Notes about Recipes in this book

• Cauliflower & cumin soup

  • Jane on December 04, 2020

    I had a large cauliflower that needed using soon so I went for this recipe as it was quick and easy. I did hesitate when I read the prior notes but I should have just moved on. The soup is very bland, even with lots of salt and pepper. It was better the second day, probably because I made the Coriander & feta loaf on p. 235 which is a suggested accompaniment. The bread was great, the soup was not.

  • dc151 on October 24, 2020

    Easy to make. Fairly bland. Tastes like cumin and cauliflower.

  • AllieTaylor on November 14, 2020

    Good but not fabulous and made enough for 6, not 3-4 I used the inner leaves as well I used a hand-cranked Mouli, instead of a stick blender

• Yogurt & spice roasted salmon

  • Jane on December 14, 2020

    I hadn’t ever cooked salmon like this before - a tandoori-type marinade then a quick roast in a very hot oven. I served it with the Cauliflower & asparagus black rice salad on p.174. A lovely dinner.

  • TrishaCP on November 10, 2021

    I really enjoyed the spices in this salmon recipe. It did need more salt. I marinated this for about 30 minutes (waiting for other parts of my meal to be wrapped up). I have also never cooked salmon like this. It did stay very moist, but I didn't get the described charring. I left the skin on my salmon and didn't have a problem with it that way.

  • Astrid5555 on January 11, 2022

    So delicious, did not get the charring either, but probably because I chickened out and did not used the highest possible heat setting on my oven (300C or 570F). Family asked that I make salmon only that way from now on.

  • FJT on April 30, 2021

    I was hoping the marinade would disguise the salmon enough that my husband wouldn't mind eating it more often but, whilst he didn't complain, this recipe didn't quite achieve that goal. I really enjoyed it though and will make it again.

  • shewolffe on December 05, 2020

    I absolutely love this quick salmon recipe and in fact have made a chicken version recently (not quite as good as the salmon). The level of spice and heat and zing of citrus is perfect.

  • Lepa on March 28, 2023

    This salmon was pretty good, especially with a warmed up pita, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, cucumbers and yogurt. Easy and satisfying.

  • Pamsy on November 09, 2021

    I left the salmon in the marinade for 6 hours for the flavours to develop. Used natural yogurt rather than Greek, as I find Greek too thick for marinades. Loved how quickly it roasted. I think you could use any thick, meaty, white fish. Served with avocado, tomato, and red onion salsa, with baby roast potatoes. Tasty and different and will certainly make again.

  • BeckyLeJ on November 18, 2020

    Quick and easy, but I thought it needed a little more salt. Or maybe a little more time in the marinade before baking.

• Cauliflower & asparagus black rice salad

  • Jane on December 14, 2020

    This salad is very pretty with the glossy black rice, white cauliflower and green asparagus and herb/yogurt sauce. So much flavor as well. I thought slices of 2-3 preserved lemons would be too much so just slivered one and I thought that was enough. I served it with the Yogurt & spice roasted salmon on p.62 and it was a lovely dinner.

• Coriander & feta spiced loaf

  • Jane on December 04, 2020

    I made this to eat alongside the (very bland) Cauliflower & cumin soup on p.15. The bread was great and redeemed the soup somewhat. I had to bake the bread 5 mins longer than her max suggested (45 mins) to get to 185 degrees. The flavor was great though the texture was a bit dense. I'm not an expert bread maker so maybe that's how it should be? Tastes good though.

  • Jenny on December 08, 2020

    As Jane said this is a dense bread - and I didn't work as hard as she did to stretch the dough - it is delicious - and you will see from my photo - my loaf is U G L Y but we all love it. Next time I'll work harder on the kneading etc.

  • Clog on May 17, 2022

    Quite a dense texture - I think it's meant to be. Very moreish.

• Spiced pork stew

  • Mrs. L on February 02, 2021

    Cooked for four hours not six. Tons of extra liquid.

  • meginyeg on April 06, 2022

    This was ok. Flavour was decent. But way too much liquid. More soup than stew.

  • dc151 on October 17, 2020

    I had more pork than called for so had to transfer to my Dutch oven, which resulted in me adding too much water, I think. That washed out a lot of flavor, because I expected more given the volume of spices.

