CLEVELAND, Ohio – The focus of food books is becoming more and more specific, and this year in particular is proof that almost anything can provide fodder for the frying pan, so to speak.

From books on global topics like processed foods to recipes highlighting the Jewish community in Rome to books on one particular item – eggs and onions, for instance – the diverse collection is loaded with international flavors.

While food videos are always fun to check out online, there’s nothing like having a reliable cookbook in your kitchen to go back to time and again.

These are 2023 books, though a few stragglers from last year and re-issued publications also found their way into the list. We include our at-a-glance synopsis with each capsule.

Bon Appetit!

2023 books roundups

Monday, Dec. 4: Food / cookbooks

Tuesday, Dec. 5: Drinks

Wednesday, Dec. 6: Sports

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Midwest Pie

Edited by Meredith Pangrace, Belt Publishing, 141 pages, $14

Probably the smallest book that has crossed our desk, this compact-sized paperback covers regional recipes from the Lakewood publisher. Mock apple (Ritz cracker), Hoosier pie (Indiana sugar cream), Ohio Buckeye and many others are included. No color photos, but it’s straightforward with clear instructions. Good stocking stuffer.

Blueberry Blunder

Amanda Flower, Kensington Publishing Corp., 327 pages, $8.99

When a body is found at the site of her new candy shop in Harvest, Ohio, the headaches begin for Bailey King. Adding to the drama: She is being filmed for a reality show, and her love life hits a crossroads. The novel is set in Amish country. Love the old-fashioned small (4 and 1/8 by 6 3/4 inches) paperback size. The Tallmadge-based author has written several books in her Amish candy-shop mystery series.

Conversations with Adele: Business Owners’ Fundamentals for Success

Adele Malley, Smart Business Books, 299 pages, $29.95.

Adele Malley of the famed Cleveland-based chocolatier-candy company packs a lifetime of business knowledge into this business-advice book. Note: Books also are available in Malley’s Chocolates, which has more than a dozen stores throughout Northeast Ohio. Here’s the location finder. (Related coverage: Malley’s Chocolates matriarch Adele Malley pens business-advice book)

In the Kitchen with Sadie & Simon

Northeast Ohio personal chef-businesswoman-entrepreneur April Thompson has created a special comic book that lays out positive messages. Her clients can have the book tailored to meet specific needs or audiences as the kids, Sadie and Simon, go about their adventures. (Related coverage: Personal chef creates unique educational culinary comic book)

This Is What You’re Really Hungry For

Kim Shapira, BenBella Books, 256 pages, $19.95

The dietitian’s focus on food is to take a smart, mindful holistic approach to eating. She offers six simple rules and is clear this is not a diet book, nor does she offers recipes. Rather, she lays out clear principles that she says lead to a healthy relationship with food. “Taking Action” points with tangible advice follows each chapter. (Related coverage: We spoke with Shapira and April Thompson to learn about tips and tricks for healthy holiday eating.)

Mildreds Easy Vegan

Sarah Wasserman and Alessandra Malacarne, Hamlyn, 256 pages, $32.99

Mildreds isn’t a person but a restaurant, which opened in 1988 in London. It aimed to be casual – and meatless. From mango pickle yogurt to Brazilian-style loaded (plant-based) hot dogs, more than 100 recipes for relaxed, everyday dining are included.

Now & Then

Tessa Kiros, Murdoch Books, 399 pages, $50

The author – who has written 11 cookbooks – lays out scores of recipes that mean something to her; she has traveled the world and lives in Italy and Greece. From New Orleans to Mexico to Thailand, the dishes run the gamut of international cuisine. It’s a hodgepodge for the open-minded chef-eater who wants to experience different flavors. Great photography.

A Very Chinese Cookbook

America’s Text Kitchen with Kevin Pang and Jeffrey Pang, America’s Test Kitchen, 372 pages, $35

We love the subtitle on this: “100 recipes from China & not China (but still really Chinese).” The father-son author team hosts “Hunger Pangs” on YouTube. Chapters are divided into categories like finger foods, soups and dumplings, vegetables and tofu, all-day breakfast and others. Primers on stir-frying, chopsticks and other topics are included. As the title and subtitles suggest, the book’s recipes cover a wide range of dishes. ATK tips also are very helpful.

