“Simple,” by Yotam Ottolenghi, 2018, Ten Speed Press, California and New York.
My friend Bernadette from New Classic Recipe (https://newclassicrecipe.com) came up with the wonderful idea to have an on-line cookbook club with some of her blog buddies. What a fun, and great way to choose a recipe or two from the books, cook them, and review them. Then, you decide if the book is worth your shelf space! Please go to her site for other reviews of this book! ~ Dorothy Grover-Read, The New Vintage Kitchen https://vintagekitchen.org
This book gets all stars from me. I received it as a gift just before the pandemic hit, and boy was I glad to have this treasure on hand when I was trying to figure out pantry meals that wouldn’t bore us to tears.
Easy
The recipes are exactly what the name suggests. They are easy to make and the instructions easy to follow, the ingredients are available in most grocery stores or there is an alternative listed. What isn’t simple is the flavor that is obtained, and for that I am always grateful. All the flair and flavor of a Ottolenghi cookbook, with the ease of beginner’s instruction. I other words, perfect for all. Beautifully illustrated, you may want to make every dish, and feast, just by the splendid appearance and detail of the photographs.
Simple
The book is divided into the following: brunch; raw veg; cooked veg; rice, grains, and pulses; noodles and pasta; meat; seafood; and, dessert. Additionally, there are chapters on SIMPLE meal suggestions, menus for feasts, and ingredients. The recipes are quite vegetable and grain forward, but there’s something for everyone here from meat to fish to tofu.
The code
Each recipe has a code that corresponds with SIMPLE: S short on time, I ingredients are 10 or less, M make-ahead, P pantry-led, L lazy-day dishes, and E easier than you think.
Hot and cold
The first recipe I chose for review was the cover dish – Hot Charred Cherry Tomatoes with Cold Yogurt. I doubt there is an easier recipe in the book. If you love the cold/hot thing, you will love this one. The charred tomatoes and their juices combine with the simply flavored yogurt, and the result is far more than the sum of its parts.
One dish delight
I also made Soba Noodles with Lime, Cardamom, and Avocado. Another one-dish delight that only gets better with age, if there are any leftovers that is. The only thing that takes any time here is waiting for the water for the noodles to boil, my variety a full eight minutes. While the noodles are cooking, everything else comes together quickly in one bowl.
Highly recommended
This book already has a place on my shelf, and I would highly recommend it to all. This would be especially nice to gift a young person just starting out who loves good food and who wants to start cooking, well, simple, as their confidence gains.
Hot, Charred Cherry Tomatoes with Cold Yogurt
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Place 12 ounces of cherry tomatoes in a large bowl and add 3 tbsp. olive oil, ¾ tsp. cumin seeds, ½ tsp. light brown sugar, 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves, 3 sprigs of thyme, 3 whole oregano sprigs, three thin strips of lemon zest from a half lemon, flaked seas salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.
Mix well, then place in a baking sheet or pan just large enough to hold everything snugly. Place the pan just 2 inches under the broiler and roast for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes are just starting to blister and the juices bubble. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 5 to 6 minutes, until the tomatoes start to blacken on top. Mine didn’t take quite this long.
While the tomatoes are roasting, combine the yoghurt with ½ tsp. of lemon zest from the other half of the lemon and ¼ tsp. flaked salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve, place the yoghurt on a platter or shallow bowl, creating a dip in the center with the back of a spoon. Spoon the hot tomatoes on top, along with their juice, lemon strips, garlic, and herbs, and finish the dish with the stemmed oregano leaves and some chili flakes.
This recipe is listed as S and I, for Short on time, and less than 10 Ingredients
Soba Noodles with Lime, Cardamom, and Avocado
Cook 7 or 8 ounces of buckwheat noodles or green tea soba according to package directions. Once cooked, refresh under cold running water and let drain well.
With the back of a knife, crush 12 green cardamom pods and remove the seeds. Scrape the seeds into a mortar and pestle and crush. You should have about a half teaspoon.
In a large bowl, combine 1 ½ cups roughly chopped basil leaves, 1 ½ cups roughly chopped cilantro (or parsley) ½ cup roughly chopped pistachios, the zest of two limes, 3 tbsp. lime juice, 3 tbsp. peanut oil, 1 green or red chili that is seeded and thinly sliced, 2 hopped ripe avocados, ½ tsp. salt, and the crushed cardamom seeds. Add the noodles, and mix everything up well, then sprinkle nigella seeds and chile flakes on top, which I forgot.
This recipe is also listed as S and I, for Short on time, and less than 10 Ingredients.
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One of my favourite cookbooks though the cover of mine is quite different. Full of really useful recipes for everyday cooking.
It is most definitely a keeper!
