237 eastern recipes

These little nests filled with colorful chocolate "eggs" are perfect for spring baking treats or your Easter party.

Herb-roasted rack of lamb crusted with rosemary, thyme, and garlic, then carved into chops and served with a glossy red wine pan sauce. An elegant Easter and holiday roast that's far simpler than it looks.

Lentil kufta, a Middle Eastern vegetarian patty made with red lentils and bulgur, seasoned with sauteed onions, scallions, and red pepper. No-fry vegan appetizer shaped into balls or one big mound.

Cafe con miel is Spanish honey coffee with warm milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. A cozy 20-minute drink that doubles as a light dessert. Three ingredients you already have.

Expert guide to working with delicate phyllo dough without tearing or drying. Essential techniques for handling paper-thin pastry sheets for spanakopita, baklava, and more.

Haymaker's switchel with molasses, brown sugar, ginger, and vinegar stirred into cold water. This colonial-era farmhouse thirst quencher predates modern sports drinks and tastes like a complex, grown-up lemonade.

Piquant honey dressing whisked from lemon juice, dry mustard, paprika, and honey for a sweet-tart pour. Made for fruit, mixed greens, or peppery flower-blossom salads.

Three-ingredient honey pancake syrup: honey thinned with warm water and a splash of vanilla. Pours like maple syrup without honey's cloying intensity, ready in 10 minutes for the breakfast table.

Mujaddara: the humble, soul-satisfying Middle Eastern dish of lentils, rice, and bulgur, cooked with cumin and crowned with deeply browned onions. A hearty, protein-rich vegan meal made from pantry staples.

Spiced olives are the easiest homemade Moroccan-style appetizer: drained olives tossed with your favorite spice blend and left to marinate overnight. Transforms ordinary olives into something bar-worthy.

This is a favorite dish of my family's, especially on holidays like Easter and Christmas. Most people cringe at the idea of eating a cow's tongue, but actually the meat is very tender, and even if you have to close your eyes and plug your nose to try it, please do. I guarantee it won't be what you expect!

Grilled eggplant slices brushed with a mint, cumin, and lemon oil, served with a cool mint-cumin yogurt sauce. A light vegetarian appetizer with Middle Eastern flavors.

This is a Middle Eastern soup, typical of the simple foods served in the desert regions. Serve with pita bread and a grain or vegetable dish for a simple meal. This soup is also food served cold, stuffed into a pita bread.

Chocolate chip meringue kisses that dry in the oven for 5 hours after a brief blast of heat. Light, crisp, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with just six ingredients.

Breaded pork chops braised until tender, topped with a warm sour cherry sauce spiked with cinnamon, cloves, honey, and Madeira wine. An elegant but approachable dinner.

Easy raisin sauce: a classic sweet-tangy companion for baked ham, made with brandy-plumped raisins, Dijon, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, and brown sauce. An Easter dinner essential.