As a collector of cookbooks I was thrilled when a good friend gifted me a copy of Jerusalem: A cookbook, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. This is not your usual stereotypical Ashkenazi Jewish cookbook. Far from it.

This is the winner of James Beard award for International Cookbooks. But just because it won an award does not necessarily mean it’s a good cookbook for your average cook. This one not only deserves its award, but is a great book for anyone who loves to cook and is interested in the unique melting pot that is Jerusalem.

While many might, at first glance, think it’s a kosher cookbook, it’s not. But most of the recipes that are in it can be made Kosher with a little work and still not lose the taste of the food. Also if you are looking for the stereotypical Ashkenazi dishes of many cookbooks this is not the book for you. That being said, if you are looking for a cookbook that has recipes that show off the unique melting pot of dishes that are found in Jerusalem, then this is definitely your cookbook.

The book starts off by describing how the partnership between the authors started and gave a history of their unique and different backgrounds. The one thing they had in common , was that the foods they grew up on made them who they are. The book also includes a brief history of the City of Jerusalem.

The majority of the book is recipes. The recipe sections are divided into 9 areas, vegetables, beans and grains, soups, stuffed meat, fish, savory pastries, sweets, desserts and finally, condiments. I have made many of the dishes in the book and among my favorites are Chermoula eggplant with bulgur and yogurt, chicken sofrito (a Sephardic dish perfect for Shabbat). Of course, you will find the expected recipes for tahini, yogurt with cucumber and a few variations on Hummus. In fact, after seeing how easy they are to make from scratch you may never go back to store bought!
One of the recipes I was surprised to see in this book was for chopped liver. It has a twist that I never would have thought of: dessert red wine and chopped green onions. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste. It’s definitely a unique variation on the dish from what most Ashkenazi cooks are used to. Another dish that is given a new twist is pickled cucumbers with dill.
The recipes are clearly written with the ingredients listed on the left side of the page (some items both metric and US measurements are listed). At the top of the recipe is a paragraph talking about the dish and how to make the dish. Another great thing about this cookbook is that for each recipe it clearly tells you how many it will serve. This is especially helpful for the deserts and condiments.

The book includes beautiful photos of many of the dishes in the book as well as photos of street life in the city. Many are of areas that you don’t usually see when you see photos of Jerusalem.