Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean

by Ana Sortun

On a trip to Turkey as a young woman, chef Ana Sortun fell in love with the food and learned the traditions of Turkish cooking from local women. Inspired beyond measure, Sortun opened her own restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the award-winning Oleana, where she creates her own interpretations of dishes incorporating the incredible array of delicious spices and herbs used in eastern regions of the Mediterranean.

In this gorgeously photographed book, Sortun shows readers how to use this philosophy of spice to create wonderful dishes in their own homes. She reveals how the artful use of spices and herbs rather than fat and cream is key to the full, rich flavors of Mediterranean cuisine -- and the way it leaves you feeling satisfied afterward. The book is organized by spice, detailing the ways certain spices complement one another and how they flavor other foods and creating in home cooks a kind of sense-memory that allows for a more intuitive use of spice in their own dishes. The more than one hundred tantalizing spice categories and recipes include:


Beef Shish Kabobs with Sumac Onions and Parsley Butter Chickpea and Potato Terrine Stuffed with Pine Nuts, Spinach, Onion, and Tahini Crispy Lemon Chicken with Za’atar Golden Gazpacho with Condiments Fried Haloumi Cheese with Pear and Spiced Dates
Absolutely alive with spices and herbs, Ana Sortun’s recipes will intrigue and inspire readers everywhere.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Culinary, Nonfiction, Food and Drink

400 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2006

Reviews

[Yaaresse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm hesitant to rate or remark on a cookbook before I've had a chance to test a couple of recipes in it, but that's not feasible until I get my sense of taste back. (And how weird is it that I'm still reading cookbooks given that little sensory malfunction?) OTOH, if I don't do this now, I may not remember my initial impressions later.

Even if the recipes are stellar -- and they certainly look/sound good -- I wouldn't be able to give the Kindle version of the book a high rating because of the formatting. Did no one at the publisher look at the galley proof after moving it to ebook form? If you set the font size in Kindle so you can read the smaller print of the recipes, the insert boxes and introductions to those recipes are HUGE. Three, maybe four times the size of the smaller font. Set it so the larger font is a reasonable size, and the recipe font is tiny. And while changing font size is easy with ebooks, you don't want to have to do it every third page. I now read books in Kindle because I need large print capability, but large print is typically 16-18 point, not 48 or more.

As to the content, the recipes are arranged by spice triads (such as saffron, ginger, vanilla and cumin, coriander, cardamom). At first, some of the triads seem odd, but as the author goes through each combination, it becomes clear why she put those particular three spices (or herbs) together. There is a lot of information about the spices and herbs included, and a lot of background information about how the ingredients are traditionally used in Mediterranean (especially Turkish) foods. The recipes read well, and seemed straight-forward.

There are a lot of "exotic" ingredients in the recipes, and it felt like every other recipe included a "you can buy this on-line" with a plug for one of her favorite sources. Having lived in the middle of nowhere, where white peppercorns was considered exotic, I get it. Still, I'd have preferred just have a list of ingredient sources at the beginning (or end) of the book. I found it a little annoying even though I actually have most of the ingredients she covers. (What can I say? I compulsive buy spices.) If you want to cook something, you don't want to have to wait for shipping -- especially given the slowness of the USPS these days.

So, I've bookmarked several recipes to try when I can appreciate nuance in food, and I'll come back and re-rate accordingly should my preliminary opinion be upheld or denied. For now, I'll say it looks very promising and was a good read.

[Kate]

cookbook bookclub verdict: overall very positive. the first time no one made a dessert!

dishes made:
-Fried halloumi cheese with pear and spiced dates (CLEAR WINNER)
-C Sangria (this was ON POINT).
-Maria's Feta Sauce with Shrimp, Melon, and Tomato (as a vegetarian who had to pick around the shrimp, I thought this dish was pretty bland, but the fish eaters disagreed)
-Fresh Pea and Two Potato Soup (agreed to be the only dud dish of the group - v little flavor)
-Carrot puree and Egyptian spice mix
-Chopped romaine and cucumber salad with yogurt dressing (both the salad and dressing are now a staple rotation food in my house)
-Francisco's manaaeesh (flatbread with za'atar) (pretty tasty for how simple this was, a great prep-the-day-before bread for a dinner party)
-Chickpea pancakes (made independently w/Samantha outside bookclub - easy and quick)

[Beka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though this was published in 2006 it had more of a 90s feel to it with very few pictures, very text heavy pages, and pictures located nowhere near their corresponding recipes. Not my preferred style, though the recipes looked fine.

