Bestia: Italian Recipes Created in the Heart of L.A.

This debut cookbook from LA’s phenomenally popular Bestia restaurant features rustic Italian food with Middle Eastern influences that is driven by intense flavors, including house-made charcuterie, pizza and pasta from scratch, and innovative desserts inspired by home-baked classics.

This accessible and far-reaching debut cookbook showcases all of the satisfying and flavor-forward food that has made Bestia one of the most talked-about restaurants in the country. Bestia is known for direct and bold flavors, typified by dishes like fennel-crusted pork chops; meatballs with tomato, ricotta, Swiss chard, and preserved lemon; spinach gnocchi; and tomato and burrata salad; capped off with homey and whimsical desserts like rainbow sherbet, apple cider donuts, and butterscotch coconut tart. Chef Ori Menashe marries his training in Italian restaurants with the Israeli and Middle Eastern food that he grew up eating, to create a delicious hybrid of two of the most popular cuisines.