Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi

The recipes that you can manage to make taste great. Distinctive and tasting like you were at a superb vegetarian restaurant. But the preparation of the dishes is not easy. That specifically refers to my wife and I, who lack culinary skills and only have a small galley kitchen. We don't want to purchase a large quantity of some rare herb or other ingredient that has little chance of ever being used again. That's why we ended up making only 3 dishes since we purchased the cookbook 6 months ago. You'll need more culinary skills than our novice level to prepare most fair. I read through many of the recipes and they all sound great if you're a vegetarian you'll likely be exceptionally pleased. One recipe we did make was an outstanding was a fig and goat cheese salad with arugula and balsamic dressing. We were lucky we had pomegranate molasses syrup that I purchased on a whim at a farmers market years ago for $16 and never used. But it would have made little sense to go and seek a bottle, if I could even find one, just to use 1 Tsp. in the salad dressing. But it was a great salad and we made it 3 times before fig season ended. We still have almost a full bottle of the syrup. So not economical and the same appears to be true for several recipes. However, to be fair, more people are likely to have a greater array of the required ingredients than we do, as well as a larger kitchen. When I say we are novices it almost comedic how green we are at cooking. But I'm determined to eat more vegetarian cuisine and this book is treasure trove of what sounds like delectable recipes. Lenhgi has lots of cookbooks. My buddy told me this was easiest of them, so it's all relative. We're going to have to find a book that's simpler to make headway with our dietary plans. We only cook for 2 and just about everything from ingredients to preparation is geared for at least 4 servings.

I love this cookbook! The photos and layout are easy to navigate and inspiring. More importantly, the recipes are great. Many incorporate flavor combinations that are unexpected, lively and fantastic, often combing sour, sweet, and spicy to great effect. Nothing is too heavy, but healthy fats (Greek yogurt, olive oil, nuts) leave me feeling satisfied until the next meal. Caraway, tamarind, and coriander together in the chickpea and chard stew - SO good. I never would have thought to combine eggplant, soba noodles, and mango, but it really works and brings new life to the eggplant. Mangos are also well used in the winter slaw, along with lime (sour), sugar (sweet), and red pepper (spicy). The garlic tart is one of the better one-dish brunches I've made recently, and I'm obsessed with breakfast tarts and frittatas. Rich, complex, a little sweet, a little savory. This week I made the chickpea and chard sauté and served it with quinoa and Greek yogurt. Great. Again, the caraway and lemon bring this one to life. I can't wait to make the smoky frittata with cauliflower. The cover recipe is the only one I haven't loved completely, although it is stunning to look at. Just a little too much liquid between the buttermilk and the eggplant. Next time: more salt on the eggplants, smaller eggplants, cook them face down for a while for deeper browning, more yogurt/less buttermilk for a thicker sauce. Looking forward to his next cookbook, due out fall 2014. Highly recommend.

This cookbook met and exceeded expectations. Beautiful photos, inventive, exotic flavors, and recipes that never disappoint, all using vegetables and other ingredients that are generally available, though maybe not already in your pantry. Though it's a bit advanced for all but the most adventurous beginner cook, intermediate and advanced cooks will be fine. Written by Israeli-born Yotam Ottolenghi, a restaurateur in London, the flavors in these recipes are unique and unexpected, but never disappointing. Ottolenghi has created recipes where the vegetables and other ingredients shine and satisfy. Though I never thought I'd say this, when I'm eating them, I don't even miss the meat. Contrary to some of the other reviews, which are clearly for the UK version, the US version of this cookbook lists measurements in cups, ounces, tablespoons, etc, as is standard here. The recipes vary in difficulty and time, but the uncommon combinations of ingredients and flavors make even the simplest of recipes stand out. This cookbook is divided into sections based on the star ingredient. Chapters are: Roots, Funny Onions, Mushrooms, Zucchini and Other Squashes, Peppers, Brassicas, The Mighty Eggplant, Tomatoes, Leaves, Green Things (cucumber, artichoke, asparagus, okra), Green Beans, Pulses (legumes), Grains, Pasta/Polenta/Couscous, and Fruit with Cheese. Some favorites: Roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes with caper vinaigrette Caramelized garlic tart Very full tart (filled with roasted peppers, eggplant, sweet potato, zucchini, tomato, ricotta, & feta) Soba noodles with eggplant and mango Quinoa and grilled sourdough salad (a type of panzanella) The ultimate winter couscous (with carrots, parsnips, apricots, chickpeas) Figs with basil, goat cheese and pomegranate vinaigrette If you're looking for a new way to feature vegetables in your cooking or to experiment with Middle Eastern flavors, definitely give this one a try.

