The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook: 500 Vibrant, Kitchen-Tested Recipes for Living and Eating Well Every Day
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- Create Date：2022-03-27 06:55:16
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：America's Test Kitchen
- ISBN：1940352649
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Summary
America's most trusted test kitchen tackles a topic with serious staying power: the Mediterranean diet。 This thorough yet user-friendly book brings the Mediterranean into the American home kitchen， with 500 amazingly flavorful yet surprisingly approachable recipes for everyday cooking。
There's a reason why people in the Mediterranean region are among the longest lived in the world--their diet， which focuses on olive oil， vegetables， healthy grains， and seafood， has been proven to be extremely beneficial for weight reduction， blood pressure control， and overall well-being。 America's Test Kitchen has taken these ingredients and produced innovative， delicious， and foolproof mains， sides， and appetizers that comply with this increasingly popular way of eating。
There's a reason why people in the Mediterranean region are among the longest lived in the world--their diet， which focuses on olive oil， vegetables， healthy grains， and seafood， has been proven to be extremely beneficial for weight reduction， blood pressure control， and overall well-being。 America's Test Kitchen has taken these ingredients and produced innovative， delicious， and foolproof mains， sides， and appetizers that comply with this increasingly popular way of eating。
Reviews
Dray
，
Americas Test Kitchen does a stand out job and this cookbook is one of their best。 Although not specifically oriented to vegetarians， there is a dense offering of vegetarian recipes here。 I have come to love their intro to most recipes that starts with "why this recipe works"。 All the meals are relatively well within reach of the home cook。 Well done！ Americas Test Kitchen does a stand out job and this cookbook is one of their best。 Although not specifically oriented to vegetarians， there is a dense offering of vegetarian recipes here。 I have come to love their intro to most recipes that starts with "why this recipe works"。 All the meals are relatively well within reach of the home cook。 Well done！ 。。。more
Tamar。。。playing hooky for a few hours today
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This book is great！My only complaint is that it leaves out all the good stuff🤣Seriously， it is my dream that someone would prepare all these delicious recipes and serve them up to me！ I like mostly every ingredient in this book， but when I have five minutes between meetings I pour boiling water over some squiggly noodles， shove into micro for 2 minutes， strain into a dish， melt a glob of butter on top， and vigorously salt。 Two and a half minutes later I am satiated， smiling， and ready to take on This book is great！My only complaint is that it leaves out all the good stuff🤣Seriously， it is my dream that someone would prepare all these delicious recipes and serve them up to me！ I like mostly every ingredient in this book， but when I have five minutes between meetings I pour boiling water over some squiggly noodles， shove into micro for 2 minutes， strain into a dish， melt a glob of butter on top， and vigorously salt。 Two and a half minutes later I am satiated， smiling， and ready to take on the world。 。。。more
Emily
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This cookbook was not that helpful for me。 As with all ATK cookbooks， I do appreciate their specificity on ingredients， techniques， and explaining what you can adjust and what you shouldn’t。 However， I didn’t find a whole lot of new recipes that will make it into our cooking rotation。 Many of the recipes looked more time-consuming than we can do on a regular weekday。 There were a lot of seafood recipes with ingredients that， while they’re prevalent in the actual Mediterranean， are not that easil This cookbook was not that helpful for me。 As with all ATK cookbooks， I do appreciate their specificity on ingredients， techniques， and explaining what you can adjust and what you shouldn’t。 However， I didn’t find a whole lot of new recipes that will make it into our cooking rotation。 Many of the recipes looked more time-consuming than we can do on a regular weekday。 There were a lot of seafood recipes with ingredients that， while they’re prevalent in the actual Mediterranean， are not that easily found in good quality and feasible prices for many people who don’t live on the American coasts。 。。。more
P R
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Not a 'diet' book Not a 'diet' book 。。。more
Stephanie Lambert
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Any ATC cookbook is a must have。 From navigating the best products on the shelves to “why this recipe works” sections， their cookbooks help you understand and learn as you cook。
Judith Berg
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Eating healthy！
Bill Rand
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Honestly one of my favorite cookbooks。 Very tasty food！
Judy Maron
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Best Mediterranean cookbookThis is a superb cookbook。 Recipes are easy to follow。 Mouth watering。 Will definitely be making the recipes。 Highly recommend this cookbook！
