Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean by Ana Sortun, Nicole Chaison, Susie Cushner (Photographer), Susie Cushner (Photographer), Nicole Chaison (With)

From Barnes & Noble

Chef Ana Sortun is Norwegian, but her heart belongs to Turkey. After earning a degree from the prestigious La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris, she began to understand how Arabic food preparation and ingredients have influenced French cooking. The menu at Oleana, her award-winning restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, reflects her continuing interpretations of Arab-Mediterranean cooking traditions. In this aptly titled volume, she demonstrates how the artful use of spices and herbs (rather than fat and cream) can vastly increase the repertoire of any cook. Her practice is even more persuasive than her theory: Who could resist Galette of Tender Pork with Cumin and Cider or Potato Risotto with Green Olives, Walnuts and Rosemary?

From the Publisher

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.

Library Journal

Kurihari is wildly popular in Japan, where she has a cooking magazine, a line of housewares, and several best-selling cookbooks in print. She has sometimes been called Japan's Martha Stewart, but, as evidenced by her first book to be published here, she has a more down-to-earth, straightforward style. True, she does have a large collection of serving dishes and plates, but that is in large part a reflection of the Japanese aesthetic sense--the emphasis on "variety, seasonality, and presentation" that, Harumi believes, is what makes the cuisine unique. She presents both classic Japanese dishes and more contemporary recipes, often influenced by other cuisines, from Japanese Pepper Steak with Ginger Mashed Potatoes to Tofu with Basil and Gorgonzola Dressing. She also includes a mini-tutorial on sushi, illustrated with step-by-step photographs, and there are color photographs, many full-page, of all the recipes. An unintimidating, informed, and quite engaging introduction to a cuisine few Americans cook at home, this this book is recommended for most collections. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

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