Comfort versus Flavor….which one is better?

[Okanagancook]

I received both of these Ottolenghi books but don’t want to keep both as i am trying to downsize.  I don’t want have to buy a bunch of new spices nor search for different vegetables.  Which one should i keep?

[blue_dolphin]

I’d suggest flipping through both to see what calls to you. Both have recipes that seem a bit repetitive if you have the earlier books. Neither are among my favorite Ottolenghi books but they’re both OK. 

Flavour is co-authored by Ixta Belfrage, who does interesting things with flavors, hence the title.  It’s vegetarian and over 50% vegan.  Dairy pops up here and there. It opens with a list of 20 ingredients and ends with a 2-page spread of “flavor bombs” or condiments used throughout the book.  They should give you a sense of the spices used and what you’d need to buy.  I am no longer a good judge of what’s a new spice or unusual vegetable anymore 🤣 No baking section though recipes like a squash galette and olive oil flatbreads are tucked in here and there. Just a few fruit-based desserts at the end. 
 

Comfort is co-authored by Helen Goh, Verens Lochmuller and Tara Wigley. With multiple authors, you get multiple points of view.  There are recipes that include fish, seafood, meat and poultry. It has typical Ottolenghi sections on both savory and sweet baking. The recipes are organized more conventionally by dish type. The number of spices may be somewhat lower here but there’s still black garlic, za’atar, hispi cabbage (always an Ottolenghi favorite) and ‘nduja. 
 

I’ve cooked more from Comfort and have more recipes marked to try than Flavour but that’s just me. 

 

[Okanagancook]

@blue_dolphin

thank you so much for the great reply!  I was hoping you would.

[Okanagancook]

@blue_dolphin may i ask your favourites?

[blue_dolphin]

21 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

@blue_dolphin may i ask your favourites?

Of the Ottolenghi books?  I like the first 5 books best.  Not so much a fan of Simple, Flavour and Comfort. 

• Ottolenghi, the original
• Jerusalem for its sense of place
• Plenty and Plenty More for their tons of relatively simple vegetable recipes.  I like Plenty More better but both are good.
• Nopi, which I find both interesting and annoying for its chef-y restaurantant vibe. Some recipes are definitely worth the effort. I think I made all the cocktails and some were pretty involved! 

 

I also like the little OTK (Ottolenghi Test Kitchen) paperback Extra Good Things which I consider a good “idea” book. 
 

I have a Kindle version of OTK Shelf Love which I always forget to look at.  I didn’t even have it on my EYB bookshelf until just now. I should give that one a look. 

[Okanagancook]

Yes Ottolenghi books.

i have the first five and definitely agree with your comments.  When we had our big pig roasts in the summer i always made Ottolenghi salads.  Always so interesting and stunning to look at.