Rumi: Food of Middle Eastern Appearance - Joseph Abboud

Chef Joseph Abboud's food looks Middle Eastern because his proud origins are a little bit Lebanese, Persian and Turkish, but it also represents the heart of an honest and enduring eatery in Melbourne's north, named for the 13th-century poet.

This is food cooked with an egalitarian ethos and with soul. Rumi is hierarchy-free: salads, fish, veg, meat and toum (with almost everything) all order their place at Joe's table. Regulars will give thanks for classics like the three-cheese Sigaras, the Rumi Meatballs and the famous Lamb Shoulder; everyone else has the joy of discovery ahead. There's a Fattoush for Every Season, an 'inauthentic' Broccoli Tabbouleh, Joe's mother's Eggplant M'Nazled and The Quail That Anthony Bourdain Ate.

Joe was wary of sharing the 60-plus recipes in this book, not for fear of divulging secrets so much as exposing how simple his cooking is. But deliciousness doesn't have to be difficult, and his world of spices, sauces and flavors is now presented in these pages for all to enjoy. For their new custodians, it's just the beginning.