Recipes

Yotam Ottolenghi · Plenty

The late, great food write Diana Kennedy describes chilaquiles as “Mexican soul food” and I couldn’t agree more. They’re essentially yesterday’s corn tortillas, broken into pieces and then fried, cooked in salsa and sprinkled with cheese. Making a great brunch dish that oozes comforting familiarity

Yotam Ottolenghi

This savoury bread pudding is a sort of breakfast casserole, and is the ultimate make-ahead brunch for when you’re feeding a crowd; it’s also a delicious way to use up stale bread. If you like, swap the bacon for chunky pieces of hot smoked salmon or mackerel

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Gem lettuce is a wonderful carrier for this mapo tofu-inspired sauce, which works equally well with Chinese or other cabbages, or stirred into noodles, or with steamed fish, or simply served on its own alongside some steamed rice

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

A bit of heat transforms crunchy lettuce leaves into a smoky, flavour-bomb. I use orzo in the base of this salad to absorb the dressing, but feel free to swap it with giant couscous or a similar small-shaped pasta

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This tangy, light dish is my spin on the classic French salad, carottes râpées

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This is inspired by a dessert sold on traditional dim sum carts. If your steamer basket isn’t big enough to hold a 19cm cake tin, use ramekins or individual cake moulds instead

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

These sticky rice balls, also known as pearl sticky rice balls in Hunan, their native region, are a type of dim sum, that are often served on celebratory occasions. Ideally, you will need to cook them in a stack of Chinese steaming baskets

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

As with many pasta and grain salads, this is a great one to take on picnics or camping, because it can be made in advance, it’s quick to assemble, it travels well and it’s pretty resilient. Look for green çarliston peppers, or other similar varieties, in Middle Eastern food shops, though romanos will work just fine as a substitute.

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This can all be made ahead, but hold off on adding the leaves and herbs until just before serving. Serve as it is, or pile it into crusty rolls

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This one’s all about keeping the quiche love alive. It’s a real picnic winner as well: easy to slice and eat by hand, happily made in advance (not forgetting that extra 10 minutes in the oven), and it travels well, too. Make more of the dukkah or pesto, if you like – it’s lovely to have a bit extra of both

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

All the various elements here can be prepared in advance and put together just before serving

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

To get ahead you can marinate the peppers and shape the koftas a day ahead, if you like, leaving just the grilling of the koftas to be done before serving. Serve this with rice, or roasted potatoes and a fresh green salad

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

If ever there was a way to feature feta, it’s this frittata, where a block of the cheese sits perfectly in the middle. I consider it a breakfast dish, but it also works just as well as a summer lunch or as part of a picnic spread

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

A beautifully ripe and perfumed peach is a standalone dessert in its own right, but when you have not-quite-ripe (or not-quite-unripe) ones, I roast them to help bring out their sweetness. The croissant wafers I serve with them here are a fun way to use up stale croissants. If you like, make them the day before and store in an airtight container to keep their crispness

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Plump, in-season cherries make a glorious salsa that works wonderfully with spiced pork. If you like, make this an even quicker midweek meal by swapping the loin for some chops

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This quick, refreshing salad is all I really want to eat – and “cook” – on a hot summer’s day. I’ve used seasonal summer berries here, but by all means swap them out for some stone fruit, if you prefer. Eat with a spoon, so you can lap up all the dressing

Yotam Ottolenghi

This is inspired by Spanish chilled soups, which are a favourite summer staple. I like them with some texture but, for a silkier finish, sieve the mixture and discard the solids. If you like, make the soup the day before and blend again before serving, if need be

Yotam Ottolenghi

Small datterini tomatoes (the name translates as “little dates”) are wonderfully sweet and perfect for tomato sauce because they have lots of flesh and not too many seeds, so they cook quickly. If you can’t find them, cherry tomatoes make a fine substitute

Yotam Ottolenghi

The tropical marriage of tomato and mango makes this a delicious and colourful side dish for a barbecue or light lunch

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This is a great way to dress up fridge-cold, refreshing slices of watermelon. Save the excess spice salt to serve with slices of ripe mango, pineapple, cucumber or even salad leaves

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This punchy summer salad makes a great side dish for a lunchtime spread, or turn it into the main event by serving it with flatbreads and a simple green salad. All the various elements can be prepared in advance, but assemble the dish only when you’re ready to eat

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This one-pan bake is bursting with summer flavours. If you can’t find biber salçasi, use rose or regular harissa instead, or tomato paste mixed with a little aleppo chilli

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Turkish pepper paste brings a deeply savoury and spicy flavour to these flatbreads. It’s widely available, but can be swapped for tomato paste or harissa, if need be. While there are a few components here, everything can be prepared ahead of time. Make and shape dough the day before, cover and pop in the fridge to prove slowly

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Prawns work so well on a barbecue: their protective shell makes the perfect nonstick barrier to the heat of the fire. As a bonus, they cook in no time at all. The butter and dressing (bar the basil) can be made up to a day ahead