NOPI

September 21, 2015
London’s NOPI (North of Picadilly) in Soho, the most formal of the Ottolenghi family of eateries, is the inspiration for this cookbook from the acclaimed chef/author. More than 100 chic plates for ambitious cooks expand Ottolenghi’s trademark fare. With head chef Ramael Scully, Ottolenghi (Jerusalem) presents NOPI’s signature dishes, collaborations between two world cuisines: Scully’s Malaysian-Australian roots combine with Ottolenghi’s Israeli-inspired palate to create bold, vibrant fare with Mediterranean/Asian twists. Garlicky lamb, marinated with rosemary and then grilled, combines with coconut milk and peanuts. There are beef brisket croquettes served with lime, snap peas, and Asian coleslaw. Seared quail in an oven-charred miso butterscotch paste is dressed with pomegranate walnut salsa. Recipes include starters, salads, sides; fish, meat, vegetables; brunches; and desserts. Cocktails, condiments, meal suggestions, and a key ingredient list from the NOPI pantry are also featured. Many detailed dishes involve multiple levels of preparation, with some marinades and garnishes requiring smoking or pickling. Ottolenghi offers tips to ease preparation, such as mise en place, proper recipe reading, equipment suggestions, and so-called alternative routes. Nevertheless, he sometimes faces difficulty translating labor-intensive restaurant dishes into something accessible for home cooks, and some of the more cumbersome recipes just may exceed their grasp.

Starred review from September 15, 2015

Working with chef Scully and food writer Wigley, celebrity chef Ottolenghi (Plenty More) has adapted recipes from his acclaimed Central London restaurant Nopi for domestic kitchens. These recipes will test home cooks, but they're not impossible, thanks to the authors' rigorous testing and development process. On days when bourbon-glazed spare ribs with smoked corn salad sounds too laborious, readers can turn to easier and equally tempting dishes such as burrata with blood orange, coriander seeds, and lavender oil, and three-citrus salad with green chile, stem ginger, and crunchy salsa. Preparing starters, mains, brunches, cocktails, condiments, and desserts, cooks will become acquainted with a wide variety of seasonings from around the world, from Asian lemongrass and pandan leaves to Middle Eastern rosewater and pomegranate molasses. VERDICT Although Ottolenghi's latest will challenge readers in ways its predecessors did not, it reliably delivers unique recipes with flavor combinations unmatched in their inventiveness.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015
Is there no end to the creative cuisine that seems to spill so effortlessly from the mind and hands of London chef Ottolenghi? His latest cookbook overflows with all manner of sweet and savory dishes and some cocktails to wash them all down. This time Ottolenghi teams his Middle Eastern tastes with the cooking of Asian-influenced Ramael Scully. This leads to some astonishing dishes. Moroccan and Catalan traditions contribute to a reimagined pastilla that substitutes spinach for almonds. Peanut and coconut sauce grace garlic- and rosemary-scented lamb loin. Arugula-and-parsley vichyssoise pools around pistachio-crusted halibut. Part of Ottolenghi's success lies in his appreciation for the limitations American home cooks often encounter. If some more unusual or exotic ingredients prove hard to find in local markets, he suggests substitutions that make dishes easier to prepare without undue compromise. Color photographs display the visual impact of this imaginative cuisine. The extraordinary popularity of his Jerusalem: A Cookbook (2012) mark this as a high-demand title.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)