12 inspiring cookbooks for coronavirus quarantine

Cookbooks are always about connection — written to share the love of a cuisine or celebrate ancestry, or sometimes to eulogize broken bonds and safeguard history. If you’ve run out of ideas or motivation for preparing your next meal, if you’re...

The deep red of ground sumac brings to mind the ripest strawberry, though the spice’s flavor veers lemony and tart — like a floral vinegar distilled into powder. Its brightness defines sumaqqiyeh, a Palestinian stew with origins in Gaza City,...

Even if you read most books on a screen these days, take my advice and buy an actual physical copy of Phyllis Grant’s memoir “Everything Is Under Control.” Its words are best absorbed from real pages; some contain only two or three lines. Grant...

What are your Thanksgiving plans next week? I’m headed to Riverside for a family potluck that will probably conclude with my uncles doing tequila shots on the patio as they sing ranchera songs slightly off-key. I wouldn’t have it any other way. My...

At year’s end, with the all-consuming project — our annual guide to L.A.'s 101 best restaurants — behind me and some holiday downtime forthcoming, it’s a pleasure to turn my attention briefly from restaurants to excellent, recently published...