Ottolenghi is celebrating 20 years.
They put together a collection of recipes as their Celebration 20.
I’ve cooked from their books occasionally, but have only found a couple of keepers over the years.
But I know I’m in the minority - the cult of Ottolenghi is strong!
So what are your tried-and-true, oft-repeated Ottolenghi favorites?
I have “Jerusalem” on the shelf but don’t think I’ve ever cooked from it. My Saturday newspaper has a food supplement which always includes three recipes from him. These days, I don’t even read them as I know I’m never going to cook them. I find his food always overly complex for me , mainly in terms of the need for unusual ingredients which I’d need to source online and then never use for anything else but also in process which is often beyond my skill level (or, at least, my “give a shit” level).
By the by, I also bought Tamimi’s “Falasatin” but, much as I enjoy Middle Easterrn food, I couldnt get to grips at all with this one and it quickly got sent to the charity shop.
I have “Jerusalem” too. Loved reading it, and his other books (which I have on Kindle) but I don’t really cook from the recipes. They are complex to source ingredient-wise. But good to know about, as in I could do this if I had that.
I had Jerusalem for a while and tried a few recipes. The one that stuck, and which I’ve made over and over, is the cod cakes in tomato sauce (I use halibut). Mincing all that fish requires a sharp knife, but effort is worth it - a full recipe will make a dinner entree and two lunches for the two of us. Leftovers hold up well. Recipe can be found in The Guardian here.
Another recipe of his I plan on trying this year when the berries are in season is his Blueberry Almond and Lemon Cake. It gets high marks from anyone I know who’s tried it. Can be found in the New York Times here.
My favorites are from Jerusalem: shakshuka, baby spinach salad with dates & almonds, salmon in chraimeh sauce.
I love Ottolenghi recipes. I don’t eat meat or poultry. I was in heaven when I purchased Plenty and Plenty More. With most savory cookbooks a large percentage of the recipes are useless to me; with Plenty and Plenty More, all of the recipes suit my diet and they taste fantastic.
Favorites:
Shakshuka from Plenty
Cauliflower Cake
Tangerine and Ancho Chile Flan. I make this with blood oranges and recommended in the cookbook, Flavor.
Roasted Parsnips with Caper Viniagrette
Barley and Pomegranate Salad
Red Lentil Soup with Fried Tofu and Chilli Oil
Okra and Chickpea Bake
Slow Cooked Chickpeas on Toast
I highly recommend reading The New Yorker article on Ottolenghi
And watching Ottolenthi and the Cakes of Versaille
Great read, that article in The New Yorker. Thanks for the link!
My pleasure.
Ooo that recipe sounds great, and I have the book! Thanks !
We have “Jerusalem” and regularly make the shakshuka recipe that others have already mentioned/linked to above. We also enjoy:
Turkey and Zucchini Burgers With Spring Onion and Cumin
Stuffed Aubergine with Lamb and Pine Nuts
Mejadra
Root Vegetable Slaw with Labneh
In addition to the spinach salad and the zucchini turkey burgers, Jerusalem has a recipe for a seafood ouzo stew that I made with shrimp and Pernod a few times during the pandemic and loved. Also a nice sauteed okra recipe.
I like Plenty More a lot, and Simple maybe even more. Both get used a fair amount. That said, sure, too many unusual ingredients and too many pots and pans used is a valid criticism.
The one I probably make the most is the shrimp, feta, and orzo one in Ottolenghi Simple. It’s the fourth recipe down in this article:
I also really like the Chicken with Caramelized Onions and Cardamom Rice from Jersusalem:
Yeah, that chicken is wonderful.
Whenever I visit London, I always make a trip to one of his restaurants or shops, even if just for takeaway. I know I will have a delicious and interesting meal. The first time I went to one of his shops was about the time the first Ottolenghi cookbook came out. I got a couple takeaway items including a rice salad that I loved. I went back the next day and bought the cookbook.
I agree that some of the recipes are a bit too complex for a weeknight meal. I just checked EYB, and I have made at least 30 recipes from his books over the years. There are a few that I love and have made many times. They include:
Shakshuka (I slightly prefer the Plenty version, but the Jerusalem version is also delicious). I always make a lage batch of the sauce when tomatoes are ripe in the summer and freeze individual portions of the sauce. It is a great, quick dinner in the winter; just heat and add an egg
Spinach Salad from Jerusalem has made multiple appearances when I’ve had guests for dinner.
Camargue red rice with orange and pistachios from the first Ottolenghi cookbook.
Turkey and Zucchini Burgers from Jerusalem
Lemon, Blueberry, and Almond Teacakes from Sweet
The shakshuka recipe I linked is in Plenty.
It is different from the shakshuka recipe in Jerusalem.
They are both delicious.
As it turns out, we are making the one from Plenty, but here is the link to the Jerusalem one for those who are curious about the differences:
I wouldn’t say that we don’t take liberties even with that recipe. For me lamb merguez is a necessary addition to any shakshuka, and I am so happy that it has become more readily available (at least in the NYC metro area) over the past several years. We don’t make it at home, but buy D’Artagnan lamb merguez to add, although there is a Suzann Goin merguez recipe out there, amongst others, that we may eventually try.
I love that recipe. The meatball recipes are great, too. So is the pasta with yogurt and peas. And the carrot salad and the roasted eggplant with fried onions and chopped lemon. That recipe is a stunner.
I was a fan girl for quite a while. I have seen him speak 3 times in Toronto.
I own 3 books. I have cooked a dozen recipes from Jerusalem, haven’t cooked anything from Simple or Plenty. I have cooked from quite a few recipes posted on newspaper websites, on Epicurious or the Ottolenghi site.
The recipes I have made more than 3 times are: the pears poached in white wine with saffron and the mejadra.
That turkey burger recipe is divine. I make it several times per year.
