Jerusalem: A Cookbook

Jerusalem is a perfect storm of a book: it combines an amazing story with stunning photographs and mouth-watering recipes. Part of the amazing story is the background of the two authors: Ottolenghi and Tamimi both grew up in Jerusalem at the same time, but did not know each other. Indeed, they grew up on opposite sides of the city because Ottolenghi is Israeli and Tamimi is Arab. The two men, however, began working together many years later -- in London of all places -- as chefs. These days, Tamimi and Ottolenghi own a restaurant together where Tamimi is the executive But what about the recipes? A cookbook can have a great concept and gorgeous photos -- and the photos in this book are wonderful -- but it is no good to anyone without clear, readable and delicious recipes. I am happy to report that Jerusalem has that too. I have made eight or nine of the recipes so far, from salads to spice mixes to lamb, and each one has been a hit. Yes, I have had to go out and buy some new ingredients -- like ground sumac and bulgur wheat -- but it has been very worthwhile. I have also found myself with new appreciation for familiar ingredients, like flat-leaf parsley -- which I am now buying multiple bunches of a week -- and Greek yogurt. What I love about the recipes in Jerusalem is that the food seems familiar and exotic at the same time. Oranges, fennel and chicken are all ingredients I have cooked with, but I never thought to combine them before reading the recipe for Roasted Chicken with Clementines and Arak. (Arak is a licorice-flavored liquor, but any licorice-flavored liquor, like Pernod or ouzo, would work just as well.) There are also, as I mentioned, many interesting vegetable recipes which I think would inspire any cook to experiment. Kohlrabi Salad anyone? Among the recipes in Jerusalem that I have tried are familiar Middle Eastern dishes like fattoush and tabbouleh. And I love learning how to make these restaurant favorites at home. I have been so pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to make tabbouleh that I have been making it several times a week. But I have also loved the recipes for less typical fare, like Turkey and Zucchini Burgers with Scallions and Cumin, Braised Eggs with Lamb, and Roasted Chicken with Jerusalem Artichoke and Lemon. In fact, every recipe I have tried from Jerusalem has been fun to make and a pleasure to eat. Some are more ambitious than others, but many are easy enough to make for a typical weeknight -- once you make sure that you have the proper ingredients on hand. And that is just a matter of planning ahead.

I bought this cookbook on a whim. I’d heard good things about it and added it to by wishlist. I have family that live in Israel, and tend to really enjoy food from that general part of the world - Lebanese, Turkish, Persian, Israeli, the Caucasus, North Africa. I noticed the price was reduced and decided to buy it. I am so glad I did. I received this book 8 days ago, scanned through the recipes, and went out to buy some lamb, grains, and fresh veg/herbs on the weekend. I always have the spices, Greek yogurt, labneh, and oils in stock in my kitchen. So far I’ve made the braised eggs with lamb, tahini, and sumac (pp. 205; the turkey & zucchini burgers with green onion & cumin (pp. 200); the lamb meatballs with barberries, yogurt & herbs (pp. 199); the conchiglie with yogurt, peas & chile (pp. 111); and couscous with tomato and onion (pp. 129). All the recipes I’ve tried so far are wonderful: they are flavorful, healthy, and easy to make. I noticed a few reviews mention the recipes have a “lot” of ingredients, but that seems to be mostly spices and herbs that are easily found at a middle eastern market or Asian market. Regardless, the recipes I’ve made so far have been simple to cook. The recipes really require that you do all the prep, measuring, and staging of ingredients before you start cooking and getting into that practice as a habit, in my opinion, makes cooking more pleasurable/less stressful anyhow. One other recommendation that I have is to weigh the ingredients when a weight is provided, for better accuracy. When I made the turkey “burgers” — they’re really more like small parties or oblong meatballs — I used a “large zucchini” as specified, but didn’t weigh it. The zucchini I used made the mixture a little too wet, even after I gently pressed some of the liquid from the zucchini. Since I purchased two, I decided to weigh the second one, which was similar in size to the one I used and it weighed several grams more than the recommendation in the recipe. Lesson learned! However, the recipe was forgiving of my mistake: I simply baked the patties a little longer than stated and they came out deliciously moist and flavorful. Each recipe has filled my home with such a delicious smell as I’m cooking. My family has loved every single dish and has asked for each to go into rotation, which is a rare occurrence in this house. I can’t wait to try more of the vegetable dishes and some of the “stuffed” dishes. I appreciate the organization of the cookbook and the information the authors share about each dish, it’s ingredients, and variations / substitutions. Truly, this is one of the best cookbooks I’ve ever purchased and I’m so happy I did. I would like to buy some of the other Ottolenghi/Tamimi cookbooks, as I am sure they will be just as good. Thank you, from this adventurous home cook. 💕 I attached a photo of my attempt at the braised eggs with lamb, tahini, and sumac. I’d gotten a phone call while cooking and accidentally steamed the eggs a little too long, but it didn’t affect how amazingly delicious the dish was. I can’t wait to make it again.

Having just returned from Crete, and having some new friends from Lebanon, I wanted to learn to cook some interesting dishes where we could hopefully share something they would enjoy and be familiar with. I was drawn to the interesting angle of this cookbook - 2 authors from Jerusalem with different backgrounds, and drawn as well with the excellent reviews. I have only been using the book for a week, but I am thoroughly enjoying my journey! The stories take you through a variety of cultures and the diverse heritage of Jerusalem with beautiful snapshots of life and delicious recipes. Even the somewhat complicated recipes are relatively easy to work through, with a beautiful symphony of spices as your reward. I hope to make every recipe in the book, because each one is a new discovery, and a very tasty one as well! Thank you for this beautiful book.

Excellent cookbook with tasty, authentic recipes and bold, colorful pages. Stunning illustrations and very well-written ingredients, easy to follow and understand. Highly recommend this, as it is my third purchase, and I handed others out to friends and family.

This book is more than just cooking book. That about history, geography, lifestyle. A lot of images with life in Israel. It really cool book with interesting information and tasty receipts.

Anche se in inglese si capisce bene, immagini belle e ricette gustose. L'ho trovato in offerta ad 11€, un vero affare!

Adorei o livro. É como uma viagem à Jerusalém mesmo, pois eles contam fatos históricos e pessoais que contextualizam cada receita. As receitas são ótimas tb

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Beautiful book...

Excelente libro sólo que llegó roto la portada y contraportada