  • HighlandCook on January 07, 2023

    We loved this and and thought the flavours were really good, Have no hesitation in recommending. Only cooked it for 2-3 hours and didn’t have too much liquid. Just the right amount to thicken slightly giving the perfect amount of sauce. Served it with boiled rice, roasted broccoli and some salad.

• Pot-roasted brisket with harissa & spices

  • Mrs. L on February 02, 2021

    The harissa sauce was fabulous.

  • BeckyLeJ on November 08, 2020

    I loved this! The combo of harissa, cinnamon, and other spices was excellent! Super easy to put together and big flavor!

  • Running_with_Wools on April 17, 2021

    Today, I'm making this recipe using beef shortribs. I made it a few months ago using brisket and it was a huge hit. The house smells amazing right now.

• Charred courgettes with lemon, oregano & pul biber

  • Mrs. L on February 02, 2021

    Used Aleppo Pepper instead of pul biber

  • KarinaFrancis on November 23, 2022

    Simple and tasty. An ideal side for a multitude of dishes, we served it with chicken and rice

• Carrot, pistachio & dill salad with lime & honey dressing

  • TrishaCP on May 30, 2022

    This is such a great salad- made twice in a week for two different dinner parties. So fresh and tasty. The first time I made it I had the nigella seeds, the second time I was out so omitted them. In both cases, this was delicious.

  • KarinaFrancis on December 09, 2020

    Great way to use up a bag of carrots! Fresh, zesty and super simple

  • Gups on July 10, 2022

    Delicious and refreshing accompanying salad

  • AllieTaylor on November 14, 2020

    This turned out very well. Light and refreshing

  • Clog on May 17, 2022

    Easy to prepare. Very tasty.

• Sticky harissa, sesame & pistachio chicken

  • TrishaCP on March 28, 2022

    We also liked this one. I think the hardest part of the dish was gathering all of the ingredients together. You definitely need a runny honey for this one, based on the timing of when the honey is added.

  • darcie_b on January 31, 2021

    This came together quickly, with plenty of flavor for so little effort. A weeknight winner.

  • shewolffe on December 05, 2020

    Oh my! Delicious flavours. I use slightly less honey and a good spritz of lemon at the end to suit my taste buds

  • KarinaFrancis on January 10, 2021

    Really quick, easy and tasty. I didn’t have pistachios so I subbed in almonds. It’s a flexible dish but really benefits from a crunchy element

  • joneshayley on April 01, 2022

    I loved this so much! Quick, easy and delicious, delivering a huge flavour hit with little hard investment time. Served as suggested with the tomato salad which was very complimentary. I’ll make this again

  • AllieTaylor on November 14, 2020

    Fabulous! Will make this again and again.

• Smoky beef, potato & pea pan-fry with eggs & yogurt

  • Astrid5555 on January 04, 2022

    This was one of my family’s most-liked dishes in a long time, and I agree. So delicious, ok for a weeknight dinner, even though my potatoes needed a little longer to cook through than stated in the recipe. Will go into regular dinner rotations as of now!

  • Skamper on December 15, 2021

    I used a plant-based ground "beef", and didn't have quite as many potatoes as called for, and used full quantities of everything else. We found it just ok.

  • Lsblackburn1 on February 25, 2021

    This was a relatively easy and tasty mid-week meal. Served with flatbread.

  • misskatyenglish on March 03, 2021

    Potatoes took MUCH longer to cook than in the recipe. We ended up roasting them in a tin while we carried on with the rest of the directions, then stirred them in before adding the eggs. Gorgeous flavours though.

• Thyme & za'atar & roasted tomatoes with strained yogurt balls

  • veronicafrance on November 14, 2021

    I loved the concept of this salad; it looks and tastes beautiful. I took note of the previous comments about salt and used just one tsp salt for the yogurt balls. The yogurt still tasted very salty when checked mid-drain, but some of the salt comes out in the whey and they were just right in the end. It took a long time to drain enough to form balls; a good 24 hours, and we ended up weighting it down for the last few hours. Saved the whey for breadmaking. First recipe from this book and will make again!

  • AllieTaylor on October 12, 2021

    To Mabel1 I think you must be right as 2T of salt for 500g of yoghurt sounds like way too much. I’ll try with 2t and make a note…

  • Mabel1 on September 12, 2020

    This recipe calls for two tablespoons of salt to be mixed with the yoghurt before straining. This made the yoghurt balls way too salty and the whole thing inedible. I'm wondering if it was an error and should have been two teaspoons.

