Recipes

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

These cookies were created by Jim Webb, an original member of the Ottolenghi team along with Sami, Noam and Yotam. The secret here is to slightly under-bake the cookies, which keeps them soft and fudgy. It’s for this reason that they’ve never become a feature in the shops, particularly in the summer, where they’d bend and break after an hour or two piled up in a bowl. There are worse things to happen, though, than to be told you need to eat a whole batch of cookies within a day or so of them being baked.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

For this rich summer roast, make sure your plums are ripe and sweet, but still firm, to balance the heat and acidity in the chicken. There’s very little work involved, but the chicken will definitely benefit from marinating overnight.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

A simple and speedy supper for two. Stir in your pasta of choice and serve with a green salad for a more substantial meal or serve simply with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the garlicky, oily juices!

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Here’s a take on the Tuscan ribollita. Somewhere between a soup and a vegetable stew, it is a warming and filling meal in a bowl after which you don’t need much – maybe just a little pillow to rest your head on. You can reduce or increase the amount of liquid to achieve your perfect consistency.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Bourekas are amongst my favourite things to eat. Little parcels of dough crisped with hot oil, stuffed with any number of savoury ingredients, topped with a sprinkle of sesame. This is my cheesy take, using puff pastry instead of filo and swiss chard instead of the more commonly used spinach. Our Green Harissa lends a real brightness here: cutting through the richness of the gruyere and feta and adding a distinctive spicy zing.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The shawarma marinade also works very well with a leg of lamb. Instead of making zhoug you can use a commercial savoury chilli sauce such as sriracha.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Here's a one-pot dish to surprise a few regular readers: there's nothing more to it than throwing everything in and waiting. Yes, really. For the amount of work involved, the depth of flavour is remarkable; plus, there's the bonus of minimising the washing-up. It's a dish to keep up your sleeve for the cold weekends to come.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Musakhan is the national dish of Palestine: growing up, Sami ate it once a week, pulling a piece of chicken and sandwiching it between a piece of pita or flatbread. It’s a dish to eat with your hands and with your friends, served from one pot or plate, for everyone to then tear at some of the bread and spoon over the chicken and topping for themselves. The chicken can be replaced with thick slices of roasted aubergine or chunky cauliflower florets, if you like (or a mixture of both), for a vegetarian alternative. If you do this, toss the slices or florets in the oil and spices, as you do the chicken, and roast at 200°C fan for about 25 minutes for the cauliflower and about 35 minutes for the aubergine.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This traybake was first published a few years ago, and has been made many times since. This iteration bakes uncovered in the oven, and has the addition of dates and red split lentils. The dates and oranges are half braised and then roasted as the liquid is absorbed by the peas, allowing for the tops to crisp and caramelise. The base is something of a self-saucing dal, as the chicken cooks the marinade gently flavours the split peas and lentils underneath. It makes a wonderful mid-week dinner but works well as a centrepiece too. Serve with rice and yoghurt as part of a bigger feast. To get ahead, soak the split peas and marinade the chicken up to a day in advance.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This gravy makes everything special. Mushrooms, chestnuts, and a touch of date molasses turn it into a glossy, meaty-without-the-meat sauce. A quick blitz in the food processor speeds up the prep, and you can make it ahead if you like - it tastes better the next day. Spoon it over roasted vegetables, mash, or anything that could do with a little extra richness - pie, for example.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The yolks in the sabayon are not cooked, so make sure you use good quality, fresh eggs (and give any pregnant or elderly guests the heads up). There are a fair few steps to this recipe, but you can get ahead by making the sponge a day or two in advance. The clementines can also be made a couple of hours before and kept in the fridge.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

When I made this trifle years ago, I chose to make my own sponge, and grappa was the booze of choice. To make the process easier, I have now opted for a shop bought sponge and frozen pitted cherries and the grappa has been swapped for Kirsch. The trifle in an elegant makeover, is served now on a plate with the pistachio crumble for a finishing flourish. However, if you would like a tadah moment or if you have a trifle bowl you’d like to show off, assemble the trifle as you like and refrigerate until needed.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

