Recipes

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This dip isn't really a recipe, more of a serving suggestion. A sweet contrast for a savoury mezze or even as a light dessert.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The dough is the star here: buttery, flaky and easy to put together. Use a stronger blue cheese, such as roquefort, if you prefer. The sweet raisins are fantastic with the savoury chard and cheese, but you can also leave them out.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

I love the combination of sweet, spicy and smoky. Each mouthful is a voyage of discovery: the sweet dominates first, then comes the smoke and finally the heat hits you. Chipotle, which are smoked dried jalapeños, give both the spice and the smokiness to this soup. They vary in heat, so assess how hot yours is before adding it. If you can't get chipotle, use fresh chilli and smoked paprika instead, to taste. To add some crunch, brush a tortilla with oil, garlic, smoky paprika and a little salt, bake until crisp and break over the soup.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The journey of these rolls can be traced through Lebanon to Armenia, where these kubez el tahineh come from. They are simple to make, impressive to look at and loved by all. They’re a particular favourite with kids. Eat them as they are, or sliced and spread with dibs w tahini, the Palestinian equivalent of peanut butter and jam, where creamy tahini is mixed through with a little bit of grape or date molasses.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This a rich, sweet-and-sour side for your festive table. Instead of the usual vinegar and sugar, we use pomegranate molasses for its tangy sweetness, paired with pear slices for natural sweetness and cashews for crunch. The cabbage is roasted longer than you'd expect, creating crispy layers that fold back into buttery roasting juices, building deep caramel notes and a vibrant purple colour. The key is using a high-sided tray that feels overstuffed with cabbage before roasting; too wide and it’ll dry out, too small and it’ll stew.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

These onions – sweet inside, charred at the edges and swimming in a tart pomegranate syrup – started their life at Testi, a north London Turkish restaurant that we love, where a similar dish is made by charring onions next to lamb on the grill, then tossing them in şalgam, a juice made from the sour-salty brine of fermented purple carrots and turnips, and finally sweetening them with pomegranate molasses. Our onions are made with reduced pomegranate juice instead of molasses and şalgam. They will go really well with hummus, for example (like our hummus with lemon, fried garlic and chilli), an aubergine salad (see aubergine with herbs and crispy garlic) and some bread.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Chocolate is just one of the many ingredients which go into a Mexican mole, together with chillies, dried fruits, nuts, herbs and spices. We've also gone chipotle-heavy in this mole-inspired recipe; the chilli mellows a bit during the cooking, but if you prefer less heat, just reduce the amount of chilli to taste. Serve with rice, slices of ripe avocado and soured cream, if you like. Serve with rice, slices of ripe avocado and soured cream, if you like.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This smoky, sweet almond oil is the sort of small flourish that transforms a dish. Toasted marcona almonds mingle with sweet paprika, fennel seeds, garlic, and oregano in olive oil, creating a fragrant, nutty topping with just the right balance of richness and spice. Spoon generously over hummus or yoghurt, as part of a mezze type spread with plenty of flatbreads. Store in a jar, where it will keep at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Sticky, glossy, and impossibly savoury - these chicken wings are exactly what we want when the craving hits. The smokey honey marinade creates a glaze that clings beautifully to the meat. No barbecue necessary (though if it's summer and you'd like to fire yours up, don’t let us stop you!). If you can, marinate the wings overnight - it makes all the difference to the depth of flavour. This marinade works just as well with lamb or pork chops, or even chunks of paneer for a vegetarian version.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Garlic bread - undisputedly everyone's favourite. We have upped the ante here with the addition of spring onions and our Sweet and Smokey spice blend, making this garlic bread incredibly moreish!

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This is the ultimate dinner party dish. All the elements can be cooked well in advance and put together at the very last minute. Adding the feta is sure to win you serious accolades, as it is an original addition in a dessert and completely delicious. When fresh cherries are not in season you can easily use frozen.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

A far cry from a classic shakshuka, yes, but we’ve found that sweet potatoes provide just the right amount of moisture and heft to serve as a base for these eggs. Serve this vibrant dish as a weekend brunch; it sure looks the part.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

These empanadas are a little twist on the classic South American dish. They are extremely moreish and fun to make. Get ahead by making the dough the night before and allowing it to rest in the fridge. The salsa and empanada fillings can also be done in advance. Eat hot or at room temperature, both are good!

