North African Cooking

Forty-year-veteran cooking consultant Mallos (The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook) here offers a solid culinary tour of the Maghreb. After a photo-rich listing of implements (from the barrahd, or Moroccan tea pot, to the tobsil del warkha, or pastry pan) and of region-specific ingredients (ful medamis, which are like favans and melokhia, a jute-like soup herb), Mallos presents proceeds through the meal's elements, and through regional specialties. There are Libya's simple and delicious Little Tuna Turnovers: fried puffs filled with tuna and spices, they're moist and briny takes on Argentine empanadas. Morocco's Chicken Stuffed with Couscous, Almonds, and Raisins is a wonderful variation on whole roast chicken, with raisins for sweetness and a paprika-dusting on a crisp skin. Perhaps best of all are the stylish salads, like the Tunisian Orange And Olive Salad, which combines the tang of preserved lemons with the sweetness of sugar. All the recipes rely on mostly common ingredients and are easy to follow. There's lots of competition on the mediteranean cooking shelf, and this full-color entry presents the basics with firm competence.