"Bavel: Modern Recipes Inspired by the Middle East"--by Ori Menashe, Genevieve Gergis, Lesley Suter--from the acclaimed chefs behind award-winning Los Angeles restaurant Bavel comes a gorgeous cookbook featuring personal stories and more than eighty recipes that celebrate the diversity of Middle Eastern cuisines (see my review)

  

Bavel: Modern Recipes Inspired by the Middle East

When chef Ori Menashe and pastry chef Genevieve Gergis opened their first Los Angeles restaurant, Bestia, the city fell in love. By the time they launched their second restaurant, Bavel, the love affair had expanded to cooks and food lovers nationwide. Bavel, the cookbook, invites home cooks to explore the broad and varied cuisines of the Middle East through fragrant spice blends; sublime zhougs, tahini, labneh, and hummus; rainbows of crisp-pickled vegetables; tender, oven-baked flatbreads; fall-off-the-bone meats and tagines; buttery pastries and tarts; and so much more.

Bavel--pronounced bah-VELLE, the Hebrew name for Babel--is a metaphor for the myriad cultural, spiritual, and political differences that divide us. The food of Bavel tells the many stories of the countries defined as "the Middle East." These recipes are influenced by the flavors and techniques from all corners of the region, and many, such as Tomato with Smoked Harissa, Turmeric Chicken with Toum, and Date-Walnut Tart, are inspired by Menashe's Israeli upbringing and Gergis's Egyptian roots. Bavel celebrates the freedom to cook what we love without loyalty to any specific country, and represents a world before the region was divided into separate nations. This is cooking without borders.

MY REVIEW: "The Middle East" is a geographical region spanning territories from India to the Mediterranean. It includes such countries as Iraq, Iran, Cyprus, Oman, Egypt, Bahrain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Palestine, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Kuwait, and Jordan. "Bavel: Modern Recipes Inspired by the Middle East" is a taste-filled journey through the many cultures, customs, and cuisines of this exotic region. Chefs Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis (also the owners and operators of Bavel Restaurant in Los Angeles, CA), along with food writer Lesley Suter, offer an amazing arm-chair tour of these richly-diverse lands through fantastic food, history and personal stories, and beautiful photos. As someone who loves to cook, loves to try new recipes, and greatly enjoys the fragrant aroma of my own personal spice cabinet, I was inspired and motivated by this book to see just what spices and ingredients I did have on hand and which ones I might need to acquire. The recipes here range from simple ingredients and preparation to more complex dishes requiring more cooking experience and time to invest in completion. There is a section in the book called "Spices" which gives a listing of the spices used at Bavel Restaurant, and each spice has its own flavor profile. There are also a number of recipes for varying spice blends. Several delicious recipes that I have tried include: "Wedding Rice"--a Persian-style side dish with jasmine rice, cardamom, bay leaves, onions, and golden raisins; "Grandmother's Meatballs"--a family recipe featuring ground beef, cracked bulgur wheat,  onion, pepper, cumin, turmeric, and Yukon Gold potatoes; and "Apple-Prune Cake"--with apples, apple cider, prunes, cardamom, cinnamon, butter, and vanilla (How good does that sound?). However, the recipes that have captivated me the most are the bread recipes. I am a bread maker--and eater--of many years, and I am so enjoying learning to make such recipes as "Whole-Wheat Pita", "Buckwheat Sourdough", and "Laffa'"(flatbread). Husband-and-wife chefs Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis have a young daughter, Saffron, and a lovely sense of family and heritage pervades this beautiful book.

Disclosure: "I've received a free copy from Clarkson Potter in exchange for a free and unbiased review."

 

Reviews

 

“I started writing down all the things I want to cook from Bavel and then quickly had to abandon the list. It was a pointless endeavor as I was simply copying the whole cookbook! Ori and Genevieve manage to pull off a style of cooking that is both familiar (and therefore comforting) but also new (and therefore fresh and exciting). This is the sort of food I could live on.”—Yotam Ottolenghi, chef and author of Ottolenghi Flavor
 
“Organized to give you a clear view into the minds of
 some of the hardest-working chefs in the business, Ori
 and Genevieve share the building blocks of their famously intense and flavorful cooking. They reveal the keys to mastering this depth of flavor at home through their collection of thoughtfully curated, carefully articulated recipes, with plenty of guidance. PS: The masterful breads included in the book are some of the best I’ve ever tasted!”—Chad Robertson, co-owner of Tartine and author of Tartine Bread
 
“By drawing from all corners of the Middle East, their family heritages, and an evocative personal cooking philosophy that remains centered on Downtown Los Angeles, Ori and Genevieve have created something truly one of a kind with Bavel. This cookbook is as compelling as it gets.”—Michael Solomonov, chef and co-owner of Zahav

 

About the Authors

 

Ori Menashe is co-owner and executive chef of Bestia and Bavel, which was named “Best Restaurant of the Year” by the Los Angeles Times, Eater, Los Angeles magazine, Time Out, and Tasting Table, and has been nominated as a finalist for a James Beard Best New Restaurant.

Genevieve Gergis is the co-owner and pastry chef of Bestia and Bavel.

Lesley Suter is the travel editor for Eater, the former food editor for Los Angeles magazine, and a two-time James Beard Award winner for food writing. 

 

BAVEL RESTAURANT

Bavel, in Downtown Los Angeles’ Arts District, is a Middle Eastern restaurant from Chefs Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis. With family roots in Israel, Morocco, Turkey, and Egypt, Ori and Genevieve have always wanted to open a restaurant that showcases the cuisines of their family lineages, bringing together the flavors and dishes they grew up with. 

https://baveldtla.com/