Once Upon a Chef

October 4, 2021
“Sometimes we cook because we have to and sometimes because we love to, but either way, the reward is the same,” writes Segal in this resourceful roundup of the best recipes from her Once Upon a Chef blog. Segal’s a realist at heart (“Much as I love to cook,” she writes, “I don’t harbor any romantic notions about weeknight cooking”), and that comes through in the no-nonsense, flavor-filled recipes she dishes up on busy nights as much as it does in her slow-cooked weekend meals to linger over. Various cuisines are on offer during the week, such as soba chicken noodle salad with ginger peanut dressing, blackened fish tacos with pickled onions and lime crema, and dinnertime breakfast burritos. Segal’s beginner-friendly instructions will motivate novice home cooks into recreating well-loved dishes—such as creamy potato soup and chicken marsala—and leisurely weekend recipes, “for when you have a few hours to putter around the kitchen,” including her chicken chili and cornbread pie and a beef stew that’s been a big hit on her website. Throughout, Segal provides helpful make-ahead tips and informative ingredient blurbs (“Tarragon, with its sweet, anise-like flavor, is an essential herb in French cooking,” she notes in the pan-seared halibut recipe). Those craving more variety in their cooking routines should take a look.

October 15, 2021

Segal, author of the popular blog Once Upon a Chef and the best-selling cookbook of the same name, presents her second cookbook, offering quick weeknight and longer weekend recipes. Each weeknight dish takes less than an hour to prepare without sacrificing quality. It might stretch the imagination that Dijon & Panko-Crusted Rack of Lamb is a weeknight dinner, yet the recipe is confident and simply written, and gives a good feel for the offerings. These easier meals are complimented with tips for freezing, preparing, or buying ingredients. Segal writes for grocery store shoppers, occasionally specifying a preferred brand. Some of her pantry staples may be harder to find, but she does a solid job of using unique ingredients, like sambal oelek, in multiple recipes. Weekend recipes focus on flavor and sophistication, and on cooking instead of assembling. Beautiful full-page photographs accompany every dish. Busy families will enjoy the practical options here, though only a few recipes are vegetarian, and none are specified as gluten-free. VERDICT A recommended purchase for public libraries. Personal anecdotes will delight Segal's followers, and will draw in others new to her cooking.--Catherine Field, Appomattox Regional Lib. Sys. Richmond, VA

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.