The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook

November 7, 2016
America’s Test Kitchen tackles Mediterranean cooking with 500 recipes. The book opens with an introduction to the “Mediterranean Diet Pyramid,” instructions on creating a Mediterranean table, and menu planning; the fundamentals are outlined to help readers integrate this lifestyle into their daily menus. As always, America’s Test Kitchen has exhaustively tested each recipe and included serving sizes, time delineations, culinary categories, an introduction that explains why the recipe works, and ways to change up the dish with other flavors or ingredients. The flavorful recipes include a spicy Moroccan-style chicken and lentil soup, tagliatelle with artichokes and Parmesan, and garlicky roasted shrimp with parsley and anise. These and other dishes can easily be integrated into readers’ existing menus. Helpful notes fill the book, such as “Buying Mussels and Clams” and “Shaping a Press-in Tart Shell.” A chapter for “Fruit and Sweets” finishes the book with such treats as lemon-anise biscotti, baklava, and Greek lemon rice pudding. This title will be a workhorse in any kitchen. Photos.

December 1, 2016

America's Test Kitchen has published many books on "light" cooking but are relative newcomers to diet cookbooks. Showcasing the Mediterranean diet, which has been shown to contribute to good health and reduce risk of heart disease, this book shares more than 500 recipes aligned to the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. These recipes make it easy for readers to put together a meal that limits saturated fats, salt, and calories. Appetizing dishes include stuffed grape leaves, grilled sea bass with citrus and black olive salad, chicken in Turkish walnut sauce, and roasted pears with dried apricots and pistachios. Vegetables and grains are well-represented, boasting fatter chapters than meats and seafood. VERDICT Home cooks of all skill levels can use this book to explore a new lifestyle and to sample a wide range of Mediterranean cuisine.

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