Ottolonghi Test Kitchen – Shelf Love
Penguin Books
Yotam Ottolenghi and his crew that form the collective known as Ottolenghi Test Kitchen is not merely a household name when it comes to chefs infiltrating family homes with their cookbooks and has a faithful cultlike following, but each constituent of the team contributes an idiosyncratic facet resulting in the whole being bigger than the sum of the individual contributions might suggest.
The opulently illustrated flexibound book aims at capturing the DNA of Ottolenghi, i.e. the elevation of homecooking with their inventive, delectable recipes, the collection of which serve as a reference point to a vegetable driven, zingy cuisine that is largely informed by Middle Eastern traditions.
Indexed in a way that allows quick access to a range of themed sections, the book does not exclusively cater to vegetarians, but also sheds light on meat-based dishes, with chapters ranging from intricate compositions that can be combined to create veritable feasts as well as ones that can be whipped up with staples in less than an hour.
As the name suggests, the focus of the recipes is set on ingredients that can commonly be found on the back of pantry shelves and on using them intuitively while bending rules and adding your own touches, which I find immensely helpful especially in situations when one has to retreat to whatever is left in the freezer along with odds and ends in the vegetable section of your fridge.
Being not exactly the most accomplished and patient chef myself when hunger strikes, I recommend to peruse the wide array of recipes ahead of time to identify preferred and highlight the more practicable options, as it can be quite difficult to choose where to start from. This is where the space to jot down your own notes comes in handy.
Unlike previous Ottolenghi cookbooks, Shelf Love is not intended to merely end up as a colourful display on the coffee table but to be used on a regular basis in the kitchen to add flavour and inspiration to loosen up the ordeal that the daily preparation of meals sometimes can be.
An ideal entry point for hobby cooks looking for ways to cut waste as well as Ottolenghi aficionados that are interested in what forms the foundation of the much fabled about Test Kitchen’s more intricate creations.
