2nd Mar, 2010
Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
In May 2010 Yotam Ottolenghi published his much anticipated Plenty, a collection of recipes many of which appeared in different forms in his New Vegetarian column in the Guardian's Weekend magazine, plus plenty of new vegetarian dishes.
All the recipes are true to the Ottolenghi form: vibrant, daring and highly original, with fantastic new photography by Jonathan Lovekin. Signed copies are sold at all of our branches.
Comments
Having recently acquired Ottolenghi, The Cookbook, which has quickly become my new favourite, I can't wait to see this one come out.
Hi, I live in Kuwait and I'm absolutely in love with your chicken, fennel and apple salad.. and the roasted parsnip carrots and root veg salad. Would it be possible for you to post their recipes?
Hello there
Just wanted to say that as soon as I've written this I shall hurry along to Amazon to buy Plenty.
I have been meaning to buy 'The Cookbook' for ages but resisted on account of the facts that a) I choose not to eat meat, and b) I am diabetic. Therefore, 130 or so pages would have been wasted on me.
However, as I stood in Sussex Stationers in Brighton, reading your introduction, impulse and philosophy, I was completely lost for words. Without doubt, this is the best, most honest, passionate and believable food writing I have ever read. And I've read a lot. And I am a writer, too.
So I just wanted to say thank you.
Having only bought the book on Friday, I have already made the Chargrilled broccoli with chilli and garlic (as you suggested) and it was gorgeous. And I have never had any particular connection with broccoli before. So a very sweeping corner has now been turned.
Today I am torn between the Figs with pecorino and honey, the Baked okra with tomato and ginger, and the Red lentil and chard soup.
This book is beyond inspiring.
Here's to a fabulous Sunday.
Greg
Oh yes, it's going to be a very good summer!
@Sue, I hope you enjoy the new book as much.
@Muneera, I am afraid I don't have them written down. But there are plenty of similar recipes in both books.
@Greg, Wow! Thank you. Your words are very touching.
@Rebecca, hot and full of flavour. That's what I vote for.
The Ottolenghi cookbook very quickly became my main source for recipes. Although I own 50 cook books, none come close to providing such a consistent success rate. Truly inspiring and my family's eating has been transformed. Thank you!
I bought your book as a present for one of my friends and they raved so much about it that I had to buy myself a copy and now it's my most fave and used cook book, in particular the rapsberry & peach tea cakes (they taste & look amazing!) and can't wait for the next book!
Thanks!
@Matt, @Linda, Good to hear!
wow ...... the cover looks amazing - we are sure the inside is even better
OZ people, absolutely!
I have *almost* cooked my way through the entire first book and it has never let me down.
I am ridiculously excited about this new one!
Leah, I just got the book. It is looking great! I am also ridiculously excited.
I love my first Ottolenghi cookbook and so do all the friends and family I have given copies to. I can't wait for Plenty to be published (but just wish you would open a branch in W4..... please!)
I can't believe I have to wait!! Sux living in Australia. I'm so excitied going to buy for everyone in my family...they're all fans!!!
Your cookbook has done wonders for my reputation as an imaginative chef. Much appreciated and delicious Ottolenghi feasts have been created for all sorts of happy celebrations. The turkey and sweetcorn meatballs with red pepper sauce is the most requested. As a result not many English visitors arrive at our home without one of your cookbooks tucked into their luggage! I can't wait to try out the new one.
Hi ;-) I cant wait for your new book 'Plenty' Your food speaks for your philosophy. I was hooked walking past your Islington shop, mesmerised by the meringues (bought a few for a meeting and ate the lot myself.. whoops!) Im enjoying learning your food as it is different to everything else out there...:-)
Hi,
I discovered your book by accident, Oh My Word, the recipees, flavour, food, colours and philosophy is fabulous and right on!! I have literally shown the book to everyone, and all have fallen in love with. Its a true visual assault on the taste buds.
Oh, and making the champagne chocolates have led to quite a few tipsy afternoons. After all, whats a girl to do with an open bottle of champers???
Looking forward to the next book, hoping to get to one of the resteraunts when I visit London in May (see how the experts do it).
Keep doing what you are doing!!!
San Francisco is calling your name, can you hear it? We live in the bay area and good food is all around us, you're what's missing though :-)
I made your chicken with saffron and honey tonight for Pesah, lots of googly eyes around the table! Thank you for your inspiration and creativity using the worlds best ingredients!
@Alex, @Amanda, @Vicki, @Andrea, @Jan, @Christine, Thank you all. I hope Plenty lives up to the expectations.
Hello Yotam!
I'm excited about your new book and can't wait to order a few copies - for myself and to give as gifts.
