Cookbook essence both delicious, beautiful

Two years ago, Mina Stone and her partner, Alex Eagleton, opened their first restaurant within MOMA’S PS1, one of America’s largest contemporary art institutions, in Long Island City, Queens.

They gave it a homey name — Mina’s — and comforting qualities where museumgoers could ponder the thought-provoking art: simple, straightforward food reminiscent of the tavernas in Greece she had frequented as a child.

Then COVID-19 happened, and after only a few months, they shuttered their cafe doors, sequestered themselves at home, and brainstormed their future — often over braised chickpeas, oregano-seasoned roast chicken, and other familiar favorites. And in the midst of that cooking and contemplation, Stone recorded the recipes she had been cooking over the years both as a chef and a home cook from a tight-knit Greek family with a large circle of creative friends in her progressive New York community.

Her restaurant is open again, and

her recipes and journaling are now beautifully packaged in “Lemon Love & Olive Oil” (Harper Wave, $40). Its bold title sums up a style of cooking she characterizes as “direct, uncomplicated, and soothing,” as reflected in dishes such as Roasted Halloumi with Tomatoes and Oregano, Youvarlakia (Meatballs with Rice and Parsley in Lemon Broth), and Greek Frappe, the traditional instant iced coffee drink that’s a signature of Mina’s.

Stone became a private chef to support her fledgling fashion career, and found her niche in the art world cooking dinners for gallery events and lunches at multimedia artist Urs Fischer’s Brooklyn-based studio. Her simple, Greek-inspired specialties were so well received that in 2015, Fischer published and designed her first cookbook, “Cooking for Artists,” under his imprint, with illustrations courtesy of some of the artists she had cooked for.

Fischer’s whimsical illustrations also appear between the gorgeous food photos and unfussy recipes of her second book, which intertwines her tricks for turning handfuls of humble ingredients into delectable meals with her personal story.

Using good olive oil and lots of lemons as her medium, Stone expresses her philosophy of cooking succinctly: “It is how we honor the essence of ourselves, and it is how we show our love.”

Mina Stone turns out unfussy recipes with her personal story.