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

These lettuce cups are all about balance and brightness. Sweet, spicy prawns tucked into crisp leaves alongside tangy pickled carrot and kohlrabi, bringing crunch and sharpness to every bite. Light, vibrant and a little messy to eat, they make for a refreshing dish that wakes up the palate.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

If you want to use shop-bought potato gnocchi instead of making your own, you are more than welcome to – the miso butter will transform them. If, however, you choose to make our swede and potato gnocchi, which have a seductive bitter-sweetness to them, we can make your life slightly easier. Instead of rolling and cutting the gnocchi, which can be messy, we spoon the mixture into a piping bag (you can use a Ziploc bag), snip off the end and squeeze them directly into simmering water. It’s a nice trick that also makes the gnocchi lighter because you don’t need the extra flour to roll them with.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Wet your hands to shape the cakes, otherwise things will get very sticky. You can shape them ahead of time and fry at the last minute, if you prefer. And simply omit the chilli from the dipping sauce to make this child-friendly.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Courgettes aren’t strictly controversial, but they do tend to get a pretty lukewarm reaction from many, including, regrettably, two of our test kitchen colleagues. The reason for this is probably courgettes’ high water content, which tends to make them, well, watery. There are plenty of ways to combat this – frying and grilling is two examples – but we use it to our advantage here, cooking the courgettes slowly in their juices, making them fantastically soft and enhancing their flavour with a long soak with fried garlic. (And in the process, we also managed to win over our two courgette-iffy colleagues, we’re happy to announce.)

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This southern Indian snack, made with chickpeas or other pulses, can be served warm or at room temperature. If you like, bulk it up a bit with some fresh leaves - mint or Thai basil, say. Some versions also include shredded green mango. Here I've combined the chickpeas with soy-boiled peanuts, a recent discovery from Malaysia that make the most addictive snack on their own. Even if you do not make this recipe, consider the boiled peanuts next time you're serving drinks - they make a lovely change from dull old crisps (you can also cook them in a pressure cooker to save time).

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

For anyone who thinks they don’t like cocktails because they are too sweet, this is for you. Sumac – the dark red spice with a sharp astringent kick – is one that we love to sprinkle over food. It has a musty, lemony flavour which, as Lukasz Rafacz discovered when creating this drink, works just as well in a cocktail.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Soft white cheese, such as ricotta or the creamier mascarpone, reflect the milieu in which an animal has been raised. This receptiveness to other flavours is what makes both cheeses such favourites of ours, in savoury and sweet cooking alike. Harder cheeses are often best left to stand on their own two feet. In this recipe, use the best quality ricotta you can find.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Elran Shrefler is the youngest of Ezra and Rachela Shrefler’s nine children, who run Azura, a restaurant in the heart of Machne Yehuda market that serves Jerusalemites traditional Kurdish recipes with a Turkish influence, the area from which Ezra hails. A member of the Slow Food movement, Elran starts work at four every morning and cooks all his food in massive pots on small oil-burning stoves (see picture on pages 122–3), just as his family has done for generations. His food, long-cooked stews and hearty soups, is ready for the first customers who arrive at around 8 a.m. (!). It is essentially real fast food — after the long hours of slow cooking, it takes seconds to plate and serve. Elran showed us how to make his stuffed aubergine, Turkish-style, which is our favourite dish at Azura. This is our interpretation.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This impressive-looking dessert is like a summery tiramisu. It doesn’t cope too well against time or heat, so eat it straight out of the fridge. The espresso adds a grown-up twist, but you can leave it out if you prefer.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This is Eton mess, NOPI-style. It’s both a wow of a pudding and – given that all the elements can be made in advance and just put together at the last minute – is also a very relaxing one to make and serve to friends. The dried rose petals look lovely sprinkled on top, but don’t worry if you can’t get hold of any: the advantage of having a pudding with the word ‘mess’ in its title is that there is very little pressure to perform on the presentation front.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The combination of tamarind and apple is both sweet and tart, making it the perfect pairing for salty, fatty ham. A touch of brown sugar helps things along once in the oven, resulting in a sticky, and very moreish, glaze that seeps into the onions and apples, creating a jammy-like texture. We love to serve this with a rich, creamy potato gratin and some sauteed greens for a Sunday lunch. Any leftover gammon is heavenly, sliced and stuffed into sandwiches, with some of the onions and apples squished on top.