• lean1 on December 24, 2018

  I made the Spiced Cherry tomato sauce on p 187. I used multi colored tomatoes and some smoked paprika and it was amazing, and so simple! I used it on toasted bread and it was perfect!

• eliza on September 19, 2018

  My U.K. version of the book arrived today and has a handy code in the back that you can use to register online, giving you access to all the recipes in the book. I think this will be useful to browse recipes while grocery shopping or away from home. It also gives lists of recipes for specific dietary requirements such as vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free etc. A very nice bonus to have.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Baked mint rice with pomegranate and olive salsa

  • jaelsne on November 25, 2018

    I enjoyed this dish, but did not find it as flavorful as I had hoped. The rice preparation was certainly easy, and the rice came out perfectly done. I followed the recipe to the letter, but next time I’ll play with the salsa ingredients a little.

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    This is a super easy method to prepare rice. I loved the combination of ingredients. Perfect with slow roasted lamb shoulder as part of a middle eastern feast.

  • CallmeIshbel on October 26, 2018

    Easy to prepare ahead, lovely subtle mint flavour infused in the rice. Salsa would go well as a side dish or with other grains and legumes

  • lou_weez on June 20, 2021

    Really enjoyed this rice with the lamb & feta meatballs from the same book. I used the rice cooker instead of the oven and it worked brilliantly.

  • Rutikazooty on January 06, 2020

    My husband made for a block party. Had half the mint (we were low) and pecans instead of walnuts plus added some fresh tarragon. Everyone gave compliments but I thought it was not so special as to make a second time. I agree with previous comment that not as flavorful as one would hope.

  • Shaxon on January 03, 2021

    This is a wonderful way to cook basmati - with or without the pomegranate and olive salsa. If cooked on the stove, it's easy to get the temperature wrong and end up with soupy or burned rice. The oven is much more fool proof. The salsa is a wonderful addition in the winter when pomegranates are in season.

  • pomegranate on November 03, 2022

    I made just the olive pomegranate salsa. It’s great with white fish and vegetables.

• Beef meatballs with lemon and celeriac

  • jaelsne on October 19, 2018

    I had been very excited about trying this recipe. I followed it to the letter, but I was disappointed with the result. The quantity of bread crumbs overwhelmed the meatballs and made them somewhat crumbly. I will make it again using fewer bread crumbs. I love celery root, and the spicing was interesting.

  • FJT on November 12, 2020

    Lovely depth of flavour. I used gluten free panko breadcrumbs instead of fresh breadcrumbs and I may have reduced it too much (I made this in advance and then reheated it) as we ended up with not quite enough sauce. The meatballs were quite delicate but they mostly held together. Would definitely repeat.

  • greedyrosie on June 28, 2020

    I thought it was ok. My family really enjoyed it and I found it enjoyable to make but I wasn’t overwhelmed. Fine for a weeknight tea but I wouldn’t rush to make it again.

  • bwhip on October 19, 2018

    We made this tonight and we really loved it. The meatballs were excellent, and the celery root was delicious and cooked perfectly. The broth had a perfect combination of flavors, with brightness from the lemon and a really interesting blend of spices. The dish was remarkably flavorful for something that came together pretty quickly.

  • Lsblackburn1 on November 17, 2019

    Loved this! Served it over couscous and topped it with some leftover lebheh we had.

  • katy1729 on September 05, 2019

    1st Sept 2019. Made this with vegan (soya) mince. At first I thought it would be a disaster as the uncooked meatball mixture would not stick together, but I cooked it for a bit in a sauté pan and it got more sticky, so I was able to form the meatballs once the mixture had cooled a bit. The spiced celeriac and lemon mixture was more interesting than I had anticipated, but it wasn't a complete winner for us.

  • alapotre on October 17, 2021

    Waupoos, David, used cumin, ground coriander, plain paprika, no fennel, no turmeric, pan fried the meatballs with very little oil, was worth it. Forgot to add the onions to the meatballs, added them to the celeriac.

  • catmummery on January 01, 2022

    absolutely love this recipe. Surprising combinatino of celeriac, meatballs and lemon works so well and the slow cooking creates a beautiful sauce. Have to be careful when frying the meatballs so they don't disintegrate but such a lovely dish. On our regular list.

  • rhb on October 24, 2022

    We've made this several times and love it! We usually sautee the onions in some olive oil first and use more celeriac.

• Crushed courgettes

  • kleins99 on May 11, 2022

    The zucchini need to rest 30 minutes before putting in a collander and squeezing/ crushing the water out. I don't like to lose too much of the water because then the zucchini loses most of its volume and I'm left with a very small amount of zucchini. This was very enjoyable, and agree with others, the garlic should go in after the zucchini has cooked for 10 minutes. Then a second timer to remove everything after 20 minutes. I used dried mint and fresh mint, fresh dill, and fresh thyme. Lovely.

  • emiliang on January 10, 2022

    This was an absolutely delicious way of cooking a vegetable that has, let's just say, a pretty bland reputation. The result was creamy and delightful, with bright and lively notes from the lemon and mint. Very nice side dish, and I agree with the other commenter that the garlic should go into the oven a little earlier. Also, heads up that the zucchini will let out a lot of water after you crush it, so give yourself time to drain it for another 15 minutes or so afterward.

  • Lsblackburn1 on July 07, 2020

    Awesome side dish for the meatballs. I found that my garlic was not soft enough to mash after only 15 minutes so I fished it out and put it in the oven for longer. Next time I’d add it at the start. Served on flat bread with feta cheese.

  • dj2eats on March 31, 2022

    I should have read the two preceding notes! The zucchini still had a good deal of liquid when I smooshed them, and the garlic wasn't quite smooshable. So cook the garlic longer and let the zucchini drain a bit again after smooshing. That would have helped concentrate the flavors more, as they were fairly mild in my opinion.

• Bulgur with tomato, aubergine and lemon yoghurt

  • Jane on November 03, 2018

    I really liked this. It’s not a quick meal but not complicated at all. I thought when tasting the bulghur that the allspice dominated too much but with the other elements it was good. The preserved lemon and mint yogurt really makes the dish. I didn’t salt the yogurt as preserved lemon is already salty. If serving this as a vegetarian main course I would make 50% more eggplant.

  • kitchen_chick on September 01, 2019

    Lovely dish. Easy prep. I used tomatoes I had canned rather than cherry tomatoes and they worked just fine. I agree with making more eggplant.

  • bwhip on October 22, 2018

    We enjoyed this very much. Unusual and delicious. Easy prep.

  • Skamper on May 07, 2022

    I made a half batch as a main course for the two of us and, based on other reviews, used the full amount of eggplant, which was a good call. This was an interesting flavor combination, but it didn't wow me and I don't think I would make it again.

  • Ro_ on June 05, 2021

    We both really enjoyed this. I think to be a main it would need more aubergine, but served with a small piece of pork as well which was just the right amount of food. The lemony yoghurt with the bulgur was delicious.

  • JJ2018 on September 19, 2019

    This was pleasant enough but there wasn’t enough too it to make me want to repeat. I do think I will try cooking bulgur wheat in this way again though

  • StephEpices on August 10, 2019

    Perfect for a mezze spread! I have made it with and without the eggplant and I prefer it with if it's part of a more substantial meal and not just apps.

  • dc151 on January 16, 2021

    As others state, this was very simple to prepare and I actually had everything I needed on hand. I also agree that it could've used more eggplant. The household was split on the yogurt sauce, kept it on the side. I served this with a kheema matar.

  • Pimlicocook on October 30, 2022

    A slightly more involved variation on an old favourite - chickpeas, aubergine and tomatoes from Hugh's Three Good Things - so it's a combination of flavours I love; would make again.

• Avocado butter on toast with tomato salsa

  • Jane on September 14, 2018

    Not as simple as my usual mashed avo on toast (just lemon, salt and Aleppo pepper added) but this was worth the extra effort. The lime zest and capers in the salsa gave it more zing. I didn't have dill or tarragon so used basil and parsley as the herbs and it was fine. Very nice lunch.

  • JennyHay on January 28, 2019

    I served the tomatoes and avocado butter in individual bowls with small toasts/brushcetta. Very good with drinks.

  • Bloominanglophile on September 15, 2022

    I am perfectly happy eating a simple avocado toast (salt and olive oil on top), but I will make an exception for this recipe. I don't always have all the herbs, but I find substitutions work just as well.

  • Zosia on October 17, 2018

    A very tasty version of avocado toast. The salsa was bright and fresh and the avocado-dill pairing was particularly good. I omitted the butter - the avocado spread was still rich and creamy - and enjoyed it on whole wheat bagels.

  • Rutabaga on February 06, 2019

    This was a wonderful melding of flavors, even though I left out the tarragon and cumin. The avocado butter is decadent, but a good treat, and it makes an otherwise light meal more filling. Despite being a little more complicated than basic avocado toast, it's still quite quick to make.

  • bwhip on October 19, 2018

    Delicious. The avocado butter was creamy and delicious, with particular brightness from the lime juice. The amount of tarragon and dill called for seemed like quite a bit, so I just sprinkled what seemed like an appropriate amount over the top, and thought it tasted just right.

  • Ro_ on May 08, 2020

    Didn't have dill so used some mint and basil. I really liked the creaminess of the avocado butter, complemented by the zingy salsa. I don't know if this will be a regular brunch fixture at mine, but I could see making it again occasionally.

  • Trentinla on June 18, 2020

    Didnt think the added butter added anything more than fat and calories. unneeded

  • JJ2018 on May 21, 2019

    This was really nice and came together super quickly. A really tasty elevated avocado on toast to impress with.

  • Ganga108 on March 06, 2021

    Beautiful, as usual the flavours melded perfectly. The butter is luxurious and the tart salsa a perfect contrast. I left the butter chunky - did not blend it. I added preserved artichoke hearts to the salsa as they were the last of the jar left over from Summer salads. And some pickled green peppercorns, same deal. A fabulous, noteworthy brunch.

• Chickpeas and Swiss chard with yoghurt

  • Jane on November 12, 2020

    This is a relatively quick and easy vegetarian dinner. I used rainbow chard so included the stems. I added a chopped preserved lemon as I felt a bit more pizazz was needed. I think the yogurt is essential for balancing the dish.

  • kari500 on February 16, 2019

    I'd bump up the spices next time, and maybe add some cayenne and/or sumac. Served over rice as a vegetarian main. I liked it.

  • JennyHay on October 28, 2018

    Loved this as a side dish served with lamb.

  • KarinaFrancis on May 27, 2021

    We really enjoyed this. Not wanting to waste anything I used the stems as well. Based on previous comments I’ll have to try the version in Plenty and compare.

  • ksg518 on March 28, 2019

    This appears to be a variation on Ottolenghi's chickpea sauté from Plenty, which I really like. There are some differences, including roasting the carrots instead of just adding them directly to the sauté and just using the chard leaves rather than worry with the stems. But, for me the biggest differences were the addition of a fair amount of onion, which I thought weighed down the dish and the deletion of mint which also made it heavier than the original. I think I'll stick with the original.

  • CallmeIshbel on October 26, 2018

    Delicious side dish, used cashew tofu yoghurt sauce and purple carrots

  • Tealismyname on January 29, 2023

    Roasting makes this delcious and it was a quick and simple dinner

  • anya_sf on May 24, 2022

    I adapted this for what I had on hand: half a bag of (rather thin) baby carrots and 10 oz frozen spinach. The carrots got overdone in 20 min, but the (overly) roasted flavor was good in the vegetable mixture. Frozen spinach worked quite well in place of chard. We had this as a side dish with sumac chicken, so the seasoning was fine, but as a main I could see adding more spices.

  • Ro_ on January 21, 2020

    I used spinach instead of swiss chard, as it's what I had. This was nice, I enjoyed the spicing but as another commenter says would probably increase the quanities of spice (and carrot) next time.

  • Ezair92 on January 05, 2023

    Really enjoyed this one. I used both Swiss chard and red chard And loved the yogurt at the end. Definitely roasting the carrots made a difference

  • MissKoo on March 27, 2021

    A good, quick dish, and slightly abbreviated version of the chickpea sauté in Plenty. Like Jane, I used rainbow chard and included the stems. I like the flavor developed by roasting the carrots, but overall prefer the addition of mint and garlic in his original recipe, so in future will likely combine elements from both recipes.

  • jenburkholder on August 10, 2020

    I thought this was lovely with fresh garden chard. Crazily easy and almost a whole meal in itself. The caraway added a surprising depth.

• Bulgur with mushrooms and feta

  • gastronom on April 27, 2021

    Excellent main dish with sautéed greens. Used cooked farro instead of bulgur and shallot instead of onion. Loved cumin seeds, balsamic, dill, and thyme flavors with mushrooms and feta.

  • mondraussie on January 24, 2022

    Nice to have a change from rice or lentils. My bulgur took longer to cook than the recipe though, perhaps it is the brand I'm using?

  • Lepa on September 24, 2018

    This was pretty good but I didn't love it.

  • saarwouters on September 16, 2018

    Wonderful hearty dish with warm autumn flavours. Never ate bulghur like this before. I did add a bit more of the feta cheese.

  • Ro_ on January 21, 2020

    It turned out I didn't have enough bulgar, so I used a mix of bulgar wheat, brown rice and quinoa. I also didn't bother removing the onions and cumin from the dish before cooking the mushrooms, I just did it all together and it seemed fine. Overall, this was a nice dish, but without the feta it would have been a bit average.

  • Lsblackburn1 on July 05, 2020

    This was an excellent side dish for grilled steaks. I used powdered cumin because I’m not a big fan of the seeds. Easy to make this a bit ahead and serve warm.

• Pappardelle with rose harissa, black olives and capers

  • westminstr on March 08, 2021

    I used a full box of Pomi and omitted the water. Also didn’t have parsley, diced the onion fine, and reduced the rose harissa to 2 tbsp. I thought the sauce was quite good! Served w pecorino instead of yogurt. Everyone seemed to like it though E complained about the papardelle.