Elizabeth Theiss Smith
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This is a superb collection of pretty simple recipes that work well and are flavor forward。 It’s not the only Mediterranean cookbook I own but it’s the one I turn to over and over for healthy， delicious dinners， especially when I have a particular vegetable or grain that I want to use up。
Karrie S
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Since I eat a typical American diet， this book has a lot of basics and variety。 I don’t know if it’s helpful for people that already eat a Med。 diet
Billie Hinton
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Terrific cookbook that offers instruction on making things from scratch， as well as tips on what to use for shortcuts without sacrificing flavor。 Am on my way to cook through these luscious recipes。
Kim
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Many interesting recipes， I'm not a big seafood fan but there are many other options。 Many interesting recipes， I'm not a big seafood fan but there are many other options。 。。。more
Willow Anne
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I read this just like I would a book， front to back， and I already love this cookbook so much！ I can't wait to try some of the recipes in it！ ______________________Chickpea Cakes （pg。 180）These were incredibly easy to make and really good with the cucumber yogurt sauce。 （And for some reason they smelled like In-N-Out while they were cooking， which I liked）。 I'll definitely be making these again！Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce （pg。 233）For this recipe， the thicker the yogurt， the better。 At first I thought I read this just like I would a book， front to back， and I already love this cookbook so much！ I can't wait to try some of the recipes in it！ ______________________Chickpea Cakes （pg。 180）These were incredibly easy to make and really good with the cucumber yogurt sauce。 （And for some reason they smelled like In-N-Out while they were cooking， which I liked）。 I'll definitely be making these again！Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce （pg。 233）For this recipe， the thicker the yogurt， the better。 At first I thought my yogurt was too thick， but once I added the wet shredded cucumber and olive oil， it became the perfect consistency。 Also， I shredded the cucumber onto a paper towel to soak up the excess moisture before adding the cucumber to the yogurt， which worked well。 Spicy Roasted Carrots with Cilantro （pg。 206）These carrots were soo delicious。 I ended up roasting them much longer than the recipe called for because that's just how my family likes them。 I think it was about 30-40 mins total， but I was mainly just doing it by eye。 The only thing I would change next time is to add a little less cilantro， as I'm not a huge raw herb person。 1/8 cup chopped would probably be fine。 Also I did the paprika + red pepper flakes as the Aleppo pepper substitution and it turned out great。 Sautéed Spinach with Yogurt and Dukkah （pg。 225）I've never had spinach like this before， but I really liked it！ I didn't have excess moisture in the leaves， so I didn't squeeze them out as the recipe instructed and it turned out fine。 Next time I would add the garlic to the oil in the pan before adding the leaves， and I think that would help them to absorb more of that flavor。 And I would also add a little more garlic， maybe 4 cloves instead of 2。 I added the spinach a handful or two at a time， as the recipe instructed， and surprisingly that method worked very well in terms of ensuring all the leaves were evenly cooked。 For me personally， the lemon yogurt sauce could use a bit more of a lemony flavor， so I'd probably like to add a little more juice next time I make this。 Also a thicker， Greek yogurt would not work well in this case， and just a normal thing of plain yogurt works perfectly。 I made this again and added larger handfuls of spinach at a time， which created excess moisture in the pan。 Adding a little at a time helps to limit the amount if moisture produced。 Dukkah （pg。 317）This spice mix was very different， but I really liked it！ I accidentally mixed all the seeds together and ground them all to a fine powder instead of coarsely grinding the pistachios and sesame seeds as the recipe instructed。 It still turned out good， but it would have been better if I had followed the recipe， as it would have added some extra texture to the mix in addition to the roasted chickpeas。 Also I omitted the fennel seeds because my family doesn't like fennel， but it's only 2 tsp in the entire recipe， so I think I'll add it next time and it'll add a hint of that nice flavor。 （Note - Make sure to toast all the seeds well！ It adds flavor and if the sesame seeds and pistachios aren't toasted enough， they'll turn paste-like in the processor。） I made the spinach again and reused this same dukkah， and it tasted just as good as when I first made it！ It saves really well。Koshari （pg。 173）This turned out delicious！ It was super easy to make and tasted really good。 Just make sure not to over mix the rice at the end， and to fluff it lightly as the recipe instructs。 It helps to ensure that the rice keeps its shape and doesn't become sticky。 Vegetable Paella （pg。 116）This dish was delicious！ I didn't get bomba rice in time， so I ended up using some short grain whole wheat rice that I had， and it turned out perfect。 