• Schooffiecooks on December 31, 2025

  My favorite cookbook of 2025! So many great recipes, and what I love that I have almost every pantry ingredients already in my cupboard!

• Margaret_T on December 08, 2025

  Roasted cauliflower with tahini and crushed tomatoes, p.135 This is a delicious and healthy dish, now firmly integrated into our list star dishes for family gatherings.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Labneh

  • amanda_43tuj8 on May 09, 2026

    Excellent. Easy to make

• Green lemon sauce (Tatbeelet laymonn khadra)

  • Banicoli on February 19, 2026

    Very fresh and bright; loved it!

  • gregorio_inkp6y on March 08, 2026

    A simple recipe with a power punch of flavors. The brightness/acidity is a great palate cleanser between creamy/fatty bites. The crunch and heat open up taste buds and my appetite. The garlic aroma that hits your nose instantly gets you craving for more.

• Tahini sauce (Tahinia)

  • EmilyR on July 07, 2025

    Made for another recipe.

  • Astrid5555 on August 09, 2025

    Great sauce to have on hand for other recipes from this book.

• Sumac onions (Basal bil sumac)

  • EmilyR on July 11, 2025

    These are the Middle Eastern equivalent to Mexican pickled red onions.

  • rmardel on October 03, 2025

    I did not find these as interesting or compelling as the version in Tamimi's previous cookbook, Falastin, despite using both cider vinegar and lemon juice. I'll stick with the other version, which to me is more classic.

  • rmardel on February 16, 2026

    Updated. I've changed my opinion. I apparently shoved these into the back of the fridge and rediscovered them lately, after 4 months. They mellowed fabulously into a pickle that is sweet, tart, and fruity with an interesting complexity, more of a cross between a simple fresh sumac onion preparation and a full red onion pickle. This is something to make and hold before enjoying.

  • Schooffiecooks on March 25, 2026

    Just added them to a simple salad!

• Toasted nuts and seeds (Khaltet mukassarat)

  • EmilyR on July 15, 2025

    Sumac is under utilized. These are a nice addition to salads as the book encourages.

  • Astrid5555 on August 09, 2025

    These are also excellent on their own!

• Braised eggs with pita bread, tomatoes & za'atar (Beyd makli ma' khobez w za'atar)

  • Ganga108 on September 01, 2025

    I made a version of this that was GF and using what I had at hand, but keeping the flavours intact. A delish way to start the day. I quite like this style of egg - Ottolenghi has a few different recipes for braised eggs, and Wolfert has many "Eggs on ...." recipes in her book on The Cooking of the Eastern Med.

  • Tessvssr on May 17, 2026

    Easy satisfying breakfast! We loved it. Portion size says four people but we finished it in one sitting as just two people. Don’t know if the portion size was intended to be small or if we just eat way too much :-)

• Crushed lentils with tahini & soft-boiled eggs (Adas medames)

  • Livia on March 15, 2026

    Used fried lentils so may not be a fair review but I think I much prefer the classic ful, and use the same recipe next time. Only makes two serving

• Aubergine & broad beans with eggs (Bitinjan w ful ma 'beyd)

  • EmilyR on July 15, 2025

    This reminds me of Palestinian chilaquiles. Great layers of flavor.

  • valderaa on August 25, 2025

    This was tasty, nutritious, and filling. Took a decent amount of time to chop everything. Due to allergy, I substituted portobello mushrooms for the eggplant, which worked great. I also used egg whites instead of whole eggs. Next time, I would cook the egg whites separately in my griddle. The flavors merged together and didn’t stand out but I would make it again. I might increase the ginger.

• Cardamom pancakes with tahini, halva & carob (Fatayer ma' kharroub w halaweh)

  • amyherzberg on February 15, 2026

    So very, very good. Used homemade halva (from Start Here), drizzled with tahini and maple syrup.

• Courgette & leek Arabic frittata (Ijehet kousa w kurrath)

  • Jane on August 11, 2025

    I loved this. Peas, courgettes, leeks and herbs with just enough egg to hold it all together. So a vegetable forward frittata rather than an eggy one. Would be good for brunch or a vegetarian dinner. I had it with the Chopped salad for every occasion.

