Stream, read & listen Explore the best the Sydney Opera House has to offer through our online platforms. Visually stunning photographs of gourmet vegetarian faire! While on vacation, I attempted to take a photo of some food we were enjoying. Much to my surprise, I had a great deal of trouble! I now have a new appreciation for food photographers! Anyway, it's a beautiful cookbook with delicious sounding recipes. It's the kind of recipe book I would use on the weekend or when I have bags of time as the recipes are very detailed. About 35 years ago I became a Lessmeatarian, but it was only when Mark Bittman introduced me to the term that I knew anyone had described my eating philosophy. The beautiful cookbook Plenty puts not-meat front and center with big, bold dishes that feature vegetables and grains. Whether you use these recipes as mains or as sides is beside the point. Ottolenghi presents intensely flavored dishes, not uncomplicated, I might add, which will energize the taste buds no end. I was looking forward to this book and really wanted to love it, but I often find myself just avoiding it and selecting something with a better result to effort ratio instead. It is 3.5-star cookbook for me. What a fabulous selection of vegetarian recipes and photos. I cannot wait to start cooking! I'm not a vegetarian but it makes me tempted to become one.

Heat half the oil in a large, high-sided saute pan on a medium-high flame. Add the garlic, onion, half the oregano and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, and fry for eight minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden, then tip into a small bowl. While making these, you’ll need to freeze the mix a couple of times so that the croquettes are easier to shape and coat. It’s a bit of an effort, admittedly, but well worth it for the lovely light texture of the end results. Serves six as a main course. A new wave of Ottolenghi fever (and fervor) is about to hit and, thank goodness, there’s no cure. I suggest you simply give in to it, replenish your spice pantry, gather your vegetables, grains and legumes, and celebrate big-time.”The book is not vegan, but I think many of the recipes could be veganized easily. And the vegetarian dishes are pretty restrained on the animal products. And not without a reason. I've never come across a more interesting selection of delicious vegetarian recipes and love the fact that Ottolenghi brings a wide variety of vegetables, herbs and spices into the spotlight.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan on a medium-high flame, then fry the onion for eight minutes, stirring often, until soft and caramelised. Add the curry powder, chilli flakes, garlic and ginger, and fry for two minutes more, stirring continuously. Add the lentils, stir through for a minute, then add the tomatoes, coriander stalks, 600ml cold water, a teaspoon of salt and a very generous grind of pepper, and leave to heat through. Ottolenghi has founded a restaurant and four delis, has now penned four cookbooks, done an eight-year stint as Guardian Weekend’s columnist and – simply put – changed the way we shop and eat. I have made nearly half the recipes in this book. All were divine. I will never see vegetables the same way again. He imbues so many textures, and different flavors into minimally cooked, if at all cooked vegetables. I have only eaten on average two times meat a week for the last 3 weeks, which combined with daily superfood smoothies has really upped my energy levels.I received the book as a Christmas gift, and I’ve been trying recipes at about the rate of one per week since then. So far I have not hit a clunker. Though Ottolenghi has a fondness for crème fraiche and elegant cheeses, my favorite to date, Roasted Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes with Caper Vinaigrette, would also please a vegan.

The photos in Plenty are stunning, absolutely stunning. Brightly colored and not overly styled, they are less about being a hip foodie and more about letting simple ingredients shine. Even foods I’m normally not too wild about — say, mushrooms — look delicious, so anyone into food porn may find this a bit of a one-handed read.I read the intro, and skimmed through the recipes. Beautiful pictures, and intriguing flavor combinations, but really? Most of this was waaaaaay more work than I want to put into food. I suspect that it would be a challenge to get many of the spices (and some of the other ingredients) out here in exurbia - and I was slightly put off by some of the less than precise "oh, you'll figure it out" instructions.

Yotam Ottolenghi’s sweet potato and puy lentil croquettes. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer KayPour the coconut milk into a bowl and gently whisk until smooth and creamy. Set aside four tablespoons – you’ll use this when serving – then tip the remaining coconut milk into the soup pot. Bring the mixture up to a boil, turn down the heat to medium and leave to simmer gently for 25 minutes, until the lentils are soft but still hold their shape.