The Homemade Kitchen: Recipes for Cooking with Pleasure. By Alana Chernila
“Alana Chernila has crafted a truly contemporary guidebook to the food she loves, written from the refreshingly authentic perspective of a voracious learner. If any book will make you want to rearrange your schedule to get cooking from scratch again, The Homemade Kitchen is the one.”
—Hugh Acheson, chef and author of The Broad Fork and A New Turn in the South
“This is so much more than a cookbook full of unforgettable recipes (though it is that, too). Alana Chernila has written an intimate portrait of a cook in her kitchen—one who celebrates the surprise windfalls and the mundane, everyday moments with equal fervor. Irrepressible, flavor-seeking, and always curious, she makes the best case ever for daily home cooking: happiness!”
—Amy Thielen, author of The New Midwestern Table and host of Food Network’s Heartland Table
“Start where you are.” “Feed yourself.” “Do your best and then let go.” “Do the work.” “Slow down.” “Invite people over.” “Don’t be afraid of food.”
Alana Chernila has these phrases taped to her fridge, and they are guiding principles that help her stay present in her kitchen. Each of the chapters in the The Homemade Kitchen: Recipes for Cooking with Pleasure (Clarkson Potter/Publishers; $24.99; Trade Paperback; on sale October 6, 2015) grows from one of these principles, and together they create a blueprint for mindfulness in the kitchen, for changing the way we relate to the work of cooking. They prompt Alana to find pleasure in the everyday starting with what she cooks.
The 150 recipes in The Homemade Kitchen are delightful to make and fit for every occasion, covering everything from the staples Alana is known for—things like kefir, goat cheese, and kimchi, among dozens more, plus recipes for using them. Think: Kefir Banana Cake, Chevre Cheesecake with Mint and Berries, and a kimchi quesadilla.
Other recipes include:
- Feed Yourself: Butter Lettuce with Dates and Ricotta; Shakshuka; Broccoli Raab with Cheddar Polenta
- Use Your Scraps: Panzanella; Summer Squash Frittata; Polenta Fries with Spicy Mayonnaise
- Slow Down: Rhubarb Snacking Cake; One-Dish Chocolate Cake; Braised Lamb Shanks
- Eat Outside: Corn Saladwith Nectarines and Basil; Sesame Noodles; Roasted Potato Salad
- Don’t Be Afraid of Food: Plum Tart; Pear Gingerbread; Ricotta Mousse
Written as much for the reader as the cook, The Homemade Kitchen once again proves Alana to be the truest and least judgmental friend a home cook could want.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alana Chernila writes, cooks, sells fresh vegetables, teaches cheese making, and blogs at EatingFromTheGroundUp.com. She’s been a featured contributor for numerous publications and websites, including Martha Stewart Living, Taproot, Food52.com, and Gilttaste.com. Her first book, The Homemade Pantry:101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making, was published by Clarkson Potter in 2012. She lives with her husband and daughters in western Massachusetts.
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