Recipes

Yotam Ottolenghi

These work well with all sorts of meals, either as a starter, or as part of a spread, or just as a main course with plain rice. They’re also incredibly delicious piled into a pitta with as many fresh herbs as you can fit in. Once made, these aubergines keep well, too, for up to three weeks in the fridge, if covered in oil, which gives you there’s plenty of time to experiment

Yotam Ottolenghi

Take your time, and the flavours of protein, vegetables and sauce will all blend and marry, so feel the heat and go slow

Yotam Ottolenghi

It’s easy to think that any dish that involves roasting root veg will always inevitably take a fair bit of time. Butternut squash, however, particularly when sliced thin, is surprisingly quick. Keep the peel on, though: without it, the squash will collapse without it and , plus it’s lovely to eat once roasted. All the elements can be made ahead of time here, ready to put together in a minute

Yotam Ottolenghi

With its sweet and sour flavours and candied orange topping, this dish is inspired by a Persian khoresh, or braise. I’ve used coconut yoghurt here, to make the dish vegan, but a Greek-style dairy yoghurt would work just as well

Yotam Ottolenghi

This is an absolute keeper for all the winter months. The secret? The combination of butter, time and heat – which do all the work, comfort-wise, while the sauerkraut then keeping keeps everything fresh and in line

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

For anyone who’s new to the deep-fried omelette, it may seem all kinds of wrong. Anyone who’s had one before, however, knows that it’s all kinds of right: crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Eat this as it is, with some hot chilli sauce, or turn it into more of a meal with some sticky rice and pickles on the side; picked crab meat also makes a wonderful accompaniment

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This has all the freshness and simplicity of spaghetti alle vongole, with added umami richness from the seaweed. Get everything prepped, chopped and lined up before you turn on the heat here: that way, the dish will be ready in minutes.

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Doubanjiang is a fermented chilli bean sauce from Sichuan. It’s super-salty, savoury and spicy, as well as brilliant at dialling the flavour all the way up to 10. Make more chilli peanut oil than you need for this: it’s great to have around to spoon over all sorts of roast veg, meat and fish, or even just on a couple of fried eggs. This works well on its own or with rice on the side

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Welsh pancakes that have a wonderfully distinctive texture somewhere between a crumpet and an American buttermilk pancake. Persimmons are a winter fruit in the UK: they need to be ripe and soft to the touch so, if yours are underripe, be patient and wait for them to ripen. Alternatively, make a compote with pears or frozen berries, buy a jar of ready-made, or just serve the crempogau with good honey and salted butter

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

When lemon and sugar simply won’t do, I’d rather devote my attention to more fun fillings than to the flipping – melty, gooey cheese and a spicy paste from a jar, say. Good-quality shop-bought pancakes will make the whole process easier, but they can be a bit brittle. so heat them slightly, and gently, before filling, which will keep them pliable

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

These are inspired by sinasir, or Nigerian pancakes made with rice that is soaked, blitzed and often fermented. Being made from rice, they’re a great option for those who prefer things gluten-free. Feel free to play around with toppings – I also love them with butter and honey, or served plain alongside a soup or stew

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Does anything say love more than a can or two of tinned peaches, a sheet of ready-rolled pastry and a tub of shop-bought ice-cream? This is nostalgia, decadence, ease and deliciousness all in one tart, and with leftovers for the next day

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

The combination of tahini and trout might not seem an obvious combination, but in this instance opposites really do attract, with the nutty sauce providing a welcome counterpoint to the rich, oily fish. If you want to get ahead, the dish can be prepared up to a day ahead right until the point before the tray goes in the oven

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This is the best of all starter dishes. It’s can be as deliciously decadent and complex as you want it to be, and at the same time wonderfully low-maintenance and fuss-free. It’s just as worth making with regular oranges instead, when blood oranges are no longer in season. Serve with grilled focaccia

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This is my vegetarian homage to pepperoni, using the “meatiest” of all veg, mushrooms, and making them spicy and smoked

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

All the various elements of this pizza can be made ahead of time (they and are also uncommonly good, piled into a toastie)

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Al taglio pizza, which is sold by the slice in Rome and beyond, is a really versatile way of cooking pizza, because the toppings can be added either before or after the base is cooked

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Kuku is similar to frittata, but slightly wetter in texture. It’s from Iran, so barberries are a common feature, but if you can’t get hold of those, dried cranberries or currants, soaked first in lemon juice and drained, will work just fine. This keeps well in the fridge for two days, so is a good one for weekday lunches. Bring it to room temperature before eating with a leafy salad

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This is inspired by a khoresh karafs, a Persian celery stew that puts a vegetable that usually gets only a supporting role firmly centre stage. It’s also a great make-ahead dish, because the flavour deepens with time – leave the grilling until just before serving, though

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

These take their inspiration from maamoul, a date and nut-stuffed butter cookie popular throughout the Middle East. Swap the pecans for any other nuts you have to hand and the fennel seeds for spices such as the same amount of anise or half the amount of cardamom. Once baked, the cookies will keep well in a sealed container for up to five days, so they’re perfect for making ahead

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

The star of this cake is the toasted poppy seed brittle that can be made up to a week in advance. The quantities given will make more brittle than you need here, but that makes for a double win. Just pop the excess in a sealed container, then wrap it in ribbon and attach a note saying: “This keeps well for a week – it’s lovely crumbled over yoghurt or porridge, or blitzed to a paste for spreading on toast.” Cake and present. Job done!

Yotam Ottolenghi

This heartwarming, thick soup is Iran’s answer to minestrone. This wonderfully wholesome and ­nourishing dish is called ash-e reshteh, and it leaves a real smile on your face. I found reshteh noodles at an ­Iranian grocer in London, but linguine will do the job just as well.

Yotam Ottolenghi

Get your cupboard stocked up with a few basic Japanese ingredients, and this meal will be pretty much ready and waiting for you. It delivers big on flavour and takes only minutes to prepare

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

The natural sweetness of leeks, with their soft, oniony aroma, makes them the perfect cold-weather comfort food, especially in the form of fritters. The creamy sauce that accompanies them, full of herbs and zest, is unreservedly delicious