Second helpings of Yottam Ottolenghi- Plenty

We are all big enthusiasts of Ottolenghi and our only criticism of this book was the lack of a pudding section! We liked everything from the padded cover that felt all nice and squishy to the photography, layout and design. Where Hopkinson leads yet another chef follows and the sections are based around ingredients or families of ingredients. This is obviously how the mind of a great chef works!! The recipes in the book seem a lot better than the recipes printed in his newspaper column.

I will confess now that if you had said I would choose to make a dish that contained tofu a few months ago I would have laughed you out of my house, yet here I was thinking about what to cook for the book club meeting and I was drawn to the black pepper tofu (a dish I have now made many times since and the sauce is also good with beef and chicken). Other dishes we sampled that evening were Soba Noodles with Mango and Aubergine (really refreshing and herby), Garlic Tart and Gorgonzola Tart (fantastic pastry and deliciously rich fillings), Butter beans and Sorrel (a great foil for more robust flavours) and Stuffed Onions. All were consumed with relish.

There aren't many recipes that we haven't tried from this book and interestingly when Sarah was moving house the Ottolenghi books were the ones that had to be kept to hand!

Here is the long list of recipes that are tried, tested and loved-

Pasta and Fried Courgette Salad

Two Potato Vindaloo

Green Pancakes with Lime Butter

Lentils With Grilled Aubergine

Shakshuka (perfect for an indulgent lazy brunch)

Aubergine with Buttermilk Sauce

Sweet Winter Slaw (loved by everyone I serve it to)

Sweet Potato Cakes

Cucumber Salad With Smashed Garlic and Ginger

Mixed Vegetable Paella (so colourful I felt the need to tweet a picture of it)

It is a well known fact that most people will only make a few of the recipes in any given cook book but I think you will agree that there is something special about Ottolenghi that keeps you dipping in again for more. He should have a TV series .......promise you I'm not his agent!

PS Just off to buy some more tofu!