Ottolenghi: The Cookbook [Hardcover]

Moro, Jamie, Diana (Henry) ... I've bought all those books this year, excitedly scanning through them and bookmarking the pages of lots of yummy looking recipes to try. But how many have I actually got round to trying? Probably one or two recipes per book. They inspire, excite and suggest other ideas, but as for slavishly following the recipe, nah - you can kind of work it out for yourself.

But St Otto is different - every meal we've eaten this week has been a revealing and faithful recreation of his great works on the streets of London. Admittedly I was already a convert. Ever since his huge, puffy piles of meringues beckoned me into the tiny Notting Hill shop about 4 years ago, I have been hooked. St Otto takes simple, everyday ingredients you use all the time at home - broccoli, chilli, garlic and olive oil, for example - and somehow transforms them into something magical that tastes so much more than everyday. You come out of their shops thinking 'How did they do that? How did they make that aubergine taste so smoky? Why don't my mushrooms taste like that when I fry them in olive oil? Why is their lemon and pistachio cake so squidgy?

Well, the cookbook generously reveals all. Garlic and lemon are likely to be involved (they start by saying that if you don't like lemon or garlic, you should skip to the end) - but there are no weird secrets underpinning the Ottolenghi magic. No intricate labours of love. This is easy to prepare food that is perfect for relaxed meals with big groups of friends.

They just have an extraordinary understanding of which flavours and ingredients work well together and how to combine them in just the right amounts (usually more generous than you are used to) to create something that piques your interest as well as your tastebuds. You can spot that they lived an interesting life as journalists and philosophers before following their love of food, as the book is a joy to read, with a style that is as warm and relaxed as the food itself. These are people you want to come and sit down at the table and share the food with you.

If you like modern, light and singingly fresh food that draws on the best of the Middle Eastern side of the Mediterranean, this is the book for you. If you think you already know how to knock up easy meals like roast turkey breast, couscous salad and french beans with hazelnuts without needing to invest in a cookery book, thank you very much, then it's even more imperative that you buy this book as it will lift both your everyday meals or cooking for friends to new heights. As for me, I'm off to check the price of Kenwood Chefs so I can recreate the joy of their meringues or brioche in my own home too. Praise be!

As an avid buyer of cookery books, most of them are read without any food being cooked as a result, I want to recommend this book to anyone who wants to actually cook dishes.
The authors describe the recipes as inventive yet simple and that is exactly the case. Their dishes taste great, look appealing and with lowish effort from the cook. The instructions are absolutely clear and hints for ways of serving are given.
I am vegetarian and found loads of recipes I have and will try.
A great present for any cook, but read it yourself before you give it away.

buy this one! I have to admit, I don't live in London so I had no idea that Ottolenghi was even a shop - I thought it was a restaurant :-) I bought it purely on the strength of the other reviews.

It wasn't a bad decision! The book is visually stunning, with enough recipes to keep you going all year - I am always envious of people who can take something completely mundane (like broccoli) and turn it into a showstopper just by adding some garlic and chilli. Genius.

If you like cooking with ingredients such as bulghur wheat, sultanas, pomegranate, this is probably the book for you. But is also full of recipes for cakes, muffins and meringues. Buy, cook and enjoy!