Middle East Meets Mittelmeer

Cooking course in German
Middle East Meets Mediterranean
Delicacies from the Middle East & Mediterranean
with Lisa Shoemaker

A cooking course for everyone: it is now normal for vegan and vegetarian alternatives to be available alongside meat options.

Here we turn the tables: the countries of the eastern and southern Mediterranean have a rich tradition of plant-based dishes, which we focus on, and for those who can't do without meat, there are köfte, and the lemon yoghurt dip that is served with it also goes well with vegetables.

The variety of flavors from this region ensures that no taste buds will be bored and everyone will be satisfied.

Menu:

• Cream of roasted peppers and feta (vegan: walnuts)
• Besara - green dip made from fava beans and herbs
• Pomegranate and walnut salad
• Homemade za'atar flatbread
• Eggplant kuku with barberries
• Artichoke and olives with salted lemons
• Stewed broad beans with tomatoes and garlic
• Oven-baked potatoes and peppers with chili and lemon
• Baked cauliflower with harissa
• Köfte with lemon yogurt
• Yufka cakes with creamy vanilla labneh

Lisa Shoemaker

Lisa's culinary coming-of-age was multicultural long before the term even existed. It was - of course - her mother's fault. As a lecturer in German as a foreign language, she liked to invite her students to her 200 square meter Charlottenburg apartment. Mom provided the drinks, the students cooked and little Lisa was assigned to help in the kitchen. Korean nurses ensured increased TriTop consumption due to the spiciness of their dishes, Lisa made rice balls with canned tuna with the Japanese, and after Mum had experienced the Maghreb alone in her Peugeot 404 and then Turkey the following year, it was mainly students from the southern and eastern Mediterranean regions who had to show off their cooking skills at the Shoemaker home. Chickpeas were boiled until soft, couscous steamed and vine leaves wrapped. Israelis and Palestinians did not primarily discuss politics, but whether the salad typical of the region was Israeli or Palestinian. Lisa never let go of this early oriental influence.

Lisa Shoemaker came second in the ideas competition organized by the state of Berlin as part of its Zero Waste Strategy 2021. The sustainable use of food and energy is very important to Lisa and she enthusiastically passes on her experimentally acquired knowledge in all her cooking courses. And, of course, she cooks with organic food, using seasonal and regional produce wherever possible.