Shaya: An Odyssey of Food, My Journey Back to Israel: A Cookbook Kindle Edition

I am madly in love with this book! In fact, I'm TOTALLY BLOWN AWAY by it! I've laughed, cried, gasped, texted my friends to see if someone has read it so I can have someone to discuss it with - such drama, this book! I read the entire book in 24 hours and like with any good novel, I was very sorry to finish it. So, you CAN buy this book on the strength of the stories alone!Then I started cooking and I've posted some of the photos of the results for you to see. I also made but didn't photograph the Bulgarian Lamb Kebobs, the Tzatziki, the Israeli Salad including the Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette - all stellar. So yes, you can purchase the book to read only but you will quickly learn this is an extremely fine cookbook. I will also say that we were visiting family in Denver right after I cooked all of these dishes from the book. We took a group over to Alon Shaya's restaurant, Safta, and had many of the dishes I'd made at home plus others. The recipes he provides will give you the same results as the dishes he serves and I appreciated very much the time and effort that went into making these recipes easy to follow at home.

Such a fantastic book. I'm now making this my go-to gift giving book for the people in my life who love to cook. I have this on my coffee table as it is fun to kick back, read through the stories and become inspired to tackle a new recipe. I am not a professional chef, just an enthusiast home-cook who is learning on the fly, and this is my new favorite cookbook.The recipes are so well explained with stunning pictures. I aIso love that there is a wide range of accessibility. Some are definitely special occasions dishes where you might want to track down a few special ingredients. However, there are many very doable recipes that are pushing me just outside of my comfort-zone flavor wise with really great results. I also appreciate the ingredient subs if you aren't interested or able to track down a certain unusual ingredient. Highly recommend.