• Pear, chickpea & green leaf salad with maple harissa dressing

  • veronicafrance on November 14, 2021

    We were underwhelmed by this salad. It looked great spread out on a large oval platter, but was bland. Admittedly the pears were under-ripe and rather tasteless, so I would certainly make sure I used better ones if I made it again. We used a mixture of spinach, lamb's lettuce, and red-stemmed beet leaves which made it look pretty.

  • KarinaFrancis on January 14, 2021

    Loved this! Yes, it’s simple but it’s also super tasty. The dressing is the star. I couldn’t find watercress so used all rocket

  • dc151 on October 17, 2020

    This really worked for me, despite my skepticism. Even non-salad eaters in the household had a small second helping! The dressing was lovely and I’m sure I’ll use it on all kinds of salads

  • Clog on November 30, 2022

    Definitely needs the dressing. I used all-watercress which worked no problem.

• Pistachio, lemon & rosemary cake

  • ncollyer on October 18, 2020

    Tasty and straightforward. Even with the glaze it is not too sweet. The flavours are nuanced and balanced.

• Spiced carrot & tamarind soup

  • shewolffe on December 05, 2020

    Just made this and found it slightly too sharp for my liking, which may be because I used 'tamarind concentrate' ... I'll check now and see if the tub has instructions about how strong it is. I added some cream to soften the sharpness and it was delicious.

• Tepsi kebap

  • KarinaFrancis on September 14, 2020

    Sabrina promises a game changer and she delivers! The easiest way to get all the flavours you love in a “dirty kebab” without a lot of effort. I made it in a 28cm cast iron pan and had the oven at 210deg C, it was cooked in 15 mins. You can bet this will feature at our place again!

  • runoutofshelves on August 18, 2022

    We loved this. We looked at a number of Tepsi Kebab recipes, and sort of combined them, with tomato and green chilli roasted on top, moist and juicy and flavourful, reminiscent of the famous Golden Terrace restaurant in Sydney rd, Brunswick , Melbourne. Accompanied by my eldest sons fabulous pita and tzatziki.

  • Nichill on January 26, 2022

    Very successful. Cooking time 22 mins in our oven. Kids loved it.

  • Pamsy on June 13, 2022

    We loved this, although initially I was unsure of the recipe. Hadn't cooked mince this way before and the bicarb seemed a weird addition. However, it was quick to cook and so tasty. Cut into slices like a cake and served with red onion, tomato, avocado and lime salsa, flatbreads and Greek yogurt.

  • catmummery on July 30, 2022

    So easy and delicious - a keeper! Cooked perfectly and ate with harissa yoghurt spicy slaw and rice. As it cooks it shrinks from the side of the dish but I think that is normal. Lovely and moist inside, crusty on top

• Spinach & yogurt with walnuts (Maast-o-esfenaj)

  • KarinaFrancis on January 20, 2021

    Delicious! It’s easy and elevated by the addition of garlic and sumac. We served it with the tepsi kebab from the same book, a great match

  • Running_with_Wools on April 17, 2021

    I made this exactly like the very simple recipe, except omitted walnuts because my daughter is allergic. It's really delicious. I will serve it with beef with rose harrisa tonight.

• Butternut borani

  • KarinaFrancis on September 19, 2020

    This was good but not earth shattering. It is easy but I think I’d be happy to do a bit more work for more payback. The butternut took quite a while to cook, I’d recommend cutting it in quarters.

  • AllieTaylor on November 14, 2020

    We really liked this. Made again a few days later...

  • s.shadan on November 02, 2021

    Very easy to make, and very delicious as a main course or as part of a meze spread.

• Green bean salad with tahini, preserved lemon & pine nuts

  • KarinaFrancis on September 20, 2020

    Very simple and obvious in a “why didn’t I think about that” kind of a way. Quick, easy and delicious. I’m not a fan of preserved lemon so I used some zest.

• Cucumber, green apple & nigella salad with feta & dill

  • KarinaFrancis on September 26, 2020

    Refreshing, tasty and very easy to put together. I can see this being made often over summer. I couldn’t find nigella seeds, so I subbed black sesame seeds, not the same flavour but pretty.

• Baked sweet potato, za'atar & garlic chips

  • KarinaFrancis on November 26, 2020

    Quick, easy and tasty. Perfect side dish that would go with almost any meats. I made some substitutions - garlic oil instead of granules and semolina instead of polenta.

