With the changing of the seasons, it’s time to get back to braises (and roast veg, pasta, and exceptional curries). These new cookbooks are here to bring us back to the table—together. They also make excellent holiday and hostess gifts.
Christmas came early, in the form of Jody Williams and Rita Sodi’s Via Carota: A Celebration of Seasonal Cooking from the Beloved Greenwich Village Restaurant, written with Anna Kovel (Knopf, $40), and it looks like we got everything we wanted. The recipe for their famous insalata verde is here, and while you might not have the patience to Jenga the feathery tower leaf by leaf, it is perfect. You’ll also find such favorites as favas with escarole and mint, fried rabbit, svizzerina (their answer to a burger), and olive-oil panna cotta. To be honest, such complete wish fulfillment is overwhelming. Where to begin?! The recipes are as crisp, correct, and personal as the restaurant’s décor, and cooking them might take you less time than getting a table.