  • Nancy402 on October 06, 2025

    Herbaceous and delicious frittata. I was wondering if 3 eggs would be enough to hold everything together, but it worked like a charm. Even the flipping went smoothly. Served with the fattoush, for a lovely light dinner on a warm Fall evening.

  • Anea25 on April 18, 2026

    Great fresh recipe.

• Chunky aubergine m'tabbal (M'tabbal bitinjan)

  • Astrid5555 on August 09, 2025

    Perfect dish for eggplant lovers and great addition to a mezze spread.

• Roasted vegetables with lemon & za'atar (Khudar bil laymonn w al za'atar)

  • tui on August 10, 2025

    This is a great recipe. I have made it twice now, with slightly different vegetable combinations each time. Perfect for a family meal where some will have meat with their vegetables and some are vegetarians and won't. Everyone will be happy!

  • Apollonia on October 28, 2025

    Nothing earth shattering, but a very nice dish of roasted veggies. Roasting them with broth means they don't get super crispy, but they did stay nicely moist and flavorful. I made only half the sauce, which was plenty for generous drizzling; I'd make the full recipe only if you like things very heavy on the tahini. We served over hummus and warm chickpeas with bread, and it went down a treat.

• Chopped salad for every occasion (Salata mafrumeh)

  • Jane on August 11, 2025

    This is very similar to the other chopped salad in the book though this has a simple olive oil and lemon dressing whereas the other has a tahini dressing. This is very refreshing and a great side dish when you want something not too dominant.

• Ghazzawi tahini chopped salad (Salata Ghazawiya)

  • valderaa on August 27, 2025

    Good! Basic. Lots of chopping. More radish than I generally use, which was great. Seranno peppers a nice touch of heat.

  • shapije1 on January 26, 2026

    Very simple salad that satisfies that craving for a creamy dressing (without any dairy!). I’ll likely reduce the lemon juice in the future as the final dish was slightly more tart than I like.

• Smoky chickpeas with coriander tahini (Hummus hab bil tahinia w al kuzbara)

  • EmilyR on July 07, 2025

    Make sure you have some bread or something to dip into the coriander tahini.

  • Astrid5555 on August 09, 2025

    Nice addition to a mezze spread!

  • Senkimekia on September 25, 2025

    That smokiness and creaminess, delicious!

• Tahini, tomato & mint dip (Tahinia ma' banadoura w na'na)

  • Schooffiecooks on April 05, 2026

    Because I am not a great fan of tahini I used half tahini and half yoghurt. And I didn’t have any shatta, used rose harissa instead. It was nice, not great.

• Fermented turnip tops (Huwairna)

  • rmardel on November 11, 2025

    I have wanted to make this since I first opened the book. Although it took me a while to get there, as I awaited fresh fall turnip season, it was well worth the wait. This is unlike any other ferment, salad, or condiment I have made and it is delicious. The texture is slightly chewy from the turnip greens, vegetative, green, sharp, funky and sour in a very pleasant and cooling way. It is a great side to a variety of dishes. I tasted this after two days, as per Tamimi's suggestion. I look forward to seeing if this changes over the next few days, but it is something definitely worth exploring further.

• Braised chard with crispy onions & sumac (Saleq ma' basal)

  • rmardel on September 25, 2025

    This is delicious. A classic and simple preparation of chard with the addition of sumac as well as garlic. I hadn't thought of adding sumac to chard before although I regularly use lemon and garlic. The crispy onions were he most work, but the recipe makes extra. I'm sure the canned variety of crispy onions or shallots would work if I could find a gluten-free version.

  • treay on May 14, 2026

    Very tasty and easy to cook.

• Beetroot with cumin labneh, toasted nuts & seeds & chives (Salatet shamander bil labneh)

  • EmilyR on July 15, 2025

    Don’t skip any of the parts - the toasted nuts add a great element of contrast. As with all beet dishes, if you like beets you’ll love this, if not this may be the one to sway you. It’s beautiful!

  • Astrid5555 on August 09, 2025

    I actually do not like beets, but this dish is phenomenal. Don‘t skip any of the parts, they make this dish!

  • Schooffiecooks on January 02, 2026

    Made a few changes here, because I don't like beets. But loved the flavors here. Used roasted purple cauliflower and pickled radishes instead. Another winner from Boustany!