• Tomato & garlic rice

  • KarinaFrancis on January 31, 2021

    Perfect Sunday night lazy supper. I was a bit hesitant about throwing everything in the pot so gave it a stir in the melted butter before adding the water. It’s a great basic recipe you could easily tweak depending on what you have on hand.

• Flame-roasted pepper, pistachio & dill yogurt

  • KarinaFrancis on October 21, 2020

    Nice side dish or dip that can be made in next to no time. We had it with the tepsi kebab and it was a great match

  • BeckyLeJ on November 03, 2020

    This is amazing! We ate it as an appetizer with naan bread. Honestly, though, I was eating the yogurt by itself with a spoon! Definitely a recipe to add to our regular rotation!

• Courgette & oregano pancakes with feta & honey

  • KarinaFrancis on March 21, 2021

    These were delicious and very easy to put together. My poor little oregano plant didn’t have quite enough to give, so I added some mint which I’d do again. I wasn’t sure about the honey and feta topping but it really gave it a different edge.

  • JJ2018 on April 10, 2022

    Delicious and simple to put together. A very light courgette fritter

• Lazy beef & caramelized onion pide

  • KarinaFrancis on February 12, 2021

    A great snack that comes together quickly. We loved the flavours and with a side salad it was an easy dinner. It might be a bit fiddly but you could do bite sized versions for cocktail snacks

  • misskatyenglish on March 12, 2021

    Very good! We crumbled over some feta for the last 10 minutes of cooking, and found that the pastry needed longer in the oven than the recipe said (I think it was 40 minutes in the end), but would definitely make again.

• Tomato & peanut salad with tamarind, ginger & honey dressing

  • KarinaFrancis on December 11, 2020

    A divisive dish, I absolutely loved it, the Silver Fox thought it was “too much tomato” (face palm).It is very tangy, I probably should have paid attention to the previous review and cut back on the tamarind.

  • joneshayley on April 01, 2022

    I love this, the flavours are so complimentary and we’ll layered. With really good tomato it’s a revelation. Served with the sesame chicken as per recipe suggestion and the sweet spicy chicken, alongside the sharp tamarind tomato salad was perfect.

  • danielat on March 02, 2022

    This was outstanding! Absolutely loved the flavours. I was generous with the cilantro so that it was a main ingredient rather than a garnish. I reduced the amount of peanuts, but chopped them up so they still went far and you got a good amount in every bite. Highly recommend doing this if you want to save on a few calories ;)

  • Schooffiecooks on December 11, 2021

    Definitely my favorite salad from this book!

  • AllieTaylor on November 14, 2020

    Looked better than tasted. Maybe a little less tamarind next time? A bit sharp

• Spiced lamb, date, pine nut & feta melts

  • KarinaFrancis on January 28, 2021

    I took some liberties with this and it still turned out brilliantly. I couldn’t find dates so I subbed in dried apricots, I also subbed my go-to flatbread for the tortillas because the silver fox wanted something more substantial.

• Marinated steak with labneh, pul biber butter & crispy onions

  • KarinaFrancis on February 03, 2023

    Quick way to have kebabs for dinner, the marinade is quick and the flavours are good. I really didn’t get the crispy onions, so will use more next time. We had it with pre-made wraps but it would be even better with yogurt flatbreads.

• Tahdig e makaroni

  • knittingfrog on January 27, 2021

    I am sad. I had hoped for this dish to be "wow" and it was meh. Ok I did not add enough salt but still... The whole dish lacks flavour and depth.... Not worth the 2 hours you need to devote to it.

• Spiced pork wraps with green apple salsa

  • meginyeg on April 03, 2022

    Didn't make this exactly. I used the marinade to spice up leftover pulled pork and served it with the apple salsa as wraps. The flavours are good. The salsa is simple but complimentary.

• Seafood, coconut & ginger spiced rice

  • Traycee on December 29, 2021

    Like the others, I also enjoyed this. It was relatively quick and easy. I used frozen bay scallops and frozen large shrimp and I put them directly into the pan. I also used Japanese sushi rice, it is short grain just like paella. Only other change was light coconut milk. Start to finish, 40 minutes - 1 pan. Will definitely make again and will try with other seafood.

  • Pamsy on June 04, 2021

    My first recipe from this book and it's a winner. Used a half bag of Waitrose frozen mixed seafood, didn't have any prawns but the finished dish was fine without them. Love that you use Paella rice, therefore minimal stirring, unlike risotto! Quick and easy prep and one pot cooking! Creamy and mildly spiced.

