So my son and his vegetarian girlfriend gave me this beautiful cookbook for Christmas, Persia, by Naomi Duguid. Not only is it beautiful, but surprisingly delightful. Why, you ask, would I say "surprisingly"? If you have read any of my other posts you will know that I am in love with Yotam Ottolenghi. His Israeli fare is clean, absolutely to die for and extremely creative; genius in food form. The only problem....all of his recipes have at least 25 ingredients; no cooking for the timid! For two solid years I have worked myself into a lather every time I have guests over, racing to get through the menu I have carefully planned out yet leaving myself barely enough time to throw on my dinner dress, always forgetting how time intensive and ingredient heavy Yotam's recipes are. Naomi, I forgot how simple and delicious six ingredients could be! You have broken the shackles I have so proudly worn for the past two years. It is one thing to cook "Yotam". It is quite another to know when it is too over the top given your busy schedule. Either way, both chefs are amazing and I cannot wait to try more recipes in this book. Easter this year started with Kurdish White Beans made with small dried navy beans (one of our favorites) cooked, sauteed with turmeric and cumin and then mixed with crushed tomatoes and lime. Simple, delicious, filling! For the meat eaters in the family I made lamb kebabs with fresh grilled tomatoes. Again, six ingredients and absolutely delicious! The only problem was locating ground sumac, which was remedied by visiting an ethnic grocery store in our area (note I have now found a new store/restaurant that will probably become one of my favorite places). I used fresh ground lamb that I buy in the country, flatbread from the local Greek restaurant and fresh tomatoes from the local market. Easter rocked and even the girlfriend told me "Best Easter Ever"! At least on the food front I must have rocked. Thanks, Naomi, for making me look good!!!!!!!!
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