  • crandall57 on March 14, 2026

    This was a nice dish. I served it over a bed of lettuce. It was a little time consuming to make all the elements, but worth it. We didn't love the quick pickled beets. I used sheep's milk yogurt.

• Crushed broad beans with goat cheese & preserved lemon salsa (M'tabbal ful akhdar)

  • Jane on August 15, 2025

    Lovely dish - great combination of flavors. I felt I needed to cook the fava (broad beans) for 2 mins rather than 1 but otherwise followed the recipe. Though I also only used half the amount of goat cheese - the full amount seemed a lot (and far more than in the book photo). It's good with the Oregano and cheese loaf.

• Roasted aubergine with tomato, pomegranate & herbs (Salatet bitinjan)

  • EmilyR on July 07, 2025

    Light and flavorful. Feels like it needs a bit of cheese for a meal. I paired it with leftover cucumber feta yogurt (pg 118) and Finn crisp crackers.

• Watermelon, cucumber salad with feta & lemon verbena (Salatet batikh w khyar ma' jibneh)

  • EmilyR on July 17, 2025

    This is an upscaled and more interesting rendition of a watermelon and feta mix. As with many recipes in this book there are layers of flavor.

• Fridge-raid fattoush

  • Jane on August 15, 2025

    I've loved all the salads I've made from the book. This one is good though I prefer the chopped salads. The pomegranate molasses adds a bit more sweetness than I like in a salad. Be careful when baking the pita - mine burnt in even the lower end of the time he gives. I ended up baking the bread without splitting it - I think his pita must be a lot thicker than my grocery store brand.

  • Nancy402 on October 06, 2025

    Delicious. Not something you can throw together quickly, but well worth it, especially with good tomatoes. Looked gorgeous on the plate. My pita chips took only 8 minutes in a convection oven.

• Cucumber & feta yogurt with dill, almonds & rose (Khyar bil laban)

  • EmilyR on July 07, 2025

    Unassuming layers of flavor and texture with some heat. One of my favorites from the book thus far.

  • lolako on February 18, 2026

    Made as an accompaniment to the ouzi filo parcel. It was a perfect pairing, and the flavor was over the top! Used plain vegan yogurt, which was really thick. I can't wait to find an occasion to make the ouzi and cucumber yogurt salad again.

• Roasted asparagus with feta, almonds and mint (Halyoun)

  • Jane on July 23, 2025

    Very simple - roasted asparagus with a lemony garlic dressing with toasted almonds, crumbled feta and mint. Lovely as a summer side or appetizer.

  • Schooffiecooks on March 14, 2026

    Made ot with sweet potatoes because we don’t like asparagus. Still very good!

• Bitter leaves, fennel & orange salad (Salatet shumar w burtuqal)

  • valderaa on May 04, 2026

    Lovely! A pretty and light salad with terrific flavors. Would be great with poached chicken.

• Turmeric cauliflower & chickpeas with lemon yogurt (Zahra ma' hummus)

  • EmilyR on July 11, 2025

    Made with aleppo chili flakes and shared with several friends. One said her family was fighting over it! This is a sum of it’s parts kind of dish so make sure you do all the things and don’t skrimp on the herbs! You probably could cheat with preserved lemon in the labneh. Healthy and filling.

• Fried aubergine m'tabbal with tomato & coriander salsa (M'tabbal bitinjan makli)

  • rmardel on September 16, 2025

    For me, this dish alone is worth the price of the book. I would drive out of my way to eat it in a restaurant; I will certainly make it again. The recipe does require some forethought, but is otherwise quite easy, and the end result is worth more than the effort expended. I loved the layering of textures and flavors. Most of the eggplant goes into the yogurt/tahini sauce, becoming creamy and richly satisfying, while the remaining eggplant is tossed with the tomato and lemon juice to make the salsa. I found neither the yogurt nor the tomato salsa needed additional salt, although the recipe does mention adding more. The resulting salad was richly satisfying, simultaneously crave-worthy and also satiating. It work beautifully as part of an assortment of salads or solo as a lunch or supper.

