Centerpiece - by Helen Graham (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Vibrant vegetarian recipes from celebrated chef Helen Graham

YOTAM OTTOLENGHI: "Helen carries the torch for all the ingredients I love most. Vegetables behaving exactly as they should. A cook after my own heart."

A celebration of bold, vibrant vegetarian dishes designed to inspire, delight and put vegetables exactly where they belong: center stage.

Drawing inspiration from the rich flavors of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as Helen Graham's Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, this cookbook features 100 inventive, vegetable-based recipes that will transform your table. With accessible ingredients and simple methods, Helen's flavor-packed combinations of spices, herbs and sauces elevate vegetables into something truly showstopping.

Contents includes:
- The Meal Before the Meal, including Mushrooms with Tamari & Pomegranate Skewers and Halloumi-Ricotta Fritters with Spiced Lemon 'Honey'
- The Main Event, including Harissa Roast Carrots, Mango Labneh & Mint and Hispi Cabbage with Date Butter & Tahini
- On the Side, including Potato Salad with Basil Zhoug & Coconut Crunch and Hawaij Roast Potatoes with Preserved Lemon Roast Shallots
- Something Sweet, including Za'atar & Cherry Chocolate Refrigerator Cake Bars and Poppy Seed & Orange Blossom Babka

Helen Graham was Executive Chef at renowned London restaurant Bubala for 5 years, following working at critically acclaimed restaurants the Palomar and the Barbary, as well as the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen.

Praise for Helen Graham:
MEERA SODHA: "Helen's recipes are the most exciting thing to have happened to vegetables since Ottolenghi."
ANNA JONES: "Original, do-able, unquestionably delicious vegetable recipes. I love this book."
JAY RAYNER: "Helen Graham has a thrillingly unique way with flavors, which makes you look at familiar ingredients anew. Her bold plant-based cookery takes the Middle Eastern repertoire and shakes it by the scruff of the neck."

About the Author

Helen Graham is a celebrated chef and food writer based in London. Drawing on her Jewish diasporic roots, she pioneers innovative vegetable-forward cooking inspired by cuisines across the Middle East, Eastern Europe and North Africa. She has worked at several prominent Middle Eastern restaurants including the Palomar, the Barbary and the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen. Helen was Executive Chef at renowned London vegetarian restaurant Bubala for 5 years, helping take the business from pop-up to two critically acclaimed sites before leaving in 2023 to go solo. In 2022, Helen was selected as a rising star by Jay Rayner, and she made her debut television appearance on Sunday Brunch. Her recipes have appeared in Great British Chefs, House & Garden, The Guardian, Vogue, Delicious Magazine, Ocado Life Magazine, the Financial Times, and The Observer.