“Middle Eastern food is, at its core, about the layering of flavors — spices, acids, pickles — to create something powerful out of what are often very simple raw ingredients.”
I wish I’d spent more time mulling Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’s succinct summation of their captivating new cookbook before reflexively flipping to the main dish chapters in search of a recipe I could whip up for dinner. I surely would’ve more readily understood why I needed “Bavel: Modern Recipes Inspired by the Middle East” (Ten Speed, $40) on my shelf despite my already impressive collection of Mediterranean-focused cookbooks.
Menashe and Gergis are the husband-and-wife chef team behind Bestia, their nationally acclaimed L.A. restaurant that grew out of years working in Italian kitchens. The menus of its younger sibling, Bavel, draw inspiration from their combined family roots across the Middle East. Now that I have its corresponding cookbook, I could make Licorice Lamb Porterhouse and Strawberry-Sumac Pastry with Pistachio Ice Cream at home if I were so ambitious.
For more immediate gratification, I first went with shakshuka based on the one Menashe’s dad made for breakfast in Israel. Not having a dehydrator to dry the julienned red bell peppers as his version directed, I had to improvise with plain old raw ones. But I did get a head start on the Red Zhoug it also called for: a fiery Yemenite puree of fried peppers, tomatoes and spices. A big dollop lifted that saucy one-skillet egg dish over the top, and got me thinking of other places for this flavor bomb: swirled into hummus, slathered on chicken thighs, or blended in a bland soup.
I gave the previous chapters a closer look, with a new appreciation for the multitude of intriguing spice blends, sauces, pickles, vinaigrettes and stocks. Maybe I won’t be slow-roasting lamb necks anytime soon for a cheffed-up shawarma, often described as “the hamburger of the Middle East.” But the recipes for Shawarma Seasoning Blend, Mint Chutney, Tahini Sauce, and Pickled Okra could also work wonders for an all-beef patty.
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
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