The Portlandia Cookbook

So here’s the thing. I’m actually not very familiar with Portlandia, and I’ve never actually been to Portland either. The extent of my knowledge of that area is actually just that my English teacher from freshman year of high school lives there (assuming he hasn’t moved away). Part of the reason why I applied to get into Journalism during my sophomore year was because he was my favorite teacher, and happened to be the Journalism advisor…but then he moved away for another job. :'(

It worked out fine because I loved writing, and working with the newspaper was a fun-filled experience with lots of great memories and stories, but oh, the betrayal runs deep.

Just kidding.

(About the betrayal, anyway. I was sad that he left, but I understand that life happens!)

The Portlandia Cookbook (Cook Like A Local)

By Fred Armisen & Carrie Brownstein, with Jonathan Krisel

Genre: Cookbook
Pages: 175

I think I’d really love Portland (what foodie wouldn’t love a food town?!), perhaps even despite the fact that hipsters supposedly run wild there. I like the idea of getting local ingredients whenever possible, and despite never having seen an episode of this show, I was already laughing by the time I finished reading through the descriptions on the “contributors” to the cookbook.

Pretzel Knots!

As a food enthusiast, the recipes in here are awesome, and the gorgeous food photography makes my mouth water. I am by no means an amazing chef by any stretch of the imagination, but I do like experimenting in my kitchen whenever possible. The recipes are not frighteningly complicated, and most, if not all of them, seem completely doable. Their stuffed date recipe served as inspiration for me, and I tweaked it in accordance to my dietary preferences and what I already had in my kitchen; the results were fantastic.

As a Seventh-Day Adventist, I don’t eat bacon (there are a number of recipes that include bacon), but I’m a fan of ingredient substitutions wherever necessary, and there are definitely enough recipes in here that I feel like I’m not missing out on anything. Although I liked the concept of the food map they had that listed out the different places covered by region, I feel like a table of contents for the actual recipes would have been rather helpful. Not the end of the world though!

I read this mostly as a cookbook vs. a humor book, but I did enjoy the little blurbs and asides that accompany most of the recipes. They had me snickering, and I feel like I should perhaps add Portlandia to my neverending list of shows to watch.

There are a bunch of recipes in here that sound completely amazing (e.g. Korean Short Rib Stew, Kale & Quinoa Bowl with Tofu & Mushrooms…they even have a recipe that includes durian–a definite first!), and I can’t wait to try them out! (Especially the Grilled Fruit Summer Rolls with Passionfruit Dipping Sauce. My life is complete.)

Each recipe contains the serving size, prep time, ingredients, and instructions. A lot of the recipes have tidbits of random and/or amusing information from the contributors to this cookbook. Definitely a fun read, with lots of delicious options! I really need to go to Portland someday!

Be on the lookout for future adapted recipes! ;D

• Do you have a favorite cookbook?
• What’s a recipe you’ve been wanting to make?

Check out my other book reviews!