• gamulholland on June 11, 2023

  After reading 43 notes on this book, it looks like the baking recipes tend to be fails and the others tend to work well— just a headnote for future use.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Garlicky tahini

  • Soulkitchenjen on February 04, 2024

    Delicious tahini sauce. Needs more ice water than recommended. Use the stick blender and make your life easier.

  • KCKB on May 07, 2024

    Very tasty - looking forward to using this on roasted vegetables.

  • sharon_olniyq on March 17, 2026

    I thought it was bland

• Classic hummus

  • lofolky on February 14, 2021

    This was a very creamy hummus and I loved the texture but it was also very tahini-forward and wasn't my favorite. Personal preference. The Hummus Vinaigrette on top was a must for me, cut down the richness.

  • Feelingsamtastic on August 26, 2022

    Really enjoyed the creamy texture of the hummus and super easy to make. Also liked that it was not as oily as other hummus recipes.

• Hummus vinaigrette

  • lofolky on February 14, 2021

    Delicious and added the perfect amount of brightness to the hummus. Would try and cut the peppers up even smaller next time.

  • jenmacgregor18 on January 18, 2023

    I used this with the 5-minute hummus from Israeli Soul/Zahav. I removed the seeds from the pepper & it was a little too bland. I'd leave them in next time. I added a bit of cayenne to compensate. This was a great way to perk up a rich creamy hummus.

• Chermoula

  • sharon_olniyq on April 18, 2026

    Perfect sauce. I used it with fish but hope to try it on many more things

• Green zhug

  • Soulkitchenjen on February 04, 2024

    Needs more salt. Very spicy! Just a little bit will do.

  • sharon_olniyq on March 14, 2026

    Love this so much, just the right amount of heat. I will be putting it in everything! Replaced the grapeseed oil with olive oil

  • gboden on June 02, 2026

    Spicy! So good. Used half cilantro/half parsley

• Seven-minute eggs

  • ginger2212 on February 12, 2022

    My preferred method of hard boiling eggs. I've tried everyone's "tricks" but this is easy, delicious and the shell comes right off!

• Pickled beets, radishes, and onions

  • ginger2212 on October 09, 2022

    Yum! I did these without the beets because I had too many radishes. Perfect for pickled onion needs and pickled radish!

• Lemony yogurt

  • Soulkitchenjen on March 13, 2024

    Delish and easy.

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    Delicious, and versatile - brilliant with shakshuka!

• Quick-pickled red onions

  • Soulkitchenjen on February 04, 2024

    Easy quick pickled onions, no boiling required.

  • njpoirier on July 07, 2024

    My go-to pickled onion recipe. Comes out great every time!

• Dukkah

  • ginger2212 on October 09, 2022

    My favorite condiment for on english muffins with butter in the morning! I forewent the cardamom and did paprika and red chile flakes. Cut salt if not using nuts!

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    Made this using pistachios and it is beautiful - tastes very rich and creamy. Perfect on avocado toast.

• Poached eggs with freekeh, tabbouleh, yogurt, and harissa

  • Soulkitchenjen on March 13, 2024

    Good, but not earth shattering. I can think of better ways to use the individual components. So, all the parts will get used!

• Classic shakshuka with garlicky tahini

  • ginger2212 on October 09, 2022

    An excellent shakshuka - I prefer it to Ottolenghi's and the garlic tahini is a perfect compliment.

  • sharon_olniyq on March 17, 2026

    Loved this, a classic shakshuka. Did not love the garlicky tahini

• Lamb shakshuka with lemony yogurt

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    Filling enough that it works well as an evening meal. I don't know that I'd make it again however - the flavours were good, but I think I prefer a lighter base of tomatoes without the meat. If you do make it, don't skip the garlic yoghurt!

• Date banana bread with coconut crumble

  • rachelleg88 on January 02, 2021

    made with out date jam and was delicious!!!

  • ellwell on August 13, 2023

    I didnt make the jam either, but the bread was delicious! One of my guests declared it was the best “coffee cake” he had ever tried.