I came across this book from a newsletter I am subscribed to from Sur La Table. So I went over to Amazon and ordered myself a copy. I am not strictly vegetarian/vegan, but I have tried to cut out meat out my diet as much as possible, so I am always eager to try out new and interesting vegetarian recipes. This book satisfied those needs who is book is for IMHO: -intermediate-level cookers, I wouldn't say this book is for beginners who have very little cooking knowledge. None of the recipes are super hard by any means, but a few of them are a little time consuming and might require a decent amount of cooking skills. -people who have access to a large variety of ingredients and aren't bothered by having to pay a little extra for certain ingredients. There are some ingredients, mostly spices, that I've never heard of before in this book, I tried to seek out some of them at the grocery store but to no avail, I've been able to find substitutes for most of them however. As for the $$$, some of the ingredients in these recipes can be a little pricey, such as some of the spices, like saffron, expensive mushrooms, certain cooking oils, and that blasted creme fraiche that he likes to use in a lot of his recipes. In other words, if you are cooking your meals on a tight budget, there might be some recipes in here that you would never want to make. -people who are not super-health conscious about the meals they consume. if you are looking for a cookbook with super healthy and "lite" recipes this book is not for you. Some of the recipes in here are loaded with cheese, which is very tasty, but cheese is another food I try to keep to a minimum in my diet(why must it be so delicious) Also, in some of the recipes, he asks you to use a buttload of cooking oil or butter when frying up certain ingredients, for some of those recipes it's pretty easy to cut wayyyy down on the oil/butter, yet if the recipe is supposed to have a deep fried component, which some do, then obviously the dish isn't going to be the same. overall this is a pretty nice book, would recommend it. The photos of the dishes are really pretty in it, the recipes are clear and easy to understand. I try to cook something out of it once a week, although there are some recipes I will probably never make, due to time constraints, budget, and cooking skills.

I bought this cookbook on a bit of a whim, and I'm so glad I did! I have dozens and dozens of cookbooks and really didn't need another one, but I must have been feeling weak when I stumbled across this one. When I received it, I read it from cover to cover, and, although the pictures are amazing, I wasn't sure how much I would like it because the recipes require a fair amount of prep time and some require ingredients that I just can't find in nowhere Missouri. I had to give it a try, though, so I plowed ahead anyway, substituting where I could (onions for shallots, regular lentils for small dark ones, molasses for kecap manis). I started by making eggplant croquettes and black pepper tofu, which were absolutely amazing. I am the only vegetarian in my family, so the smell of scorching eggplants and frying tofu didn't do much for them (I could hear distant mutters about ordering pizza), but everyone loved the final dishes, and there was no more discussion about pizza. I was concerned that the recipe for the black pepper tofu called for 5 Tbs of pepper - it seemed like a LOT, and it was, but it was excellent. I've also made the Surprise Tatin, which was wonderful and looked exactly like the picture, which I count as a minor victory. Last night I made the lentils with broiled eggplant, one of the simpler dishes, which was enjoyed by all. It took about 40 minutes from start to finish and had excellent depth and flavor. I did add some roasted garlic, since I was roasting the carrots anyway, and I think it made a wonderful addition. All in all, this is an excellent cookbook with recipes that the whole family can enjoy. I admit that my family is more used to vegetarian cooking than most, but it's hard to miss the meat when presented with such beautiful dishes full of flavor. And for those who can't imagine a plate without it, Ottolenghi often offers helpful suggestions for meant accompaniments in the header notes.

First of all, this cookbook is visually a work of art. It is large format (approx. 8"w by 12" long and maybe 1-1/4" wide.) The pages are heavy high quality paper and every recipie, of which there are over 200, is accompanied by a large full color photograph as well as what I consider to be easy to follow directions. In addition, the title pages for each section have artful line drawings of the vegetable(s) featured in the section. The book is a feast to just look at and read. Some of the recipies feature not so common vegetables that probably cannot be found at all grocery stores. My solution to that is to do online research to see what more common produce can be used as a substitute for the item. The recipie sometimes include seasoning ingredients that are possibly somewhat uncommon. All of these ingredients can be ordered online and will add an exciting component to your cooking. I have made it a habit to order items like this a little at a time each month. One such ingredient is pomegranate molasses, which can be purchased in a small bottle. It has a delicious tart/sweet flavor that cannot be duplicated. Again, you can do research to see what the flavor profile is of a specific item. Based upon this, there may be some that you don't want to try. I was very pleased with the physical condition of the book, which was exactly as indicated by the seller, if not better. It also arrived in the day promised and the cost if the book was outstanding.

I have several vegetarian and vegan cookbooks because I really like fresh fruits and vegetables. But I am not a vegetarian and dislike the smug, preachy, sometimes scolding tone in those cookbooks. So this book -- a vegetarian cookbook by someone who is not a vegetarian but just likes fruits and vegetables -- was perfect for me. I liked the author's tone right off the bat. Anyway, after four months I have cooked mostly through "Plenty." The great majority of the recipes are extremely good, at least to my taste. Here and there they have the sort of vagueness that comes when an expert cook who uses high-tech equipment to cook large quantities of food tries to reduce the scale of a recipe to the sort of equipment and time available to a home cook. Also some of the ingredients are hard to get if you live outside of a big city, as I do. But this sort of issue springs up in almost every cookbook that I own written by a fancy chef. What's most important (to me, anyway) is that Ottolenghi has great taste -- lots of ideas that I hadn't come across but that make sense when you eat them. (Many of these combinations that are unfamiliar to me seem to be legacies of the author's Middle Eastern childhood.) My only caveat is that when the author tries to use Japanese ingredients he seems to me to be wandering out of his territory, and the recipes aren't nearly as good or imaginative. (My favorite Japanese cookbook is still Tsuji's Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art .) But this is a tiny gripe about a wonderful book. I've already given two copies to friends, and will probably end up giving some more.

Love the book. Not cheap looking reprint . Great recipes , photos. Easy to read