Essential Turkish Cuisine by Engin Akine (Cookbook Review)

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Engin Akin shares her culinary mastery and describes the evolution of Turkey's diverse culture of food in Essential Turkish Cuisine. Complete with 200 recipes found across the country, including traditional dolmas, kebabs, halva, and more, this definitive book offers rare insight into the myriad influences on modern Turkish cooking.

Featuring a wide range of large and small plates—from Stuffed Peppers and Eggplant to Lamb with Quince, Fresh Sour Cherry Hosaf to Crepes with Tahini and Pekmez—Akin includes expert instruction for each dish. Through these recipes and the gorgeous photographs of Turkey—its bustling markets, its food, and its traditions—Akin shares the country's rich heritage and brings the spirit of Turkey into your kitchen.

My thoughts- 

Essential Turkish Cuisine is an extremely well thought out cookbook. It very thoroughly explains the background of Turkish food and it's Persian roots. It also offers wonderful descriptions and explanations of ingredients you will want to stock your kitchen with if you plan to make Turkish food. I have always thought there was pretty much one way to make dolmas but this book offers several takes on the stuffed grape leaves alone. My previous exposure to Turkish food was limited to kofta kabob, dolmas, and baklava. Essential Turkish Cuisine includes so many recipes it would probably take me a year to try them all out, even if I attempted one every few days. If you are a foodie, love Middle Eastern food or just want to be adventurous, Essential Turkish Cuisine is a beautiful cookbook that you won't want to put down.

Snackistan by Sally Butcher- Cookbook Review

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book:

Hot on the heels of Veggiestan, Sally Butcher brings us Snackistan: a fictitious land where tummies are always full, and there’s a slightly naughty smile on every face. Snackistan does not, of course, exist, any more than Veggiestan does. It is, rather, a borderless confederation of the Middle East’s favourite foodstuffs. The simple fare that people actually eat on a daily basis: dishes they prepare at home, or cook to share with friends, or look forward to indulging in at the end of the week. We all like to snack – increasingly, formal dining is being nudged aside in favour of meze-style spreads. And, at the same time, street food has come of age. In malls and farmers markets across the world, food on the hoof has become a stylish and popular way to feed. This book picks out the Middle East’s most exciting street foods and meze dishes, together with a range of homely and simple snack recipes elicited from family and friends. Chapters comprise Nuts and Nibbles, Fishy Things, Meat on Sticks, Meat Not on Sticks, Salady Stuff, Hot Veggie Dishes, Mostly Carbs, Puds, & Something to Wash it Down With. The burst of flavours is intoxicating, as is Sally's trademark wit and attention to detail – a must-buy for all Middle Eastern food enthusiasts.

My thoughts:

 My knowledge of Middle Eastern street eats ends and begins with kebab, so I was super excited to see some of the very interesting recipes offered in Snackistan. Middle Eastern countries sometimes have similar foods to one another (not always, they have some very different, distinctly their own dishes as well!) but they always put their own spin on these dishes, so there are definitely some variations on the kebab (and other dishes) to be found here. The recipes I found myself most interested in jejeh kebab, beef kebab Georgian style and the shwarma kebab. I married a Persian man and Persian men are serious about their meat (as are their offspring apparently), so it is super important to be familiar with kebabs- essential really! This is not to say the other chapters didn't hold wonderful recipes on their own- There is everything from nuts & nibbles to seafood offerings, drinks desserts and several other wonderful types of food. These recipes are all snack-ish type foods, but I think pretty much any of them could be turned into a full meal! I also need to note that there are some fabulous dessert and drink recipes to be found in the pages of Snackistan. I personally would love to have some saffron, pistachio and rose water cream, thank you very much! This cookbook will keep me busy experimenting in the kitchen for a while, no doubt!   Here are some highlights of recipes you can find in Snackistan:

• Shwarma Kebab
• Beef Kebab Georgian Style
• Borani-ye-Bademjun
• Krygystani Noodles
• Persian Style Herb Wraps
• Algerian Street Stew
• Ali's Mother's Pudding (Egyptian)
• Iranian Date Squares
• Turkish Coffee and Yogurt Cake
• Saffron, Pistachios and Rose Water Cream
• Chai Tea

The above is but a tiny peek into a recipe packed book! Something else I really enjoyed about Snackistan are the little stories sprinkled throughout. It gives a tiny peak of the culture that these foods are a part of. I found myself smiling more than once while reading those anecdotes. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Middle Eastern fare or trying new foods from different places!