• Pistachio-cardamom coffee cake

  • ellwell on June 10, 2024

    This was a very nice coffee cake. Great flavor notes of cardamom and pistachio. Additional notes—batter was very thick and hard to spread. Used an 8x8 pan and the resulting cake was very “tall”. I waited, as instructed, to remove from the oven once a tester came out clean. By the time is was clean, the cake was getting pretty dry. I would recommend taking it out a little earlier.

• Slow-roasted and fresh cherry tomato salad with feta, basil and honey

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    I dunno - I'm not sure that putting the half-fresh (sort of sour), half-roasted (very sweet) tomatoes together works well for me.

• Herby seeds salad with toasted cumin vinaigrette

  • breakthroughc on January 26, 2023

    A really delicious salad. It is light, fresh and flavorful This is a nice addition to a middle eastern meal when you don’t want tomato,, cucumber, feta salad. Instead of serving it on a platter (I envisioned my guests struggling to get if off the platter and all those little seeds would end up all over the dining room table) I made individual salads in a shallow soup bowl. Worked well. Will make again.

  • ellwell on February 20, 2023

    This salad was delicious! The dressing really makes it. I used watermelon radishes and it was beautiful!

• Spicy fried eggplant salad with dill

  • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

    Delicious! But I like Alison Roman's Eggplant with Dill a little more.

• Shaved fennel, celery, and mint salad

  • ChelseaP on August 05, 2021

    I made this to go as a side dish to a lamb ragu wanting something fresh and wow it was actually the highlight of the meal! Who would have thought! A new favourite way to showcase celery. Highly recommend.

  • judy_208 on August 27, 2021

    Agree. Eye opener use of celery. Very tasty salad

  • ellwell on August 13, 2023

    This was really good but I forgot the mint. Can’t wait to try it with that!

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    This salad is the absolute bomb! Incredibly tasty. Everyone at the table kept going back for more, until it was all gone.

  • sharon_olniyq on May 14, 2026

    Absolutely love this! I did not know I loved fennel! Highly recommend. I have made it twice now, the second time I reduced the pine nuts to half and it tasted just as good.

• Raw carrot salad with dates, walnuts and Aleppo

  • Lepa on December 25, 2020

    This has nice flavors but cutting such a large quantity of carrots into matchsticks is a big job and in the end I'm not certain this salad is worth the effort. I may try it again if I can find an easier way to cut the carrots.

  • sharon_olniyq on March 13, 2026

    This dish is SO good, I dream about it! I shredded the carrots with a peeler that strips it into thin matchstick pieces, still a bit of a pain but better than a knife. Unfortunately I love this so much it’s worth the extra efforts. The flavors are amazing, a perfect combination of sweet, crunchy and tangy!

• Chopped salad

  • Soulkitchenjen on February 04, 2024

    Bright, fresh, and delicious. Makes A LOT. Consider halving.

• French lentils with beets, sour cherries, Urfa, and almonds

  • rachelleg88 on January 02, 2021

    Cannot for the life of me find Urfa where I am, but was sooo delicious even with out! Will be moved into the rotation!

  • michalow on May 20, 2021

    This is delicious! I used plain roasted beets because I had some on hand, but look forward to trying this with the vinegar-and-honey-roasted beets, too. I used fewer lentils, added some thinly sliced celery for crunch and bulk, and reduced the honey in the dressing. I ate this salad on its own as a full meal and it was completely satisfying.

  • ellwell on August 15, 2023

    This was a good side, and a decent way to use up beets. I roasted my beets per the directions, and the sauce burned before the beets were done. There was no “saucy” liquid to swirl them in. If I did it again, I would use a tiny pan and make sure the sauce came up the edges of the pan. I also added more salt at the end, which it needed. Probably not a repeat for me, there are other better beet recipes.

• Watermelon salad with feta, pepitas, and mint

  • ellwell on August 15, 2023

    I really enjoyed this salad. My husband thought it was too spicy. I used Urfa pepper and I guess I would cut back on it next time. Will make again.

