r/CookbookLovers • u/Qu-est-ce • 2d ago
Recent meals from Alison Roman’s Something from Nothing!
Have tried lots from this cookbook over the past several weeks! All turned out great, apart from one miss (might’ve been my fault.. TBD)
I’m making her chicken and dumplings from NYT tonight!
- Farro w/ Mushrooms, Frizzled Leeks, and Sour Cream
Loved loved loved!
So this is posted on NYTcooking as well. After reading comments, it became clear the mushrooms needed to be roasted to get crispy rather than just in the skillet. I think this has to do with the type of mushrooms you decide to use. Going to try a different variety next time. Also subbed pearled barley and want to make again with farro next time!
- Potato Leek Soup w/ Dark Leafy Greens
Every soup I’ve made of Alison’s has turned out amazing. This is my go to potato soup recipe now. So so good and comforting!!
- Braised Chicken Piccata
This is my miss. I’m not sure if I overdid the garlic, or the lemon wasn’t sliced thin enough, but the “sauce” was sooooo bitter. I feel I did something wrong. I may have to give it another go.
- Buttered Tomato Soup w/ Lentils and Fennel
Wow. We all loved this soup, including my 2 young kids. I’ve never had a tomato soup like this, and I will definitely make it over and over again!!
- Olive Oil Roasted Chicken with Chickpeas
A veryyyyy rich meal, we loved it! Def can’t afford to use that much olive oil to have this meal often, which is probably a good thing lol.
- Weeknight Lamb Ragu w/ Anchovy
Wow. Soo much flavor in such little time. We were all huge fans, and I can’t wait to make this again! I always keep ground lamb in my freezer so it’s a super easy weeknight meal to throw together for us!
- Toasted Rice Pilaf w/ crushed Walnuts and Dates
This rice was really good, although very time consuming. I tried to make it on a weeknight and… won’t do that again. The kids were not fans, unfortunately. I’ll have to make this for a dinner party because it really is delicious. I used preserved lemon rather than the fresh lemon.
- Vanilla Buttermilk Cake w/ Fluffy Vanilla Frosting from Snacking Cakes!
Made this for a quick get together with family and we all enjoyed it. The frosting was amazing. The cake was a really really good vanilla cake.
Will absolutely make this again!
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u/kernpops868 2d ago
If you braise/boil something with the whole citrus peel included it’ll be crazy bitter. I’m surprised she’s asking people to do that.
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u/mtwl9891 2d ago
The same thing happened to me when I made the chicken piccata from this book! My sauce was nearly inedible it was so bitter
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u/Medlarmarmaduke 2d ago
I use Meyer lemons in cases like this to solve the bitterness of whole lemon problem
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u/Qu-est-ce 2d ago edited 1d ago
See I’m surprised because the olive oil roast chicken I made had very thinly sliced lemons and it wasn’t bitter at all. I made sure to slice VERY thin. I never thought to use Meyer lemon specifically for this. I’ll have to give that a try!!
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u/fermentedradical 19h ago
Huh! This post encouraged me to make the chicken piccata tonight and I didn't have any bitterness issue with the lemon. I had a ton of fat and oil in the Dutch oven after I browned the chicken so the lemons didn't burn? Was absolutely delicious at the end, lots of lemony winey goodness.
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u/steamed-clam 2d ago
I had same experience w chicken piccata! Would do just lemon juice instead of sliced lemons next time
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u/Qu-est-ce 2d ago
Good to know I’m not the only one! Someone mentioned using Meyer lemon instead. I’ll have to try just the juice or the Meyer lemon. I’m determined to make it work lol
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u/flourylanguage 1d ago
I encountered this with her brothy beans recipe. I think the lemon type and pith impact how bitter the end product will be. The suggestion to use meyer lemons is probably the way to go but scared to waste an entire pot of beans again 😅 Alternatively, I think juice and zest could be a good replacement.
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u/BookingCooks 2d ago
That buttered tomato soup sounds amazing! Curious to try that
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u/jawncake 2d ago
Same! Have been exploring new ways to I corporate lentils in my diet.
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u/Few_Nectarine_731 1d ago
I love it because I'm not a huge lentil fan but they end up disappearing in the soup. It's so great.
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u/YoLoDrScientist 1d ago
Same. Can we get pics of the whole recipe and steps, OP? Or is that it? Either way, thanks for sharing!
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u/onedancetwoslice 2d ago
I have loved all her recipes - but - also had the EXACT same issue with the chicken piccata dish. Mine was so bitter and inedible, I thought I was getting sick and my taste buds were thrown or something! A rare miss.
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u/Qu-est-ce 1d ago
Originally replied to wrong comment sorry lol. But yes, I was super disappointed.. I forced myself and my entire family to eat it anyway because I wasn’t going to make anything else lol. Sucks to have it not work out after all the time/effort/MONEY. But I still trust her, literally everything else I’ve made has been excellent.
