Argonaut Books Yashim Istanbul

My husband I have read all the Yashim Mysteries and loved them! The companion cookbook is beautiful and interesting in itself. Looking forward to making some of the dishes!!

As an enthusiastic fan of Jason Goodwin’s detective books featuring Yashim the eunuch, as well as an addicted food blogger, I’ve been looking forward to the publication of his cookbook Yashim Cooks Istanbul and it doesn’t disappoint. The book is arranged around the five Yashim books and each section is packed with quotes – some of the liveliest and most vivid passages - which paint the street scenes in Istanbul and Venice, and the market vendors, thieves, fishermen and nobles Goodwin depicts so well. The recipes have been chosen with care. Many, exotic and flavourful, are also satisfyingly simple – bean salad, the sultan’s Ramadan eggs, the kebab of Pilgrim Osman – anyone might cook these dishes – but the ideas are creative and different. Other recipes are more elegant, a sure talking point at any celebration; guinea fowl with pepper sauce, for example, or Palace fig pudding. The chicken and artichoke recipe disappeared in seconds with everyone asking for more. Visually the book is gorgeous, but not in an over-glossy unnatural kind of way. As well as being a respected author Jason Goodwin is also an astonishingly good food photographer, but the pages of this beautifully presented book are further interspersed with illustrations from various manuscripts and other sources and there are older images from the author’s own family archives which give the book an authenticity which is both lively and charming. Highly recommended.

We had read all the "Yashim" novels and enjoyed them hugely. Convincing and believable characters in a fascinating historical period, little about written about. The cooking and meals always made us hungry and this book is a brilliant syntheses of the novels, location,history and recipes.The artwork and photos are also a joy and make it an ornament to any book shelf. Highly recommended and I am off to re-visit the back catalogue of the writer. The duck recipe is worth the price alone. We are planning to cook one new recipe a week until we have tried them all

Lamb was never a favorite until I tried these two recipes in "Yashim Cooks Istanbul," Dolmas, page 62, 63 and Lahmacun, page 111. The lamb dolma is pictured wrapped in red chard which gave the sauce its red color. Both are delicious with yogurt mixed with a crushed garlic clove and fresh or dried mint leaves, crushed. This cookbook is a must-have if you've loved the detective Yashim books by author Jason Goodwin. I did purchase many of the spices online and find myself using them in other recipes as well as those in this cookbook.

As a Turkish cookbook, I can think of several that are much better in terms of range and number of recipes. What sets this one apart is that the dishes are simple enough and can be cooked even on a weeknight, without having to purchase a ton of exotic ingredients, plus the lovely design and illustrations. The target audience is folks who love the Yashim detective series, BUT others who want to try their hand at some easy Turkish recipes will find lots to like also. An additional advantage is that the book has yet to fall apart, even after lots of use. Not sure the cover does the book justice, but that is a minor complaint.