Many successful and celebrity chefs tend to have troubled early lives that are resurrected and rebalanced through food, cooking, and culinary careers. I am thinking of Michael Solomonov's Zahav and Anthony Bourdain's works. Alon Shaya is no different and his anticipated cookbook is a story of not only recipes, but the path that led him from troubled youth in Philadelphia to success in New Orleans, LA. But, as he writes, it is not only recipes and a personal narrative in this book, but the story of the magnetic and “gumbo” quality of Israel; its varied cultures and faiths; and his Israeli, Romanian, Bulgarian strands of heritage that have been his muse.This book is not structured by meal, by holiday, by season, or by ingredient. It opens with notes... enlightening notes on which salts to use and how the recipes vary by your salt brand, notes on oils, butter, breadcrumbs, yogurt, knives, and more.Section One: ECHOES OF ISRAEL follows; it begins with “(1) My Grandmother's Pepper and Eggplants.” It tells the story of her influences on him and has five recipes for items such as Lutenitsa (peppers and eggplants); Watermelon and Feta Salad with Harissa; and Bulgarian Lamb Kebabs. At age five, he moved from Israel to Philadelphia to join his father, and then to Narberth, as his parents separated. His English was accented by Elmo and Cookie Monster. A month-long visit from his mother's Bulgarian-Israeli parents brought with them the smells of affection of family unity. His safta (grandmother), a pharmacist before escaping to Israel in 1948, would care for him, and he would cook with her and learn to use the C-clamp kitchen grinder. (His grandmother's Jewish penicillin was Tomato and Rice soup.) In (2) Show-and-Tell Borekas, the four recipes recall a story of second grade show-and-tell, bullying, and a failed cooking demonstration. In (3) Solo Hamantashen, six recipes remind him of his first solo cooking adventure and a sense of independence at the age of nine. Recipes includes ones for Peach and Mascarpone Hamantashen; Israeli Salad; Schmaltzy Potatoes; Bulgarian Leek Patties; Labneh; and Yemenite (marinaded) Stewed Chicken. In (4) Fishing With My Father, Chef Shaya recounts the dates with his Romanian/Hungarian born father, bowling or fishing, that were redeemed when they cooked the fish they caught. Recipes include those for pan-fried fish; turkey sandwiches that are so much better than those of his youth; Hungarian Paprikash; and Tarragon Dumplings.In Section Two: REBELLION AND REDEMPTION, Chef Shaya recalls his first job at thirteen, at a butcher shop. He told them he was 16. Recipes include those for Kibbeh Nayeh; Malawach; Spicy Scallop Rolls; Yogurt Pound Cake with Cardamon-Lemon Syrup; and Blueberry Rugelach. Many recipes recall his teenage job at a bakery, which was heavenly compared to his home-life: a life of weed, vandalism, shoplifting, drug dealers, and chasing trouble. An arrest - related to cooking - led to community service in a hospital.. which led to working in its kitchen.. which leads to a recipe for... Shakshuka... which in turns leads to the story of Home Ec' class and knife skills... and later to CIA, where he finds that although he had Israeli parents, a religious mother, and a Jewish community... he knew little of Jewish food (See his Kugel in Crisis recipe, in Chapter 9. Trayf and Tribulation: he once suggested that the Jewish Culture Club roast a whole pig as a fun activity.. he was clueless at that time in his life).Anyway.. I don't want to give away spoilers of his fascinating life stories, so, to wrap up, Section Two's chapters include (10) Vegas or Bust; (11) Steak for My Saba (Grandfather), featuring a Cast-Iron Ribeye and Vegetable “Pot Roast;” (12) Boss Man, featuring Five-Onion Soup, and Chicken Milanese (like his mother's shnitzel, using yellow curry powder and watercress or arugula); and (13) Safta's Last Lutenista. In Section Three: FINDING HOME IN THE SOUTH, recipes include ones for Roasted Speckled Trout, Crab Cakes with preserved Lemon Aioli, Israeli Couscous, Red Beans and Rice, Buttermilk Biscuits (in Chapter 16: Manischewitz for Willie Mae), Za'atar Fried Chicken, Date Pancakes with Rose Tahini, Smoked Chicken with Harissa, Schmaltzy Cornbread with Gribenes, and Banana Bread with Carob Molasses Butter. In Section Four, Chef Shaya ventures to Italy in “AN ITALIAN SOJOURN.” Here he shares stories and recipes for Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder, Spiced Couscous, Tortelli d'Erbetta, Fresh Pasta, Blackberry Torta della Nonna, Chocolate Hazelnut Semifreddo, Pizza Enzo, Pita, Sea Bass Cartoccio, Piemontese style Bagna Cauda (hot bath/dip), Chocolate Espresso Cookies, and more. In Section Five: HOMECOMING, readers are greeted with Sous Vide Turkey, Brussels Sprout Salad, Smoked Goat Tacos, Curried Sweet Potato and Leek Pie, Charoset, (reluctantly), Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Tahini Chicken Salad, Moroccan Carrot Salad, Matbucha (in Chapter 26: An Israeli Restaurant in New Orleans), Muhammmara, Avocado Toast with Smoked Whitefish, and more.Like the title says... it is an Odyssey. A very enjoyable one, with plenty of iliads and joys along the way

This cookbook is such a treat. As soon as it came I chose a couple of recipes and they were fantastic, especially liked his recipe for hummus.

A beautiful cookbook all the way around. The book is part memoir, with each chapter including a few pages about Alon Shaya's life before delving into a few recipes related to that period, which makes everything much more personal. These essays are well written and read like a book, really guiding you through the recipes that follow. You can tell that great care was taken in assembling this collection.This thoughtfulness is apparent in some of the smaller design decisions - there are pictures of every dish, and Shaya is quick to offer alternative suggestions to tweak dishes with rare, expensive, or non-kosher ingredients (for instance, if you don't have the time - or inclination - to source rosebuds for a tahini based sauce for his date pancakes, he offers an additional spice substitution in the batter).Because of this approach, it isn't a "greatest hits" of his restaurant cuisine (though a few pasta dishes, roasted cauliflower, hummus, and pita bread do make an appearance). Instead, he's included a wide range of food types that have influenced him or that he has cooked throughout his career, from traditional Israeli cuisine to pizza to a very pork heavy red beans and rice. So far, I've only made the stuffed cabbage, but it was excellent. I'm looking forward to trying more.

One of the best cookbooks I own ( I have almost 500 ). The recipes are excellent but what makes it really unique is how he uses food to tell a story. I'm reading it as it was a biography. I really really recommend this beautiful book.

Very disppointed with this book. Difficult recipes. Not what I expected. If you like it GREAT but not for me

Amazing book! Recipes are absolutely delicious!

Haven't had a chance to open it and read any of the Recipes. I feel VERY CONFIDENT

An amazing cookbook with truly wonderful stories!!!