both innovative and completely natural. Her recipes reflect her life's journey - from learning to cook in her mother's Kerala kitchen to discovering the agricultural bounty of Georgia. What I love most about Asha's approach is how she makes seemingly exotic ingredients feel approachable while encouraging home cooks to embrace bold flavors. She has this remarkable ability to take familiar Southern dishes and transform them with Indian techniques and spices, or to adapt traditional Kerala recipes using local American ingredients. These recipes, which have now traveled all the way to our kitchen on Whidbey Island, prove that great food, like genuine friendship, knows no boundaries.
Railways Beef
Serves: 6-8 | Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 2½ hours
The moment I spotted Asha's Railways Beef recipe in My Two Souths, I knew it had to be made immediately - so immediately that I picked up the phone and invited friends over that very night. This dish tells the fascinating story of Kerala's Syrian Christian community through its bold, aromatic spices and slow-cooked technique. It gets its name from the railway cars that once connected India's vast landscape, where this style of beef curry was a favorite among travelers. What makes it special is the way the meat becomes incredibly tender while absorbing all those warm spices.
What You Need:
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
2 stems curry leaves (about 20 leaves)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
2 teaspoons finely grated garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
3 dried red chiles
1 large tomato, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander powder
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
Fresh cilantro for garnish
How to Make It:
1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, heat the canola oil and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil until very hot.
2. Add curry leaves. The leaves will begin to sizzle in about 30 seconds.
3. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften, about 3 minutes.
4. Add ginger, garlic, chilies, and cinnamon sticks, stir for one minute.
5. Add cayenne, garam masala, turmeric, coriander, and paprika. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
6. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and cook until tomatoes release their juices, about 3-4 minutes.
7. Add beef and remaining coconut oil, stirring to coat with spices.
9. Cover and simmer for 2 hours or until meat is very tender, stirring occasionally.
10. Remove lid and simmer for additional 15-20 minutes until sauce thickens.
11. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with rice or flatbread.
Ina Garten, the beloved Barefoot Contessa, has an extraordinary story that feels like a fairy tale but is grounded in hard work and an unwavering commitment to quality. After running her specialty food store in the Hamptons for nearly two decades, she took a leap of faith into cookbook writing and television that has made her feel like everyone's favorite culinary mentor. What makes Ina special isn't just her impressive journey from White House budget analyst to food icon – it's her genuine desire to help people create beautiful meals with confidence. Her warm smile and reassuring "How easy is that?" have become beacons of comfort for home cooks everywhere.
What sets her books (which we own many of) apart is their remarkable reliability. If you follow her recipes exactly as written (and she really means exactly), you'll get the same delicious results she does in her East Hampton kitchen. From "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook" that started it all to "Go-To Dinners" with its pandemic-inspired flexibility, each book builds on her philosophy that cooking should be both joyful and doable.
The cookbook that's been bringing a touch of Parisian magic to our kitchen these past weeks is Ina's "Barefoot in Paris". We've been particularly smitten with it since I unwrapped those madeleine tins at Christmas, and her coconut madeleines have become our January obsession. What makes this book special is how it captures the soul of French cooking while making it wonderfully doable – she doesn't just translate recipes, she translates the whole experience of French food culture.
Coconut Madeleines
Makes: 24 | Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10-12 min
Madeleines, those delicate shell-shaped French sponge cakes, are the perfect balance of simple and special. While they might look fancy, they're essentially little butter cakes with a distinctive scalloped shape that comes from their traditional molds. What makes them magical is their texture - crisp and slightly caramelized on the outside, with a tender, cake-like interior that's light as air.
What You Need:
1½ tablespoons melted butter, for greasing the pans
8 tablespoons (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
⅔ cup (135g) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (30g) cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅓ cup (80g) sweetened shredded coconut
Confectioners' sugar (optional)
How to Make It:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Thoroughly butter and flour the madeleine pans.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed for 3 minutes, or until light yellow and fluffy. Add the melted butter and mix.
Sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, and stir into the batter with a rubber spatula. Stir in the coconut.
With a soup spoon, drop the batter into the pans, filling each shell almost full.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until they spring back when pressed.
Tap the madeleines out onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper and allow to cool.
Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired, before serving.
