Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over

by Alison Roman

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The social media star, New York Times columnist, and author of Dining In helps you nail dinner with unfussy food and the permission to be imperfect. “Enemy of the mild, champion of the bold, Ms. Roman offers recipes in Nothing Fancy that are crunchy, cheesy, tangy, citrusy, fishy, smoky and spicy.”—Julia Moskin, The New York TimesIACP AWARD FINALIST • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • The New Yorker • NPR • The Washington Post • San Francisco Chronicle • BuzzFeed • The Guardian • Food Network   An unexpected weeknight meal with a neighbor or a weekend dinner party with fifteen of your closest friends—either way and everywhere in between, having people over is supposed to be fun, not stressful. This abundant collection of all-new recipes—heavy on the easy-to-execute vegetables and versatile grains, paying lots of close attention to crunchy, salty snacks, and with love for all the meats—is for gatherings big and small, any day of the week.   Alison Roman will give you the food your people want (think DIY martini bar, platters of tomatoes, pots of coconut-braised chicken and chickpeas, pans of lemony turmeric tea cake) plus the tips, sass, and confidence to pull it all off. With Nothing Fancy, any night of the week is worth celebrating.Praise for Nothing Fancy“[Nothing Fancy] is full of the sort of recipes that sound so good, one contemplates switching off any and all phones, calling in sick, and cooking through the bulk of them.”—Food52   “[Nothing Fancy] exemplifies that classic Roman approach to well-known ingredients rearranged in interesting and compelling ways for young home cooks who want food that looks (and photographs) as good as it tastes.”—Grub Street

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Culinary, Food and Drink, Reference

445 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2019

About the author

ALISON ROMAN is the author of the bestselling cookbook Dining In, a bi-weekly columnist for the Cooking section of The New York Times and a monthly contributor at Bon Appétit Magazine. Creator of #thestew and #thecookies, her highly cookable recipes frequently achieve massive popularity in both home kitchens and on the internet. A native of Los Angeles, she lives in Brooklyn until she moves upstate like everyone else.

(source: Amazon)

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

A few of these recipes were good, but I have a serious issue with the title of this book. Nothing fancy? These recipes are anything but not fancy and unfussy. I've been cooking all my life. I can make macarons without breaking a sweat. But these recipes reek with pretentiousness. Roasting peaches in hibiscus blossoms? That's fancy. And literally, anchovies everywhere. Not for me.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a joy to read and I love cooking Romans recipes. It also feels almost radical for a young women born after 1975 to just write about good food that you will enjoy making and enjoy serving instead of trying to convince me that a toasted slice of sweet potato is just as satisfying as a slice of sourdough bread.

[Rachel Dowd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess I'm someone who reads cookbooks cover to cover for fun now?

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looks like Millennials get their own cookbook with this collection focused on reducing anxiety about growing up and throwing a party. There are some decent recipes in here, but they’re not easy. I consider myself a good cook, but not an expert, and this book is not for the 27-year-old refugee of the recession having a dinner party for the first time. Then again, there’s enough hand holding combined with elitist fetishizing of special ingredients to do any good Millennial proud. My observation is that the generation that has the good sense to demand affordable healthcare yet can’t tie its own shoes will find these recipes a bit daunting when cooked in a real setting. On the other hand, young entertainers will likely feel justified in spending $12 for locally made organic mustard but then serving a bunch of fruit “on ice” as dessert like that’s not a cop out. Yes, readers are encouraged to engage in such an illogical juxtaposition. Happy cooking...

[Caitlin Hawksley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a cookbook for people who love: a good manicure, dairy products, tiny canned fish, branding, fancy food. This is not a cookbook for people who: are lactose intolerant, don't keep Costco-sized pallets of anchovies in the pantry, shudder at the thought of wearing white jeans while holding platters of roasted chicken swimming in pools of tomato-y juice (see cover), thought this book actually would be about unfussy food.

