Ottolenghi: the Cookbook

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.

A really good selection of recipes. Easy to cook and readily obtained ingredients.

Libro imprescindible para la cocina actual

le livre de cuisine , Cookbook , C'est un grand plaisir et le meilleur Chef du monde.

habe die englische Sprache übersehen - dh nichts zum stöbern ansonsten aber tolles Kochbuch