Celebrating Community: A Round-up from Tasting Jerusalem

A little over two weeks into our virtual cooking community, Tasting Jerusalem, we thought we would tempt you with some visual highlights and links to the sights and virtual smells wafting from so many kitchens all over the continent! (Tasting Jerusalem is a virtual cooking community exploring Middle Eastern Cuisine through the lens of "Jerusalem: A Cookbook" by Ottolenghi and Tamimi, published by Ten Speed Press.)

Blue Kale Road

Braised Eggs with Lamb, Tahini and Sumac: Tasting Jerusalem

Hannah from Blue Kale Road is in love with community and condiments: "I’ve embarked on a culinary adventure. This is a new journey, one where I am cooking virtually with a community that shares a love for trying unique flavors and exploring a cookbook in depth. I couldn’t be happier! ...."

The Daily Waffle

Tasting Jerusalem: Turkey Zucchini Burgers w Sumac Yogurt Sauce

Michelle from The Daily Waffle shared her brilliant idea to serve these little gems as a SuperBowl snack! "... The recipe specifies 45 gram (essentially two-bite) patties, which makes them perfect little appetizers for the Big Game.  A pound of turkey makes about 18 patties, so consider doubling it depending on your crowd and the rest of your Super Bowl spread.

The Daily Waffle

Tasting Jerusalem: Barley Risotto w Marinated Feta

While this recipe was not from the monthly recipe list, we just love Michelle's enthusiasm to kick-off the cooking as well as her gorgeous photos and the insight she shared with the group via Twitter about how the recipe came together. More than a regimented cooking schedule, Tasting Jerusalem is about encouraging conversation and enthusiasm about cooking through the book and learning about the cuisine! So thanks, Michelle!

More Jerusalem posts to explore:

• Carol from the blog InMediasRecipe tackled many dishes before Tasting Jerusalem kicked-off. This post shares several in photos including the recipe for Na'ama's Fattoush which is on this month's recipe list.
• Cathy from the blog Mrs. Wheelbarrow shared the details of her cooking extravaganza with an old friend, including many dishes from "Jerusalem: A Cookbook".
• Orly from the blog Yumivore shared her unique perspective on Jerusalem cooking and her take on kofta - Middle Eastern meatballs.
• Olga from the blog SassyRadish shared her love story with Ottolenghi's restaurant in London as well as her favorite dish with roasted butternut squash.
• Batya from the blog Sparrows and Spatulas gave us a sneak peak into the herb pie which is created in a lovely bed of filo pastry.

Head over to our Facebook page, (already 44 people talking, contributing, and following along) to see many more interesting conversations and contributions including Emily from EpicureanOdyssey.com who has been sharing her Middle Eastern expertise with us all and Ani from cooking-spree.com who fell in love with the spinach salad on this month's recipe list (as has almost everyone who tasted it). And we heard this week that a kids' cooking class in Canada run by Mardi of the blog Eat Live Travel Write is cooking the turkey burgers so we can't wait to see more details from Mardi on her blog soon! I also taught the spinach salad to a cooking class last weekend with great success - more on that soon.

And in case you didn't get a chance to see them, here are a couple of fun articles about our virtual cooking community:

• from the Ventura County Star: Camarillo foodie, friend host virtual cooking community
• from The Daily Meal: New Cooking Group Explores the Facets of Middle Eastern Cuisine Through a Cookbook

Coming by mid February - another interesting spice or condiment to discover and several new dishes to cook as we continue to explore this fascinating cookbook together as a community! Come join the fun by following omgyummy.com, liking our Facebook page, or following the hashtag #TastingJrslm on Twitter and Instagram.