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59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My Kitchen My Table Cookbook Club Review, August 25, 2008
This review is from: Mediterranean Fresh: A Compendium of One-Plate Salad Meals and Mix-and-Match Dressings (Hardcover)
My cookbook club met recently and reviewed this book. Here is a summary of our thoughts.
Mediterranean Fresh is one of those cookbooks that become a kitchen staple. The 351 pages between the covers are chock full of recipes, pairings, tips, and anecdotes that we all felt that Joyce was with us in the kitchen while we were cooking. Her voice is so natural, tips so forthcoming that her years of experience in the kitchen and writing cookbooks shine right through and make the book extremely readable and interesting.
Headnotes were all relevant to the recipe, most contained tips, suggestions, and stories. We ended up reading several out loud when discussing a respective recipe. One guest even chose the Beets and Greens with Yogurt Dressing p.124 because of the headnote - "This dish is a visual bombshell because the beets tint the yogurt an electric pink" - how often do we get to make and serve something that's electric pink?!
The recipes were all pretty easy - on a 1-10 scale, most were ranked in the 2-4 range. And while they were not terribly difficult to make, some were time consuming and some have several ingredients which could be intimidating.
We all loved that each recipe had a primary dressing then alternate dressings as well as ingredients that could be added to offer options and variety. We also liked the dressing section in the back and appreciated the lists of recipes that the dressing worked with.
The favorite dressing was the Moroccan Charmoula p.326 - it was served with Moroccan Lamb Sausage p.255. We coined it "secret sauce" and decided that it went well on the Cheese-Stuffed Eggplant Rolls p.89, mixed into the Greek Country Salad, p.77, and drizzled atop the Couscous Salad p.176. One guest was on a mission to try it with just about everything on the table! In the end, we all made a note in the margin to double the recipe and have it on hand as a kitchen staple.
Other recipe winners included Moroccan Salad of Raw Carrots with Citrus Cinnamon Dressing p.115, Cheese-Stuffed Eggplant Rolls p.89 (better warm than cold), Scallop Carpaccio with Meyer Lemon Dressing p.209, Seafood, Potatoes, and Green Beans with Pesto Vinaigrette p.230, and the Middle Eastern Hamburger or Kefta p.256.
We reluctantly left the table, packed up the leftovers, and went home with full bellies and big smiles.
Check back to My Kitchen My Table soon for some of the recipes!
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35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fresh and tangy ideas for great summer salad meals, July 2, 2008
This review is from: Mediterranean Fresh: A Compendium of One-Plate Salad Meals and Mix-and-Match Dressings (Hardcover)
Veteran food writer Goldstein's colorful, earthy book of Mediterranean one-dish salad meals is soothingly practical, with new and fresh ideas for family and company.
From Tunisian Cauliflower, Artichoke and Potato Salad to Gazpacho Bread Salad to Turkish Chicken Salad with Walnut Tahini Dressing, Goldstein offers cool, healthy and different solutions to summer meals. The book is divided into two sections - 250 pages of salads and then almost 70 pages of dressings. Each salad includes a brief introduction, possible variations, and several suggested alternative dressings. Many are accompanied by sumptuous full-page photos.
There are seven salad chapters including the basic five - leafy greens, vegetables, fruit, grain, and bean, many of which can be augmented with protein. She also includes two chapters that feature meat or seafood as the star ingredient. Each chapter begins with a primer on the basic ingredients and some Mediterranean preparations tips.
From the simplest (Zucchini with Mint and Vinegar; Lentil) to the simply elegant (Duck Breast with Pears, Walnuts, and Belgian Endive; Green and White Asparagus with Hazelnut Cream Dressing; Smoked Trout Salad with Lemon Cream Dressing), from the homey (Bean Puree with Toasted Cumin Dressing; Spanish Rice Salad) to the refreshing (Moroccan Salad of Raw Grated Carrots with Citrus Cinnamon Dressing; Couscous with Almonds, Raisin, and Saffron Onions), Goldstein supplies plenty of opportunities for spicing up the summer palate.
There are also traditional salads - Greek Salad with Feta, Tabbouleh, Salade Nicoise and variations on tradition - Paella Rice, Pasta with Pesto Vinaigrette, Turkish Chopped Salad.
An attractive, inspirational book, which should gain a prominent place in any summer kitchen.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book, October 25, 2008
This review is from: Mediterranean Fresh: A Compendium of One-Plate Salad Meals and Mix-and-Match Dressings (Hardcover)
I borrowed this from the library and renewed so many times I just decided to buy it! :) One of the things I really like is that each salad has several alternate dressings, so that you can keep things interesting or just better tailored to what you have on hand that day. I particularly liked the Parsley salad with the lemon-based dressing and I have even enjoyed the roasted eggplant with Pesto vinaigrette. ( And I have never cared for eggplant)
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