Carla’s Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World

Hall’s enthusiasm for fast, easy, and affordable home cooking bubbles over at every exclamation in her latest cookbook on comfort food. (Hall also wrote Cooking with Love; she is the co-host of ABC’s The Chew and a former contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars.) In this collection of 130 new recipes, Hall offers her take on homey dishes from around the world—including the American South, Italy, Morocco, Thailand, Hungary, etc.—connecting cultures over the communal meal. Organized by category (soups & salads, vegetables, meat) and subcategory (creamy soups, spinach, short ribs), the book is a useful resource for beginner cooks looking for different ways to prepare staple dishes. Each recipe uses basic ingredients easily found in pantries or local groceries, and includes clear, concise instructions and at least one cooking tip. Meant to address the less-seasoned cook who enjoys cheerful reassurances in the kitchen, the book’s tone throughout is conversational—“That’s how we all relate to food, right?”—personal, and confessional. (Apr.)