• kmattingly on April 22, 2013

  This has become one of my most favourite cookbooks and has inspired me to buy Ottolenghi's Jerusalem cookbook. The man is an absolute genius. He puts ingredients together that I would not always think of but they always turn out fantastic. None of the recipes are hard to follow or to make either.

• Jane on May 22, 2011

  I just realized that despite doing Notes on several recipes, I haven't done one for the book. I absolutely love this book. It's rare you find a cookbook where every recipe is unusual, different, exciting and above all delicious. I would recommend it to anyone who loves Mediterannean/Middle Eastern flavors.

• Vanessa on May 22, 2011

  Wow these notes did it for me. This book went STRAIGHT to my wishlist!

• owaint on November 22, 2010

  Superb book, some incredibly tasty recipes most of which are pretty straightforward. From time to time you buy a cookbook and make recipe after recipe from it - this is one of those times. Recommended to friends/family who've all loved it too.

• MMarlean on August 15, 2010

  Already my very favorite cookbook! Only have had the cookbook 3 days. The most beautiful cookbook I own. Love the food philosophy of Yotam and Sami. Tried my first recipe today - Cauliflower and cumin fritters with lime yoghurt. Served as suggested on pita with hummus and tomato. Absolutely wonderful flavors. Very unique!

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Turkey and sweetcorn meatballs with roasted pepper sauce

  • Jane on May 15, 2011

    I loved this - the combination of the strong, spicy roasted pepper sauce with the mild meatballs was lovely. Next time I think I'll just go the oven route as I found the meatballs rather soft and they also stuck quite a bit in the pan while I was browning them. The meatballs in the photo in the book look so evenly browned - I can never get my meatballs that even. Definitely a keeper.

  • Cheri on November 16, 2012

    These were excellent. I modified a bit. Added a bit of Parmesan and a little mayo to bind meatballs. Baked at 375 deg for 25 min - perfectly done. Also reduced cumin. Cheated on the sauce, and used jarred red peppers with chili sauce, garlic and olive oil., which was just fine. Will definitely be a repeat! Served with naan bread and a big green salad.

  • Breadcrumbs on May 10, 2011

    p. 125 -Let me just say, we LOVED these. I thought they were outstanding. The wonderful roasted red pepper sauce was a perfect match for the sweet, tender meatballs. In the sauce I used one Thai bird chili vs mild, doubled the garlic and cider vinegar. Blended w Bamix (great!). Meatballs made as directed except doubled garlic, skipped cilantro, and reduced cumin to 1tsp.YO has you brown the meatballs on the stove then finish in the oven. I simply baked them in the oven @ 375 for 25 mins. As I mentioned we thought this dish was just wonderful. Honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered to us what was served alongside, these were the star of our show tonight! I’ll serve these again for dinner, as hors d’oeuvres or well, just any old time!! We could eat these here or there, we could eat these anywhere!! What more can I say?!!

  • pikawicca on July 20, 2010

    Made with ground chicken. We loved this! Double if you're making for 4, though. Don't double the sauce -- it makes a ton. (I used the leftovers as a pasta sauce.) Although I normally like Middle Easter food served at room temp, I think these might be better straight from the oven. General Ottolenghi note: His olive oil and spice requirements are often wildly off. I didn't use nearly the amounts of cumin or EVOO called for. (I did use a bit more lemon juice and pomegranate molasses, however.)

  • lorloff on May 31, 2014

    We loved this so much we now double the recipe to make sure we have leftovers. This time I made a double recipe of the sauce as well and we served it with garlic roasted bone in chicken breasts. I make this as often as I can.

  • cespitler on November 01, 2012

    These are delicious little bites. I baked them at 400 for about 25-30 minutes, turning them half way through instead of pan frying and then baking. The roasted red pepper sauce was quick and tasty with lots (lots!) left over, which I'll probably use on some fish or potatoes.

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    I thought the meatballs were fine (I "panfried" in a non-stick skillet and didn't need oil). The sauce however, is unbelievably amazing- it paired really well with the corn and cumin in the meatballs. Vegetarians should consider just making the roasted red pepper sauce (spicy and sweet from chiles and sweet chile sauce)-it will go well with corn, potatoes, green beans, eggs, etc.

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    I followed both recipes pretty closely, except that I tend to round up slightly with spices, and I used a smaller amount of oil in a non-stick pan. Also, my red peppers were a little more bitter than usual, so after tasting the finished sauce, I added a touch more sweet chili sauce and that seemed to brighten it right up. Although I was a little doubtful about browning the turkey balls in the pan and cooking in the oven for only five minutes, they were perfectly done. We liked this dish quite a lot. I especially liked the turkey-corn-cumin flavor combination. The red pepper sauce adds a nice contrast, in both taste and appearance.

  • Delys77 on April 06, 2015

    Pg. 125 These were very good. Double the recipe for 4 but keep the sauce the same. Baked for 17 at 400 and then 17 at 375 on convection. Easy weeknight meal.

  • chawkins on May 08, 2021

    This will be my top preferred recipe for ground turkey. So easy and so delicious. My package of ground turkey was 1.3 lbs and I got 15 meatballs. Based on the previous comments, I made a full recipe of meatballs and only half a recipe of the red pepper sauce and that was enough. I used sriracha for the sweet chile sauce, jalapeno for the chile and lime juice for the vinegar.

  • kmattingly on April 22, 2013

    The roasted red pepper sauce is a must with these delicious meatballs. Next time I might have to make extra, all devoured very quickly.

  • vitapano on October 11, 2014

    Superb pepper sauce. Meatballs tasted great and were a success with kids as well.

  • ldtrieb on August 17, 2017

    Loved the sauce, meatballs not so much.

  • MelissaM0223 on October 13, 2014

    Loved this recipe! Not as labor-intensive as some of his others. I baked the meatballs like some of the other comments suggested (for about 20-25 minutes) and they turned out great. I didn't peel the pepper skins off of the peppers, and the sauce wasn't as smooth as it could be but I wasn't bothered by it.

  • annmartina on October 14, 2016

    Red pepper sauce by itself is great with rice, pasta, sandwiches...

  • e_ballad on October 12, 2019

    Broken link.

  • Frogcake on March 18, 2017

    Amazing. I agree with others that the roasted pepper sauce is outstanding. Wouldn't change anything in this recipe. Like TrishaCP I pan-fried on a non-stick skillet and was able to reduce the oil needed. Will be making these again.

  • raybun on May 02, 2017

    Fabulous recipe, we all loved this! I used ground chicken instead of turkey but other than that followed the recipe. I made 12 ping pong ball sized meatballs, and there was plenty of sauce (mainly cos the child turned her nose up at it). Served with the green beans in hazelnut oil from the same book.

  • purrviciouz on June 19, 2021

    Fantastic and I think what made the dish was the red pepper sauce. I doubled the sauce and used on pasta as recommended which was excellent. I would absolutely make these again.

  • Hansyhobs on January 09, 2022

    Meatballs were lovely although the sweetcorn had a tendency to fall out. If I did this again I probably wouldn't bother toasting the sweetcorn. The sauce is extremely delicious and the star of the recipe for me. Didn't bother peeling the peppers and I don't think it mattered at all.

• Marinated turkey breast with cumin, coriander and white wine

  • Jane on May 15, 2011

    For once I got myself organized in advance and marinated the turkey breast for the full 24 hours. The marinade was mint, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, white wine and olive oil. My marinade was much greener than in the book photo - that looks like the herbs are still quite chunky rather than pureed into a smooth sauce. Anyway, mine was delicious. very moist, great flavor and the marinade heated up as a sauce was really good. I served it with Chargrilled cauliflower with tomato, dill and capers on p.51

  • Zosia on July 27, 2018

    An overnight soak in a marinade resulted in juicy turkey predominantly flavoured with lemon and herbs. The first time I made this, I roasted as per the instructions (though my 850g piece took only 50 minutes). This time, I had a boneless, skinless breast (also 850g) and cooked it on the outdoor grill, which made it even more delicious. Leftovers made excellent sandwiches.

• Apple and olive oil cake with maple icing

  • Jane on June 01, 2011

    We liked this but didn't love it. It seemed rather dry, despite all the olive oil, but I may have overcooked it a bit, though I took it out the oven a couple of minutes early. If I make it again I think I'd start checking after 70 minutes as a cake baking for 90 minutes presumably has quite a bit of variation for different ovens. The maple icing was delicious though I wasn't at home so didn't have my stand mixer so had to mix it by hand, which meant it wasn't as smooth as I think it would have been with the paddle attachment.

  • Astrid5555 on December 30, 2012

    My cake was done after 45 minutes instead of 1 1/2 hours. The unbaked batter had a very strong olive oil taste, but the finished cake was absolutely delicious!

  • lilham on September 24, 2017

    I made this with 2x20cm sandwich tins instead of a 20cm cake tin. The cakes were done after 25min in the oven. Thanks to the comments on the timing otherwise I would have an overdone dry cake. As it is after 25min, the cakes were very moist. I also made only 2/3 of the icing and that's just enough. I am making this again next weekend!

  • KarinaFrancis on September 15, 2013

    The cake was lovely but not a raging success. Reading through the previous note maybe I overcooked it to as it was a little dry. I didn't have time to make the icing so mixed some maple syrup through creme fraiche which gave it the needed moisture.

  • StephEpices on December 16, 2019

    This was a great recipe but the cooking time was way off. It says to cook at 170 for 1.5 hours but at 1 hour mine was already overcooked and a bit dry. The maple icing is really worth it and I'll try it again but start checking at 35 minutes for doneness. I guess I should have read everyone's comments before making it!

• Roast chicken with sumac, za'atar and lemon

  • Jane on May 20, 2011

    I actually was disappointed with this dish, the first time that has happened with an Ottolenghi recipe. It's probably my own fault as I didn't marinate the chicken for long enough - just 1.5 hours rather than his recommendation of a few hours to overnight. Also I think my za'atar was rather stale. And I hadn't noticed cjb's recommendation to line the pan with foil, which would have been a good idea as the pan was a complete mess. But even with all those shortcomings from my side I don't feel interested enough in this to make it again.

  • Breadcrumbs on May 02, 2011

    p. 122 -Happy to report the recipe did not disappoint; we loved it. I used a mandoline to slice my onions super-thin, I used a large zip-lock bag to marinate the chicken overnight. The Za’atar I used was purchased pre-mixed at a local Persian market it was imported from Jordan.The caramelized onions and lemon, the earthy pop of the pine nuts and the herb and spice infused chicken pieces all came together to make a wonderful, delicious dish. We loved this, I’ll definitely make it again. I served it w some Tzatziki on the side and the Greek-Style Potatoes with Lemon and Thyme from A New Way To Cook, a past COTM by Sally Schneider. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/641714#6508331

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Quite good! Line pan with foil.

  • Laura on September 12, 2014

    The chicken was perfectly cooked at 40 minutes. It was really moist. The flavors were more subtle than I expected. I didn't include the bread. I really enjoyed it, while husband thought it was a bit boring. There's a lot of prep involved to prepare the marinade, but once that's done, the rest is a breeze. I marinated it for about 9 hours. I'd make this again, but since husband wasn't crazy about it, I probably won't.

  • LeePicard on July 09, 2015

    I agree with the four star rating. I marinated the chicken for about 4 hours. I thought it was very good but not extraordinary. The pine nuts were a good addition for a nice crunch but I think I could have used them more sparingly and had the same effect. I served this over couscous and the chicken really flavored the couscous as I served it on top with some pan juices. The foil on the baking sheet for easy cleanup is a must. I have to add that I love dishes that I can marinate the night before and then just cook when I get home from work. This is one of those so I think my family will have it again!

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    Sorry to report that this dish didn't hit home with us. I was pretty excited about it, and I very much liked the aroma while cooking. I also liked the idea of roasting the chicken on a tray together with the onions, etc. I did marinate the chicken for over eight hours, but didn't feel that the tastes really merged, or that the chicken picked up a lot of flavor. And as much as I like pine nuts, I felt they were just sitting on top of the chicken without a lot of purpose. I had fresh, fragrant za'atar, so I don't think that is the issue either. Don't get me wrong, we didn't hate it, it was decent, just not great. Could try it again and brine the chicken first, but I don't think I give it a second go.

  • Queezle_Sister on December 31, 2013

    The only real complaint from my family was that this chicken "too flavorful" - voiced by my 15 yr old daughter. I allowed the chicken to marinate for 24h, and for me, this allowed the chicken to really pick up the flavors. Next time I would use less red onion -- I used only one, but it was huge, and for just a single scrawny chicken. There was so much onion that I think it inhibited the chicken from getting really crisp. I might also use slightly less lemon - maybe only 1/2 sliced. The kids found the flavor a bit too sour, but adults just loved it.

  • FJT on March 16, 2014

    A little disappointed by this one - the flavour was OK but I won't be rushing to make it again!

  • Delys77 on September 12, 2014

    Overall this was pretty good, but much like some of the others I found that the results weren't necessarily worth repeating. The caramelized onions with the touch of lemon and spices were very nice with the chicken, but I definitely agree that the pine nuts didn't do much for the dish.

  • KarinaFrancis on February 08, 2020

    I liked this but didn’t love it. The flavours were nice but it was either lacking something or the stock muted everything? Enjoyed it but not enough to make it again

  • cjross on April 15, 2017

    Surprised to see most people weren't too impressed with this recipe as I thought it was delicious. My husband said the breast was a bit bland but my leg was yummy so next time I might just buy chicken legs instead of quartering the chicken myself. I let it marinate for about six hours. Agreed that lining the pan with foil is a good idea.

  • Rachaelsb on April 08, 2022

    Very good, but not amazing.

  • mgwalter on May 25, 2014

    This came out great, except with soggy chicken skin. The sauce which was in the roasting pan was heavenly, so we peeled off the skin and ladeled on the sauce. Was only able to marinade the chicken for about an hour, but it was incredibly flavorful thanks to the sauce the and heavy hand of spices and herbs this dish calls for. Will most definitely make this again.

  • adelina on August 24, 2015

    I made this the night before as a one pot meal. It's really important to season well with salt and sumac. It's also important to season the onions well. I did not let it marinate more than half hour due to time. I followed everything to the tea, but assembly was in a pot with addition of baby potatoes. The added pine nuts with the pottery parsley were a great addition. Cooking it in a one pot, the juices of the chicken remained and gave an additional depth of flavor. It tasted perfect the next day and the family loved it.

