Homemade Labaneh (Labneh)

A Middle Eastern staple, this strained and lightly salted yogurt is often served at breakfast or as a snack drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with za’atar, and scooped up with pita bread.

Marinated Goat Cheese

For an almost effortless way to a more interesting cheese platter, marinate fresh goat cheese in olive oil with herbs and spices. Here we add fennel seed, lemon zest, bay leaves, and more for a well-rounded infusion of flavor.

Labaniyeh bil Ruz (Garlicky Yogurt and Rice Porridge)

Reheating rice in a garlic-infused yogurt is a quick way to make a comforting and satisfying meal.

Couscous and Mograbiah With Oven-Dried Tomatoes From 'Ottolenghi'

Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi's cafe, Ottolenghi, serves a multitude of grain-based salads. Many are rice, barley, or couscous-based. This version in their recently re-released cookbook, however, stood out for its inclusion of mograbiah, a Middle Eastern semolina pasta much like Israeli couscous or Sardinian fregola.

Na'ama's Fattoush from 'Jerusalem'

As Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi write in the introduction to Na'ama's Fattoush in Jerusalem: A Cookbook, there is no escaping chopped salads in Jerusalem. Some are simple amalgamations of tomato, cucumber, onion, and lemon vinaigrette, while others, like Arab fattoush, contain a cornucopia of vegetables mixed with leftover pita bread.

Spring Vegetable and Arugula Salad With Labne and Cucumbers

Come spring, it helps to keep the fridge stocked with the season's best produce, already blanched and chilled and at the ready. Here we combine sweet peas, grassy asparagus, green fava beans, crisp snap peas, and broccolini, along with some peppery arugula, a juicy cucumber, a red onion, and some fresh mozzarella cheese. Served with a good dressing and some labne and we have a spring salad that eats like a meal.

Lablabi (Tunisian Chickpea Soup) From 'The Heart of the Plate'

In her new cookbook, The Heart of the Plate, Mollie Katzen shares many recipes for vegetarian soups and stews. None are as beguilingly simple as her version of Tunisian lablabi, a straightforward chickpea soup.

Zucchini "Baba Ghanoush" From 'Plenty More'

As Yotam Ottolenghi says in the introduction to this recipe from his new cookbook, Plenty More, this is only vaguely reminiscent of baba ghanoush. Garlicky broiled zucchini is topped with a funky and captivating custard sauce made with goat's milk yogurt and Roquefort cheese. Finally, toasted pine nuts and a sprinkle of za'ata finishes off this "volcanic eruption" (his words) of a spread.

Yogurt Mint Sauce

Lamb is nearly impossible to resist when dressed with a sauce made from fresh mint, cool yogurt, garlic and spices.

Chilled Minty Carrot Soup With Dukkah Yogurt

This chilled carrot soup is smooth and creamy, even though it has no dairy in the soup base. Fresh mint adds a bright herbal note, while a creamy dollop of spiced yogurt finishes it off.