It’s the time of year when many of us start to get serious in the kitchen. Here, we’re looking at four recently published cookbooks from Maine authors covering everything from cold-weather cooking and traditional Maine meals to bread baking and Jewish-Mexican cuisine. Add them to your collection or make them holiday gifts for the avid cooks and bakers in your life.

For modern cooks who want some winter kitchen therapy:

“Warm Your Bones: Cozy Recipes for Chilly Days and Winter Nights”

In her last cookbook, 2021’s “Eat Cool: Good Food for Hot Days,” Portland-based recipe developer, food stylist and author Vanessa Seder shared dishes meant to keep you from overheating during the steamy months. Her latest book, “Warm Your Bones: Cozy Recipes for Chilly Days and Winter Nights” explores the opposite end of the seasonal cooking spectrum.

Though she’s lived in Maine since 2011, Seder is originally from Los Angeles, and long Northern New England winters can be challenging even for natives.

“I’ve had to learn to embrace (Maine winters),” Seder said. “That’s part of why I wanted to do this book, to hopefully help other people get through the winter by way of cooking, looking inward and slowing down. This book is about enjoying the process and your time inside. It’s a recipe guidebook for all these cold months we have.”

“Warm Your Bones” could easily be a collection of standard roasts, rich casseroles, gut-busting lasagnas, cheese-thickened soups and the like – classic comfort foods that, though they pad our winter weight, at least soothe us in the moment.

Yes, there are recipes for mac and cheese and grilled cheese (each with three flavor/technique variations ). But most of the 75 recipes Seder offers in “Warm Your Bones” reflect healthier, more modern sensibilities that put the season’s fresh ingredients to their best uses: Pearl Barley Risotto gets a verdant hit from beet greens (Seder is a savvy cook who avoids waste); Miso Roasted Turnips and Radishes shows you another side to radishes, which people often only think to use in salad; Roasted Cauliflower Steak Sandwiches amp up the umami for a hearty vegetarian dish; and Spicy Fideos with Seafood delivers smoky heat in a robust meal meant to satisfy without feeling overly heavy.

“I wanted to create a book that people could eat from all during the cold season, and not feel heavy and gross afterward,” Seder said. “This isn’t, I would say, a comfort food cookbook. There are comfort foods in it. This is more about foods that are satiating, that keep you warm and get you through the long, dark winters of Maine.”

Seder started conceiving of this book during the pandemic. During the lockdown period, when markets were understocked and picked over and ingenuity was critical for home cooks, she came up with the basic recipe for Potato, Broccolini and Kale cakes. At the time, she was looking for ways to put her wilted kale and extra potatoes to good use.

She kicks up the cakes with a sauce featuring pickled Calabrian chiles. But they’re a specialty ingredient you might have to buy, and Seder doesn’t want readers to be wasteful. So she also calls for them in some other recipes, like Garlic and Herb Lamb Chops (served over mashed celeriac, one of the season’s most under-sung roots).

The Soups and Stews section features updated takes on the classics, like Japanese Sweet Potato and Kabocha Squash Soup and Beef Stew with Acorn Squash and Chiles. And Seder includes several thoughtful menu suggestions at the back of the book geared toward particular winter situations like a firepit gathering and video binge-watching. Vibrant, delectable food photography from Portland-based photographer Jenny Bravo provides appetite-whetting inspiration.

If you use “Warm Your Bones” as the cold-weather recipe guidebook Seder intended, you’re in for a warm and tasty winter that’ll also leave you in much better shape when swimsuit season comes around.

PAN-ROASTED KOHLRABI AND APPLES WITH GUANCIALE

Serves 4

4 ounces guanciale, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 pounds kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces (4 to 5 bulbs)

1 sweet apple, such as Gala or Honeycrisp, cored and sliced into 1-inch-thick wedges

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy-bottomed ovenproof skillet, cook the guanciale over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and crisp and the fat has rendered, 4 to 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the guanciale to a plate. Reserve the rendered fat in the skillet.

Increase the heat to medium-high and carefully add the kohlrabi to the hot fat in the skillet. Cook, tossing to combine, until it begins to brown in parts but remains crisp, about 5 minutes.

