The New Book of Middle Eastern Food: The Classic Cookbook, Expanded and Updated, with New Recipes and Contemporary Variations on Old ThemesClaudia Roden
Gebundene Ausgabe
Claudia Roden has updated and expanded her popular 1968 cookbook for a more savvy and knowledgeable audience. While still filled with old favorites, the third edition acknowledges food processors and other handy kitchen tools, as well as this generation's preference for lower-fat recipes. Not that every recipe is changed; many are not, but Roden does attempt not to rely too much on butter and oils. Begin your meal with < I>mezze, derived from the Arabic < I>t'mazza, meaning "to savor in little bites. " Try < I> Cevisli Biber ( Roasted Pepper and Walnut Paste) spread on warm pita bread. Serve with < I> Salata Horiatiki ( Greek Country Salad) and then move on to a main dish of Roast Fish with Lemon and Honeyed Onions or Lamb Tagine with Artichokes and Fava Beans. The cookbook wouldn't be complete without sections on rice, couscous, and bulgur-try < I> Addis Polow ( Rice with Lentils and Dates) or < I> Kesksou Bidaoui bel Khodra ( Beber Couscous with Seven Vegetables). Finish with a traditional dessert like < I> Orass bi Loz ( Almond Balls). Mixed in with the recipes are Roden's personal experiences as a cook and recipe archivist, and Middle Eastern tales that illustrate the history of a particular recipe or food group. " It was once believed olive oil could cure any illness except the one by which a person was fated to die, " Roden writes. " People still believe in its beneficial qualities and sometimes drink it neat when they feel anemic of tired. " She also includes a detailed introduction to the terrain, history, politics, and society of the Middle East so her readers can more fully understand why the cuisine has evolved the way it has. " Cooking in the Middle East is deeply traditional and nonintellectual, " she says, "an inherited art. " It's our good fortune to inherit such a rich tradition. < I>-Dana Van Nest
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