Hash Brown, Egg, and Cheese Kati Rolls; Cannoli Croccante; Tomato Sunomono

There are three books I want to tell you about today. And, yes, it’s because I’ve gotten lazy that I’m combining three books in one post. Check for more frequent posts on Bluesky and Instagram. First, I’ve been enjoying cooking from Amrikan by Khushbu Shah. She shares her story of favorite dishes and how some of them originated from adaptations based on available ingredients and some are inspired by Indian flavors. There’s a delightful-to-me lack of meat in this book which means more recipes I want to try. A simple, delicious one is a salad with amchur ranch dressing. I’m a fan of the sour punch of amchur, or dried mango powder, and adding it to a rich salad dressing is perfect. All of the pizzas sound like tasty fun, and I had to try the butter chicken version. From the dough with added cumin and nigella seeds to the saucy chicken topping, it was a hit. Another superstar recipe from the book is the Hash Brown, Egg, and Cheese Kati Rolls. I made the super flaky parathas, crisped some homemade hash browns, scrambled eggs, grated cheese, and blended the Spicy Cilantro Chutney to go with them. They became a fantastic, hearty brunch. There’s a lot more I want to try as well like the two versions of Egg Curry, Shrimp Moilee, and all the Dosas. This book will keep me busy in the kitchen. 

Book two is Dolic! by Renato Poliafito. His previous books from the Baked bakery get pulled from my shelves often, so I was excited to read this new one. This one is devoted to Italian American baking or the “intersection between Italian, American, and Italian American.” The majority sticks to sweets, but there is a chapter for savories as well. I enjoyed the stories with several of the cookies about their origin, the occasions for which they are traditionally baked, and the typical variations. The chocolate-dipped Mostaccioli with all the warm spices is one example. I got a bit distracted by the Cakes and Tortas chapter. The Pistachio Lemon Cake, the Almond Torta with Roasted Plums, and the Cannoli Cake are all on my to-try list. Speaking of cannoli, I wasted no time in trying the Cannoli Croccante. This is a type of cannoli Poliafito found in Naples. Rather than the fried dough shell, these are made with a set lace cookie. I used metal cannoli forms and wrapped pliable, just-baked cookies around them to cool and become firm. I dressed up the shells a bit with chocolate-dipped edges and a chopped pistachio flourish. The filling with ricotta turned out a bit too thin for me, and I ended up adding mascarpone before piping it into the shells. Needless to say, they were incredible. 

 

And, the third book I want to mention is Rintaro by Sylvan Mishima Brackett. Rintaro is an ingredient-driven izakaya in San Francisco. The book is precise, a bit demanding, and beautiful. Specific ingredients are called for, and if not procurable, the recipe is to be skipped. I can appreciate the aspiration for perfection, but as a home cook, I often substitute and adapt as needed. You’ll find specific instructions for breaking down tuna for sashimi and chicken for yakitori. There’s also a very particular type of katsuobushi that’s called for to make dashi. But for me, I make vegan dashi with kombu and dried shitakes. As always, take what guidance you wish for your own cooking purposes. Do be inspired though by the lovely dishes like Miso-Cured Black Cod Sunomono; Romano Beans, Figs, and Peach with Shira-Ae; Chicken and Cheese Katsu; homemade Udon; and Mochi-Wrapped Strawberries. I set about making the Tomato Sunomono with beautiful, locally-grown tomatoes and cucumbers. I made a vegan dashi and found some usukuchi shoyu (light-colored soy sauce) for the dish. Thinly sliced cucumbers were marinated in a vinegar and dashi combination, and a dressing was made with mayonnaise and more dashi. I did not, however, peel the tomatoes. It was still a lovely presentation and so fresh and delicious. There’s a lot to learn from this book whether you follow the instructions to the letter or not.  

 

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