Add the apple to the skillet and cook, tossing occasionally, until it is light golden brown in parts, 8-10 minutes.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the kohlrabi and apples are crisp-tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir in the vinegar, reserved guanciale, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Reprinted from Warm Your Bones. Copyright © 2024 by Vanessa Seder. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Jenny Bravo. Published by Union Square & Co., LLC, a subsidiary of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

For fuss-free cooks who enjoy a good serving of Maine nostalgia:

“Down East Delicious”

In 2012, Sandra Oliver put out “Maine Home Cooking,” her first compilation of 175 standout recipes she collected in her time as author of the Bangor Daily News column Taste Buds, which she started in 2005. Oliver retired as a columnist in 2023, after publishing more than 900 recipes contributed by Maine readers over 18 years. Luckily for us, she didn’t retire from cookbooks, as Oliver is back again with “Down East Delicious,” featuring 175 more recipes.

“Down East Delicious” is not a glossy book with sexy food photography. It’s a no-nonsense, stripped-down cookbook without photos that relies on the strength of its crowd-sourced recipes (though Oliver developed about half the dishes herself).

The book opens with a section of Maine classics, simple and frugal dishes like bean Swaggon or a four-ingredient Tomato Stew with seasoned scalded milk and canned tomatoes. These recipes set the tone for the rest of the dishes in the book, which are not about cooking fancy food to impress, but making meals for yourself and your family as often as possible.

“I took the (recipes) I thought were the best bet for home cooks and things I liked very much,” Oliver said. “As much as I could, I tried to include recipes that would get people back in the kitchen and take away the mystery from cooking. They’re not complicated, and they all could be considered inflation beaters as far as I’m concerned.”

The book’s second section, “Winter Warmers,” includes wholesome dishes like Warm Grain Salad, a mix of farro and barley flavored with a punchy vinaigrette, dried fruit, smoked almonds and chopped bacon. But it also features some homey casseroles like Taco Pie, contributed by Linda Acorn of Islesboro – where Oliver lives – and Sharon’s Deluxe Meatloaf, from Sharon Frost of Calais.

In extensive recipe headnotes and text boxes peppered throughout the book, Oliver names the Mainers who contributed the recipes, and provides charming and colorful backstories for the dishes. In Kerene’s Curried Chicken – named for Kerene Spence, a former Jamaican cook at Dark Harbor House Inn in Islesboro – Oliver marvels at Spence’s ability to dice celery with a paring knife and pound out chicken breasts with the side of a wine bottle.

Chapters on desserts, breakfast, summer foods, holiday celebrations and beverages offer plenty of unfussy, admirably old-school recipes that can often be made with ingredients you already have on hand, like Shirred Eggs (with herbs and cheese optional) or Chewy Noels from Kay Grover of Sedgwick, which Oliver’s headnote calls “the fastest cookie bar in Down East Maine.”

Oliver said her target audience for this cookbook is “anybody who has any curiosity about cooking at home.” In “Down East Delicious,” she delivers a collection of recipes that challenge the notion that cooking needs to be an aspirational art involving esoteric ingredients and hard-to-master techniques. “I’m hoping you might get lured back into the kitchen to actually try some stuff when you see how easy it could be or how little pain and strain there is,” she said.

SHARON’S DELUXE MEATLOAF

Serves 8

2 pounds of ground beef

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups breadcrumbs

5 tablespoons finely chopped onions

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon finely crumbled sage

1/2 cup tomato puree

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly in a large bowl. Pack into a loaf pan. Bake for one-and-a-half hours or until well done.

Reprinted from Down East Delicious. Copyright © 2024 by Sandra Oliver. Published by Down East Books, an imprint of The Globe Pequot Publishing Group Inc.

For history buffs, culinary adventurers and anyone who loves good fusion:

“Sabor Judío”

“Sabor Judío” is a fascinating cultural mashup of a cookbook from two Jewish-Mexican scholars: Margaret E. Boyle, who is director of Latin American, Caribbean and Latinx Studies at Bowdoin College, and Ilan Stavans, a professor at Amherst College.

Boyle and Stavans were both inspired by the recipe notebooks of their grandparents, who were Jewish immigrants to Mexico in the 1920s. “As we reflected on our respective family cookbooks, we pondered what, in essence, is Jewish Mexican food?” the authors write in the introduction. “To what extent is it authentic? What does Jewish food borrow from the environment from which it emerges, and in what way does it transform it?”

Boyle and Stavans address these questions in part with 100 recipes drawn from their families’ collections, as well as from home cooks and professional chefs and bakers. “Sabor Judío” is organized by meal, with chapters for Desayuno (breakfast), Comida (lunch) and Cena (dinner), and Sobremesa (dessert) and Jewish holidays as well.