  • Fyretigger on March 14, 2022

    I realize the hubris of adjusting a recipe by Ottolenghi, but for my taste, I would like a bit more lemon.

  • lelito on November 09, 2020

    I enjoyed it a lot. The marinade is one of the best I’ve ever tried. The contrast with garlicky yoghurt completes a great dish wonderfully.

• Chargrilled cauliflower with tomato, dill and capers

  • Jane on May 15, 2011

    Loved this and it was just as good cold the next day as a salad. I ran out of time so didn't dry the cooked cauliflower florets and char-grill them in a griddle pan. I will try to do that next time but even without that step I thought this was a fantastic vegetable dish. The dressing of capers, wholegrain mustard, garlic and cider vinegar plus the dill made for a really flavorful dish. And the red, white and green of cherry tomatoes, cauliflower and spinach was so pretty. I will definitely be making this again. This time I served it with the Marinated turkey breast with cumin, coriander and white wine on p.126.

  • lorloff on May 31, 2014

    We loved this too. I have an indoor grill built into my stove so I used that instead of a grill pan and it worked really well. The dressing was perfect. I used fresh dill out of the garden. Can't wait to try it again tomorrow

  • Aggie92 on April 10, 2018

    I finally got around to making this dish after years of lusting after it. Thankfully it did not disappoint. It was a bit time consuming to grill the cauliflower after par-boiling it. I like Poppyseedbagel’s idea of oven roasting the cauliflower and will definitely do that next time. It is such a beautiful dish to look at and to eat. Only change I made was to cut the olive oil in the dressing back to 2 tablespoons and omitted the other 1/4 cup for coating the cauliflower.

  • kmattingly on April 22, 2013

    A favourite in our household. I served it at room temperature and it was still very nice the next day. I have made it on 3 occasions and loved by all.

  • KarinaFrancis on September 18, 2021

    Like the previous reviews I really enjoyed this salad and would make it again when I have dill to use up, although mint and/or parsley would work just as well. I had only had Dijon so that’s what I used and like previous reviewers I hard roasted the cauliflower instead of grilling

  • Barb_N on February 12, 2018

    After reading my own note about the cauliflower fritters on the facing page and how time consuming I found them, I decided to make this. Had to improvise as there was no fresh dill at the store- I used a mix of mint, cilantro and watercress. The mint predominated but I think the herbs were a success. I do want to make it again as written. I could make the vinaigrette over and over- yum.

  • Rutabaga on March 05, 2020

    This is very good; my husband especially liked it, and even the kids ate some without much protesting. It would work well for any time of year, picnics, potlucks, just about any occasion.

  • Poppyseedbagel on January 04, 2015

    We love this too. I don't chargrill the cauliflower but mix with olive oil & cook in the oven at 220deg (fan) for 15 minutes. This chars it very nicely & it's a lot less work!

• Couscous with dried apricots and butternut squash

  • Jane on October 29, 2011

    Really good side dish. Quite sweet with caramelized onions, roasted butternut squash and cinnamon but very tasty. I didn't have all the fresh herbs the recipe called for but it worked just fine with mint and chives.

  • Franci on February 27, 2012

    It wasn't bad but I found it too sweet for my taste

  • eeeve on May 30, 2015

    Love this salad, but the amount of couscous needs to be reduced by half to keep it in balance with the rest of the ingredients (esp the butternut). I often substitute quinoa for couscous, and dried figs are a great alternative to the apricots. Would recommend adding the cinnamon carefully so as not to overpower the dish.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    This is a very easy dish, and it makes a great salad or side dish.

• Fennel and feta with pomegranate seeds and sumac

  • Jane on May 18, 2011

    I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I have never cooked with sumac before. That will now be rectified as I have a little jar from Penzey’s and I will definitely make this salad again. I followed the recipe to the letter – although pomegranates are out of season I was able to buy one of those packs of the seeds. The balance of the licorice-ish fennel and tarragon, the creamy feta and the tangy pomegranate plus the tartness of the sumac, made for a really interesting mouthful. The only thing I might do differently when I make it again is leave out the tarragon as that flavor was a bit dominant.

  • wester on January 12, 2013

    I'm afraid I was disappointed by this. I had expected the fennel and tarragon to stand out more, and I would have liked a note of richness somewhere.

  • Franci on November 30, 2011

    Very nice flavor. I did really like tarragon and fennel together.

  • FJT on October 27, 2013

    We loved this salad and will definitely be making it again.

  • sharifah on January 02, 2012

    I don't like the taste of raw fennel - its a bit too aniseed-y. But this recipe changed my outlook on raw fennel. Have to make sure the fennel is sliced really thinly, and somehow the combo of feta, sumac & pomegranate mixes well and masks the aniseed taste. Would make this again

  • k.a.g on June 24, 2013

    I was also a little disappointed by this - I love raw fennel salads in general, but I found this one a little lacking, like the other favours couldn't hold their own. It's possibly my fault as the fennel bulbs I had were pretty big. I would definitely be willing to try this again with less fennel (by volume) and more of everything else.

  • mondraussie on December 09, 2014

    Great flavours, served on a base of mix leaf, to counter the dominant fennel taste. Think I'll cut back on the sumac a little next time, may have been a bit heavy handed this time. Balance of feta, pomegranate and fennel works really well. Serve with grilled salmon.

  • Rutabaga on May 10, 2014

    Delicious - just as everyone else has already noted. I found it was easy enough to slice the fennel thinly with a chef's knife, no mandoline necessary. As with many salad recipes, I didn't measure the main ingredients (fennel, pomegranate seeds, etc), but just added what looked like the right amount for a good balance of each, and that did the trick. I did not find the tarragon to be dominant, but again, I just added leaves to taste.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    Fennel and pomegranate, unsurprisingly, make a great match in the salad bowl. One crunchy and liquorishy, and the other slightly tart and juicy. Ottolenghi pairs them with feta and sumac. This must bring four of Ottolenghi’s most loved ingredients together – he uses them a lot. He recommends Greek feta for the bite that it gives, but I have fallen in love with a more Middle Eastern feta, one that I can get from the local Afghan grocery. It is creamier and gentler - perhaps it is Danish - and I adore it. In this recipe, use your favourite feta too.

• Marinated aubergine with tahini and oregano

  • Jane on May 15, 2011

    I thought this was so delicious I couldn't stop myself sneaking pieces every time I passed the dish as it was marinading. I made the tahini sauce and although it was good I think I preferred it without the sauce. There seemed to be a lot more herbs in the photo in the book than I had but I thought it was great as it was. Half the recipe was left over (cannot get my kids to eat eggplant) so I'll see if it's even better tomorrow.

  • wester on November 14, 2014

    This was good but not spectacular.

  • vinochic on July 30, 2012

    Delicious-so flavorful!

  • KarenS on September 07, 2015

    Delicious even without the tahini sauce (I forgot to make it). It's too hot to turn the oven on, so I sauteed the eggplant on the stove top, then covered and let cook until the cubes were creamy. I don't like cilantro, so I put in extra oregano and it was great.

  • cespitler on November 01, 2012

    Wow! This will definitely make an appearance again soon with all the eggplant I have growing in the garden. The roasting of the eggplant brings a little smokey flavor, the herbs and lemon in the marinade bring a fresh punch, then it's all topped off with a tahini creaminess. I had a couple small white eggplant, which brought a little lighter presentation to the dish than is in the color picture.

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    I started the eggplant on a grill pan for char marks, so it only took about 10 minutes to finish in the oven. The amount of green herb called for in the recipe is insufficient to make it look like the photo in the book, I'd multiply them next time to assure herbs in every bite. I marinated the eggplant for about eight hours in the refrigerator, brought it to room temperature before serving. I think I slightly prefer the warm eggplant with sesame dressing from the ENYT. but that dish has a more asian taste. This one works well with Mediterranean flavors

  • chawkins on September 21, 2017

    This was good either with or without the tahini sauce. It was much lighter without the sauce but the tahini added richness.

  • rmardel on November 10, 2020

    This is delicious even without the tahini sauce, so do not let that discourage one from making it. I agree that more lemon helps, and it really matters that you let this sit at room temperature for at least an hour or two. It definitely improves and becomes far more than the sum of its parts.

  • clb on May 18, 2020

    More lemon, less olive oil: otherwise a brilliant recipe.

  • Ganga108 on October 14, 2021

    Wedges of eggplant are baked and then marinated in garlic, chilli, herbs and oil, before being dressed with the tahini sauce. Truly, the baked eggplant wedges are good enough to eat on their own, so make sure that you cook enough of them to have a quick snack while making the dish. For the finished dish, the play of the green flavours of the herbs against the eggplant and tahini is magnificent. And don’t you love the way that lemon juice works with tahini? I have always loved that. It is a magical side dish, entree, mezze plate addition or salad, and can be made up to 2 days in advance.

• Chargrilled asparagus, courgettes and manouri

  • Jane on June 02, 2019

    As others have noted, this wasn't really too time-consuming considering the vegetables are chargrilled. They take so little time on a very hot griddle that by the time you have laid them all on, the first ones are ready to turn. I hadn't planned this ahead so didn't have cherry tomatoes or manouri - it worked well with halloumi.

  • cespitler on November 01, 2012

    I've had my eye on this recipe for a couple of weeks....just waiting until I had the right mix of vegetables and a little bit of time. Do not be put off by the early warning in the instructions which indicates that there is a fair amount of prep time for the individual vegetables. I didn't find that to be the case compared to anything else that I might make, especially for a complex salad. It's definitely worth the time. I did make some substitutions to the recipe to fit what I had on hand and collected: locally-produced goat cheese instead of the manouri and the addition of oven-roasted edamame instead of the second courgettes (zucchini). I also did the charring on the grill instead of a griddle pan. This was an immediate hit and it's gorgeous and inviting. The basil dressing is nice with the garlic and I used my good olive oil for this one.

  • owaint on November 22, 2010

    Well worth making, a good summer dish. I find that baby spinach works better than rocket.

  • annmartina on October 14, 2016

    Just the roasted tomatoes are great to have on hand

  • Nikapai on February 10, 2018

    I agree that the prep for this salad doesn’t need a ‘warning’! It was delicious. I made it for Christmas Day and it was fantastic. I used haloumi instead of Manouri and it was absolutely fine.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    We have made this often for xmas. Be warned - there are 7 different processes in this salad, although non of them are difficult or time consuming.

  • catmummery on June 23, 2022

    Made this tonight to use up some veg and was so pleased I did. The prep is not too much of a pain, as others have said. I didn't make basil oil as didn't have basil til end of process so made a preserved lemon, roast garlic and yoghurt dressing, plus some shatta on top. I LOVED it. I did add some fresh basil leaves as my ocado delivery turned up at the end which i'm sure gave extra flagvour. i WILL be making this again. Yum.

• French beans and mangetout with hazelnut and orange

  • Jane on May 10, 2011

    Very delicious side dish (I served it with roast pork belly and roast potatoes). Since it is served at room temperature everything can be prepped in advance then just mixed together before serving. My son who doesn't like many vegetables loved this so it will now be on rotation.

  • robinorig on December 14, 2015

    Here's the recipe online: http://www.womanandhome.com/recipes/532750/french-beans-and-mangetout-with-hazelnuts-and-orange I find the recipe as is is too much oil so I cut down the amount and add the juice of the Orange for acidity. Use really good and fresh olive oil!

  • wester on February 10, 2013

    This was a delicious combination, and easy to make. I wasn't quite sure what to do with the rest of the orange after zesting it, but it did seem like the recipe could use the juice as well, so I put that in.

  • smtucker on December 20, 2015

    This has become a go-to salad in this house. I have served it as part of Thanksgiving, as a side for large BBQ dinners, and just because I see some lovely haricot verts. The nut oil is important, but we no longer add the chopped nuts since there are often "textural" eaters who don't like that crunch. As with many recipes from Ottolenghi, we reduce the amount of oil/dressing to an amount that pleases us.

  • cespitler on November 01, 2012

    It's turning out to be the year of the green bean with loads coming from the garden so this was a perfect choice for a hot summer day. I really liked the combination of flavors with the orange zest and the hazelnuts mingling with each other. I was short a few snow peas so I added a couple handfuls of shelled edamame. Next time, I will mix up the oils, chives, and the garlic a bit ahead of time so that those flavors come together a bit more, especially the garlic.

  • apattin on November 29, 2019

    3 stars only because if I had used all that oil it would have been a swimming pool. Also don't understand how a "crushed garlic clove" works in a salad dressing. I used the hazelnut oil only and it was just fine. I loved the orange bits.

  • seherhussain on October 30, 2011

    pretty good and easy to have as a side as its served as room temp. make sure to season with plenty of salt + pepper

  • Melanie on September 09, 2013

    I was impressed with this salad. I only had olive oil at hand and cut back on the total amount of oil suggested. Make this one again (with nut oil).

  • k.a.g on June 17, 2013

    This is pretty tame by Ottolenghi standards (no really "out there" ingredients) but once again the balance of flavours is spot on. I agree that the seasoning at the end is important, especially if you've cooked your greens in unsalted water, and I'd recommend Maldon or another sea salt in large flakes for a slight crunch. I think I'd increase the quantity of hazelnuts next time - maybe up to 100g - and possibly use just half a clove of garlic.

  • KarinaFrancis on July 27, 2014

    I wasn't wowed by this salad, its nice but not great. Maybe the nut oil isnt optional?

  • Ladyredspecs on January 26, 2014

    I think the dressing on this salad doesn't do justice to the ingredients. Forget the olive oil, the nut oil is enough and with a touch of acid, I used verjuice, it was so much better second time around. Needs generous seasoning too!

  • Zosia on August 05, 2018

    Wonderful combination of flavours and textures. I omitted the olive oil as the nut oil was sufficient.

  • raybun on April 23, 2017

    We loved this! I served it hot as a side dish though, alongside pork satay & rice. I couldn't find hazelnut oil so I used avocado oil with a little sesame oil mixed in.

  • anya_sf on April 21, 2021

    Recipe title in my U.S. edition of this book is "Haricots verts and snow peas with hazelnut and orange". Searching EYB for "haricots verts snow peas" does not find this recipe.

  • anya_sf on April 21, 2021

    I've made this before as written and liked it a lot. This time I used fewer snow peas and added edamame, omitted chives, used sesame seeds and sesame oil in lieu of hazelnuts and hazelnut oil. Delicious, although less oil could be used.

