James Beard Award winner of Outstanding Restaurant (2019) James Beard Award winner of
Outstanding Chef (2017) James Beard Book of the Year and Best International Cookbook (2016) The
James Beard Award-winning chef and co-owner of Philadelphia's Zahav restaurant reinterprets the
glorious cuisine of Israel for American home kitchens. Ever since he opened Zahav in 2008 chef
Michael Solomonov has been turning heads with his original interpretations of modern Israeli
cuisine attracting notice from the New York Times Bon Appétit (an utter and total
revelation) and Eater (Zahav defines Israeli cooking in America). Zahav showcases the
melting-pot cooking of Israel especially the influences of the Middle East North Africa the
Mediterranean and Eastern Europe. Solomonov's food includes little dishes called mezze such
as the restaurant's insanely popular fried cauliflower a hummus so ethereal that it put Zahav
on the culinary map and a pink lentil soup with lamb meatballs that one critic called
Jerusalem in a bowl. It also includes a majestic dome of Persian wedding rice and a whole
roasted lamb shoulder with pomegranate and chickpeas that's a celebration in itself. All
Solomonov's dishes are brilliantly adapted to local and seasonal ingredients. Zahav tells an
authoritative and personal story of how Solomonov embraced the food of his birthplace. With its
blend of technique and passion this book shows readers how to make his food their own.
