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!

Per La Famiglia: Colourful, Hearty, Delicious

I had a new pair of guests in my kitchen this week to test out the latest cookbook byEmily Richards, Per La Famiglia. Emily is a southern Italian cook and blogger who put together a wonderful collection of recipes that she grew up with. Food is always best when it’s made with passion and that is what really stands out with this book. My dad was born in Abruzzo which is kind of central Italy, I guess, but I found a lot of the recipes in this book are ones that my nonna makes all the time. Specifically the Ugly Cookies. And I love that Emily calls them ugly cookies because that is the best way to describe them. I’ve also eaten a ton of Pizzelle in my time and am somewhat of an aficionado when it comes to sauce-making. So basically what I’m getting at is that I was pretty excited to cook from this book!

Above we have Karan and Misha, my lovely guests. Misha does freelance makeup artistry so if you want to get her flawless glow here’s where to go. Karan is on his way to becoming a doctor… sorry, no link for that Misha described her skill level as comfortable in the kitchen while Karan prefaced the evening by telling me he was unskilled and to set low expectations haha. But alas, when a recipe is well-written, anyone can be a great chef for the night. We prepared several dishes from the book, including Pasta with Pesto, Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Antipasto platter, Tomato and Cucumber salad, and a basic green salad. You may be thinking – these are so basic and easy! Yes they are, but that’s what’s so wonderful about them especially when working with beginners.

Setting the tone
I set the tone for the evening by putting out a very basic antipasto platter of olives and prosciutto. This is standard fare in an Italian house. Usually I would include my dad’s homemade pickled eggplant and green tomatoes but unfortunately I was out of stock. Misha and Karan brought the Chianti, a classic type of Italian wine and one of my favorite varieties. I set the table with richly coloured flowers and bright blue and white accessories, colours that remind me of the Mediterranean. After a glass of wine everyone was ready to start cooking.

The Salad
We started off with the most simple dish, the Tomato and Cucumber Salad. In my opinion the flavors get better as it sits so you can easily prepare it ahead of time. Misha chopped tomatoes and cucumber while Karan cut up the garlic and onions.The veggies were tossed with good olive oil, vinegar, and herbs.

Pasta with Pesto
I was so excited for this dish because 1. I love pesto and 2. I was eager to test how pumpkin seeds would taste in place of pine nuts. The recipe also calls for cheese but we left it out to keep it dairy-free. Misha blended basil, garlic, Super Seedz pumpkin seeds (we all like how they were called Somewhat Spicy, and it was true), olive oil, salt, and pepper. And that was it, the sauce was done! Once the spaghetti was cooked we tossed it all together so each noodle was coated. The seeds add that hint of nutty flavor that the pine nuts would have provided while being allergen-free.

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce
Pasta with tomato sauce is my number 1 favorite thing to eat, hands down. It’s the ultimate comfort food that feels like home to me and so I decided we just had to make one of the sauce recipes from Per La Famiglia. Karan managed this recipe, chopping up the onions, garlic, herbs, and plum (or Roma) tomatoes. He sauteed the garlic, onion, and herbs in some olive oil, salt, and pepper until they became softened and aromatic. Then he added the tomatoes and let simmer, stirring from time to time. We tossed with penne and garnished with a bit more fresh herbs.

The feast

Things we loved
The food tasted delicious and each recipe was so simple to make.
This book oozed passion, from her family photographs to the recipes her nonna used to make. You can tell that she was very invested in it emotionally.
There are so many recipes I want to go back and make now! In particular the homemade gnocchi and a number of the desserts.

You can pick up your copy of the book here

Ciao!