Eat Small Plates: Vibrant, Shareable Dishes for Daily Joy

by Ben Siman-Tov, Zikki Siman-Tov

The vivacious couple behind Bengingi share their favorite mix-and-match-ready recipes

You may know Ben Siman-Tov better as Bengingi, social media’s high-energy baker and cook, who joyfully shouts “YASSS!” at the end of his cooking tutorials. But Ben’s life in food began long before he stood in front of the camera in his kitchen. Ben traveled the world learning about different cuisines, worked in revolutionary Israeli restaurants, and ultimately went to study at Slow Food University in the Italian Alps, where he met his now wife Zikki. Together, Ben and Zikki have combined their culinary sensibilities—Ben’s knack for vibrant Israeli flavors and Zikki’s passion for shareable, Ukranian-inspired dishes—to cultivate an effortless, flexible way of cooking. For Ben and Zikki, small plates are their ideal dishes and a way of life.

Whether it’s babaganoush and garlicky toum spread over pita, or tangy chopped salads served with veggie bites and Arabic Ceviche, these small plates make assembling a flavorful meal an everyday occurrence. What’s more, they mean you’ll always be prepared to open your kitchen and share with friends and family. Kitchen-savvy Ben and Zikki share their advice for everything from charring an eggplant to perfection, making pickling part of your daily routine, and hosting like a pro. Packed with irresistible recipes and vivid photography, Eat Small Plates is your guide to a feast-ready lifestyle and spreading the love through food.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

Published September 9, 2025

Reviews

[Jessica Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben Siman-Tov was growing up in Israel on track to be an engineer when he was challenged by a family member to try working in a kitchen before heading off to college. His life changed when he immediately fell in love with food. He met Zikki and moved to New York to be with her- because he was an undocumented immigrant, he couldn’t get a job for awhile and used his time cooking on social media and the rest is history! Now we have this book all about how to host a successful party with great recipes. I love when I’m a little nervous to try the food in a book and I end up liking all of it. What a fun surprise! Thank you for the gifted copy, Avery Books!
🍽️
Here’s what I made:
🍫 Tahini Truffles- these were a lot harder to make than I thought they would be, but now I can say I’ve done it! I enjoyed the hint of cinnamon with the rich tahini and chocolate.
💎 Jeweled Celery Salad- I was shocked by how much I loved this. Parsley, mint, cilantro, and celery are such strong flavors but they really play well together.
🍳 Breakfast Salad- I ended up making this twice because I loved it so much. It’s really just eggs, tomato, and cucumber but wow the dukkah puts it at a whole new level!
🧄 Garlicky String Beans- garlic and salt made these green beans much more interesting

[Dee Etstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you’ve never seen a recipe for basic middle eastern foods then i guess one might enjoy this. There is absolutely nothing unique or special about any of the recipes in this book. You could simply google eggplant recipes for example and fond the same or similar recipes.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

not meat forward, and most of the meat recipes are actually raw.

perfect book to have when you want to increase your veggie intake.

supports the no boring food movement!