• Sabich with fried eggplant, seven-minute eggs, and Israeli salad

  • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

    I did EVERYTHING! I was so proud of myself because you needed to have all of the components prepped. It was delicious but it definitely didn't all fit into the pita. You need bigger pita for this for sure.

• Sesame schnitzel sandwich with harissa honey and tartar slaw

  • Soulkitchenjen on August 02, 2024

    This sandwich is sooo damn good. All of the components work. The slaw is delicious. The hot honey is amazing. I’d happily spend a lot of money on this.

  • Soulkitchenjen on August 02, 2024

    This sandwich is sooo damn good. All of the components work. The slaw is delicious. The hot honey is amazing. I’d happily spend a lot of money on this.

  • Soulkitchenjen on August 02, 2024

    This sandwich is sooo damn good. All of the components work. The slaw is delicious. The hot honey is amazing. I’d happily spend a lot of money on this.

  • Soulkitchenjen on August 02, 2024

    This sandwich is sooo damn good. All of the components work. The slaw is delicious. The hot honey is amazing. I’d happily spend a lot of money on this.

  • Soulkitchenjen on August 02, 2024

    This sandwich is sooo damn good. All of the components work. The slaw is delicious. The hot honey is amazing. I’d happily spend a lot of money on this.

  • Soulkitchenjen on August 02, 2024

    This sandwich is sooo damn good. All of the components work. The slaw is delicious. The hot honey is amazing. I’d happily spend a lot of money on this.

  • Soulkitchenjen on August 02, 2024

    This so soooo damn good. The slaw and the hot honey work perfectly. I’d spend a lot of money on this sandwich.

  • megbgraham on April 06, 2025

    REALLY GOOD. My kids all loved this (which is rare). The slaw my daughter was eating by the forkful. The harissa honey combined with all the other flavors was incredible. Super tasty and easy to put together. Would make this for guests because I know it would be a crowd pleaser! And I’ll definitely be making it again.

  • averythingcooks on May 21, 2025

    This sandwich & slaw are awesome. We loved the generous amount of sesame seeds in the breading & while I might add more seasoning to the flour next time, it is really good as written. We air fried our chicken (beautifully crispy) & we prefer our slaw (made with green cabbage + a few more veg) on the side rather than on the sandwich. The honey spiked harissa was great (use the hotter one next time!), chopped romaine provided more crunch + freshness & a little buttermilk ranch for creaminess was the final touch. "Again please" was the clear verdict.

  • linsey_ykxo4r on November 28, 2025

    One of my favorite recipes in this book!! Everyone always asks for these

• Beef kebab burgers with garlicky tahini and red zhug

  • njpoirier on July 07, 2024

    Made the patties only to pair with the pitas we made from this book. The mix of the warm spices and herbs was spot on and made for an excellent weekend lunch. Highly recommend.

• Easy chicken shawarma in a pita

  • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

    The best and easiest chicken shawarma. Better than most restaurants!

  • Soulkitchenjen on February 04, 2024

    Yes, the chicken is easy. But, to do it right, you need to make like 5 other recipes. But the chicken itself is simple and delicious. Don’t use her pita recipe. It’s bland compared to the one from Jerusalem and it comes out bready.

  • kfreytag on January 06, 2026

    We make this often and double the recipe every time to have leftovers. It does take some time to make the accompaniments, though! We usually make the green zhug, quick pickled onions, and chopped salad — but we buy the amba, labneh, feta, and pitas.

  • VKHummel on January 25, 2026

    My go to recipe for chicken shawarma, my favorite way to eat this is bowl style though over pearl couscous or rice for a cava style meal prep for lunch, customized for both my partner and my own preferences. I mix up a quad batch of the seasoning blend so I always have some on hand.

• Lamb flatbread with pomegranate and mint

  • dc151 on October 23, 2020

    I really liked the lamb topping; the pomegranate molasses added such great flavor! The lemony yogurt worked really well with this. The flatbread recipe, however, did not work for me. I tried twice, the first time followed the directions to the letter and could not get a shaped dough. The second time I added an extra 1.5-2 cups of flour to make the dough come together at all, and even then it remained super sticky. 2.25 cups water seems like a lot, but I've very limited experience baking bread, so not sure what I did wrong. I'd love to hear someone else's experience.

