Yotam Ottolenghi

I wouldn't normally "pad" my statistics with a cookbook, but in fact I did spend a lot of time reading this book. Each section and almost every recipe includes a description of the food, culture and history of Jerusalem, providing detailed context. The different cultures of Jerusalem often share similar dishes and cuisines, with small adaptations, and Ottolenghi also describes many instances in which each culture (Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Israeli, Syrian, Iraqi, etc.) claims ownership of a particular tradition, but in fact the origins are very murky. This is a beautiful book, and many of the recipes are very accessible, but I took one star away because many more recipes are what I would describe as "varsity-level," not for the amateur or the faint of heart. I'm not an expert cook, but I do prefer to follow recipes, so I intend to tackle a few of these, including pickles and condiments, so we'll see how it goes!… (more)

The first thing to note is that Yotam's Ottolenghi's latest cookbook Flavour is not, despite his name being the only one on the front cover, the sole author. One of the world's best-known celebrity chefs, YO needs no introduction, and you can browse his website here. But rel="nofollow" target="_top">Ixta Belfrage, OTOH has transitioned from 'member of the Ottolenghi test kitchen team' to co-author. Thanks to her Latin American heritage, a childhood in Italy and her years in Ottolenghi's kitchen, she has an eclectic approach to cooking, which you can see from some of her recipes at The Guardian. (And, BTW, she lived in Australia for three years, and was no doubt influenced by our eclectic cuisine as well.)

The cookbook, a generous 300+ pages with full colour photography for every recipe, is about technique. While vegetables take centre stage, it's not a strict vegetarian or vegan cookbook. In the Introduction, YO explains his flexitarian approach which is intended to appeal to the widest group of vegetable lovers possible.

My own approach to vegetables has always been pragmatic and inclusive. If you want to win more people over to the veg camp, there is no worse way to go about it than demand that they go cold turkey (excuse the pun.) If an animal-based aromatic ingredient (we are not talking prime cuts of meat here or a bluefin tuna steak) does an outstanding job at 'helping' a vegetable taste particularly delicious, I will definitely use it for the benefit of those who are happy to eat it. At the same time, I will also offer various alternatives to animal products (and dairy products, whenever I can) so that everyone can join in.

This flexitarian approach to cooking and eating acknowledges the diversity of the people we are and the variety of choices we make. From the 100 recipes in the book, 45 are strictly vegan and another 17 are easily 'veganised'. (p.9)

The Introduction is followed by Flavour's 20 Ingredients. You don't have to have them all, and you reproduce many of the recipes without them, but they capture the essence of this book, its particular spirit. These ingredients include various chillis, exotics such as black garlic and black limes, a type of flour called 'masa harina' (used to make many Latino dishes), hibiscus flowers and Shaoxing (a wine fermented from rice). He's very particular about the brand of butter beans to buy, and enthusiasts who don't care about food miles can get them delivered to Australia from here.

After that, the book is divided into three sections: Process, Pairing and Produce.

PROCESS is about enhancing flavour with charring, browning, infusing and ageing. There's quite a lot of yada yada about these four processes, which is worth reading but not reproducing here. It's covered adequately here anyway. Enticing do-able recipes include:

Charring

• Calvin's grilled peaches and runner beans. It's made with goat's cheese, almonds, honey and mint and could be served with any number of proteins as a main. You can see what it looks like here.


• Iceberg wedges with Smoky Aubergine Cream. After a lacklustre year in 2022, the eggplants are earning their place in the vegie patch, and this Aubergine Cream made with yoghurt, lemon juice and mustard looks amazing. I fancy it with tuna.


• Hasselback Beetroot with Lime Leaf Butter: You can find the recipe here, but for me, it's the Lime Leaf Butter that's pure genius. We have a Kaffir lime tree, which The Spouse uses to cook a very nice Vietnamese chicken dish, but I reckon the addition of the Lime Leaf Butter would make it sublime. (Yeah, not very Vietnamese, but still...)

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2023/03/04/flavour-2020-by-yotam-ottolenghi-and-ixta-be...… (more)

Thank you to Netgalley, Ten Speed Press, Yotam Ottolenghi, and Helen Goh for the chance to read and review this ARC;

Are you a self-proclaimed sweet tooth holder? Then, this is the book for you.

From the cover to the first pages sumptuous desserts are leaping out off of every page at you. The authors are lovely, laughing, smiling and look to be heart-deep enjoying the creations of their confectionaries every single time you see them, and through all the ups and downs of the story that brought them to where they are now.

The 'sweetheart' of the book is, of course, the recipes and you will find yourself salivating at the titles, the pictures, and the recipe ingredients. My first and fastest recipes for this book are going Soft Date Bars, "Anzac" biscuits, Baked Ricotta Cheesecake, Chai Tarts, Yogurt Panna Cotta with Crushed Raspberries, and Compari & Grapefruit Sorbet.

This is definitely on my list for giving all my favorite chefs as gifts this year!… (more)