Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons: Enchanting Dishes from the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa [Hardcover]

I've had this book for two whole weekends and I can't wait for next weekend to get back in the kitchen with it. I don't use cookbooks anywhere near as often as I used to, as I can simply search for a recipe on line in much less time than it would take to search my bookshelves, but this book offers something much more.

Each chapter starts with a wonderful essay about the upcoming ingredients, telling tales of eating meals in Spain, Greece, Iran, Turkey and more. These are each written with real love not only for the food, but the people. The chapters are arranged unconventionally, with titles such as "Food From The Hearth", "Fruits Of Longing" and "A Bowl Of Fresh Herbs", inviting you in. Most of the dishes I've made so far I've never even heard of, let alone tasted. One upside is that no-one will know if they've gone wrong, they have no frame of reference.

So far I've made a refreshing grapefruit and Campari granita, a Turkish pizza with pomegranates, and flatbreads with onions and Italian cheese. I've made my own cheese from yogurt and there's lemons pickling in the kitchen. I have big plans for anchovies and an Iranian style mezze meal next weekend.

Diana Henry assumes that you want to cook, are happy to experiment, and won't mind a few things going wrong. With one Spanish shrimp and noodle dish she'd warned me how not to mess it up, but then offered handy rescue tips for when I'd ignored that advice. The recipes are written clearly, with the instructions in a sensible order, no getting half way through before you discover you need an element of a dish to have been prepared 24 hours ago and no unnecessary 'banter' in the directions to take you off track.

I'm just a little bit in love with Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons, and my family is delighted with the affair I'm having, it's working out great at dinner time.

How this book managed to slip through my culinary book obsessive net the first time it was released I do not know. Although I have always been aware of Diana Henry and her ability to whisk you away too another land with her words, her books( this one in particular )always seem to remain unnoticed in today's recent upsurge for celebrity chef titled reads. Rather than endorsing herself in her own cookery programme or partnership with a house supermarket name (both of which I have no problem with), Diana Henry simply remains patiently in the background, unassuming and humble but with a food based knowledge that would give the great Elizabeth David a run for her money.
Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons may give the same first impression as the author herself, but don't for one minute let this faux shrinking violet trick you into thinking she's something that she's not. Powerfully written words giving romantic descriptions of the ingredients used, this book enchantingly allures you into the contents of its pages. There's no need for me to list the recipes, nothing is complicated, everything looks mouth wateringly delicious and the entire contents of every chapter are simply delectable. This is certainly no book to flick through and discard to that cobwebbed back shelf of your bookcase, take your time, allow yourself to inhale the words and absorb the recipes and permit yourself and your kitchen to be transferred to sunnier more foodie exotic climates.

I am a huge fan of Diana Henry and I have several of her books; however, this was one book that I didn't already have in my cookbook library, so when Octopus Publishing Group sent me a copy to review I was delighted. Diana Henry writes with such passion and authority, and never more so in Crazy Water Pickled Lemons. The book covers dishes and recipes from the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa and the whole cookbook is a veritable magic carpet of enchanting and magical dishes that titillate the taste-buds and are a feast of exotic colours and fragrant aromas. The Levant and the Maghreb are home to some of my favourite cuisines and these regions are covered extensively in this cookbook. Expect to see exciting and exotic ingredients such as saffron, pomegranates, quinces, dates, figs, rose petals, flower waters, lavender and cardamom to list just a few. The recipes are accompanied by lavish photos and excerpts of poetry ~ this is a truly magical book and offers some simple and achievable meals to create at home whilst retaining an element of mystery and uniqueness not often found in modern cookbooks.

The book is divided into twelve aromatic chapters; the chapters themselves are almost like tales from A Thousand and One Nights, so much so that one almost expects Scheherazade to come drifting by in a cloud of rose petals and sandalwood........they comprise:

The Spice Trail - cardamom, chilli, cumin, ginger, coriander, pimenton and saffron

Fragrance if the Earth - lavender, rosemary, thyme and oregano

A Bowl of Fresh Herbs - parsley, coriander, dill, basil and mint

Sweet Cloves and Liquid Gold - garlic, olives and olive oil

The Sweet and the Sour - honey and vinegar

Of Sea and Salt - anchovies, bottarga and salt cod

Plundering the Stores - almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts and dried fruits

Fruits of Longing - figs, quinces, pomegranates and dates

Curds and Whey - yoghurt, feta and ricotta

Food from the Hearth - flatbreads

Pith and Skin - oranges and lemons

Heaven Scent - flowers and flower waters

There is also an interesting introduction by Diana Henry and a comprehensive index at the back of the book.

Each chapter has an extensive and informative introduction where the ingredients are discussed as well as some of the dishes that are featured in the ensuing chapter - an encyclopaedic essay of what's to come. Diana's writing is exciting and descriptive......the individual introductions for each chapter set you up for the recipes ahead and tempt you through her historical notes and observations; her words and descriptions are pure culinary poetry. The recipes dance and pirouette throughout the book - who can resist the idea of making and serving Chocolate, Hazelnut and Sherry Cake with Sherry-Raisin Cream, or maybe a dish of Cardamom-Baked Figs with Plums and Burnt Honey and Yoghurt Cream. Then there's the savoury Aubergines with Mint as well as the delicious sounding Chermoula-Marinated Tuna with Pomegranate Couscous......or maybe you'd be tempted with Roast Duck with Honey, Lavender and Thyme........my personal favourite is the Ladies' Navels with Cardamom and Rose Syrup and Berries - which are little Turkish doughnuts, served with several exotic embellishments.

The recipes cover most meats such as lamb, beef and pork as well as poultry and numerous vegetarian dishes and flat breads; desserts, cakes and sweets are well represented and, in line with all of the recipes, they are studded and perfumed with herbs, spices and flowers......the range of dishes in the book is imaginative and extremely diverse......and yet, the ingredients are all easily available from most supermarkets, as well as small independent shops that specialise in Middle Eastern produce. There are ice creams, beverages, sauces and rubs.......I was very taken with the idea of Flower-scented Truffles, and I plan to make them this Valentines' Day with some fresh violets from the garden.

The book lived up to my expectations and if I have any criticism at all, it is directed at the quality of the print; the book was published in China, and I didn't think that the quality matched the high standard of writing and photography - I felt that the images were poorly reproduced and the finish of the cover was a little disappointing......I have a copy of Roast Figs, Sugar Snow: Food to Warm the Soul that was published in 2005 and the quality of print is far superior. That said, the hardback book is a very modest £15:99 from Octopus Publishing and an unbelievably low £10:23 from Amazon co uk. The book itself is an enchanting collection of aromatic and stunningly visual recipes which have all been well written and are exquisitely showcased......Diana Henry's writing is lyrical and yet honest and authoritative; the book really does whisk you away on a magic carpet of exotic flavours, aromas and with more than just a hint of Eastern culinary promise and mystery; an exquisite cook book that offers recipes to suit all levels of cooks, from simple family meals that can be made in under an hour to more accomplished and intricate feasts.

Karen S Burns-Booth