Recipes

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This is a long way from a traditional carbonara, I know, but it’s very much inspired by the original, so I’m sticking to the name. A comforting, minimal-fuss midweek meal

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

If you like filo and you like custard tarts, you are going to love this Greek take on custard pie. Browning the butter and adding a splash of vinegar to the syrup isn’t at all traditional, but it does make the whole thing even more moreish, and offsets the sweetness a little. This is best served after it’s had a rest, so all the flavours meld together and the custard sets

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Gigantes plaki sto fourno, or giant beans in the oven, is a traditional Greek-Cypriot dish featuring large white beans baked slowly in a rich tomato sauce. They’re typically served with salty feta and bread, but here we pay tribute to the original by bringing together all the meal’s various elements into an all-in-one dish

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Traybake chicken and chips – what’s not to love? The pilpelchuma paste, which is an intense Libyan condiment flavoured with chilli and garlic, works brilliantly here, and dials up the aïoli immensely. It’s well worth making more of the paste than you need here, because it keeps well in the fridge for up to a month and is lovely as a marinade for root vegetables before they are roasted. Alternatively, use shop-bought harissa

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Have the dressing ready for the moment the squash comes out of the oven. Coating it straight away will help it take in all that flavour, and the result is sweet and sour and fragrant, with a touch of heat, too. This a great side dish for all sorts: simply cooked meat or fish, say, or even a big bowl of just-cooked rice

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

These are a spin on my colleague Verena Lochmuller’s take on that childhood favourite, the pop tart. Ideally, use a jam with lots of pieces of fruit in it, and play around with whichever jams and frozen fruit you have to hand. Freezing the pies before they’re baked helps to stop the jam escaping during the cooking

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

These can be constructed and refrigerated a day ahead (or frozen for up to a week), so all you have to do is (defrost and) bake them as and when required – if you do chill them, increase the baking time by a minute or two. If you like, serve them with a herby dip, lemony tahini or just some plain yoghurt. We’ve used store-bought pastry, but you can make your own

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

The description does not, in fact, refer to how things might taste– it’s the name of a Sichuanese sauce. The sauce keeps very well in the fridge and is uncommonly good over all sorts of things, so by all means make more of it, if you like. And if you happen to have any some Sichuan peppercorns to hand, then you could do a lot worse than toast them, then grind and sprinkle a little on top at the end for their uniquely tingly kick

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Like a baked custards set within the lightest of sponge casings, these milk tarts - so simple, so delicious! - have a flavour reminiscent of pastéis de nata, and are so simple and delicious. These quantities will make more of the preserved berries than you need here, but they keep really well in the fridge, all ready to jazz up a breakfast

Yotam Ottolenghi

This is such a great thing to have to hand in the weeks to come. It’s a brilliant addition to a festive board of ham and cheese with crackers, and it makes a great impromptu pudding, too, sprinkled over thick yoghurt too, for example. If stored in a sealed container, it will keep at room temperature for up to a week, so make a double or triple the batch; a jar also makes for an excellent gift to take along to a party

Yotam Ottolenghi

This dish draws inspiration from chaat, a knockout Mumbai street snack featuring that popular South Asian spice mix, chaat masala. The result is a little bit sweet and spicy, a little bit funky and sour, and an altogether apt combination for many a festivecelebratory get-together. Everything can be made a day ahead, too

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

American biscuits are, as no American needs pointing out, different from British biscuits – they are more like a scone. Even for an American, however, these stuffing biscuits are not your usual biscuit: they’re buttery, moist and packed full of festive flavours. They’re also best eaten fresh out of the oven, though any spare areleftovers will still be great the next day, gently warmed through, sliced open and packed with more butter, along with, and any leftover cold meat and cheese

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This bird is glazed with the flavours of Thanksgiving, but one that I’ll be giving thanks to (and eating) it in various guises throughout the festive season. Don’t be put off by the need to spatchcock the duck: spend five minutes looking up the technique online; failing that, just ask your the butcher to do it for you

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Shop-bought ingredients make light work of this showstopping, make-ahead festive dessert. If the pistachio paste you use is on the sweet side, simply mix in some flaky sea salt when you’re assembling the dish. This can be made up to a week ahead, up to the point before the pistachio coating goes on; the pistachio mix can be added a couple of hours before serving, to retain its crunch

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

These are a play on a classic Scandinavian Christmas side dish, and work alongside all sorts of mains. To get ahead, boil the potatoes the day before, then drain, cool and put in the fridge uncovered to dry out. Guanciale is a uniquely delicious cured meat made from the jowl of a pig, but if you can’t find any, use pancetta or streaky bacon instead

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This vegetarian Christmas centrepiece sits somewhere between a nut roast and a veggie stuffing. As a result, it works as well as a main course as it does as a side dish for those having meat. You can cook this entirely ahead of time, in which case cover with foil and reheat gently in a low oven before serving. Any leftovers make great Boxing Day sandwiches, especially alongside big hunks of cheddar

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

The key to a Christmas starter, if you’re having one, is for it to appear almost magically and without any faff. This one can be made a day or two in advance, then tucked away in the fridge until it’s needed, so it fits the brief perfectly. It’s essentially a mix, assemble and serve dish that can be whipped up in minutes. Serve with a warm baguette and/or crunchy crudités

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Forget the mistletoe – these little Italian cookies are where the kissing is at this year. Once assembled, these will start to soften, which is what you want. From that point, they will keep well in a sealed container for another three days

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This warm, comforting tart makes a great alternative to Christmas pudding. Use darker skinned and very firm plums, so they retain their shape while cooking. If you want to get ahead, build the tart complete with its marzipan topping a day or so before, and refrigerate; only add the plums when you’re ready to bake, though. Serve warm or at room temperature

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Parsnips, carrots, crackers and cheese: that may sound like the beginning of a witch’s spell, but it’s actually a magical combination of flavours, and an excellent way to use up those leftover scraps. Substitute depending on what you have around – some pesky bits of roast squash, say, brie or gruyere, Mini Cheddars or cream crackers? Anything goes. Serves with a salad

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

This addictive spring onion sauce is a twist on the garlic sauce found at every Mauritian table whenever a stir-fry appears. It’s usually liberally spooned over fried rice and noodles, but the test kitchen has been especially loving it on fried eggs. Seeing as the recipe has been devised with Boxing Day in mind, you may well not have any leftover rice in the fridge (which works best for this here), so feel free to use a couple of packets of microwave rice, which you can use straight from the pack

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

These work well as finger food, for everyone to help themselves to, or as a dessert centrepiece dessert. The meringues can be made a day ahead, but don’t assemble the dish until you’re close to serving up, otherwise they will soften in the cream. If you like, add a teaspoon or two of your favourite tipple to the cream mix for an extra kick

Yotam Ottolenghi · The Guardian

Double or triple the batch, if you like: then freeze the excess unbaked straws first do so on – put them in the freezer on their tray and, once frozen, store in layers and separated by greaseproof paper in a suitable freezer container. They’ll now keep for a month and can be baked straight from frozen, but give them a little more time in the oven

Yotam Ottolenghi

Adding peppers to your potatoes as they roast gives them sweetness and vibrancy. They go well with roast chicken, but you can also serve them with grilled aubergine halves and a drizzle of tahini sauce.