[Carol Lieb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent recipes but hard to read and use. Nevertheless it has been a game changer for me as a chef

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

What should have been a lovely book was rendered annoying by several factors. The ebook version has a problem with font size, with the narrative being too large, and then, when it's reduced, the recipe type is too small. The writing itself isn't that hot. And the recipes are full of esoteric and expensive ingredients, and lots of links advertising suppliers are included, which may be useful if you have the time, energy, and money (plus the kitchen space to store your finds) to benefit from the information. I was kind of done when the book suggested grating your own fresh turmeric. Try finding that in Northern Europe.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I have to officially give up on "reading" this book. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed what I have read of this. Each section is organized by "spice" so there may be a mix of sweet and savory or breakfast and dinner all in one chapter. The recipes make my mouth water; the stories inspire dreams of travel (and the many tastes en route); and I have dog-eared a number of pages to test at home (sorry, mom).

That being said, these recipes overwhelm me as a home cook. I have no intention of stocking my spice rack with the many flavors explored in each chapter, nor traveling to various markets to find them only to spend crazy amounts for a recipe. I'm not that dedicated. But I did gain a new appreciation for the commitment to authentic Mediterranean food. For the amount of time that goes into some of these dishes, no wonder they amaze my taste buds.

Until I can commit to these recipes myself, I'll happily visit Sofra in Belmont (Sortun's bakery/cafe), Fordees in Watertown (always order extra pickled turnips and fresh falafel), and Cafe Barada in Cambridge (again, mouth watering at thought). Of course, I could keep reading so that I know what to order at Oleana (Sortun's restaurant) but I've read enough to know it's likely all good. Anyone in?

[Shreyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so it's not wildly realistic to expect everyone to have access to Urfa and Aleppo pepper, that's pretty obvious, I think?

You don't need access to specific Turkish chile powders to make good use of this book. It's not aimed at beginning cooks; a casual glance at the (demanding) ingredient lists and (meticulous) procedures should make that clear.

I've made several of these recipes with the necessary adaptations, because in fact I'm not one of the lucky few who can go to actual Istanbul to buy spices, and I can say without doubt that they're great. They work and they're delicious, just as subtle and rich as they claim to be. There's details in it that have stuck with me for years and can apply to more than just the recipes in the book (use tomato stems in your soup for fragrance; strain them out later.)

It's not for everybody, but if you have the skills to take advantage of the knowledge in here, it's well worth it.

[Arwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the latest book at our cookbook club, and while most of the recipes seem unnecessarily complicated (must you really saute the chops two at a time instead of all at once??), I have the admit that the food was ace. Amazing spiced pork dumplings, delicious red-wine-braised lamb chops (my contribution), and even some incredibly tasty "jeweled rice" with saffron, dried mulberries and pistachios. Yum.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that the recipes are organized by spice combinations. There's a section for cumin, coriander, and cardamom recipes. Then another for saffron, ginger, and vanilla (MY FAVORITE!), and another for allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The spice combinations continue, but I haven't gotten that far yet!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only cookbook I've ever seen that is arranged by flavor. The herb and spice combinations are sooooo interesting and yummy. She also provides websites as resources for finding the spices and spice mixes.

[Melinda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting to learn a little of the Arabic culture and I especially enjoyed learning about the herbs, nuts and cheeses. I might have liked the book better if I was physically able to cook and also had a sense of smell. Because of this, the book didn't hold my interest otherwise.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the categorization of recipes by the type of prominent spices they use -- now I just need to hit up a Middle Eastern market...It also made me regret that, when Luke suggested a Turkish restaurant for our anniversary date this summer, my pregnancy aversions Just Said No. :)

[N.L. Riviezzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting cookbook organized by spice categories but a lot of the recipes are just variations found in almost every other Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cookbooks.

[Donna Jo Atwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good sounding recipes in this book. I'll check it out again.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

My cooking group used this book recently. We made 8 different things and they were all really good. And I know other items were made prior to our meeting and were also good.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tasty, but I'm not sure the recipes were adequately tested in a home kitchen.

[Amy Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures and amazing food.

[Marianthi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too adventurous for my family.