New York Cookbook: From Pelham Bay to Park Avenue, Firehouses to Four-Star Restaurants

by Molly O'Neill

Nibbles and noshes from New York City, America's kitchen.

New York is pierogi, pasta fagiole, and chicken Avgolemono, Brazilian Canja, Kreplach, Soo Chow, and Ajiaco. New York is Sylvia's Ribs, plus Edna Lewis's Greens and Mrs. Kornick's Polish Corn Bread. And the New York Cookbook is all of this, and much, much more. Collected from all five boroughs by New York Times food writer Molly O'Neill, here are over 500 recipes--and over 700 photographs--that celebrate one a passion for food and eating.

Deborah Markow's Braised Lamb Shanks and Mrs. Urscilla O'Connor's Codfish Puffs. Four-star chef Andre Soltner's Roast Chicken and Vernon Jordan's Jerk Style Jamaican Chicken. Robert Motherwell's Brandade de Morue and the Abyssinian Baptist Church's Long-Cooked Green Beans. Plus Katharine Hepburn's Brownies, Lisa's Mexican Flan, and Sally Darr's Golden Delicious Tart. Includes shopping guides, cooking tips, and walking tours.

Winner of a 1992 IACP/Julia Child Cookbook Award. Winner of the 1992 James Beard Food and Beverage Book Award.

A percentage of the royalties goes to Citymeals-on-Wheels.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, New York, Foodie

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 10, 1992

Reviews

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading cookbooks, as odd as that may sound. But this one is particularly suited for study, as it's as much cookbook as it is social history.

Cultures are easily indentified through their food, and NY has dozens on display. This book is fun because it not only has a background story to each recipe, but separate sections outlining culinary histories of different areas and ethnicities.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read, with portraits of NYC characters, histories and bakeries that make me so homesick for NY - even for eras of NYC before I even existed.
The Carrot Top carrot cake recipe was not impressive, but Sophie Minkoff's Spiced Pumpkin Bread recipe on p. 111 is the best! (I use butternut squash - it's great!)

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this cookbook. You can actually sit down and read it cover to cover as the quirky food history of NYC that it is. Great articles and pictures. It reminds you of how the best social function revolve around a love of good food!

[RF · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed from my colleague - the carrot cake recipe is the best I've had!

[Vincent Andersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic of cookery reflecting a cross cultural foodie paradise that sadly doesn't really exist in New York anymore. It's not just a great cook book, it's a great read.
Our copy has MANY pages bookmarked at favorite recipes.

[Emily D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dated. The recipes were mixed and incongruous. Pushed the uniqueness of NYC a bit too much.

[S Vanorse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pastrami, only one tiny tiny mention of Katz Deli, who in New York hasn’t eaten pastrami at some point. All in all I love the history of all the other restaurants and foods.

[Kim]

Lots of interesting information about New York and its food. All kinds of recipes I'd like to cook.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this cookbook. Instead of consisting of page after page of recipes, it is filled with stories about the history of NY cuisine, it's development over the years, and it's restaurant history. I only wish there were photos, but I can live without them when a cookbook is so very interesting as it is.

The recipes are not difficult to cook at all, and those I've tried have turned out quite nicely. At the back of the book is a list of sources for ingredients, too, so if stores in your area don't carry some of the ingredients you can order them.

I bought this book, and have no regrets at all. It's loads of fun.

[Deanna Detchemendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m sad that it was the reporting on Molly O’Neill’s untimely death that led me to this book, but so pleased to have it in my cookbook trove. I love reading about both NYC and cooking cultures, and this is a virtual encyclopedia of that intersection — all in an engaging, educational, and witty bundle. I am eager to seek out her other writings.

Edited to add: Just fully read David Firestone’s Latke recipe in here. Worth the price of the whole book. Excerpt: “7. Remove from the room anyone who prefers latkes with sour cream. Serve the latkes immediately. With applesauce.” Recommended sing-along music also included.

[Leila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've probably only made a couple of recipes from this book, but the book itself is a fascinating read. It paints a picture of New York history that makes you want to track down every restaurant, street vendor, firehouse, deli, storefront, and neighborhood that lays claim to a "story" in this book. Less of a cookbook than a history book -- it is so rich in local color that it's almost like a scratch-and-sniff book -- you can almost taste and smell the dishes.

I have to say that the recipe for matzoh balls that uses whipped egg whites makes THE BEST matzoh balls I've ever had.

[Martha Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read a cookbook review that said this book had amazing recipes. I admit I cooked from this book several times and the recipes are good. However, this cookbook follows the Standard American Diet. If you want to eat foods lacking nutritional value, that are high fat, high salt, and high sugar, then this is the book for you.

[Tuscania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great cookbook! I love all the stories about the different businesses.

[Martine · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book