What’s that? You don’t have any Middle Eastern cookbooks? I didn’t either, actually, until I got my hands on a copy of An Edible Mosaic – a cookbook written by Faith Gorsky from An Edible Mosaic blog that features traditional Middle Eastern recipes like hummus, falafel, and chicken shawarma. Are you drooling yet? This cookbook is beautiful. I felt like I was traveling through the Middle East as I paged through Faith’s stunning photos of life and culture and food in this exotic part of the world. The book has so much cultural information intertwined with the traditional recipes that I actually borrowed it to one of my 14-year-old students to use for a research report on the Middle East. For people who love international food and culture, this is a winner. One of my favorite things about the cookbook is the section called Basic Recipes. It includes dressings, sauces, and spice mixes that can either be used in the recipes or with your own set of ingredients at home. There are also several sections dedicated to learning about Middle Eastern ingredients and cooking methods. These recipes are very traditional without being overwhelming to the average cook. After looking through the cookbook at least 13 times, the recipes I’m dying to try are the Falafel, Coconut Semolina Cake, and Spiced Shawarma Chicken Wraps. Can’t.wait. True story: I made the Middle Eastern salad and the Lemony Mint Salad Dressing a few days ago, and when I went to look for it in the fridge at lunch time, it was gone. BJORK ATE THE WHOLE THING. The whole salad. The empty little plastic leftover container was sitting in the sink with, like, one little piece of parsley left in it. Next time I’ll hide it. Or better yet, double it. 5 from 11 reviews
1 clove garlic, crushed in a mortar and pestle with 1/4 teaspoon salt juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons) 1/2 cup (125 ml) olive oil 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint leaves
Salad
1 English cucumber (or 3 to 4 Persian or Japanese cucumbers), diced 1 onion, minced 1 lb (500 g) tomatoes, diced (about 4 medium tomatoes) 1 bunch fresh parsley, minced 4 sprigs fresh mint, minced 1/4 teaspoon salt