I will definitely be making this again！Artichoke， Pepper， and Chickpea Tagine （pg。 198）This recipe was very unique， and once again， I liked it because it's something I never would have thought up on my own。 This mix of spices was really flavorful， and it smelled and tasted super good。 I made it to go with the couscous recipe below， and it was really good together。Simple Couscous （pg。 161）I made this to go with the tagine above， and I have to say， I absolutely love couscous！ This recipe for making it was so easy and quick， and I'll definitely be making it again。 Ciambotta （pg。 240）This dish is essentially a vegetable stew， and it turned out quite good。 I didn't add enough salt at the end， and I didn't add the extra basil at the end either， both of which I think it could have used。Clams with Pearl Couscous， Chorizo， and Leeks （pg。 280）My family was very divided regarding whether or not they like this dish。 2 liked it a lot， 1 hated it， and 2， including myself， thought it was just okay。 If I made it again， I'd add way less parsley at the end， like maybe half the amount， but that's just because I'm not the biggest fan of that really bold herby flavor， with any herb。 This was my first time trying pearl couscous though， and I really liked it， so I'll definitely cook with it again。 Also， I didn't know this when I bought it， but I ended up using vegan soy chorizo from Trader Joe's， and I think it definitely would have been better with actual meat chorizo。 Braised Green Beans with Potatoes and Basil （pg。 217）This dish was unbelievably delicious for what it was。 The ingredients are so simple but it becomes this absolutely scrumptious meal that I'll definitely be making again。Sicilian Fish Stew （pg。 267）This is amazing！ It tasted so much better than I expected， and I had to stop myself from continuing to eat it。 I definitely recommend using fresh swordfish， as well as a good quality can of whole peeled tomatoes。Stuffed Eggplant with Bulgur （pg。 213）I didn't have bulgur， but I did have farro， so I just used farro instead and it was a perfectly acceptable substitution。 I did the exact same process as instructed for the bulgur， but I had quick cooking farro， so I just soaked it for less time than instructed， about 10-ish minutes。 The eggplants I used were too large for the amount of stuffing， so if I made this again， I would make extra filling。 But other than that， this was very filling， satisfying meal。 I made it again with bulgar and added ground beef and it turned out much better！Turkish Pide with Eggplant and Tomatoes （pg。 357）My aunt （who grew up in the Mediterranean area） recommended these to me， so I knew I had to try them， and I'm really glad I did！ It's basically a healthy Turkish version of pizza， and it smells like pizza too。 In fact， the recipe for this dough is exactly the same as the pizza dough recipe in Bread Illustrated， another cookbook written by America's Test Kitchen。 I didn't have whole peeled tomatoes， so I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes instead and that worked fine。 I forgot to make the dough a day ahead of time and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours， so I let it sit at room temperature （covered in plastic wrap） for 2 hours， and it turned out great。 It's best to brush the top of the dough well with oil so it can crisp up nice in the oven。 I liked the taste best when the bottom of the dough was really thin while the edges and sides were slightly thicker。 And don't forget to add plenty of feta on top！Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Soup （pg。 48）My family loved this， but I thought it was just okay。 I used a hand blender instead of actually putting it into the blender （I was trying to skip some clean-up） but it would have been a better consistency had I followed the recipe。 I think that my eggplants were too large， because the soup was really eggplanty， overly so， it seemed to me。 Stuffed Zucchini with Spiced Lamb， Dried Apricots， and Pine Nuts （pg。 234）This turned out AMAZING！ I would make this recipe again in a heartbeat。 Zucchini and Feta Fritters （pg。 232）I'm not exactly sure what I did wrong， but for some reason these fritters turned out way too watery。 They didn't hold together at all and the consistency was very strange。 They tasted delicious though！ If I were to guess， I'd say that it was either because I didn't put the zucchini in the oven to dry out （although I squeezed out all excess water super thoroughly） or because I overmixed the batter and squeezed more juices out of it （I'm pretty sure this is the main reason）。 But， like I said， they still tasted good， especially with the Yogurt-Herb Sauce。 Yogurt-Herb Sauce （pg。 233）Super easy to make and quite tasty too！Slow-Cooked Whole Carrots with Onion-Balsamic Relish （pg。 207）I didn't follow this recipe very exactly， in fact， the only part I really did follow was for the making of the relish。 I sliced the carrots into little circles， then cooked them like normal and let everyone add the relish onto their carrots themselves。 And it turned out amazing！ I would definitely make this again， as it was super easy to make as well。 Herbed Basmati Rice and Pasta Pilaf with Golden Raisins and Almonds （pg。 104）Wow。 This dish was absolutely incredible！ It tasted just like rice pilaf you would get at a restaurant， and it even tasted good reheated the next day。 