Book Review: Ottolenghi Simple
Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi is not specifically a vegetarian cookbook, but you're more than half way though this beautiful book before you realize it. I was able to easily skip past those that contained meat and still have quite a good time with this book.
The author is a regular contributor to the New York Times Food section. (By the way, if you don't subscribe to the food section, you should.) He has written several best selling cookbooks and is also a columnist for The Guardian. He also owns several restaurants in London.
So, this guy knows food and cooking. That doesn't always translate into presenting recipes that we can make on an evening when we've been working on a project all day and don't really want to spend an hour or more cooking.
Simple, Ottolenghi, says pares down recipes, but I don't see where they are any less tasty. They only skimp on time. All the recipes can be ready in 30 minutes or less. All have 10 ingredients, or fewer. All these lazy day recipes are easy to make, but are heavy on flavor and interest.
I'm not one to shy away from a long list of ingredients. I like the complexities that come from combining a bunch of flavors. I have friends who are completely satisfied with salt, pepper and a couple of spices in the cabinet. These recipes are the best of both worlds.
I'll bet you could make many of these recipes without having to go to the grocery.
One of my favorites from this book (I have made it for vegetarians and carnivores alike who are impressed) is the Spinach and Gorgonzola Stuffed Baked Potatoes.
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| A Simple recipe |
Spinach and Gorgonzola Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Makes 2 main dish servings or 4 side dishes
2 large potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
3 tablespoons of heavy cream
2 1/4 ounces of Gorgonzola
Salt and black pepper
7 ounces of baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons of walnut halves, toasted and broken up into 1/2 inch pieces
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Poke the potatoes a few times with a fork and then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or just over, until the flesh is soft all the way through. Remove from the oven and slice the potatoes in half, lengthwise. Scoop the flesh out into a medium bowl, setting the skins aside on the sheet for later. Roughly mash the potatoe with 1 tablespoon of the butter, the cream, Gorgonzola, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and a generous grind of pepper and set aside.
- Take the remaining half teaspoon of butter and and divide it among the potato cavities. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and return to the oven for 8 minutes, for the skin to become crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Place a medium saucepan, halfway filled with salted, over high heat. Once boiling, add the spinach for about 10-15 seconds, just to wilt. Drain the spinach, squeezing out as much of the water as possible. Stir into the potato flesh, to combine, then spoon the mash back inside the empty skin, piled high. Bake for 15 minutes, until the top of the mash is crisp and browned. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the walnuts, and serve.
