I like Ottolenghi, so much so that I am scared to go to his new restaurant, here in Edinburgh.
I am of course being silly and I will go soon. This week is another of his masterpieces, and I
think my fave of his. Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi is a very good book indeed, it is a bit more
up there, a bit more cheffy, a bit more serious, there is lots going on here. As always with
him, there are so many things I want to eat and make. Aubergine croquettes, stuffed onions,
royal potato salad, stuffed portobello with melting taleggio and so much more. One thing I
forgot to mention, this is a vegetarian book, a lot of folk are veggie which is a good thing.
The use of the humble onion, tomato or aubergine with a clever use of spice and pulse can
turn something quite ordinary into something quite extraordinary. As long as the seasoning is
good, the simplicity shines here. I love waffling on about how I made a great radio
programme with Ottolenghi years ago, all about garlic and cumin. We did get on well, and
his head chef is a guy who worked with me, briefly in our past. A lovely tale, and a lovely
book.