The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey | 
 enlarge | Author: Janna Gur
Publisher: Schocken
Category: Book
List Price: $35.00
Buy New: $17.95
You Save: $17.05 (49%)
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 12870
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st American Ed
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.6
Dimensions (in): 11.7 x 9.1 x 1.1
ISBN: 0805212248
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.595694
EAN: 9780805212242
ASIN: 0805212248
Publication Date: August 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In this stunning new work that is at once a coffee-table book to browse and a complete cookbook, Janna Gur brings us the sumptuous color, variety, and history of today’s Israeli cuisine, beautifully illustrated by Eilon Paz, a photographer who is intimate with the local scene.
In Gur’s captivating introduction, she describes Israeli food as a product of diverse cultures: the Jews of the Diaspora, settling in a homeland that was new to them, brought their far-flung cuisines to the table even as they looked to their Arab neighbors for additional ingredients and ideas. The delicious, easy-to-follow recipes represent all of these influences, and include some creative interpretations of classics by celebrated Israeli chefs: Beetroot and Pomegranate Salad, Fish Falafel in Spicy Harissa Mayonnaise, Homemade Shawarma, Chreime–North African Hot Fish Stew, Roasted Chicken Drumsticks in Carob Syrup. With favorite recipes for the Sabbath (Sweet Challah Traditional Chopped Liver, Chocolate and Halva Coffeecake) and for holidays (Balkan Potato and Leek Pancakes, Flourless Chocolate and Pistachio Cake), this book offers a unique culinary experience for every occasion. All of this is enriched by Paz’s gorgeous and vibrantly colored photographs and by short narratives about significant aspects of Israel’s diverse cuisine, such as the generous and unique Israeli breakfast (which grew out of the needs of Kibbutz life), locally produced cheeses that now rival those of Europe, and a dramatic renaissance of wine culture in this ancient land.
“In less than thirty years,” Janna Gur writes, “Israeli society has graduated… to a true gastronomic haven.” Here she gives us a book that does full, delectable justice to the significance of Israeli food today–Mediterranean at its heart, richly spiced, and imbued with cross-cultural flavors.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Disappointing- basic recipes with some minor new twists November 26, 2008
Coco Pazzo (Long Beach, CA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I ordered this book with great anticipation hoping that the book will include recipes from the new stars of new Israeli cooking. Instead, the book has all the basic Israeli recipes, albeit some of them with new twists. Let's hope Ms. Gur's next book will include recipes from such trail blazing restaurants in Israel such as as Catit, Messa and Cordelia to name a few.
 Easy, reliable recipes, beautiful photography September 16, 2008
A. Jenshel (Australia)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The recipes are modern and interesting, without being difficult or fussy. Even the few very traditional recipes that one might expect to find here are given a fresh new twist. They reflect regional influences and ingredients. The photography is vibrant and the accompanying stories make this book much more than just a collection of recipes. Would make an excellent gift.
Gorgeous and smart too! September 6, 2008
Lynn Harnett (Marathon, FL USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Israeli food writer Gur's oversize cookbook, with sumptuous photos by Eilon Paz, is as rewarding to page through as to cook from. Gur, the founder of Israel's leading food magazine, sets the scene, placing recipes and ingredients in context with Israeli life and culinary history, which encompasses influences from a worldwide diaspora. Scattered the world over, Jews absorbed local cuisines and adapted them to Jewish law and custom.
The two major divisions in Israeli cooking are the European Ashkenazi (Chopped Liver - Gur offers four versions, Gefilte Fish, Potato Pancakes), and the Middle Eastern and Balkan Sephardic (Bourekas, stuffed vegetables, Kubbe), but Israeli foods also include dishes from North Africa, Iraq, Syria, India and more.
Gur charts the evolution of Israeli cooking through its short history - naturally influenced by local foods and Arab cuisine - and illustrates techniques common in modern Israeli cooking, like flame roasting eggplants, which are then featured in 11 dishes, and choosing and using the versatile ground sesame sauce, tahini.
Gur also includes engaging stories on basics in Israeli culinary life - breakfast, olive oil, bread, cheese and more - and a short chapter describing some of the more prevalent special ingredients and spices.
The book is divided into five main chapters: Salads etc., The street and The Market, Simple Pleasures, Grill, Shabbat and Holidays. The heady flavor of lemon rises from salads like Fennel and Pistachio, Eggplant Carpaccio, or sumptuous Fatoush, a bread salad with garden-ripe tomatoes.
In addition to basic Falafel, Gur offers a fish version with spicy Harissa Mayonnaise. Other street foods include Shawarma, a shaved meat sandwich with hummus or tahini sauce, Shakshuka, with eggs gently poached in tomato sauce, and phyllo or puff pastry Bourekas stuffed with spinach or eggplant and cheese.
Simple Pleasures include breads, stuffed vegetables, rice dishes (Persian Green Rice, Rice with Crispy Noodles), couscous, soups like Creamy Jerusalem Artichoke and Kubbe Hamousta, a lemony broth with bulgar and beef dumplings, and fish dishes like Trout Casserole and Fish Ceviche with Eggplant Cream.
Grilled dishes include a variety of chicken wings in spices like za'atar and sumac, lamb kebabs and Cornish hens. Many of the familiar traditional dishes, like Challah, Chicken Soup (both European and Middle Eastern) and Cholent are found in the Shabbat and holiday dishes include for Gefilte Fish, Lamb and Quince Casserole, Honey Cake, Latkes, Passover Matzo Pie and Labane (yogurt cheese).
Lively, colorful, steeped in history, tradition and the modern melting pot, Gur's book is also well organized, with clear directions and an understanding of the home cook's approach.
untried but true September 5, 2008
Daria (mill valley, california)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
i just bought this beautiful book and spent an hour looking through it carefully and marking pages of recipes i want to try. unlike most cookbooks, this one has many recipes that are simple yet enticing -- i will really try many. too often one looks through a cookbook, is attracted to the photos, but chooses not to really get down and actually make one of recipes. this is NOT one of those cookbooks. i am married to a tunisian, and many of these recipes are authentic even to that culture. i will update this posting when i have chosen and cooked something from the many i have marked to try.
Yummy photos for yummy recipes August 28, 2008
armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a large 9" X 12", 304-page cookbook with stunning color photographs and a variety of kosher recipes from Israel.
I'm someone who doesn't enjoy the hassles of traveling, however, cookbooks from far and near are something I do enjoy. Perhaps it satisfies my latent sense of adventure without the need to leave home. I live near a large city and have access to a variety of exotic ingredients, but I found many of the recipes in The Book of New Israeli Food required very little extra purchases to complete.
I love to make desserts so, of course, my first pick was the "Citrus Semolina Cake" on page 208. Semolina flour-more familiarly used in pasta, fresh orange juice, ground coconut and a small amount of sugar listed in the recipe sounded like the perfect choice. It actually turned out just like the glossy color photo. A picture may be worth a thousand words but with recipes it's the taste. Mild citrus flavor enhanced the cake, which was lighter than a pound cake but heavier than a typical one made with cake flour.
The Book of New Israeli Food not only contains recipes for desserts, but salads, yummy breads and hearty entrees. A bit of history of the area and the customs, which made these recipes popular in this region, accompanies the color photos. There is a section called "special ingredients" that gives added information about those less familiar spices, etc.
This would make a beautiful addition to most home cookbook collections. Then you too can enjoy a bit of Israel without leaving home. I give The Book of New Israeli Food 5 stars.
Armchair Interviews agrees
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