3 Recipes from Alison Roman’s New Cookbook, Something From Nothing
Photo illustration by Aimee Nishitoba.
One thing I love is watching how the function and nature of a career cookbook writer’s cooking can evolve over time—perhaps through life changes or a theme-specific cookbook—but their voice or approach still shines through. I had that thought while flipping through Something from Nothing, Alison Roman's fourth cookbook which came out earlier this month.
Predicated on pantry cooking, Something from Nothing marks an aesthetic departure from Roman's previous three releases—all bound in white-bordered covers, sans-serif headline text, minimalist plating and filled with hard-lit photography that signalled the idea that home cooking can be a party. Something, in turn, is bound in green cloth; there are table linens and soft afternoon light—and a lot of texturally softer foods, too. You can feed yourself well, the recipes seem to say, even if you haven't gone grocery shopping in a couple of days. Even if it's just for yourself.
It's a softer approach, but still feels distinctly Roman: there are salty salads, strong opinions about celery, plenty of beans—and, of course, her signature red nails. Here are three recipes from the book I'm looking forward to making.
Buttered Tomato Soup With Lentils And Fennel
"Imagine, for a moment, a tomato soup that needs no blender to produce an impossibly creamy result, all without a drop of dairy," writes Roman. "A lentil soup vibrant and gorgeous enough to grace the cover of a cookbook yet humble enough to eat alone at your kitchen counter for a Tuesday lunch." Get this tomato soup recipe.
Celery Salad With Anchovy
"While the bulk here is, of course, celery, this perfect little salad also has anchovies, garlic, pickled peppers and vinegar. It’s a little (but not too) spicy and—as the name indicates—salty," writes Roman. "Eat it on its own with poached chicken breast for lunch, or with an open can of tuna and a pile of saltine crackers. Point being: Celery salads are marvelous little chameleons, welcomed on every table for nearly any occasion, not to be underestimated." Get this celery salad recipe.
Creamy Cauliflower Pasta With Pecorino Breadcrumbs
"This recipe is wonderful for many reasons: A whole head of cauliflower caramelizes in a skillet before being simmered with heavy cream, black pepper, pecorino cheese and a bit of lemon zest, breaking down into a special (and yes, decadent) sauce to coat the pasta shape of your choosing...it’s all very dreamy." Get this cauliflower pasta recipe.
Want more Alison Roman recipes? Try this decadent holiday feast from Nothing Fancy.
Excerpted from Something from Nothing Copyright © 2025 by Alison Roman. Photographs copyright © 2025 by Chris Bernabeo. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Excerpted with permission from the publisher.
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Chantal Braganza is a writer and editor living in Toronto. She is deputy editor, food at Chatelaine, a cookbook nerd, lover of vintage dish ware, and currently training for yoga teacher certification. Her first book, Story of Your Mother, is out with Strange Light Press.