  • TrishaCP on August 13, 2020

    We liked this just fine- but I felt like it really needed the yogurt. I personally thought the pasta to sauce ratio was fine, since the flavors are really strong (used the full amount of rose harissa).

  • Astrid5555 on September 15, 2018

    Most delicious pasta dish I have cooked in years. Halved the recipe but only used one third of the rose harissa paste. Had just the right spiciness for us. Husband licked the plate and then we fought over the leftover sauce. Can‘t wait to make this again.

  • lilham on October 17, 2018

    An unusual take on a tomato pasta, but absolutely delicious. I used linguine instead of a flat pasta and tinned tomatoes instead of fresh.

  • bernalgirl on January 02, 2021

    I didn't have 14oz of cherry tomatoes so I used a 14oz can of crushed. I also didn't have the olives, so I upped the capers a bit. I used four tablespoons of harissa instead of 3, and slightly less water since there is liquid in the crushed tomatoes.

  • meggan on October 28, 2022

    Good but not great- maybe add garlic?

  • hirsheys on May 02, 2019

    This is a very simple dish to prepare, which I chose because I had some grape tomatoes needing to be used up. You basically caramelize some onion (which went pretty fast, actually, since the heat is set fairly high), then add harissa (I didn't have the rose version), halved tomatoes, halved kalamatas (I coarsely chopped them), some capers, and a little salt, then cook it all down into a nice sauce (adding in a little chopped parsley). You're supposed to serve with a dollop of yogurt, which is interesting. I used the mild harissa that's open in my fridge for this, and really wished it was spicy instead. I also didn't have pappardelle, so I used this dish as an excuse to use some interesting mixed shape pasta I had in my pantry. (It worked well.) The dish itself is quite nice, but it doesn't taste all that different from a standard puttanesca and I think I prefer my own recipe to this one.

  • clkandel on January 02, 2021

    This dish is excellent. Very fast to prepare. The yogurt adds creaminess and blends the flavors together nicely.

  • KarinaFrancis on May 23, 2021

    Delicious, flavour packed and quick to get on the table. We left out the olives (silver fox doesn’t like them) but other than that made it as written and loved it. The SF suggested we add chorizo next time to replace the olives....hmmmm

  • VineTomato on December 15, 2019

    Mr VT loved this. I thought it was okay, like a puttanesca but without the delicious anchovy flavour. Mr VT abhors anchovies, so this could be a great pasta for other anchovy haters. I have written the word anchovy many times for recipe that does not contain anchovies!

  • Rutabaga on January 04, 2019

    This is good, although I think I like the chickpea and pasta recipe from this book better. I used about two tablespoons of rose harissa, and it was only mildly spicy, yet still too spicy for the kids. Fortunately, I addressed that concern by setting some plain pasta aside for them. Soft goat cheese is also good on the pasta if you aren't using yogurt.

  • cultus.girl on December 19, 2020

    Really enjoyed this one and would make a half again of sauce for the amount of pasta. I agree the yoghurt was needed to push it into the excellent category.

  • Poppyseedbagel on June 19, 2020

    Excellent and even nicer than puttanesca

  • mrshalf on January 29, 2019

    Definitely amazing! Will absolutely put this into rotation and for any skeptics out there - the regular harissa paste from DEA was spot on. Not too spicy and definitely didn't miss the "rose harissa". This was fantastic!

  • anya_sf on May 02, 2019

    I used half the rose harissa so it wouldn't be too spicy and it definitely wasn't; I'll try more next time. I made the sauce 2 days ahead. This was a simple, delicious pasta dish that I would definitely make again. There isn't a ton of sauce relative to pasta, but the ratio seemed just right since the sauce has strong flavors. I'd never had yogurt on pasta before, but it was great. I used fettuccine pasta, but really, any shape would work.

  • Baxter850 on November 15, 2020

    Tasty but needs extra salt and the sauce only makes enough for about 1/2 lb of dried pasta.

  • JJ2018 on May 20, 2019

    This was nice but I wouldn’t be in a rush to repeat. Reduced the harissa slightly. There was a lot of pasta to sauce ingredients so ratio seemed slightly off

  • CheesyKranskyLove on October 04, 2022

    I bought a jar of rose harissa for this and honestly could not tell the difference between that and regular harissa. Just my 2 cents,

• Roasted butternut squash with lentils and Dolcelatte

  • westminstr on December 02, 2019

    I made this for Thanksgiving bc I had a vegan guest - I though the extra protein from lentils would be nice. I eliminated the cheese and also made several hours ahead so it was not warm when served. I really liked this at first but as time went on, liked it less. I think it was either the mint, tarragon, or the combo that threw me off. I honestly probably would have preferred it with just parsley. I didn't use the cheese so I don't know if I would have liked it better with the cheese included.

  • L.Nightshade on February 15, 2019

    It was my choice to sub hubbard squash, as I started out making this dish for an Ark of Taste potluck, and our Pioneer hubbard squash is one of the two items in the Ark from here on the island. It’s got a really tough skin, so I purchased the chopped, peeled variety. I used gorgonzola, as that was all that was available. Very glad I tried this, because it was a big success here. I was happy with the combination of flavors, as was Mr. Nightshade. It’s always a bit of a push to get him to agree to a vegetarian main, but that’s what this was, and he was happy. As much as I love gorgonzola and similar cheeses, I think it will be fine without it, and I’m putting it on vegan dinner party list.

  • lilham on January 10, 2019

    Mr lilham and I both liked this but the children (7 and 4) weren’t convinced. They pulled faces and made exaggerated gagging noises at both the dolcelatte and the squash.

  • sosayi on December 01, 2018

    Absolutely delicious and fairly easy recipe to prep. I subbed a Gorgonzola for the dolcelatte and added a tablespoon or so more lemon juice, but followed the recipe fairly exactly otherwise. As a main course, this made two substantial portions. We’ll make this again for sure.

  • purrviciouz on October 24, 2020

    We didn't care for this. I think the tarragon didn't jive with the other flavors for us. I wouldn't make this again.

  • JJ2018 on April 27, 2019

    This was a nice salad and liked the blue cheese and roasted squash but not amazing enough to call it a favourite! Be careful to really ensure the raw garlic is incorporated as I don’t think I mixed well enough so had some very strong bites

  • domechef on March 31, 2019

    A simple recipe, but I thought this was just okay. The components didn't mingle well for my taste buds. I much prefer the other squash recipe with the corn salsa and pumpkin seeds.

  • Ganga108 on January 01, 2022

    I have made this for Xmas in the past. We love it. I use Danish feta instead of dolcelatte which is hard to get herre.

  • chefengineer on January 09, 2022

    Delicious. Made 2x the lentils; subbed feta for the dolcelatte. Used acorn squash - don't cut the wedges too thin and do pull them out of the oven before they start to caramelize, lest the skins become too hard to eat. Mix the lentils with everything (omitted the tarragon and didn't miss it) and THEN add the squash and mix gently, as he says, or else the squash falls apart. Puy lentils = French Green lentils.

  • Futuregirl23 on February 06, 2023

    Very nice. Squash took longer than the 25-30 minutes suggested, unless it’s supposed to be quite hard still. Really lovely mix of flavours though and the blue cheese really cut through. I served it with some spinach and chicken I’d roasted in sumac. Lovely.

• Roasted aubergine with anchovies and oregano

  • westminstr on September 08, 2019

    Wow, loved this! Made for two with one eggplant (about 1/3 of the recipe) and half recipe of the herbs and dressing. Just outstanding!

  • blintz on February 23, 2020

    This was a huge hit! Everyone asked for the recipe. Very quick and I made it earlier in the day and then reheated the eggplant in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes and then added the dressing and herbs.

  • kath on January 26, 2019

    We love this! I have made it twice in one week.

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    Very easy, superb flavours, a great side dish.

  • Lepa on January 19, 2019

    We made this for a dinner party. It was really simple and delicious. I will definitely make it again!

  • saarwouters on September 16, 2018

    Great side dish with lots of flavour! Simple indeed and easy to make ahead.

  • Tee.Tee on May 30, 2020

    Easy to prepare and delicious! I subbed fresh mint in for the oregano. Will make it with fresh oregano when my plants grow out.

  • Ro_ on January 29, 2020

    I liked this a lot, and even my partner who doesn't really like aubergines said he didn't mind them in this recipe. I think I probably used more anchovy than was in the recipe (I had a big tin and I didn't measure) but they didn't seem to suffer for it! Can't get fresh oregano here, but dried was OK. I reduced the heat to 200 fan and the cooking time by five mins, as I think the aubergines would have burned otherwise.

  • Lsblackburn1 on March 26, 2020

    I put this on top of flat bread with hummus and ground lamb. Delicious!

  • foodgloriousfood on March 30, 2022

    A small note of dissent, we liked this but despite us both really loving anchovies, I would reduce them from 6 to 4 next time as it overwhelmed this dish in my opinion.

  • Ganga108 on December 05, 2021

    I made these vegetarian by adding Special Miso Sauce (https://tastecooking.com/special-spicy-miso-sauce-not-special-home-cooking/ - a staple in our kitchen). I thinned the sauce using the liquid ingredients in the recipe then added the garlic and herbs. Delicious. (Another replacement for anchovies that I use at times is miso+soy sauce+wakame+cumin.) If you want to make this very easily, use Maggi Seasoning Sauce in place of the anchovies.

• Green tahini sauce

  • westminstr on October 04, 2019

    This was quite a bit more work than regular lemon-tahini dressing but not very different or a whole lot better. I might have preferred it with some olive oil added.

  • rhb on November 18, 2022

    I wasn't crazy about this until I put it put it on the Roasted Whole Cauliflower (p. 94) the combination was fantastic!

• Curried lentil, tomato and coconut soup

  • westminstr on February 05, 2019

    Made on Feb. 2018 w a combo of red and french lentils bc I didn't have enough red. Had to add some extra water and cook longer to compensate for that. Eyeballed the ginger and had to add extra salt. This was really good; we liked it a lot!

  • Ladyberd on January 15, 2021

    A hit with the whole family, including my 8 and 10 year old. I used a Rogan Josh curry powder I had on hand and omitted the crushed red pepper until serving so it wasn't spicy for the kids. Delicious and one I will make again and again. Served it with some fresh naan!

  • MelMM on February 04, 2019

    2-1-2019 This smelled great cooking, and was quite tasty. When I tasted to adjust the seasonings, I found it to be lacking in salt, and added quite a bit more. I also felt it could use some acid, so added the juice of half a lemon. With those adjustments, it was a pleasant meal.

  • kari500 on March 21, 2019

    Best lentil soup I've ever had, and I love lentil soup. I had everything but the cilantro, so I subbed green onions and it was so good that I will do that from now on. Easy and delicious, and yes, add the lime.

  • TrishaCP on March 06, 2021

    This is an incredibly flavorful lentil soup. I agree that you absolutely need a tasty curry powder- I used the Goan Masala from Burlap & Barrel and it was heavenly in this soup.

  • L.Nightshade on February 14, 2019

    Only brown lentils were available here, so that’s what I used. Cooking took a bit longer than specified, but other than that it worked out well. I used my own curry blend, which was probably a bit hotter than called for, so the soup had a definite kick. I also served it with the limes as suggested in the headnote. My coconut milk was oddly thin, which was fine for stirring into the soup, but didn’t work well for the swirl on top. I enjoyed this soup quite a bit, it was homey and comforting, as a lentil soup should be, but with a little extra pop of heat. I didn’t add any additional salt, left that option for the table, but I did think the lime is a critical part of the finished dish.

  • FJT on November 26, 2018

    Really simple to make and great comfort food on a cold day. I added about two thirds of the water in the recipe and would probably add less next time.

  • Nossovitzky on May 19, 2019

    Really delicious! A big hit at our house and easy to make with pantry ingredients. I don't add the coconut on top and it doesn't lose anything. I think the main flavour comes from the curry powder so use one you like. I usually add more salt and more chilli (fresh or dried).

  • jackiecat on March 21, 2019

    https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/curried-lentil-tomato-and-coconut-soup

  • mondraussie on October 27, 2021

    Easy and delicious

  • clkandel on February 02, 2022

    Quick to make and lots of flavor. Made this in the IP - Sautéed onions until just starting to brown. Added curry powder and ginger and sautéed about a minute. Added garlic and sautéed about 30 seconds. Added all other ingredients and cooked10 minutes, high pressure, natural release. Used chicken broth instead of water. Added some hatch chilies.

  • EmilyR on January 16, 2022

    Another glowing review. I used fire roasted tomatoes. We added some paneer to the side and it was phenomenal all around. This will be in continual rotation through the Winter.

  • dinnermints on January 15, 2022

    I expected to love this more after all of the glowing reviews, but then again I did accidentally use half the amount of ginger (I doubled the recipe), so that could account for a lot. I also wish I'd had the time to cook the lentils a bit longer. Like Nossovitsky, I didn't reserve any coconut milk for the top and put it all into the soup. I didn't have limes on hand the first night I served it and was a bit disappointed with it, but the next night added the lime (which, as others have noted, adds a lot - really should be listed in the ingredients) and some pan-fried shrimp for more protein, and then it was fantastic. Will definitely make again, and will try with broth instead of water as others have noted.

  • stockholm28 on April 07, 2019

    Delicious and very easy. This will be repeated.

  • pistachiopeas on February 09, 2019

    Really loved this. I added 1 tsp more of salt, and also lightly salted my onions at the beginning. Used Vadouvan curry & a bit more ginger than called for. We all really enjoyed this!

  • raybun on March 04, 2019

    Absolutely fantastic, best lentil soup I’ve ever tasted. I used brown lentils as that’s what I had. Even the fussy 11yr old enjoyed it once it had been in the blender, so 5 stars!

  • grindabod on January 29, 2019

    This is a delicious and warming soup, super easy, and it basically only uses storecupboard ingredients.

