Zosia's Reviews
Cookbook Reviews
Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Jonathan Lovekin
Chronicle Books - 2011
I was looking for a cook book that presented vegetables in delicious and innovative ways to get the carnivorous members of my family to eat more of them and to provide more interesting fare for a vegetarian daughter. The beautiful photography of this book drew me in but it was the actual recipes that sparked the most interest.
Organized into chapters according to main ingredient, the recipes are clearly written with anecdotes about the author’s inspiration or notes about some of the more unusual/exotic ingredients preceding each one. The focus is on the use of fresh ingredients and providing a balance of textures and flavours.
However, there is a general assumption that the user has some basic cooking skills so don’t expect to find detailed instructions on how to prepare every component of a recipe. Also, Ottolenghi is a little heavy-handed with the oil and fat but this is easily adjusted for most recipes.
After cooking extensively from it, I can say that the book achieved what I'd hoped it would; having my family enjoy eating vegetables more than makes up for whatever defects this cook book may have.