Zahav : a world of Israeli cooking / Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook ; produced by Dorothy Kalins ; photography by Mike Persico ; design by Don Morris Design.

Cover image for Zahav : a world of Israeli cooking / Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook ; produced by Dorothy Kalins ; photography by Mike Persico ; design by Don Morris Design.

ISBN:

9780544373280

Title:

Zahav : a world of Israeli cooking / Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook ; produced by Dorothy Kalins ; photography by Mike Persico ; design by Don Morris Design.

Author:

Solomonov, Michael, author.

Personal Author:

Solomonov, Michael, author.

Physical Description:

368 pages : color illustrations ; 29 cm.

General Note:

"A Rux Martin book."

Includes index.

Contents:

Tehina (the secret sauce) -- Salatim -- Beyond chicken soup -- My grandmother's kitchen -- Mezze -- Live fire -- Ben Gurion's rice -- Mesibah (party time) -- Milk and honey.

Subject Term:

Cooking, Israeli.

Added Author:

Cook, Steven (Restaurateur),

Format:

Books

Publication Date:

2015

Publication Information:

Boston

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,

[2015]

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
641.595694 SOL	Book	1	Standard shelving location	Searching... Unknown

Summary

James Beard Award winner of Outstanding Restaurant (2019)

James Beard Award winner of Outstanding Chef (2017)

James Beard Book of the Year and Best International Cookbook (2016)

The James Beard Award-winning chef and co-owner of Philadelphia's Zahav restaurant reinterprets the glorious cuisine of Israel for American home kitchens.

Ever since he opened Zahav in 2008, chef Michael Solomonov has been turning heads with his original interpretations of modern Israeli cuisine, attracting notice from the New York Times, Bon Appétit, ("an utter and total revelation"), and Eater ("Zahav defines Israeli cooking in America").

Zahav showcases the melting-pot cooking of Israel, especially the influences of the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and Eastern Europe. Solomonov's food includes little dishes called mezze, such as the restaurant's insanely popular fried cauliflower; a hummus so ethereal that it put Zahav on the culinary map; and a pink lentil soup with lamb meatballs that one critic called "Jerusalem in a bowl." It also includes a majestic dome of Persian wedding rice and a whole roasted lamb shoulder with pomegranate and chickpeas that's a celebration in itself. All Solomonov's dishes are brilliantly adapted to local and seasonal ingredients.

Zahav tells an authoritative and personal story of how Solomonov embraced the food of his birthplace. With its blend of technique and passion, this book shows readers how to make his food their own.

Author Notes

MICHAEL SOLOMONOV grew up in Pittsburgh and Israel and won the 2011 James Beard Award for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. With his business partner, STEVEN COOK, he owns Philadelphia's Percy Street Barbecue, Federal Donuts, Dizengoff, and Abe Fisher.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

After stints working with chef Marc Vetri in Philadelphia and as head chef at Marigold Kitchen, Solomonov developed a passion for Israeli cooking and his desire to show the full breadth of the cuisine began to take shape; he started his own restaurant, Zahav, in Philadelphia in 2008. Six years later, he won the James Beard award for best chef in the Mid-Atlantic region. Solomonov shares his story as well as his wide-ranging approach to Israeli cuisine in this impressive collection of recipes that are sure to challenge readers' preconceptions. In addition to kibbe, kugel, latke, and rugelach, Solomonov offers chicken albondigas, the Spanish tapas standard; cashew baklava cigars; and the Chocolate Almond Situation, his riff on the flourless chocolate cake. To these stunningly simple dishes he adds deliciously decadent fare such as duck and foie gras kebabs, and beluga lentil soup with marrow bones. Solomonov isn't one for showmanship (or waste-the juices from his Israeli salad of cucumber, tomato, parsley and lemon are added to gin to create an unusual martini), and virtually all the book's recipes are within the reach of novice cooks. The reader's biggest challenge will likely be mastering the ubiquitous tehina sauce used as a foundation for hummus and as an accent in countless dishes. Readers with an adventurous palate and an open mind will be richly rewarded by this terrific debut. Agent: David Black, David Black Agency. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal Review

Solomonov, winner of the 2011 James Beard Award for Best Chef, Mid-Atlantic, writes candidly about grief, addiction, personal struggles, and professional breakthroughs in a cookbook that blends autobiographical accounts with standout recipes from Philadelphia restaurant Zahav. Each of the nine sections (e.g., tehina, milk & honey) is named for a staple of Israeli cooking, and the kosher recipes that follow (e.g., Yemenite beef soup, Persian wedding rice, salt-baked leg of lamb) highlight numerous regional and cultural influences. Solomonov worked in a bakery near Tel Aviv before attending culinary school and applies his experience to a wonderful range of desserts and baked goods, including chocolate babka, cashew baklava cigars, and mom's honey cake with apple confit. VERDICT This contemporary Israeli cookbook is an excellent choice for collections that already include Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's -Jerusalem and Joan Nathan's The Foods of Israel Today. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Library Journal Review