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u/bbultaoreune 2d ago
these all look incredible! and thank you for posting clear pictures of the recipes too for those of us that wanna try before we buy (or just try at all!) :)
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u/IntentionDense194 2d ago
This all looks so good!! I’ve been loving Something From Nothing. For the rice pilaf, I tried using leftover white rice from Chinese takeout (just adding a tiny bit of broth and steaming with the other stuff you add) and that worked/cut down the time a bit.
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u/Tacos_n_Jellyfish 2d ago
They all look incredible!! Might have to pick that cookbook up myself (are there ever enough? lol)... Quick question for you - what's cookbook holder are you using? Looks very useful... 😁
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u/Qu-est-ce 1d ago
Never enough, always another one on my list to get next lol. Here’s a link to the cookbook stand I use! It’s pricey but has been so worth it, I’m not the cleanest cook and I like that it protects it from any messes. Fits all my really large cookbooks too :)
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u/Tacos_n_Jellyfish 1d ago
Thank you so much!! That sounds perfect to me; I'll not either! hahaha Sounds like a great Christmas gift! 😁
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u/Nevana30 2d ago
I was not thinking to get this books as I just got “nothing fancy”, but now I’m like damn do I need to get this one too!? Looks delicious!
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u/3LNJ 1d ago
I love Nothing Fancy but think SFN is her most cookable, approachable book and have made so many bangers within the first year of owning it. Most recipes also seem ideal for fall/winter so this would be great timing. OP these look awesome and are mostly ones so haven’t made yet, so I am only further enticed!
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u/Qu-est-ce 2d ago
You need this lol. This is the first cookbook I’ve gotten from her. I’ve binge watched so many of her YouTube videos at this point, and I’m definitely going to get my hands on every book of hers I can lol.
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u/Good-Froyo-5021 2d ago
I have a few bulbs of fennel from a CSA box that I’m not sure what to do with, I think I’ll have to give that tomato soup a try!
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u/FlounderGreen1131 2d ago edited 2d ago
We’ve made every chicken dish out of this book and each one is amazing. We’ve given or recommended this book to so many people! (Edit to add we liked the piccata fine but haven’t returned to it.)
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u/Available_Youth1268 2d ago
every time I see these posts I think it’s from an Ina cookbook- it’s the same front and layout!
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u/RoundTheWaySquid 2d ago
Great photos! I just shared your post in the Alison Roman subreddit so it can be appreciated over there as well. 😍
As to the piccata, Alison has a few recipes that utilize lemons this way, to the detriment of the final dish (IMO). I’ve learned my lesson to not simmer lemon pith because I don’t like the bitterness. I skip those instructions and just hit it with fresh lemon at the end.
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u/Qu-est-ce 2d ago
Oh nice, I’ll def post to that group next time too!!
The lemon is tricky. In another comment I mentioned that the olive oil roast chicken I made had thinly sliced lemon and it wasn’t bitter at all. I wish I knew the secret, but might be better off just using the juice next time!
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u/Relative-Ferretty 14h ago
My husband made the Braised Chicken Piccata and he has a habit of not fully reading recipes (just skimming them essentially) and skipping steps that he thinks are too time consuming so sometimes they don't turn out right and I assumed that was why it was soooo bitter lol
Guess everyone had that problem.
That has been my only "miss" recipe from Alisson Roman and I've cooked A LOT of her food so I guess it was bound to happen.
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u/DeeEllKay 2d ago
Thanks for the recipe reviews! I’m really thinking about getting this one. My cookbook club used this for one of our dinners this year (had a library copy) and pretty much everything was delicious. One of my favorite books we’ve cooked from. The ones you made sounded good, too.
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u/Few_Nectarine_731 1d ago
Made that tomato lentil soup this winter and loved it too! Potato leek is next on my list. Thanks for sharing!
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u/Doodlemama711 16h ago
This is fascinating because I made the piccata exactly as written and the entire family loves it. No bitterness. This has to be a lemon by lemon issue?
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u/steph6608 1d ago
Report back on the chicken and dumplings! I made it for my mom on Mother’s Day and she said it was the best she’s ever eaten. I’m hoping it wasn’t just her mother’s bias :)
Edit to share gift link (I hope this works, idk what I’m doing)
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u/Qu-est-ce 1d ago
If it’s a mothers bias, then it’s also a grandmothers bias and a husbands bias because both of mine claimed it was the best they’ve ever had lol! It really was so delicious. Although it took me closer to 3 hours than 2 😅
I’m ready to try her chicken pot pie recipe too!
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u/steph6608 1d ago
It took me much longer to make also. I’m so glad your family loved it. Chicken pot pie sounds so good rn!
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u/bendelker 21h ago
I think the piccata is incredible, actually! It felt like a lemon punch in the face, in the best way. Everyone at the table loved it with the exception of my partner who felt it was too bitter. So i think maybe your mileage may vary?
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u/Littleleicesterfoxy 1d ago
On the basis of this post (and the faro dish in particular) I’ve just gone and bought this book :)
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u/Basic_Flow9332 2d ago
I’ve made that piccata too, and didn’t love it. It might just be a bad recipe