Style: Sorry/not sorry party-seeking, elitist, humble-brag food

Sections: Snack Time, Salads, Sides, Mains, After Dinner

Recipes with photos: Nearly 100 percent of the 125 or so recipes in this book have corresponding photos. No fewer than 33 of those photos feature pristinely manicured red nails (on fingers spooning caviar from a tin, plopping an uncooked yolk on top of kimchi-braised pork, squeezing lime over blistered shishito peppers). Nothing fancy!

Pros: The many photos on these ultra-visual, Bon Appétit-reminiscent pages are pure eye candy. Heavy use of flash photography and overt placement of kitschy, branded, highly designed cans of tahini, sparkling water, and sweetened condensed milk give an effortless impression of glamor and grit. It's all very attractive to a certain type, I suppose.

Cons: For all of the reasons mentioned just above, the vibe and the title of this book clash. A better title for this book would be: "Fancy."

No, thank you: While I consider myself a lover of food, there are certain food groups I don't emphasize in my cooking. Unfortunately, this book and I just weren't compatible. It was difficult to find a recipe that didn't feature cream cheese, heavy cream, buttermilk, sour cream, yogurt, anchovies, sardines, or roe. Of the recipes I tried without these all-stars, I sincerely hoped the tiny, salty, chocolatey cookies would be a home run. They were quite delicious, gooey, and salty (much like raw brownie batter) — but no matter how long I baked them, they only spread into the other surrounding cookies; they did not finish cooking. A bit of a messy disappointment.

More, please: Butter salmon with red onion and dill (Good! But certainly nothing new.); grilled swordfish with crushed olives and oregano (Just the right combination of textures and the perfect protein/topping pairing.); perfect herby salad (An open-ended, choose-your-own adventure salad recipe focusing on fresh ingredients and citrusy, herbaceous flavors)

[Traci Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alison Roman has top tier recipes. Her food pretty much always turns out good. Her writing style is so cutesy though, it grates.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm switching my review to 3 stars and this is wildly generous of me. The pretentious attitude warrants literally 2 but there are some genuinely good sides recipes which is its only saving grace.

Anywayyyyyys. This is the type of food writer I want to punch. How is it possible to make simple food sound so ungodly elitist?? The world may never know

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler alert: These recipes are a little too fancy! Am I buying hibiscus flowers to roast with peaches? Not a chance. But I do like Alison Roman's style, which is charming and funny (e.g, You can use Greek yogurt here, but don't blame me if you wish you had used sour cream). Most of the recipes I made were good but slightly off--usually too much or too little of a particular ingredient (salt, butter, lemon, etc.). In case it's useful for anyone:

--Marinated Artichokes: good, but using full slices of lemon made them a bit too tart
--Escarole with mustard and bread crumbs: A good, interesting salad--I never buy escarole, and it helped to have someone tell me what to do with it! I did not have guanciale (see, fancy!), so I just used bacon.

--Sticky roasted carrots with citrus and tahini: These were okay, but I wouldn't make them again. The roasted lemon/orange slices added a bitter note, and the maple syrup made things too sweet. The tahini sauce was an additional step that didn't add much flavor. There was too much effort involved for the end result.

--Creamy cauliflower and onion gratin: Delicious, but swimming in butter and cream to an insane degree--it was pooling and running, even after the gratin cooled. I'd make this again but use more cauliflower (one head was not enough) and use half the butter. This was the best recipe I tried.

--Spicy pork meatballs in Brothy Tomatoes: These meatballs were tasty but dry--I used lean ground pork, which was a mistake. I would make these again with half ground beef and half pork, using half the amount of fennel seeds. (I don't love fennel or anchovies, two ingredients that take center stage in this book.) Also available here: https://www.today.com/recipes/alison-...

