Recipes

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

We’re not mad about calling vegetables a ‘steak’ or ‘burger’ or ‘schnitzel’, because it feels like you are trying to pass them off as something else, something superior. Sometimes, though, using a meaty name helps you understand what’s going on and how delicious it is. Our portobellos aren’t trying to be a steak, they are simply as good as any steak (with mash), if not better; in just the same way as our Romano pepper schnitzels are as delectable as any other schnitzel. What gives the mushrooms their verve is the chillies and spices and all the flavoured oil that coats them. You’ll make more oil than you need here; keep it refrigerated in a sealed container to spoon over grilled vegetables, noodles, meat or fish. Serve this with some sautéed greens, if you like.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Bánh mì is a Vietnamese street food: it’s a loaded baguette-like roll, often filled with fatty cuts of meat and lots of fresh herbs and pickles for balance. I’ve found that a supermarket bake-at-home baguette is the best vehicle here, because it needs to be crusty on the outside and very soft inside.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The simplicity of this recipe really gives the harissa paste a chance to shine, with the sweet and sharp flavours of the pomegranate really complimenting the richness of the sausages. It may be worth making extra onions as they work really well in a sandwich or cheese toasty!

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Chickpeas and briny, pomegranate harissa marinated olives are tossed together and roasted, allowing the flavours to mingle and soften. The harissa brings a gentle heat, while crumbled feta adds creamy saltiness, turning this simple side into something bold, savoury and quietly addictive. Great alongside some grilled fish or on its own with some rice and a dollop of yoghurt.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This is another cupboard raid dish, made from things I had lying around at home. It’s very simple to make and doesn’t take much time at all. Both sweet, savoury and extremely comforting, sometimes less really is more!

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The flavour of freshly ground star anise is vital for this soul-warming dessert. The trouble is, it's very hard. An alternative to using a spice grinder would be the old pestle and mortar or a small food processor, followed by carefully sifting the powder and getting rid of any hard chunks.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Friands are the light, moist almond cakes popular in Australia, New Zealand and France. Whisked egg whites and very little flour make them wonderfully light, and the ground almonds make them really moist. Traditionally they’re small cakes, but here we tip the batter into a baking dish and cook it whole. You can make the batter well in advance here, if you want to get ahead, it keeps well in the fridge up to a day, but don’t macerate the fruit for this amount of time as it will become too juicy. Serve with custard, vanilla ice cream or cream. The fruit can be played around with, depending on the season. Raspberries and peaches can be used in the early summer months, for example.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

There’s pistachio ice cream, and then there’s pistachio ice cream. The kind worth making at home needs to be unapologetically nutty, rich with flavour, and properly green, though not from food colouring. The trick is in the nuts: choose the greenest pistachios you can find, ideally with as little red skin as possible (it dulls both the flavour and the colour). Resist the temptation of the Iranian ones, though; they look the part but taste too subtle. Once you’ve got the right pistachios, the rest is a simple process of custard-making, freezing, and blitzing, no ice cream machine needed. What you end up with is an ice cream that is fresh, clean, and unmistakably pistachio.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This spicy Libyan condiment really shines as a marinade on fatty meats. Chicken thighs with crispy skin, and oily onions are stuffed into a pitta, the perfect home. Sour cream calms the heat, sharp dill pickles cut through the fat, and heaps of parsley provide the freshness. It’s an easy meal with big flavours, and it all comes down to the strength of the pilpelchuma paste.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This little selection is the perfect companion to my Jerusalem mixed grill (recipe on Substack), but don’t feel like you’ve got to make all of them. One variety is also great. Make a big batch, and you’ve got pickles to last you a while.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This chocolate salami won’t stick around for long – one bite leads to another, and the rest is history. You can make this a day ahead, ready to be cut and served as a sweet treat after Christmas dinner.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The amount of fruit and yoghurt here is enough for six servings, but the granola mix itself makes about 1kg, so you'll have plenty for many breakfasts to come (it will keep for a couple of weeks in a container).

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Palm sugar is stickier than caster sugar and has a caramel-like flavour. Make sure you use the Thai variety here, which is sort of firm and sticky, but easy to crumble, and not the super-hard kind. It makes this crumble similar to cookie dough: gooey in places and crisp in others.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This autumnal salad makes a real statement at the start of a meal. It is wonderfully fresh yet substantial and very distinctive in flavour. Make sure your pears are nice and sweet.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

You need really ripe peaches for this: if they’re not, use another fruit instead – strawberries and apricots both work well. You can poach the peaches a day ahead, but they should be eaten on the day they’re baked.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This makes good use of firm, not-so-ripe peaches. By macerating them in sugar and lime juice, you not only soften the fruit but also make a beautiful syrup to pour over the dish at the end. Rosemary, which I’ve used both in this dish and the shrub, is a fantastic match for peach.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

A wonderful, luminous-green soup. If you like, simplify the method: instead of basil oil, finish with shredded basil or mint and a drizzle of oil; and miss out passing it through a sieve - it'll be less smooth, but still delightful.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This French apple tart is incredibly crisp on the outside (the result of the dusting of sugar between the filo layers), yet wonderfully soft and boozy on the inside. You can make it a day ahead and reheat before serving. Quince, combined with apple, makes for a delicious twist, if you’re looking for one. The marzipan isn’t traditional, but tastes spectacular and makes total sense in a Christmas setting.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

My son gave these two thumbs up, which is high praise indeed. If you have any of the cream and fruit mixtures leftover, just put them in another container, swirl them together to create a ripple effect, and freeze as you would ice-cream.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The much-loved Italian-American ‘eggplant parm’ is the inspiration for this dish with layers of breaded aubergine, tomato sauce and cheese, but with a slightly different take here. If you can’t find kataifi pastry for the topping, feel free to use filo instead and thinly slice it into julienne strips using scissors. This pie requires a little bit of love to make, but is well worth the effort for an impressive meatless centrepiece.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Pappare means ‘to gobble up’, in Italian, which is the destiny of this dish (particularly in Tara’s house, where her husband Chris makes it most Sunday nights). I like it spicy, but the quantity of harissa can easily be reduced. Make the sauce 3 days ahead if you like and keep in the fridge until needed.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This is a lovely way to celebrate summer tomatoes. Feel free to play around with the types of tomatoes and herbs you use here, using up what you might have growing in your garden or sitting in your fridge. Serve this alongside a roast chicken or grilled halloumi, for a complete meal.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This is probably your best way to appeal to those with an aversion to sprouts. The sweetness of the shallots, pomegranate and maple hides a bit of the natural bitterness and gives the little brassicas a comforting edge.