  • averythingcooks on December 07, 2019

    Well yes.....this is lovely. I made it pretty much as written except I used broth and needed extra to blend it very smooth (which is how I like lentil soup) before I stirred in the full amount of coconut milk.

  • Ro_ on January 27, 2020

    Absolutely delicious. A lovely texture, and great balance of flavours with the creaminess of the coconut milk, earthiness of the curry and lentils, and zing of the coriander and lime wedges (he suggests the latter in the blurb but not in the method/ingredients, but I highly recommend squeezing on at the end).

  • JJ2018 on April 28, 2019

    Huge hit for us. Really easy to make and a super tasty delicious soup. Can see this being a winter favourite

  • allisonsemele on January 30, 2021

    Way better than I expected from the ingredients list—I am generally suspicious of anything that relies heavily on curry powder. For the curry I used a mix of homemade garam masala, Jamaican curry powder, and store bought. Absolutely delicious—mine came out very thick and I served it over rice. Will repeat.

  • TLouise on September 21, 2021

    Very good recipe and so easy. I may have gone a bit overboard with the spices as it was quite spicy. I also used light coconut milk as that was what I had on hand. Served with homemade garlic bread bowls and a sprinkling of cheese.

  • zabeta on January 06, 2022

    I agree with other reviews that this is the best lentil soup I've ever had. I used the full amount of cilantro, which is a lot, used broth instead of water, and also added some lime juice to the soup. Absolutely delicious.

• Pork with ginger, spring onion and aubergine

  • westminstr on September 03, 2019

    Everybody really enjoyed this dish, and the kids loved the pork! I pulled some aside for them that just had the sauce, no aromatics, and they liked it that way. I also offered cilantro, peanuts and chile on the side instead of mixed in. Next time finely chop the ginger and garlic. Also I overcooked the scallions and eggplant - both were fine but softer than I like, so watch that next time. In my (adult) opinion, this dish was definitely best with all the elements mixed together. Eggplant on its own was bland but excellent mixed with the pork and sauce. Second try 9/19: finely chopped the ginger and garlic, sauteed only briefly, and served with roasted green beans instead of eggplant. also short on ginger (40 vs 60 g) which was fine. success!

  • TrishaCP on July 17, 2020

    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/may/23/yotam-ottolenghi-pork-recipes

  • TrishaCP on July 18, 2020

    This is very tasty and fast once all of the vegetables and aromatics are chopped. I only had 4 cups of eggplant-according to the recipe that was only 1/3 but it seemed plenty (for two people with leftovers).

  • Astrid5555 on October 15, 2018

    Excellent! I made my own kecap manis by boiling down regular soy sauce with palm sugar and added the eggplants to the sauce to flavor them some more after steaming. Very quick to make and weeknight friendly, two thumbs up by the whole family.

  • apattin on December 08, 2018

    Perfect balance of flavors.

  • aargle on October 12, 2019

    This is an easy tasty dinner. I added some green beans which I stir fried with ginger, spring onions and garlic because I didn’t have enough eggplant and was very happy with the result. Will make again.

  • FJT on November 06, 2021

    Lovely! Husband wasn't too keen on the aubergine despite its wonderful silkiness, but the fact that we were eating meat on a weeknight along with the more-ish sauce won him over. Next time I'll make it with a different vegetable.

  • KarinaFrancis on August 20, 2019

    I did take some liberties with this recipe by mixing the steamed eggplants and some noodles into the pork mix. I really liked this dish, especially the sauce which made the dish. Would make it again.

  • Barb_N on February 13, 2019

    This comes together in a flash once the eggplant is steaming and the rice noodles are soaking. I used a wok and moved the aromatics to the side rather than removing from the pan. I doubled the sauce ingredients, intending to immerse the eggplant in it after the steam bath but I forgot. Still delicious after placing the eggplant over the noodles and bathing it all in the porky sauce. Will be a repeat for sure.

  • Foodycat on November 13, 2018

    I was sceptical about steaming the aubergines - I've tried it before and they haven't cooked properly - but these were lovely. Really silky, and the skins became very tender. The pork sauce is delicious, really punchy.

  • Popisdead on June 02, 2019

    Really good. Could do with a slightly stronger sauce. I would be tempted to put some citrus and chilli in. I think it would also serve really nicely over large salad leaves.

  • Tealismyname on June 12, 2022

    Delicious- We used veggie mince which left it a bit dry. Definitely benefits from addd water, or better yet a corn starch slurry to give it a nice sheen.

  • lou_weez on January 13, 2021

    Great flavours. Would make it again and substitute zucchini for eggplant and add a few more vegetables.

  • anya_sf on November 13, 2018

    I added some green beans to steam with the eggplant, adding them halfway through cooking. The vegetables needed a bit of extra salt. The pork was super flavorful and great with the vegetables (which would be quite plain on their own). We ate this with steamed rice and it was delicious.

  • Lucylew on November 22, 2019

    Very good. I skipped the peanuts due to personal preference, added some leftover garlic green beans to up the veg, mixed the eggplant in with the pork and sauce and served over brown basmati rice. It really is pretty simple!

  • jenburkholder on August 10, 2020

    Our family liked the flavor of this stir-fry, but as eggplant non-lovers we thought it would be better with almost any other vegetable - maybe summer squash?

  • Running_with_Wools on March 29, 2021

    This is absolutely delicious and really easy. I followed the unusual method of steaming the eggplant chunks after salting them and I liked how they came out. Really silky. And it was nice to be able to serve the main part of the dish to my kids without the eggplant in it. I didn't have Ketsup Manis so I substitued Hoisin sauce since it's sweet and smoky. Really good. I think this will be on my regular rotation.

• Rose harissa chickpeas with flaked cod

  • westminstr on January 10, 2022

    I had made before but didn’t make a note. Just as good as I remembered! Subbed fluke for cod. Next time double it, but be careful w the lemon pulp as it’s quite salty. O liked and E refused to try, but I think she would like it.

  • wester on August 01, 2021

    This was good but not as brilliant as the other eviews made me expect. Started with half the amount of harissa a suggested in the recipe, and that was plenty.

  • TrishaCP on November 25, 2021

    This was easy to make. I agree that you need to double the fish if you are serving this for dinner, but not sure we needed to double the chickpeas. We served this with a baguette and a green salad.

  • KarinaFrancis on July 14, 2020

    What a great dish, like others we made this for dinner so a bit of bread on the side was needed. The flavours are punchy for so few ingredients and short cooking time. I didn’t have preserved lemon so used some grated rind and a squeeze of lemon at the end. Absolutely will make this again

  • dinnermints on March 02, 2021

    Agree with the rest of the reviewers, delicious and easy! The flavor of the preserved lemon is pronounced in a pleasing way in this dish. I also doubled it and used tilapia, as that's what I had on hand.

  • mharriman on July 17, 2020

    My husband and I loved this dish. I nearly doubled the cod amount, using 12 ounces to make a dinner entree. I reduced the Rose Harissa a bit. It was still very spicy hot for me but husband thought the spice was perfect. I found that cutting the cod whole slightly still frozen produced very nice small squares. Served with bread as suggested. Also served with Ottolenghi’s baby spinach, date, almond, and pita bread salad ( Jerusalem) which went well with this. Will definitely repeat.

  • klipper on February 20, 2019

    Great stuff - really simple to make but the rose harissa and preserved lemons give it a real depth of flavour. Definitely going on the rotation - also tasty & impressive enough for a dinner party. Winner!

  • kitchen_chick on July 18, 2019

    Nice and easy dinner. I added extra lemon juice at the end to add a more vibrant note to the dish.

  • anya_sf on May 09, 2019

    Since we were having it for dinner, I doubled the recipe, and only a little was left over. I worried that the preserved lemon would be too strong, so I did not double that, and was happy with the amount. I used half chicken stock, half water in place of vegetable broth. This was a quick weeknight meal, delicious with the suggested crusty bread and wilted greens.

  • jenniebakes on November 02, 2018

    This is an excellent dish - inexpensive, and by my reckoning actually simple, but with complex flavors. I made it using regular harissa, as I haven't found a source for rose harissa yet, but it was still savory and delicious. Unfortunately nobody else in my house will eat it, but I'll definitely make it again for lunch for myself - possibly regularly.

  • Richardbagnall on February 23, 2020

    This is easy to cook and quite delicious. Quick, easy and light on the washing up. Will impress for a dinner party as well as supper at home.

  • Running_with_Wools on November 24, 2020

    We loved this simple dish. It was a flavor bomb.

  • allisonsemele on January 15, 2021

    I'm glad I saw the notes about doubling this! I doubled the recipe for dinner for two people, and while it seemed like it was going to be a ton of food, we didn't have much left over. Served with bread, absolutely delicious and easy. Made with a lot of regular harissa and a bunch of lemon zest as I didn't have any preserved lemon. I would love to try this again with the preserved lemon and better quality harissa. I found that really mashing some of those chickpeas was key to getting the sauce to thicken. My wooden spoon was not up to this task--I used a potato masher.

• Courgette and ciabatta frittata

  • jzanger on October 18, 2018

    Super delicious! I only had on hand 1/2 cup of heavy cream and used 2% milk for the rest. I also only had baguette, and using about 2/3 of the amount of ciabatta listed worked just fine. This recipe could be easily played with to adjust herbs and spices. I’ll happily make this again!

  • MollyB on August 10, 2022

    A delicious and forgiving recipe. I used some odds and ends of white bread that I had in the freezer for the bread and a mix of zucchini and frozen green beans (Trader Joe's haricots verts) for the vegetables, and it was great. It all melded together into a delicious final dish.

  • Astrid5555 on November 10, 2018

    This is a delicious way to use up leftover bread. I made half a recipe for 2 adults and this was plenty. Adding some more vegetables such as spinach and cherry tomatoes would also be lovely. Will make again soon!

  • chaffinski on September 23, 2018

    I made this with full fat cottage cheese rather than milk soaked ciabatta. Served with the tomato carpaccio. Yum.

  • Lsblackburn1 on July 30, 2020

    I think I liked this even better warmed up on day 2. The flavors - especially the basil - really came through. Very tasty savory bread pudding.

• Spring onion and herb salad

  • wester on March 19, 2019

    So, when I think I want a herb salad, I actually want this salad. The vegetables make the flavour lighter, less concentrated, but at the same time more complex. And the dressing is simple but just right. I do think it needs an accompaniment that can stand up to it, for instance beef or lamb, or maybe a strong cheese. Chicken, as the book suggests, or pork, as I used, are just not strong enough. I subbed celery for the green pepper and parsley for half the coriander; the recipe was robust enough to handle that. ETA: I actually like this one better with celery instead of green pepper. Still, there are worse ways to use up those green peppers that came with the red and yellow ones.

  • Ro_ on July 03, 2020

    I made this as part of a poke bowl type thing, and it worked quite well. But I don't think I liked it enough to want big quantities of it - texturally it didn't do it for me, and I think maybe it needed more dressing. I think it's important to cut the herbs really, really finely.

• Harissa and Manchego omelettes

  • wester on March 16, 2019

    My trusty Turkish shopkeeper said rose harissa could be made by mixing normal harissa and rose water. I used about a teaspoon of harissa and half a teaspoon of rose water per omelet, and this was good for me, but it would still have been too spicy for the children. I really would not have been able to eat this with the amount of harissa given in the recipe, although the redness of the book photo does suggest they did mean this amount. With the reduced amount of harissa it is a good omelet, worth adding to the repertoire. The rose flavor was noticable but not too strong. Any meltable cheese would work here, I do not think it is necessary to use Manchego.

  • Charlotte_vandenberg on May 02, 2020

    Everybody loved this, even our 18-month old! Seems like a good idea to make the mixture ahead and have this as a lunch after a walk in autumn or winter with some toasted bread. Pretty heavy as a breakfast even when reducing the eggs to 2 per person.

  • DePollepel on November 21, 2021

    delicious, also serves as full meal in summer

  • pomegranate on September 27, 2022

    I make this with Mina mild harissa. Have made with Greek yogurt or cream if I didn’t have milk. This is my go-to omelette/ frittata recipe. Delicious!

• Braised eggs with leek and za'atar

  • wester on March 26, 2019

    Per the other reviewers I halved the amount of lemon and paired it with charred tomatoes with yoghurt. I also left out the feta and forgot the za'atar. The end result was very good; the pairing with the tomatoes, in particular, was wonderful and made for a light yet filling and exquisitely flavoured vegetarian dinner. Next time I will slightly increase the amount of lemon again and think of the za'atar.

  • SheilaS on October 08, 2018

    This recipe calls for using both the flesh and skin of a preserved lemon. Between that and the feta cheese, it was too salty for me and the tartness from the lemon completely overpowered the sweetness of the leeks. Next time, I will only use the lemon rind as I usually do. I made extra of the leek/onion mixture so when I reheated it, I just poached the eggs separately and found it much easier to control than cooking them in the vegetables. I served this with the the hot charred cherry tomatoes with cold yogurt on p 70 and it was a great pairing.

  • Astrid5555 on September 16, 2018

    A little bit too lemony for me, I think my preserved lemon was too big. Apart from that quick to make and a delicious brunch dish.

  • FJT on December 16, 2021

    I thought this was lovely and would have given it 4 stars; my husband really didn't like it and would score it as just 1 or 2 stars. I settled on 3!

  • twoyolks on January 12, 2021

    I thought this was good except that the cumin flavor was strong and didn't work well with the other flavors.

  • rmardel on February 14, 2023

    Truly delicious. Made a reduced recipe as part of a fridge clean-out. Did not have quite enough leek, proportionally, so added scallions cut in thin strips. I will do this again as I believe the complexity boost provided by two different alliums, the scallions being slightly more peppery, added to the dish. I also used a light chicken broth instead of vegetable stock. The layering of flavors and the braising liquid enhance the flavor of the eggs. This is a great pantry breakfast or light supper for me so will certainly be making again.

  • Popisdead on June 06, 2020

    Would think about adding some chorizo or crumbled sausage, and chilli. But otherwise a good brunch dish.

