This third cookbook by Mr Ottolenghi is the winner of the Observer Food Monthly cookbook of 2013, but is still riding high at number 25 – indeed Mr Ottolenghi has three cookbooks in the top 30 on amazon – no mean feat!!
Why is he so popular? Can one person be a zeitgeist in their own right? If they can, then simply he is… This particular book is also a loving study of Jerusalem, with photographs of the city and it’s people. The city is an amazing confluence of Jewish, Libyan, Italian, Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, and many more cultures, and its food is consequently incredibly varied, but quite unique…
The book is divided into the following sections:
Introduction: Jerusalem food; The passion in the air; The Recipes; A comment about ownership; History
Vegetables: Sweet potatoes & fresh figs; baby spinach, dates & almonds; roasted butternut squash, red onions with tahini & za’atar…
Pulses and grains: Maqluba; couscous with tomato and onion; mejadra; musabaha and toasted pita, hummus…
Soups: Seafood and fennel; pistachio soup; burnt aubergine and mograbieh soup; tomato and sourdough soup…
Stuffed: Stuffed artichokes with peas and dill; stuffed aubergine with lamb and pine nuts; stuffed potatoes…
Meat: Braised quail with apricots, currants and tamarind; roasted chicken with clementines and arak; chopped liver…
Fish: Pan-fried mackerel with golden beetroot and orange salsa; cod cakes in tomato sauce; fricassee salad…
Savoury Pastries: Acharuli khachapuri; ghraybeh; mutabbaq; brick; red pepper and baked egg galettes…
Sweets and Desserts: Muhallabieh; semolina coconut and marmalade cake; set yoghurt pudding with poached peaches…
Condiments: Harissa; dukkah; zhoug; preserved lemons; pickled lemons; pilpekchuma; labneh; baharat…
Another fascinating journey into a delightful cuisine, I dip in and out of it constantly…
You can buy your copy here >
