Her debut cookbook, featuring similar delicious recipes, will be available later this month!
Copyright 2024 by Gelen Media LLC.
Photographs copyright 2024 by Nico Schinco.
Photo:Reprinted with permission from Pass The Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes: A Cookbook by Carolina Gelen. Copyright © 2024 by Gelen Media LLC. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Nico Schinco. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division ofPenguin Random House LLC, New York.
Her recipes often feature flavors inspired by her Romanian-Hungarian upbringing.
Gelen lived most of her life in Transylvania, Romania, until moving to the U.S. in 2021.
EatingWell: What makes your cookbook,Pass the Plate,unique?
Photographed by Nico Schinco/Courtesy of Clarkson Potter Publishers
Gelen:Pass the Plateis full of pantry-friendly, unique recipes and innovative takes on classics!
The most frequent comment I get about my recipes is: This was so good!
My cookbook embodies that style, so each recipe is written from a beginner cooks perspective.
To make instructions clearer, time estimates are paired with visual cues for each dish.
It feels so reassuring to read something like This dough looks crumbly and dry, and thats perfect!
Youre on the right path, the texture will make sense later!
when making a recipe youve never tried before.
EatingWell: Can you tell us the inspiration behind theShaved Cauliflower Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette & Parmesanrecipe?
As I got older, I turned it into a refreshing salad with a bright, lemony dressing.
Its a very nostalgic recipe!
My favorite thing to serve it with is fish.
Why is it your favorite, if so?
Gelen:My one-pan garlicky chicken couscous!
Finish everything off with a bright and refreshing sauce on top and dinners ready.
EatingWell: What did you find to be the most rewarding part of the process of creating this cookbook?
Gelen:Seeing everyone try the food for the first time during the cookbook photo shoot was so rewarding.
EatingWell: Do you have a comfort meal that reminds you of home?
Theyre a lazy dinner my mother would make when she didnt feel like cooking.
EatingWell: What is your favorite meal of the day and do you have a go-to meal?
Gelen:Dinner, dinner, dinner!
EatingWell: What does eating well mean to you?
Other times its a light and refreshing salad or a big bowl of soup.
Lifes all about balance!