  • Ro_ on May 15, 2020

    For two people I halved the leeks and spinach, used 4 eggs and 2/3rds of a preserved lemon: this seemed about right. I liked the balance of flavours from the lemon, feta, leeks and za'atar. I found it a bit tricky to get the egg whites cooked without overdoing the yolks. Overall I liked this recipe, but it felt more like a lunch than a breakfast. Good shout from another commenter to pair it with the tomato and yoghurt recipe, I can see that working well. It needs bread too (I did toast).

  • Ganga108 on January 01, 2022

    Lovely and unusual. I don't cook with eggs so added burrata to the leeks instead.

  • pomegranate on May 19, 2022

    This is delicious. I cooked lemon slices in salted lemon juice on the skillet for a few minutes as a substitute for preserved lemon.

• Courgette, thyme and walnut salad

  • wester on March 06, 2021

    Flavorful, and a nice change from other recipes with zucchini.

  • joneshayley on April 19, 2020

    Brilliant salad - the walnuts add a delightful crunch, and the garlic lemon infused oil makes the dressing interesting and unusual.

  • Ganga108 on January 13, 2022

    A play on a classic marinated zucchini dish - olive oil, herbs, citrus, garlic. Ottolenghi's wonderful twist is that he infuses the oil, then adds nuts to the salad. I added hazelnuts rather than walnuts, used cumquats (they are ubiquitous here), added opal basil. Delish!

• Curried egg and cauliflower salad

  • wester on February 28, 2019

    Definitely quick, easy and tasty. I served it with chicken as suggested but that was a bit too much - probably better as a (light) vegetarian main. Would also be good to bring to a potluck.

  • kari500 on December 15, 2019

    I made half a recipe because I ended up with half a (large) cauliflower. This is delicious, even though I took a few short-cuts. I used ground cumin, dried tarragon (and less of this than called for). I now know that it is a PITA to peel pasteurized hard boiled eggs. From now on if I'm planning on boiling eggs I will get them non-pasteurized. Seems like it is going to be a good gateway recipe into egg salad for L. Has anyone ever subbed tofu for eggs in an egg salad?

  • FJT on May 07, 2020

    This was fine, but really didn’t wow us. I reduced the number of eggs. Can’t say I’d bother making it again.

  • kitchen_chick on September 29, 2019

    Delicious. This recipe makes a huge amount. I will cut it in half next time, and we'll still have leftovers.

  • banba1 on March 06, 2021

    Good! Didn't hold up so well as leftovers. Great recipe to play around with -- additions I want to try include: currants, barberries or golden raisins; mango chutney; parsley and/or dill

  • anya_sf on August 20, 2019

    I only used 3 eggs and added the meat from a whole rotisserie chicken. There was enough dressing for everything. At first I didn't notice that the curry powder was divided and I put all of it on the cauliflower. The cauliflower on its own was too strongly flavored, but I omitted the curry from the dressing, so the flavor balanced out overall. I subsituted basil for the tarragon, since that's what I had on hand. The salad was quite delicious, although rich; next time I'll serve it over greens. It would benefit from some crunch - perhaps sliced almonds. (I did roast the cauliflower and onion a bit longer so they weren't crunchy.)

  • Baxter850 on November 15, 2020

    Delicious. Great summertime and make-ahead dish.

  • Skamper on June 09, 2021

    We both liked. A half batch was more than enough for two, Served as a main on a bed of lettuce.

  • Lsblackburn1 on June 26, 2019

    I served this on toasted olive bread and it was delicious! Very filling so we have a lot of leftovers.

  • Geric on February 28, 2021

    I will definitely repeat this. Served it with a spinach and lentil dahl and some rice. It was quick and quite straightforward.

  • jenburkholder on August 10, 2020

    I thought this was delicious, and with a green salad it was a whole meal. Easy, cheap, tasty, and at least moderately healthy. Will definitely repeat.

• Mustardy cauliflower cheese

  • wester on March 02, 2019

    I would have liked less of a bite to this, both literally and figuratively.

  • kari500 on February 28, 2020

    Very tasty, but seemed a bit labor intensive. Maybe I was just having a rough day.

  • okcook on April 24, 2019

    The flavours are very good as others have commented. I had an issue with curdling. When I poured the cream into the pan it curdled almost immediately so the sauce was just clumps of curdled cheese and cream. Very unappetizing. Next time I will cool down my pot before adding the cream/cheese.

  • mcvl on August 25, 2020

    Delightful! Lacking a fresh green pepper, I chopped up some pickled jalapeño, and because I'm a texture fiend I chunked rather than grated the cheese. I may never make ordinary cauliflower cheese again.

  • TrishaCP on November 08, 2020

    We absolutely loved this recipe - though I wouldn’t say it was that simple with several steps. I did steam the cauliflower for extra time (maybe 3 more minutes) as I had left the pieces quite large. (My broiler doesn’t work either, so I let it bake a bit longer.) I used two Serrano chiles and it was the perfect level of spice for us.

  • FJT on November 05, 2020

    Lovely zingy cauliflower cheese! Mine had red chillies, Colman's English mustard (prepared, not powder) and a large dollop of madras curry paste instead of curry powder. It was looking as if it would be too spicy so a small tub of natural yoghurt was added before baking. I forgot about the breadcrumbs, but we didn't miss them!

  • JennyHay on April 12, 2019

    A wonderful dish. A perfect side with loads of flavour to accompany plain meat. It went well with with old fashioned corned beef. I will cook the cauliflower a bit longer next time. I used more cheese and crumbs in the topping.

  • Omsafeeya on December 30, 2022

    Not really cauliflower cheese but a nice spicy dish.

  • Rinshin on August 28, 2020

    Ok but also thought this was a bit too cauli-cheese and did not notice mustard flavor which I was hoping for. If making this again, adding chopped green peppers, more mustard, and less cheese. Updating my note. We had trouble finishing the leftovers. We just did not care for the taste.

  • Foodycat on September 25, 2018

    Reminds me a lot of a Madhur Jaffrey recipe that I really like. I tasted after adding the cheese, and added the same quantity again, and that was about right to make it taste cheesy against all the spice. Delicious, and very rich.

  • Frogcake on October 21, 2018

    Delicious! Great flavours in this unique cauliflower recipe! I used fresh, homemade breadcrumbs - Didn’t have enough cheddar so I used grated Asiago in the crumble.

  • Silverscreensuppers on February 12, 2019

    Really loved this dish. Perfectly spiced for me. Made for my bookcook club where 5 of us all cooked recipes from Simple - every single thing was DELICIOUS!

  • raybun on March 02, 2019

    Definitely better than any cauliflower cheese I’ve eaten before. The spices and chilli definitely elevated the cauliflower, going in my Favourite File.

  • lou_weez on September 26, 2018

    Delicious!! The addition of mustard and spices elevated this from the standard cauliflower cheese. Definitely making this again.

  • anya_sf on May 12, 2019

    Like a cross between regular cauliflower cheese and Indian cauliflower. I used less chili so it wouldn't be too spicy, and a bit more cheese. My broiler only has one setting (burn), so I just left it to bake longer. It was delicious. We had it with sausages and peas.

  • ricki on December 05, 2021

    Disliked the mustard/curry/cheddar combination, but might try the technique again with other flavors.

  • Skamper on January 06, 2021

    We both liked this. made a half batch that yielded two generous portions, which we both gobbled up. My florets probably could have been a bit smaller.

  • Ro_ on January 13, 2021

    Really liked this. I appreciated that it was all made in one pan (except for steaming the cauli at the start). The sauce to me was more of a curry sauce than a mustard sauce, but I liked it! I used one green chilli which added the perfect amount of heat. If I made it again I'd cook the cauliflower slightly more (it was quite al dente in the end, though my partner likes it like that) in fact maybe just parboil instead of steam it.

  • purrviciouz on March 03, 2019

    This was more like curried cauliflower and cheese, the mustard was not very forward here. I served this with wild rice blend. It made for a delicious and rich vegetarian dinner.

  • Lsblackburn1 on November 10, 2018

    Used one large Anaheim chili, which was great. Omitted the breadcrumbs since I served it with the chicken with croutons. Nice pairing!

  • Ezair92 on January 05, 2023

    Really liked this recipe. My guests all raved about it. It wasn’t as spicy as I thought but I think it really does depend on the chilies that you use. Loved the various spices

• Hot charred cherry tomatoes with cold yoghurt

  • wester on March 26, 2019

    Excellent. So simple, so flavourful, and it smells great too. I do want to use more tomatoes next time. Per SheilaS' review I paired this with braised eggs with leek and za'atar. This combination was wonderful and made for a light yet filling and exquisitely flavoured vegetarian dinner.

  • SheilaS on October 08, 2018

    I served this with the braised eggs with leek and za'atar on p6 and these tomatoes were the star of the plate. Super easy and delicious!

  • caitmcg on January 24, 2019

    Simple to pull together, and a delicious dish. I did the tomatoes in my Breville countertop oven, and didn’t need the broiling step. I think the proportion of yogurt is too high relative to the tomatoes, and used less (despite increasing the tomatoes). I plated the dish individually, as that seemed easier for serving than using a big platter.

  • FJT on July 18, 2019

    Delicious! I had to wait until my husband was away to make this because he doesn’t like hot tomatoes, but it was worth the wait. And yes, I ate it all on my own!!

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    Love this fabulous dish. Served as a starter with brushetta.

  • clkandel on July 23, 2022

    Love how creamy the yogurt gets. Simple to prepare and lots of flavor.

  • KarinaFrancis on June 09, 2019

    Loved it! We served it as part of an aperitivo dinner with loads of bread.

  • ksg518 on August 19, 2019

    Just wonderful! Very easy and it comes together in about 30 minutes. We served it with flatbreads and turkey sausages for a great easy meal.

  • Rutabaga on September 16, 2019

    As others have said, this is delicious and simple to make. It went great with naan, but could be served with any variety of dishes. I found my tomatoes didn't need quite as much time in the oven, and just a few minutes under the broiler was enough, but I also roasted them on a metal sheet pan.

  • Foodycat on February 15, 2019

    So delicious and simple! I didn't do the final charring. I think I will be eating this a lot in summer.

  • cultus.girl on October 27, 2018

    Outstanding dish.

  • saarwouters on September 16, 2018

    Delicious! A nice alternative to the tomato/mozzarella side dish. The combination of the hot juicy tomatoes and the fresh tangy yoghurt worked really well. I would add a few more tomatoes the next time.

  • EmmaJaneDay on May 17, 2020

    This is beautiful! No more to say!

  • anya_sf on July 23, 2020

    Really good with rosemary focaccia. One cup of yogurt was enough for us. The tomatoes didn't need to broil that long (my broiler is very strong).

  • Skamper on February 16, 2019

    Made as a side but would probably be better as a starter. Made a half batch but with a few more tomatoes. Used homemade yogurt.

  • Ro_ on January 21, 2020

    This was great, the citrusy cold yoghurt and the hot herby, garlicky tomatoes were a winning combination. Next time I'd probably up the quanity of tomatoes and possibly use slightly bigger ones, and DEFINITELY serve with some really nice bread to scoop up all that delicious yoghurt.

  • rhb on November 05, 2022

    Very good! Thankfully, I took others' notes about the yogurt; half the amount of was more than enough. I move the pan lower for the final broil and it broil for only a few minutes. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe and got a smoky mess from the tomatoes being too close to the broiling element.

• Lamb and feta meatballs

  • wester on March 22, 2019

    I thought these were excellent, with the feta adding both sharpness and richness without becoming overly cheesy. The children were not quite as enthusiastic but they still finished them without complaints. The first frying then baking seemed overly complicated to me, but when you don't change pans it's not really that much of a bother. I left out the bread and forgot the garlic, both without much ill effect.

  • okcook on May 08, 2019

    These are fabulous. I made the larger meatballs for dinner. I fried them in some lamb fat from the freezer. I just kept shaking the pan to keep the meatballs rolling around. They took about 6 or so minutes. I used a meat thermometer to try to cook them to 165F but I over shoot to 174F..still they were moist and tender. With a minute to go I just drizzled the pomegranate molasses over the meatballs and kept shaking the pan.

  • TrishaCP on May 10, 2019

    Yes, we loved these too. I used the pomegranate molasses drizzle, and I liked the sour note it added.

  • Astrid5555 on September 14, 2018

    As promised quick and easy to make, great to make ahead. Made 40 little meatballs as canapés, which were gone within minutes. Delicious!

  • FJT on May 10, 2019

    Another vote for this recipe. Yum!

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    Delicious simple meatballs. I served them with the Couscous Cherry Tomato and Herb Salad (page 158). Perfect together.

  • Nossovitzky on May 19, 2019

    Number 1 requested meal at our place. Very moreish and I love the sweet/sour flavour from the pomegranate molasses.

  • Barb_N on May 22, 2019

    I guess I’ll be the lone voice of dissent. I found the mixture dry and crumbly even decreasing bread crumbs. Once I added a beaten egg (which I kept looking for in the ingredient list), I was able to fry them without them falling apart. The pomegranate molasses makes a nice topping but turned into ‘candy’ on the baking sheet. I much prefer the lamb and pistachio patties.

  • lou_weez on June 20, 2021

    These worked well - no problem with binding as others have suggested. I did probably overwork the mince, but I didn't want them to fall apart. Served with mint rice from the same book.

  • anya_sf on October 31, 2021

    Using pre-ground lamb, the mixture held together fine. I hate frying meatballs, so I used Ina's roasting technique, forming the meatballs with an ice cream scoop (yielding 13-14 meatballs), then roasting them at 400 F for 25 min, drizzling with pomegranate molasses for the last 5 minutes. Between the rendered fat on the pan and sugar from the molasses, the bottoms got a little dark and tough, so next time I'd just add the molasses for the final 2 or 3 minutes. My family really liked these.