  • breakthroughc on May 23, 2021

    I have made this several times, but used store bought flatbread dough. The topping is delicious and the lemon yogurt is really good and adds a lot, but I found that I need to thin it to be able to drizzle it on the top.

• Persian flatbread (Nan-e barbari)

  • dc151 on October 23, 2020

    This recipe didn't seem right to me. Super watery dough that didn't come together. I tried again, adding a ton more flour to the dough and managed to squeak something out.

  • puddlemere on January 05, 2021

    I saw multiple reviews of this saying it calls for too much water, so I started with 1.5 cups and that worked relatively well. It's still quite a wet dough, but I think it's supposed to be like that--bakes up nicely.

  • kokokodio on January 23, 2021

    I made this as per the recipe and it was so so wet, not at all workable. Tried again with 1.5 cups water (thanks Puddlemere) and it worked a treat.

• Easy peasy pita

  • lofolky on February 14, 2021

    I think this has potential, but my first attempt was a flop. Still edible but super dense. I need to get my oven quite a bit hotter, and make sure my pizza stone is clean so it doesn’t smoke next time ;)

  • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

    These turned out PERFECTLY. I followed the recipe to a T and used my pizza stone for the oven part. The pita was so delicious and fluffy but makes a fair amount. I gifted it to friends and the remainder that got kinda of stale I turned into pita chips for Fattoush.

  • Soulkitchenjen on February 04, 2024

    The dough is very wet and the pitas come out far too dense. Not as good as recipes that use dry milk powder. Kind of an undeveloped flavor.

  • njpoirier on July 07, 2024

    Husband made these and they turned out very good. All of the pitas had pockets, were fluffy, and had great flavor. We paired these with the beef kabob recipe from this same book, and it made a terrific combo.

• Honey-roasted parsnips with dates and tzatziki

  • dc151 on October 23, 2020

    Loved this. Not hard to throw together.

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    This was 100% a restaurant-worthy side. I've never seen parsnips disappear so quickly!

• Grilled summer squash

  • CapeCodCook on January 02, 2021

    A simple recipe with few ingredients that is a delicious side-dish. This works well with large summer squash too; use a mandoline to cut precise 1/4 inch slices. I discarded the long end slices with the peel still left on. The toasted coriander seeds were delicious with the garlic/breadcumbs topping. I subbed fresh oregano for the basil. Serve slightly warm or room temp with warmed bread crumbs.

  • ginger2212 on October 09, 2022

    I liked it but it was a little too seedy/coriandery for my liking! I might top with the dukkah instead in the future!

• Roasted Romanesco with pistachios and fried caper vinaigrette

  • peaceoutdesign on April 22, 2024

    I cooked the Cauliflower version and the only change that I would make is to slice the head into one-inch thick slabs, just to get more char.

• Whole-roasted sweet potato with sunflower gremolata and lemony sour cream

  • KCKB on January 08, 2024

    This was very tasty! Will definitely make again. We didn’t have fresh basil on hand, had to use dried - looking forward to trying it with fresh basil. I’m also toying with subbing cashews for the sunflower seeds to see how those would go over.

  • Soulkitchenjen on March 11, 2025

    This is incredibly delicious and also sooo easy. The only sub I made was pepitas for the sunflower seeds. It worked so well.

• Roasted cauliflower with date-parsley gremolata

  • Emily Hope on March 09, 2021

    Great twist on roasted cauliflower. Not too complicated, and the dates + preserved lemon really add a lovely contrast and sweetness to the cauliflower. Very straightforward to make, too. Will be a repeat. Served as a side with a red lentil soup.

  • michalow on May 29, 2021

    Delicious combination of flavors. I didn't have any preserved lemon, so I subbed fresh lemon juice plus zest. I used considerably less gremolata than called for and tossed everything with some lentils, wheatberries, and toasted almonds for a very satisfying main dish.

