Curb your cravings with one local chef’s new cookbook.
In June, Akunowicz released an exclusive 100% organic extra virgin Sicilian olive oil with Bona Furtuna
Whether you’re craving something crispy, crunchy, homey or sweet, Boston-based chef Karen Akunowicz has the solution—her newest cookbook releasing September 19. Crave: Bold Recipes That Make You Want Seconds (Countryman Press, wwnorton.com), features 100 covet-worthy recipes, including a few from the chef’s restaurants Fox & the Knife and Bar Volpe. Here, Akunowicz spills on what readers can expect from her addictive dishes.
serve the polenta cake with fresh fruit
What was the inspiration for Crave?
“In every household, how many times a week do we ask, ‘What do you want for dinner?’ When we think about what we want to eat, we think about our cravings, so to me, it made sense to write a book that you could flip through and cook to your cravings. Fresh, tangy, cheesy, roasted, carby—you name your craving, there is a chapter for it.”
What gives these recipes a crave-worthy quality?
“The recipes in Crave are all simple but have a wow factor, flavor or texture about them that make you go back for a second bite and then a third. They will become your favorite back pocket recipes that you make time and time again.”
Akunowicz’s chicken milanese
Do any of these recipes trigger a favorite memory for you?
“My grandmother’s peach cake, Mom’s cucumber salad, my baked ziti and Christmas shortribs are all family recipes. Other recipes walk you through my culinary journey as I cooked in Italy, studied Middle Eastern cuisine and won a James Beard Award for my modern Asian cuisine.”
Which recipe are you most excited for readers to try?
“I get asked all the time for the Farro arancini recipe from Bar Volpe and the broccoli Caesar salad recipe from Fox & the Knife. Both are in the cookbook, and I’m so excited for people to finally have these recipes in their hands.”
Shrimp acqua pazza
Are the recipes approachable for all levels?
“Yes! My spouse does not cook very much, and when they held the book for the first time and flipped through it in their hands, they said in all sincerity, ‘I really feel like I could make these recipes.’”
Do you have anything else new coming up?
“I am opening a new restaurant in Logan Airport in Boston called Fox & Flight. It will be 120 seats in terminal A and should be open by the end of the year.”
Photography by: KRISTIN TEIG
