Something From Nothing, Alison Roman’s fourth book, started with a phone message, a chicken, and a jar of olives. “A friend texted me: ‘Every time I make your recipes, I’m amazed how I could make something so good from basically nothing,’” Roman says. “That was my next title!” She hesitated only about titling another volume with the word “nothing.”
After all, her 2019 sophomore book Nothing Fancy, an unfussy food philosophy for newbie and pro hosts alike—more anchovies, lots of tangy citrus, a welcome tangent into a DIY martini bar—became the food bible for millennial dinner-party throwers. With a breezy writing style that means her books are found on bedside tables as often as kitchen worktops, Roman turned a generation into voracious eaters and cooks with her viral cookie recipes, quick tips, and unpretentious, garlicky dishes. Since her 2017 debut Dining In, Roman has opened her own grocery shop, got married, and had a baby; each book is a time capsule, reflecting where she’s at right then.
“‘Nothing’ is such a negative word, but it’s illustrative of how I really cook at home these days,” she says. “I’m not always at the farmers’ market or running to the store. I am rooting around my pantry, my freezer. When you make something from nothing, it’s actually quite wonderful. I have always gravitated towards the kind of creativity that comes from having a budget, less time or access. Can you still do something great? The answer is ‘yes,’ and the book gets at that.”
Photo: George House
Something From Nothing immortalizes Roman’s viral shallot pasta recipe—“I’m thrilled the internet isn’t its final resting place”—and features 100 other useful follow-alongs (with reflective, rollicking commentary), which include comforting noodle soups, herby salads, and signatures such as her Aioli For Everything and Very Good Tomato Sauce. Roman encourages you to go off-script, root through your own cupboards, and make small, delicious miracles. “If Nothing Fancy is going out and wearing the beautiful vintage faux fur, Something From Nothing is staying in and wearing a sweater.”
Entertaining—a word she’s “allergic” to—and exacting details of dishes, from protein content to seed oils, are pressure points for today’s eaters, but Roman has always resisted trends. “I want to make things that are authentic and timeless. It’s like sheet-pan dinners were all the rage but where are all of the sheet-pan cookbooks now?” she says. “Everything’s protein now and it’ll probably be fiber next. People can seek out dieticians for that stuff. I have a good recipe for cottage cheesecake with apricots but I have no idea what the protein content is.”
