The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook by Salma Hage (Phaidon) (IBRCookBooks)

The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook

Salma Hage, the culinary mind behind The Lebanese Kitchen, is back with The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook. Her new cookbook contains about 150 recipes using spices and flavors from the Middle East. While all recipes are vegetarian, Hage also includes some gluten-free and vegan options for those that are interested. I thought the complexity of flavors found in Middle Eastern dishes would be a daunting task to achieve, but Hage simplifies the recipes for even the most ill-fated home cooks.

This cookbook entices you from the very beginning with beautiful, clean photographs of the dishes. The ingredients list for each part of a recipe (like the sauce or main dish) is easy on the eyes, but the steps to follow would have been greatly enhanced if broken up more – allowing to find your place easily after each step. Other than that, I appreciated that many ingredients were easy to find at my local farmer’s market and stores. The flavors were there with pairings that I would have never dreamed up on my own. My picky, carnivorous man-child also didn’t complain about the complete lack of animal protein. The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook is a win.