Michelle Anderson

I received a galley of the book via NetGalley.

What an incredible resource for bread machine owners--and a book to inspire people to buy a machine, too!

I am incredibly picky about cookbooks. If I'm squeezing one onto my shelf (and yes, I do prefer physical form for cookbooks), it had better have a lot of recipes to make it earn its keep. I wasn’t far into the ebook galley of this new release when I knew this one was well worth buying for my shelf.

I bake most all of my own bread and have for years. Though I use my KitchenAid and food processor for some recipes, using the dough setting on my bread machine is my favorite for sheer convenience. I often try to modify recipes for that method, which usually turns out well but takes some extra effort. This book makes everything super easy with a variety of yeast bread recipes, from basic sandwich bread to sweet brioche to numerous sourdough breads to baguettes to cheesy bread.

The first few chapters provide easy-to-understand information on the science of bread-making, basic ingredients, and troubleshooting tips. That leads into the heart of the book: the recipes. They are arranged in a bread machine-friendly way, with liquids listed first in the ingredients. All of the steps and tips are straightforward from there. Most of the recipes use the machine to conveniently mix and raise the dough, with the baking done in the oven.

I am really looking forward to baking my way through this book!… (mais)

Have you wanted to cook Middle Eastern recipes that you have had in your favorite restaurant? The Essential Middle Eastern Cookbook has classic recipes made easy.
The introduction gives the reader all the information about the different cultures of the Middle East and the foods that are for that region. There are also a few pages about the spices that are important to the regions. You get information about pantry staples such as rice, bulgur, chickpeas, couscous, dried fruits etc.
The chapters include:
Spreads and snacks: Pita Bread, Serbian Roasted Eggplant Pepper Spread and Hummus
Sides and salads: Tabbouleh, Turkish Bulgur Salad, Rice Mejadra
Soups and stews: Middle Eastern Lamb Stew, Freekeh Soup, Vegetable Harira Soup
Breakfast: Turkish Eggs, Fava Bean Stew, Moroccan Pancakes
Main course: Potato Pancakes, Crunchy Baked Saffron Rice, Fried Fish, Lamb Kofte
Desserts: Baklava, Lebanese Rice Pudding, Turkish Delight, Bread Pudding
Sauces and Spice Blends: Tahini Sauce, Crispy Fried Onions, Zaatar, Harissa
So have any of the recipes piqued your interest? I found a lot of them to sound interesting.
This is a perfect cookbook for you if the recipes look good to you!
A cookbook that is well thought out and written!… (mais)

I have always thought middle eastern cooking would be too hard for me as I am not a great or accomplished cook even though I love cookbooks and I am always trying out new recipes. I just have a short attention span and get distracted easily. Anyway, this cookbook really does have recipes even I can do and they taste good too. The color photos help so I know what my end goal is and if I "nailed it!" I like soup before my main entree and the Creamy Barley Soup recipe, the Lentil Tomato Soup, and the Fareekah Soup recipe, which were all delicious. This book also has tangine recipes I want to try as I have never made one and of course then there are the desserts. The date cookies we're good though mine were not pretty and I think I am going to try the baklava. All in all, this was a successful cookbook for me and I enjoy using it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book and stretch my cooking skills with this cookbook in exchange for a review.… (mais)