Under the Shade of Olive Trees by Nadia Zerouali & Merijn Tol

updated May 2, 2019
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(Image credit: Emma Christensen)

The angle: Roam your way through Middle Eastern cuisine, from olives to tahini, one ingredient at a time.

Recipes for right now: Bulgar Salad with Pomegranate Molasses, Fava Bean Salad with Almonds and Preserved Lemons, Tahini-Halva Ice Cream, Salad of Roasted Cauliflower with Lentils, Lamb Chops with Salted Capers, Herb Salad

Who would enjoy this book? Home cooks who want to learn the basics of Middle Eastern cooking

1 / 5

Quick Facts

Who wrote it: Nadia Zerouali & Merijn Tol

Who published it: Stewart, Tabori & Chang

Number of recipes: Over 100

Other highlights: I love that the recipes in this cookbook are arranged by ingredient! To me, this feels like the hallmark of this book and what sets it apart from others — you can start anywhere, with whichever ingredient most draws your attention, and then gradually build both your experience with and your pantry for cooking Middle Eastern cuisine over time.

Some key Middle Eastern ingredients spotlighted in this book: bulgur and freekeh, preserved lemons, orange blossom water and rosewater, yogurt, pomegranates, and tahini. The recipes in these chapters run the gamut from vegetarian side dishes to meat-centric main courses to simple desserts. They also range from simple 5-ingredient recipes to those that require a little more commitment. Regardless, they look and sound incredibly tasty.

Find the book at your local library, independent bookstore, or Amazon: Under the Shade of Olive Trees by Nadia Zerouali & Merijn Tol

Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.