Polish’d

Michael Korkosz, The Experiment Publishing, 248 pages, $32.50

One of the many cookbooks out with a very specific focus, this one is all about vegetarian cooking from “global Poland.” The author shows how Poland’s cuisine is much more than heavy meat dishes. He lists items included in his global pantry in his Polish kitchen, and the recipes include tips for substitutions.

Muy Bueno Fiestas

Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack, Welden Owen, 303 pages, $39.99

The El Paso, Texas-raised author has come up with more than 100 recipes that are tailored for holidays and celebrations. Dishes for Lent, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and others are included. Cook’s notes and variations are included.

Kitchen Gear

America’s Test Kitchen, America’s Test Kitchen, 422 pages, $40

With so many sites offering specific gadgets for so many tasks in the kitchen, it’s refreshing to see a book that comprehensively tackles every gadget from your vegetable peeler to the biggest appliances. It has ATK’s usual thorough analysis of the quality and usefulness of every pot, pan and knife and gives recommendations for every tool it analyzes.

In Mary’s Kitchen

Mary Berg, Appetite by Random House, 263 pages, $30

Food is, as the author writes, about comfort, enjoyment, nourishment and sustenance. Her recipes are geared for home cooks and offer a “note” – a helpful tip for each one. Recipes are organized by basic food-group breakdowns like eggs and things, veg and starch, pasta, fish and more.

More Daily Veg

Joe Woodhouse, Kyle Books, 191 pages, $26.99

The vegetarian author’s books is all about the vegetables as the title and cover show. From pickled cucumber to roast cauliflower tacos, there’s plenty of options here to beef up – so to speak – your vegetable offerings.

A Very Vegan Christmas

Sam Dixon, Hamlyn, 174 pages, $19.99

The book covers “nibbles to tipples,” breaking down the recipes by party food, mains, sides, leftovers, baking and desserts.

Plant-Based USA

Veronica Fil, Hardie Grant Explore, 279 pages, $29.99

Subtitled “A Travel Guide to Eating Animal-free in America,” the book is a smart guide by location to restaurants by city that offer vegan dishes. Eighteen U.S. cities – including Cleveland – are included.

The Unofficial Dollywood Cookbook

Erin K. Browne, Adams Media, 238 pages, $22.99

Who doesn’t love Dolly Parton? It includes Dollywood-inspired recipes from chapters like Smoky Mountain snacks (sweet corn hushpuppies) to lunch in the foothills (Frannie’s famous fried chicken sandwiches) to southern sides (fried okra) and much more. The book includes serving tips and where in the theme park the dish is found. It’s actually a well-done collection of southern fare.

Knead Peace

Edited by Andrew Green, Kyle Books, 192 pages, $29.99

Dozens of bakers unite in this compilation of recipes all in the name of supporting Ukraine. Their bios are at the end of this book, which has a wonderful homophonic title.

Invitation to a Banquet

Fuchsia Dunlop, Norton, 420 pages, $32.50

As the book aptly describes, “Chinese food is one of the world’s favorite cuisines but also one of the least understood.” The author grew up in Britain eating sweet and sour pork balls ubiquitously found on Chinese menus, went to live in China as a student and then immersed herself in Chinese cooking. We all know Chinese food is popular; Dunlop’s dive into history and much more aims to explain why.

Portico

Leah Koenig, Norton, 333 pages, $37.50

Again, food books this year continue their often specific focus – this one is on Rome’s Jewish community. About 30,000 Jewish people live in Italy, with 16,000 in Rome. Chapters are broken into vegetables, soups, fritters, pastas and rice, main dishes and sweets. The author has written half a dozen cookbooks and is an expert on Jewish food. Nice photography and tantalizing recipes.

Catan: The Official Cookbook

Ulysses Press, 189 pages, $29.95

If you play Catan, you have to have something to eat while you discover, trade, build and settle. Chapters include game-(k)night snacks to food for the road, hard-won desserts and more. From forest dweller’s dip to all-nighter energy bites, you won’t go hungry.

The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook for Kids

Bridget Thoreson, Bloom Books for Young Readers, 128 pages, $17.95

The Halloween movie “Hocus Pocus” came out in 1993, and this book offers 50 fun recipes for spooky eats. Young ones can feast on good zombie toast, head of a lover (roasted cauliflower), black flame candle pretzels (candy-corn-topped pretzel rogeards) and several dozen others.

