I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

I really enjoyed this cookbook. It included Ashkenazi classics I haven’t seen in other cookbooks. The pictures are gorgeous and the writing is engaging.

I simply adored everything about this beautiful cookbook. I love cookbooks and I can tell all of the love time and thought that went into this book. As a daughter of immigrants, I really resonated with the beautiful recipes and the history behind them. This would be great addition to any kitchen!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

There were so many good recipes in this book that I didn't even know where to start when selecting which ones I wanted to try first for this review. Ultimately I decided to pick one I hadn't made before - the brisket, and a few that I have my own recipes for and wanted to see how they compare - the plum cake, sour cherry soup, and cabbage rolls. All the recipes were easy to follow and turned out really well. I prefer the plum cake recipe I already use, but that just comes down to personal preference, not the quality of the recipe.

Like the author, I'm also a descendent of Hungarian Holocaust survivors, and I was beyond excited when Agi's Counter first opened up in my neighborhood! So as you can imagine, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this cookbook.

I tried the Coriander-Crusted Beef Tongue recipe yesterday, and it turned out great! I've always liked eating tongue, but never quite got around to trying to cook it until this recipe inspired me and explained how simple it can be. It was so good, I'd definitely make it again.

That said, I do have a few quibbles. Several recipes call for kosher salt using volume measurements but without specifying the brand (gotta use weight or at least specify!, though to be fair with cooking I always adjust to taste anyways). And I ground the spices for the crust too coarse - my own fault, but a clearer picture of the final product rather than the wine it should be drunk with would've helped.

Overall, I'm happy here! If you really want to dive deep into Hungarian cooking you still need to go to George Lang, but here I learned at least one new great dish, found a few more I'm definitely looking forward to trying, and it was fun to see where Agi's recipes match and differ from my childhood home's cooking.

I received an ARC of this cookbook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful cookbook. I enjoyed it a lot!

Thank you so much NetGalley and William Morrow for my copy of Second Generation.

I was in tears reading through just the introduction. More information than you need here, but I am third generation in the United States, Jewish and Hungarian. My maternal grandparents are Holocaust survivors from Budapest. My mother's father escaped under gunfire in 1956 and came to the United States, where he met my grandmother after attending a Hungarian ball in New York. They recently passed away, but they shaped who I am in every way.

My grandmother was a wonderful cook, but I wasn't a very interested student. It brings me great joy to have this cookbook now. I loved the photos and familiar recipes, and look forward to cooking through this book over the years. Nokedli was one of my grandmother's most requested dishes from her grandchildren and I'll be making the Nokedli Cacio e Pepe soon.

Love seeing a cookbook coming out from a second generation Hungarian Sephardic Jew!

This book is beautiful - the photographs and bright colors are perfect. Get your coriander, caraway & plums ready!!!

The background and history of the author was a great length and gave context to the cookbook without going overboard. Loved the starter guide to Hungarian wine and pronunciation guide. Needed that intro because I am clueless.

Takeaways:
Noshing is the official 4th meal - some great tips in this section and throughout.
Must have carbs at every meal
Soups are the heart & soul of Hungarian cuisine
Mains are hearty with big portions. This is not diet food.
Not many vegetables are consumed
Cakes are an all day snack

I love learning about different cultures, and finding new recipes is one of my favorite things to do. I was excited to learn more about Hungarian food—Jeremy Salamon is a second generation Hungarian Jew whose grandmothers on either side of the family were very good cooks. Jeremy grew up watching his grandmas cook, and a love of food was born. I really enjoyed reading the anecdotes/history of each dish at the top of every recipe. It’s all about the food, the memories and enjoyment of family, as is shown in each picture of a meal being enjoyed by everyone at the dinner table.

This has gorgeous photographs of mouth-watering food, and Salamon breaks each dish down into manageable steps. Some of these recipes look complicated, but you will be able to pull it off! The author includes traditional Hungarian recipes, as well as riffs on classics where he breaks away and experiments with something new. Some of the recipes I’m excited to try are the deviled eggs, chocolate cake, chicken paprikash and the interestingly-named “Nokedli in Chicken Broth with So Much Dill”….so much dill, y’all. You can’t make this and later be like, “That’s too much dill”—you were clearly warned beforehand. 😁

I want to go try out Jeremy’s Brooklyn restaurant, Agi’s Counter, the next time I’m in NYC. It has excellent reviews, and if you want to sample some of these dishes before you try your hand at making them yourself, make a reservation! It all looks delicious.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow/Harvest for an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

If you love Jewish food, as well as Hungarian food, you’ll want to pick up an excellent cookbook, Second Generation: Hungarian and Jewish Classics Reimagined for the Modern Table, by Jeremy Salamon, award winning chef and restaurateur, and Casey Elsas, a celebrated recipe developer. This cookbook is full of mouthwatering recipes that are passed down from generations, but modernized for cooks today. Many of the recipes included in this cookbook are traditional foods, but others are unique and new. Salamon has included stores of his childhood and how he learned to cook at the feet of his two grandmothers. The book is fun to read, and is well-written; it will keep readers interested in the stories, but also make readers very hungry and make them want to get into the kitchen and cook something amazing.

The recipes are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-step instructions that make it easy for everyone – beginning to advanced cooks – to follow. And there are gorgeous, professional photographs of most of the dishes.

All told, this is one of those cookbooks that is well worth adding to any cookbook collection. It has enough good dishes to keep readers cooking for months. The recipes are definitely appealing and yummy.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Second Generation focuses on reinvented Hungarian and Jewish recipes. Jeremy Salamon intertwines his own memories and family history into the cookbook.

The sections are noshing, breads, biscuits, and crackers, soups, mains, companions, cakes and tortes, desserts, drinks, the pantry & remedies.

I really enjoyed how there are different guides to help people learn how to pronounce different words in Hungarian. The pictures in this book are very aesthetically pleasing. Each recipe includes a little blurb on the dish, ingredients, plating ingredients, little finishing touches to the dishes, instructions, wine pairings for the noshing, and little some recipes have cooking on certain tasks (for example boiling eggs) that would be helpful for beginners. The instruction are very clear and easy to understand.

I am excited to try some of these recipes. Like Körözött and cucumber buttermilk ranch This cookbook would be good for beginners and also more advanced home chefs. There are a lot of recipes that I do not see in other cookbooks.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.