  • BeckyLeJ on November 03, 2020

    This was very good! We’re Covid cooking, which means using what we had on hand. We didn’t have squid so we subbed a whole bag of shrimp. Loved this!

• Silk Road-style lamb & cumin pasta

  • JessicaRFisher on February 09, 2023

    Really delicious and not a combination I'd have thought of myself. Will definitely make again.

• Lamb, cumin, coriander & chilli kebabs

  • Maefleur on March 19, 2023

    These were a delicious delight as described. The heat level is easily adjusted to taste and also easily tamed with the suggested serving of yogurt. I made these without skewers to save space on the grill.

• Spiced turmeric mashed potatoes with coriander

  • BeckyLeJ on November 08, 2020

    These potatoes are super tasty! We served them with the pot roasted brisket!

• Mozzarella, olive & za'atar pizzettes

  • BeckyLeJ on November 03, 2020

    Super simple! Excellent combination of flavors.

• Fragrant fish cakes with preserved lemon mayonnaise

  • Lsblackburn1 on February 27, 2021

    These were excellent. Loved the technique of baking and then frying. Her directions said to put this on the highest temp. But that made me nervous, so I only did 450.

• Apple, poppy seed & lemon loaf cake

  • Lsblackburn1 on November 13, 2021

    Not super exciting but easy to make, not too sweet and moist.

  • marydulwich on January 31, 2021

    The apple keeps the sponge really moist, and makes a nice change from more obvious flavours like lemon/ginger etc.

• Goats' cheese, vegetable & za'atar filo tart

  • Lsblackburn1 on June 22, 2022

    This was just okay for me. I wanted the texture to be firmer. And I thought I added a lot of salt, but it still tasted like it needed more. Have a lot of similar recipes that I prefer.

• Tahini, almond & orange brownies

  • marydulwich on January 19, 2021

    A simple recipe with decent outcome but the ground almonds made the texture a bit too grainy for my liking.

• Chorizo, goats' cheese & cumin borek

  • marydulwich on January 31, 2021

    I loved this - incredibly easy to make and also pretty quick. Goat's cheese and chorizo is a great combo, and the light, crunchiness of the filo stops the filling from feeling too stodgy.

• Spice-rubbed spatchcocked poussin

  • marydulwich on January 19, 2021

    Loved this recipe - the meat turned out really tender and moist.

• Curry-spiced Parmesan toasts

  • dc151 on October 24, 2020

    I really liked this. Next time I may broil the Parmesan side, as it got the skillet very messy.

  • AllieTaylor on January 01, 2022

    This was NOT a success. I’ll try less milk next time and do both sides THEN put on the cheese, and then under the grill

  • Happykikkers on October 28, 2022

    It was a little greasy, but I did make it in a small frying pan and not a big one. Next time I’ll try a bigger pan or maybe broil the Parmesan as suggested by dc151. Taste was good!

• Pomegranate molasses & honey-glazed meatballs

  • anicecuppa on August 12, 2022

    Delicious, even my parsley avoidant mother enjoyed them. Lovely sticky glaze which would be perfect with other types of kofta and make great beer food. Served with endive salad, couscous and pomegranate seeds.

• Beetroot & feta lattice

  • s.shadan on November 02, 2021

    Super easy and impressive as a starter.

• Pomegranate shallots

  • cct_cookbooks on November 26, 2021

    I made this in my convection oven at the recommended temperature (-350F). The tops of some of the shallots burned, giving the whole thing an acrid flavor. It's a good concept that would benefit from a lower temperature (eg 325F, no convection).

• Koofteh berenji

  • OhhWhatsThisAllAbout on February 02, 2023

    ‘Easy everyday’? Anything but, far too many steps, ingredients and effort. Resulting dish was lacking. Disappointed, especially as this book does have genuinely good recipes but I suspect this one was not tested and is just here to fill pages.

• Kavey Eats

  I could easily eat my way through every recipe in this book... If you’re in the market for a cookbook with plenty of simple and tasty dishes , ‘Simply’ by Sabrina Ghayour is a worthy contender.

  Full review

• Eat Your Books

  Sabrina never disappoints - while these are easy everyday dishes - they are packed with flavor and not ordinary by any sense of the word.

  Full review