Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious

by Michael Solomonov, Steven Cook

Overview

For their first major book since the trailblazing Zahav, Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook go straight to the food of the people—the great dishes that are the soul of Israeli cuisine. Usually served from tiny eateries, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, or market stalls, these specialties have passed from father to son or mother to daughter for generations. To find the best versions, the authors scoured bustling cities like Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa, and sleepy towns on mountaintops. They visited bakeries, juice carts, beaches, even weddings. 
 
Their finds include meals in the hand like falafel and pita; juicy, grilled and roasted spice-rubbed meats; stuffed vegetables; a wealth of chopped vegetable salads; a five-minute fluffy hummus with more than two dozen toppings; pastries, ice creams, and shakes. Solomonov has perfected and adapted every recipe for the home kitchen.
 
Each chapter weaves history with contemporary portrayals of the food. Striking photographs capture all its flavor and vitality, while step-by-step how-tos and closeups of finished dishes make everything simple and accessible.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544970373
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/16/2018
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	207,956
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 10.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Michael Solomonov is the multiple James Beard Foundation Award–winning chef behind Zahav, which won the 2019 James Beard Outstanding Restaurant award and was named an “essential” restaurant by Eater. He is the coauthor of four cookbooks: the James Beard Award–winning Zahav, Federal Donuts, Israeli Soul, and the forthcoming Zahav Home. He and business partner Steven Cook are the co-owners of the nationally beloved, trailblazing Philadelphia hospitality group, CookNSolo, responsible for hit restaurants celebrating the vibrant cuisine of Israeli: Dizengoff, Federal Donuts, Goldie, K’Far Café, Laser Wolf, Lilah, and Zahav.

Steven Cook is the coauthor of four cookbooks: the James Beard Award–winning Zahav, Federal Donuts, Israeli Soul, and the forthcoming Zahav Home. He and chef Michael Solomonov are the co-owners of the nationally beloved trailblazing Philadelphia hospitality group, CookNSolo, responsible for hit restaurants celebrating Israeli cuisine: Dizengoff, Federal Donuts, Goldie, K’Far Café, Laser Wolf, Lilah, and Zahav.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/21/2018
In the follow-up to their 2016 James Beard Award–winning Zahav, chef Solomonov and his business partner Cook (together they have a string of restaurants in Philadelphia) mine the melting pot of Israel for the 70-year-old country’s classic meals. Dishes are examined with quasi-Talmudic love. The history of the sabich—an Iraqi Jewish sandwich of fried eggplant and hard-boiled eggs in pita—is related in rapturous detail (“the story of sabich springs from the well of Jewish life”). There are recipes for its various components, including crispy fried eggplant and variations on amba, the traditional mango pickle (photos illustrate proper sandwich construction). Popular casual spots in Israel are profiled, and broader chapters on salads—including a radish and zucchini salad, as well as pickled watermelon—and Ashkenazi food, which tends to be overshadowed by Sephardic choices in Israel, are equally generous (e.g., pickled mackerel, cured trout). Persian meatballs with beets, Bulgarian lamb and beef kabobs, and flaky Yemenite malawach flatbread are temptingly presented. Desserts include malabi milk pudding and coconut basboosa, a semolina cake soaked in syrup. Whether cracking a joke about hummus (“After almost 1,000 years, people are pretty much okay with where hummus is at. It doesn’t need to be deconstructed”) or offering thorough guidance for crafting pita dough, this duo strikes a heartwarming, enthusiastic tone. Expect this offering to be as successful as Zahav. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"In the follow-up to their 2016 James Beard Award–winning Zahav, chef Solomonov and his business partner Cook (together they have a string of restaurants in Philadelphia) mine the melting pot of Israel for the 70-year-old country’s classic meals. Dishes are examined with quasi-Talmudic love...[and] temptingly presented. Whether cracking a joke about hummus (“After almost 1,000 years, people are pretty much okay with where hummus is at. It doesn’t need to be deconstructed”) or offering thorough guidance for crafting pita dough, this duo strikes a heartwarming, enthusiastic tone. Expect this offering to be as successful as Zahav." —Publishers Weekly, STARRED review  Praise for Zahav “Solomonov’s food is the genuine cooking that you find all over Israel . . . cooking that bursts with freshly ground spices and complex flavors, from char-edged kebabs to tahini-rich sauces, chewy grains, fresh herbs and rainbows of vegetable salatim, or small cold salads that are the vivid starting point of every meal.” —New York Times    “The pervasive feeling is one of warmth and commensality and celebration, family-style platters rather than perfect platings, a paean to off-the-cuff pleasures and raucous gatherings.” —Eater   —

From the Publisher