How prolific writer Maria Zizka is working to modernize newlywed cookbooks

Salt & Spine

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How prolific writer Maria Zizka is working to modernize newlywed cookbooks

“Cookbooks continue to sell really well. There's something about them that people find compelling—that's more compelling than an online recipe. Otherwise, they would just die out.”

Brian Hogan Stewart

Sep 10, 2019

This week, we're excited to welcome MARIA ZIZKA to Salt + Spine, the podcast on stories behind cookbooks.

Maria is the author of The Newlywed Table: A Cookbook to Start Your Life Together. She has worked on around a dozen other cookbooks, including Tartine All Day, Everything I Want to Eat, and This Is Camino.

In 2018, Forbes named her one of the 30 Most Influential People In Food & Drink Under 30.

In today’s show, we’re talking with Maria about what led her from thinking she would become a doctor to a culinary program in Italy — how she has approached co-writing cookbooks with chefs — and what books and authors have inspired her. Plus, we’re playing a Newlywed-themed game!

Also in today’s show, we’re chatting with the food-obsessed Chicago couple behind the popular Cooking The Books blog about the cookbooks they’ve been working through recently.

Featured Recipes:

Featured Recipes

Summer-on-a-Platter Salad by Maria Zizka

Brian Hogan Stewart

September 10, 2019

Summer-on-a-Platter Salad by Maria Zizka

SERVES 4 This colorful salad celebrates the bounty of ingredients available during the summer. The vegetables in this recipe are only a suggestion. Pay a visit to your local farmers’ market and fill your bag with all the beautiful produce that catches your eye.

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Featured Recipes

Braised Chicken Legs with Green Olives and Lime Gremolata by Maria Zizka

Brian Hogan Stewart

September 8, 2019

Braised Chicken Legs with Green Olives and Lime Gremolata by Maria Zizka

SERVES 4 There’s a culinary rule that I am breaking in this recipe: Traditionally, wine is used in a braising liquid, but I use sherry vinegar instead. One day I was braising chicken and didn’t have any wine. I did have vinegar, so I just diluted it with water and used it in place of the wine. In the end, I loved how the finished braise tasted more dynamic and zingy than usual. It goes to show that most recipes can be successfully modified to use the ingredients you have on hand—and you might even prefer the results.

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Salt & Spine

We tell the compelling stories behind cookbooks you won't get anywhere else. Featuring interviews with leading authors, we explore the art and craft of cookbooks, looking at both new and vintage cookbooks and the inspirations behind them … the compelling people who create them … and their impact on home cooks and the culinary world.

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