Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Food/recipes

For related content, visit our food content hub.

Original poster

May Cookery Book Club - Middle Eastern month

115 replies

HuevosRancheros · 03/05/2015 20:30

This month we are having a vague Middle Eastern theme - Jerusalem (Ottolenghi) and Persiana (Sabrina Ghayour) have grabbed our imagination, but other books can definitely be shared - let us know what you like cooking Grin
give us more books to buy

OP posts:
TwoLittleTerrors · 03/05/2015 20:37

I have both books. I love Jerusalem. And I need an excuse to crack open Persiana (figuratively as I have the kindle version).

Still lusting after sesame and spice. If I succumb it would be the kindle version so DH won't notice. He made comments about Polpo, as I bought Dim Sum and Made in India the previous one.

pregnantpause · 03/05/2015 20:58

I'll be cooking from Claudia roden arabesque and the jewelled kitchen by Beth someone. As well as Jerusalem

And off topic but two- is polpo worth it? It's been in my wish list for months

Onykahonie · 03/05/2015 21:40

Veggiestan (Sally Butcher) is a great cookbook...all vegetarian recipes from the Middle East.

ScienceRocks · 03/05/2015 21:49

Checking in. Have Jerusalem and plenty by ottolenghi, plus the jewelled kitchen from a previous month (I think).

Will lurk for more ideas.

glorious · 03/05/2015 21:57

Mmm Jerusalem. Not much cooking for us this month as we're away.

Cantdothisagain · 03/05/2015 22:11

I have all the Ottolenghi books bar the first. I also have the Jewelled a Kitchen and I also have Persiana on Kindle.

Looking forward to meal planning!!

TwoLittleTerrors · 03/05/2015 22:18

pregnantpause I have only cooked a courgette, mint and chilli pizzetta from it and it was excellent. I planned to make more of the pizzetta from the book. I have also marked many of the recipes to make.

If you need any persuasion, the notes on EYB are very very positive.
www.eatyourbooks.com/library/103145/polpo-a-venetian-cookbook-of#notes

ancientbuchanan · 03/05/2015 22:46

What is Persiana like?

Pantah630 · 03/05/2015 23:04

Signing in, thanks for the new thread Huevos

whois · 04/05/2015 15:16

What is Persiana like?

I like it a lot, lots of food that I want to cook and eat but it has some really terrible measurements and sometimes a lack of clarity about the processes.

Eg often says a tablespoon of salt but apparently she means a table spoon of massive very expensive chunky crystal salt not normal salt. I just do salt to taste and not per her measurements.

whois · 04/05/2015 15:19

Vegistan is worth throwing into the ring here.

www.amazon.co.uk/Veggiestan-Vegetable-Lovers-Tour-Middle-x/dp/1862058849

I love love LOVE Middle Eastern cooking of all varieties. The flavours, meats, breads and salads etc so tasty!

Haywire · 04/05/2015 21:03

Got Jerusalem from the library at weekend ooooh looks lovely, enjoying perusing. Looking at a few others on Amazon too.

JamNan · 04/05/2015 21:35

I have Persiana and it's very good. Lots of unusual and healthy ingredients (apart from the salt and the butter).

I have tried these and they are delicious

Chicken pomegranate and walnut stew
Lamb butternut squash prune and tamarind tagine
Rice with lentils and crispy onions
Barley salad with griddled broccoli and za'atar
Red Rice salad with barberries, grilled veg and toasted almonds
cumin roasted carrots with honey lemon dressing with goat's cheese

The desserts are also very nice but very sweet.

Haven't got Jerusalem only his first book.

Others I'd recommend are Sultan's Kitchen a Turkish Cookbook by Ozcan Ozan and you can look inside on Amazon.

I also use Moro by Sam and Sam Clarke quite a bit. And Claudia Roden's A Book of Middel Eastern Food becasue it's such a good read. It has recently been updated and added to.

McKayz · 05/05/2015 07:24

I really want to expand what we eat so is it ok if I join in? I have reserved the 2 books in the OP from the library.

Are there any good middle eastern books for novice cooks?

glorious · 05/05/2015 08:23

Of course McKayz, welcome. I don't have many middle Eastern books so I can't really answer your question except to say that most of it is pretty straightforward so the ones you have are probably fine Smile

TwoLittleTerrors · 05/05/2015 08:34

I found Diana Henry and Nigel Slater very good for quick dinners. However they are more British than Middle Eastern. But if a recipe is well written, it should be possible to follow even for inexperienced cooks. Just remember to taste the food, all through cooking and especially before serving.

