Northern Soul

Oh. My. Goodness. This is my kind of food! There are so many amazing sounding recipes that I can’t wait to try! And I’ve finally got a recipe for a seafood boil that sounds so delicious! This is a recipe book that I’ll definitely be purchasing and using!

Northern Soul is full of gorgeous photography of the most delicious food you could ever dream of. The recipes are amazing and this Chef will go far! I made Super Easy Peanut Butter Banana Pudding and it was so incredibly yummy. Cannot wait to make more recipes!

I always enjoyed Chef Justin Sutherland on his season of Top Chef, and his new cookbook continues that tradition! In addition to all the recipes and gorgeous photographs of the finished dishes, you get to know his food perspective, given to him by his extended Japanese, Norwegian, and Black family roots. Plus, there's a healthy dash of Twin Cities influence.

But the recipes! It's a great mix of rubs, pickles, starters, sides, mains, and desserts. Oh, and creative cocktails, too! Aside from all the BBQ fare—Smoked Brisket, BBQ Ribs, there are classic Southern dishes like Fried Buttermilk Chicken, Shrimp Po' Boys, and Mac & Cheese. There's definitely a meat-centric spin here, and the regional focus is on the South, but with a little of his MPLS roots on display. Just for fun, I would have loved to have seen a Lutefisk recipe in this book.

Just because you’re not from the south, doesn’t mean you can’t become an expert in southern cooking. Justin Sutherland, a well-known and celebrated chef and restaurateur, was born and raised in Minneapolis, and teaches us that southern cooking can be done well no matter where you live in his beautiful cookbook, Northern Soul: Southern-Inspired Home Cooking from a Northern Kitchen. Southerland learned his cooking skills from his mother and grandmother, and he has filled this excellent cookbook with mouthwatering and appealing recipes that everyone who loves southern food will want to prepare.

The recipes are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients first, followed by step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. There are notes and vignettes at the top of the recipes, which make them more personal. There are also beautiful, professional photographs of most of the recipes which makes it difficult to decide which to make next. The cookbook includes a variety of recipes that will appeal to almost everyone. Many are simple, so both beginning and advanced cooks can produce picture perfect dishes easily.

This cookbook includes recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts. You’ll definitely want to try the Pimento Cheese Shrimp and Grits (delicious), Hush Puppies and Brussels Sprouts with Bacon. The longer you peruse the book, the longer your queue of “must make soon” dishes will become. This one is a good one and belongs on every cookbook shelf.

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

This book by Chef Justin is wonderful and a beautiful addition to the canon of African-American cookbooks. It's rare for us to tell our stories on this level and his recipes look delightful. I've since added this book to my library and look forward to cooking from it for years to come.

Lets talk about how there is an entire chapter on PICKLED THINGS. The pickled pears are so good and I cannot wait to serve them on all my charcuterie boards this winter. I want to tell you that if you just look at the recipes by name, there isn't a ton of excitement there- you've seen other books with similar recipes, but it is the care and the unexpected things that make these recipes amazin. We made the shrimp cocktail with green cocktail sauce for a party and people were floored. Buy this cookbook. I'd buy it just for those two recipes but then he goes off with No mayo coleslaw(some of us just don't like mayo ok?), Bourbon Bacon Jam, and goodness if you don't have a biscuits and gravy recipe the one in here is SO GOOD! Although I received this ebook for free in return for my review, I will be buying a physical copy to keep on my shelf.

For someone not from the South the guy can cook. I love this chef. I watch him anytime he’s on any show. His cookbook does not disappoint whatsoever.

This is far more my jam. One man’s idiosyncratic take on a well-known cuisine – not that I really know southern soul food that well. In particular, what I didn’t know is that they are serious about pickles. I will be trying the pickling recipes from this book if nothing else once I’m in my own kitchen. Pickled watermelon rinds? Let’s find out. The main dishes, the main dishes didn’t call to me as much, but I know I will return and look at how he does po’boys at some point in the future. Recommended reading. Thanks Netgalley.

Lots of easy to find spices, meat, cheese and or eggs in every dish. Has a nice manly feel to the layout. Great photos of all the tasty recipes.

As a born and bred Midwesterner I was really excited about a book that focused on my area of the country. I really loved this book, the recipes all looked good and approachable, none seemed too crazy complicated. And the pictures were all so great.

Justin Sutherland is one of my most favorite celebrity chefs, he seems like such a genuine person. This cookbook is a reflection of that assumption that I have! I can’t wait to make the sauces and that no mayo coleslaw.