Monday 11 July 2022

The A B C of O P Q

Two more of my library books - O stands for [Yotam] Ottolenghi, the Israeli-born British chef. He says his mission is to "celebrate vegetables or pulses without making them taste like meat, or as complements to meat, but to be what they are. It does no favour to vegetarians, making vegetables second best." I like his recipes - they are always packed with flavour ["drama in the mouth" is another of his sayings]

This book, Shelf Love, was produced at the beginning of the pandemic, by his staff at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen [OTK] which is located under the railway arches in Holloway. The title reflected the mood of the time- people were in lockdown, trying to produce interesting meals when getting to the shops was not always easy. Chapter One is 'that one shelf at the back of your pantry' - the place where forgotten ingredients lurk behind larger packets - random tins of beans, packets of unusually shaped pasta, a forgotten spice. I am trying to make my food more flavoursome [post covid I think my taste buds need waking up] without using lots of chillies.
These recipes vary from making your own basics [hummus, pita bread, through interesting fresh salads and warm soups, to comforting dishes with pasta and sausages, and sweet, indulgent cakes. And the ideas are inspired, helping you use things up- that bag of frozen mixed veg lurking in the back of the freezer becomes Moroccan Maakouda, a street food potato cake. A great way to get the 5-a-day into children. 
Instructions are good, and there are 'make it your own' boxes with suggestions for substitutions and space for notes. It is definitely a 'work book' - the indices are brilliant. ['dummies' editors please take note] 
As well as the standard alphabetical index of recipes and ingredients, there are category indices;  one-pot/kid-friendly/under-an-hour etc as well as a useful pantry checklist. The illustrations are clear. The writing is fun to read - and it is clear that the staff at OTK are a friendly team, working together and celebrating good ideas. This one is going on my Christmas list. Definitely *****
PQ stands for Pain Quotidien. We discovered PQ in Brussels on a family holiday in 2000. These Boulangerie Kitchens produced fresh breads, breakfasts and light lunches. We loved 
the morning pastries, the tartines - the French take on Scandi smorgasbord, the simple salads, and the delicious desserts.
But what I loved the most were the long, communal tables where the diners sat, and ended up in convivial conversation with strangers around them. This is part of the philosophy of the founder, baker Alain Coumont. A lovely sense of sharing 'our daily bread'. Seven chapters - Bread, Breakfast, Tartines, Soups, Salads, Sharing, and Desserts. Recipes are well explained and clearly photographed.
Scattered throughout are snippet of ACs thoughts on food [Vegetarian, raw, home grown, organic, less meat etc]  I took two of his tartine ideas as the basis for a summer lunch. 
beet caviar, caper and salmon tartine
labneh, herb and cucumber tartine [which is the picture on the cover]
For starters, I had no sourdough loaf- but I did have a part-baked baguette, which I sliced on the diagonal, and toasted lightly under the grill. In place of salmon, I used some canned tuna - with jarred beetroot and capers. In place of labneh I used regular cream cheese [kefir cheese would have worked too] and lots of my home grown herbs 
A super fresh lunch, enjoyed in the summer sunshine with glasses of sparkling water



I rate this one ***** also. But no, I wouldn't want to own a copy - it is mostly an inspirational 'ideas' book.




13 comments:

  1. I'm glad you found two recipe books that you liked better than the one for dummies! :D By the way, you might be interested to know that I opened my bag of coleslaw mix, today! I didn't make coleslaw with it, however; instead, I added some of it to the leftovers from the noodle dish that I had cooked, earlier and that became my dinner. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a very creative use for the coleslaw mix. Now if the book had been full of ideas like that, I'd have given it more * 😉

      Delete
  2. I bought OTK from Costco last November,
    (2/11/21 to be exact, and it was £13.99. I know because I file all my Costco receipts) and use it a LOT!
    Grilled Confit Parsnips are lovely, and I will happily admit to being a parsnip addict!
    The Braised Beef Short Ribs with Butter Beans and Figs is a wonderful meal for a cold, miserable winter's day.
    Coconut Dream Cake is just superb, but about a gazillion calories a slice, so it's special occasions only here!
    I've made most of the recipes in the book, and have tweaked quite a few, and I've not been disappointed with anything.
    It's a lovely book!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I looked at the Dream Cake and was concerned about calories. The Beef one does sound fab.

      Delete
  3. I love cooking and experimenting with different foods, spices and herbs. The one frustration I have post-covid is that after a year and a half I still can't really taste or smell normally. Fortunately, cooking is instinctive with me so I'm still able to churn out delicious tasting meals (according to family and friends), but it sure would be nice to taste them myself!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MY sense of smell is back [mostly] but the taste thing still comes and goes. Hope you recover your senses soon.[oh dear, that sounds like you are senseless. Sorry!]

      Delete
    2. "senseless!" That made me laugh right out loud! lol

      Delete
  4. I recently acquired two Ottolenghi cook books from one of our local charity shops: "Sweet" and "Flavour". £1.50 each. I haven't had much chance to explore the contents yet but the recipes look very enticing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't have those two - just "Plenty More" - also a CS bargain

      Delete
  5. My friend has just got back from London . They had tickets to see a band but the event didn't happen. Because her boyfriend is a chef they decided to spend the refunded ticket money on a meal in Ottolenghi's restaurant. It cost £140! I think you may have made a better decision by using the book :-) They said it was lovely though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That sounds like a really special treat, perhaps even more memorable than the concert would have been. But you could buy half a dozen cookbooks for £140.

      Delete

Always glad to hear from you - thanks for stopping by!
I am blocking anonymous comments now, due to excessive spam!