  • Ro_ on January 21, 2020

    I can't get lamb mince where I live, but really wanted to make this recipe, so after doing some research online I tried cutting up lamb shoulder as finely as I could and then pulsing in the blender. This worked OK in terms of giving me meat I could form into meatballs. However a) I had problems with about half the meatballs falling apart during cooking and b) I found the meatballs very fatty - next time I'd try using half lean leg meat and half shoulder meat perhaps. I liked the cinnamon flavours a lot, but the feta didn't come through that much for me. I couldn't get pomegranate molasses, but wonder if that would have helped offset the fattiness of the lamb a bit more.

  • purrviciouz on March 12, 2019

    These were delicious and a fun delight with the pomegranate molasses glaze. I used half beef and half lamb and served with chickpea and green salad with yogurt sauce.

  • ronacollins on May 15, 2019

    A family favourite and so Simple too!

  • jenburkholder on August 10, 2020

    These were tasty enough, just a basic meatball. Like several others here, I found they didn’t bind well, and added an egg. Might repeat, but there are more interesting lamb meatballs out there.

  • rhb on January 31, 2023

    Really good...baked in oven at 450 f convection instead of frying.

• Squid and red pepper stew

  • wester on March 03, 2019

    Very good and easy. I used frozen squid.

• Lamb and pistachio patties with sumac yoghurt sauce

  • wester on March 03, 2019

    Very tasty. I subbed parsley for the rocket, and baked them in a 240C fan oven until brown. I think I will add some cumin to the yogurt next time. I also like that they are grain free. The family liked them too. ETA: mint is not as good a replacement for the rocket.

  • kari500 on February 16, 2019

    Subbed ground turkey for the lamb, and made into burgers instead of patties. Definitely enjoyed this and will make again.

  • TrishaCP on February 15, 2020

    We really liked these. Mine were way too soft after forming to cook immediately, so I refrigerated them for as long as I was able (15 minutes) and that helped somewhat, but these are very tender. I also subbed parsley for arugula. We served these in a pita as a sandwich.

  • JennyHay on January 28, 2019

    Super easy and very tasty. Fabulous for picnic food.

  • chawkins on August 01, 2020

    We enjoyed these. I added 2 oz of ground pork because I only had a lb of lamb. Since I had 4 burger buns that needed to be used, I made 4 burger size patties and 6 mini patties. The patties held up well even without refrigeration and did not fall apart during cooking. The tartness of the sumac in the yogurt sauce complemented the lamb quite well and the sauce was beige with brown specks all over, maybe the sumac was supposed to be sprinkled on top and not stirred in.

  • KarinaFrancis on January 06, 2020

    These were good, but not amazing. I would make them again but up the pistachios or keep them chunkier so their presence is felt. Good for a weeknight meal.

  • Barb_N on April 02, 2019

    We loved these. I love the technique for assembly. I chilled them prior to frying, and only a few fell apart. I still had execution problems as my ‘non stick’ pan is only 10” and really isn’t non stick - had it been desired, the brown crust would have been a great ‘fond’. I finished these in the oven and served in pitas with arugula and the yogurt sauce. I don’t think there is enough sauce per patty. My sauce was a speckly brown, not at all like the photo in the book. I guess even Ottolenghi’s food stylists take liberties!

  • e_ballad on March 29, 2019

    We found these quite ‘wet’ & disintegrated whilst cooking in the pan. This may be in part due to the coarse-ground lamb that we made at home, though we’ve not experienced this with other dishes. Maybe less puréed onion would also have helped. Make sure to season well.

  • kitchen_chick on February 13, 2019

    I didn't have arugula (aka rocket), so I substituted parsley and some dill. Worked great!

  • Ro_ on January 04, 2021

    We really enjoyed these. I minced my own lamb from a shoulder joint (since I can never buy lamb mince here) which was time consuming but turned out well. I think maybe my only criticism for these patties was that the pistachio didn't come through that much - maybe up the quantity? Loved the combination with the sumac yoghurt. I served these with the puy lentil, aubergine and tomato dish from the same book.

  • purrviciouz on March 04, 2019

    I used half lamb and half beef and subbed parsley for the arugula but added extra black pepper. Next time I'd use zahtar in the yogurt instead of sumac alone. These were easy and a fun dinner with salad and rice pilaf.

  • purrviciouz on June 19, 2021

    I was meh about these. There's nothing to bind them so a few partially crumbled in the pan. The pistachio adds a nice textural element.

• Lamb arayes with tahini and sumac

  • SheilaS on February 19, 2020

    A really easy and fun recipe. I served it with the Sumac Yogurt Sauce on p 217. The leftover wedges reheated nicely in my convection toaster oven.

  • FJT on December 23, 2019

    This was really nice but I'm not sure the gram measurements are completely right. I was weighing out the tahini and got to 70g and it was already way more than 1/3 cup, so I stopped and didn't add the last 20g. I could definitely taste the tahini and the other flavours were slightly muted, so I'm guessing 70g was way too much! That said it was a lovely dish and I will make sure to measure the tahini by volume next time round.

  • Ro_ on December 13, 2020

    This was a "like not love" recipe for me. Contrary to another comment, I think I would add more tahini next time in order to taste it more, and also more pomegranate molasses. I think for me these lacked a bit of zing, some lime or coriander or something was needed to pep them up.

  • CMatheson on August 28, 2021

    We really like this recipe as alternative to burgers. Easy and delicious.

• Gigli with chickpeas and za'atar

  • SheilaS on November 21, 2018

    I was generous with the seasonings and felt the cooking method did a great job infusing flavor into the canned chickpeas, which can be very bland. I also used about 3X times the amount of spinach. If I try this again, I will likely add lots more greens, skip the pasta and serve this with pita or flatbread.

  • clkandel on October 27, 2020

    Thought this dish was great. Since this was the main dish, I used more pasta that the recipe called for. Also used less anchovies, since they are sometimes overpowering in flavor. Instead of picking the thyme leaves off the stems, I just put stem in all in while cooking. The leaves come off during cooking and I just removed the stems before serving.

  • KarinaFrancis on June 07, 2019

    Unbelievably good! I was dubious but with all the positive reviews I thought I’d try and it was a huge hit, surprisingly light and packed a flavour punch. I ran out of anchovies so used a tsp of fish sauce, but I think anchovies would be better. I will make this again!

  • Rinshin on June 09, 2019

    This was satisfying, but would have preferred much more greens in the dish. Felt round garbanzo beans were too plentiful for the amount of pasta and spinach as well as hard to eat. The taste of the sauce was very nice and it occurred to me that dried shrimp reconstituted would be good substitution for anchovies because leftover anchovies do not last too long in the refrigerator.

  • Zosia on June 19, 2019

    This had good flavour and was quick enough for a weeknight meal, though I must admit I didn't take the time to crisp the chickpeas. I used about 100g spinach for a half recipe.

  • Jojobuch on November 14, 2018

    Interesting combination but I would add more zaatar, as otherwise it can be a bit bland

  • mharriman on May 08, 2021

    My husband and I thought this was an interesting take on pasta with chickpeas. We liked the flavors. I think the sprinkling of Za’atar topping before serving added an extra flavor dimension. Like some other reviewers, I increased the spinach (3xs). I also thought the ratio of chickpeas to the Gigli pasta was unbalanced. I would either decrease the chickpeas or add more pasta next time. I didn’t use 1/2 cup of fresh thyme leaves because after meticulously de-stemming and accumulating 1/4 cup of leaves, I was done!

  • Rutabaga on December 23, 2018

    I really liked this dish, and found it very flavorful. While I only used about half the amount of anchovies called for, that added just the right amount of umami without overwhelming the other ingredients. You could omit them and still have a good, full-flavored dish. I left out the spinach since I didn't have any on hand. The three-year-old loved it, but oddly my seven-year-old ate the chickpeas but declined to eat the pasta. I did as Ottolenghi suggested and made the chickpeas in advance, then reheated them while the pasta cooked. I also added a squeeze of lemon to finish the dish.

  • anya_sf on March 15, 2019

    I used about 9 oz pasta and 12 oz baby spinach and would do so again. Picking 1/2 cup thyme leaves off the branches took a long time; next time I'd probably use 1-2 Tbsp dried instead. There were still a lot of chickpeas relative to pasta. I cooked the pasta al dente, saving some of the cooking water, mixed it with the chickpea mixture and let it finish cooking altogether, adding some of the pasta cooking water with the spinach. I think that helped make the whole dish more cohesive. My family enjoyed this with grated parmesan on top.

  • jhallen on March 01, 2021

    I thought this was amazing and made it exactly as written. Proportions were perfect for me (I’m finding some of the other notes confusing - no need to adjust in my opinion). Per the name of the book, it was simple.

  • BeaAamodt on November 03, 2019

    Delicious! Used oregano instead of thyme.

  • Zosia1995 on September 28, 2020

    Not worthy of a repeat

  • Ganga108 on March 03, 2022

    I often pop over to my daughter's place in another state and take over the cooking for the time I am there. I cooked this one for the family one night. It is easy to make and delicious! Loved by all.

  • pomegranate on October 26, 2022

    I subbed sautéed shredded Brussels sprouts for pasta and added goat cheese. This was tasty!

• Baked rice with confit tomatoes and garlic

  • MelMM on February 06, 2019

    2-4-2019 Cherry tomato skins got a bit tough. Amount of water called for is too much. The tomatoes are giving off water, so you don't need much. Max of 1 cup water per cup of rice. Basmati rice should be washed before cooking.

  • Delys77 on February 27, 2023

    We served this along with a roast chicken and it was a lovely dinner. My only quibble is that I think the flavour of the cinnamon was a bit too strong on the first day. The left overs were fine as it seemed to mellow, but if I was serving this again I would likely drop the cinnamon to 2 or 3 sticks. I will say that we aren't huge cinnamon fans so this is likely an us thing. I loved the flavour of the tomatoes and roasted alliums and the texture of the rice was lovely. Easy and tasty. I would also say that given the amount of veg in this you might be able to get away with this dish serving as both starch and vegetable.

  • KarinaFrancis on June 05, 2021

    Yum! This turned out perfectly and was delicious. We halved the amount of tomatoes because they just aren’t in season at the moment. I soaked the rice and the ratios were still spot on. We made this to go with chicken marbella and it was a great match

  • mharriman on May 06, 2021

    I used all of the ingredients but only had 9 ounces of (on the vine style) cherry tomatoes. That quantity difference didn’t seem to make a difference in the outcome— my rice turned out perfectly with the rice/ water ratio given. I did bake the rice part of the dish at 425 degrees instead of 450 because I was baking the chicken at the same time. The most time consuming part of the prep for me wasn’t peeling the garlic cloves, but picking off the thyme leaves to make 3T. Even though that was a bit of a chore, I’d use fresh thyme again since it did shine through in the dish. As others have noted, this is indeed great accompaniment for the chicken recipe the author recommends.

  • Barb_N on January 01, 2023

    I veered off road with this one. I needed to use some ‘vine on’ winter tomatoes, but also needed a main dish. After the rice was cooked I placed shrimp on top and popped it back in the oven for a couple minutes. I used brown rice so it required rinsing, soaking, extra water and extra time. Definitely worth it, I’ve made it twice in as many weeks. Another improv- I used preserved lemon and skipped the cinnamon.

  • Rutabaga on May 23, 2019

    I really like how this rice turned out, especially the garlic and shallots, which were beautifully creamy after their time in the oven. I was lacking thyme and didn't have the full amount of tomatoes, but otherwise made it as written. The only downside is it takes a long time to bake, although there's little active work. I didn't find that the recipe called for too much water, but I also chose not to wash the rice because I was concerned that would throw the ratio off. Some of the tomato skins were a bit tough. Perhaps that is affected by the tomato type? I used a variety.

  • anya_sf on March 05, 2021

    Campari tomatoes worked fine. I used dried thyme (less), fewer shallots and cilantro stems (all I had) and blanched the garlic to make peeling easier. Honestly, denuding that many cilantro stems was a pain and I'm not sure how much they added to the flavor, so I'd omit next time. Using the specified weights of unrinsed basmati rice and water, the dish turned out perfectly - a lovely side dish for baked chicken.

  • ricki on April 17, 2022

    Really good, pretty easy, and will make again. Used what we had on hand, so ½ the tomatoes and ? of the cilantro. Flavors blended together well, and the only element that stood out was the cinnamon (my Ceylon cinnamon sticks were very fresh). Depending on the accompanying dishes consider cutting back on that. Definitely cut back on the oil, because it was too rich for my taste.

  • Tee.Tee on May 30, 2020

    Quick and easy prep. Plenty of hands off time while it bakes in the oven. I cut the recipe in half. Next time I will use less water like the above posters. Maybe because I rinsed and soaked my rice.

  • katy1729 on August 20, 2019

    19/08/2019. Made to accompany the Lentil & Aubergine stew. Made it in a pan on the stove because I was too lazy to use the oven only for this dish. It worked out fine (perhaps the oven version would be rather nicer) though the quantity of water recommended was too much. Will try again, using recipe's method, on another occasion.

  • Huongey on May 20, 2020

    This is my boyfriend’s go-to rice dish now. He follows the recipe to a t and It comes out perfectly every time. The creamy garlic and roasted shallots is the best part. I didn’t find any problems with the tomatoes as others have mentioned.

• Mushrooms and chestnuts with za'atar

  • MelMM on February 04, 2019

    2-1-2019 I ended up using a bit more oil than called for to get the ingredients coated before roasting. After roasting, I felt the dish needed more lemon than called for, and more salt. It was a really delicious dish though.

• Brussels sprouts with burnt butter and black garlic

  • MelMM on February 04, 2019

    2-1-2019 I roasted the Brussels sprouts for 15 minutes to get deeper browning. Not sure if that was really necessary, though. Weigh the black garlic, as the # of cloves stated is way off. Miyoko's vegan butter will brown, and that is what I used here. Even a runny tahini can be a bit thick to drizzle, and by now I anticipated the dish needing more acid, so I added lemon juice (and salt) to the tahini. I also added extra lemon and salt to the sprouts themselves. We really enjoyed these Brussels sprouts. A good flavor, and the crunch from the pumpkin seeds was a welcome contrast. Would repeat, with the changes I made.