I happened to have both golden raisins and almonds， so I decided to make this variation， and I really liked that little crunch and sweetness you got with it。 It was so easy to make too， which I loved。 I'll definitely be making this again！Pan-Roasted Asparagus with Cherry Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives （pg。 199）I don't usually like asparagus， but I was really happy with how this turned out。 I wasn't picky about laying the asparagus in a certain way in the pan as the recipe instructed， and it turned out just fine。 I didn't have Kalamata olives， so I used black olives instead and it was perfectly fine。 Spanish-Style Braised Chicken and Almonds （pg。 295）This dish was really delicious！ The chicken turned out so tender and pulled apart so easily。 I actually didn't cook it in the oven， I did everything the same except I just kept it on simmer on the stove and let it cook for the 40 minutes， and it turned out perfect。 I served it over some brown rice and it was absolutely scrumptious！Chicken in Turkish Walnut Sauce （pg。 294）This wasn't my favorite dish out of all the ones I've made。 I served it with rice， and it would have tasted better with pita， but I just didn't really like the flavor that the walnuts gave the chicken。 The chicken and almonds recipe （above） was very similar but， in my opinion， tasted much better。 Monkfish Tagine （pg。 268）I couldn't get monkfish， so I ended up using a mix of salmon and yellow fin tuna and it was good！ I don't think I'd use salmon again though， it fell apart a little too easily。 A sturdier fish definitely works best。 French Lentils with Carrots and Parsley （pg。 170）This was a very simple dish that was surprisingly good because of that simplicity。 It had an earthy flavor that I really enjoyed， and it tastes good served hot or cold。Moroccan-Style Couscous with Chickpeas （pg。 163）This recipe was easy to make and I'm happy with how it turned out。 I made it twice， with regular couscous one time and pearl couscous another， and both turned out good。 The pearl couscous just needs a bit longer to cook。Stuffed Grape Leaves （pg。 35）These are so good！ When I made them， I followed the recipe but added ground beef， which I did by cooking it separately then stirring it in with the dill and mint。 I used jarred grape leaves and it turned out absolutely delicious！ It tastes really good with some sort of yogurt sauce too， like tzatziki。Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices （pg。 54）I think the North African foods are my favorite。 I also love how the spices smell while cooking。 I didn't blend it like they said， but it broke down pretty well by itself。Baba Ghanoush （pg。 20）This isn't my favorite form of eggplant， but it was good。 It tasted best mixed in a pita wrap。Falafel （pg。 181）These were great！ I ate it in a pita wrap just like the picture， and it was delicious。 However， I once again made the mistake of overmixing and it became too wet， just like the zucchini fritters。 After making this mistake 3 times， hopefully I've learned my lesson。Marinated Cauliflower and Chickpeas with Saffron （pg。 27）This was delicious！ I didn't think it'd taste good cold， but it did。 I'd definitely make it again。Bulgur with Chickpeas， Spinach， and Za'atar （pg。 126）I've made this twice because it's really， really good！ It works with fresh or frozen spinach， but I prefer fresh。Spiced Vegetable Couscous （pg。 162）I didn't have couscous at the time so I used bulgur instead and it turned out delicious！ 。。。more
Cindy
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Enjoy a new look at a way of cooking， I have always loved my veggies and this is a great way to enjoy more of them。
Donna
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I just love ATK books。。。。always something to learn！
Sue
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This book is the standard recommendation for the Mediterranean Diet， and the recipes I've made have turned out well。 It has none of the Mediterranean soul of other cookbooks， and several deviations from the Mediterranean Diet guidelines used in research studies， but it does have some decent recipes and you can make changes as appropriate。 PROS:-Lots of recipes （500！）-Recipes are mostly tasty-Lots of info about each recipe-It's America's Test Kitchen so lots of focus on process-Great indexCONS: - This book is the standard recommendation for the Mediterranean Diet， and the recipes I've made have turned out well。 It has none of the Mediterranean soul of other cookbooks， and several deviations from the Mediterranean Diet guidelines used in research studies， but it does have some decent recipes and you can make changes as appropriate。 PROS:-Lots of recipes （500！）-Recipes are mostly tasty-Lots of info about each recipe-It's America's Test Kitchen so lots of focus on process-Great indexCONS: -Although the book cites Oldways， it is not compliant with their version of the Mediterranean Diet and kind of blows off some main tenets， like whole grains。 For example， in the grain info section it says that hulled barley is the most whole form available， but it takes longer to cook。 Then they only have recipes/instructions for pearled barley which is not a whole grain。 -But they care enough about authenticity to leave salmon entirely out of the book because it's not a Mediterranean fish。 OK。。。。-SWORDFISH。 