Ottolenghi SIMPLE (englischsprachige Ausgabe)

gut

I had so been looking forward to give this a try - and I was somewhat disappointed. Maybe my expectations had been too high?

I tried three dishes:
Pasta alla Norma: when I saw the he would put the eggplants in the oven (frying them with a little oil and then adding small amounts of water until they are soft, they are a way more tasty), and that he fries thinly sliced garlic in oil (a no-go in Italian cuisine, because the garlic gets bitter, they even remove the - whole - clove after frying), I looked up the original recipe from Sicily and love it.
Fettuccine with spiced cherry tomato sauce: same mistake as above with the garlic, this is basically an ordinary Arrabiata sauce, nothing special - but OK.
Iranian herb fritters: the walnuts do not belong (and do not improve the dish at all), saffron is missing as well as an accompanying sauce, preferably with yogurt. His variation is unfortunately not a recommendation for the usually superb Iranian kitchen.

With these disappointments, I am not going to try any other of Ottolenghi's recipes. However, I like to look into the book from time to time to get ideas, then I usually look up the original recipe. This way, I am always satisfied.