  • foodgloriousfood on May 22, 2022

    We really enjoyed this but if your oranges aren't intensely sweet I would suggest adding a little sugar. I also added the juice of the orange (the recipe only calls for the zest) The sweetness really brought out the other flavors. Without it, the recipe was flat, but maybe that was just my oranges. I would make this again with the extra orange boost.

  • Ganga108 on October 30, 2021

    Orange and hazelnut go wonderfully well together. The pairing offers a good balance of freshness and earthiness and the flavours are subtle enough to complement green beans without overpowering them. In this recipe we use orange slices that we dehydrated some time ago. They were whizzed in a spice grinder until almost powdered.

• Chocolate fudge cake

  • Jane on September 01, 2010

    What a fabulous cake, loved the texture and the flavor. Adding the second layer of cake to cook for less time makes it special.

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Very good. Nice texture.

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    I made this cake for Father's Day to accommodate my sister-in-law who is gluten sensitive. It is one of the best things I've ever baked- so rich it was almost like a candy bar. I served it with raspberries to cut some of the richness. I liked the technique of adding half the batter after the first half had already baked for a while to get two textures, but honestly, you could also just throw it all in at the same time and it would still be great!

  • semaphoredm on February 27, 2017

    Brilliant. Used brown sugar instead of muscavado.

• Camargue red rice and quinoa with orange and pistachios

  • Cheri on March 31, 2011

    Fabulous. Good Potluck dish. Interesting flavors. Yumm!

  • pikawicca on July 20, 2010

    A crowd pleaser and summer favorite.

  • amraub on September 08, 2012

    Fantastic. Made with wild rice instead of camargue red.

  • csafreno on January 10, 2011

    I found this recipe on a blog and have been making it for a couple of years now. One of my all-time favorites. The dish that got me to buy the cookbook.

  • k.a.g on June 10, 2013

    I found this time consuming to make, but entirely worth it (like most of the Ottolenghi recipes I've tried, actually!). It's something that doesn't blow you away with the first bite, but then you find yourself coming back for just a bit more...and another bit more... Even having said that, as a side dish I think this would easily stretch to feed 6, maybe even 8 people, rather than 4 as the recipe says.

  • stockholm28 on September 09, 2013

    I love this dish. It is a great dish to make in advance to bring to a picnic or pot luck. One tip ... if you are making it in advance, don't add the arugula until shortly before serving.

  • IsaSim on March 31, 2014

    Excellent, and just a bit more lemon juice was perfect (more like a whole lemon instead of 2 tsp).

  • tekobo on April 14, 2017

    So glad all the preceding notes convinced me to try this out. Substantial salad that went well with pan fried brill for lunch. Mark, Jules and Rick loved it.

  • Ganga108 on October 25, 2021

    Quinoa seems to be out of fashion now, but it still has a place in our pantry. This is such a healthy salad, in fact it balances the best of the "healthy" world with the "tasty" world of food. Quinoa tastes great, has a satisfying, bouncy texture and is one of the healthiest foodstuffs going. It is said to have more protein than any other grain and the perfect set of amino acids. This salad combines the quinoa with rice. I have made this salad with both Camargue red rice and also with wild black rice. Both are amazing, with a wonderful nutty flavour. I have also seen recipes for this dish made with Indian red rice- it is certainly more cost effective.

• Buttered prawns with tomato, olives and Arak

  • Breadcrumbs on May 03, 2011

    p. 150 - This makes for a super-quick and delicious weeknight meal. I was concerned that the shrimp would be over-cooked if they were to hit the pan prior to the other ingredients so, I started out by adding the butter and a tiny splash of olive oil to a hot wok and then stirring in the garlic and chilies and finally the remaining ingredients. This dish has very few ingredients but it’s the Pernod/Arak that shines by tying everything together and truly enhancing all the other components of the dish. If it weren’t so gosh darn unhealthy, I’d be happy to drink a glass full of that lovely tomato-infused slightly spicy Pernod butter sauce!! I'd definitely make this again. K-9

  • mcvl on October 19, 2013

    Made with ouzo, which is what I had on hand. This is a new once-every-two-months dish. What can I say? Insanely delicious, preposterously easy.

  • TrishaCP on May 16, 2021

    We thought this was delicious. Like Breadcrumbs, we waited until the end before adding the shrimp to avoid overcooking. I will say that it was hard for me to taste the arak given all of the garlic and chile pepper.

  • rmardel on July 19, 2013

    Fabulous and quick. Even my 4 year old grandson asks for more.

  • Snopes on May 19, 2020

    I just did not like this. I like arak and ouzo (which I used), I like shrimp and butter, but the combination struck me as fairly unpleasant. I won't be trying this one again.

  • hibeez on March 04, 2023

    This was delicious and easy. I added the garlic halfway through, so that it would cook a bit more. Since shrimp were smaller than indicated, I cooked them a bit less. Used regular tomatoes but did peel them. 3/4 lb of shrimp (unpeeled), 1 large tomato served 2 people. Used Pernod; the sauce was lovely.

  • Skamper on January 03, 2023

    This was fairly easy and delicious, even with less than amazing tomatoes. My shrimp was less than prawn sized and I wanted this to serve 3 as a main, so I used a bit more of everything (maybe 1 lb shrimp). I followed the advice of others to warm the tomatoes first and this worked well. Served with a green salad and crusty bread. Used pernod because that's what I have.

• Parmesan and poppy biscuits/crackers

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Very good! Definitely addictive.

  • kmattingly on April 22, 2013

    Nice little savoury biscuits - they look pretty too.

  • Pigeoncottagekitchen on April 09, 2015

    These are so nice, they don't last very long!

• Chickpeas and spinach with honeyed sweet potato

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Very good.

  • saladdays on January 08, 2014

    A very good recipe, we used canned chickpeas instead of dried. The taste of the sweet potatoes with honey contrasts well with the lemon and yoghurt dressing. This will be going on a list of favourites.

  • HazukaPie on March 17, 2016

    This reminds me of khow suey. Really delicious. Used canned or precooked beans to speed up the process.

  • Delys77 on January 23, 2014

    Pg. 82 Overall a very tasty dish. I agree with the other comments that the honeyed sweet potato contrasts very well with the tangy yogurt and savoury tomato sauce. I also used canned chickpeas, and added a bit of chicken stock as my canned tomatoes didn't make for enough liquid in the pan. I also tossed the cilantro in to the pan at the end of cooking, and went with about 150 grams of spinach. I did worry the already sweet potato would be far too sweet with the honey, but the result was smooth, sweet, and smoky, just right really.

  • twoyolks on October 23, 2015

    The sweet potatoes were the best part of this. The chickpea mixture was okay but it was a bit bland and didn't pick up much flavor from the spinach or tomatoes. The yogurt sauce complemented everything well.

  • Rachaelsb on April 08, 2022

    This was an amazing dish!!

  • ldtrieb on December 02, 2017

    Delicious, made garbanzo’s in my new instant pot and needed a quick dinner. Miracles happened as I had all the ingredients. Great leftover too.

  • dc151 on March 24, 2021

    This was fabulous, and unlike most Ottolenghi recipes, simple and straightforward to pull together using canned chickpeas. I did not like the sauce on taste test, but it was great when mixed with the dish. Worth doubling this recipe! I feel like the tomato sauce would make a good base for a shakshuka as well.

  • KathMacL on January 27, 2023

    Beautifully balanced flavours. Very filling. Served with couscous.

• Caramelised endive with Serrano ham

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Wow!

  • FJT on August 15, 2019

    Absolutely delicious - I caught my husband licking his plate clean in the kitchen! I subbed 1 tbsp of Herbes de Provence for the thyme and I used prosciutto instead of Serrano ham because that’s all I could get at my local supermarket.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    The bitter tang of Belgium Endive is a wonderful contrast to our normal fare. Today, it is partially cooked on a pan and then finished in the oven with a creamy cheesy breadcrumb topping. We left the ham off for a vegetarian version. This is an ideal dish to prepare ahead. Get it ready to pop into the oven, then it is a quick dish for lunches or a quick dinner side dish.

• Fennel, cherry tomato and crumble gratin

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Excellent

  • owaint on November 22, 2010

    Really tasty, a good accompaniment to the marinated rack of lamb on p. 104. Needs plenty of salt and the crumble recipe should have the sugar reduced when used with something savoury like this.

  • FJT on December 25, 2015

    The fennel was excellent but the crumble topping really didn't do much for me. Next time I'll just top the dish with parmesan

  • Lsblackburn1 on September 13, 2020

    Why have I not made this before?! What a perfect combination of flavors! Served as a side for lamb chops. The only thing I did differently was to run it under the broiler at the end.

  • StephEpices on December 16, 2019

    I made 2 substitutions to fit what I had on hand: ricotta instead of cream and buckwheat flour instead of plain. It was absolutely fabulous. I will be making this again.

• Caramel and macadamia cheesecake

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Very good!

• Plum, marzipan and cinnamon muffins

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Very good - but use VERY ripe plums. I put the compote in but not on.

  • raybun on April 30, 2017

    These were just perfect! I had plums that were not ripening anytime soon so I cooked them for a little longer than stated for the compote, and could have easily added more than the 80g stated to the batter to make them a little more fruity. The texture and flavour were excellent and the family gave them 5 stars. I'm looking forward to having these as a snack during the week and spooning the compote over yoghurt in the mornings.

• Sticky chocolate loaf

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    I liked a lot, but not everyone did.

• Pistachio shortbreads

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Should be called Cardamom Shortbreads w/Pistachios. Very nice flavor and texture, but nobody loved.

  • laurenlangston on August 06, 2016

    Deliciously heavy on the cardamom. These do not look like the picture. I even got a ruler out to measure these things as I was cutting them, but after 35 minutes in the oven (recipe calls for 20) they still were not the least bit brown on top.

  • Silverscreensuppers on April 04, 2019

    I liked these - agree with laurenlangston that they need to be baked a lot longer than Ottolenghi states. Depends on your oven I guess, but mine took about 30 minutes to cook. Entering them for the Muswell Hill and District Horticultural Society Spring Show cookery class for shortbread - wish me luck!

• Almond and orange Florentines

  • mirage on June 26, 2010

    Passover friendly! If grinding own icing sugar.

  • PFP on March 27, 2013

    I don't know why -- perhaps I didn't convert the oven temperature properly since I have the English version which calls for Mark 1 oven -- but these did NOT cook in 12 minutes. I cooked them at 300 degrees F and at the 20 minute mark they were still not done, so I upped the temperature a bit and gave them 5 more minutes. They are still soft at this point but the almonds nicely lightly colored and they crisp as they cool. They were fabulous and a big Seder hit. HOWEVER, next time I would make them much smaller than the 8 cm called for because at a Seder people are eating small portions of about 5 or 6 desserts. Paired with Mom's oranges in light syrup they are sensational.

  • Melanie on September 09, 2013

    These were really simple to make and a huge hit. It was easy to spread these out with fingers (much easier than using a fork). I drizzled dark chocolate over the top as it seemed too fiddly to coat the base.

  • hollyindeed on June 19, 2014

    Simple and tasty however i cooked them longer than requested until satisfyingly golden all over. They would be even better with some glace cherries or dried cranberries or similar added as the almonds are a bit dull on their own.

• Cucumber and poppy seed salad

  • Fiona on January 02, 2011

    This is such a simple salad but transforms a cucumber into something exotic. I've made it several times and everyone loves it.

  • kari500 on July 23, 2020

    Delicious, easy, more than the sum of its parts. Had a glut of cucumbers, and didn't want to do my usual Asian cucumber salad, so went with this. I'll repeat it.

  • smtucker on August 02, 2014

    Love this salad. Young cousins eat it before dinner has hit the table. Big hit.

  • lorloff on August 16, 2014

    Great dish

  • TrishaCP on March 27, 2020

    This salad was very tasty. I completely forgot to include the oil, but I didn’t miss it.

  • mfto on August 02, 2011

    p 20 very simple - if using European cucumber, cut it lengthwise in half and remove seeds - then cut in slices - try Seductions of Rice method of salting cucumbers to remove excess water from cucumber.

  • Astrid5555 on August 07, 2014

    Have made several times already. The addition of the poppy seeds adds a pleasant crunch. New go-to cucumber salald the whole family loves.

  • Melanie on September 09, 2013

    This salad is very crunchy and tastes really fresh. I used medium cucumbers and didn't scoop out the flesh but would try it that way next time.

  • Delys77 on September 12, 2014

    This was pretty good, but as with many cucumber salads I found the ratio of dressing to cucumber was a bit off. The flavours were nice and it the poppy seeds were a nice touch. Good enough but not blown away.

  • kmattingly on April 22, 2013

    Extremely refreshing salad. Even my kids love this one

  • rmardel on November 09, 2020

    Fabulous salad! If it is not all devoured, it also, surprisingly, holds up well until the next day.

  • mamacrumbcake on May 18, 2021

    I thought this was swimming in oil. Also would have liked to taste more of the sweet and sour contrast.

  • Melyinoz on February 03, 2018

    I enjoyed this salad. I cut down considerably on the amount of oil used to suit a friend's dietary requirements and I don't think the salad suffered for it.

  • chezmaryb on February 26, 2021

    Really tasty simple salad. Literally drank the leftover dressing.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    A spicy cucumber salad, perfect for a wonderful, summer-on-the-balcony lunch. Make sure the chillies are mild!

• Orange polenta cake

  • Fiona on August 12, 2011

    This is definitely going into my Favorites - everything I love about a cake. The almonds and polenta give it a wonderful texture and the orange flavor is intense but not too much. I was worried about over cooking it, as I'd read a review saying it was quite dry so took it out at 40mins. Though that person could have been following the recipe in Gourmet (which the online link goes to) as it says 60-75mins . That would be far too long - if you want it moist do closer to 45 min. Most of it got eaten by the book group ladies but some left, and just as good the next day.

  • sosayi on April 17, 2017

    I've made this a handful of times, with variations (different polenta grinds, different citrus, etc.), but it's been incredibly moist and flavorful each time. I think (in our oven), we cook it closer to 50-55 minutes, so definitely make sure to check... it sounds like there's a range out there.

• Organic salmon with red pepper and hazelnut salsa

  • Fiona on March 11, 2014

    A really simple but delicious dish. The flavours of the salsa go so well with the salmon. Served it with lentils and a green salad.

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    Had this with simply roasted kabocha squash and it was great. I really like the idea of the roasted red pepper standing in for the typical tomato in this dish.

