Comfort and Joy: Irresistible Pleasures from a Vegetarian Kitchen

"Yes, and they go well together. The Post ’s Food and Dining editor, Joe Yonan, picked this book, and it’s completely engrossing. When he wrote about a recipe from this book, he said he immediately started bookmarking all the different recipes he wanted to make, which, again, is the sign of a great book. The recipe he did run was Cacio e Pepe Soup with Chickpeas and Kale , which also proved incredibly popular. It’s filling, comforting, and nourishing. It’s got cheese and butter, but also kale and chickpeas. Sometimes people think vegetarian food is very limiting, that it’s not filling, and that you’re going to still be hungry. This is just like a hug in a bowl. It’s the kind of book where you look through and you think, ‘I have never seen dishes like that before.’ Bhogal’s family background is Indian, but her grandfather had migrated to Kenya, so she spent the first seven years of her life in Kenya. She pulls inspiration from there, and she pulls inspiration from her Indian heritage, and now she’s based in the UK. Some of the things that I found really interesting are where she pulls together those different influences. She has pea kofta Scotch eggs, lemon and curry leaf crumpets. It’s so fun. This is the kind of stuff where you think, wow. It’s fusion not just for the sake of fusion. It’s really creative. She also pulls inspiration from other places. She has an Aegean dip that reminds her of Greece, and a hot corn and cheese dip that she had in New York, so it’s global and it’s fun and inspiring. I love the way she writes with affection for her family, especially her grandfather and mother, and how they cooked for and nourished their families. I think she has a lot in common with Nigella Lawson, in terms of embracing the joy and sensuality of food, and that also comes across in the photos. They’re richly colored. They’re very enticing and fun. It’s a really exciting book and I’m looking forward to trying some more of these dishes, too."