Tree of Life

Based on the memoir Anatolian Days and Nights , Tree of Life presents 100 accessible recipes inspired by Turkish food traditions found in the authors' travels.

When Joy Stocke and Angie Brenner first met on the balcony of a guesthouse in a small resort town on the Mediterranean coast, they discovered a shared love of history, literature, and local food traditions. The two new friends set off on a cultural adventure tour of Turkey that spanned ten years. Returning home to their respective American kitchens, they couldn't help but call upon the flavors of Anatolia as a kind of culinary souvenir, and incorporate that sensibility into the food they cook every day for themselves, family, and friends.

This engaging cookbook presents 100 recipes that weave Eastern ingredients and techniques with thoughtful adaptations of favorite authentic dishes, including Circassian Chicken, Hummus Five Ways, Silken Spinach Soup with Red Pepper Butter, Baked Manti with Minced Lamb, Fragrant Dolmas, Cypriot Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder, Carpet Shop Beef Stew, and Rose Milk Pudding, plus a from-scratch section on making pomegranate molasses, salt-cured lemons, and other Anatolian pantry staples.