  • monica107 on January 25, 2014

    We cooked the salmon opposite from the instructions - cooked in the pan skin side down for a crispy skin. The salsa is one of the best I've ever had.

  • mondraussie on December 09, 2014

    The recipe doesn't sound that exciting, but the results are fantastic... Great combination of flavours and textures. Serve with the fennel and pomegranate salad from the same book.

  • dinnermints on June 11, 2015

    This was pretty good - didn't knock my socks off. I'd add a few more hazelnuts if I made it again.

  • joneshayley on September 25, 2019

    This is a wonderful combination- the salads really cuts through the oily salmon, and complements the flavour. Served with salad and roast potatoes for a delicious main meal.

  • Zosia on July 27, 2018

    This was a great variation on a salsa. It was sweet and tangy and cut the richness of the salmon. I would increase the hazelnuts next time.

• Beef and lamb meatballs baked in tahini

  • wester on February 27, 2013

    I wasn't wild about these. I thought the vinegar in the sauce was a bit overpowering.

  • ComeUndone on July 06, 2010

    Great make ahead dish. I flash freeze the meatballs and finish them in the oven with the tahini sauce just before serving.

  • amraub on May 16, 2012

    Quick and easy, so it's perfect for a weeknight dinner, but plenty of flavour and good enough for company. Served with roasted asparagus. The extra sauce worked very well with the asparagus.

  • thesurgeonsmate on February 26, 2013

    As suggested by the title, the recipe does include beef mince too! However, no harm done making them 100% lamb, I found it an easy method for creating good meatballs.

  • Alicia.Brown on July 18, 2013

    This was very disappointing - too sweet and nauseating. The tahini sauce was not great - too much vinegar. Maybe it was the quality of my tahini. All the other Ottolenghi recipies I've tried have been fantastic, but this was actually inedible according to my palate. Sorry. Even my husband couldn't finish it.

  • rmardel on July 23, 2020

    This is one of those recipes for which the idea appealed to me more than my initial experience of the dish itself. It has since become a staple but I have adapted it to suit my own taste. Initially I found the meatballs too sweet, and oddly bland. That has been solved by using pimenton de la vera to replace the allspice, and keeping the cinnamon the same. I also use my own basic house tahina sauce, which is basically Michael Solomonov’s version from Zahav. This combination has worked consistently and these meatballs now always disappear rapidly.

  • foodgloriousfood on April 05, 2022

    We really enjoyed this and the sauce. I actually doubled the sauce and was glad I did. I add 50% more of all the spices to the meat to give it more flavor. I don't find the tahini sauce too vinegary or too sweet. I use white wine vinegar per the recipe, and my vinegar is quite mellow (Napa Valley Naturals Organic White Wine Vinegar) Vinegars vary a lot and some are very sweet so maybe that is where the overly sweet flavor is coming from that some reviewers mention.

• Etti's herb salad

  • wester on January 11, 2013

    I liked the taste of this; the butter is a nice touch, and it is refreshing and fragrant. I did think the tarragon was a bit overpowering (I will use only half the amount next time) and I am not sure picking the leaves was worth it (I will just cut them up next time).

  • Frogcake on August 04, 2017

    Agree with wester that this is a refreshing, fragrant salad. I love being able to pick all of the herbs from my garden! Great taste and texture contrast with the almonds too. Will be making this again.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    This salad is far too fussy for me. There is no way that I am going to spend hours picking leaves from the stalks of 6 different herbs. So I mixed it up to make my version of the salad. I used the herbs available in my kitchen and garden. It is a fresh and lively salad. I kept Ottolenghi’s almonds for texture and the butter-lemon dressing, and added radishes and betel leaves. The betel leaves were an optional extra of course – my Asian grocery stocks them so occasionally I bring some home. To soften them we wave in a gas flame and then use them as a bed for the salad.

• Roast potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes with lemon and sage

  • lizwinn on December 18, 2010

    The layers of flavors are fantastic.....a new family favorite. An excellent main dish for vegan guests.

  • mcvl on August 04, 2013

    Delish! Also easy enough that I could give the recipe to my husband and say: Do this. I had him make two changes: Nuke the potatoes instead of boiling them (easier, fewer dishes, and I think tastier). Use sage as the finishing herb instead of parsley; doubling up on the sage is good.

  • Melanie on September 09, 2013

    Loved this dish (despite not including the jerusalem artichokes). I made this one with potatoes only and loved that they became soaked through. Good mix of sweet, savoury and sourness in this dish.

  • jackiecat on January 26, 2020

    Available here: http://moveablefeastscookbook.blogspot.com/2016/02/roast-potatoes-and-jerusalem-artichokes.html

  • joneshayley on January 26, 2020

    Far too lemony for my taste. I won’t repeat this.

  • Rutabaga on October 09, 2015

    I made this without the Jerusalem artichokes, but will certainly want to try it again once I have some on hand. The lemon, olive garlic, and tomatoes are fantastic with the potatoes (I used German butterballs). The only problem was some of the lemon slices started to burn. It's probably best to make sure they are layered on top of the potatoes to prevent this, not sitting on their own on the pan. And, while this is not a difficult dish to make, it requires a lot of cooking/baking time, so is not the easiest side dish for a weekday.

  • Rutabaga on April 23, 2018

    I made this again with the Jerusalem artichokes - delicious!

  • e_ballad on June 09, 2017

    This was great, albeit without olives, which I'm sure would have lifted this to amazing (adverse husband!). Can break it up to cook spuds in advance, making this an easy midweek side. Definitely to be repeated!

  • JulieQC on December 03, 2017

    This has become a family favorite. Streamlined the recipe to baking the potatoes longer instead of parboiling. Often sprinkle with feta for a complete meal. In a pinch we substituted oil marinated artichoke hearts for the Jerusalem artichokes and the earthiness made for a good substitute.

  • Dolcetto23 on December 02, 2022

    This is delicious - but as others have noted, you don't need to cook it as long as instructed! I started my potatoes in the oven with a little oil for 15 mins, then added the artichokes etc for 20 mins, then the lemon for 15, then the tomatoes and olives for about 10 - and that was long enough! I didn't have enough olives but what I had (about two thirds of the recipe) was also plenty. Given all of that, highly recommended and easy, and I will be making it again. We had it with merguez sausages cooked in the same oven for the last 15 minutes

  • Hansyhobs on January 03, 2022

    This was nice but the length of cooking for the chokes and potatoes was a little long and they had dried out. Used pink fir potatoes and didn't have olives.

  • Ganga108 on July 31, 2021

    A lovely dish, great flavour combination, great browned potatoes. A prefect Xmas dish too.

• Butterbeans with sweet chilli sauce and fresh herbs

  • ComeUndone on September 01, 2010

    Too sweet and too spicy at the same time. http://www.flickr.com/photos/wscwong/4694484310

• Baked okra with tomato and ginger

  • ComeUndone on July 26, 2010

    Fresh tasting vegetarian dish. Okra was minimally slimey. Love the sweetness of tomato with the heat from ginger.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    You either love okra or hate it, but this dish is sure to convert all of the okra haters, or those hesitant to try it. The okra is baked whole with a little olive oil until it is tender. Then it is mixed in a light and fresh tomato and ginger sauce. It is a surprise – the sauce with the okra is wonderful, and the baking of the okra gives a slightly different flavour and texture to it. It's an amazing dish.

• Chocolate cupcakes

  • caitmcg on September 08, 2018

    I made these several years ago, and found them to be moist and intensely chocolaty, thanks to the large quantity of chopped chocolate that mostly melts into the batter as it bakes. The almond flour does not register, flavor-wise but probably contributes moisture. Very easy to mix up by hand, as the recipe does not require a mixer. I did not use the ganache icing, and the cupcakes are so chocolaty it might be overkill vs. another flavor.

  • eeeve on September 08, 2015

    I'm afraid I don't care much for these - despite a lot of sugar having gone in, I find them quite bland and not very sweet. That said, they're moist, not dry, and will work perfectly in the trifle they're intended to go in. I also like that I could use a bit of that black treacle that's been kicking round in the cupboard for too long, but what annoyed me a bit was that the recipe said to fill up the muffin holes to the top - but then I only got 8 muffins out of the quantity (using a standard sized muffin tin), plus they rose up too much and spilled over the top! I doubt I'll be making these again. (NB: I made these as muffins without the frosting, not as cupcakes as intended in the book.)

• Hazelnut cupcakes

  • caitmcg on September 08, 2018

    I like this recipe a lot, but must admit that I tweak it a bit to increase the hazelnut flavor. I make them with 4 T hazelnut oil and 115 g butter, use USDA large eggs instead of small, and increase the ground hazelnuts to 65 g. I also add some vanilla. This makes for deliciously nutty cakes. I have not made the accompanying cream cheese icing, but instead use a chocolate ganache spiked with Frangelico.

• Cauliflower and cumin fritters with lime yoghurt

  • MMarlean on August 15, 2010

    Served in a pita with hummus and tomato. So very good!! Outstanding!

  • FJT on January 08, 2014

    Delicious. I made mine with some finely chopped chilli for a bit of heat and kept them on the small side to allow them to cook through quickly. Served with salad and some left-over salsa as well as the yoghurt dressing.

  • Delys77 on December 31, 2013

    Pg. 50 As he says, these were very reminiscent of pakoras, just a bit doughier On the whole I liked them, but I would prefer them to be slightly crisper. Perhaps a bit less egg and slightly hotter oil, with closer to two TB of batter per fritter. Sauce wise I liked them lightly dabbed with the yogurt dressing as too much was overpowering of the light but lovely cauliflower taste.

  • KarinaFrancis on September 03, 2021

    Yum! We really enjoyed these. I made a small change by substituting a few spoonfuls of rice flour as part of the total quantity for a little bit more crispness. A definite repeat

  • LuTravers on May 14, 2013

    Delicious with the lamb shwarma and tzatziki

  • Barb_N on January 28, 2016

    This is a simple recipe for Otolenghi/Tamimi but it still took @ 90 minutes with all the chopping and frying. I found the cumin to be overpowering, and normally I love it. I reduced the egg per Delys77's suggestion but still found them very moist inside even after 30 minutes in a 325 degree oven post frying. Not sure I will make these again.

  • Rutabaga on September 27, 2014

    This makes for a fun, tasty vegetarian entree. My husband remarked that they reminded him of fish and chips, and I realized that the combination of fritters and lime yogurt sauce did indeed bring fish and chips to mind! The fritters were very light and tender in texture, with a faintly crisp exterior and a subtle warmth from the cumin, cinnamon, and turmeric. This is a great spice combination - the cumin and cinnamon really balance each other out, and the turmeric provides an underlying sweet earthiness. I chopped the cauliflower very finely, and it was thoroughly cooked in 10 minutes, then just melted into the batter. The lime yogurt provided a good tart accompaniment, and was by far my three-year-old's favorite part of the dish.

  • Frogcake on March 18, 2017

    These were excellent. I must confess - I did make some significant changes though. The yoghurt sauce was very nice. I used lemon as I had no lime -so good that I made another batch to use as a dip for chips. For the fritters I made the following changes: two eggs in place of four, supplementing liquid by adding about one quarter cup of water, added one half teaspoon of baking powder, one additional chopped shallot and one half hot red pepper minced. I pulsed the cauliflower after roasting in the oven for about fifteen minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil was very hot when I fried the fritters. My family really enjoyed these -resulted in crispy fritters with a more intense cauliflower flavour. I thought the spices were perfectly balanced and the tastes were complemented by the lemony yogurt.

  • Nikapai on February 10, 2018

    Really yum. I served as a main for the family with salad and pita, really good. My husband has made them before too, and he is not a super-confident cook, so they’re definitely not very hard to make

  • Ganga108 on November 06, 2021

    The recipe for Cauliflower and Cumin Fritters appears in 2 books from the Ottolenghi family – Falastin by Sami Tamimi, and Ottoleghi by Ottolenghi and Tamimi. They are some of the **most delicious** fritters that we have made. The soft bite of the cauliflower with the spices is a warming mouthful that you won’t forget quickly. They are the sort of fritter you can have for a meal, as a snack (make them smaller), or packed in a lunch or picnic box. Or shove them into some pitta bread with hummus and tomato for a great afternoon filler with a cuppa tea. They keep a couple of days in the fridge (think – after school snack), and are best eaten either at room temperature or heated slightly in a warm oven. The batter will also keep a couple of days in the fridge if you want to cook on demand.

• Danielle's sweet potato gratin

  • smtucker on January 02, 2014

    Throwing the potatoes and herbage into a bowl is a total waste of time. Almost none clung to the potatoes and I ended up tucking all the garlic and fresh sage into the gratin pan. Plus, then your slices are all mixed together and you have to restack them to make it pretty in the gratin pan. Cooked this time at 325º (not 400º) and much preferred the texture of the potatoes. NYEve 2013.

  • TrishaCP on December 02, 2020

    Rich and delicious but not too heavy. We had this with a salad with a mustardy dressing.

  • Melanie on September 09, 2013

    This tastes very good but very rich. I have a feeling that I didn't use fresh sage when I made this (a while ago) which was a shame - would use if making this again as I think it would help complete the dish.

  • shonaghd on June 09, 2012

    I have made this twice. It is a superb recipe to make ahead of time. It looks stunning brought to the table.

  • vitapano on October 11, 2014

    Cooked this as a vegetarian meal, so just rocket salad to go with it. Very very good! Leaving the skins on is a great idea and helps the texture. Standing potatoes on edge and arranging in a circle looks beautiful and gives each piece a crusty top. Did the same arrangement with normal potatoes-shallots-thyme-pepper combo and it was superb. Much nicer way to do gratin than traditional layers.

  • e_ballad on November 24, 2016

    Very decadent. I agree with smtucker - don't bother mixing the spuds with the herbs, just whack them in once you've stacked the sweet potato slices in your gratin dish. Might need something on the side with a sharp/bitter edge to offset the richness of this dish.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    The dish is beautiful, the sweet potato soft, so tender. We have made it many times. The success of the dish is the arrangement of a lot of sweet potatoes, overlapping, in a baking dish. What Ottolenghi doesn’t say is that it works for just 1 sweet potato as well. Using a small amount of sweet potato means that it is not gratineed, but it is beautiful, tender, with a crispy crust.

