Tag Archives: Steven Cook

Zahav’s Braised Lamb Shanks with Sour Cherry & Cola

Posted on by Leave a comment
Lamb shanks braised low and slow with soda and juice. Yup!
Lamb shanks braised low and slow with soda and juice. Yup!

I am not a soda drinker.

But I am someone who likes to cook and bake with the stuff.

It’s curiosity that draws me, imagining what the fizzy, sweet drink will add to a particular dish or treat.

That’s why “Braised Lamb Shanks with Sour Cherry & Cola” leaped off the pages of the new “Zahav Home” (Harvest, 2024), of which I received a review copy.

The book is by Chef Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook, co-owners of the Philadelphia hospitality group, CookNSolo Restaurants, of which the flagship is Zahav. In 2019, that restaurant became the first Israeli and first Philadelphia restaurant to win the James Beard “Outstanding Restaurant” Award. They now own 23 restaurants in three states. Their Zahav Hummus is now sold at Whole Foods Markets across the United States, too.

Read more

Got 5 Minutes? Make Hummus — Just Like That

Posted on by 5 comments

Five-minute hummus with cinnamon-scented chicken.

Five-minute hummus with cinnamon-scented chicken.

 

These days, hummus is so ubiquitous that you can pick up a tub at most any store. You can even find snickerdoodle and brownie batter hummus — abominations that are enough to make the mind reel and the taste buds go into perpetual hiding.

But for a real treat, try making hummus yourself.

In his first cookbook, “Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), Chef-Owner Michael Solomonov of Philadelphia’s landmark Zahav restaurant, provided a detailed recipe for making hummus from scratch with dried chickpeas that need to be soaked overnight before being cooked until — yes — mushy to get the best consistency.

In his second cookbook, Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), of which I received a review copy, Solomonov and business partner Steven Cook acknowledge that few Israelis make hummus at home because they can get their hands on great versions so easily at supermarkets or hummusiyas.

Israeli Soul

In contrast, the quality of store-bought hummus in the United States can vary greatly, as anyone who has bought a tub can attest. To make it easier for home-cooks here, Solomonov provides a more streamlined hummus recipe in his newest cookbook that makes use of canned chickpeas instead. “5-Minute Hummus” really does come together as fast as it implies. As Solomonov quips, it will take you longer to clean your food processor afterward than it will to actually make this wonderful hummus.

Read more