I have quite a cookbook collection. They’ve overflowed my bookcases and spilled over to both coffee tables. They’re stacked on my desk and sometimes they accompany me to bed. Flipping through the best cookbooks sends my mind into a tizzy and leaves me feeling sort of desperately, overwhelmingly inspired. I want to make everything and it kills me that I don’t have time for all of them.
I watched my mom self-publish a few books when I was young, so I know how much effort and care goes into the making of a book. I’m in awe of all the authors who come up with a concept and carry it through to execution. It’s truly a labor of love.
Ashley Rodriguez is one of those authors. You may know her work from her beautiful blog, Not Without Salt. She’s a wife and a mother and created a cookbook called Date Night In, which is full of date night-worthy, complete meals to share with another person. I can see how much thought Ashley put into her book. She wove stories throughout and added notes on which elements of the recipe can be prepared in advance. The recipes are worthy of special occasions or just a date night in—they’re a little on the indulgent side, and not many of the meals are meatless, but they all feature fresh, quality ingredients. This single vegetarian girl found quite a few recipes to dog ear, including this gorgeous sun-dried tomato variation of a traditional Caesar salad. I’m thoroughly smitten with it. It doesn’t call for anchovies or Worcestershire sauce like most Caesar salads, but it has a remarkably familiar Caesar taste thanks to all the Parmesan. I used Whole Foods’ brand grated Parmesan, which is made without animal rennet, so it’s truly vegetarian. I don’t like to talk about animal rennet because I don’t want to overcomplicate the simple concept of a meatless diet, but most Parmesans are not technically vegetarian. (I don’t bother looking at cheese labels or asking before I order a pizza, but that’s just me.) This salad is rich and outrageously delicious, the perfect accompaniment to many a main dish. I think it would be lovely with my mushroom risotto, roasted ratatouille with spaghetti or just about anything with Italian flavors! Brava to Ashley for a book well done.
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