To my delight, I’ve realized that I have some holes in my cookbook collection. My Middle Eastern cookbook shelf, in particular, is a little thin. I say “to my delight” because, believe me, I welcome any excuse to buy new cookbooks. Picture me with a cup of steaming tea, Juliet napping at my feet, Yo Yo Ma playing on my Echo, a plate of warm cookies and a pile of cookbooks nearby. Heaven.
This week, Salma Hage’s The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook joined my Ottolenghis and Karamardians on the shelves in my office. (You can buy it on Amazon.)
Hage is a Lebanese cook living in London. Her previous book was The Lebanese Kitchen. This book has received positive reviews on several cooking sites I read and won a coveted James Beard Foundation award this year in the “best vegetable cookbook” category. (Truth be told, the recent spate of “This Year’s Best New Cookbooks” articles has been a dangerous read for me. I’ve added a number of new books to my shelves–Deborah Madison’s In My Kitchen, Dorie Greenspan’s Cookies, Tessa Kiros’ Provence to Pondicherry, Patricia Wells’ My Master Recipes, Katie Parla and Kristine Gills’ Tasting Rome. And…I have my eyes on a few more. Like I said, it’s an addiction.)
Interestingly, the forward to Hage’s book is written by Alain Ducasse, whose restaurants have won twenty-one Michelin stars. Ducasse knows good cooking and his forward to Hage’s book is glowing.
The pretty dish pictured above immediately caught my eye as I thumbed through Hage’s book. I was not attracted to this recipe for its beauty alone, though. One of the key ingredients in the dish is eggplant–my nemesis. I confess that I struggle with eggplant. In truth, struggle is a generous word; I’m downright eggplant phobic. Eggplant is kind of like brussels sprouts and (ugh!) kale for me. I want to like it. I know that, prepared properly, it can be delicious. (My neighbor makes a truly delicious eggplant parmesan.) But, alas, my forays into cooking eggplant have yielded recipes that have earned a decided meh from guests.
But I’m not giving up on eggplant. I’m not a defeatist by nature. (My cooking friend says I’m like a dog with a bone. That’s a compliment. Right?)
Eggplant may be my Moriarty, but I can do this! This tasty recipe is, I think, a very good start.
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Nice shot Lorraine. I know eggplant can be very difficult to look appetizing and still be edible after the shot.
Yet another strike against eggplant!
I will try this one! I like eggplant and it looks very easy, my criteria. Will tell you what I think when I do….an all in one dish is always tempting,
Great! I hope you enjoy the dish.