Very Good Salads

A seasonal cookbook filled with salad and dips inspired by the Middle East.

This book contains 52 very good salad recipes, brought to you by Shuki Rosenboim and Louisa Allan, owners of Very Good Falafel, a small falafel bar in Melbourne, Australia. With a focus on vegan salads, exceptional dips, soft pita and, of course, very good falafel, all made from local in-season ingredients – you’ll find all of these dishes, and more, in this very good book.

Very Good Salads shares Shuki and Louisa’s original, much-lauded falafel recipe for the first time, along with their popular salads that change with the seasons. Making the very best of fresh produce, recipes include Iraqi Jewish and Middle Eastern-focused salads that are as good on their own as they are stuffed into bread with a side of tahini.

Each salad makes use of the whole vegetable, with classic and less-expected pairings such as watermelon salad with za’atar, radish and fried pita; peaches, basil and hazelnut; and grilled leek with pomegranate, walnuts, spring onion, mint, dill and lemon zest; as well as larger offerings such as silverbeet rice cake and stuffed tomatoes with saffron rice and dried mint. In addition, the book shares recipes for traditional dips and the ultimate pita recipe that produces flawless bread to stuff or served alongside share plates.

About the Authors

After years selling homemade dips, sauces, and falafels at farmers' markets around Victoria, Louisa Allan and Shuki Rosenboim grew so popular that they set up a permanent shop on Melbourne's vibrant Sydney Road-and they've never looked back. Their small café has become a Melbourne institution. With a cult following and legendary falafel status, Louisa and Shuki are two of the city's most popular food creators.