Jerusalem: A Cookbook

My plan for 2016 was to pick a different cookbook each month & make meals out of it. January was to be Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi. I tried about a dozen recipes from this book last March before drifting off to other things...oh, look...shiny! For 2 weeks, the majority of our dinners were from this book. However, last Sunday was our final meal as David asked for a break...although both of us enjoyed nearly everything we put in our mouths...it turns out that no matter how delicious something is...you tire of the similar flavor profiles. So, I have to rethink this idea & come up with another way to cook us new & delectable delights. Perhaps a new cookbook each week, coming back to the ones we enjoyed to delve deeper? Still thinking on this. 

I am documenting this here for my own sake, so I will remember what I made & more importantly...what I'd like to make again. The first thing I produced is our favorite from the book, this was my 4th time making it...Chicken with caramelized onion & cardamom rice. The photo on the left is mine & the one on the right is from the cookbook.  I am a huge fan of one pot meals, & this dish is just so comforting & fragrant.

Another comforting chicken dish that I overlooked before because there is no picture...cookbooks should be required to have photos of all the recipes. Chicken sofrito served with roasted cauliflower & hazelnut salad. These were so good together. 

Wheat berries & rainbow chard with pomegranate molasses, delicious! The first time I made this on its own, this time I served it alongside burgers on the grill. 

Grilled fish skewers with hawayej & parsley served with roasted butternut squash & red onion with tahini & za'atar. The fish was nothing special & I wouldn't make it again, but the squash was amazing. 

This next meal was such a failure, we ended up throwing it out. It was edible, but we just weren't into it. Kofta (lamb & beef meatballs) served with a fresh vegetable salad. 

Below...another mind blowing chicken dish (which I substituted for quail). Braised quail with apricots, currants, & tamarind served with brown rice with toasted pine nuts & the most fabulous spinach salad with dates & almonds. I could eat this meal once a week. This is a fantastic salad to make in the winter when the frost sweetened spinach is available at farmers' market. 

Salmon steaks in chraimeh sauce served over Israeli couscous with root vegetable slaw with labneh. Chraimeh sauce is glorious. What a find...I doubled the recipe & bought a baguette for dipping...David licked the pan clean. The root veggie slaw was good, but I wouldn't make it again. 

Our final Jerusalem meal from last Sunday...obviously Kate was involved because there is wine...sparkling wine...because I like bubbles. A lot. Butternut squash & tahini spread served with pita is most definitely going to show up at parties in the future...YUM! The Swiss chard fritters were a nice bit of green, but rather boring. Chermoula eggplant with bulgur & yogurt was not bad...I would try it again when eggplants are in season. And the only dessert I tested from the book...Helbeh (fenugreek cake)...it sounded too interesting to pass up. Kate & I liked it, but David was not a fan. I'd make it again to serve at a tea party...quite exotic with the perfumed rose & orange blossom waters flavoring the syrup that is poured on top.