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Something from Nothing

A Cookbook
Brief Description
Something from Nothing is Alison Roman’s latest book featuring over 100 deceptively simple, casually stylish, impossibly delicious recipes that make the most of your pantry. In Something from Nothing, bestselling author Alison Roman gives you a collection of simple, smart, timeless recipes that rely on a... Read More
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The Alison Roman book we all need in our lives - foolproof meals from pantry ingredients

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Something from Nothing is Alison Roman’s latest book featuring over 100 deceptively simple, casually stylish, impossibly delicious recipes that make the most of your pantry.

In Something from Nothing, bestselling author Alison Roman gives you a collection of simple, smart, timeless recipes that rely on a home cook's best kept secret: a well-stocked pantry. Making the most of your shelf-stable bottles, bags, jars, and cans, Alison shows you how to cook as she does — loosely, intuitively, and with maximum flavour.

With each recipe, you’ll fall deeper in love with the magic of pantry cooking by using flavourful, hardworking ingredients, leaving you to ask, “How did something so wonderful come from basically nothing?”. In this book, you’ll find warm, opinionated writing coupled with classic recipes, both with signature Alison flair, such as:

  • Snacks and Things to Start with: Herbed Artichoke Dip; Spanish Tortilla (with Aioli and Friends); and Labne with Caramelized Harissa.
  • Soups and Stews: Kimchi and Tomato Soup; Golden Mushroom Soup with Buttered Orzo; and Ginger and Greens Chicken Soup.
  • Vegetables and How to Make Them Taste Even Better: Forever-Roasted Squash with Brown Butter Dates; Braised Green Beans with Anchovy; and Spiced Butter-Roasted Carrots with Walnuts.
  • Pasta and Noodles: Saucy Roasted Eggplant Pasta; Bolognese with Fennel; Carbonara for Two.
  • Beans and Grains: Crispy Baked Beans with Mushrooms and Parmesan; Polenta with Fresh Corn; Caramelized Beans with Tomato, Cabbage and Browned Butter.
  • Meats and Some Fishes: Crushed Olive Chicken with Turmeric; Steak, like Tartare; Crispy Fish with Garlic Yogurt, Capers, and Greens.

Whether you’re feeding yourself on a busy weeknight or hosting a last-minute dinner party, this book has just what you need. For easy, straightforward recipes that still impress, Something from Nothing has you covered, showing you how to turn every bag of beans, tin of anchovies, and jar of olives into a meal worth celebrating.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781837834891

Publisher: Quadrille Publishing Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 13 November 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Quadrille Publishing Ltd

Illustration: Full-colour photography throughout

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 207.0mm

Height: 260.0mm

Weight: 1524g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Alison Roman is a New York–based cook, writer, and author of the New York Times bestselling cookbooks Nothing Fancy, Dining In, and Sweet Enough. She writes the newsletter titled A Newsletter, hosts the cooking show Home Movies on YouTube, and runs First Bloom, a corner store in Bloomville, New York. You can find her recipes, videos, recommendations, and more on her website.

Also by Alison Roman

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  • Nothing Fancy
    In Nothing Fancy, New York Times food columnist Alison Roman redefines the concept of hosting with her relaxed and refreshingly simple approach to having people over. Ditching the formalities and stresses often associated with traditional "entertaining," Alison encourages hosts to embrace a laid-back attitude that focuses on enjoying the moment rather than striving for perfection. This vibrant cookbook features over...
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  • Dining In
    The recipes in Dining In have one thing in common: they make even the most oven-phobic or restaurant-crazed person want to stay home and cook. Vegetable-forward but with an affinity for a mean steak and a deep regard for fresh fish, these recipes are all about building flavour and saving time. They prove that casual doesn’t have to mean boring...
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  • Sweet Enough
    Casual, effortless, chic: These are not words you’d use to describe most desserts. But before Alison made recipes so perfect that they go by one name – The Cookie, The Pasta, The Lemon Cake – she was a restaurant pastry chef who spent most of her time learning to make things the hard way. She studied flavour, technique, and precision,...
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