Mmm, those both look delicious. I’ve never come across this book, we have ‘Jerusalem’ which is one of our best-loved and most-used recipe books so I have a feeling we would enjoy ‘Simple’ too!
Thank you! It was hard to pick which recipes to showcase since I wanted to show them all!
Well, you’ve inspired our dinner plans for tonight, Dorothy: roast squash, aubergines and beans in tahini sauce, tomato couscous and steamed kale and broccoli with preserved lemon. It’s the sort of food that lends itself to a mix of our stored and fresh veggies at this time of year and those Middle Eastern flavours are amazing. Thank you!😊
Can I come over too, Lis? The menu sounds perfect to me!
You’re welcome any time, Dorothy! 😊
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I have a number of his cookery books and they’re all ace
You can’t go wrong with his books, beautifully written and the recipes all delicious.
Agreed
Both dishes look and sound delicious, Dorothy I am a fan of Ottolenghi I have a couple of his books 🙂
They are such an inspiration, aren’t they? The food looks so beautiful.
Yes, it always does I like his recipes 🙂
😊
I miss cookbooks! These dishes look incredible. I love any noodle dish but those tomatoes are calling my name. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I think that’s why he put those tomatoes on the cover!
My mouth is watering! Between creaky knees and publishing a book every other year, I could definitely use a cookbook with an emphasis on simple meals.
I think you’d love this one Laurie! Although he includes fish and some meat, many of the recipes are vegetarian and all are tasty!
It’s going on my list!
😉
It’s always good to have “short on time” recipes that are also flavorful! Great choices!
Thanks Jan! This was a great book to have during lockdown, lots of simple recipes and great use of the pantry.
I love the SIMPLE premise this book is based on, it sounds like an incredible collection!
Jenna
Thanks Jenna! It’s a lovely book, perfect for beginners and skilled cooks alike.
Great flavors on both dishes. Perfect execution and photos! 🙂
Thanks Ronit! That means a lot to me!
I tried a raw courgette salad last night and it was pure heaven. We’ll be eating this A LOT this year. Basically you use a speed peeler to create ribbon-like slices of courgette – stop when you reach the part with the seeds. Drizzle with EVOO, a bit of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper. I added a healthy dose of dried chili flakes, but next time I’m using fresh chopped chilis. (Got this idea from Jamie at Home.)
Sounds wonderful, and really fast and simple! I bet it was pretty too!
This is a fabulous cookery book (yes, the cover image is different on mine also!), and a few years back members of the Great British Chefs website ( https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/ ) had Yotam show us how some of the recipes were made, and how some were tweaked for his restaurant. There are some great recipes at that website by the way, Dorothy.
Thanks Misky! He does have a wonderful website, and all his books are winners! Thanks for the link!
Hi, Dorothy – This looks like an excellent book and I absolutely love the coding system. This dishes that you have featured from here looks delicious!
Thanks my friend! It’s a delightful book, and everything I’ve cooked from it has been tasty.
Thank you for this suggestion, Dorothy. The book looks professional and with some different recipes. The tomato/yogurt one looks very good. I will check out the book.
Thanks Mary! It’s so enjoyable to play with different flavors, especially if it is easy.
Just reading the name of the recipe: Hot Charred Cherry Tomatoes with Cold Yogurt and I’m mouthwatering 😋😋 What a lovely dish!
I’m not a fan of soba noodles but I love the combination of flavors 😋
Thank you! Both dishes were delicious, and will certainly be made again.
I think 10 ingredients is a lot for a ‘simple’ dish, but I suppose it is a low number for Ottolenghi. The dishes look great!
Now you have inspired me to check out more recipes from this cookbook!
This is hands down one of my favorite cookbooks! Really brings an elevated experience to flavors in food. Also, one of the few cookbooks you want to read front to back. I made this dish before and it is amazing.
Velva
So totally agree with you! It’s one of my favorites too!
I have “Plenty” which is vegetable recipes. It beautiful and works well in the Kindle app, which is important to me! Based on your review and my love for Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbooks, I purchased the ebook, “Simple”. I am looking forward to reading and using it.
I think you will be happy with this one too, Julia. I have “Plenty” as well and I’ve used it a lot. His books are always full of inspiration.
That’s a fabulous meal! So complimentary for the season. Wishing you and yours a happy and wholesome renewal day. 🕊☀️ 🌼
Thank you! If we are lucky, spring will stay around for at least the day.!
Both of these recipes look and sound delicious!
Thanks Nancy! They are the best!
These recipes sound delicious Dorothy. Thank you for sharing the cookbook and recipes with us!
You’re very welcome, it was a fun book to review.
Love that cold yogurt with blistered tomatoes. It is on my list to try!
It’s so easy and so delicious! Enjoy!