• Fennel, kohlrabi & coriander salad (Salatet shumar w kohlrabi)

  • rmardel on September 15, 2025

    This is an excellent salad. I love the way the sweet, anise, crispness of the fennel plays with the soft juicy crispness of the kohlrabi with its earthy, cabbage/turnip vibes. The salting makes both vegetables softer but not dry, and the dressing really enhances the flavor profile, rounding it out nicely. In fact I love this dressing and would use it on other dishes as well, which is good because finding good kohlrabi and fennel is often difficult here, much as I love both of them. The salad as a whole had a subtle layering of flavors and a soft complexity I had not anticipated. I did alter the recipe slightly. There was no orange in house, so I subbed home candied grapefruit peel to good effect, although not probably fitting the original intention. I also added a light sprinkling of sumac, along with the dried mint, to finish the salad. Excellent.

  • shapije1 on April 11, 2026

    I loved the combination of creamy yogurt, orange zest, and fresh herbs! Didn’t have kohlrabi on hand, but followed the suggestion of trying an alternate root vegetable (carrots!). Careful not to oversalt the dressing as your veggies may already have a decent amount of salt from the first step. Overall, I found the salad enjoyable but it’s too bad that it doesn’t keep for very long.

• Aubergine & chickpeas with green lemon sauce (Bitinjan ma' hummus)

  • KarinaFrancis on July 10, 2025

    A warm, comforting eggplant stew. I halved the recipe and it still made a generous amount.

  • alinutzamica on July 14, 2025

    This was much better the next day. It really needs the green sauce to elevate the flavour.

  • Schooffiecooks on March 14, 2026

    Used different vegetables, because that’s what I had. The sauce was great.

  • MokumChefs on April 16, 2026

    Really rich and tasty, especially with the lemon sauce. Next time I would bake the eggplant on a slightly lower temperature than 220C (cause a bit too burnt) and cook the garlic longer than indicated (cause there was slightly too much of a raw garlic taste). I minced the lemon sauce but that overdid it a bit. Would want that a bit thicker. But overall happy with the dish.

• Fried halloumi with purslane salad (Halloum maklyeh ma' salatet baqleh)

  • EmilyR on July 15, 2025

    Halloumi is always a good choice and the purslane salad is also excellent with it.

• Apricot, orange & almond cake (Ka'ket mishmash w burtuqal)

  • treay on July 16, 2025

    This is my first recipe from this book. I made this gluten free almond, orange and apricot cake last Sunday. I actually used my Thermomix to do most of the batter and it was very easy. Being winter, I had to use tinned apricots. Lovely flavours but a bit dense. Yummy with some crème fraîche or ice-cream.

  • Nancy402 on July 29, 2025

    Local apricots are just in season here, and they were beautifully showcased in this cake.It looks fabulous, and is very fragrant. I found the exterior a little dry so would cut the baking time a bit next time. You definitely want to serve this with ice cream.

  • Jane on July 30, 2025

    This is a nice cake and easy to make. I wouldn't say it's going to be regular repeat though my guests seemed to enjoy it. One thing I'd change is to make the almond clusters less wide. The instructions say to overlap the almond slices slightly but the flatness meant the clusters softened as soon as they were placed on the apricot glaze. I'd prefer them with a bit of crunch.

  • amanda_43tuj8 on May 17, 2026

    Excellent.

• Pan-baked tahini, halva & coffee brownie (Qahwa w halaweh brownie)

  • EmilyR on July 17, 2025

    I was happy to see this serves 6 as I ate about that much myself. These are deceptively simple to make and the nuance of coffee, chocolate, cardamom, and cloves with the sesame are excellent. The flavors meld to make this something special without any flavor over powering the next. I topped mine with a little bit of maldon, because that's the right way to do any sort of brownies.

  • Tessvssr on March 07, 2026

    I found the tahin taste to be a big overwhelming so would use a bit less next time.

• Lemon & pistachio cookies (Ma'akaroon)

  • Ckumar on July 22, 2025

    Great flavor, but they did not flatten like what was shown in the picture.

  • Jane on August 07, 2025

    Really good cookies. I'm a sucker for any gooey nutty cookies and these deliver. A mix of ground pistachios and almonds with added flavor from lemon zest and preserved lemons. Press the cookies flat before they go in the oven - they don't spread out and get the crinkle effect otherwise. Also if freezing any balls, don't roll in icing sugar first as it will just get absorbed by the dough as they thaw out (as I discovered!).