--Tiny, Salty, Chocolatey Cookies: Tasty but far too rich and salty, and they took 9-10 minutes (for me) instead of 6-8. One tray was falling apart while the other stayed together okay, and was a cross between a brownie and a cookie. I would recommend using half the salt and 75% of the chocolate, and then sprinkling flaky salt on top. I kept wanting these to take a side: be brownies or be cookies! I approve of the brownie cookie in spirit, but these weren't all that satisfying.

I would love to try the Buttered Salmon with Dill (also here: https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com...) and Scallops with Tomatillos, but alas, there is a hold on the book at the library . . .

3.5 stars*

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Make the labneh dip right now!

All of the recipes are delicious and totally doable for home cooks with basic cooking skills. I think her stories and descriptions are charming and fun. I want to make these recipes all the time and also be friends with her. This would make a good gift for a new college graduate or a young newly married couple. I'm going to use it as the selection for my Cookbook Club in October.

[Mskychick · Rating 2 out of 5]

These recipes were perfectly fine. It’s simply that nothing from them called to me as something I want to try.

[Hirondelle (not getting notifications) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am giving this 5 stars because it just hit all the right points of things I want to cook, food I like and entertaining test. But a warning, ratings and tastes are all subjective, and Alison Roman's writing will be pretty much a love it or hate it thing. Here I thought her writing was really well done to my taste and much less annoyingly flippant than her previous book Dining In.

She likes anchovies (so much anchovies), lemons, butter, lots of fresh herbs (I got to be more daring yes...), chicken, fish, meat, brown butter, savoury things, crackers, sweets which are not very very sweet, greens, wine. Her recipes clearly have been tested and tweaked lots, and the writing is a lot like your friend telling you the recipe and the tricks in a phone call. It is entertaining and her food tastes jive with me (she does not know about bay leaves yet, though).

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially loved the dips and appetizers in this book. Alison has a definite style, and favorite ingredients that show up throughout - lebna, tahini, chili oils - and I do love all of those things.

[Elsa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This lady has been in a food scene too long because while these recipes are indeed unfussy, they are also surely fancy. These might pass as comfort food if everyone you know is a foodie, but every single recipe has that horrible celebrity-food-show word "elevated" written all over it.

I've tried to serve people lamb at casual evening meals. It doesn't go over. And lamb is just the beginning--labne, chicory, farro, black lentils... and anchovies... anchovies everywhere. Also trout roe.

I couldn't even select stuff like this for fancy university MBA program receptions in the Midwest.

On the positive side, the recipes look absolutely delicious, and I'd love to eat everything in the main dish chapter. Plus the author, while totally missing the not-fancy mark, at least isn't precious about it. Clearly this is actually how she eats.

But, dear lady, there is nothing homely about bringing out scallops for a neighborly weeknight meal.

[RH Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Roman’s breezy writing style and share her love of anchovies. I go nuts whenever someone says I can make a pitcher of martinis until my husband reminds me that Kingsley Amis and others have said the same thing — there are some lessons we need to keep learning and continue to merit enthusiasm. There are lots of things I want to try in this book, like the crispy massaged potatoes baked at 500, anchovies on potato chips, steamed broccoli with lemon, and most of the deserts (panna cotta! Tiramisu!). I particularly like that she mentions the cleanup portion of the evening, and playing Janet Jackson while doing dishes. Hospitality is one of the things that keeps us going.

[Una Tiers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read. Nothing struck me as spectacular as the coconut/kale/garbanzo bean stew (look for it on You Tube), but I will try a few of the recipes.
Alison is funny.

[Carol Irvin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This cookbook is called “ Nothing Fancy” and if you think that, you are wrong! I don’t who this person hangs out with but there weren’t any “Nothing Fancy” recipes in here…

Maybe one or two would be okay but forget about it. Plus who eats anchovies every day or sardines yuck 🤮

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Put on hold at the library before all the ~drama~ (and before COVID for that matter.)
Saved a few recipes that look good but I'm like not a hip foodie millennial (though I do like mashed up anchovies so idk.)

