Eden Grinshpan - Eating out loud bold middle eastern flavors for all day, every day

I have been obsessed with cookbooks since my stoner days in high school, and publishing my own has always seemed like this big, crazy, seemingly unattainable dream. So Im having a real pinch me moment writing these acknowledgments. Im humbled to think that its now my turn to share my food and my stories with people who will be making these recipes for their families. Its a dream come true, and I couldnt have done it without any of these incredible people:

Lets start with Jennifer Sit, the most badass editor babe Clarkson Potter has ever seen. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for believing in me, encouraging me, and pushing me. Youve given me the greatest gift: confidence. And because of you, this book is more special than I could have imagined. Thank you for holding my hand!

My agent, Eve Atterman. Your guidance throughout this process has been invaluable. Your unwavering support and zero-judgment approach allowed me to ask all the dumb questions and to have the confidence to build the best team imaginable. Your understanding and support of my vision and food made me so excited to write this book.

My collaborator, Rachel Holtzman. From the first conversation we had, I knew wed be instant friends. Your honesty and humor made it easy for me to open up and tell my story exactly the way I wanted to, and I couldnt ask for anything more. Thank you for being an incredible sounding board, for your patience, and for keeping me on trackthe hardest job of all!

Aubrie Pick, youre not just a photographer, youre anartiste. Watching you work was truly a magical experience. Thank you for pushing me where I needed to be pushed, for turning the set into a collaborative space, and for bringing my vision to life. I will always treasure our work together.

Kalen Kaminski, I love your style and taste so much that I literally took the pants right off of your body for this shoot. You gave the book that coolness factor that I knew you would. Please style my life and home, okay? Thanks! ;)

Chelsea Zimmer, you are a fucking badass! Your food styling is so on-point, and it makes a pretty killer combo with your warmth and sense of humor. You understood exactly what I was trying to do the second you walked through my door, and I could not be more thankful.

Gordan Sawyer, thank you for the endless laughs. You were such a dream to work with.

Cathryn Greenwald, thank you for all the grocery store trips, epic playlists, and great laughs. You have been not only a great assistant and recipe developer/tester but also a great friend. Im so lucky that we found each other when we did (over IG, no less!).

The amazing team at Clarkson Potter: Stephanie Huntwork, Patricia Shaw, Heather Williamson, Laura Palese, Andrea Portanova, Stephanie Davis, and Erica Gelbardthank you for helping me raise this book baby with such tender love and care. It wouldnt be nearly as beautiful, polished, and special without you.

Randi Brookman Harris, I absolutely love working with you. Your aesthetic is gorgeous, your positivity is infectious, and I love our friendship. Thank you for always coming through.

Ido, my best friend, my biggest cheerleader. Thank you for your endless patience and constant positivity. You are my ray of sunshineevery single day. I cherish our relationship more than anything in this world. I knew the recipes were complete and ready for the book when I could envision us eating them together in the kitchen with our hands and a bottle of wine, and in our sweats. I couldnt have done any of this without you. You are my home. My life.

My parents: Mom, Dad, what can I say? You have been the best parents any kid could ask for. Your unwavering support and encouragement have brought me to this place. You have given me the ability to explore and understand who I am and the path that I needed to take, which was definitely the one less traveled. Your guidance, creativity, and understanding of who I am and what I needed growing up has been a huge part of my success and how I have gotten to this place. Thank you for showing me the world and helping me learn just how much Im capable of. I love you.

Arielle and Renny, my crazy, funny, wild sisters. You are my best friends and my creative partners in life. Thank you for pushing me to be the fullest expression of me. And thank you for making me laugh so hard that I cry and cry so hard that I laugh. Im so lucky that I get to dance and sing around the table with you for the rest of my life. I love you forever.

Emma Hacohen, we were always meant to be in each others lives. Growing up in Toronto together, then living together in Israel and then New York City, you were there since the beginning of it all. Thank you for letting me send you every single image from this book and for helping me make decisions about style and design. But mostly, thank you for being there for me when I need you.

Lindsay Nicholson, we have been on such a mind-blowing incredible life journey and I cant tell you how much it has meant having you by my side to listen to me vent, stress, laugh, and cry for so many years. You really manage to show up when I need you the most. You are also such a badass in the kitchen and I value your opinion and palate. Your confidence in me and my food has given me the confidence I needed to put out this book. I love you.

Your New Middle Eastern Pantry

These are the secret weapons that add that extra pop of flavor to everything I cook, taking super-simple dishes to the next level of complexity and deliciousness.

As I ate my way across Israel and many Mediterranean countries, I collected a solid rotation of spices, seeds, herbs, and other staple ingredients that Im pretty much always reaching for. Dont worry, thoughwere not gonna go nuts here. Your pantry is something that you can build over time, and because youll be cooking from this book, itll happen naturally. Youll see that I call for these ingredients over and over againnamely because theyre all (a) amazing, (b) versatile, and (c) take on a whole range of flavors depending on how youre using them. And the best part is that you can now find most of these things in your local grocery store, or at the very least on Amazon.

Aleppo pepper

This is a variety of chile pepper from Syria thats used primarily in Middle Eastern cuisine. I love finishing dishes with itveggies, eggs, fish, whatevsbecause it adds a mellow back-of-the-tongue heat thats not too overpowering while also bringing some citrusy brightness. And the best part is that as it warms up, its oils release their gorgeous red color, which runs out on the plate and begs for sopping up with some pita.