The Primal Gourmet Cookbook by Ronny Joseph Lvovski Review

First of all, I really enjoyed his personal story and writing style. Yes, I was intimidated by the title (“Gourmet”? Who, me???).  But now I have tried out several recipes that have ingredients I recognize. And they have invariably been delicious. I’m gaining trust, in him and in myself!

I decided to try creating the Garlicky Mashed Sweet Potatoes on page 199, substituting russets for sweet.

The ingredients are:

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ghee (optional)
• Flaky sea salt, for finishing

I was skeptical. This is nothing like the way I’ve always made mashed potatoes. I followed instructions to the letter (aside from substituting russets for sweets and store bought minced garlic for the fresh garlic). I even took the plunge and included the ghee. I normally find the taste of ghee too strong, but in this amount it was quite right. The result was fantastic, light and tasty!

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Cauliflower Rice, page 205

This is something I’ve been seeing ready-made in the store, but never tried.  Well, his pictures made it look so good that I went for it.

I tried grating the cauliflower with my box grater. What a mess.

This was so much easier.

Next you are to remove the moisture by squeezing it in a kitchen towel. Interesting. It worked.

He encourages you to add things, so I tried a finely minced serrano pepper. Then you cook it to a light golden brown in a large fry pan. No joke, my husband actually thought it was rice! It wasn’t, but it was good!

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Herb-and-Garlic-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms, page 194

These are easy, look incredible and taste absolutely amazing! Highly recommend.

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Spicy Green Bean and Cashew Nut Chicken, page 79

Wow. Just wow. I would place it on more of a “moderate” difficulty level, only because there were a few more steps and timing was important. But I still wouldn’t call it difficult. Using the timer on my stove is essential for me, my own sense of time while in the kitchen can be way off. I did substitute boneless, skinless thighs for breasts, which didn’t seem to change anything except maybe added a minute to the cooking time. Oh, and I used frozen green beans instead of fresh. By thawing them in a colander and toweling them dry, they turned out wonderfully. Served over the Cauliflower Rice, this tasted like the best Chinese food I’ve ever had.

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Smoked Salmon Scramble with Chives, page 26

Simple, quick and absolutely beautiful. He includes some nice tips on how to make perfect soft-scrambled eggs. I noticed that there was no salt in the recipe and was curious what the finished product would taste like. The saltiness of the smoked salmon made it just right!