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listen: I'm equally beguiled by both of Alison Roman's cookbooks (2017's Dining In and 2019's Nothing Fancy) and will shout my love for her Salted Butter and Chocolate Chunk Shortbread from the tallest of rooftops (https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/sal... JUST DO IT).

That being said, these recipes - and Roman's signature style/unapologetic voice - aren't for everyone (word to the wise: anchovies, citrus, and vinegar are the lifeblood coursing through these cookbooks' veins). Even so, I felt inspired by the deft flavor pairings, elevated simplicity, and general idea that somewhere out there in another timeline there's a cooler version of me serving up a Salted Citrus Salad with Fennel, Radish, and Olive to my vintage-clad foodie friends in my quirky/small Brooklyn apartment with endless martinis on the side and Hibiscus-Roasted Peaches with Brown Sugar Bread Crumbs for dessert.

Roman says in the intro to Nothing Fancy that "this is not about living an aspirational life; it’s about living an attainable one" - but somehow the effortlessly-cool-vibe of her and her recipes leave me feeling a liiitttttle bit like someone you'd see on a Middle Class Fancy meme. Case in point: there are no sandwiches, I REPEAT: NO SANDWICHES!, to be found in these books - by Roman's admission - which both wounds me to the core AND motivates me to break out of my comfort zone (which is maybe what truly great cookbooks are all about, anyway).

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alison Roman is not for everyone, but she is definitely for me. And despite my husband's resistance to her millennial bossy meme-ness, he does agree that her recipes are generally v. delicious. Proceed only if you highly enjoy lemon in everything, buckets of olive oil, and the occasional anchovy. The sides and salads sections are particularly tempting, and thankfully the book has the perfect balance of photos to text (my cookbook pet peeve). Some of the recipes feel a tad repetitive in terms of ingredients, but this is what makes them so accessible (or sub-able); so far we have made and enjoyed many.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim from the selection of books just inside the door of my library. The librarian leafed through and notes the recipes appeared at odds with the title. Does anyone else’s librarian read your books at checkout too?

I have to admit, on first glance the book is anything but Nothing Fancy. But, I rate cookbooks by how many recipes I copy to try later. I believe I would cook a good number of these. I think I have most items in my pantry, and I would estimate them to be reasonably simple to prepare.

Maybe Nothing Fancy really is not as fancy as deemed on first glance?

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75? I do love Alison Roman's recipes and way of writing (especially all her lazy person tips - I love a cookbook that tells you when you don't actually have to peel something). There's a lot more shellfish/tinned fish stuff in here than I will probably make, but all the recipes I've tried so far have been excellent. Lots of hearty salads and solid ways to prep vegetables.

[Ioana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my kitchen holy grail. Whenever I not sure what to cook for dinner, I open the book at a random page and go for it.
Recipes are so simple, and, if you’re a seasoned cook, it is a great inspiration, as said recipes leave a lot of room for improvisation (say, if you cannot find some of the ingredients, as you may not live in a culturally diverse neighborhood in New York)
Really love it

[Lorena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read cookbooks on my Kindle, but this one I did. It is very readable and gave me wonderful ideas and inspiration. She cooks heavy on the garlic, lemony and crushed red pepper side. I love it!

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, this gets 5 stars because of her COPIOUS commitment to anchovies and her unapologetic writing style.

Also because I was able to riff a celery salad that was pretty tasty after a heavy duty Thanksgiving weekend.

[Caitlin Flanagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read every darn word

Endlessly charming, hilarious and grounded. The photographs are enough to convince me to try tasting things I otherwise wouldn’t, and Alison’s voice gives me the confidence to try cooking them! I can’t wait to get cooking/drinking!!

[Grace Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t wait to cook my way through this cookbook this winter!

[elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely. Anchovies literally everywhere.

[Nick Pengelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly wonderful gem! Best Christmas present!

[Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alison Roman is funny and her food sounds amazing. Got this from the library but I want to own it!

[Sal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alison Roman can have my children, that is a fact. Clearly loved the book.