  • dogo on December 25, 2025

    Great taste! Make sure to use enough icing sugar.

• Date & nigella seed rolls (Makrouta)

  • Nancy402 on July 23, 2025

    These are delicious, and lean towards herbal rather than particularly sweet. I had to make my own date paste, which was not difficult. Took a different approach to assembling the cookies due to the filing being too soft to shape, and the dough a bit delicate. After some sleuthing on-line, I rolled out the dough between parchment, spread the filling thinly on top, and then rolled it into a cylinder and cut it so that the filling was like a cinnamon bun. This worked well and was almost as pretty as the photo of the actual recipe.

• Labneh & pomegranate ice cream (Bouza bil labneh w al rumman)

  • gamulholland on July 24, 2025

    Absolutely delicious— sweet and tart at the same time, with tang from the Greek yogurt and tartness from the lime juice and zest. (I used some pretty thick Greek yogurt instead of labneh because I couldn’t find any in a timely manner, and it still froze well and turned out really good.)

• Freekeh & vegetable soup (Shorbet freekeh ma' al khudar)

  • tui on August 10, 2025

    A meal in a bowl. Delicious and sustaining.

• Oregano & cheese loaf (Kubez al jeben w al za'atar)

  • Jane on August 15, 2025

    Very nice. I didn't get a huge burst of flavor from the cheese and oregano (though I think I skimped on the oregano - 30g is a heck of a lot). But it's a lovely savory loaf. It is good with the Crushed fava (broad) beans with goat cheese and preserved lemon salsa.

• Couscous fritters with preserved lemon yogurt (Aqras kosukson)

  • Peterkjsoe on September 02, 2025

    Not the quickest, but very delicious

• Tomato, za'atar & sumac salad (Salatet za'atar w banadoura bil sumac)

  • valderaa on September 18, 2025

    So good!! I was concerned the oregano would be overwhelming but it was lovely.

• Carrots in tamarind & mint (Jazar bil tamer hindi)

  • Apollonia on October 19, 2025

    We liked this about as much as we have liked any cooked carrot dish, which is to say not that much, but that's a matter of personal taste, rather than a problem with the recipe. I grilled my carrots on a gas grill, which was easy enough, though I'm not sure it added that much. I used tamarind paste (not concentrate) rather than block as called for, as that's what I had, and it was fine. The sauce was too sharp on its own, but contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the cooked carrots. The fresh herbs were also tasty against the cooked sauce.

  • Tessvssr on March 07, 2026

    We were very indifferent about this dish. Effort vs reward ratio was relatively low.

• Roasted cauliflower with tahini & crushed tomatoes (Salatet zahra bil tahinia)

  • Margaret_T on December 08, 2025

    This is wonderful! Delicious, simple, healthy and great for feeding a crowd.

  • pamacea on December 23, 2025

    I loved this dish; easy, simple, delicious.

• Celeriac & tomato bake (Karfs w banadoura bil furn)

  • HospitalFarmer on December 30, 2025

    I like to add kale or other cooking greens to the pan just prior to going in the oven

  • MariaSwe on March 14, 2026

    This recipe took a long time to make because first you roast the celeriac for 40 minutes and then you mix it with the other ingredients and roast again for 25 minutes. So all in all 1,5-2 hours. But it came out really nice. I can't find hard goat's cheese so had to use soft, but it was fine. I might take HospitalFarmer's tip and add some greens to the bake before the second roasting.

• Two-lentil mejadra (Mejadara)

  • pamacea on January 03, 2026

    Sounded delicious, so I gave it a try. Became very skeptical while adding the spices, as there are a lot of very strong aromatics in this dish. I should have known Sami knows what he is doing, because this was delicious!

  • MariaSwe on March 14, 2026

    Another winner from this book. Lots of spices. Next time I will let the onions for the salsa brown a bit more, I was afraid of a burnt flavour. Didn't need yoghurt on the side I thought.

• Palestinian egg & chips (Batata w beyd)

  • Happykikkers on January 09, 2026

    I wasn’t expecting much from eggs and potatoes tbh. But this is delicious! Came together super easy for lunch and is very comforting. My potatoes were frozen so I put them in the airfryer for 15 minutes on 185 degrees and finished them in the pan with the butter and onion. Didn’t have fresh herbs, so substituted with dry.

