After perusing the O books, I think you couldn’t go wrong with either Jerusalem, or Plenty. Both books have a lot of recipes, creativity and instructions, broken down into steps. Good photos in each book, with Jerusalem having additional shots of the city and it’s markets.
My first pick would be Jerusalem because I think it has great food, stories, and recipes. He co-wrote it with his Palestinian business partner, so both Israeli and Palestinian foods are featured, but with O’s unique spins on them usually; there are some that are more traditional. While it’s not meat centric by any means, it does have recipes calling for chicken, fish and lamb. Eggplant, and other wonderful vegetables show up a lot too. I think there’s a great synergy going on with the book, and it seems like an adventure.
Plenty, on the other hand is vegetable centric, with the book divided on chapters for the vegetables. Think this is an excellent way to organize a veg cookbook. His combinations are creative and sound fabulous. (I need to get cooking)!
Be advised that the recipes call for generous amounts of dairy, and he doesn’t skimp on olive oil either. Those can be adjusted easily enough by the cook though.
I’ve heard that once you buy the basics and spices needed for his recipes, though long, they come together fairly easily. I think either book would provide your H with some wonderful recipes and ideas, but also be books he can grow with too.
Let us know what you decide on @Sasha.
My 2 cents for now.
