Customer Reviews

The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm not a major chef, so things like Joy of Cooking and James Beard glaze my eyes over unless I know exactly what I'm looking for. This book has pictures of all/most of the dishes so it's fun to page through and find things to cook when you are looking for new and different. I've cooked about 8 things out of here so far and all have been outstanding.

The conversions from metric to english leave something to be desired. For canolli shells she says to roll to 5mm or 1/4 inch thick, an 1/8 would be more appropriate. Some things are in weight instead of measure, 300g of flour instead of 2 cups, so be prepared with scale or something.

First off to be fair. I don't know a whole lot about mediterranean cooking. I find southern food and mexican food to be my favorites however i am looking to expand my knowledge of food. I purchased this book knowing from another review that it included alot of pictures. I was hoping to be able to learn something about mediterranean cooking that i didn't know.

As i started to leaf through this book i was impressed by the clarity of all the color photo's of gorgeous food throughout the book. Every few pages, in the margin of the page there is a picture and an explination or a little comment on an ingrediant used. I think this is great however the flaws show up when the picture doesn't match the item that is listed. For instance when giving a little history on "aioli" (garlic mayo) there is a picture of some asparagus. When talking about "Salad Nicoise" (named Nicoise because of the olive's) there is a picture of bell peppers. "Tuna" you get a picture of lemons. "Anchovies" you get a picture of garlic. It's a little irritating at most.

The other problem i have with this book is that alot of the recipe's also show up in "The Essential Seafood Cookbook" so now i have duplicates of certain recipe's.

Now don't let my complaining scare you away from this book. It's still a good book despite it's flaws. the pictures really are awesome. (you can see the little eyes clearly on the picture of fried baitfish). As for the authenticity of the food presented here? From what i know any book that includes a recipe for Miala Tiganita (fried lamb brains) has probably got to be pretty authentic even if i know nothing about the cuisine of Greece.

The wonderful trend of "coffee-table cookbooks" was probably inspired by people like me who sometimes cook vicariously...who enjoy seeing a photo with every recipe, for all the times when we're just looking. Yes, almost every recipe has a top-quality color photo!

Getting to the point.....I'm almost drooling over the photos and recipes in this beautiful book that's divided into chapters of different Mediterranean countries...Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East. Also included are chapters of "special features"...meze, antipasto, making pasta, making pizza, olive oil, dressings and sauces, tapas, and preparing olives.

This book is well planned and well executed. The food stylists and photographers did an outstanding job, and the assortment of recipes is organized, balanced and appealing. The instructions are carefully written and are suited to any level of cooking ability.

The "Honey and Pine Nut Tart" looks like a Mediterranean version of Southern Pecan Pie. I see a beautiful pistachio biscotti..... artichokes in aromatic vinaigrette..... Tunisian brik..... gnocchi Romana (from scratch!)..... kalamaria yemista (stuffed squid)..... flatbread with za'atar (huh?)..... pollo a la chilindron..... caponata with tuna.....orange and date salad.....oh, my!

First off, this book has beautiful photos for almost every recipe. I especially enjoyed the descriptions of common Mediterranean ingredients, from anchovies to za'atar, that can be found in the beginning. I really liked the grouping of recipes by countries/regions, and most country/region sections has its own article on a specific food tradition. For example, pizza and antipasti for Italy, tapas for Spain, dressings for France, etc. This book would be great for your personal cookbook collection or your coffee table. Measurements come in both metric and customary units, but some conversion may still be necessary.
I wouldn't purchase this book if you are looking for cheap or simple recipes. I made the baklava (even a simplified recipe is relatively expensive), which was very delicious and fun to make, but it required expensive ingredients, such as orange flower water. Some recipes call for rabbit, squid, or brains, which I have never seen in my local grocery. I found that you can find most of the ingredients required for the recipes, but like I said before, they can get pricey. The majority of the recipes are time consuming, but they are delicious. Do not buy this book if you are looking for quick and cheap meals. These recipes are all about the joy of cooking and ingredients, and if that is what you are looking for, this book is for you.

My wife, kids and myself enjoy trying different foods and we also enjoy a healthy diet. After a taking a few business trips to various Mediterranean countries I took a keen interest in the cuisine. My wife gave me this book for xmas a few years ago and it is now one of my favorite cookbooks. It's simple to understand, the recipe's are easy, delicious and fun to make. We have prepared most the recipes in the book for family and friends and a few of them have become staples of our diet. I highly recommend this book.

We purchased this book for our 14 year old daughter for Christmas 9 years ago. She was showing a keen interest in cooking. She made Christmas dinner the first night out! We have made countless recipes with complete success from this book. The methods are clear, the ingredients pure and healthy, and the colors complete a healthful palate. My daughter successfully passed her culinary arts designation and refers to this book as the basis for much of her cooking. When my oldest daughter moved away, it was the first cookbook she asked me to send her (through Amazon)! I would encourage anyone to search out this book, it has never failed for my family of cooks. Enjoy!

My husband and I love this book. We have tried several of the recipes - and each one has been exceptional. Many of the recipes have become standards for our household. We have also given this book, as a gift, to many others who love to cook. I think there are several recipes that are quite easy - and there are others that require more effort. It is definitely a cookbook that you can grow with and can meet the needs of all types of cooks. I can also say that the Greek recipes are fairly authentic - given my heritage. Bottom line, I cannot say enough good things about this book - and its pretty to look at, too!

I was so pleased with my purchase. It was quick, easy, and what a bargain!!

This is absoultely one cookbook that everyone should own. We own the entire series and there is no other cookbook like it. There are beautiful pictures for every recipe and the recipes are very unique, interesting, and delicious. Several recipes will suggest ingredients that may be difficult or expensive to find but the recipes can also be simplified. My husband loves to cook and looooves this entire series of cookbooks. This cookbook will help any chef tap into their creativity and explore their passion for cooking and take it to a new level.