  • Astrid5555 on October 26, 2018

    Husband liked it a lot in combination with the Chicken Marbella dish. I however am not so sure about the black garlic taste (first time I cooked with it). Did not have any sunflower seeds, substituted sesame seeds instead.

  • KarinaFrancis on June 20, 2019

    Loved this dish, even the silver fox loved it and had second helping.The flavours came together beautifully, with the sweetness of the garlic, the crispy sprouts and the tahini to top it off. I couldn't find pepitas on my way home, so I subbed slivered almonds which were great, but I still want to try it with the pepitas. I roasted mine for 15 minutes, because I like them crispy too. Will be making this again and again while sprouts are in season!

  • peaceoutdesign on October 04, 2021

    My black garlic was very dried out and I think that it didn't enhance the flavor as much as it should have. Everyone liked it but I think the texture of the paste was off.

  • VineTomato on October 18, 2018

    First time I've cooked with black garlic and wasn't sure I would enjoy it. What a wonderful dish, the pumpkin seeds are a genius element.

  • Rutabaga on December 23, 2018

    This dish packs a lot of flavor for how simple and quick it is to make. Surprisingly, my seven-year-old, who has previously disdained Brussels sprouts, ate more than anyone. For black garlic, I used black garlic "molasses", which is actually a syrup made solely from black garlic cloves. It made preparing the black garlic sauce especially easy.

  • Silverscreensuppers on December 19, 2018

    The crack cocaine of Brussels sprouts - absolutely DELICIOUS!

  • kitchen_chick on February 13, 2019

    Delicious! Garlic, butter, tahini, lemon juice - the flavors all came together beautifully. I didn't have black garlic, so I roasted some garlic with a bit olive oil to a soft creamy goodness and used that instead. I can only imagine how good it is with black garlic. I also roasted my Brussels sprouts longer as I like mine a bit crispier. And I agree with others' comments that the pumpkin seeds are a great addition.

  • ricki on January 24, 2019

    Special -- another favorite recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts. However, a little rich for me; next time reduce olive oil and butter and squirt on a little more lemon juice. Tahini seemed unnecessary.

  • domechef on February 05, 2019

    Great flavors and an easy dish to prepare. As mentioned by one of the reviewer, the black garlic weight to clove measurement is totally off. I ended up using around 35g because I thought 20g was way too less and I just love black garlic. Glad I did. The only issue I had was the thickness of the paste. It didn't distribute evenly through the sprouts. I may add some lemon juice to the paste to thin it out a bit next time. Will surely make this again. Don't leave out the pumpkin seeds!

  • StephEpices on October 20, 2019

    This is the perfect way to do brussel sprouts, honestly. Even haters are willing to have a few.

  • jenburkholder on December 26, 2020

    This was very meh to me. It was fine, but not nearly as flavorful as I felt it should be. The flavor paste didn’t want to adhere to the sprouts, and it was underseasoned anyways - needed at least three times the lemon. Won’t repeat, which is too bad, since now we have lots of black garlic!

  • Anne_em on January 06, 2021

    We liked this very much. I used black garlic paste which is basically the same as whole garlic but less fussy to use. I didn’t use tahini as was running out of time but not sure it was necessary. Pumpkin seeds also perhaps a distraction. Very original way to use Brussels sprouts! Finally, no need for bacon!

• Cauliflower, pomegranate and pistachio salad

  • MelMM on February 04, 2019

    2-1-2019 I liked the mix of textures in this salad. As written, however, I found it underseasoned and dry. I ended up adding more lemon, more oil, and more salt. With those changes, the salad was quite good.

  • JennyHay on October 28, 2018

    A fabulous combination and very easy to put together. I have substituted barberries for the pomegranate seeds which also worked very well.

  • jennycalling on April 08, 2021

    Absolutely delicious - wonderful textures, flavours, colours. I found the leaves a little tough, perhaps my cauliflower was too big or the leaves I used were too large, but I will leave them out next time.

  • Frogcake on October 20, 2018

    This was a big hit with my family. Lots of great, diverse textures and tastes that come together nicely with the simple dressing. Would definitely make this again.

  • kitchen_chick on December 29, 2019

    Great salad with nice textures! The parts can be prepped in advance and then combined right before serving. I agree with it being a bit under-seasoned as is. Fortunately, that's easy to fix.

  • anya_sf on December 13, 2018

    Not being a fan of raw cauliflower, I was skeptical but tried this recipe based on the good reviews. It was fantastic! I didn't have tarragon, so I just used parsley and mint. Unusual combination of ingredients, but it really works.

  • Baxter850 on November 15, 2020

    Needs extra lemon, salt and maybe a touch more olive oil but we really liked this dish. Super fresh and light (yet filling) with great texture.

  • ALawson25 on August 24, 2020

    A good salad, the cauliflower leaves were a great addition. I would make my roasted cauliflower pieces smaller next time. I don't think the tarragon was overly necessary. could substitute another nut as I didn't taste the pistachios too much.

  • elysedc on June 17, 2022

    I always leave out the pistachios because of an allergy, and otherwise make as written. Very delicious. Was good to bring to a Christmas eve potluck - the red of the pomegranate seeds against all the green looked very festive!

• Scrambled harissa tofu

  • MelMM on February 06, 2019

    2-4-2019 I like the idea of harissa in a tofu scramble, but there isn't a lot going on here besides the harissa. In the future I would make a regular tofu scramble with the typical seasonings, and then add harissa at the end. Also I really don't think silken tofu is the best choice for a scramble. It doesn't absorb flavors as well, and the sauces don't cling to it as well.

  • CallmeIshbel on October 26, 2018

    Use extra firm tofu instead of silken for better texture

  • Ganga108 on December 24, 2021

    Although I am vegetarian I am a late comer to scrambled tofu. Really it is only in the past year that I have began to cook it at home. For some reason I thought it would be hard, but honestly, it is the easiest simplest dish to prepare. I have made different scrambles with both silken tofu and with firm tofu. I like both, but I prefer pressed silken tofu. It has such a wonderful texture. We made this on Xmas morning to stave off hunger pangs. Spicy and glorious. The fresh avo, cuke and fresh coriander salad says "quintessential Summer Xmas" here in Australia. As with everything Ottolenghi, it is all about the textures and the flavours. The silky soft tofu with the creamy avo and the crisp cucumbers is so good. Both the salad and scramble are spicy but the heat can be adjusted to your own tastes. Eaten outside on a lovely not-too-hot morning was a perfect way to start the day.

  • Ganga108 on April 02, 2023

    This is my favourite tofu scramble and one of the easiest. Today I made it with added turmeric for colour, kala namak (Indian black salt) for eggy taste and a little cream to add creaminess. Served alongside butter beans for an extra protein hit, and with some toasted Bauernbrot Rye. A delicious Sunday brunch. I made 1/2 recipe for 3 of us and it was ample.

• Harissa beef sirloin with pepper and lemon sauce

  • kari500 on September 27, 2020

    Perfectly serviceable, but not exciting. Perhaps our love of heat (and expectations that this would live up to it) is the problem. Don't think I'd bother making this again.

  • clkandel on August 19, 2021

    Couldn't be easier to make. The pepper sauce flavor is great. This would make a nice dish to serve guests.

  • anya_sf on October 18, 2021

    My steaks were larger (bone-in, but 1 lb each) and I find meat to be better seasoned when well salted in advance, so I used 2 tsp coarse flaky sea salt on the steaks, which marinated 2 hours. The meat ended up nicely seasoned with no extra salt needed; the harissa rub was very tasty. The sauce was more of a relish - spoonable, not pourable. I didn't want it too spicy, so used half the red pepper flakes and also half the preserved lemon as mine was very strong. Overall, we liked it, but it didn't wow us.

  • etcjm on February 22, 2020

    Very good. Used rib eye steak because it was on offer and cheaper than sirloin! Really enjoyed this. I went easy on the preserved lemon as I'm still a newbie to the strong flavour and being home preserved they were on the large side. The leftover pepper mix was lovely the next day with lamb kofte. Definitely a do again. I will buy rose harissa though as the flavour might be less fiery than the brand I had in the pantry.

  • etcjm on February 22, 2020

    Very good. Used rib eye steak because it was on offer and cheaper than sirloin! Really enjoyed this. I went easy on the preserved lemon as I'm still a newbie to the strong flavour and being home preserved they were on the large side. The leftover pepper mix was lovely the next day with lamb kofte. Definitely a do again. I will buy rose harissa though as the flavour might be less fiery than the brand I had in the pantry.

  • pomegranate on July 22, 2022

    This was delicious, easy, and quick. Followed the recipe exactly and it was great!

• Chilli fish with tahini

  • kari500 on February 16, 2019

    No one loved this. Lulu and I liked the tomato sauce a lot. No one thought the two sauces went together in any interesting sort of way.

  • mlbatt on December 31, 2020

    I enjoyed this dish, but feel my choices didn't do it justice - I used canned tomatoes with their juices; should have reduced the amount of tomato paste. I cut back on the red chiles, because all I had available were frozen Indian red chiles, which are super spicy. I did use ancho chile powder, which I will repeat. Used some beautiful fresh Pacific halibut. I thought the tahini sauce saved it (due to my sauce being so heavy). I added a tiny pinch of cayenne to the leftover sauce, which helped. I wouldn't consider this a fair review, and look forward to making it again, with either fresh tomatoes or a lighter canned version, and use less tomato paste and more chile.

  • TrishaCP on February 03, 2019

    This was quite good, but would recommend making the tomato sauce in advance for anyone planning to make it on a weeknight (if you can). I used smoked sweet paprika to save time.

  • Astrid5555 on December 30, 2018

    Used cod, smoked sweet paprika and Aleppo pepper flakes, served with rice. Especially liked the tahini sauce on top. Delicious and very quick to make, will make again!

  • JennyHay on December 27, 2018

    Not really a fan of this one.

  • KarinaFrancis on December 01, 2020

    Yum! Such a delicious, quick and easy weeknight dinner. The caraway and smoked paprika (suggested as a substitute for ancho chilli) make it a twist on the usual. I used tinned tomatoes instead of fresh. Needs bread to mop up that sauce

  • dinnermints on September 16, 2020

    I also really liked the tahini sauce with this dish. I would have loved to put in the red chiles in addition to the ancho, but wanted to avoid the accusatory silence of having yet again made dinner too spicy. I like Ottolenghi's idea of making a double batch of the sauce and having some in the freezer...that way I could make a spicy version for myself. When tomatoes are out of season, would try canned fire-roasted tomatoes instead. Also, cut the olive oil to 2 T, did not miss the 2 T I cut.

  • peaceoutdesign on January 31, 2021

    Good but not great, sort of a mishmash. I used Mahi Mahi instead of the halibut. This is the second recipe that I made that the color of the finished dish is nothing like the photos. In this case it made the sauce look a lot richer and darker than it ended up.

  • VineTomato on September 30, 2018

    So simple! This came together in under 30 minutes. Unlike Jamie’s 30 minute meals that take an hour and a half! I used cod, but can imagine halibut being totally delish! This is a great week night dinner, but ... it needs something on the side. I had planned for just the fish, luckily we had some quick cook rice (due to a bad carb meltdown!) in the cupboard. It went perfectly, I wonder what a healthier accompaniment may be?

  • Lepa on September 24, 2018

    This is pretty good but a friend remarked that it wasn't quite as good as the tomato seafood stew (with feta) that is in Jerusalem. I instantly realized she was right and we added some feta on this dish (and left off the tahini) and it was much better.

  • kitchen_chick on July 15, 2019

    We loved it, tahini and all. I made it with swordfish steaks and tomatoes I had canned (so they were skinless). Concept-wise it’s like the delicious Greek Fish Plaki dish in “one-pot, slow-pot & clay-pot cooking”, but with very different seasoning.

  • jhallen on December 29, 2020

    I thought this was fantastic - so surprised others were mixed. I though the tahini sauce was great with the tomato sauce. No regrets on this one.

  • jenburkholder on August 10, 2020

    We liked this a lot, although the flavors are unusual and it’s understandable that not everyone would. One of us argued that the tahini sauce didn’t bring much to the party, but I disagree. It’s easy and cheap enough that we’ll probably make it again.

• Cornbread with cheddar, feta and jalapeño

  • caitmcg on December 07, 2019

    This is fairly involved, as cornbread goes, but delicious. An 8-inch cast iron skillet is the perfect size for a half recipe. I did need to add a couple of splashes of milk to the batter before mixing in the corn, etc.

  • L.Nightshade on May 01, 2019

    This recipe has SO much stuff in it, at some point it almost ceases to be cornbread. 19 ingredients, not counting salt and pepper. I spent a good chunk of the day before just chopping, grating, measuring, and generally setting up, so I could just get up early, mix it all together, and pop it in the oven. Wrapped up, it was still warm by the time we got to brunch, about an hour and a half away. I did bake it in a cast iron frying pan, and was a little worried about how hard it would be to dish out. In the book photo it looks like it’s being spooned out. But it sliced up like a pie and came out in nice wedges. Rave reviews all around. This is definitely a do-again, and worth the effort. I won’t be confining it to brunch, either. It would be stellar with a bowl of soup.

  • ksg518 on August 12, 2019

    I guess we're in the minority here but we found this to be barely OK. It was very dense and a little on the dry side even after we added some extra half and half to the batter. (Our first clue was when the recipe said to pour the batter into the pan; our batter was a stiff ball.) Perhaps it matters what kind of instant polenta you use and ours was very dry? Given the number of ingredients and prep time, this won't be a repeat.

  • cultus.girl on December 19, 2020

    I too found the batter very stiff. Flavour was okay however we voted not to repeat.

  • mgmcewen on November 20, 2018

    This was delicious! We did leave out the red onions because I can't have them, and subbed in shallots.

