Zahav - The Gold Standard in Cookbooks

Welcome back, EAF fans! We recently reviewed Zahav, by Michael Solomonov. When I was initially given this book I thought, oh man, I know nothing about Isreali cooking but I bet it's full of legumes and it'll be really hard to give it an allergy makeover. Thoughts of chickpea-free hummus danced sadly in my head. But then I opened it and began flipping through. There were so many possibilities, so much colour, so much STORYTELLING. I wanted to create all of it, and surprisingly much of it was already suited to my allergies. At that point I knew this book was special and that this review was going to be a lot of fun.

Madiha (right) was the guest cook working with Joella (left) and myself (behind camera) on this review. We made green tahina, Moroccan carrot salad, roasted okra, and shakshuka. So let's dive in...

Green Tehina
There's a whole section of the book devoted to this magical dip made of sesame seeds, olive oil, garlic, and other seasonings. Recipes for several variations are provided and he enforces how central this is to Israeli cuisine and many other recipes in the book. So I felt that in order to do the book justice we had to test it out. Otherwise Micheal would be sitting at his computer, reading this review, and thinking umm, did they not get it? 

The recipe didn't have to be changed to suit my allergies so that was an unexpected score. 9 times out of 10 everyone's favorite cultural dishes are comprised of ingredients that I'm deathly allergic to. So how nice to be able to just enjoy something as it was intended to be. 

I made the green tehina ahead of time for snacking while we cooked and served it with green and wax string beans and spicy radishes. I'm sure Michael Solomonov intended for it to be eaten with fresh seasonal veggies from a local farm but here's our little secret... We realized that it tastes frigging amazing with potato chips. Honestly, make a big bowl of it, get a bag of chips, and go to town. Either that or put out enough veggies to feed your guests so they don't go roaming through your cupboards. You know, whatever.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Nothing about this recipe had to be changed either! We steamed carrots and tossed them in a dressing made from the boiled down carrot water reduced with orange juice, olive oil, lemon juice, cilantro, and spices. I like to have an abundance of veggies with my meal and this was a great dish that I will definitely make again. A little sweet, very flavorful, and with a fresh hint of cilantro. It was easy to prepare and can be made ahead of time. 

Everyone's hair game was on point.

I popped onto the set to help whisk up some carrot water!

 Roasted Okra

And can you believe it, a third recipe that didn't have to be changed? This book is seriously awesome. And it's not a boring run-of-the-mill allergy-friendly recipe like chicken and salad either. For this dish we roasted a pan of okra until they were deep brown and crispy, then tossed with fresh tomato sauce, olive oil, lime, and cilantro. I often get pushback when I make okra for others because people tend to think of it as slimy and stringy. But I always tell them they obviously don't know how to cook it. Okra is rich and creamy inside and firm on the outside when roasted. The tomato sauce is tangy and sweet while cilantro and lemon add complexity. 

 Shakshuka
If you want to hear me stumble and mumble, just ask me to say shakshuka. We were all excited for the shakshuka because we came to realize that all our cultures (Pakistani, Indian, and Italian) have a version of eggs poached in tomato sauce. Very often when I was growing up my dad would make what we referred to as a farmer's meal. He would stir fry chopped zucchini and potatoes, add fresh herbs from the backyard, top it off with our homemade tomato sauce, and then drop in eggs at the last minute to poach. It's a dish I make all the time and one that's really close to my heart.

This version was fantastic and the flavorings were different than the ones I typically use. Instead of basil and rosemary this recipe called for paprika, cumin, coriander, and lime. I liked the change of pace and it felt like a totally new dish while still reminding me of home. 

What we loved about this book
There was so much storytelling. We loved that as a reader you could feel his passion for Israeli cuisine and got a sense of his personality (I'm looking at you, page 283) and personal story. This isn't just a collection of recipes; it's an experience. There is so much to take in from the recipes, ample photographs, and great double-page spreads, to the cultural and social info on nearly every page. 
The next item on my list to make is challah!