• Figs with young Pecorino and honey

  • amraub on September 24, 2012

    Excellent mix of peppery arugula, sweet figs and honey, and salty cheese.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    Roasting figs brings in another dimension. It is a different taste – just as fig jam tastes different to fresh figs. Roasted figs are soft, warm and sticky, and they shine with either savoury flavours, sweet flavours, or a mix of both. They can be mashed onto bruschetta and topped with pesto, without the honey they can be used with pasta, or top a green salad with them. Serve them for breakfast, lunch, dessert, a snack or supper.

• Roasted red and golden beetroot

  • amraub on September 29, 2012

    Beautiful salad with a good mix of flavours. Made with only red beets.

  • Aggie92 on January 13, 2015

    Beautiful side dish, to look at and to eat. Since it was just 2 of us, I cut the recipe in half. Used golden beets, arugula, and parsley (instead of chervil). Recipe makes too much dressing, but that's ok. I saved the remainder and I think it will be lovely on a simple cucumber salad or green salad. The only issue was too many sunflower seeds, but that is easy to adjust next time. Will definitely make this again. There was something magical about the combination of sherry vinegar, maple syrup, beets, and arugula.

  • Melanie on July 05, 2014

    Tasty. Made a few changes (skipped the raw garlic and chervil, using parsley instead), and used baby spinach and rocket instead of the chard. This was a really good winter salad. May skip the sunflower seeds next time.

  • Rutabaga on February 21, 2015

    I made the dish with only red beets, used parsley instead of chervil, champagne vinegar instead of sherry vinegar, pepitas instead of sunflower seeds, and tossed in arugula for the greens. The flavor of the dressing is a really nice match for the beets, but I found that a lot of it puddled up into the bottom of the bowl and didn't soak into the beets as well as I had hoped. I would like to try it again with the sunflower seeds and chervil; pepitas and parsley were still good, but I would either mince the parsley or leave it out next time.

  • e_ballad on April 10, 2016

    Seemed like too many sunflower seeds, but otherwise yummy. Would definitely suggest using chervil - don't know if it would have the same impact without it.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    The aroma of beetroot roasting! It is one of the quintessentially Autumn vegetables, earthy in taste and aroma. This recipe is a warm salad or side dish where the warm roasted beetroot is dressed with maple syrup, vinegar and olive oil. The balance of sweet, sour and salty is lovely against the earthiness of the tender, roasted beetroot. We love beetroot. In this dish, I used tiny mixed leaves from the garden.

• Oxtail stew with pumpkin and cinnamon

  • amraub on October 24, 2012

    Made with regular beef stew meat instead of oxtail. Used butternut squash instead of pumpkin and canned whole tomatoes instead of chopped. Did need more liquid during the oven cooking time. Very good even without the oxtail and the meat came out very tender. Didn't get quite as much flavour from the spices and herbs as I expected. Used a Dutch oven throughout the recipe to avoid dirtying multiple dishes.

  • owaint on November 22, 2010

    A very good spicy stew recipe. Ox cheeks work well too and are easier to eat than oxtail - might even be worth using the cheeks as a main meat but sticking some of the thin oxtail pieces you get in to give some bone flavour/gelatin. Probably needs some water/stock adding before going in the oven. Be careful with the orange zest, doesn't need much. Serve with just some garlic bread, it's substantial enough to not need much else.

  • Astrid5555 on December 16, 2018

    We adults enjoyed it a lot, the kids not so much. I found it quite simple and not very involved for an original Ottolenghi recipe. I streamlined it by also using only one Dutch oven throughout the whole recipe to avoid dirtying multiple pots as per the suggestion of another reviewer.

  • twoyolks on November 06, 2015

    This was simply okay. Despite using oxtail, there wasn't much beefy flavor and none of the flavor of the spices came through. The texture of the pumpkin was a bit stringy. Finally, there was a bit of a bitter flavor throughout the stew.

• Puy lentils with sour cherries, bacon and Gorgonzola

  • amraub on August 27, 2012

    I used canned sour cherries instead of dried (guessing that around 150g would be about right). This was quite different from anything I've done with lentils before, but I greatly enjoyed it.

  • owaint on November 22, 2010

    Really interesting flavours which work well together. It's probably best as a starter sized portion as the novelty does *slightly* wear off with larger quantities.

  • L.Nightshade on March 15, 2019

    Out of character for me, but I made the recipe exactly as written! This was great! Salty, umami bacon, creamy gorgonzola, tart-sweet cherries, a dash of vinegar, it all worked together beautifully. A main course for us, it would also be a fine first course in smaller portions. Speaking of portions, this made a huge amount; we’ve got tons of leftovers. I served this with a garbanzo flour waffle, which went along quite well. Mr. Nightshade has requested this entire meal gets done again sometime in the future, pretty unusual request from him for a lentil dish.

  • mondraussie on January 24, 2017

    used goats cheese instead of gorganzola

  • tekobo on June 06, 2020

    Yum! I first made this in 2011 and made it again last week. Delicious as ever. I didn't have sour cherries so I used a mix of dried cranberries, barberries and ordinary dried cherries. All good. Went well with confit duck.

• Pear and Amaretto crumble cake

  • jifar on September 10, 2010

    used 150g apple and 100g dried pear and added some ground almonds to the crumble.

  • Queezle_Sister on April 25, 2015

    Like jifar, I added ground almonds to the crumble. The crumble recipe is for a large amount, for this recipe I prepared 10%, and it was the perfect amount. I used only 75g of apple and 200g pear. I was afraid the cinnamon and cloves would dominate, but no fear - it was a perfect complement. A light and delicately flavored cake. The ONLY negative is that I dirtied up 7 bowls!

  • Carol.Furness on July 19, 2014

    This is a lovely cake. I suspect I will make it again.

• Harissa-marinated chicken with red grapefruit salad

  • okcook on February 22, 2016

    Just made this last night using a friend's homemade Harissa. I used skinless boned chicken thighs. As TrishaCP described. I made half the sauce and had plenty.

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    Another delicious one from Ottolenghi. This dish is really all about the interplay between spicy, sweet, bitter, and tart flavors and gauging the correct balance between them. I screwed up the harissa (overestimated the spice from my chiles), but was able to recover the balance with some hot sauce.

  • Queezle_Sister on January 26, 2014

    I prepared this with store-bought harissa (my bad, but I had the jar in the fridge), and greek yogurt. So easy to get the chicken marinating and then cooking. The sauce took a bit longer. I suggest you get the sauce reducing before putting the chicken into the oven. In typical Ottolenghi style, this recipe will produce a flavor explosion in your mouth. Note that one could probably get by with 1/2 the sauce, or even less maybe. I don't like using so much maple syrup!

  • chawkins on November 18, 2016

    Very good, per my husband. I was going to use tangerine and lime for the grapefruit substitute because I cannot eat grapefruit. As it turned out, I got a stomach virus, after marinating the chicken, so it stayed in the marinade for close to 48 hours. And since my stomach was still recovering, I just used grapefruit and made it for my husband. I had a little bite of chicken without the sauce, it was quite good, I used a store brought jarred harissa. The sauce smelled wonderful.

  • KarinaFrancis on February 26, 2021

    Omg this is great! I did cut corners by using store bought harissa and would do it again, especially on a weeknight. The dressing was so damn good I could drink it! I’m absolutely making this again!

  • vhague on February 18, 2016

    Fantastic flavor on the chicken once it was done marinating. Great recipe, and couldnt be simpler if you buy a good quality harissa instead of making from scratch.

  • foodgloriousfood on April 09, 2021

    This is a keeper! Made the harissa as written and it was mild and light. While we love spicy foods I think with the delicate grapefruit, maple, star anise sauce a stronger favored or much hotter harissa wouldn’t have worked as well. So as written this was terrific. Served it with an orange, cilantro, pearl couscous with diced red bell pepper which rounded out the dish perfectly. I doubled everything which made enough for two nights and we are excited about having it the second night!

• Grilled mackerel with green olive, celery and raisin salsa

  • meatn3 on October 16, 2014

    This is absolutely delicious and quick.

• Roast chicken and three-rice salad

  • lorloff on August 25, 2018

    I was motivated to do this dish because I had a big harvest of Shiso leaves in the garden. I has been a great hit and one I do many times for dinner parties. Really delicious.

  • Rutabaga on October 24, 2018

    This is a very nice salad, although I felt it could use a little more dressing. I would increase the dressing amount by about half next time. I simplified by using a store-bought rotisserie chicken, so I didn't have much in the way of pan juices to add, which probably affected the flavor. But I cooked the basmati rice in homemade chicken stock, which helped capture some of that flavor. I also used red bell pepper instead of chiles to keep the flavor mild enough for the kids. It's a versatile salad I can see using for many occasions, and can be made in advance, although it would be best to add the herbs just before serving.

• Couscous and mograbiah with oven-dried tomatoes

  • lorloff on May 31, 2014

    Really delicious the tomatoes raise the dish to another level

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    This is another delicious combination from Ottolenghi- with the sweet caramelized onions, the acid tomato, and the anise flavor of the tarragon. I loved the combination of the textures between the mograbiah and the couscous.

  • meganjane on February 27, 2015

    I loved this and didn't have nigella seeds or tarragon - used feta as couldn't get labneh - delicious. I roasted the tomatoes a couple of days before and kept in the fridge.

  • Queezle_Sister on February 27, 2014

    I found this to be a flavorful and easy winter meal. I had garden tomatos roasted last September, and waiting for just this moment. I lucked into a bag of Mograbiah, but couldn't find normal cracked couscous, so used Israeli couscous as my second. The tarragon added a very nice flavor. I couldn't find Nigella seeds, and substituted a mix of sesame and cumin seeds. I cut back on the olive oil significantly.

  • Rutabaga on April 05, 2014

    I used jarred oven roasted tomatoes since I already had some on hand, and because it meant I could put the dish together quickly. I did add balsamic vinegar and a little sugar to the dish to keep these flavors in the mix, but I didn't have tarragon or labne. Next time, I hope to include both, especially since I found I can buy ball-shaped labne at my local Mediterranean grocer, just like what Ottolenghi used in the picture accompanying this recipe.

  • Rutabaga on November 26, 2014

    Making this a second time, I added semi-dried Pomodoraccio tomato halves, which were far superior to the thinly sliced ones I've gotten at Costco (good thing, considering they're also far more expensive). These, along with local fresh made lebneh, really brought the dish to another level, although I still didn't have nigella seeds or tarragon.

• Sweet and spicy beef and pork pie

  • RosieB on March 26, 2014

    This is one of the most delicious pies I have made. I used some good quality pork sausages and organic beef mince. I will definitely make this again.

  • Lsblackburn1 on April 30, 2018

    Delicious! I just used a regular pie dish but the filling all made it in. Took more like 30-40 minutes for the eggs to set.

  • DePollepel on June 07, 2021

    not very special flavour wise, but different from a standard meat pie, and needs a fresh salad on the side.

• Carrot, apple and pecan muffins

  • rittingerv on May 31, 2022

    Topping is excellent - the crunch from the sesame seeds is a great touch. I would use whole wheat flour if I made them again. My only complaint is the number of bowls needed. One for sifting flour. One for mixing. One for the topping. One for grating the carrot and apples. It's a messy recipe.

  • TrishaCP on January 21, 2012

    Tasty but very, very, sweet. I would definitely reduce the amount of sugar the next time I make these.

  • L.Nightshade on March 16, 2019

    I made these with half whole wheat flour and half the amount of sugar (they were plenty sweet). In my standard (I thought) muffin pan, filled about even with the edge, I came out with 19 muffins, which used all the topping, piled on generously. Tasty, nice textures. I brought these to a class today and they were well received by all.

  • Astrid5555 on December 30, 2012

    Reduced the sugar by one quarter, still excellent. Great crunch from the seed topping!

  • Delys77 on August 10, 2021

    I didn't read any of the notes before I made this with my little one so we went with the full sugar and it is quite sweet, I would agree cutting back a bit is wise. Other than that we made them as directed (minus the sesame seeds) and they were well received by all. Moist, but dense, with a great blend of flavours. Winner in our books.

  • k.a.g on June 16, 2013

    Okay... Maybe there's something wrong with my sugarometer, but I didn't think these were too sweet! I thought they were great. Dense with fruit (and vegetable I suppose) and coconut. But the real winner for me was the streusel topping - I'm going to have a go adapting the ingredients into a granola. I thought the black sesame seeds would be a bit much, but I think they add a really interesting, almost savoury, note. Also - a minor point - but I thought these were better slightly warm than completely cold.

  • annapanna on February 16, 2014

    Excellent, I don't think I have ever made muffins that tasted this good! I reduced the amount of sugar by 30g and next time I'll try using even less, because as others have said before they were quite sweet. Also, after 25 minutes the muffins were not ready, they needed at least 10 more minutes in the oven.

  • eeeve on October 13, 2019

    Delicious! Agree with previous reviews that these are very sweet muffins; I used 200g sugar this time and the quantity could probably be reduced further. They are a bit of a faff to make (i.e. lots of steps and time consuming) but definitely worth it - let’s say, for guests! The seedy streusel topping is delicious.

  • dinnermints on December 10, 2017

    A fun-looking muffin that packs a yummy punch. I reduced the sugar to 160g; next time would do 190g. I don't see this on any other comment, but this made 16 muffins with tins full to the brim? Are UK muffin pans bigger?? Not complaining, not sad to have a few extra of these around. I also used almost half whole wheat pastry flour, cut oil to 1/3 cup, and added 1/3 cup applesauce. I think I did bake them around 25-27 minutes.

  • Rachaelsb on September 15, 2019

    These are delicious...but without the complexity of a denser morning glory muffin. Taste great toasted with some butter in cast iron pan.

  • Rutabaga on January 07, 2018

    These muffins are very moist and flavor packed; the crumb topping is especially delicious and just a little unexpected, what with the addition of a variety of seeds. I used the full amount of sugar, but agree that they probably didn't need that much. I also used raw hazelnuts in place of pecans. In my muffin tins, this recipe made 19 relatively small muffins (a nice size if you just was a little snack). But delicious as they are, I probably won't make them too often, as they are more labor intensive than most.

  • Dagmara on February 16, 2015

    I have made these five times, never disappointed. I add things like orange zest, or goji berries or currants instead of the sultanas, so they are slightly different each time.

  • Frogcake on August 05, 2017

    A great variation of the morning glory muffin, which is my favourite! As others have commented, the muffins were a bit sweet for our tastes, and so I would reduce the sugar next time (maybe by a quarter of a cup). Because I have a mound of zucchini from my garden, I replaced the carrots with zucchini. I also added dried cherries instead of raisins. We loved the "bird seed" honey-scented crumble, which enhanced the various tastes of the muffins and added another dimension of crunchiness.

