Food for Thought: Ottolenghi on Kindle

The other day I discovered that Yotam Ottolenghi’s eponymous first book is just $2.99 in the Kindle edition. What a great deal! This book did not get the attention of his two subsequent books, Jerusalem and Plenty, but it’s loaded with good stuff and is in many ways more accessible because it’s a pastiche of recipes served at his restaurant, not all of them Middle Eastern, in general using more familiar ingredients.

For example, here’s an adaptation of “Cucumber and poppy seed salad”: peel, halve and core 1 lb (2 large) cucumbers then cut on the bias into 1-inch slices. Mix with two mild long red chilis, seeded and cut lengthwise into thin strips; if you can’t find such peppers, substitute 1/2 red bell pepper cut into thin strips. Add 3 T finely chopped cilantro, 1/2 c safflower or other mild oil, 4 T rice vinegar, 2 T sugar, 2 T poppyseed. Mix thoroughly then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately; if any is left over drain the liquid that will accumulate before serving. See? Easy and good!

I think in general Kindle cookbooks are more practical than paper because you can prop up your tablet in an accessible but safe location and refer to it as you cook. A couple of my chef friends disagree; they like the tactile pleasure of the physical book. But I think they would then adapt the recipes to their own method rather than following them to the degree a home cook would.

Anyway, Ottolenghi on Kindle is such a great bargain you”ll have money left over to get the hardcover if you like. Check it out!

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2 Responses to Food for Thought: Ottolenghi on Kindle

  1. I like simple recipes. I will use this for a quick salad. Merna told me she saw a chef on television scrabbling eggs in olive oil. The chef noted that olive oil is better than melted butter to get creamy scrabbled eggs. Any comments on this idea. Next time I cook scrabbled eggs I will use olive oil to see the difference.

  2. Burnt My Fingers says:

    I would scramble eggs with olive oil if I was using them as an ingredient…after all frittatas, quiches etc are often made with olive oil and the eggs are in effect scrambled… but not to eat by themselves. To me the dairy element, provided by butter and also cream or milk, is essential to breakfast style scrambled eggs.

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