You can pick up your hardcover copy of Zahav here for $35 (regular price is $50)

Another successful review by your EAF team. Cheers!

A Sirocco Blows Through Toronto

Upon opening Sabrina Ghayour’s cookbook, I learned a few things. First, she cleared up what the title means (thank god, I hadn’t a clue). She defines a sirocco as a “hot, dry wind blowing from East to West, often carrying with it flavors of the Mediterranean.” Next I learned that although I couldn’t find some of the key flavors commonly found in the book, it would be okay because she designed the recipes to not be reliant on one main ingredient. Admittedly I was concerned when I did my initial flip-through because I knew I would have trouble finding sumac and other spices at my closest Loblaws. Knowing that we could carry on without them allowed me to keep my options open when selecting recipes.

I welcomed two of my close friends, Joella and Cailen, into my kitchen to prepare three recipes and share a meal together. Joella’s a pro now, this being her third book review on my site! And Cailen is pretty skilled in the kitchen as I came to learn.

We agreed that the aesthetic of the book is very “Instagram-y”, especially with the table of contents arranged like a grid and the photos altered with a hazy filter making them super grammable.

Lamb Lettuce Wraps

So we made a major substitution here and used beef tenderloin instead of lamb because Loblaws had a great sale and I couldn’t resist. The marinade tasted amazing and I know it would also have been fab on lamb. It consisted of soy sauce, honey, cumin, garlic, and a ton of cinnamon. We let the meat marinate while we put together the kale salad (below). Just before serving we made the peanut sauce, using sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. There was a lot of sauce left over so I think in future I would maybe make half the recommended amount. The beef was so rich and juicy, and the cinnamon added the most amazing depth of flavor. We grilled it using a Persian style of metal kebab stick, although you could fry the meat as per the recipe. The lettuce cups and “peanut” sauce helped to round out and freshen up the aromatic marinade. This was such a wonderful dish and I would definitely make it again. It’s perfect for entertaining.

Marinated Kale Salad

The kale salad also had to sit and marinate so we worked on that right after dressing the raw beef. Kale is such a thick, tough green that absorbs dressing really well. After a few hours in the fridge it had soaked up the apple-based pureed vinaigrette while still having great texture and color. We all agreed that it wasn’t the right salad to accompany the beef, so that was poor menu curation on my part. But I would definitely make it again and serve with a simpler protein like grilled chicken or shrimp. 

Caramelized Fennel

Being Italian, I’m no stranger to cooking with fennel or snacking on it raw, though I’ve never had it prepared like this. Jo coated the chunks of fennel in powdered sugar and then Cailen gave them a light fry in olive oil. Something went a little wrong with the herb sauce; it smelled great but it was a lot thicker than we figured it was supposed to be. It was about 10pm by the time we got around to the end of the meal prep and we decided to sacrifice the sauce so we could sit down and eat. The fennel was a close contender for best dish, really yummy and caramelized. The sugar wasn’t overpoweringly sweet like I thought it would be and actually gave it a nice creamy texture. 

The next recipes I can’t wait to make
Marinated Scallops (pg. 100) – HUGE cravings for this one
Eastern-Style Salmon Tartare (pg. 103)
Nectarine Pavlova (pg. 222)

How it rated for allergy-friendliness
I’ll be honest and say this book has a lotta nuts, legumes, and dairy (mainly yoghurt). Every recipe had to be altered but as I’ve mentioned in the past that’s totally cool with me. Recipes are for inspiration, not following the steps with precision. The goal is to make wonderful  food that you’ll enjoy and by using Ghayour’s recipes as a base I was able to make substitutions to suit my needs and everything turned out well.

You can pick up a copy of Sirocco at Indigo online or in store for $39.95 CAD

What a beautiful table (if I do say so myself)

And it looks much better with friends sitting around it!