  • Kduncan on December 04, 2018

    This made 12 muffins, in a standard American pan. I did 1/2 the sugar, as I do not have a sweet tooth, and should have reduced the sugar more. They are pretty labor intensive, but overall came out great. I think I will make them again only if we have friends in town.

  • jhallen on December 27, 2021

    We made as written and they were fabulous!

• Red lentil and chard soup

  • Emily Hope on November 18, 2010

    This was quite tasty--Indian-inspired. A bit fiddly (as most of the recipes seem to be) but not too bad. I like the tarka-ish idea of the coriander and garlic sauteed separately and put in at end. I put it quite a bit more chard than suggested--didn't do wonders for the texture which was a bit thick, but I appreciated the extra veg. Great with a dollop of greek yogurt on top.

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    I loved all of the lemony components of this dish- the chard, coriander and of course the lemon (juice and rind) itself. Those elements, plus the cinnamon, really make this dish for me.

  • micheleK on July 06, 2011

    The lemon does make the difference. Be sure have it on hand.

  • apattin on September 19, 2018

    Needed help: double coriander seed and cumin. Zested lemon rind and 1/2 lemon juice. (I know it says to add the lemon at the table but with the early addition the soup tastes bright and yummy to begin with.) Also added more liquid (4 cups, some of it chicken broth) and 2 packages of cooked sausages to make it a complete meal (DH likes his animal protein).

  • Franci on February 27, 2012

    I liked so much more Nigel's Slater Lentils and chard soup with mint.I don't enjoy much the red lentils unless mixed with other lentils for an interesting texture.

  • FJT on December 05, 2015

    This was nice enough but we weren't wild about it. Definitely needs the lemon! I ended up blitzing the soup at the end because - as Rutabaga noted - roughly chopping the chard as per the recipe just isn't enough!

  • Rutabaga on November 17, 2014

    We liked the flavors in this soup, but my husband was not a fan of the chard. This was largely, I think, due to the fact that while I thought I had successfully chopped the chard into fairly small pieces, we still ended up with some long ribbons of it in the soup, which he found unappealing. I would make it again, but be sure to finely chop the chard. And because the crunch of the coriander seeds was something neither my husband nor son enjoyed, I would substitute a pinch of ground coriander. Adding some chopped preserved lemons could also be great here.

  • e_ballad on September 11, 2017

    Making 8x generous servings, we weren't too enamoured by this one. It was fine, but it didn't wow us. Oh & don't get me started on the number of pans...

  • rionafaith on December 20, 2022

    Thought this was just OK. The chard ribbons got a little softer & slimier than I prefer especially on reheating, though maybe I cooked too long to begin with (was distracted and let it simmer for a while). But maybe I just want kale or something heartier in a soup like this?

• Seared duck breasts with blood orange and star anise

  • csafreno on January 10, 2011

    Very nice dish. Cooking time for the duck was just a bit too long for my taste, but the flavors are delicious. The fennel rub and blood orange really show through, and the dried chilis give it a nice little kick.

  • TrishaCP on April 08, 2020

    I had the exact same reaction as joneshayley. Good but no repeat. I definitely don’t feel the blood oranges are a necessity - I think regular oranges would work. I was intimidated by the sheer amount of star anise that was called for, but somehow it didn’t overpower the dish. It was just kind of there. Also, make sure to wipe the duck free of the fennel seed marinade before roasting.

  • joneshayley on February 02, 2020

    This was pleasant but I won’t repeat it.

• Portobello mushrooms with pearl barley and preserved lemon

  • TrishaCP on January 17, 2015

    This was delicious- a great lunch. I followed the Serious Eats proportions of stock- and since I was using instant barley the cooking time was only about 20 minutes to absorb the stock. I had huge portobellos, and needed to cook them 20 minutes at a higher temperature (385) to get them to cook sufficiently.

  • bching on March 29, 2016

    Meh-shrooms. Edible, and the barley/mushroom combo is a classic. The extra work required to put the combo in this format wasn't really worth the trouble, imo. In particular, the preserved lemon did not add the zing I was hoping for. Drizzled the leftovers with a little of the preserved lemon liquid which helped a bit.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    As it happens, I had a couple of flat mushrooms in the fridge, barley in the pantry and feta from the Afghan shop. There was parsley and thyme in the garden, so this recipe seemed to be the perfect use for the mushrooms. I also had wine! It is a rare occurrence, but was perfect for this dish. The mushrooms are slowly braised in the oven in wine, stock, butter and thyme, to become achingly soft, fragrant and highly flavoursome. The stuffing is barley, feta, preserved lemon, garlic and herbs. It is an unusual stuffing for mushrooms, but one that is divine and perfect against the soft ‘shrooms. In the middle of the COVID pandemic (Year-1), they mended my heart a little, just for a moment.

• Peaches and speck with orange blossom

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    This was pretty delicious. I skipped the chard, and only used the endive and watercress, along with peaches and hand-cured speck from the farmer's market. There was bitter from the greens, sweetness from the peaches, floral notes from the orange flower water (which I used instead of orange blossom water, but in a smaller amount) and salty punctuations from the speck. This is also a really pretty salad- would be good for entertaining.

  • mondraussie on July 28, 2017

    I turned this into a more substantial salad with the addition of cooked pasta.. Used less orange blossom water, than recipe stated, worked ok for me.

  • Zosia on August 05, 2018

    We loved the play of salty, sweet and bitter ingredients in this salad. I used nectarines as local peaches weren't quite ready and reduced the orange blossom water to 1 tbsp, substituting orange juice for the balance.

  • Frogcake on August 04, 2017

    The orange water vinaigrette is divine especially with the grilled peaches. Loved the unique combination of flavours. A wonderful salad that I would make again.

  • Ganga108 on October 31, 2021

    I'm vegetarian so I removed the non-veg item, and used greens from our garden rather than the expensive (in my area) greens that he uses. The dressing is absolutely fabulous and love the peaches in the salad.

• Barbecued quail with mograbiah salad

  • TrishaCP on July 26, 2011

    The flavor of the barbecue is really delicious. I didn't use quail- instead I subbed in the dark meat chicken (thigh) as suggested.

• Pan-fried sea bass on pita with labneh, tomato and preserved lemon

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    Great fast recipe for a weeknight- I subbed Greek yogurt for the labneh and it was still amazing. Any firm white fish can be used (I used rockfish).

  • owaint on November 22, 2010

    Excellent starter/mid-sized dish. The labneh is really interesting and very easy to make - well worth the limited effort. Don't use too much dried chilli in the salsa as it can overpower the fish flavour. The pomegranate seeds are essential and really lift the falvour and appearance of this dish. If using shop bought preserved lemons a single fruit would do for probably up to 6 people.

  • Ledlund on April 24, 2018

    Made this for a weeknight dinner for two. My fishmonger didn't have sea bass so I subbed halibut since it was in season. It's not pomegranate season so I couldn't find any in the stores and had to skip that. Even with the substitution/deletion it was fantastic! I think the labneh and the preserved lemon really made it. I am looking forward to making it again for a dinner party. As a main, I will serve the pita on the side.

  • Silverscreensuppers on August 20, 2019

    My preserved lemons had turned to mush in the fridge when I wasn’t looking so I didn’t have those. Agree with other reviewers that this was a lovely dish. Makes LOADS of salsa so I am now wondering what I will do with that... I didn’t peel the tomatoes - wizzed it all up in my nutribullet. Yum!

• Roast chicken with saffron, hazelnuts and honey

  • TrishaCP on July 01, 2013

    This was an amazing dish- the fragrances of the rosewater and cinnamon together, with the roasting smells of the hazelnuts and honey, elevated this beyond any other chicken dish I've ever had.

  • L.Nightshade on June 04, 2011

    I followed the recipe exactly, except for cutting the chicken into six pieces as we found the four-piece cut in the other chicken recipe a bit unwieldy. We loved everything about this dish, the smells while cooking, the textural contrasts, the beguiling flavors. I would warn against this dish for people who don't like floral, perfume-like essences in their foods. The rose water is very prevalent in both smell and taste. I loved it. The taste and heady aroma just transported me to an exotic locale.

  • Melanie on September 10, 2013

    Fantastic tasting chicken dish. I loved the mix of textures in this one.

  • chawkins on September 19, 2013

    Online recipe available here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roast-Chicken-with-Saffron-Hazelnuts-and-Honey-51184640

  • Melyinoz on April 06, 2022

    Just adding my appreciation for this recipe here. I have cooked this numerous times over the years, and it never fails to please.

• Pistachio and ginger biscotti

  • micheleK on June 26, 2011

    Wasn't sure whether oven temp was for fan forced, so lowered it. Wrong. Loaf was mushy in middle. Back into oven. Did spread a lot. Followed oven temp for 2nd baking. Biscotti disappeared off plate very quickly! Might add a little more ground Ginger next time, but that's just me. Really enjoyed them.

• Crumble

  • owaint on November 22, 2010

    Make sure to use a lot less sugar if using for the savoury fennel gratin dish in this book.

• Kosheri

  • owaint on November 22, 2010

    An amazing rice dish - even my rice-phobic other half likes it! Goes really well with the beef and lamb meatballs in this book.

  • mgwalter on May 25, 2014

    Deceptively time consuming, but worth the effort. I also cooked this with the chicken, sumac and za'atar recipe in the same book and they went well together, but this dish would stand on it's own as an entree. Three small tweaks I plan to make the next time I make this: 1. Halve the oil which is used in the tomato sauce which accompanies the dish. 2. Use a little less cinnamon, especially if you are grinding your own or have relatively fresh cinnamon in your cupboard. 3. Use red onions, and double the amount the recipe calls for. The onions are delicious and as some are held back to top the finished dish, just hold back the extras and people can decide if they'd like to add more.

  • raybun on January 13, 2017

    As mgwalter states this dish is quite a labour of love. I had time to make the spicy tomato sauce the day before and I'm glad I did. I also followed their recommendation to half the oil and cinnamon and was very happy with the result. I served it with the lamb & barberry meatballs from Jerusalem also by Ottolenghi.

  • lizbot2000 on June 28, 2017

    This was great! Took forever, but most of that time didn't require close attention (letting stuff simmer and stirring occasionally). I agree with previous reviewers that it needs more onions. I probably wouldn't make this on a weekday ever again because of how long it took, but it would be a great weekend lunch. It also made a ton of leftovers, which was a nice bonus.

  • Kduncan on December 10, 2018

    Great dish, even though I overcooked the rice a bit. Doubled the onions and it worked out well, would double the tomato sauce next time to cover up my bad rice cookery. With chopping, took 1.5 hours for me to make. It's not an easy weeknight dish, but it's not as time consuming as other people made it seem to me.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    Kosheri is a dish with its genesis in Egypt, although it now traverses many time zones. It is another of Ottolenghi's dishes that perfectly layers spices with other ingredients. It is a bit intense, this dish, with several cooking processes on the go at one time, but the effort is worth it. Cook the sauce, cook the lentils, cook the rice and vermicelli, cook the onions – then bring them all together. In Egypt, this dish is sold by street vendors, but it is also very welcome at the dinner table. It can be a side dish, but I prefer it as a main, with the accompaniments tailored to eat on and with the rice. I particularly love it with the tomato sauce, some roasted cauliflower and toasted hazelnuts.

• Harira (lamb, chickpeas and spinach)

  • owaint on November 22, 2010

    Really disappointing, I used too much saffron which didn't help but the dish is quite boring - unusual for this book.

  • usingSpoons on October 01, 2011

    I really liked this recipe. Only used a little saffron, but you could still taste it distinctly. I added about half a cup of red lentils in addition to the chickpeas which helped to thicken the soup.

  • mfranklin125 on February 20, 2018

    This was sooo good. I didn’t have saffron left and it was fine without. I used lamb shoulder. Used 3 cans of chopped tomatoes. And a mix of broth and water.

  • anya_sf on March 21, 2020

    I substituted green lentils for chickpeas, cooked separately and stirred in at the end. My can of tomatoes was only 800 g, but I still found the tomato flavor overpowering. The spices needed to be stronger. I doubled the spinach, which I'd do again.

  • BeaAamodt on August 25, 2019

    Excellent way to cook a less expensive cut of lamb. I had a neck of lamb in the freezer and used it instead of the more expensive cut. Separating the meat from the neck takes a bit of time, but the results are worth it. I added a tablespoon of fresh ginger with onions and still added the ground ginger at the end. I also added one large sweet potato because it was staring at me sadly from the kitchen corner; I’m glad I did. Delicious!

• Marinated rack of lamb with coriander and honey

  • owaint on November 22, 2010

    Really nice, goes very well with the Fennel Gratin on page 52.

  • apattin on August 08, 2019

    Delicious. Did not need the extra sauce.

  • FJT on December 25, 2015

    Absolutely delicious and, for an Ottolenghi recipe, very simple. Will definitely make again.

  • kmattingly on April 22, 2013

    Delicious, what more can I say. This man is a genius

  • leahorowitz on October 21, 2020

    Same here: delicious! Only started marinating the lamb after lunch and it was long enough to become a very tasty dinner.

  • lou_weez on October 02, 2021

    Wow!! So tasty. Marinated overnight and resulted in tender, utterly delicious lamb cutlets. Will be making this again.

  • Ldaws on March 16, 2023

    Absolutely delicious have made this a few times and excellent every time. Also marinated for just an hour or two and it still turned out amazing.

  • p2rex2 on December 01, 2021

    I'm frustrated by the ingredient "3 chiles." Really? There are over 4,000 different types of chiles in the world, not to mention fresh or dried. The differences are dramatic. I think I'll try ancho chile, as he does mention them in another cookbook.

• Courgette-wrapped lamb kebabs

  • owaint on November 22, 2010

    Dry bread instead of cous-cous works better. Need plenty of seasoning and to be browned REALLY well. A bit more courgette is a good thing too.

  • Rachaelsb on April 05, 2022

    These were delicious! Spices make for great lamb flavor. Tomato sauce is great complement. Next time will use more zuchinni to wrap.

• Crushed new potatoes with horseradish and sorrel

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    We were very happy with this dish. I saw it as more of a warm potato salad. I used baby red potatoes, fresh sorrel, jarred horseradish (no fresh to be found), and fage yogurt. And of course, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. I just smashed the potatoes a bit, there was still plenty of particulate matter. I plated it with upland cress and sliced scallions. The sorrel added a nice flavor, next time I might even add a bit more than the recipe states. The funny thing about this dish is that I kept wanting to taste more salt, even though I had actually added enough. I realized that I was looking at the red potato skins and expecting to taste prosciutto! Maybe I'll try it that way next time.

