Synopsis

Actress Abbie Cornish and chef Jacqueline King are best friends who bonded over their love of food and self-care. A few years ago, Abbie, a novice cook, asked Jacqueline, a graduate of the culinary program at the National Gourmet Institute, for cooking lessons. Every Sunday, they would take trips to the local farmers’ market, spend all day cooking, and then serve these dishes to their family and friends. Pescan is an extension of this tradition and all the food they explored together. Their way of eating—which they call pescan—is centered on plant-based, dairy-free dishes, but with high-protein seafood and eggs incorporated. The recipes, like Veggie Tempeh Bolognese, Artichoke Hummus with Za’atar, and Miso-Ginger Glazed Black Cod, are highly nutrient dense, incredibly energizing, and very accessible. Pescan is a collection of healthy recipes, but it’s also a story of friendship, healing, and developing a more positive relationship with food.

Review

You have probably seen a few of my other posts of cookbooks that I have received as being a part of Abrams Dinner Party this year.  I am loving all of the cookbooks they have sent us and while some might be a fantasy for me (I’m not much of a baker), I love looking at the recipes and photos and reading the stories of the authors & chefs that created these for us to enjoy.

This is quite an interesting cookbook with many colorful and tantalizing recipes. If you eat dairy free, plant-based and some seafood then this is a cookbook to check out.

In my house, I have several meat eaters who also eat fish. (Me, not so much on the fish part) but there are many recipes that would make great side dishes to the main course of meat or fish.  Should you decide to try a meatless meal, there are some really good options.  I even like the sauces and spice mixes that they include.  I have been making my own spice mixes for awhile, but am always happy to find a new one to work into my normal routine.

I have tried one recipe so far – the Lemon-Pea Risotto with Mint. My husband surprised me and said that it sounded good so into the weekly meal planning it made its way. I make risotto a lot so I didn’t follow this recipe to a T but then I also don’t have things on hand like chickpea miso or nutritional yeast. It was still very tasty and I enjoyed the tartness of the lemon, the coolness of the mint, and the creaminess with the goat cheese that I added at the end.  I also included pine nuts that I toasted while caramelizing the onions.

I have several other recipes earmarked and I think this could be a great cookbook for this summer with fresh veggies in season.  Plus if it is ever just me for dinner, I can see several of these making the rotation.

I am thinking that the next dish I try for a side dish will be the Fiesta Veggie Rice or the Pesto Zucchini Noodles (there is a how-to on making the noodles if you don’t have a spiralizer!)

Overall we give it 4 paws up.  Depending on how you cook you might have some of the unusual ingredients on hand.  If not, just play around with the recipes and make them your own.