Recipes for Murder

Karen Pierce, Countryman Press, 184 pages, $19.95

If you like food and Agatha Christie, this book will serve up more than 60 dishes that celebrate the acclaimed writer’s mysteries. The table of contests comprise dishes by decade (a perfect cup of coffee is from the 1920s, old-fashioned rice pudding from the 1930s, orange marmalade from Gossington Hall from the 1940s and on. Recipes include a brief summary of the work referenced for the dish or drink.

Straw Bale Gardens Complete

Joel Karsten, Cool Springs Press, 208 pages, $24.99

The author details the benefits of using straw bales as the basis for gardens – why and how they work. Plant profiles section at the end is especial helpful, with planting and harvest tips for herbs and vegetables. The book has been updated for its 2023 release.

Meals and Memories with Nonna

Francesco Iovine and Ashley Carr, Gatekeeper Press, 144 pages, $24.99

Iovine’s grandfather – who appreciated cooking for its simplicity – lived to be 101, and the author has laid out traditional Italian recipes. There’s nothing fancy here, and it’s refreshing to read “gravy” instead of “sauce.” Each page is in English and Italian, and the biographical info on Angelo Iovine is interesting. From braciole to baccala, your mouth will water.

The Mediterranean Diet Cooking for One Cookbook

Kelly Jaggers, Adams Media, 238 pages, $19.99

One aspect of cookbooks that is rarely covered is about preparing food for one person, so it’s nice to see this one cross our desk. From Mediterranean couscous salad to mustard-herb whitefish, these 175 recipes include nutritional information as well as prep and cooking times. (That whitefish recipe says it takes five minutes to prepare and 13 minutes to cook.)

Flavor Kitchen

Crystelle Pereira, Kyle Books, 224 pages, $29.99

The subhead – “Vibrant Recipes with Creative Twists” – sums the author’s personality in the kitchen. Pereira, a finalist on “The Great British Bake Off,” draws on global flavors from her own experiences in these recipes. She was raised in London by Kenyan-born, Portuguese-Goan parents and she traveled and lived abroad. Her pantry ingredients are particularly interesting. The book’s two main sections are savory and sweet, so a lot of ground is covered, from spicy chorizo baked beans to fig and rose mascarpone cheesecake bars and much more.

Ultra-Processed People

Chris Van Tulleken, Norton, 376 pages, $30

The author, a doctor, discusses what he sees as a “pandemic of diet-related disease” from the consumption of ultra processed food. UPF is much more common, he writes, than you might realize. The book is not a diet book. Rather, it’s a stark announcement of inexpensive and addictive foods that are more prevalent than you might think.

The Healthy Back Kitchen

Griffin R. Baum, American’s Test Kitchen, 330 pages, $29.99

Anyone with back pain knows its annoyance, and standing in a kitchen cooking might not sound appealing. The doctor-author includes helpful sections on ergonomics, kitchen prep and stretches. More than 225 recipes cover a lot of ground, from meaty loaf-pan lasagna to citrus-braised chicken tacos.

Bake Me a Cat

Kim-Joy, Hardie Grant, 174 pages, $22.99

Cookbooks keep getting more and more specific. The author, a finalist on “The Great British Baking Show,” offers cat-themed recipes. Learn how to make items like meowringues, squishy marshmeowllow cats and others. Each recipe has a paw difficulty level.

Egg Rolls & Sweet Tea

Natalie Keng, Gibbs Smith, 223 pages, $22.68

The Georgia native covers Asian-inspired Southern-style fare; one of the chapters is called “Buddha bubba, meat & bones.” Her culinary business is called “Chinese Southern Belle.” Keng includes dishes like vanilla rice pudding with black-eyed peas and coconut milk topping, turkey burger sliders on grilled rice buns and many other recipes that mesh a couple of diverse cultures.

A Second Helping

Tom Schaudel, iUniverse, 360 pages, $20.99

The Long Island, New York, restaurateur gazes back at his career and the cast of characters who filled it. (Its subtitle is “Whining and Dining on Long Island.”) The book is filled with entertaining anecdotes. It follows his first book, “Playing with Fire.”

