For those looking to eat more plant-based foods, Middle Eastern cuisine is an obvious answer. Foods like falafel, hummus, and a variety of mezze plates have become favorites of many vegetarians. “The Middle Eastern Vegetarian Cookbook” goes even beyond, celebrating largely vegetarian cuisine. If you’re not used to cooking without meat, Salma Hage can guide you on this journey, because it was hers too. When her son and grandson decided to no longer eat meat or fish, Hage had to make a major adjustment that, she writes, was not easy. Resorting to fish or meat in her kitchen, she had to get creative to prepare satisfying meals for her family to enjoy. Along the way, she developed a deep passion for vegetarian cooking and she hopes to share it with this book.
Looking back on his childhood, Hage realized that there were so many dishes in his Lebanese heritage and other Middle Eastern cuisines focused on legumes, legumes, grains, herbs, fruits and vegetables. But it also offers exciting new takes on traditional dishes. You can find a recipe for succulent chickpea kibbeh (instead of the usual lamb kibbeh), or a version of Damascus kibbeh with potato, pine nuts and coarse semolina that has a crispy shell and soft center. For Hage, the beauty of these dishes isn’t in what you leave out, but in what you add to your meal that will make it inviting.