Dishes like Matzah Chilaquiles; Sephardic-style Huevos Haminados; Spiced Pickled Herring seasoned with chile de arbol; Falafel Taquitos; Brisket Tacos in Three-Chile Salsa with Phyllis’s Rhubarb; and Caldo Verde with Corn and Matzah Balls illustrate the marriage of Jewish and Mexican food, and how they combine to create a cuisine with an allure all its own.

Substantial recipe headnotes explain the culinary origin and historical, sometimes personal context for each dish, while the authors also include nearly 11 sidebars throughout the book offering insights into the lifestyles of the Jewish-Mexican diaspora. “Sabor Judío” explores the history of Jewish immigrants in Mexico reaching back to the 15th century and celebrates their distinctive cuisine. The cookbook is obviously a treasure trove for cooks of Jewish and/or Mexican backgrounds, but also for culinary explorers and adventurers of all stripes.

LEEK FRITTERS

Makes about 20 fritters

The flavor of leeks is sweet and subtle in this recipe and accented by lime and salty pecorino cheese. If you want to up your potato-onion-applesauce latke game for Hanukkah, these leek fritters may be just what you’re looking for.

1 large russet potato (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into chunks

1 pound leeks, both white and light green parts, cleaned well and finely chopped

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup matzah meal

1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

Lime wedges, for serving

1. Place the potato chunks into a small saucepan and cover with 1 inch of water. Set over medium heat, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain the potatoes and mash until smooth, then transfer to a large bowl.

2. Add the leeks, eggs, matzah meal, pecorino cheese, salt and pepper to the bowl with the mashed potatoes and stir to fully combine.

3. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a large frying pan set over medium heat until shimmering. Meanwhile, line a large plate or baking sheet with paper towels.

4. Working in batches of 5-6, scoop out heaping tablespoons of the leek mixture, roll into balls (moisten hands if the mixture is sticking), and place into the hot oil, gently flattening into patties. Fry, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, 4-6 minutes per batch. Transfer to the paper towel-lined sheet to drain while frying the remainder.

5. Serve hot, with lime wedges alongside for squeezing.

Reprinted from “Sabor Judío.” Copyright © 2024 by Ilan Stavans and Margaret E. Boyle. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Ilan Rabchinskey. Published under the Marcie Cohen Ferris and William R. Ferris imprint of  The University of North Carolina Press.

For bakers and bread lovers:

“Big Book of Bread”

Vermont-based King Arthur Baking Company this fall put out its first cookbook devoted solely to bread. “Big Book of Bread” – and it is indeed encyclopedia-sized, spanning 462 pages – lists three authors: King Arthur employee-owners Martin Philip and Melanie Wanders, and Maine-based food writer and recipe developer Jessica Battilana.

King Arthur touts the book as a collection of 125 yeasted and naturally leavened bread recipes for everyone from novices to total bread heads and sourdough junkies who feed their starters more regularly than themselves. The book is divided into chapters covering broad categories. The “Flatbreads” chapter, for instance, features focaccia, naan, pita and the like, while “Pan Loaves” includes recipes for Everyday Bread, Pain de Mie and Japanese Milk Bread and “Fancy Breads” offers instructions for babka, challah and brioche.

Importantly, the book also begins with a chapter called “The Essentials,” explaining baking tools and baker’s math, and offering handy step-by-step photos to illustrate foundational techniques like proofing, steaming and shaping dough.  There’s also a flour primer at the end of the book (no better teacher than the producer of one of the world’s most trusted flour brands), a sourdough primer in the middle, and a chapter for “Things to Make with Bread,” which includes recipes for everything from French Toast and Monte Cristos to Migas, Ribollita and Fattoush.

The excellent food photography throughout the book zooms in on crusty loaves and bread slices being slathered with delectable toppings. A helpful bar graph-like design feature at the top of each recipe shows the amount of total time required for each recipe (which is good to know upfront, since some of them are multi-day affairs), then shows how much time is specifically needed for mixing, fermenting, shaping dough, second rise and baking.

King Arthur aimed to demystify the bread-baking process with this book, and it seems like it succeeds. “Big Book of Bread” offers plenty of fundamental information and tips to make beginners feel comfortable, while it lets experienced bakers expand their repertoires by exploring breads, buns, bagels and rolls from around the world. It’s both aspirational and inspirational, and makes you want to bake bread – or at least eat some – as soon as you can.

Copy the Story Link