It's been a while since I shared a cookbook review, but this week I have another wonderful cookbook review to share with you- Modern Flavours of Arabia by Suzanne Husseini.
In Modern Flavours of Arabia, Suzanne shares her story of her family moving to Canada when she was young and adapting to a new culture while keeping the beautifully flavored and spiced food of their heritage and sharing it with their new friends.
"I learned at age seven that we all share one thing, and that is a love of food" says Suzanne, as she recounts the initial schoolyard teasing she received over her "exotic lunches" which were soon followed by requests for her to bring falafel from home to share.
This beautiful book is broken down into chapters, starting with Breakfast, followed by Mezze, Lunch, Dinner and Dessert.
Each chapter includes lovable favorites that most people will be familiar with, such as as Baba Ghanoush, Kofta, Felefel, Tabbouleh, and Sambousek, but this book introduces a beautiful array of new dishes that you will be just dying to try!
I should point out that not all recipes in this book are vegetarian, there are quite a number of meat centric dishes, however most of them could be adapted to be made vegetarian.
Having said that, there are quite a number of vegetarian dishes, with some vegan recipes too.
We all know we eat with our eyes first, and the beautiful photography in Modern Flavours of Arabia certainly ensures that is the case.
It captures the beautiful richness and exotic nature of the food, with all of the photographs in this book taken by talented Sydney photographer Petrina Tinsley.
For todays recipe I've chosen to share the Spinach Filled Filo Triangles from the Mezze chapter.
I'm a sucker for a good pastry dish (see my vegan puff pastry for evidence), and the mere mention of spinach, lemon and pine nuts was enough for me to be immediately attracted to this dish.
This recipe is also beautifully simple, with the only fiddly work being folding the triangles.
The filo triangles are delicious, and perfectly flaky and crumbly. They can be served as part of a mezze, a light lunch with a side salad, or for dinner, with a couple of salads on the side, as we did.
It would pair perfectly with my quinoa tabbouleh salad or as an appetizer before a big dish of vegan moussaka!
If you'd like to grab a copy of the cookbook for yourself, click here to find it on Amazon.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups of spinach leaves washed and drained, stalks removed & cut into thin slices
- 4 tbs of olive oil
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 2 spring onions finely chopped, whites only
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbs of sumac
- 1 tsp of ground nutmeg
- ½ cup of toasted pine nuts
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 sheets of filo pastry
- ½ cup of melted butter and ¼ cup of olive oil extra mixed for brushing the pastry
Instructions
- Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Saute the onions until soft before removing from the heat and adding the spinach, spring onions, lemon juice, sumac, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Once the spinach has wilted place into a colander to drain and cool slightly. Once cooled remove from the colander and add the pine nuts and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius (375 Fahrenheit) and cut the 12 filo sheets in half. Take one sheet from the stack and cover the remaining sheets with a clean tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
- Brush the filo sheet with the butter and oil mixture and fold in half lengthways. Brush again and place a heaped spoonful of the mixture close to the corner of one of the short sides of the pastry. Fold the corner over to encase the filling, alternating left or right. Follow with a final brush of the butter and oil mixture and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper while you continue with the remaining pastry and mixture.
- Bake the triangles for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crispy and golden.
Jen Laceda @ Tartine and Apron Strings says
Dang! Wish I lived in Australia!! The book looks amazing; I'm sure the recipes are just as! I love the foods of Arabia / Middle East! Syria and Israel really inspires me! By the way, those are some pretty Moroccan glasses!
Michelle says
This book sounds so intriguing. I love mezze type food so think this book would be great.
Priscilla @ShesCookin says
Gorgeous filo triangles and I want those colorful glasses! Sounds like a great cookbook, especially since I've been on a Moroccan/Middle Eastern kick for the past two years or so!
Meg says
Yum this looks delicious! What a great book!
Amanda says
Oh, Middle Eastern and Moroccan cuisine is my absolute, all-time favourite. We often make spinach triangles but I've not thought to add sumac before - great tip!
Tina says
gosh these photos look really delish! 🙂
Dianne Childs says
I haven't tried much Arabic food, but it does fascinate me and I'd love to have a go making it! My favourite would be the filo triangles, I have tried those and they are crunchy and delicious!
Madame Thermomix says
Great minds think alike! I posted a similar recipe on my own blog in late March, based on one that I devised for my restaurant in America, Le Bistro du Lac - in another life; I live in England now. It's Spinach and Feta Filo Triangles, and it was a big hit at Le Bistro du Lac in the 1990's. I thank you for another one of your lovely posts and I invite your readers to taste a bit of my own style of cooking! http://www.whyisthereair.com/2012/03/24/saucy-and-delicious/
Tess Thomson says
I've had a love for middle eastern food since I became vegetarian in my teens and I love this filo parcel recipe you've shared, it's exciting to make a truly authentic Arabic dish! My favourite Arabic food has always been the humble, yet golden felafel - delish with freshly made hommus!
Linda C says
It looks absolutely delicious! 🙂
lauren says
My best friends mum used to make the best stuffed vegetables.. omg yum
Sian says
Favourite food would definitely be any type of Biryani. Not the simplest of dishes to perfect but well worth the effort!
Barb says
I came here via your freekeh pilaf - yum!! Freekeh is my favourite grain at the moment, tasty, satisfying and healthy. I have been making freekeh salads with lots of nuts and herbs every week over summer, and the recipe for the pilaf sounds a delicious new variation.I like near Brunswick, surrounded by Middle Eastern restaurants and groceries full of intriguing ingredients to explore. That cookbook would certainly help me experiment and create exotic dishes like those in the recipes you extracted for your blog.
wilma says
i love pilafs especially with okra in it
Amy Motherwell says
Sounds like a must have book... I have been looking for a good recipe book with vegetarian dishes.
JJ @ 84thand3rd says
I am a dip girl all the way - Baba Ghanouj, Hummous, Tabouli - anything thing you can dip veggies in or spread on bread really! Looks like a lovely book and your spinach triangles look lovely as usual!