Well, the crazy season is finally over. No more turkey, cranberry sauce or Christmas pudding, and I've now got more pairs of socks than even I could ever manage to wear, so it was refreshing when the "trouble and strife" (sorry, Louise) bought me a copy of Claudia Roden's new book, Arabesque, to silence my whingeing.
Roden is a food writer with clout. She's been writing about Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking since the 1960s, along the way picking up six prized Glenfiddich awards for her work. And her books include the classic Jewish Book of Food.
Arabic food has interested me for some years now after being brought to my attention by the husband-and-wife team behind London's Moro restaurant, Sam and Sam Clark. For me, Roden's new book builds on the Clarks' Moro Cookbook by explaining the history and cultural influences behind the dishes she features from Morocco, Turkey and the Lebanon. I liked the section on meze, the Middle East's version of tapas - small-portion tasters with multiple-course options.
We've tried a few recipes already - lamb shanks with lemon and egg sauce worked extremely well, but we couldn't decide how to explain this one to the customers. We opted for "a kind of lamb hotpot thickened with egg yolk and lemon", and it seemed to do the trick.
Combining some of the recipes slightly out of the context in which they are given can work well. For example, I paired a mashed aubergine and tomato salad with grilled sardines.
I've struggled in the past with Middle Eastern desserts - too rich and sugary for me, but not now. There are some great light ideas here - for instance, a very tasty milk and almond pudding, pistachio cake or rice pudding with rose water, and a Turkish yogurt cake has potential for the restaurant.
The book is a useful addition to any cook's book shelf.
Peter Robinson, chef-proprietor, the Old Butchers, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire
Arabesque: A taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon
Claudia Roden
Penguin: Michael Joseph, £25
ISBN 0-718-14581-X