Recipes

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This dessert ticks all our flavour boxes – sweet, salty, tangy and umami – and all our texture boxes – sticky, crunchy and creamy. The bananas you use should have almost completely yellow skin, with only the tiniest bit of brown spotting.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Food is all about bringing people together, and what better occasion to do that than New Year’s Eve? This sticky lamb bao is the perfect dish for an evening of interactive dining with friends. Once the lamb is marinated and all the ingredients are gathered, the oven does most of the work. The result is a tender, fragrant lamb with a marmalade glaze, paired with the fresh bite of pickled chilli and crisp vegetables. Don’t be put off by the unusual combination of flavours—trust me, they work wonderfully together, and the whole thing is a delight to share.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The dressing for these roasted carrots is made by melting dates with roughly chopped lemon and baharat to create a tangy, smokey and sweet sauce. It’s balanced out by the bright pickled onions and herbs. This can be served warm or at room temperature.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The method for cooking the mussels here is slightly unusual, in that it involves two dry pans and only the natural moisture of tomatoes and the mussels to steam open the shellfish. The result is rather special: intense flavours and beautifully plump mussels. Take this to the table the moment it’s ready, so the mussels are hot and freshly opened and the breadcrumbs crunchy.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The charred chilli salsa can be doubled or tripled and kept in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week, ready to be spooned over scrambled eggs, piled onto tortilla chips, or served alongside grilled tofu or fish. The aubergines should be steamed just before serving, because they tend to discolour if left to sit around.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

It may look a little daunting, what with those tentacles, eyes, beak and all, but fresh squid is one of the joys of the summer kitchen. This is a wonderful summer main course that's best served with crusty bread. That said, I once tried it cold, and it was also impeccable. The anchovies, if you can't stand them, aren't essential.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This is a great way of cooking purple sprouting broccoli, and takes next to no time.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

I love dishes that feature the various shades of a single colour, making you stop to check what's in there. Spring and early summer are the time to do this with green, as now we have artichoke, rocket, asparagus, broad beans, watercress, samphire, peas, cabbage, all kinds of lettuce, runner beans, broccoli, spring onion, chard, spinach and many, many more to choose from. When you put a few of these in one bowl, you get the most glorious celebration of colour and spring.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

In Valencia, paella has a lesser-known but no less delicious cousin: fideuà, a seafood dish made with pasta instead of rice. This version uses squid ink pasta for dramatic flair and deep flavor – a simple twist that turns it into a showstopper. Pale squid and bright spring greens pop against the black noodles, while the base forms a crispy, golden socarrat, just like the traditional Spanish version. Don’t worry if you can’t find fresh squid – frozen works perfectly. Serve with a punchy green salad and a generous spoonful of garlicky aioli on the side.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Soft, light, and coated in lemon butter, these dumplings are both comforting and indulgent. Stale sourdough or a crusty baguette give them the structure they need (if you use a soft white loaf, you may need a little more). Make them the day before, if you like, and refrigerate (or freeze) before the cooking stage.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This is a heady condiment, a bit like a pickle, which keeps in the fridge for a few days. It's great with grilled meat or fish, or to add to sandwiches and salads.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Speaking from experience, these nuts are pretty addictive. If you want to impress your guests with a sweet, spicy nibble, these will do the trick. They'll disappear quickly and keep hunger pangs at bay.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This lasagne pays homage to Penne all’Aconese – the first dish development chef Ixta fell madly in love with. It’s served at Ristorante Pizzeria Acone, a community-run restaurant in the Tuscan village of Acone. The recipe is a closely guarded secret, but the earthy and deeply umami flavour of dried porcini mushrooms is impossible to miss. This is our meatless take on that mythical sauce. The ragù can easily be made vegan if you lose the cream. It can also be made ahead, refrigerated, and served with pasta or polenta. If you want to get ahead, the lasagne can be assembled, refrigerated and baked the next day (once it’s back to room temperature).

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Meatballs and pasta is as familiar and comforting as a dish can get. Super quick to put together, with everything in one pan to boot, will make this your favorite go-to family weeknight dinner. All that’s needed alongside is a nice crisp green salad and, if you’re feeling extra fancy, some garlic bread…

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Drizzle this sauce on top of almost anything - falafel, salads (iceberg wedges work particularly well), roasted veg, fish or meat, or use it as a dip with crudité. There's no cooking involved, just chop and blend, and you can use any herbs you have left lying around in the fridge - coriander, mint, chives all work well. It'll keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This soup has a real kick, so reduce the amount of chilli if you want to moderate it. I serve it with crisp chicken skin, but that involves a bit of work, so leave it out if you prefer. If you do make the skins, though, bear in mind that some bits will be crispier than others, which is fine; they’ll all taste great.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Sweet

Yotam first made these around Christmas time for his weekly column in the Guardian. They are intentionally over-sized – just as good hung from the tree as a decoration as they are to eat – and last for ten days, so, fortunately, their use as both decoration and edible treat are not mutually exclusive options. If you want to make them just for the table, use the same amount of mix to produce twelve meringues. These are great served with cream and stewed cranberries as a seasonal dessert.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

A Sloppy Joe is an American classic: a chilli-ish filling stuffed into a crusty roll. This version has lamb instead of beef, pine nuts, and enough warm spices to make it very familiar to my palate. It's still recognisably a Sloppy Joe - sweet, tomatoey, fall apart. Serve with some extra accompaniments: lemony tahini sauce, sour cream, plenty of pickles, and a comfortable pair of sweatpants.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Besides its use in our apple galette, this butter is delicious spread on hot toast or stirred into porridge or yoghurt. Alternatively, decant it into sterilised jars, because it makes a great little homemade gift for family and friends. It will keep in the fridge for a week and in the freezer for up to a month.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

My version of this legendary dish is based on a method perfected by Michael Rhulman, whose brilliant book Rhulman's Twenty demystifies some fundamental cooking techniques. You need to start 24 hours ahead, but it's one of the most worthwhile waits I can think of.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

I love this combination of saffron and courgettes - the saffron adds a floral touch that courgettes, on their own, don't quite have. Serve hot or warm against the cold yoghurt, with plenty of bread. It's just as good made the day before and brought back to room temperature.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Burnt aubergines, charred vegetables and nutty tahini are what give this dish a real depth and smokiness, resulting in creamy, vegan pasta made without cream, cheese, butter or any of the usual suspects. If you don’t have a griddle pan, char the vegetables in the oven instead.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

These fritters are so positively free-from – no dairy, no gluten – that it would be churlish not to serve them with a fried egg to make up for it. Avocado, for those sticking with the vegan theme, is another winning combination. Serve these as close as you can to making them as they really benefit from being eaten nice and crisp, straight from the pan. If you can’t get fresh kaffir lime leaves then use 1 teaspoon of finely grated lime zest instead. If you can’t get the chipotle chilli flakes then either blitz up a whole dried chipotle or ancho chilli or else just increase the smoked paprika to ¾ teaspoon.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Cooking ribs low and slow in the oven and finishing them quickly in a pan or on the barbecue not only results in the most tender meat, but also frees up space on the grill. I tend to cook ribs first in the oven until tender, as it allows me to either finish them quickly on the barbecue, or on a griddle pan, without taking up too much space. Either marinade or cook in the oven the night before to get ahead. The amount of liquid that renders out of the ribs will differ, if the liquid dries out during the oven cooking, add 2 tbsp water to release any juices from the foil, as this will add great flavour to the glaze.