The sun sank lower behind the mountains, making them appear like jagged and sharp teeth. Hunger raged through me, turning me savage. My dinner had exploded all over the kitchen. No really, all over. See the photo on the right. I was preparing to eat my children. Or the cat. That’s when Miguel Fliguer’s cookbook came to the rescue. I flipped to page 45. The day was definitely a “Bratwurst mit Sauerkraut” type of day.
When Fliguer contacted me to see if I would review his book, I jumped at the opportunity. A cookbook with a horror twist? Sounds like my kind of weird. The blurb on the back states simply, “These stories will tickle your weird bone, but will also give you directions to make real, tested, delicious dishes.” Cooking with Lovecraft does exactly that.
As I read through the book and tried out recipes, I often found myself snort laughing (a bad idea when the pepper is too near). It quickly became clear that I fell into the category of chef who, “[illegible] suck at alchemy,” and must rely on souq-bought items, such as tahini. Not only are the stories that accompany each recipe perfectly integrated into the cookbook, but they are also well written with damned funny lines that jump out at the most unexpected moment. My favorite cooking tidbit comes from page 47 and the “Anziques Kebab” recipe where Fliguer recommends, “Only cook them ‘rare’ if you trust the source of the meat, for example, if you use organic beef, or are able to procure a healthy human.” Luckily for my children (and cat), this was not the recipe I went with on the aforementioned rage-hunger night.
Overall, This book is a must read for those looking for new recipes and quirky, fun reading. I found the recipes delicious, the stories engaging, and the humor perfectly timed. As a result, this book gets my Lethem rating: this is a Jonathan Lethem, whisky and pickle juice kind of read–unusual, tasty, and over far too quickly.Your tummy will thank you. You can grab a copy of Cooking with Lovecraft here. Interested in author Miguel Fliguer? Check out what he has to say on Twitter.
Kelsey Stone, also known as @scifistone on Twitter, is an aspiring author and current Master’s of Fine Arts in Fiction candidate. Her latest project, a science fiction book titled Sabiak’s Creed, is currently being reviewed by several agents.
As in everything else, Kelsey aims to be candid and forthright in her reviews. She does not sugarcoat, but she aims to treat every piece of literature with the respect it deserves. She is not reimbursed, paid, or bribed, and her opinions are genuine.
Her time for reviews is currently limited by her writing endeavors, but it doesn’t hurt to ask: mrskelseylstone@gmail.com.
Tibetan Lemonade 
Never heard of this book, but it combines two of my favorite things. I shall investigate further.
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