Lynne Rossetto Kasper changed the way many of us think about Italian cooking through her groundbreaking book "The Splendid Table: Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food." My journey with Lynne began when my friend Damien gifted me this remarkable cookbook, before I discovered her as the beloved voice of public radio's food show of the same name. The book drew me in so completely that I started taking well timed drives so I could tune in to her show on Saturdays from the car, delighting in her ability to help listeners tackle everything from an abundance of tomatillos to transforming leftover restaurant wine into homemade vinegar.
Unlike many Italian cookbooks that offer a broad survey of dishes from across the country, Lynne chose to focus deeply on one region - Emilia-Romagna, home to Parmesan cheese, prosciutto di Parma, balsamic vinegar, and perhaps Italy's finest fresh pasta traditions. Through her writing, you can feel her wonder at discovering ancient recipes in family kitchens, learning techniques passed down through generations, and understanding the deep connection between the land and its cuisine. She doesn't just tell you how to make a dish - she tells you why it matters, how it evolved, and what makes it special.
Maria Bertuzzi's Lemon Chicken
Serves: 6-8 | Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 45 min
Maria Bertuzzi's Lemon Chicken is one of those recipes that reminds us how Italian cooking is really about transforming simple ingredients through thoughtful technique. The first time I made it years ago, I was struck by how different it was from other lemon chicken recipes I knew. Instead of the usual quick sauté with a splash of lemon at the end, this dish takes you on a different journey altogether. Lynne learned this recipe in Maria's kitchen in Emilia-Romagna, where the chicken slowly braises with an unexpected combination of lemon, cloves, tomatoes and onions until they melt into a velvety sauce.
Maria Bertuzzi's Lemon Chicken (continued)
What You Need:
3½-pound chicken (organic free-range preferred), cut into 8 pieces
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ small carrot, minced
½ medium onion, minced
3 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
8 fresh sage leaves (or 8 dried whole sage leaves)
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 large garlic clove, minced
Pinch of ground cloves
¾ cup chopped ripe fresh tomatoes (peeled and seeded) or drained canned tomatoes
⅔ cup water or liquid from canned tomatoes
5-6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh Italian parsley
How to Make It:
1. Rinse and thoroughly dry the chicken pieces. Heat the oil in a heavy 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat.
2. Place chicken pieces skin side down, not touching. Brown over medium heat or lower, adjusting heat so chicken colors slowly, about 15 minutes to reach rich amber color. Season with salt and pepper as they cook.
3. Remove browned chicken to a platter. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat.
4. Over medium heat, sauté carrot, onion, parsley, and sage for 8 minutes, or until onion starts to color.
5. Stir in lemon zest and cook 3 minutes more, stirring often, until onion is deep gold. Don't burn the glaze on pan bottom.
6. Add garlic, cloves, tomatoes, and water, scraping up the glaze.
7. Return chicken and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Bring to gentle simmer. Cover and cook 15 minutes.
8. Uncover and cook about 10 minutes, turning chicken to moisten. Sauce should thicken and cling to chicken.
9. Add remaining 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice, taste for salt and pepper.
10. Arrange on warm platter, moisten with pan juices, sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Living well, here on Whidbey Island, is deeply connected to how we cook and share food with others. These five cookbooks are more than just collections of recipes - they're guides that help us create those magical moments when food brings people together. Each one reminds us that great meals aren't about perfection, but about the warmth that fills a kitchen when friends gather to cook together, the stories we share around the table, and the connections we build over shared dishes. Whether we're making Ottolenghi's vibrant vegetable dishes, Jean-Michel's comforting French gratins, Ina's foolproof classics, Asha's boldly spiced curries, or Lynne's soul-warming Italian braises, these books help us create the moments that make life rich and meaningful.
They've become such trusted friends in our kitchen that we barely notice their splatter-marked pages and bent corners anymore. Each stain and note in the margins tells a story of a meal shared, a celebration marked, or a quiet evening cooking for loved ones. As I write this, I can hear the familiar sound of pages turning as someone browses through one of these books,
planning the next gathering. Because that's what living well means to us - opening our home and our hearts to others, sharing not just food but also laughter, stories, and the simple joy of being together. These cookbooks help us do just that, one delicious meal at a time.
We would love to hear about the essential cookbooks in your kitchen - the ones that help you create memorable meals and gather loved ones around your table.