  • danibattle on May 10, 2014

    The recipe link for online viewing is no longer correct :(

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    It was new potato season, and there were some glorious ones in the shops. I grabbed a bag full along with fresh horseradish to make this salad - it's a cross between potato salad and creamy mashed potatoes. Adjust your crush level to your own preferences. The dressing is a yoghurt one, with horseradish and garlic. Some greens and spring onions add freshness, tang and bite. This recipe is tucked away on a page without a picture. It is easily overlooked, but it is worth making.

• Roasted butternut squash with burnt aubergine and pomegranate molasses

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    It was a revelation to me that I didn't have to peel the butternut squash, all the time I've wasted in the past! The skin is pretty edible after roasting. I was a little too conservative with the olive oil, you can see that my slices look a little dry. But we thought this was very tasty. I like the nuts, seeds, and basil scattered over the top. I can't really say that I could taste the nigella in such a small amount, I might up the volume a little next time. It is basically a very easy dish. Burning the eggplant takes a little time, but I did mine under the broiler so I didn't have to tend it constantly. You need a sauce if you want the nuts and seeds to cling to a bite of squash. I might try a variation by just tossing the squash first in olive oil, and then in the same toasted nuts and seeds but coarsely ground.

  • eeeve on October 23, 2014

    This was lovely! I did cut a few corners, though, to save on energy - the seeds went in with the butternut about 10min before the end of roasting time, and the aubergine got cut up and roasted in the same oven as the butternut. It might not have had a smoky flavour to it, but it was great nonetheless.

  • Barb_N on February 12, 2018

    Loved the burnt egglant! Not so time consuming when you stash burnt eggplant flesh in the freezer; the most difficult thing was picking out the bits of charred skin before seasoning. The flavor profile is totally different than baba ghanoush and maybe even better. The two components are good but I don't really feel like they fit together. Did not have fresh basil to garnish the squash.

  • Nikapai on February 10, 2018

    The taste of this dish is out of this world. The smoky eggplant and the pomegranate molasses take it to a whole other level. Definitely takes a bit of time to make all the components, but it’s definitely worth it

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    Superb!

• Chargrilled broccoli with chilli and garlic

  • L.Nightshade on August 01, 2012

    I didn't measure the oil for this, just eyeballed what looked like enough. I used a red jalapeno for the chile. My broccoli did not really char much on the hot grill pan, but I didn't want to overcook it, so I just took it off. But still delicious! Very easy, and compatible with many main courses. I used it to accompany the Spanish shrimp in olive oil from the December COTM, and it was a lovely pairing.

  • sheepishjen on June 10, 2017

    I loved this! I used the stems, too, after peeling them and cutting them into thick matchsticks. Just delicious if you get the broccoli good and blackened.

  • Melanie on September 09, 2013

    I thought this was a big improvement on steamed broccoli. Make sure you completely drain the broccoli before it hits the griddle pan. Recipe suggests serving with toasted flaked almonds or lemon on top - I went with lemon although either would have been delicious.

  • twoyolks on June 02, 2014

    I grilled this over a charcoal grill instead of a grill pan. In the future, I'd blanch the broccoli longer as it never fully tenderized on the grill.

  • kmattingly on April 22, 2013

    Not a huge fan of broccoli but this adds a whole new dimension. I used the sliced lemon instead of almonds in mine.

  • Rutabaga on March 03, 2015

    I followed the cooking method found here for the broccoli, but left out the almonds and chile, seasoning it just with the garlic and lemon. I also included the stems, sliced vertically. While there's really no reason not to include them, next time I will peel them as the skin was a little tough. My broccoli could have also used another minute or two in the boiling water, just to ensure it was tender. This is a good method for broccoli, similar to roasting it.

  • ldtrieb on December 14, 2017

    Great make ahead as it doesn't have to be hot, hot. I heated the oil, pepper and garlic just before serving and poured it over after heating the broccoli pan for a minute or two in the hot oven. Used the peeled stems too. Easier than trying to watch and roast the broccoli when the guests are all here.

  • chezmaryb on March 05, 2021

    Way more flavorful than I thought it would be. it's a good idea to open up all the doors and windows because this will make your smoke alarm go off. I added the anchovy fillets as suggested in the head notes, and I highly recommend the addition.

  • lelito on November 09, 2020

    I made it several times and got addicted to it. Follow the instructions closely to get a vivid and excellent dish. I tried both versions (lemon slices and almonds) and prefer the latter. If you go with the lemon, place the slices at the very last moment to avoid the release of a strong citric flavour that would alter the balance of the dish. The only variation I allow myself is avoid frying the garlic and chilli... I add garlic and chilli raw at the very beginning and discard the garlic before grilling. The dish comes out much lighter and it suits my taste better. The original version is superb but a bit "demanding".

  • Ganga108 on October 30, 2021

    Ottolenghi riffs this recipe, with numerous variations on the Guardian website, in Simple, and elsewhere. It just proves how addictive broccoli is when it is char-grilled and tossed with garlic and chilli. We have been making this salad periodically for years – my daughter was the first to put me on to how good it is. This time, I add beans to the mix, as (ssshhh, this is a little known secret) are also addictive when char-grilled. I’ve used a delicious sweet-hot chilli paste, and the garlic is sliced and crisped. An optional extra is to add flaked almonds to the salad.

• Roasted beef fillet (plus 3 sauces)

  • L.Nightshade on June 04, 2011

    I made two of the three sauces to accompany grilled beef filet. The sauce with watercress and mustard seemed a bit too similar to the sauce with rocket and horseradish, so I made only the latter. The green sauce is a simple puree of rocket, horseradish (I used jarred, still can't find fresh), garlic, olive oil, milk, salt, and pepper. Once pureed, greek yogurt is added and stirred in. What could be easier? Choka, the red sauce is made from cooked tomatoes (burnt in the skillet per directions, I charred in the oven instead), sauteed onion, mild red chile (I also roasted the chile), garlic, cilantro, paprika, oil, chile flakes, salt and pepper. We liked both of these sauces quite a bit. The choka does have a smoky taste which is perfect for grilled beef. The green sauce is a refreshing contrast. Together, they make a colorful plate.

• Seared tuna with pistachio crust and papaya salsa

  • L.Nightshade on May 22, 2011

    The salsa takes longer than the tuna, just the time spent chopping mango, cucumber, red chiles, ginger, and red onion. The chopped ingredients are tossed with fish sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, and caster sugar. I bought ahi tuna steaks for this, instead of the specified loin cut into cylinders. The tuna is very easy. It is first seared in a pan, then brushed with dijon mustard and coated with ground pistachios mixed with a little lemon zest. It is finished in the oven. Well, just lovely. The salsa is so good I could eat it with a spoon. It would be great in fish tacos too. I loved the pistachio, mustard, and tuna combination. We like to err to the rare on our tuna, and I had a little trouble with the timing. It's hard to tell when a fish is done when it's crusted with nuts. But it came out fine. A very enjoyable dish, it's going into my rotating list for sure

  • chezmaryb on February 27, 2021

    The best tuna I've ever had. The combination of dijon, lemon and pistachio doesn't sound that special, but it's way more than the sum of it's parts.

  • lelito on November 09, 2020

    It required some planning to get the fresh and ripe ingredients and for the preparation, but the result was awesome.

• Semolina and raspberry tart

  • Astrid5555 on August 20, 2016

    This is one of the most delicious tarts I have made in a very long time. Despite my issues with rolling out the pastry, the baked crust had just enough crunch and cutting through with a fork works really well as compared to some other sweet shortcrust pastries I made in the past. The semolina custard is the best part of the tart and reminded me a lot of my childhood when my mum made something similar yet less rich without cream and egg when I was sick. The custard is then topped with fresh raspberries before it goes into the oven, the tartness of which complement the sweetness of the custard perfectly. Yum!

  • rosten on August 24, 2016

    Very very good. I also just made a rough pastry by pushing it into the springform pan after rolling out just a little. Also omitted apricot jam. Still a winner.

• Brioche galette

  • Astrid5555 on December 30, 2012

    Excellent show-off dessert for the holidays. Prepared the dough, the mascarpone cream and the crumble one day ahead as recommended and the final galette came together very quickly.

• Sweet potato galettes

  • Astrid5555 on May 09, 2020

    Had this as a light dinner with a leafy salad. Excellent and impressive looking! Definitely needs the garlic and parsley oil to counteract the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. Will make again as a dinner party starter.

  • Queezle_Sister on January 01, 2014

    Prepared this dish using commercial puff pastry (which I rolled out to be thinner, as suggested in the recipe). The combination of sour cream, sweet potato, and goat cheese was wonderful! I didn't have the hot pepper, and in place I sprinkled some chili powder on the sweet potatoes. They were not at all spicy, though, and I think next time I would either use more chili powder or something stronger. I also didn't trust my pumpkin seeds (which are now chicken food), and so substituted pine nuts. The final step is brushing on oil that has sat with crushed garlic and contains parsley. For me, this was somewhat difficult - the parsley is difficult to distribute. Next time I would prepare the garlic oil, brush that on the pastries, and then sprinkle on the parsley. Definitely an impressive appetizer for new year's eve, and enjoyed by all.

  • MmeFleiss on January 14, 2015

    I didn't bother rolling my puff pastry thinner but otherwise followed the recipe as written. Relatively simple work for the amazing results that I got. I would probably cut the puff pastry into bite-sized squares if I were to serve it at a party.

  • raybun on June 12, 2017

    Oh my! This was gorgeous, I made it for a picnic and everyone loved it. Definitely a repeat recipe here. I baked & sliced the sweet potatoes the day before to save time and it was perfect.

  • lelito on November 09, 2020

    I made it a few times and it was stupendous

• Jerusalem artichoke and rocket soup

  • Astrid5555 on March 20, 2023

    An easy, quite garlic forward (10! cloves) soup with some sharpness from the rocket. Split opinions.

• Granola

  • monica107 on January 26, 2014

    It is a bit more sweet than I usually like. I did find the recipe gave me a bit too much liquid, so I don't think the 3tbsp water was really necessary.

  • laurenlangston on May 11, 2020

    I changed up a lot of the fruit and nuts, as allowed in the recipe notes, to use what I had on hand. I halved the syrup after seeing Monica's note below and it was a good idea -- it was decidedly not-too-sweet this way. I may add some warming spices next time.

• Pan-fried sea bream with green tahini and pomegranate seeds

  • lilham on September 26, 2017

    Delicious and so simple. I have this book for years and I don't know why I haven't made this before! I served it with roast potatoes and a simple tomato, cucumber and carrot salad.

• White chocolate and cranberry biscuits

  • lilham on April 12, 2012

    I was afraid this will be very sweet with the white chocolate and dried cranberries. But it is just the right about of sweetness, and a very nice texture with the oats and dried cranberries. Ottolenghi asked you to form the dough into balls the size between an olive and a walnut. I made it slightly bigger than a kalamata olives and the resulting cookie is very small. Maybe Ottolenghi uses much larger olives than I do? If you are making tiny cookies the size of olives, you don't need to put them 6-7cm apart as instructed. I used 4-5cm and it's fine.

  • Melanie on September 10, 2013

    Very good. Sweet but not overly so.

  • Melyinoz on December 12, 2020

    I made these gluten free by using 20g tapioca flour and 80g of brown rice flour. I also used rice flakes to replace the oats. Where I really messed up is in not heeding the instructions re the biscuit size and the spacing. I put all the biscuits on two trays. One tray spread so much they all joined up and made one gigantic rectangular biscuit!! I think I will be able to salvage it by cutting it into squares or shards.

• Lemon and blueberry teacakes

  • lilham on June 20, 2020

    I substituted frozen blackberries and granulated sugar for blueberries and caster sugar. I don’t have bundt tins so used muffin trays instead. I ended up with 16 muffins for a recipe that supposedly make 6 teacakes. All I can say is the teacakes must be huge! This is delicious. Will definitely make again.

• Tamara's stuffed vine leaves

  • Franci on February 27, 2012

    Careful when adding the rest of the filling ingredient to the rice, it burns easily. It tasted good especially the day after but in this recipe I found Ottolenghi was not as bold as usual. I definitely like more herbs in my stuffed vine leaves.

• Roasted sweet potato with pecan and maple

  • Franci on February 27, 2012

    Out of 4 people, 2 the one wiith a sweet tooth, liked it a lot, me and my husband find it way too sweet, need to cut the sugar and top with acidity.

  • KarinaFrancis on November 03, 2020

    It is most definitely sweet, but really loved it. It really does need the herbs and sharpness of the citrus to stop it being cloying. I’d make this again for sure, this time I’d remember the sultanas. I could really see this as a Christmas or Thanksgiving side.

  • Glinys on January 22, 2021

    I added extra lime In view of the previous helpful comments about sweetness. I didn’t add sultanas. I found the sweet potato cooked in far less time, at 240 C, than specified. They were nearly incinerated although it might have been our Aga

• Cinnamon and hazelnut meringues

  • Melanie on September 09, 2013

    Cinnamon and hazelnut meringues. Very good - loved the texture and taste of these.

  • Hellyloves2cook on December 25, 2016

    I have never used this technique to make meringues before. Heating the egg whites and the combined sugars over a pan of simmering water in a heatproof bowl and leaving for 8 minutes for the sugars to dissolve stirring occasionally had me a little worried as I thought the egg whites would start to cook and I would end up with something that would be fit for the bin. However I trusted the process and was rewarded with great meringues!

• Pistachio and rosewater meringues

  • Melanie on September 01, 2013

    Delicious and marshmallowy on the inside. Needed 10 egg whites. Made a little smaller and reduced cooking time.

