Marblespoon At Home

When I first test out a cookbook, I flip through it once to get a feel for the contents. Then I take a second run with a pack of sticky notes, flagging the recipes that I most want to try. Except, every now and then, I realize I’ve flagged almost every page. MarbleSpoon At Home was that kind of book. Everything in there looked appetizing, used ingredients I could obtain without too much trouble, and was actually eaten by my picky family. 

Vera Newman has more creative uses for pulled beef than I have ever seen before. But she’s also really good at giving you recipes that are quick and easy for when you just don’t have the time. The Ravioli Lasagna is a staple for me, and I cannot wait to try the Fassoulia. Plus, the desserts are flawless. I made the S’mores Squares and they didn’t even make it out of the kitchen before my company attacked them and polished off the entire plate. The White Chocolate Chunk Cookies actually made it to the table, but this was likely because they are so rich and decadent you have to go slow while eating them. There’s an entire section on weeknight dinners – the one pot chicken and orzo was my favorite since it took minimal prep and was able to be made ahead for the next day.

The most “exotic” ingredient I needed was a plantain which was easily procured at my local shoprite supermarket, but if you live in an area without kosher meats or cheeses I suppose that could limit your options, as it would for most kosher cookbooks (if you keep kosher). The instructions were clear and simple. How do I know? I tried having kids – kids! – make the breakfast hash which has 5-6 different components all artfully arranged on a plate. While I did supervise to make sure nobody attacked their sous chef with a knife, I did not have to interfere at all. They accomplished the entire thing on their own and the finished product looked just as it did in the book.

MarbleSpoon At Home is that rare delight – a cookbook with new flavors that doesn’t require hours in the kitchen or ordering fancy ingredients from an online gourmet food supplier. Which is why I turn to it again and again when looking for something quick for dinner or something enticing to serve Shabbat guests. I don’t buy that many books these days – there’s too big of a TBR pile of ones people have sent me asking for reviews – but I bought this one, and I would do so again in a heartbeat.

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