  • Ro_ on December 13, 2020

    This looked really pretty, and I liked the combination of flavours. What I didn't love so much was the texture - for me it was a bit claggy, heavy and mealy, but I wonder (not being a cornbread expert, here in Europe where it's not really eaten much AFAIK) whether this is just a characteristic of cornbread. This is the second cornbread recipe I've tried and it was definitely nicer than the first one, but I haven't loved either - which makes me think maybe cornbread just isn't for me.

  • DePollepel on November 21, 2021

    delicious summer meal

• Sweet potato mash with lime salsa

  • okcook on May 06, 2019

    The outcome is delicious. The lime salsa plays off the sweetness of the potato. I had one gigantic sweet potato so it took twice as long to cook. I think putting the potato through a food mill would be the best way to get a very smooth texture..I didn't do that but will next time. I agree about the limes....I measured the zest and juice. I made the roasted skins for a snack. Very interesting. Mine got a little burnt...next time I will turn the heat down. We had them with chili flakes in oil drizzled over the top.

  • Astrid5555 on January 27, 2021

    The salsa makes this dish, great zing!

  • FJT on November 06, 2018

    Absolutely delicious!

  • twoyolks on January 30, 2020

    I really liked how the lime complemented the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. I actually didn't have any cilantro or basil so I just used parsley and it worked pretty well. I roasted some small sweet potatoes and they got really leathery on the cut side.

  • Frogcake on January 02, 2019

    This recipe proves you don’t need to do too much to sweet potatoes to make a delicious side. Loved the salsa with the roasted sweet potato. I drizzled the roasting oil into the mash and used all cilantro as I didn’t have any basil.

  • kitchen_chick on October 25, 2018

    Delicious combination of flavors, though I did a bit of substitution. I didn't have any fresh basil, so I used mint. Also, the recipe is a bit odd. It calls for 2 limes, but then specifies only 2 tsp of lime zest and 1 Tbs of lime juice. Just how small are his limes? One Persian lime can yield around 4 Tbs of juice and plenty of zest. I ended up using 2 Tbs of juice (and the zest) - so one half of a lime. Finally, my roasted sweet potatoes were a bit stringy/fibrous even after mashing. I think it'd be easier to get a smoother texture by peeling, slicing, and steaming the slices until soft. (Though you don't end up with the roasted skins that can be used in another recipe.)

  • anya_sf on November 20, 2018

    I didn't have basil, so I doubled the cilantro. I'm not a huge fan of sweet potatoes (too sweet), but the lime salsa really balanced the flavor nicely. I roasted the sweet potatoes ahead and reheated the mash in the microwave.

  • Ro_ on January 05, 2021

    I'm not a huge sweet potato fan, but as sweet potato recipes go this one was very nice. I think the texture of this vegetable for me is more palatable in a mash than other forms, and the lime and herb salsa definitely lifted it and gave it a great zingy note (as well as the green looking very pretty against the orange). If I had sweet potatoes to use up I'd make this again.

  • Ganga108 on October 31, 2021

    Sometimes in Summer when the days are long and frightfully hot we love to eat mezze style – a pile of pitta bread and little dishes of things. Some feta, for example, halved tiny tomatoes with a cream dressing, some hummus, a plate of exquisite chickpeas. And some dips and purees. This sweet potato mash is perfect for such eating – this beautiful dish is made from roasted sweet potatoes and is topped with a salsa of lime zest, herbs and garlic. Truly it is divine. It works as a snack, mezze dish, starter and as a side. It is hardly any effort at all. The result is rich and punchy. After scooping out the flesh for this dish, save the skins and lightly roast them in the oven for a crisp-like snack. Brush them lightly with olive oil, roast for about 8 mins in a 200 – 220C oven and sprinkle with salt.

• Roasted aubergine with curried yoghurt

  • okcook on May 08, 2019

    Very easy to make. Watch the eggplant because the oven is really hot and I think I dried mine out by leaving them in too long. The yogurt-curry sauce is flavourful without being overwhelming. This dish is a great side for roasted meat. I will be making this again.

  • aargle on March 24, 2020

    We loved this and it was demolished very quickly. I think I overcooked the eggplant so will keep a closer eye on it next time and there will be a next time. I served it with tandoori chicken which was a lovely match. Thoroughly recommend!

  • Skamper on October 02, 2019

    This was so delicious. I made a half batch to serve two as a side for tandoori chicken and honestly think we would have eaten a whole batch (but probably better we didn't). I roasted the eggplant in the morning to save time in the evening. It only took about 30 mins to roast. I forgot to add the fried curry leaves but will definitely try this the next time.

  • Ro_ on March 16, 2020

    Very nice. As with all the aubergine recipes in this book, I've learned I need to brush the slices with oil instead of tossing in a bowl, and turn the oven down from the temperature Ottolenghi instructs. My only regret is that I cooked my aubergines in advance and didn't reheat them through properly so it was a bit lukewarm, however I'd still make this again.

  • kworrad on February 08, 2022

    This was a bit fiddly, but delicious.

• Cavolo nero with chorizo and preserved lemon

  • okcook on May 06, 2019

    I have made this twice. The second time I cooked the kale a bit more than directed. We find the preserved lemon too much. Next time I think half would be plenty to give it the tang it needs.

  • JennyHay on October 27, 2018

    Very delicious. I added fat juicy scallops to this, fried quickly in the same pan, just before the chorizo was cooked. I will try it again with spinach for a lighter, more summery dish.

  • Nossovitzky on May 19, 2019

    Very tasty! Good even without the preserved lemon, which I ran out of (but better with). Ended up using a bigger kale to chorizo ratio as I wanted this to be a veggie side dish.

  • Foodycat on November 09, 2018

    Really delicious - I used it as a topping for baked sweet potatoes.

  • kitchen_chick on September 09, 2019

    We really liked this dish. The "fresh chorizo" in this recipe does not refer to Mexican chorizo, which is the usual fresh kind found where I live and what I generally assume is meant when a recipe says "fresh chorizo". There is a Spanish version, which is delicious and worth seeking out. That said, it does work with Mexican chorizo. If using Mexican chorizo sausages, cook the sausage whole first, let it rest, then slice as described. I also used thick, unsweetened full fat yogurt instead of sour cream. The substitution worked well for us.

  • tmitra on July 04, 2020

    I tried this because I was curious as to how these flavors would work together, and while it was fine, it wasn't greater than the sum of its parts. I wouldn't make it again. I appreciate kitchen_chick's point below; I had Mexican chorizo, so I removed the casing and crumbled it.

  • anya_sf on May 04, 2020

    I didn't have chorizo, so I used 3 strips of bacon, which were still very tasty in this dish (served as a side). I ended up steaming the kale longer, as my family doesn't like it chewy. Preserved lemon can be quite strong, so I rinsed it and used slightly less. Before adding the sour cream, I did not care for the overall dish, but the sour cream really balanced the other flavors, and I ended up liking this quite a bit. Next time I'll seek out fresh Spanish chorizo.

  • katy1729 on August 11, 2019

    Made as an accompaniment to the turkey & courgette burgers and the couscous, cherry tomato & herb salad. Only had 300g cavolo nero so adjusted quantities in proportion. Quantity was fine for three people with the other dishes. Didn't bother with the sour cream as we had the sumac sauce from the burger recipe. I would make again.

• Fried broccoli and kale with garlic, cumin and lime

  • lorloff on May 14, 2022

    I had kale and broccoli to use up from the farmer’s marker and found this recipe. It was delicious - the Ufra, lime and garlic made the dish and I really liked the way the kale crisped up in the frying after it was blanched. Really liked this - will make again.

  • TrishaCP on February 03, 2019

    This was really flavorful and fairly easy to prepare. We also used cavolo nero since it's what we had on hand. I didn't have mint, so used cilantro, which also added (along with the lime) a nice pop of freshness and brightness at the end.

  • cjross on October 21, 2018

    Quite good, very flavorful. Would make again.

  • Jojobuch on November 13, 2018

    Used Cavolo Nero instead of kale; all in all very flavourful

  • Rutabaga on October 24, 2019

    I really like this dish. Plus, using bagged, pre-cut veggies from Trader Joe's made it very simple to prepare. Because of the kids, I went light on the Urfa pepper and served the lime on the side, but in my mind, those two flavors are what sets this dish apart.

  • anya_sf on April 19, 2020

    I used 3 broccoli crowns (much more than 3 cups) and a bunch of beet greens in lieu of kale. I only had half the mint but it was enough to get the flavor, and just used 1 tsp urfa biber for a hint of spice. This dish was easy to cook at the last second with everything prepped ahead. Overall, I loved it, but would probably like it better without the cumin.

  • damjih on July 25, 2019

    Good recipe, same as others kale soaked up all the oil

  • elnicky on January 06, 2019

    Enjoyed this a great deal, but don’t think it’s as good as the chargrilled broccoli, garlic and chilli recipe. Made the garlic compote for the oil (from the roast potato recipe in the book) to make sure it had a strong garlic flavour and a bit of crunch with the chopped up cloves. Also added some crushed cashews at the beginning of cooking as was cooking as a main so thought it would need some more protein (and crunch). These modifications worked very well. Cooked and ground the cumin – don’t like eating whole cumin seeds. Didn’t have lime juice so used half the quantity of white wine vinegar. While this was an adequate substitute, the lime juice would have improved it a great deal. The kale soaked up all the oil before the broccoli was added, so would recommend adding the final third when adding the broccoli. My broccoli wasn’t cooked through quite as much as I’d have liked, but perhaps I didn’t cut the florets quite small enough.

  • jenburkholder on August 10, 2020

    I didn’t think this was very good. The vegetables tasted quite plain, only a hint of mint as their seasoning was noticeable, and we found the textural contrast between the kale and the broccoli to be strangely unpleasant, despite loving both of those vegetables. Won’t repeat.

  • catmummery on March 11, 2022

    I like this - what's not to like with kale and broccoli. But I agree with others that it could do with a little 'jzuzsh'. i used sprouting broccoli, which worked well. I added toasted almonds, and lemon at the end. I toasted the broccoli with griddle before starting with the kale. Mybe a different dish but really tasty.

  • rhb on October 29, 2022

    We liked this a lot. I blanched the veg in the morning and the kale was still damp so only some of it crisped up. I made the garlic-cumin oil ahead of time - straining out the garlic and cumin from a small pan was easier for me. I forgot mint or cilantro at the end but I did add some roasted pine nuts. I liked it without the lime juice but my husband thought it was essential. If I make this again, I will try lemon juice.

• Bridget Jones's pan-fried salmon with pine nut salsa

  • Avocet on July 02, 2019

    The salsa was overly salty for our taste, even without including the caper brine.

  • TrishaCP on December 31, 2018

    We liked this but clearly not as much as everyone else! It was good but not my favorite preparation for salmon.

  • Astrid5555 on October 25, 2020

    Wow, better late than never! The salsa makes the dish, truly fantastic combination. Had to substitute raisins for currants and black olives for green ones.

  • apattin on July 08, 2019

    I tried this with tilefish (it's what I had) and it was awesome. My only change was to press breadcrumbs on both sides of the fillets so they would not stick. I loved the sweet/sour balance.

  • lilham on November 27, 2018

    This is a huge success in our house. The salsa is unusual but so delicious with salmon. I agree with other posters who say there is a lot of salsa for the amount of salmon. I will make 1/2 to 2/3 the quantity next time.

  • saladdays on January 05, 2019

    We really enjoyed this, I agree that there was a lot of salsa but that was no bad thing as it is delicious! This could become a well-loved recipe.

  • JennyHay on December 27, 2018

    I enjoyed the flavours of the salsa very much, but next time I won't serve it as a main because I think the salmon and salsa should be served on their own, not with any other dishes. I'll try breaking up the salmon into pieces and add the salsa and serve it as a stand alone salad, as an entree or a light lunch.

  • sharifah on October 02, 2018

    Very flavourful salsa to go with salmon. I halved the recipe for two, quite a generous amount of salsa. It’s simpler than I thought even though it looks like a long list of ingredients. I cut down on the oil a little bit. The salsa can probably be made in advance...I’ll try that next time.

  • KarinaFrancis on September 17, 2019

    This book can do no wrong in this house, and this is another great dish. I would never have thought to put these ingredients together but they totally worked. The only adjustments I made was halving the amount of currants (the silver fox isn’t a fan) and using a little less caper brine. I’ll be making this again and again !

  • peaceoutdesign on November 07, 2021

    Not a fav but definitely interesting.

  • mharriman on October 22, 2019

    Wow! Both my husband and I loved this dish. The salsa is definitely an interesting and unusual mix of ingredients. I would never think to put them together but they worked! I will definitely make it again. Changes: (one) I forgot to buy currants and used raisins. Served with cauliflower “rice” and a mixed green salad with tomatoes. These were good accompaniments. As others have noted, the recipe makes A LOT of salsa - more than we could eat (I had halved ingredients for two people).

  • MmeFleiss on October 27, 2018

    I halved all the salsa ingredients and it was perfect for the stated amount of salmon.

  • sarahj22 on November 02, 2018

    This was delicious and came together very quickly. I made a few substitutions based on what I had (raisins instead of currants, a mix of parsley and coriander instead of just parsley, cut back on the oil) but it still turned out beautifully. The recipe does make a generous amount of salsa but I liked the large portion.

  • tarae1204 on October 17, 2021

    Loved how the salmon filets came out. I agree with all the positive comments on this salsa and wanted to add that it was better the next day, and stayed good for up to a week by my standards. I think the parsley can really affect how the salsa comes out - is it tender, “baby” salsa? Or a tougher, more bitter leaf? Keep that in mind, and don’t be afraid to make it the morning of or day before you make the salmon. I loved the leftover salsa on mashed potatoes, rice, and chicken.

  • saarwouters on October 14, 2018

    An original way to serve salmon. A combination of Italian and Middle-Eastern flavours. Comes together very easily.

  • Frogcake on October 21, 2018

    We loved the salsa which I served with bbq’d tuna steaks. I didn’t have any capers so used chopped pimiento stuffed chopped olives and a bit of the brine.