  • chezmaryb on February 06, 2022

    It took me an extra hour to cook them through. I used regular sugar run through the food processor because I've never seen super fine sugar here in the US. I also lost a good amount of the sugar to getting caramelized in the oven, but it still worked in the end

• Cheddar and caraway cheese straws

  • ilumb on June 24, 2015

    plain flour for dusting 300g puff pastry, or ½ quantity of Rough puff pastry (page 280) 1 free-range egg, lightly beaten 100g strong Cheddar cheese, finely grated 1 tsp caraway seeds Utterly tasty, especially when just out of the oven. While they’re baking, your kitchen will be filled with mouthwatering aromas. If the straws aren’t devoured at once, heat them up slightly just before serving. Claudine, who tried the recipe while in France so couldn’t get Cheddar, used mature Comté instead and said they were delectable. One little piece of advice: when making the cheese straws, work fast and try to keep a flow of fresh, cool air in the kitchen. Otherwise the pastry will heat up and turn sticky and difficult to manage. Makes 10 (p 188, The Ottolenghi cookbook) Method

• Mascarpone cream

  • herbietea on December 31, 2011

    Page 278

• Green tahini sauce

  • chawkins on September 21, 2017

    Made this without the parsley for the marinated eggplant recipe in this same book. Very good.

  • Rutabaga on June 28, 2016

    This is a really fresh tasting tahini sauce, and very versatile. We used it with the broad bean and radish salad from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, but it would work well with grilled meat, as a sandwich spread, with crudités, or as an all-purpose salad dressing.

  • DePollepel on May 13, 2021

    lekker! over vis of kip of groenten. basis voor gemengde salade bv waldorf

• Burnt aubergine with yellow pepper and red onion

  • kmattingly on April 22, 2013

    Lovely, colourful, extremely tasty salad

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    This recipe takes burnt (charred) eggplants and combining them with yellow or green capsicums and red onion, to form a dish perfect for eating with flatbread as part of a mezze spread.

• Organic salmon and asparagus bruschetta

  • mondraussie on May 05, 2018

    variations: smoked salmon, goats cheese, lemon zest, crushed pink peppercorn

• Radish and broad bean salad

  • mondraussie on January 01, 2016

    Delicious! Added green beans and rocket for a bit of extra green.

  • KarinaFrancis on November 14, 2014

    Light, delicious and so very pretty (looks almost Christmassy). The hint of cumin really lifted the salad. Will be a go-to salad this spring, was a perfect partner for grilled lamb.

  • joneshayley on January 26, 2020

    Very nice, fresh and crunchy.

  • Rutabaga on June 28, 2016

    I made this salad as the focal point of a light meal, but it would probably fare better as a substantial side dish, maybe alongside grilled kebabs. The flavor was light and fresh, but I was a little disappointed that the taste of the preserved lemon was fairly muted. The green tahini sauce is excellent, and I can't help but think feta would be a really great addition.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    Light, refreshing and perfect for a warm weather day, this recipe can also be a light lunch with some beautiful flat bread and maybe a wedge of pecorino cheese. It brings together my two favourite ingredients of Spring – Broad Beans and Radishes. It’s another Ottelenghi beauty.

• Jerusalem artichoke and Swiss chard tart

  • clkandel on March 16, 2017

    I broiled the tart for a few minutes at the end to get the topping to brown.

  • RogerP on February 14, 2016

    The dominant flavours are actually feta and chard - not jerusalem artichoke. But delicious.

  • Rutabaga on February 21, 2015

    Feta, chard, sunchokes, and cream make a good combination for a rich, yet healthful tart filling. The total baking time is quite long, however; I ended up baking the shell and the filled tart at 400F to finish the process in about an hour total, and that worked surprisingly well. For the last several minutes, I took off the foil and turned on the broiler to be sure it was completely cooked. The sunchokes were a little on the crunchy side - my fault, as I hadn't boiled them for the full 15 minutes. I left out the rosemary as I didn't have any, and just additional extra cream since I had no creme fraiche. I used a pyrex pie plate, and the only issue was that there was too much filling to fit in the dish. This would work well as a brunch dish or as part of a buffet.

• Blueberry crumble muffins

  • Sannalee on August 11, 2013

    We loved these muffins. I made them as mini muffins - baking time was approx 25 mins. I was also short on fresh blueberries so I supplemented with some rehydrated dried blueberries. You probably only need a 1/4 recipe of the toping (not 1/2).

  • Rachaelsb on October 30, 2022

    These are delicious. I’m a diehard Smitten Kitchen blueberry muffin fan…but sometimes I like to explore new terrains. These are much lighter both in texture and flavor. They taste like spring!

• Sour cherry amaretti

  • stockholm28 on January 27, 2014

    Simple cookie. Good, but a little too sweet for my taste. Tasted better the day after baking.

  • katy1729 on August 19, 2019

    Made on 18th August. Used xylitol instead of caster sugar, and omitted both the honey and the icing sugar. Also used the suggested alternative of dried apricots instead of the sour cherries as that is what I had available. The overall taste was still plenty sweet enough and I think I would also reduce the quantity of dried fruit somewhat next time, perhaps also the xylitol/caster sugar. The recipe is straightforward and still seemed to work well, even with my changes. The lemon zest is particularly delicious. I would definitely make it again!

• Focaccia with parsley and olive topping

  • joneshayley on January 26, 2020

    Beautiful focaccia, hard to resist eating the loaf, warm, to myself. Yum!

• Chilled red pepper soup with soured cream

  • Zosia on August 05, 2018

    This was a delicious, full-flavoured soup. Since I was serving it in shot glasses, I skipped the chopped garnish but cooked those ingredients (celery etc) with the peppers and garnished with thinned yogurt instead.

• Mixed mushrooms with cinnamon and lemon

  • bching on June 21, 2016

    Really good recipe for long stemmed mushrooms like beech and enoki. They lemon juice and olive oil make the stems silky and delicious.

• Aubergine-wrapped ricotta gnocchi with sage butter

  • helenevans on February 09, 2014

    One of my favourite recipes. A bit fiddly but definitely worth it. Great for a dinner party

• Marinated Romano peppers with buffalo mozzarella

  • Rutabaga on September 27, 2014

    Yesterday I started the peppers marinating, then this evening I added the buffalo mozzarella. Unfortunately, I did not check back with the recipe and completely forgot they were to be served atop arugula. Still, the marinade was good, and I plan to make an arugula salad with the leftovers tomorrow. This is a very good choice for a salad that can be mostly made in advance.

• 'Pizza' with feta, tomato and olives

  • Rutabaga on October 01, 2014

    Briny olives, caramelized onions, and brightly acidic tomatoes are an interesting and appealing contrast with tender, buttery brioche dough. I think these would make an elegant appetizer or savory brunch item, but we made a light meal out of them by pairing them with a hearty white bean salad. The topping combination is good, but brioche dough is more work than regular pizza dough (not to mention a lot richer), so these aren't likely to replace pizza in my meal planning. Still, I could definitely see putting in the effort for a special occasion .

  • Rutabaga on March 03, 2015

    Apparently I couldn't resist this topping combination, because I made them again for dinner. To make it easier for a weeknight, I found the it was OK to leave the dough out in a covered bowl during the day, then roll it out and top it without giving it another chance to rise. Mine were rather large, so needed almost a half hour in the oven at 325F. Maybe baking at 350F would speed up the cooking a little without being too hot.

• Brioche

  • Rutabaga on October 01, 2014

    This was my first attempt at making brioche, and while the end result was good (I used it for the tomato, olive, & feta "pizzas" that follow the brioche recipe in the book), I had some difficulty with the dough. Mainly, it makes a very small amount, and my mixer does not handle small batches very well. I had to scrape down the bowl many, many times to get the butter to incorporate. The dough was also incredibly sticky, but I figured that was perhaps in my favor - I was able to liberally flour the surface when rolling it out without worrying that it would be too much. Since it makes only a small batch, I think next time I will double the recipe to see if this makes the mixing easier.

  • Rutabaga on March 05, 2015

    I made this a second time, doubling the recipe, which did make it much easier to whip into shape with the dough hook. It still took time, however - probably around half an hour of high speed mixing. The dough never fully pulled away from the sides of the bowl, but I was afraid adding too much additional flour would toughen it. Thankfully, the loaf I baked with half the dough turned out light and tender, although it took half an our to brown properly in my oven, not the mere 15 minutes the recipe suggests.

• Raspberry and oat bars

  • Rutabaga on October 22, 2018

    These were pretty good, but I think mine were underbaked, as seems to almost always be the case when I make bars. They looked done, and they certainly weren't raw, but in future I would probably bake both the crust and the topping ten minutes longer than called for, and I might increase my oven temperature to 350 F. They were a little too crumby, and I'd also like the nut topping to be better caramelized.

• Rough puff pastry

  • Rutabaga on February 20, 2015

    I was pleased with the way this "rough" puff pastry turned out; the flakiness and texture was comparable to store bought pastry, but the flavor of an all-butter pastry like this one is definitely superior. I used it to make pasties. This method is a little more involved than the one from Chocolate & Zucchini, but yielded better results for me. It's not very time consuming to make, either; you just have to remember to start it a day or so in advance of when you want to use it.

• Granola bars

  • Rutabaga on February 06, 2019

    These granola bars are good, but quite sweet. I varied the ingredients based on what I had at home - dried blueberries instead of apricots and cherries, cashews in addition to pecans, no sesame seeds, and not quite the full amount of oats. It all worked out, but I had to bake them for almost twice as long in my Pyrex dish for them to set properly.

• Carrot and walnut cake

  • hollyindeed on June 19, 2014

    A surprisingly tasty, moist, long-keeping cake (well it's been out on the counter for a week). I thought it was going to be dry as it seemed so crunchy and ugly but inside it is moist and yummy with the cream cheese icing on top - though i thought some orange zest would be a nice addition to the cream cheese.

  • samuelporter on November 06, 2017

    Better after a day. Delightful.

  • Melyinoz on February 03, 2018

    I found this to be extremely sweet. Too sweet for me, my guests and my family. I should have realised when I saw the recipe called for 270g sugar and only 160g flour. However, the cream cheese icing is lovely.

  • anya_sf on March 29, 2018

    A lighter style of carrot cake, which we enjoyed quite a bit. Not like the typically dense American version (although we love that one too).

• Lamb cutlets with walnut, fig and goat's cheese salad

  • Allie80 on January 27, 2019

    No sides are mentioned but think most people would want a carb - couscous would work well. Otherwise, easy to follow recipe with tasty results. None of the ingredients are too tricky to source, most are store cupboard staples. The soft figs, creamy goat's cheese, crunchy walnuts alongside the garlicky lamb and herby salad with the sweet, sticky sauce works well - the perfect bite when you get a little of each.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    I made only the fig salad. Delicious!

• Khalid's chocolate and chestnut bars

  • Poppyseedbagel on August 04, 2019

    Delicious, and they freeze well

• Focaccia

  • e_ballad on April 04, 2020

    A very good focaccia, however, I still think Peter Reinhart’s recipe remains the gold standard.

• Sweet broccolini with tofu, sesame and coriander

  • e_ballad on July 21, 2019

    Very tasty & very quick, once the firm tofu has been marinated for half an hour. Watch the temperature of the pan, as though the method instructs the use of a hot wok, the marinade will burn in no time at all.

  • etcjm on July 02, 2021

    Very good. Few adaptations - used sambel oelek (only 2 tablespoons) and 'normal' broccoli. I did struggle to brown the tofu so will use a different pan next time. Given it's only the second time I've used tofu, I don't think I did too bad. We use a lot of broccoli and since I always have kecap manis in the house, I think this will be a repeat. I found with 2tb of the chilli it was hot enough, if it was tenderstem I think it could cope with more heat given the stronger flavour. Sesame seeds really do add, didn't have coriander so will make sure I do next time to see the difference.

• Focaccia with red onion and goat's cheese topping

  • e_ballad on April 04, 2020

    A very good focaccia, however, I still think Peter Reinhart’s recipe remains the gold standard.

• Individual plum clafoutis

  • raybun on June 22, 2017

    I often make clafoutis during the summer months with whatever fruit I have on hand. I used nectarines for this recipe, and it did not disappoint. The creamy vanilla speckled (I used paste not a bean) warm custard is hiding another layer of nectarine underneath.

• Purple sprouting broccoli and salsify with caper butter

  • anya_sf on February 26, 2019

    For the vegetables, I just used broccolini and sugar snap peas. The caper butter was very tasty, although I might reduce the amount of capers next time (if not adding salsify or other root vegetable). I didn't have chives, just dill, parsley, and tarragon - very flavorful and easy.

• Toffee brownies

  • hibeez on March 04, 2023

    These did not work for me. The toffee came out fine, but when I added the broken up toffee to the batter, the butter started to separate out. I baked them an extra 20 minutes, and they were still uncooked. I put them in the fridge so I could cut them, and they tasted good, but they were more like fudge. I will try again, and see how it goes, but I was very disappointed in the outcome.

• Butternut, carrot and goat's cheese tartlets

  • shdowling on April 16, 2018

    I strongly suspect that the oven temps given in the US copy were not adjusted for conventional ovens. Nothing cooked in the time allotted. Recommend adding 25 F to the temperatures provided in the book.

• Parsnip and pumpkin mash

  • purrviciouz on December 06, 2020

    Seriously incredible dish! I served with roasted chicken but this was the star. I did not make the fried onions topping and it was still fantastic.

• Roast pork belly (plus two relishes)

  • Jardimc on September 24, 2022

    The method is perfect. I would even cook it longer to release even more fat. The skin comes out perfectly crispy. Things I would change - the garlic and rosemary were a waste of time and could not be detected when I served it. I would instead brine the pork belly overnight to season it and then pat dry as instructed, salt the skin and proceed to cooking. Damn fine crispy skin!

• Olive oil crackers

  • Ganga108 on September 12, 2021

    These must be rolled very thin and backed until very golden to light brown to be crispy.

• Asparagus and samphire

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    We made this in London in one of our long visits - delicious! We can't get samphire here, but I have made it with sea spaghetti on one occasion and purslane on another.

• Roasted aubergine with saffron yoghurt

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    This recipe is actually very very simple to make (Yay!) and it is perfect for evening suppers.

• Sweet and sour celeriac and swede

  • Ganga108 on January 08, 2021

    Easy and delicious. Added shredded carrots as well, and one drop only of bitters.

• Food52

  All through June, our Cookbook Club will be focused on Yotam Ottolenghi's repertoire, and we hope you'll join us.

  Full review

• Food52

  ...is a "nonrepresentative collection of old favorites, current hits, and a few specials" at the eponymous London restaurant...

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• 101 Cookbooks

  ...I suspect I've discovered what will become my favorite cookbook of the year...This is my kind of food - abundant family-style platters, big color, bold flavors, and generous use of whole grains.

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• Nord1jus

  I keep making their French bean salad with hazelnut & orange and the twice-baked flourless chocolate fudge cake – just to name a couple.

  Full review