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270 of 278 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More than just another Mediterranean Cook-Book, 20 Aug 2007
this is a Mediterranean journey, with over 100 NEW recipes inspired by the flavours of this region.
'A fascinating journey into a rich and varied culinary heritage. Approach the Mediterranean Sea from any direction and you know you've entered a different world. Rick Stein's newest culinary odyssey takes in both the islands and coast of this remarkable region.
Published to accompany Rick's new five-part television series for BBC2, this new book starts where 'French Odyssey' left off - at the mouth of the Rhone in the port of Marseilles......'
Durable hardboard covers open to 216 high quality, shiny pages, split over 11 main chapters:-
Mezze, Kemia, Tapas and Antipasta
Herbs, Salad Leaves, Weeds and Other Greens
Aubergines, Artichokes, and the Mediterranean Garden
Pecorino, Feta, Ricotta and Mozzarella
Sardines, Red Mullet, Swordfish, Calamari and Tuna
Free-Range Chicken and Eggs
Lamb, Veal, Beef and the Whole Pig
Rabbit, Partridge, Quail and Wild Boar
Dried Beans, Grains, Rice and Pasta
Sweet Things, Fruits, Ices, Cakes and Sticky Pastries
The Mediterranean Larder:- Ingredients, Sauces, Relishes and Basics
plus sections entitled:-
'Escape Routes'
'Where to get Ingredients'
'Notes on the Recipes'
and conversion charts, plus a full recipe index, indicating illustrated dishes.
Written in the typical Rick Stein style, this book is arguably his best to date combining great cooking, culinary knowledge and breath-taking photography:-
food shots from Earl Carter
landscape shots from Craig Easton.
Each chapter opens with an apt paragraph, e.g.:-
'What we love most about Mediterranean Cooking are those small, informal dishes that seem to be served everywhere in generous quantities to accompany a glass of something in the early evening.'
Each recipe has a general opening paragraph, title/s (both foreign and English, where applicable), region, full list of ingredients and a clear method, followed by suggested variations if applicable.
One of Rick's main qualities is acknowledging other cooks and their recipes/publications, and these interesting paragraphs have numerous such references.
Followers of the TV series will hear Rick's voice as he describes one of his encounters ahead of a marvellous recipe for 'Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds':-
'This recipe was given to me by Lahcen Bequi who runs a cookery school in Fes. He started cooking when he was just 10, when his parents sent him away to school in a town a fair distance away from the Berber village in the High Atlas mountains in which he grew up. It was amazing for me to talk to this intelligent and gifted cook, knowing that he'd spent his childhood out in the high pastures shepherding sheep and goats.
A tagine is historically a Berber dish and it seemed to me, tasting this one with lamb and prunes, that I was eating the real thing.
The meat was meltingly soft, and this, above all dishes, convinced me of the sophistication of the Moroccan use of fruit and nuts with meat. It had a beguiling smokiness about it. He took an immense time to cook it, and explained in detail that the importance of the shape of the tagine is that the steam inside rises to the top of the still cold conical lid, where it condenses and drips back down, bathing the meat in fragrant juices.......'
Other recipes in this delightful book include:-
Tabbouleh
Focaccia
Spiced Octopus Salad
Baked Greek Omelette
Caponata
Imam Bayildi
Braised Artichokes
Easter Lamb
Seared Swordfish Steaks
Chicken and Prawn Paella
Moroccan Chicken
Kleftiko
Stifado
Seafood Couscous
Spaghettini
Bulgar Wheat Pilaf
Crema Catalana
Baklava
Moroccan Orange Salad
Almond Cake with Almond Ice Cream
Zabaglione
Sicilian Orange Cake
'Key Mediterranean Ingredients:-
Among the most exciting things I found travelling the Mediterranean over the last couple of years have been the local ingredients that give the food its characteristic flavour. The lardy, pimento-flavoured sobrasada in Majorca, strattu, the sun-dried tomato paste of Sicily; aci biber salcasi, the hot red-pepper paste from the markets of Gaziantep and Adana in eastern Turkey; figatellu, the smoked pig's liver and clove sausage from Corsica; ras el hanout, the Moroccan spice mix - all these and more are a source of delight to the travelling cook.'
A different language, perhaps......but, typically, made simple by - Rick Stein!
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A feast for the senses, and inspiration to travel..., 6 Mar 2008
There's no greater way to inspire the wanton traveller than books about the places he wishes to visit. I came across this book at the exact time I began planning an upcoming trip around the med.
I've been engrossing myself in Mediterranean cooking for some years now, and wanted to expand my culinary knowledge of the area. While I don't watch much TV, I am well aware of Rick Stein's reputation and capabilities, but am simply in awe of the attitude he takes to food.
Every recipe is introduced by the story of its origin or how he discovered it, introducing the local people who create them, and even the history of the dish. The Med is a very diverse area covering parts of Europe, North Africa and the Middle-east, so the diversity of flavours is astonishing.
A read through the pages is in itself like a short journey. The pages are filled with colour photos of the food and locations where they can be found, all fresh looking feasts filled with mouth-watering ingredients interspersed with sun-drenched vistas with blue skies and amazing architectures, scenes of local culture and natural wonders.
The recipes themselves are wondrous and arrange themselves into colourful and nutritious dishes to suit every pallet. Mediteranean cooking is among the healthiest and most vibrant in the world and caters literally to every taste sensation, from mild to spicy, meaty, fishy and veggie...
This book covers everything from the familiars like pastas, salads and cheeses to the more exotic flavours like souvlaki, stifado and Moroccan chicken.
In fact this has given me quite an appetite so I'll leave you with my recommendation to try this book.
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31 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The greatest cook book ever - only for those who love to cook for those they love , 22 Sep 2007
I'm a passionate cook, but also hugely critical of lots of the TV celebrity cooks, the manners and posturing of many. However, this is an extraordinary cookbook with lots of absolutely delicious Moroccan food, easy to make focaccia,stunning vegetables. It is impossible to cook a failed meal from this book. Every dish cooked at home lives up to the promise of the magnificent photographs in this book. Even my usually useless-in-the-kitchen daughter and partner managed to produce astoundingly delicious food from these easy to follow recipes. I have more than 300 cookbooks, but this is the one I will use most in the months to come. It is so good that for this addictive cook, I'm now nervous about seeking out or buying new cookbooks in case they disappoint. I cannot recommend this cookbook to highly for either the novice or passionate cook.
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