There are 4 recipes for swordfish in here， with no caveats about swordfish conservation issues or the high concentration of mercury in swordfish， which has led health experts to recommend that children and women of reproductive age avoid eating it entirely。 Seems relevant here， and totally left out。 -Lot of faffing。 ATK just loves to go over the top with the extra steps。 No， I don't want to SOAK LENTILS you numbats。 I do not have time for that。 ---------------------It's very striking to me that often the emphasis in Mediterranean Diet is kind of this your-Sicilian-Nonna would make this， home-grown vibe。 ATK takes that and puts it through a stainless steel mill， basically， to make it more efficient！ More American！ Which makes it accessible。 But to take the time to refine the recipes to this extent WITHOUT making them compliant with the Oldways guidelines is very frustrating to me as a user。 I'm trying to gain the health results of this diet， and I would have at least liked more recipes with whole grains and less false authenticity， like the salmon thing。 It's a very confusing book， with neither regional authenticity nor accuracy to the diet guidelines being given via health research。 But the recipes are decent， and I would recommend it with the caveat that the user substitute in whole grains。 。。。more
Lisa
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For such a big cookbook， there were shockingly few low-carb dishes I wanted to make that I couldn't find in other cookbooks。 Thank you library-book checkout！ For such a big cookbook， there were shockingly few low-carb dishes I wanted to make that I couldn't find in other cookbooks。 Thank you library-book checkout！ 。。。more
Ashley
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One of the best laid out cookbooks I've ever seen！ They break down things for you and give you so many variations of dishes so you can constantly change it up。 I can't wait to try out all of these recipes！ One of the best laid out cookbooks I've ever seen！ They break down things for you and give you so many variations of dishes so you can constantly change it up。 I can't wait to try out all of these recipes！ 。。。more
Karen Peek
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This Cookbook works for beginner cooks to the experienced hand。 I highly recommend it， especially if you have lived in the Mediterranean， and plan to again！
Brittany Oakes
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One of my all time favorite cookbooks。
Grace
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I’d like to live in this book; specifically， as a piece of mint。
Helen
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Great easy to use healthy cookbook。
Heather
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This cookbook is amazing。 The recipes are delicious and the direction are easy to follow， even on the more complex dishes。 So far every recipe I’ve made （which has been quite a few） has been devoured and added to the “will make again” list。 I highly recommend this book！
Brenda
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Not the best cookbook for beginners。 Directions often assume the cook knows about things they may not know。 Most recipes are pretty good。
db
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So many good recipes and explanations of how to cook。
Debby
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ATK is my go to source for recipes and I’ve made hundreds of them， over the years。 I need to focus on a healthier diet， due to some recent heart issues。 This book is the answer！ There are planets of photos， including “how to”。 I love Mediterranean flavors。 So， while these are。 To my typical comfort food genre， there is so much flavor。 This changes my prior mind sight that healthy food is boring！ I don’t make enough salads， and I got plenty of ideas in this book。 The food looks colorful and flavo ATK is my go to source for recipes and I’ve made hundreds of them， over the years。 I need to focus on a healthier diet， due to some recent heart issues。 This book is the answer！ There are planets of photos， including “how to”。 I love Mediterranean flavors。 So， while these are。 To my typical comfort food genre， there is so much flavor。 This changes my prior mind sight that healthy food is boring！ I don’t make enough salads， and I got plenty of ideas in this book。 The food looks colorful and flavorful。 I’m getting started today！ 。。。more
Ann
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Americas Test Kitchen always has excellent recipes。 Four stars since sometimes they are too fussy or complicated for my lifestyle。 But I've added many of these to my weekly routine。 Americas Test Kitchen always has excellent recipes。 Four stars since sometimes they are too fussy or complicated for my lifestyle。 But I've added many of these to my weekly routine。 。。。more
Robyn
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The recipes are overly complicated and the ingredients totally impossible for someone living in rural areas to find。 Bummer。
Marianna
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There are always great recipes in the America’s Test Kitchen books， but the organization and layout are not my favorite。 And there prep methods can， at times， be overly complicated。 I understand they are looking for the perfect recipe and therefore， method， but it’s a bit much at times。
Aprilleigh
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