Zahav Home: Cooking for Friends & Family

Review Quotes:

. . .Culinary novices will especially appreciate the vivid photographs included with many of the recipes, the encouraging and friendly tone the authors employ, and recipes that repurpose leftover bits and pieces from fridge and pantry that often end up in the trash can (see, for instance, the watermelon-rind pickles). VERDICT Home cooks will think they have struck culinary gold with this passionate guide to the bright, bold flavors of Israel. - John Charles, Library Journal

"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) on Israeli Soul

"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 on Zahav

"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 on Zahav

"Fantastic...Zahav is a first-rate restaurant book, a thorough exploration of a country's cuisine, and an epic primer on the many uses of tahini. Any student of Middle Eastern food would be wise to add it to their bookshelf." - Epicurious.com

"An irresistible invitation to enjoy the legendary soul food of Israel." - BookPage on Israeli Soul

Award-winning chefs and bestselling authors of the James Beard Award-winning Zahav, Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook invite you to cook the way they do at home, with 125 new recipes for simple, achievable, and family-friendly meals.

Since opening Zahav (the beloved, award-winning, and critically acclaimed restaurant in Philadelphia that serves a powerfully flavorful menu inspired by modern Israeli cuisine) fifteen years ago, co-owners chef Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook have learned at least two things: cooking at home isn't anything like cooking at the restaurant, and, how to bring Zahav's signature ideas to the home kitchen.

As busy fathers, Mike and Steve have also learned that thinking ahead is key. Their secret: a strategically stocked pantry. Then it's nothing, for example, to slather amba from a jar onto a spatchcocked chicken for an almost-instant roast chicken dinner, or to cook a leg of lamb coated with harissa (also from a jar!) in one pot--on a school night! When they make soups, with all the intense flavors they use at the restaurant, they make a lot of soup, always thinking of the freezer and those busy nights when there's no time to cook.

Even more than Zahav, their trailblazing first book, Zahav Home is a truly intimate Middle Eastern cookbook--an invitation right into Mike's and Steve's home kitchens, with recipes tried and tested by them and their families. The 125 all-new recipes in this book include robust salads, abundant vegetables, hearty soups, easy lunches, and simple recipes for weeknight meals that taste as if they took hours to make. There are Sunday dinners, unforgettable desserts, and more, including:

• Tehina Caesar Salad with Gutsy Croutons
• Matzo Ball Soup
• Sesame Chicken with Matbucha
• Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Labneh
• Sheet pan Kebabs: Yemenite, Kofte & Merguez
• Hummus from the Pot
• Date-Glazed Salmon Fillets
• Baby Apple Cakes
• Pistachio Sticky Buns

You'll find features throughout titled "Making" that visually break recipes down into easy step-by-step, as well as "Method," highlighting a foundational recipe, technique, or tip for flavorful cooking that can be used flexibly in countless dishes, like Schug, Garlic Confit, and some Hard-Cooked Egg Wisdom. Colorful and full of flavor, vitality, and warmth, Zahav Home is a treasure and worth its weight in gold (the meaning of Zahav!)

Review Citations:

• Library Journal 08/01/2024 pg. 106 (EAN 9780358697367, Hardcover)
• Booklist 08/01/2024 pg. 14 (EAN 9780358697367, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Contributor Bio:Solomonov, Michael

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.