  • vinochic on August 13, 2021

    I didn't have the preserved lemons so just use a bit of zest and juice and still delicious. WIll definitely make again!

• Baked lamb kebabs with roasted vegetables and tahini (Siniya)

  • breakthroughc on January 23, 2021

    This was a delicious sheet pan dinner. I use one sweet potato and added a red bell pepper cut into large chunks. All you need is some Naan as a side.

  • breakthroughc on January 25, 2021

    I forgot to add that the lamb mixture was very crumbly and I had to add an egg to get it to hold together to form patties.

  • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

    The concept is brilliant. I would mix and match meats though. I did it with turkey, so I will try lamb in the future. My favorite turkey burger is Ottolenghi's Turkey and Zucchini Burgers so I'd do that with the veg.

  • Lepa on November 03, 2024

    This was okay but if I made it again I'd probably skip adding the tahini sauce until after everything comes out of the oven. The baked tahini made everything look beige and mushy.

  • sharon_olniyq on May 17, 2026

    The first unimpressive recipe from this book, the veggies were good but not hard to mess up roasted veggies. The lamb patties had a strange soft texture that would have been better cooked as a patty in a skillet or on a kabob on the grill. Perhaps even meatballs in a skillet. The garlicky tahini sauce is pretty bland so I suggest using her chermoula sauce to add more flavor depth.

• Seared scallops with basil-turmeric butter

  • ginger2212 on September 11, 2021

    I really liked these scallops! I wasn't blown away by the flavor but they were delicious. I reused the butter on fish en papillote later in the week.

• Garlicky nigella green beans

  • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

    Good! If you like Nigella seeds...I learned that I do not.

  • Maefleur on August 13, 2023

    These were very easy and tasty! We happen to enjoy nigella seeds. If they're not your thing, you can use black or white sesame seeds.

  • k.a.g on April 29, 2024

    So easy, and absolutely delicious! I don’t always love raw garlic, so I warmed the olive oil and garlic in the small pan I’d just used to toast the nigella seeds - worked well.

• Braised halibut with roasted cherry tomatoes and tahini (Chraime)

  • ginger2212 on October 24, 2021

    DELICIOUS!! Made with fresh caught Halibut. Lovely and flavorful. Served with rice.

  • Feelingsamtastic on April 07, 2023

    Delish! Served on top of grits. Would make again!

  • Soulkitchenjen on August 03, 2024

    Very good and easy. Served with fresh pita.

  • Soulkitchenjen on August 03, 2024

    Very good and flavorful. Served with pita.

  • Mliston on January 22, 2026

    Really delish! The roasted cherry tomatoes were my favorite part! I used a fiery harissa spice blend to create a paste to spice the sauce. I think the subtle heat was great in the dish. Served over rice. Definitely will make again!

• Hubby's spiced meatballs

  • quiltergirl1960 on May 21, 2022

    Made this last night. Fabulous! When I make it again, I will make the meatballs smaller (as using her measurement meant we only had 8 meatballs). It would be a great way to use up leftover pita bread. But the sauce? It's so good by itself that I wonder if you even need the meatballs!

  • jenmacgregor18 on December 22, 2022

    This was quite good. The meatballs were very tender. And there is a lot of delicious sauce, which we served with rice. I didn't have pita, so I subbed 1 cup of panko. My cilantro bunches were enormous, so I used about 2/3rds of 1 bunch. To form the meatballs, I used a 1/4 cup measure with very generous scoops. I ended up with 12 good-sized meatballs. Topping this with Tia Lupita hot sauce made this perfect for me.

  • averythingcooks on May 31, 2025

    We thought the meatballs were the highlight here (so soft & flavourful), oven roasted to just under, then finished in the simmering sauce. And while we did enjoy the sauce, for us, everything together seemed a little "paprika heavy". For 1/2, I used only 1 pita as she equates a pita to a slice of bread & the pita I pulled out was much larger than that. I will use the "milk soaked pita in the meatballs" idea again for sure.

  • sharon_olniyq on March 12, 2026

    Loved the flavors! I reduced the pitas to 1 1/2 and that worked just as well, my pitas were also extra fluffy.

