Let’s Eat Some Vegetables! Kitchn’s January Pick for Cookbook Club Is “Plenty” from Yotam Ottolenghi.
Happy New Year and new decade, Cookbook Club-ers! I hope you had a great time cooking out of the 2019 edition of Joy of Cooking in December. I loved seeing everything you all made last month — including these Swedish meatballs, these gorgeous pancakes, and a classic gin martini (a perfect companion to reading this massive tome!). If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you check out the interview I did with the 2019 authors of Joy — John Becker and Megan Scott. I learned a lot about how the new edition is different and where to start with the book if you’re feeling stuck.
Anyway, it’s a new month, which means a new book! And for January we have something extra-special to dive into (if I do say so myself). To kick off the year we’re going to cook our way through Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi. Here’s what you can expect this month and how to get involved.
Kitchn’s cookbook club is a digital one (although we encourage people to get together IRL as well!). Here’s how it all works.
- Get the book! You can buy the book here or look for it at your local library.
- Join Kitchn Cookbook Club Facebook group. This is our private space for all of you to talk about the book, ask questions, and chat about what you’re cooking. Click here to join! It’s very active.
- Share a recipe review on Instagram and tag with #kitchncookbookclub. Make a recipe from Plenty. Post a photo of your dish on Instagram, with a short review of the recipe in the caption.
Why Plenty Is Our January Cookbook Club Pick
Where do I even begin with why we chose this book? There are just too many things to say — but I’ll mention a couple. Last month when everyone was coming out with their “best cookbooks of the decade” lists, I saw someone on Twitter say that Plenty was probably the most important of the last 10 years. As a writer for The Guardian put it, “Plenty is not about vegetarian food, its about excellent food.” But it certainly put vegetables on the map for Americans in a way that it previously lacked. What better way to kick off a new year (and a new decade) than by celebrating one of the best cookbooks of the past 10 years?
January is also a time where people tend to rethink how “healthy” looks like for them. Maybe that means adding more movement to your routine or trying out a new diet that might make you feel better. For me, it always means adding more vegetables to my diet, and I imagine many people around the country want to do the same thing. If you’re stuck in the land of boring salads and simple (but delicious) roasted vegetables, then this is the cookbook that will get you out of that rut. Get ready for plenty of fresh herbs, pomegranate seeds, and unique spices.
Get the Book
What are you going to cook first? I’ve never cooked the iconic recipe on the cover of Plenty, so I think I’m going to tackle that one. For those of you who have cooked out of the book before, are there any favorites that everyone MUST try? Please let us know.
Also, a reminder: I always announce the next month’s cookbook EARLY in our private Facebook group for Cookbook Club so you can buy the book in advance or reserve it a little earlier at your local library. If you want to be in the know (and of course you want to be in the know), then do join us there.
Can’t wait to cook with you!
— Arie, News & Culture Editor