The Complete Recipe Writing Guide

Raeanne Sarazen, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 406 pages, $49.99

The author is a registered dietician and chef who offers a unique perspective in the food-books genre. From how to write ingredient instructions to tips on modifying fat, this book is an extremely comprehensive and exhaustive work. It includes “quick tip” sections from authors, editors and others.

The Horror Movie Night Cookbook

Richard S. Sargent, Ulysses Press, 136 pages, $19.95

“Deadly” recipes in these pages are inspired by horror flicks, slashers, zombie films and psychological thrillers. The movie and release year are included with each recipe. Nibble on Jack-o-Lantern Bites, wash it down with a Shark Bite and finish with a Burial Plot.

The Core of an Onion

Mark Kurlansky, Bloomsbury Publishing, NA pages, $28

The accomplished food writer has peeled, layer by layer, to get to the bottom of the story. The onion, so omnipresent in many places and cultures, is fodder for versatile dishes. From drinks to stews, onions finds their way into menus of all kind. And the onion has a rich history behind it as well.

Holy Food

Christina Ward, Process Media, 361 pages, $32.95

Little Debbie snack cakes, tofurkey and a menu of items weren’t created for the sake of creation. They have a history, and it’s one the author dives into here. At the root of many items are cults, communes and religious movements. Food historian Christina Ward lays out the correlation between spirituality and what has landed on our plates. Bonus: Clevelander Ron Kretsch did the design.

The Scottish Kitchen

Gary Maclean, Appetite, 277 pages, $30

If you ever wondered what cullen skink and stovies are, here’s your chance to find out. Scottish as a culinary theme isn’t top of mind; there few Scottish restaurants, and we rarely see cookbooks with Scottish flavors. But the dishes here seem especially appetizing. (Yes, there is an entire chapter on haggis, but it’s much more than that.) Cock-a-leekie!

Egg

By Lizzie Stark, W.W. Norton & Co., 288 pages, $28

Billed as “an unconventional history of the world’s largest cellular workhorse, from chickens to penguins, art to egg crimes, and more,” the author examines eggs – their history, their tastes, their wonder – from the standpoint that they are, as she writes, possibly “the world’s most primal symbol.” No recipes here, just a serious macrocosm on something we all know very little about.

The Golden Spoon

Jessa Maxwell, Atria Books, 272 pages, $27

The novel (the author’s first) is a mystery centered around a baking competition and billed as having twists and turns along the way.

Food Network Magazine The Big Book of Pizza

Maile Carpenter, Hearst Home, 176 pages, $25

Who doesn’t love pizza? More than 75 recipes cover simple to extravagant, so it fits your mood and timing. Thumbnail photos and larger images are included. Each recipe ends with a “pro tip.” Grilled pizza with hummus and tomatoes, for instance, includes this suggestion: “Serve any leftovers at room temperature – the hummus sauce and fresh tomatoes don’t reheat well.”

House & Garden A Year in the Kitchen

Blanche Vaughan, Mitchell Beazley, 304 pages, $44.99

The book covers 150 seasonally inspired and easy-to-make recipes. Of course, the chapters are the seasons, with appropriate dishes found in each – squash, beetroot and apples in autumn, for instance. The author is a food writer, chef and editor at House & Garden.

The Grazing Table

Natalie Thompson, Hamlyn, 160 pages, $24.99

Boards are a thing, and the author aims to elevate simple get-togethers into an experience. The introduction contains key ingredients to know before creating and filling one of these platters. She offers advice on curating a board along with a few tricks and a primer on wine pairings with flavors. Recipes are grouped mostly by dairy, fruit and vegetable; fish and seafood, meat, etc.

The Secret of Cooking

Bee Wilson, Norton, 420 pages, $40

“The secret of home cooking is the person who cooks,” we learn early on, “whoever that person may be.” Even the table of contents reads like a pleasant poem in this book, which lays out how the kitchen can be a creative haven and which embraces cooking as a warm, often simplistic and “a joyous kind of game, a game you play with all your senses, a game where no one loses.”

On the Rocks

Maria Costanzo Palmer and Ruthie Robbins, Köehlerbooks, 299 pages, $19.95

The authors – Palmer is the daughter of the book’s subject – have crafted the story in first person around Joe Costanzo, son of Italian immigrants who ran Primadonna Restaurant in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. A larger-than-life character, he went from restaurant owner to would-be politician to a stint in prison.