• Whole-roasted broccoli with herbed yogurt, dukkah and chile

  • ginger2212 on July 13, 2022

    Delicious recipe! Dukkah on broccoli is perfection. I honestly didn't feel like I needed the yogurt sauce. And I did broccoli florets - not the whole-roasted version. Will try again with her dukkah recipe - I used my Egyptian MIL's for this.

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    I agree with a previous commenter - the basic roast broccoli is so good it doesn't even need a dressing (worth bearing in mind if you need a quicker veggie side!). When you combine all the elements it's a showstopper.

• Tahini sheet cake

  • ellwell on March 24, 2023

    This was delicious. Unfortunately I couldn’t find my regular 9x13 pan and had to use a ceramic one. I took it out of the oven at the 30 minute mark since the toothpick came out clean. When I inverted it onto a tray after cooling, it was clear that the cake was very goopy in the middle. Only the side were done. Such a disappointment as it took a lot of expensive ingredients. I am going to assume that a large part of the failure was the pan—-but nevertheless, check very carefully for doneness! Will definitely make again.

  • danika_qq7hvn on April 09, 2026

    I have made this twice and loved it both times. The tahini gives a subtle, unique nuttiness that combined with the butter in the recipe is so delicious. Am thinking of making it again this weekend for guests!

• Lemony mejadra with extra, extra-fried shallots

  • VineTomato on July 04, 2023

    Not our favourite. The rice was not cooked properly after the allocated time and by the end was broken and stodgy rather than fluffy. The flavours were okay - granted I did leave out the cinnamon and forgot about the garlic so I can't fault the recipe for that. The roasted tomatos and garlicky tahini were the best bits so don't leave those out! I doubt I will make this again.

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    I found this one good, but not great. I still prefer Nadine Abensur's mejadra and will go back to it for now.

• Freekeh-celery tabbouleh

  • Soulkitchenjen on March 13, 2024

    Very delicious and easy. I used an extra half of a lemon worth of juice, because I like it zingy. I also had slightly less dill and slightly more freekeh, but it seemed like a recipe that could handle a bit of a “use what you have” mindset.

  • k.a.g on April 28, 2024

    Delicious. One of the "quieter" recipes in this book, but very moreish.

• Shawarma spice blend

  • njpoirier on July 07, 2024

    Great spice blend. Tastes just like the shawarma seasoning from my favorite Middle Eastern eateries.

• Crispy smashed potatoes with chimichurri and Urfa

  • Soulkitchenjen on August 02, 2024

    This was sooooo good and so easy. Bright and fresh and crispy and indulgent. It’s perfect

  • averythingcooks on May 20, 2025

    I completely echo Soulkitchenjen's comment - this is lovely. I used both Thai & Genovese basil + dill & parsley in the chimichurri and we loved the fruity heat from the Urfa pepper flakes. We both agree....make this again!

• Semolina, olive oil, and honey cake with cherries

  • ellwell on January 21, 2025

    I really liked this cake because it wasn’t too sweet, even with the glaze. I did not make the whipped cream or the cherries on top (although that would be a lovely addition), cuz January diet and ya gotta cut somewhere! The cake was lovely and makes a wonderful snack with tea. I took it out of the oven at 50 min because the toothpick came out clean. 10 minutes later the middle sank. Next time it should probably cook a full hour.

• Clams with saffron and celery

  • NoaBC on September 04, 2025

    So fast/easy and so good. Makes more like 3-4 portions when served with bread and a side salad.

• Whole-roasted branzino with harissa, garlic, and lemon

  • Mliston on January 27, 2026

    Tried this with salmon. Pretty good - I think I put too much of the harissa on it. Made it with greens but would be better with rice. I’ll try it again.

• Chermoula sea bass

  • Nrnarayan on March 31, 2026

    Used tilapia since that's what I had, super easy weeknight main dish

  • sharon_olniyq on April 18, 2026

    Loved the chermoula sauce, it was the star of the show and I will be trying it on other dishes. Sea bass took a little longer than 10 min but was perfectly cooked.