This excellent cookbook starts out with a description of the
author’s visit with her husband to Turkey. 
Unusually, the first 77 pages give details of the trip, accompanied by
black and white photographs of some of the scenes she describes.  The rest of the 250-page book is devoted to
recipes, which are mostly simple and delicious.  The food is often very similar to Greek and middle eastern cuisine,
and uses plenty of feta cheese, olives, lemon juice, yogurt, eggs, and fresh
herbs.  There are some of the standards
here — hummus, baba ganouj, stuffed grape vine leaves, sis kebabs, and
baklava, as well as some less familiar dishes. 
Robertson includes meatless versions of some other standards,
substituting soy "meat" which may not appeal to all vegetarians.  There are plenty of salads and soups which
are perfect for summer eating.  The
recipes are clear and easy to follow. 
Since most only use a short list of ingredients that are readily
available from good supermarkets and health food stores, the meals are quick to
prepare.  The index is fairly thorough,
although it does not list meals under their well-known names — for example,
there’s no entry for "hummus," but you will find it under "chick
peas, mashed."  If you are looking
for healthy refreshing easy meals to cook in the heat of the summer, this book
could be a great source of ideas. 

© 2003 Christian Perring. All
rights reserved.

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is Chair of the Philosophy
Department at Dowling College, Long Island, and editor of Metapsychology
Online Review.  His main research is on philosophical issues in
medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

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