We celebrated Christmas with some of your wonderful recipes - fillet of beef with horseradish and rocket sauce, and turkey meatballs with roasted red pepper sauce, as well 2 vegie salads. Each time I have cooked these lovely dishes for friends they have ended up ordering the Ottolenghi book for themselves! I live in Australia and so many of your dishes are perfect for cooking on the BBQ.
You are an inspiration and I thank you for sharing your brilliant ideas!
Lizzy x
Lizzy, such kind words. Thank you. I am happy our food puts a smile on your face.
Just returned from London last week and had lunch at your Nottinghill location several times. Everything was wonderful, delicious and beautiful. I can hardly wait for your new cookbook! I have a gourmet market and cafe in Los Angeles. My customers always want to hear about my favorite places and Ottolenghi is definitely on the top of my list. I know the new book will be fabulous. Joan
I recently got my copy of Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and I can't wait to see these vegetarian recipes in Plenty. And signed copies have persuaded me to go get one as soon as these guys go up in the Islington store. Can't wait!
@Joan, Send them over from LA! Thanks.
@Diva, We'll be waiting for you...
Hi,
Will this book be full of mostly (or hopefully all) vegetarian recipes? I know his column is but am unsure if this book will build upon that or include meat dishes?
Thanks
Good news for you Chris. Only vegetarian, mostly from Guardian, but lots of new stuff as well.
Being a dedicated foodie, it is usually me who buys cookbooks in this family. Your book (and your food philosophy, your restaurant, and your column on the Guardian, as well) has become so much of a 'staple' in our family, that it was actually my sweeter half who preordered it for me. We can't wait to try it out: the other one, after a bit more than a year, is already completely covered of marks of food in almost every page... Thanks for your great work!
I am so excited about this next Ottolenghi book! I already saw the article in the Guardian with some exclusive recipes and have begun making my way through them.
The first Ottolenghi book was given to me as a birthday present last year. It completely inspired me and made me realise my addictive passion for cooking. I am now trying to learn as much as I can about cooking; Techniques, flavours, baking... everything.
Thanks Ottolenghi!
@Caffettiera,@Val, Thank you. That's fantastic to hear.
My copy arrived yesterday (early?) and I'm delighted with it. A great collection of recipes that I'll actually cook most of.
Thanks Yotam, your recipes and ideas have had a massive impact on what my family and I eat.
Thats great! I have ordered the book and cant wait to get started. Have been extra healthy recently, i cant walk through islington without popping in for something ( usually a meringue) and have a feeling its going to be the same with the book!
@Adam, @Chris, Thanks
Yotam,
I love running past your Notting Hill store on Saturday mornings and looking into the window to see what delicious food you'll be selling that day. Your mix of ingredients is a feast to all 5 senses. Thank you!!
My favourite section in the 1st cookbook is desserts. They are to die for!
However there is one recipe which I can't master: the sour cherry amarettis. The dough never holds up into individual balls before coating them with icing sugar. They are quite liquid and difficult to handle. Any tips?
Or may I stop by one of the stores and ask? :) Keep inspiring us with great food.
Thanks @Regina. I am surprised the almond paste doesn't hold together. I wonder why it is liquidy as there isn't any liquid there, apart from the egg whites. The only thing I can suggest is folding in less egg whites next time, though the amount in the recipe should be right. Also, dip your hands in icing sugar when you shape them. Good luck, Yotam
I absolutely *love* the Ottolenghi Cookbook--I literally read it cover to cover when I first got it--and even though I'm a devoted foodie I've never done that with any other cookbook before!
Just ordered Plenty and can't wait to do the same again with the new book.
Thanks Yotam, for all your brilliant inspiration.
Having nearly cooked my way through your first book and having just received your second book, I feel obliged to write and say, THANKS. I've been cooking for years and years, and your recipes and philosophy are really an inspiration. I'm no longer sure how I heard of you, since I live in San Francisco, but I am so very glad I did.
Hi Yotam
We recently bought your book Plenty and love it!
We were instantly drawn to the lovely cover - beautiful graphics, and there aren't many cookbooks we find where we love the sound of every recipe. The photography is beautiful too. Glenn does most of the cooking (he's much better than me) but there are so many of your recipes that I want to try for myself. So we just wanted to say thankyou and to let you know that we wrote a little bit about your book on our own blog too (http://pachadesignjournal.blogspot.com/2010/05/plenty.html)
thanks again,
sammy & glenn
Yotam
You have excelled, the new book is fantastic.
I am Greek and so the food especially appeals to my palate - I have to say its food heaven!
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.
@Aku, @Heidi, @Andrea, What can I say? Just a huge Thank-you. All your warm comments really mean a lot to me. It just gives a great feeling.
