Size Matters
Small Plates. Big Flavor.
A must-have for your next book club, date night, or dinner party, comedian and chef Anthony LeDonne's Size Matters explores meals beyond mains. He could have called it tapas, but he was tired of his mom saying, "Topless?! Where’s the food’s shirt?" *cue straight face emojis everywhere* 😐
With LeDonne's trademark snarky wit, stunning photography, foolproof recipes, and boundless humility, Size Matters features over 100 delicious small plates designed to be eaten alone as a regular meal or grouped together for an epic dinner party that demands just one more glass of wine...
Whether you're tired of the standard appetizer + entree + side dish = dinner routine, or simply want to break the meat and potatoes rut (though, there's a game-changing recipe for that too!) Size Matters proves it's not the size of your plate that matters—it's what you put on it.
Intro
In most cookbooks, authors use the Intro section to tell you the story of how the book came about. Maybe there was a trip to the Italian coast that sparked a lifelong love for fresh seafood. Or maybe the author bought a new air fryer and wants to sell you on all the things you can make with the contraption. Or maybe the intro features a heartfelt story about how the author lost weight after trying dozens of gimmicky diets.
But this isn’t most cookbooks. This one doesn’t have a story.
This one has a moment.
My moment?
You know that moment when you’re sitting in a restaurant, when the entrées arrive, and the conversation just…dies?
There’s usually a huge fanfare as four waiters descend on the table and simultaneously deposit a dish in front of each diner. And then everyone kinda stares at their food. Doing that mental check—did they get the ketchup? beans on the side? are these diver scallops? And after the dish passes muster, they dig in with knife and fork and start shoveling food into their faces like it was a race.
That’s the moment I’m talking about—the Big Plate Blunder.
Don’t get me wrong, this can be a welcome intrusion if it interrupts your tablemates’ inane story about the new phrase their offspring can’t stop saying. “No matter what you say to him, Little Trevvie says ‘Cool’. It’s the cutest thing. Here’s a dozen videos of him saying it.” 😐
But more often than not the conversation is good. It’s fun. It’s entertaining! It’s the whole reason you got together in the first place!
Which is why I love sharing small plates. Smaller dishes keep the focus on the people, not the food. You can grab a chip and dip without stopping your story. Snag a meatball, pass the plate. It’s the culinary equivalent of puff puff pass.
I love to order arancini to start while we sip our Vespers. And then splitting some ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms with our second round. And then an order of brown butter pappardelle while we switch to wine. And then some lamb lollipops. And then dessert. And then coffee. (Don't worry, there are recipes for all these and more.)
Small plates allow for variety. They’re less of a commitment. Not sure if you want the entire steak? Get that and a risotto and split them with your date.
My wife and I face the same issue at home. I can’t tell you how often I feel like I’m in a cooking rut where I’ll pick up a rib eye, a potato, and some broccoli for dinner. But that gets old. I want the variety of excellent bar bites, damnit!
So I wrote this book.
I wrote this book to give you recipes to keep the conversation going. I wrote this book for people who want thoughtful dishes to pass around the table, drinks they could make for friends, food they could grab with their hands, recipes for things on sticks, toasts, and in bowls.
I wrote this book for you. For me. For all of us.
So we can make our own moments.
So have I convinced you to buy the book yet? Are you won over by my story … er … moment?
I hope so. Because the book’s pretty damn good, and it’d be a shame for you to miss out.
Alright, enough from me… It’s time for you to call up a few of your closest friends, open a bottle of wine, and get cooking!
Table Of Contents
Sample Recipes
Chocolate-Almond Cake Brownie [It’s a thing]
Squash Blossoms, Ricotta, Pesto
Whipped Ricotta, Honey, Chives, Pine Nuts
Sticks
Burrata, artichoke, baby lettuce, lemon
Caprese Skewers
Chicken Bites: Buffalo
Chicken Bites: Madeira
Chicken Bites: Marsala
Chicken Bites: Piccata
Fajita Skewers
Greek Skewers: Watermelon, Feta, Cucumber, Olive, Mint
Grilled chicken skewers, salsa verde
Hanger steak skewers, country bread, nut romesco, salsa verde
Italian Antipasto Skewers
Short Rib Skewer, roasted shallot, red wine reduction
Steak Skewers, cilantro radish salsa, flatbread
Bowls
Arugula salad, shaved fennel, heirloom cherry tomato, mint, basil, parm-reg
Brussels sprouts, granny smith apple, creme fraiche, pistachio
Cacio e Pepe
Campanelle, Pumpkin, Sage Brown Butter, Almond
Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe
Frisee, lardons, poached egg
Fundido
Gnocchi with Pancetta, Preserved Lemon, Parmesan
Gnocchi, brown butter, sage
Herbed Brown Butter Tagliolini with Ritz
Mixed Nuts
Pappardelle with beef chunk bolognese
Popcorn
Ricotta
Saffron Risotto
Soy-glazed Roasted Carrots, labneh, honey
Tortellini, peas, robiola
Tuna Tartare, avocado mousse, ginger-soy marinade
Boards
How to cheeseboard
Burrata, 5 ways
Dips
Whipped Ricotta, Honey, Chives, Pine Nuts
Balls
Beef and Ricotta Meatballs, red sauce, parm
Crab Cakes
Crispy Artichokes with kalamata / black olive aioli
Crispy soft-boiled egg
Croquettes
Stuffed Dates, almonds and cheese, wrapped in prosciutto or jamón
Deviled Eggs
Falafel, fava bean, tzatziki, quick pickled cabbage
Fried 🍆
Fried Mashed Potato Balls
Heritage Pork Meatball, roasted tomato sugo, polenta, parm-reg
Lamb meatballs, roasted red pepper, brown butter labneh, pine nuts
Short Rib Meatballs
Spinach + Cheese Croquettes
Squash Blossoms, Ricotta, Pesto
Tots
Toasts
"Ham & Cheese"
Brown Butter Basted fish, Capers, Grilled Bread
Grilled Cheese Sando
Skirt Steak Pintxos
Toast Party! Avocado
Toast Party! Bruschetta
Toast Party! Chorizo, Manchego, Quince Paste
Toast Party! Jambon sec, brie, blackberry preserves
Toast Party! Mushroom Bruschetta
Toast Party! Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Balsamic
Toast Party!: Black Olive Tapenade, Anchovy, egg
Buns
Chorizo, Manchego, quick-pickled allium, salsa verde
French Onion Sliders
Lamb Sliders
Mushroom & Thyme Sliders
Pulled Pork Sliders, pickled cipollini onions
Turkey & Brie Sliders
Desserts
Affogato
Almond Roca
Caramels
Chocolate-Almond Cake Brownie [It’s a thing]
Chocolate Truffles
Ice Cream Cookies, brown butter cookies, pistachio ice cream
More Ice Cream Cookies, peanut butter cookies, vanilla ice cream
S'mores
About The Author
Comps
Photography
Cocktail Codex (👈 not an affiliate link)
The Aviary Cocktail Book (👈 not an affiliate link)
Tone
Cooking (for A**holes): Terrible things I've done. Tasty apologies. Little to no remorse. (👈 not an affiliate link)
Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck (👈 not an affiliate link)
Cravings: Recipes For All the Food You Want to Eat (👈 not an affiliate link)