Pomegranates & Pine Nuts by Bethany Kehdy (Cookbook Review)

Disclosure- I received a complimentary e-copy of the cookbook from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

Successful food blogger Bethany Kehdy’s debut book offers up the enticing world of Middle Eastern and North African cooking in a stunning collection of over 100 delicious and evocative recipes.

Bethany Kehdy is renowned for the contemporary Middle Eastern and North African recipes that she publishes on her blog (dirtykitchensecrets.com). Born and brought up in Lebanon, she spent countless hours learning to cook with her perfectionist teta (grandmother), her vivacious dad and her spirited aunts. Her recipes are a harmonious balance of classic and contemporary, as she draws upon her childhood roots whilst adding her own personal twist.
The cuisines from the Middle East and North Africa share many diverse influences and gorgeous key ingredients and spices, such as pomegranates, figs, pine nuts, saffron and sumac. Passionate about food and her heritage, this former Miss Lebanon showcases the sheer brilliance of the dishes that these regions have to offer. With chapters divided into mezze, poultry, meat, seafood and vegetarian and dessert dishes, there is a wide variety of delicious recipes to suit every occasion. Some of these beautiful dishes can be thrown together from scratch in a matter of minutes, while more ambitious dishes are made easy with clear instructions and clever cooking techniques. From Whipped Hummus with Lamb to fragrant Slow-braised Spiced Squid and Chicken with Preserved Lemon Tagine to Vine Leaves with Bulgur, Figs and Nuts, there really is something for everyone. All the cuisines of the regions are covered, including Egyptian, Palestinian, Syrian, Turkish, Iraqi and Jordanian, and all the recipes are easy to make. You’ll find yourself drawn into a whole new world and a whole new way of cooking.
Bethany Kehdy is an unrivalled chef of today’s new Middle Eastern generation. Born in Houston and brought up in Lebanon, she is currently taking the internet by storm with her notable food blog, www.dirtykitchensecrets.com, which receives over 100,000 unique visitors a year, plus a growing following on Twitter and Facebook, Bethany works as a recipe developer, freelance food and travel writer and food photographer. She also leads culinary tours across Lebanon and organizes Food Blogger Connect, a conference for food bloggers.

My thoughts:

My husband's parents are from Iran and my step-dad is from Pakistan, so it's a good thing I like Middle Eastern food. The interesting thing about cuisine from the Middle East is that each region's food is completely different, although some dishes have a few similarities. When I saw the cover to Pomegranates & Pine Nuts, it immediately made me think of my husband's Persian culture and then I read the small print and saw that it not only featured Iranian dishes, but recipes from Lebanon and Morocco as well.  The colorful book cover drew me in, but what was inside impressed me more. As I have already eluded to, I am pretty familiar with Persian recipes, although it never hurts to have some sitting at home waiting to be cooked. I found that the Iranian recipes included in the book were definitely recipes my in-laws would approve of and that I can't wait to test out in my kitchen. As far as Lebanon and Morocco, these are not cultures or cuisine that I have been around. I definitely see some similarities in the recipes as compared to some Middle Eastern foods I have eaten or cooked, but they definitely each have their own flair that make them all their own. This book is packed full of recipes galore. In keeping with Middle Eastern tradition there are tons of recipes for meat dishes, breads and rice dishes. There is also an entire vegetarian section, which as someone who prefers not to meat often, I can certainly appreciate. I thought it was interesting that Morocco has similar dishes to Middle Eastern countries like Iran and Lebanon, but it didn't shock me since there is a somewhat large Muslim presence in parts of Africa that would bring that influence to the area with them.  Some stand out recipes of the book include:

Ground lamb and onion crescents
Spinach and sumac turnovers
Jeweled rice
Fattoush salad
Baked kafta
Lamb & herb stew
Fava beans with yogurt tahdeeg
Chickpea flour quiche
Sumac chicken casserole
Mansaf risotto
Egyptian spice bread pudding
Cardamom scented profiteroles
Thin flatbread

This is but a short list of many wonderful recipes that are included in this wonderful offering from Kehdy, who does a great job describing each dish, where it is popular or originated from and many times including the proper name of the dish from the country it hails from. I really enjoyed this cookbook and I think anyone who likes cooking outside of their comfort zone, enjoys learning about other cultures and cuisines or just really loves Middle Eastern food, would love having this cookbook in their kitchen.

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Pomegranates & Pine Nuts is available on Amazon.com