Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Michael Rantissi & Kristy Frawley, Murdoch Books, $49.99.
The sub-heading says it all: Middle Eastern Food to fall in love with. Let’s sit down because you will want to savour what Hummus & Co. has to offer. You’re invited to a feast … to share with family and friends.
Successful life-business partnerships are not accidental: Kristy and Michael draw on many years of experience in the hospitality industry. The numerous fans of Kepos Street Kitchen and Kepos & Co. often ask them for the recipes they cook at home. In this, their second book, there are recipes for every kind of gathering – speedy and delicious mid-week dinners, a family barbecue with plentiful salads that burst with flavour or a Sunday slow roast of cumin-spiced lamb shoulder, with Persian cranberry rice pilaf and tangy vegetables.
Then there are dips, relishes, rubs and spreads from Israel, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey that turn a simple piece of fish or meat into a feast. The authentic teas and sweet treats are beyond dreamy. Possibly the most inspiring are the vegetables-scorched onions with pomegranate molasses, steamed leeks with spinach and haloumi, roasted pumpkin with dukkah and minted yoghurt. Of course, there’s the perfect hummus recipe, guaranteed to bring everyone to the table.
Michael and Kristy admit that as a couple, food runs through everything they do together. “It’s not unusual for us to plan that night’s dinner while we are eating breakfast; our holidays revolve around restaurant bookings and we’ve been known to read cookbooks in bed.”
Their first book, Falafel for Breakfast, focused on the signature dishes they served at their restaurant and how they can be recreated at home. However, “the recipes in this book reflect the things Kristy and I make together at home. These are the dishes we love to eat and share with our friends and family – they are simple, tasty and easy to incorporate into all sorts of occasions and meals”.
Beautifully illustrated in colour, this hardback has a generous heart and is loaded with great food to share. It’s also brimful with enthusiasm.
“They have a shared attention to details and determination to present healthy, exciting food, served in stylish and contemporary surroundings.”
