ANISSA HELOU

From James Beard Awardwinning author Anissa Helou, a vibrant and inviting look at the food of her home country, exploring the astonishing variety of local Lebanese cuisine Though she has lived all over the world, Anissa Helou has her heart firmly in one place: Lebanon, her late mothers home country and the place she grew up. In her ninth book, Helou shares the beauty and diversity of the countrys regional cuisines, along with a deep look at its culinary history and culture.While only half the size of New Jersey, Lebanon boasts an astounding variety in its cuisine, including classics like hommos or kibbeh, as well as lesser-known regional specialties. Spanning a breadth of dishes from flat breads and savory pastries, soups, dips, and salads to stuffed vegetables, fish, poultry, and grains, Lebanon represents Helous unique perspective on the most essentialand delightfuldishes from her homeland. Meatballs in lemony sauce, fava beans and lamb in yogurt, lentil risotto, and baked fish with Tripolitan tahini cilantro sauce are just a few of her chosen favorites among 165 recipes, along with delectable sweets, including sweet walnut triangles, aniseed fritters, semolina cream pastries, and tahini rice pudding.Lebanon is animated by Helous warm and conversational voice, punctuated by her family stories as well as her reflections and encounters as she treks through Lebanon to discoverand rediscoverher home countrys rich and varied culinary traditions.

Anissa Helous Levant is a collection of mouth-watering recipes inspired by Anissas family and childhood in Beirut and Syria, and her travels around the exciting regions of the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. This treasure trove of a book is all you need, really, to cook the food of the Levant. It is as comprehensive and conclusive as it gets, but it also tells charming personal stories and masterfully takes you on a journey to all those enchanted lands. Yotam Ottolenghi Levant, or rising of the sun, is the crossroads where western Asia, eastern Mediterranean and northwest Africa meet. A land that is culturally diverse but united by common culinary threads. In this personal tour Anissa introduces the stunning food of Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Palestine and Jordan. She draws them together through the themes of family, farm, souks (markets), restaurants, bakeries and the sweetmakers and attempts to record the food traditions of countries that are changing beyond recognition and at risk of disappearing. Levant includes 150 inspired recipes for soups and sides, salads and mezze, meats, fish and vegetarian, sweets, preserves and breads. Dishes include Lemony Swiss Chard and Lentil Soup, Fried Eggs with Sumac, Kibbe Balls in Yoghurt Sauce, Cabbage and Tomato Salad, Sweet Pistachio Pie, Wild Chicory in Olive Oil with Caramelized Onion, Grilled Aubergines with Tahini Sauce, Turkish Cheese Pie, Lebanese Morning Bread, Halva, and Milk Pudding.