Ottolenghi: The Cookbook

Nicely bound, clearly printed with well explained recipes and lots of mouth watering photographs.

Bellissimo libro foto molto accattivanti, per gli amanti del genere anche le ricette sono fantastiche

In a somewhat backwards fashion, I came to this book after being really familiar with his other work. Because this was his first cookbook, I expected this to be less polished and maybe less complex than some of his later works. I am still not sure how to compare this to his other books, as it really stands out among the rest of them. He clearly had not yet perfected his style, as the food photography and layout is quite different from his other works. I would also say that this book will sometimes have several recipes on one page, rather than the more typical layout of one page for recipe and the other for photography. In fact, there's many recipes in here that are not photographed at all, while there's two page spreads of his restaurants, many out of focus. The lack of food photography in the way that may be expected by today's standards may turn some people off, but I found the book to be really refreshing. I was excited by the challenge of how simply some of these recipes were written, especially given that many of them are actually either complex or challenging, or both! Some of these recipes have really enticed me. I particularly love the roasted eggplant salad with saffron yogurt and pomegranate seeds and toasted pine nuts. It is so good, and the saffron yogurt alone is now a staple in my home. One of the recipes for couscous has you homemake labneh--I decided to give it a try, Why not? It was fun, and led to an incredible experience! I would completely recommend. The chicken dishes pack such incredible flavor and are different. This book really teaches you some great techniques if you're patient and willing to really explore and make some the recipes in the Larder section, too. I should also note, this book is worth it alone for the baking section in the back. Ottolenghi actually started his career as a pastry chef, and this book shows off his skill there quite well, given that he is really far more known for his cooking than baking at this point. There's tons of recipes, and although they don't necessarily reinvent the wheel, they're great for things like little Christmas gifts or something to bring to a party. The sour cherry amaretti cookies were a huge hit for me. I even made my own almond meal with his instructions, though you could easily skip that step for less effort. I was not expecting to come away from this book so excited and particularly, like I really learned something new. I recommend this mostly to people that are already really invested in Ottolenghi and not just a casual observer, as this is probably less approachable than most of his catalogue, especially due to the way it was written (less instruction, with an unwritten expectation that you already have quite an extensive knowledge of cooking) and the lack of photos of many of the dishes.

This book is beautiful - the food, the photos, the design and the passion for fresh, healthy, delicious food of the authors. Some of the ingredients are a little harder to find in Japan, but many of the recipes have ingredients that are easy to source. The salads and cakes are my favourites. This is one of those rare cookbooks that you actually want to read, not just flip to the recipes. Highly recommended

I bought this book because I was cooking from Ottolenghi's Plenty, which I love for its creative combinations of vegetables, herbs, and spices. This second book, based on dishes prepared at the authors' London restaurant, also named Ottolenghi, is equally superb. I started with the broccoli salad because I adore broccoli and because the authors noted that restaurant customers picketed when it was removed from the menu. I love it! Parboiled and charred broccoli dressed with garlic and pepper and the oil they're cooked in. Just exquisite! I have owned and cooked from many notable cookbooks over the years, and this is the first that really enchants my primal tastebuds. One can really taste what one is eating, and appreciate the different ingredients. The recipes are stunningly creative. I am just fascinated!