  • treay on May 14, 2026

    A lovely vegetarian recipe. Easy to make and very tasty. Hubby enjoyed it a lot! Simple food at its best!

• Loaded sweet potatoes with black-eyed peas (Batata helweh ma' loubia)

  • hashi on January 17, 2026

    A fridge meal that is a real winner. Easy to make when you’ve already got cooked sweet potatoes and beans. The tahini and herb sauce comes together quickly, too. Nice and warming for a winter night.

  • cleo_vimqze on March 18, 2026

    Excellent meal prep— I used purple and Japanese sweet potatoes

• Red lentil, dried mint & lemon soup (Shorbet adas bil laymonn)

  • spenceral on January 20, 2026

    Solid weekday recipe. Good and nourishing, but not a showstopper. One recipe makes 6 servings so no need to double. Served with basmati rice.

  • MariaSwe on March 01, 2026

    I loved this. So easy but great flavour. Will definately make again as I was growing tired of my go-to lentil soup recipe.

  • tui on March 23, 2026

    I made a double quantity of this delicious soup and was glad I did as we now have enough for two more meals in the freezer. This soup is a pleasant change from tomato and red lentil soups, good though they are.

  • jwindersteed on March 23, 2026

    Loved the chopped lemon. The burst of tart is great.

• Anise & sesame rusks (Arshaleh)

  • rzali on January 22, 2026

    I only baked it once to get a cakey and crunchy texture. It is delicious, fast to make and not too sweet.

• Ouzi filo parcels

  • lolako on February 18, 2026

    This was amazing! Cooked for Galentines dinner. Everyone loved it. The flavors were so good, and it wasn't too difficult to make. Although there are a lot of steps and ingredients. The recipe was not written too well. Was told to make mushrooms and set aside, but not told when to add them back to the recipe. Served with the cucumber yogurt salad, which took the amazing ouzi recipe and sent it over the top. Could make again without out the filo parcels and serve as a side dish.

• Hispi cabbage & tahini bil siniyhe (Malfoof bil siniyeh)

  • MariaSwe on February 27, 2026

    This was not for me I’m afraid. It had a sweet and sour flavour that I did not care for. I should note that I did not put it under the grill at the end so that could make a difference. Maybe add a more smoky flavour.

• Sweetcorn, bean & green cabbage soup (Shorbet dhurah w malfoof)

  • Livia on March 01, 2026

    This soup was surprisingly satisfying. The soup felt watery so added the rest of the sweetheart cabbage in the last 10min and it worked.Next time would add all the cabbage towards the end. The fulfil was a fact to make so next time either used jarred peppers or harissa if in a rush.

• Maftoul with tomato, okra & yogurt (Maftoul bil banadoura ma' bamia)

  • Tessvssr on March 10, 2026

    Easy and tasty.

• Asparagus, leek & hazelnut galette (Fattiret halyoun)

  • Schooffiecooks on March 14, 2026

    Made it with courgette, we don’t like asparagus. Still very good!

• Egg, onion & feta open pie (Aqras beyd)

  • Schooffiecooks on March 14, 2026

    Next time I need to make more onions!

• Bulgur wheat dumpling & lentil soup (Kubbet al raheb)

  • MariaSwe on March 14, 2026

    This was surprisingly good and easy. By mistake I soaked coarse bulgur so of course I had to boil it before making the dumplings which made it a bit more labor intensive. Other than that it came together quickly. I couldn't find chard at the market so used Tuscan kale instead.

• Roasted aubergine fatteh (Fattet makdous)

  • Schooffiecooks on March 20, 2026

    We liked the flavors, but we realized that we aren't fan of aubergine anymore.

• Mango & salted seeds parfait (Helou al manga)

  • Schooffiecooks on March 28, 2026

    Made it with vanilla ice cream instead of the mango parfait. Layer of the crispy panko ans sunflower seeds, vanilla icecream, fresh mango, and another layer of the crispy panko and sunflower seeds. Simple and very nice!

• Toasted bread with tomato & sour grapes (Mumalah)

  • Schooffiecooks on May 25, 2026

    Simply delicious! Great for lunch or on a table with small plates