The talented culinary team at NENI restaurants have created a unique and beautiful hardback cookbook, capturing the flavours of Tel Aviv.
Haya Molcho and her four sons take the reader on a journey to meet Tel Aviv’s local chefs and story-tellers. This is a book about food, people and stories.
There are interviews with ‘The Inquisitive Chef’ Barak Yehezkeli who believes that ‘food has soul.’ ‘The Navigator’ who is a taxi driver and food blogger. ‘The Community Organisers’, ‘The Magician’, ‘The Urban Forager’, ‘The Trendsetters’ and ‘The Ethical Carnivores’ also feature, along with a host of other interesting people.
The recipes that standout for me are: Freekeh with Dates and Nuts, Green Shakshuka, Leek Buns, Paneer Curry with Prunes, Sabich, Chraime, Lamb Burekas, Chicken Shawarma and Yemeni Beef Stew with Lahoh. The recipes may require a little more shopping than the usual fare, but the end result is wonderful. This is a handsome book with wonderful matt colour photos throughout.
I haven’t been to Tel Aviv, so this book doesn’t just provide interesting recipes – it also provides a glimpse into this colourful, cosmopolitan city, with its melting pot of cultures, religion and culinary traditions. It’s beautifully done, and so full of soul and personality.
Reviewer: Iain McKenzie
Murdoch Books, RRP $55.00