A good crumble is one of the better arguments for a long Sunday lunch. This one uses frozen black cherries with sumac and pomegranate molasses. The lime leaf is faintly floral, aromatic, and exactly right against the cherries. The topping is closer to granola than traditional crumble - jumbo oats, cashews, almonds, everything baking into satisfying craggy clusters. Make a double batch. It keeps, and it's very good scattered over yoghurt or ice cream through the week, which is a reasonable consolation for the fact that it's no longer Sunday.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Serving a whole fish for Christmas is a perfectly sensible way to create a wow effect with a lighter and fresher option. This dish in particular, with the preserved lemons and olives, brings a whole new set of flavours to the table. It goes well with slaw and sprouts.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Farro is an old Italian wheat variety that's said to be the same as emmer or spelt, though I'm not so sure. It can be eaten by some (not all) people who are normally intolerant of wheat and is sold pearled or whole. You can buy dried Iranian lime on our website - grind it yourself, or buy the powdered version.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

In 1980s Hong Kong, when Cognac and ‘XO’ were shorthand for luxury, a chef at Spring Moon borrowed the name for his new condiment—one that had nothing to do with the drink itself. XO sauce was bold, rich, and packed with umami, thanks to dried scallops, shrimp, smoky pork, and a heap of alliums. Traditionally, it leans on dried seafood and a certain ham, but our version swaps it for fresh scallops and pancetta, making it easier to pull together. As it rests in the fridge, the flavours deepen, so it’s great to make ahead. You can spoon it over steamed fish, scrambled eggs, or a bowl of plain rice, but we love it as a sauce for spaghetti—sweet, salty, smoky, and perfect for Valentine’s Day. Go full Lady and the Tramp.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This is a quick and easy side dish to serve as part of a spread. Feel free to swap out the peas in their pods for sugar snaps or runner beans, treating them in much the same way.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This sweet cabbage is deliciously complemented by the sharp tomato sauce and aromatic 'mayo': make sure you serve it with plenty of crusty bread to mop everything up with. Serve as a veggie main course or as a side to grilled fish or tofu.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

The green beans here are the start of the show. They shine even brighter with the anchovy dressing. If you like, use steamed green beans instead of charring them. Make extra of the dukkah and store in airtight jars for up to a week to sprinkle on salads and roast meats.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Slow braising green vegetables in healthy amounts of oil and stock, like green beans and okra, is quite common throughout the Middle East. Here we apply this technique to brussel sprouts, with plenty of lemon and herbs to reintroduce some freshness and vibrancy.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This salad is loved even by those who claim not to like tahini.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

This dish is inspired by aloo chaat, an Indian street food that has many regional variations, all of which are not for the faint-hearted because they are loaded with sweet and sour and a fair bit of crunch. This is a slightly tamer version, though still pretty ‘noisy’, both in flavour and in looks. It’s absolutely perfect for a weekend lunch, alongside other vegetables, such as the aubergine with herbs and crispy garlic, or the radish and cucumber salad with chipotle peanuts. Plus, both the coriander chutney and the tamarind sauce are great condiments to have on hand to brighten up sandwiches and wraps, to spoon over eggs, or to serve alongside tofu or fish. Double or triple them, if you like – the coriander chutney will keep in the fridge for up to a week and the tamarind sauce for up to 2 weeks.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Celeriac is probably my favourite root. It is delicate, yet very nutty, and has an elegant oily smoothness. Like all good vegetables, it is marvellous simply with a bit of olive oil. Here it works with the lentils and nuts to create a hearty autumn main course. Serve it warm, with a radish, cucumber and dill salad dressed with soured cream and olive oil. Or, allow it to cool down, then take it to work for lunch or on a picnic.

Yotam Ottolenghi · Ottolenghi.co.uk

Tah chin is a glorious savoury rice cake from Iran. The name refers to the layering of meat and rice, which is then baked until it has a crisp base, called a tahdig. It’s best to use a nonstick pan, because it helps in getting that crisp, golden exterior you’re after.