@Sammy and Glen, lovely blog post. Just posted it on twitter. Thank you too!
Hi Yotam.
Just reporting back on the amarettis. I beat the egg whites for 10 minutes and used less, but the amarettis still became liquidy/gooey and uneasy to shape. They came out a little bit like macaroons. They are not dense, but airy.
However, they taste DIVINE. I was just looking to get exactly the amarettis you have in the pictures or in the store.
Thank You SO MUCH for replying. Appreciate it. Take care and best of luck with book #3 (whenever it comes....) :)
Thanks, Regina.
Hi Yotam,
I just received my four copies of Plenty (the others already are earmarked as birthday gifts) and spent the weekend trying out some recipes. They were all wonderful, of course, just like every recipe I've tried in the first cookbook. Your food philosophy really hits home. The recipes have brought about so many exciting taste experiences and helped me impress a lot of people at dinner parties!
However, one question for you - there aren't any pastry recipes like the ones you include in the first cookbook. I made the Very Full Tart and had to go back to the first volume for a crust recipe. Am I missing something? Perhaps you could post some pastry recipes online that are suitable for Plenty?
Many thanks and keep up the revelatory cooking...
Marina
I just wanted to say how much I love your new cookbook, tonight we had the Garlic Tart and the Winter coleslaw for dinner, my husband was seriously impressed.
Its a beautiful book, and I plan to work my way through it.
after following the guardian receipes every week and cooking them all I got the first cooking book as a present and it is the best cooking book i ever got. i love every single vegetarian receipe.
it has gone so far that i spent the last 2 days baking all the different cakes and muffins for a wedding tomorrow.
for anyone else i can highly recommend the Ottolenghi restaurant in London, its delicious.
thanks for an amazing culinary direction
@Marina, Thanks you. Plenty is different from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook. It is a collection of My Guardian recipes, plus some new vegetarian ideas, and shouldn't be compared with the other book. I am sure pastries will feature again in future books.
@Jackie, good luck with the remaining 129 recipes! :)
@Mohna, thanks a lot.
Really delighted you've collected these together and remain undaunted by the occasional whingers of the Guardian letters page. I get so much out of cooking your food, it's fun to learn new flavours and techniques and the results are always tons more interesting than 'easy' recipes I see elsewhere.
Thanks for 2 great books and please don't stop writing the New Vegetarian column - they are all gorgeous to look at and interesting to read.
Chloe, I am blushing. Thank you
Just wanted to add my thanks to the all for your fantastic new book. I am, like others, cooking my way through it, and my husband is loving every single dish. The flavours are so unusual and utterly delicious! Please continue writing in the Guardian, and making those great videos, which I watch avidly.
Will you be doing another book soon? and can you include some more meat and fish dishes, they were superb in your first book, and I have cooked every one!
Carol
Carol, this is fantastic. Thank you for telling me all this! Another book will definitely be published, with meat and fish, but not very soon. It takes time to collect the recipes and polish them. Hope you can master the patience.
Hi
Just saw this blog/article from my colleauge Tim about Dr Shakshuka witch Yotam refered to in Plenty
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/10374342.stm
Next time in Jerusalem I def have to visit.
Hampus
Thanks Hampus. But it is actually in Jaffa. Name of column is a bit misleading. Enjoy!
Oh wow, I just saw 'plenty' is out - good news! Made my week! (Possibly my+my husband's - who found you initially!- year! I'm sure the book will contribute to that..)
I just moved to the US, so unfortunately I can't express my enthusiasm at one of ur restaurants... Wish I was there for that :)
Anyway thanks for this and keep up the good work (from a Greek girl that re-discovered mum's and grandma's recipes through your creativity)!
Areti, mum's food is always the best, particularly if she's Greek. This is where everything starts!
I love this book and have decided to review it as our first 'Book of the Month'... I run a local group for expat vegetarians in Spain, and whilst we have a glorious abundance of fresh produce, there is little culinary tradition of vegetarian main meals, and it can be difficult to find recipes that really make the most of our local ingredients. I am going to recommend this to all of our group, so we can make the most of the wonderful food around us... especially enjoying the broad bean burgers this week!
Maya, that's fantastic to hear! Bless you.
I have just bought the cookbook and having had it for 3 days, have already made 6 of the recipes. This is my favourite cookbook. My other half fights me for it in the evenings when we sit down after work and plan what to cook next.
What is even more inspiring is that he has only so far cooked the vegetarian recipes from the cookbook, and is so impressed that he has ordered 'plenty'. In over a year I have never been able to get him excited about vegetarian cooking however I think we have turned a corner, thanks Yotam!