TwoLittleTerrors · 05/05/2015 08:35

I mean they do have the odd Middle eastern recipe but not entirely so.

MaddingCrowd · 05/05/2015 08:40

I've had Jerusalem for ages but barely cooked from it even though have used the other Otto ones loads.

But my friend made the herb pie and the pitta and date salad the other day for a big group and it was lovely. The dates were sort of pickled which made them divine. My youngest two DC (3 and 8mo) love love loved the herb pie.

MaddingCrowd · 05/05/2015 08:43

Also have Persiana and have yet to cook from it. Borrowed Honey and Co recently
From a friend and made loads. The muhamra was so so good. We also made the chesnut cake which was rank.

Original poster
HuevosRancheros · 06/05/2015 13:49

Yesterday I made the spicy freekeh soup from Jerusalem (thanks pregnant for the inspiration :)).
I was making it veggie, so no meatballs and no meat stock, it could have gone very wrong, but was absolutely delicious :). My only niggle would be that I thought it could have done with a bit more cooking (I needed lunch, so ate it anyway) - the veg were still a bit al dente, I prefer mine more mushy. Depends on how you like your soup, I guess. I can imagine the soup would work really well with butternut squash.
I took the cinnamon out pretty soon after it went in, and wouldn't bother putting it in at all next time, as it was going too cinnamony for my liking.
Made the baharat from the book, a very good blend

Last week, for the first time, I made the baby spinach salad with dates and almonds, as mentioned by MaddingCrowd (welcome, by the way! :))
It was so amazing I made it twice more that week!!
I wasn't even sure I would like it, I thought the dates would be too sweet. But because you marinate them in vinegar with onions, they go lovely and tangy, and work wonderfully with the spinach and crunchy buttery pittas and almonds. I urge you all to make it Grin

On the menu for the coming week are burnt aubergine and mograbieh soup, and stuffed onions :)

My library had Veggiestan in, so I've brought it home. I've gone from not really fancying much in it (didn't seem that much more to offer than Jerusalem), to being really annoyed at her writing style ("slotty spoon", "natch", "chilli wuss", all drive me mad), to wanting to make quite a lot of it actually, now!
So I shall have a proper read later and make some plans - anyone recommend anything in particular?

Things that I love from Jerusalem, that I would highly recomend are:
Na'ama's fattoush
Chermoula aubergine with bulgar and yoghurt
Roasted cauliflower & hazelnut salad
Spicy beetroot, leek & walnut salad
Split wheat & swiss chard with pomegranate molasses (but if you are eating it on its own, go easy on the molasses, or serve with extra yoghurt as it is very tangy. But delicious!)
Conchiglie with yoghurt, peas and chilli
Mejadra

Didn't really like the couscous wih tomato and onion, or the semolina, coconut and marmalade cake

OP posts:
MaddingCrowd · 06/05/2015 13:57

Sorry should have introduced myself more formally before bundling in! Grin

Yes make the date salad everyone. So good!

I was thinking of doing the tomato cous cous but maybe I won't now if you didn't rate it.

DH objects to a lot of the cornerstones of this kind of cooking (dates, yoghurt etc) so don't get to cook this kind of thing as much as I would like!

Original poster
HuevosRancheros · 06/05/2015 15:50

My DH is similar Madding, so I often just make it for myself :(

The tomato couscous wasn't awful, just a bit bland and not particularly worth the effort

OP posts:
Pantah630 · 06/05/2015 15:55

Pretty sure I've got enough dates for the salad at home, there was spinach in the veg box and pitta in the freezer so I'll make it tonight with some grilled chicken breasts. We have a school trip meeting tonight so need something quick and easy.

Hello McKayz Jam and Madding Jerusalem is fantastic you'll love it..need to press go in my Amazon order for H&co

pregnantpause · 06/05/2015 17:49

Huevos - you're a far better reviewer of recipes than I am- I omitted the cinnamon stick altogether and cooked for at least fifteen extra minutes, which , had I included in the first place you'd have some forewarning on the timing.

Tbh both me and dh aren't raving fans of middle eastern flavours, and prior to this thread ( well not this actual thread, but the cookbook club) I would never have bought a middle eastern inspired book , but over time I have come to love it. Keep working at your dhs - they may come around tooGrin

JamNan · 06/05/2015 18:29

Huevos thank you for starting this thread. I love cooking and I'd say Middle Eastern food is probably my favorite.

Thanks for the ideas. I am going to ask for the Jerusalem book for my birthday. Those recipes sound fantastic.

Has anyone made bistilla? I think they make it with pigeon in the Middle East. recipe here
Is it difficult to make? What does it taste like?