Levant

`Cookery to me is about history and connection, but to remain vibrant, a cuisine must also evolve.' Thus author Rawia Bishara explains her approach in this book. She believes one of the greatest assets of Middle Eastern cuisine is its inherent fluidity, its remarkable capacity to adapt and transform over time. In Levant, she offers more than 100 recipes that represent a new modern style. These are the very best of the dishes she has developed over the last twenty years in her New York City restaurant for the contemporary palate. Relying on a traditional pantry (including olive oil, tahini, za'atar, sumac), she updates classic flavour profiles to dazzling effect. The Mediterranean diet has always been a healthy one, with so many of what we now call `superfoods' at its base. But here Rawia takes it a step further by focusing on dishes that are naturally vegetarian or vegan and gluten-free, as well as meat dishes where vegetables take the leading role. These recipes represent the way more and more people eat and cook today. Among them are Cauliflower `Steak' with Pomegranate Molasses, Roasted Beetroot Hummus, Jerusalem Artichoke and Beef Stew, Peppers with Walnut Stuffing and Freekeh and Butternut Squash Salad. Levant explores the sensational cross-cultural possibilities of culinary exchange; it sets the path for the future of Middle Eastern cooking. www.tanoreen.com @tanoreen