I’ve been following Smitten Kitchen online for many years, but somehow never came round to ordering one of Debs cookbooks. I did cook recipes from her blog though, some of which already are ‘keepers’ for me. Such as her Red Wine Chocolate Cake (yes, you read that correctly: chocolate AND wine in a cake that can best be described as ‘heaven in your mouth’!) and her Pearl Couscous with Roasted Tomatoes.  

What kind of cookbook is Smitten Kitchen Keepers?

Now I finally am the proud owner of one of Debs cookbooks! The cover of Smitten Kitchen Keepers – with the green angel hair pasta dish – was just too gorgeous to ignore. Deb describes this cookbook as the book she wants to pass on to her children. It contains 100 recipes she’s been cooking, tweaking and perfecting for years. Whether it be the cooking methods, the ingredient list, or the flavour: these recipes are the final keepers for – as she calls it – your ‘forever files’.

The build-up of Smitten KItchen Keepers

The cookbook is categorized into sections per recipe type: breakfast, salads, soups, meat and sweets. And interestingly: three vegetable sections (small, medium and big). So it’s really versatile. I would call this a home cooking cookbook, or perhaps recipes you will serve for good friends at a relaxed dinner party. Not overly fancy and certainly not overly difficult!

What stands out in Smitten Kitchen Keepers

• Deb really takes you by the hand in every recipe. She describes exactly what to expect at each step along the way. ‘The polenta is done when it looks a little watery but thickened.’ This was exactly what my polenta looked like and this felt so reassuring.
• Every recipe has a rather extensive introduction. I love them, because they make the book highly personal. And Deb’s great sense of humor really shines through. This does mean however, that the recipes usually take up more than one spread in the book. I personally don’t mind this, but I know some people do.
• What I love most is the strong flavour in all the recipes I tried. The ingredient lists aren’t that long and part of the secret is that she uses quite a bit of salt and cheese. But the amount of flavour versus the amount of effort worked really well for me!

What I cooked so far

Charred salt and vinegar cabbage

This is a nice side dish to serve with something rich and salty – like the eggplant and couscous dish from the same cookbook. It’s mostly pantry ingredients and a cabbage. The cabbage was quite sour and had a nice charring on top. Could also be a cheap way to add more vegetables to a buffet style dinner. 

Skillet white beans “caesar”

I adore anything ‘caesar’ because anchovy, mustard and garlic are my favourites! A perfect side dish – or maybe a lunch dish when served with some bread. And again: with mostly pantry ingredients. Definitely a keeper!

Green angel hair with garlic butter

I guess this recipe is the star from the cookbook, as it’s on the cover and I see it appearing all over Instagram. As Deb predicted correctly: I was a bit hesitant on the angel hair style pasta. 🙂 I was afraid it would be mushy. But Deb is absolutely right here: this pasta shape is perfect with the delicate sauce. Mind you: delicate in texture, NOT in flavour. 🙂 Making the sauce was an absolute joy and a technique I will 100% be repeating! You put butter, a whole bulb of garlic and a bit of salt in a small oven dish. And then blend it with spinach. Super easy, rich, buttery and beautiful! Serve with lots and lots of pecorino cheese. (Which I found out is hard to photograph beautifully because – shocker – it melts, haha!) It would be great to have a little batch of this butter in my fridge at all times.

Pecorino polenta with garlicky kale

It was a long time since  I last cooked polenta. I’m always a bit hesitant, because it can go from too wet, to too rubbery so fast. But Debs recipe is excellent, just follow her steps. She adds a generous amount of pecorino cheese and pepper to the polenta – she calls it ‘cacio e pepe style’ which is so delicious! Her method of preparing the kale was an eye opener for me (in a roasting tin, covered with foil) which I have since repeated with green cabbage. I also found out that you can reheat the polenta the next day by adding some milk and a lot of stirring. Very much loved this recipe too!

Tangy baked eggplant and couscous

Another recipe that was equally rich in flavour as it was easy to make! This is my kind of meal: a rich warm tomato sauce and some type of pasta (in this case pearl couscous) to just scoop up. The eggplant adds a nice amount of vegetables. It looks beautiful and you finish it in the oven. I was a bit scared of the amount of salt that went onto the roasted eggplant. It was only later that I read in the introduction of the book that you should start with half the amount of salt. But nonetheless: a very very good meal! 

Oatmeal date shortbread cookies

My husband loved shortbread so this was an easy choice! I used the foodprocessor method (she gives an alternative for the hand mixer). The orange zest really makes a difference in this recipe. The method again was foolproof. The cookies really do not spread out much in the oven. I put half the dough in the freezer for next time. I gave a batch to my neighbours and the rest we devoured in no time. Another keeper!   

Is this cookbook a keeper?

I tried just a small selection from 100 recipes in Smitten Kitchen Keepers. But I can’t wait to try more, because Deb really delivers on flavour and every recipe was truly very easy to make. So it makes me curious to also try the recipes I might not bookmark on first glance. All in all, Deb Perelman is a very reliable source for delicious dinners. So this book is a definite keeper! 

Other sources of information

• Don’t forget to check out Debs blog Smitten Kitchen. And try the funny feature ‘Surprise me’ which serves a different piece of content from her extended archives, each time you click it. 
• She has a small series of recipe videos on YouTube and quite a few more recipe video’s on TikTok.
• Smitten Kitchen on Instagram.