There are all sorts of ways to get a meal on the table, depending on the sort of cook you are. One person’s idea of cooking simply is the next person’s culinary nightmare. For me, for example, it’s about being able to stop at my greengrocer on the way home, pick up a couple of things which look good, and make something within 20 or 30 minutes of getting home.Whatever our approach, it all looks effortless and easy when friends and family come to eat in our respective kitchens. This is only because we’ve worked out the way that suits us to make cooking simple, relaxing and therefore fun. It’s differentfor everyone. This idea, then – that there’s more than one way to get a meal on the table and that everyone has a different idea of which way is simple – is what Ottolenghi SIMPLE is all about. The reason I’m so excited about Ottolenghi SIMPLE is that it’s full of recipes which are still distinctly ‘Ottolenghi’ but are simple in at least one (but very often in more than one) way.
Bridget Jones's pan-fried salmon with pine nut salsa
“This is the dish Patrick Dempsey’s character tells Renée Zellweger’s Bridget Jones that he would have brought her on their imaginary second date in Bridget Jones’s Baby. ‘From Ottolenghi,’ says Dempsey, ‘delicious and healthy!’ And easy, we might add! What sounded like a bit of product placement on our part was, in fact, no such thing. The recipe didn’t even exist on our menu, so this is a retrospective acknowledgement” - Yotam Ottolenghi. This is an edited extract from Ottolenghi SIMPLE(Penguin Random House, RRP $49.99). On sale now.
Butterbean mash with muhammara
“Muhammara is a spicy Levantine dip of red capsicum and walnuts. It keeps in the fridge for 3 days, so double the recipe, if you like. It’s as lovely spooned into a cheese sandwich or served with grilled meat as it is as a dip. I’ve left the skins on the capsic*ms for ease, but remove them if you don’t want the texture. The mash can be made 3 days in advance – keep in the fridge in a separate container and bring back to room temperature before serving” - Yotam Ottolenghi. This is an edited extract fromOttolenghi SIMPLE (Penguin Random House, RRP $49.99). On sale now.
Soba noodles with lime, cardamom and avocado
“Scraping the seeds from 12 cardamom pods and crushing them might feel like a bit of a fiddle, just for 1/2 tsp, but it’s a few minutes well worth spending. Unleashing the fruity, floral and citrusy spice into the dish makes it really quite distinct. I like to eat this as it is for a quick lunch or light supper, or with some prawns or tofu stirred through just before serving. It also works well served alongside some pan-fried salmon or topped with a soft-boiled egg” - Yotam Ottolenghi. This is an edited extract from Ottolenghi SIMPLE (Penguin Random House, RRP $49.99). On sale now.
Gigli with chickpeas and za'atar
“Gigli means ‘lilies’ in Italian, and their floral wavy edges are a great vehicle for the chickpeas and anchovies in the sauce. Orecchiette (ears) or conchiglie (shells) are also good for scooping and work really well here, too” - Yotam Ottolenghi. This is an edited extract fromOttolenghi SIMPLE (Penguin Random House, RRP $49.99). On sale now.
Ottolenghi's mint and pistachio chocolate fridge cake
“This is called a chocolate fridge cake, but it should be seen as a bit of a larder cake as well, using what you have to hand – which is why this is a pantry recipe. Allsorts of different-flavoured chocolate (ginger chocolate, chilli chocolate and so forth), biscuits, nuts, dried fruit or alcohol can be used, instead of what’s listed here, depending on what you have in your pantry and what you like. The cake can be stored in the fridge, in a sealed container, for up to a week” - Yotam Ottolenghi. This is an edited extract from Ottolenghi SIMPLE (Penguin Random House, RRP $49.99).
Blueberry, almond and lemon cake
“For all the tins, trays and moulds that can be used to great effect in baking, there’s nothing quite like a simple loaf cake to reassure one that all is okay with the world.This is timeless, easy and also keeps well, for 3 days, stored in an airtight container at room temperature” - Yotam Ottolenghi. This is an edited extract fromOttolenghi SIMPLE (Penguin Random House, RRP $49.99). On sale now.
