Vegetarian dishes are major part of my daily diet. Of course I enjoy most of them, otherwise it would be rather sad. Yet, when I encounter preparations that make me excited about the dish, it can be a real treat. The two excellent cookbooks by Ottolenghi are packed with such exciting vegetarian dishes. I bought both books before the avalanche of awards made them one of the top sellers in North America. So now that I look at the much reduced price, I secretly wish I waited. However, the joy they’ve given me in the kitchen and on my dinner table is undeniable. Honestly, I’ve been using both books since day one anyway so I can’t really complain much about the price.
I’m making good progress on reducing that pile of carrots in my fridge. After yesterday’s Itty Bitty Carrot Cake Cookies, I want something savoury and spicy. The Spicy Moroccan Carrot Salad in Ottolenghi’s Plenty was exactly what I was looking for. Exactly how exciting can blanched carrots be? Well, once you toss it with caramelized onion, green onion, garlic, red chili pepper, cilantro, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, paprika, and white wine vinegar, blending in the background is simply unthinkable. The flavour from the complex mix of spices filled my kitchen with exotic smell of a land far away. This salad is wonderful either warm or cold but the dollop of Greek yogurt is essential. It tames the heat from the spiciness of the dish and adds a nice creamy counterpoint to the toothsome carrots. Vegetarian dishes like this makes me want to march up to my friends with a tasting spoon in hand so that they can share my excitement too.
My oven had not been its usual reliable self lately. The sound of gas sputtering when the oven slowly heated up was particularly disturbing. Seeing the important role my oven plays in my cooking and baking, I finally stop my procrastination. For a brief minute, I was looking longingly at the shiny gas range from the Viking catalogue. Obviously purchasing a new major appliance is out of my budget for the time being but a girl can dream, right? I even got an open invitation from a friend to cook at his kitchen so I can test drive a Viking range. It almost pains me to think that his range is not being used to its full potential (yes, the oven is a popular storage space for many Asian households). This morning, a visit from the Maytag repairman made my world just a little better. He quickly diagnosed the problem with the ignition part of the oven and informed me that the average lifespan of this part is typically 4-7 years. It would seem mine of over 12 years of service fared better than average. The cost of repair is a bit expensive but it is still significantly cheaper than purchasing a new (however shiny and pretty) cooking range. Besides, now that my oven returns to smooth working order, I have no qualms about baking bread or pizza anymore. My monthly pizza night awaits.
Want to see other stuff I made from the Ottolenghi cookbooks? I highly recommend each and every one of them!