From the Hill by the Sea

Seadon Shouse, Ironstate, 117 pages, $50

The chef-restaurateur-author’s memoir is broken into finding (foraging), catching (seafood), playing (fire) and hiding (preserving). Shouse, from Nova Scotia, has a culinary passion that comes through in the recipes.

Chetna’s Indian Feasts

Chetna Makan, Hamlyn, 224 pages, $32.99

Known as the queen of Indian cooking, the author lays out feast after feast – from spicy, sour and sweet dal (lentils) to caramelized walnut and coffee pavlova (meringue). It covers barbecue to brunch and more.

The Simple Art of Rice

JJ Johnson with Danica Novgorodoff, Flatiron Books, 336 pages, $34.99

The author dives into what he characterizes as a simple grain with a complex history. When you go through the recipes, you’ll gain an appreciation for how versatile and global rice is, from risotto to calas and more. The book includes color sketches as well as photographs.

Roast Figs, Sugar Snow

Diana Henry, Octopus Publishing, 208 pages, $29.99

The author is out with a revised edition of the book that covers cold-weather, comfort-food recipes. As she writes, the book is not about ingredients but rather weather, the seasons and the type of food we like to eat in cold months. Its thoughtful approach covers quite the geographic culinary landscape.

A Perfect 10

Tim Mulligan, Highpoint Life Books, 167 pages, $22

Like to party? So does the author. Seems you can do more than rip open a bag of chips and plop guac in a bowl when you throw a party. The recipes cover quite a range – cheesy egg and polenta casserole, alluring arugula pear salad, vodka giddyups, for a few. They are interspersed with “party games” snippets.

Company

Amy Thielen, Norton, 352 pages, $40

Love the subtitle on this one from the James Beard Award-winning writer – “The radically casual art of cooking for others.” The author dishes advice on crafting dinner parties for six and more. She’s not about formality but rather entertaining and satiating a “never-ending dinner party habit.” Recipes include the number of people they serve.

Chef’s Choice

T.J. Alexander, Simon & Schuster, 317 pages, $17.99

In this novel, a fired trans woman takes on the role of girlfriend to a trans man who is the heir to a culinary empire. The two must navigate a few secret recipes as love blossoms. For the queer-romance genre.

The Cheese Life

Mathew Carver and Patrick McGuigan, Kyle Books, 207 pages, $29.99

Ah, who doesn’t like cheese? Recipes, cheese boards and pairings are all included in this book, whose chapters cover grill, melt, bake, grate and slice. The authors – a cheese-sandwich truck owner and cheese educator – team up to offer a pretty comprehensive look at all things cheese – how to cut, how to pair with drinks and much more.

Gatherings

America’s Test Kitchen, America’s Test Kitchen, 310 pages, $35

The book offers casual-fancy meals from ATK’s collection of chefs. It includes 140 recipes and plenty of tips. Midwestern brunch, the Great British picnic, road trip dinner party and more are covered among almost 30 chapters.

Red Harvest

Michael Cherkas, NBM Publishing, 145 pages, $19.99

This graphic novel is about the 1930s terror famine – holodomor – in Soviet Ukraine. Black and white sketches tell the story of a government crushing peasants through starvation. It’s not a cookbook or a fun topic about food. It’s a stark – literally, with the images – reminder of food’s importance that connects us as a society and the danger of a government’s overt control.

The Official Veganuary Cookbook

Veganuary, Thorsons, 240 pages, $32

This is one of the most straightforward food books we have seen in a long time. It touts the benefits of going vegan. You’ll find instructions for creative dishes from breakfast items, one-pot Mediterranean linguine, zesty olive tapenade, a host of desserts and more. A go-to ingredients list is especially helpful.

More books!

Local bookstores are worth checking out, for sales, author visits and other events. Here are a few in Northeast Ohio:

• Appletree Books, 12419 Cedar Road Cleveland Heights

• Fireside Books, 29 North Franklin St., Chagrin Falls

• Learned Owl Book Shop, 204 N. Main St., Hudson

• Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland

• Mac’s Backs, 1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights

• Visible Voice, 2258 Professor Ave., Cleveland

I am on cleveland.com’s life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here’s a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. Twitter: @mbona30.

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