  • sosayi on November 27, 2018

    Another positive review for this recipe! Very easy to put together and the salsa can successfully be made in advance. I added the chopped parsley and lemon zest right before serving and took it out a few minutes early to come back to room temperature. Served with roasted berbere carrots and some basic parmesan risotto, this was a fabulous dinner.

  • anya_sf on October 22, 2018

    We all enjoyed this, even my celery-hating husband. There was way more salsa than we needed. I'd reduce the currants and olive oil next time.

  • robertofwine on March 10, 2019

    Enjoyed it as much as everyone else; completely agree you can 1/2 (or more) the salsa recipe. We had 300g salmon and still had an additional 1/3 salsa when we were done. Served with the aromatic mash recipe and it was lovely together. Will make this again!

  • A2Brett on February 15, 2021

    Didn’t have pine nuts, so I substituted slivered almonds. The salsa is tasty and I followed the pan-fry directions exactly. It was perfectly cooked, even with skinless filets.

  • jhallen on February 23, 2021

    Super easy, super delicious. Really great flavors, good combination of things I love.

  • katy1729 on September 07, 2019

    7th Sept 2019. Altered to suit ingredients I had available - extra capers instead of olives, dried parsley, raisins instead of currants, no saffron; also the bright green part of a leek instead of celery, which husband hates. Great success and pretty easy - would definitely make again. Served with steamed potatoes (crushed and mixed with olive oil, chopped black olives and chopped rind of a preserved lemon) and steamed vegetables.

  • ChefBeccs on May 14, 2020

    Best accompaniment to salmon ever, elevating this every week fish to a new level. And yes, you can omit and substitute ingredients to suit your pantry. I did not have any celery and it was still amazing.

  • foodgloriousfood on June 11, 2021

    Perfect salmon method and timing but we didn’t enjoy the salsa at all. Will make a different accompaniment next time.

  • CheesyKranskyLove on October 04, 2022

    Maybe I'm weird but this is my favourite recipe from the book. The salsa is so good and I always use double the amount with leftover on white fish or smoked chicken.

• Spiced 'shepherd's pie' with butterbean crust

  • mcvl on September 20, 2020

    Divine. I had to leave out the apricots, alas, because I'm working to get my blood sugar down, but the combination of flavors was already deliriously good: meaty, spicy, sharp, sour (I used the juice as well as the zest of the lemon), and I'm sure when I can make it with the apricots it will be fruity too. I was in no mood for fancy-schmancy, so I just mixed the lima beans in with all the other ingredients. I made enough for two meals and am now restraining myself mightily from going downstairs and eating up the whole second half.

  • aargle on September 16, 2019

    My family all loved this and demolished it in one sitting despite using 900grams of mince. I used normal harissa which was fine. We all loved the butter bean topping but found I had to add a little more liquid in the form of a little lemon juice and water to make it mashable. A definite repeat.

  • Nossovitzky on May 19, 2019

    Really really good combination of flavours. I have made just the mince part and also with lamb shanks I liked it so much! Not so much the bean topping, it was a bit dry. Also left out the olives after the first time as I don't think they added anything.

  • VineTomato on February 28, 2019

    I loved this. We made a vegan version using soya mince and it was so good! I only slightly mashed the butterbeans, in the recipe it says to let the mince set in the fridge for half an hour to make it easier to spread the beans. With soya mince it just wouldn't work which why I left them a bit more whole and spreadable. Divine! It doesn't even need cheese on top! The apricots were absolutely delicious.

  • sosayi on July 15, 2019

    Delicious pie, and the use of beans as a crust was far preferable to the typical potato topping. Did not use the rose harissa, just a regular, mild, harissa and was fine with that decision. Will make again.

  • Baxter850 on November 02, 2020

    Liked (not loved) the flavor combinations. Used grass fed lamb which may have given the dish a slightly different flavor than normal. Loved the mashed Lima bean topping. Will use that again for sure.

• Spiced apple cake

  • RosieB on September 16, 2018

    This cake was easy and delicious. It looked stunning.

  • Astrid5555 on October 06, 2018

    Perfect apple cake for a chilly fall afternoon! Reduced the demerara sugar for the apples to 100g, still too much for coating the apples. Will reduce next time to 80g. Recipe states to bake for 60-65 minutes, I took mine out of the oven after 80 minutes. Dough underneath the apples was still a little custardy, but a longer baking time would have resulted in a dry cake. Everbody loved it!

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    Easy, had all ingredients on hand. Delicious served warm, with double cream.

  • sharpcatherine on December 10, 2020

    Needed much longer cooking. The large size of the apples on top prevented the sponge underneath from cooking.

  • Frogcake on October 03, 2021

    I’ve made this cake before with positive results. This time I added half cup of almond flour, replacing half cup of white flour - a nice addition, which enhanced the flavour even more. We love this recipe- a regular on our menu in the fall!

  • Frogcake on January 01, 2019

    Really delicious! My cake looked exactly like the picture. So simple to make - it baked for 65 minutes while we consumed other courses. I added a teaspoon of freshly grated orange rind to the dough and this enhanced the flavour nicely. I served small portions, warm, with gelato for New Year’s Eve dinner and everyone ate the rest of the cake (still fragrant and moist) for breakfast.

  • kitchen_chick on October 12, 2019

    Fantastic! I substituted lactose-free whole fat yogurt for the sour cream. Mine also took a lot longer to bake. About 85 minutes. Aside: the ingredient list here says “self rising flour”, but my edition lists the flour, baking powder, and salt separately.

  • Skamper on October 16, 2019

    I baked this for 70 minutes and it was underdone in the center. The rest of the cake was very tasty but I worry it would be overcooked by the time the center was done.

  • Lsblackburn1 on October 27, 2020

    Followed everyone’s advice and baked this for 80 minutes. That was perfect - cake was very moist still, but cooked through. Family devoured this! Not too sweet and easy to eat.

  • anothersarah on January 15, 2023

    I found that 60-70 minutes was enough for baking time. Also the people who ate it said they really enjoyed the bake. Overall the recipe came out great and I would definitely suggest giving it a try if you are up to the occasion.

  • LittleLemon on September 03, 2022

    This recipe came together very well. I made my own apple pie spice, since I didn’t have any storebought. I used the recommended amount of apples, and it was the perfect apple to sugar/spice ratio. I had no issues with anything. I listened to the recommendation here to bake it for 80 minutes, and it came out perfect! Even though apple spice desserts are not my favorite, this cake was very delicious! My family loved it!

• Plum, blackberry and bay friand bake

  • Emily Hope on September 24, 2021

    Made this as written (using the metric weights), with italian plums and blackberries from the freezer. It was a hit with the whole family--super moist and a delicate crumb, really showcasing the flavors of the fruit. Next time I will try cutting back the sugar a bit (it was a bit sweet for my taste) and swapping all or some of the flour for whole grain, maybe spelt or kamut. Would be a great addition to a brunch spread.

  • bwhip on June 21, 2022

    Delightful. Quite easy to put together, and produced lovely flavors and a light, tender crumb. Great warm out of the oven, with vanilla gelato. We’ll have this one again.

  • anya_sf on October 03, 2020

    I made 1/2 recipe in an 8"x8" glass pan, omitting the bay leaves (could not find). Baked 55 minutes until the center was set; however, the edges were overly dark at that point, so perhaps should have baked for less time or reduced the oven temperature (glass pan). Plenty sweet to enjoy on its own, it was very nice with whipped cream or ice cream. Half the recipe served 4.

  • jatay on September 18, 2021

    I made this using Italian prune plums for this recipe. Really lovely and light bake. It'll probably make an encore for breakfast tomorrow.

  • elysedc on June 16, 2022

    a huge hit, a breeze to put together, incredibly adaptable based on whatever fruit you can find. When I return to this recipe (as I have done many times - literally always a hit) I omit the bay leaves and don't notice a difference. The mix of textures and flavors is truly divine, this one's a real keeper!

• Chicken with miso, ginger and lime

  • Emily Hope on March 29, 2019

    Oh, man, this was good! I've made a lot of Asian-ish chicken thigh recipes and this one rises to the top. I made it with 4.5 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, and made 1.5x the sauce, which worked great. (I did have 2 thighs that didn't fit in the 9x13 pan). My only complaint is that it's a bit fiddly for a weeknight meal, with the pan-frying and the baking and the ginger grating etc., but worth it. As stockholm28 notes, the thighs were overcooked even after I'd cut the time by 10 minutes -- next time I might try just omitting the bake time with the foil on. Served with the broccolini with peanuts (also from Simple), and rice.

  • Astrid5555 on September 30, 2018

    The marinade is divine, but made without chillies for the kids! Very little hands-on time needed, served with potatoes. Loved the spring onions!

  • FJT on May 07, 2019

    Another vote in favour of this one. The only complaint was that there wasn't more of the sauce so I shall be doubling up on that next time. Will definitely be making again ... and soon!

  • JennyHay on April 12, 2019

    10 out of 10 for me. A fabulous dish served with the sticky rice on page 173.

  • twoyolks on January 29, 2022

    As others stated, the sauce is really good. I baked it for 30 minutes uncovered and it was cooked just about right. I liked the spring onions but they weren't really necessary. I'm not sure at all what the chile added.

  • KarinaFrancis on March 16, 2019

    My first recipe from this book and it’s a winner! Based on previous comments I used bone in thighs, grated the lime rind, garlic and ginger. Paired it with sweet potato fries from the same book. I just made this again a made up the sauce ingredients, marinaded them for 30 minutes and cooked them uncovered for 45mins, worked perfectly and the flavour still shines

  • stockholm28 on March 13, 2019

    I liked this a lot which is a good thing since I now have a large container of white miso in the fridge (checking EYB to see what else I can do with it). I cut the recipe in half and used chicken thighs. I didn’t find the paste too fiddly, but I simplified the recipe by grating the lime and just chopping the ginger finely. The thighs cooked a lot more quickly than the recipe notes, so I will cut down the oven time. I liked the crispy charred green onions and cilantro stems.

  • Barb_N on February 11, 2021

    I made this again but wanted to serve it with a recipe I’d found for soba noodles with tahini sauce so I melded them- subbed tahini for miso in this recipe and subbed lime for orange in the noodle recipe. A match made in heaven.

  • Barb_N on March 19, 2019

    This is delicious as other reviewers have said. I found the scallion-chili-cilantro mixture spicy (I’m a spice wimp, only used one serrano quartered). Served with stir fry of baby bok choy, asparagus and shiitakes, with a sauce pirated from the marinade, adding a bit of rice wine vinegar. Miso paste lasts foreeeeeever in the fridge (I’ve had mine more than a year) so definitely will be a repeat, maybe w/o the chili.

  • Rutabaga on October 28, 2019

    The sauce here is, as others have noted, fantastic. Unfortunately, the rest of my family is not a fan of "bone-in" chicken dishes, although I think it's good for them to have this experience from time to time. I'd make this again, but might mix it up and try it with boneless chicken thighs, too.

  • cultus.girl on December 19, 2020

    Repeat repeat repeat !

  • rmorse on March 04, 2019

    This is amazing.

  • raybun on March 02, 2019

    The marinade is absolutely delicious, I used bone in thighs. Definitely a repeat recipe, the family loved it.

  • bwhip on April 02, 2019

    Delicious! We really enjoyed this recipe. Great flavor, fairly easy prep. I used thighs, and served with basmati rice, which made for a nice dinner.

  • anya_sf on February 23, 2020

    I cooked 6 large chicken thighs for the whole time and the chicken did not overcook, but the sauce started to burn at the edges of the dish (my pan was a bit too large). I chopped the ginger finely and next time will zest the lime for ease and try whole cilantro stalks instead of just the stems. The sauce was super flavorful. I would also try boneless chicken thighs cooked for less time.

  • Ro_ on July 10, 2021

    I used red miso instead of white, since I had a huge tub of the former to use up. Overall a very nice chicken recipe but I think I'd up the sweet elements of the sauce next time - maybe because I used a red miso paste this threw things out of balance a bit. I served with sushi rice which was very nice.

  • cook_fresco on November 09, 2021

    Delicious. Made the full recipe which is lovely; also did a shortcut version using 12 chicken thighs on a roasting tray, simply turned in the marinade and roasted - you still need to cover with foil for half the time or they burn. Gives a wonderful sauce which went really nicely with the warm glass noodles and edamame bean salad from Plenty.

• Tenderstem broccoli / broccolini with soy sauce, garlic and peanuts

  • Emily Hope on March 29, 2019

    Served this as a side with the miso/lime chicken from the same book -- a nice, not too complicated way to do broccolini, and the peanuts are a nice touch. It did seem like it might benefit from some acidity--next time may try adding a bit of lime juice or rice vinegar.

  • bernalgirl on September 23, 2021

    This recipe is easy and fantastic. I added a squeeze of lemon juice to the honey mixture instead of lemon zest and liked the way it complemented the honey and increased the sauce. I also made the sauce in the same pan as the broccoli, working quickly it didn’t cool down too much. I would make it this way again.

  • KarinaFrancis on February 12, 2020

    Super quick and super tasty side dish! I could only find “big” broccoli so I sliced it all the way down (thank you my Instagram friend for that tip) and I didn’t have any ginger so I used dried chilli instead, which I’d do again. This will go on regular rotation for sure.

  • Rutabaga on May 24, 2020

    This is quite good, although I think it could use more of the soy sauce/honey. A pound of broccolini is quite a bit! The peanut topping is really a nice complement. I cooked the broccoli in the same pan I used to make the peanut topping by steaming under a closed lid with a little water. I removed the broccolini to a bowl and then used the pan to quickly cook the soy sauce and honey, but the dish wasn't very hot by the time it got to the table. In an effort to make this a one pan dish, I'd reduce the soy sauce and honey before cooking the broccoli next time, then add it to the broccoli in the hot pan just prior to serving.

  • sosayi on February 06, 2019

    In the US edition, this is listed as "broccolini with soy sauce, garlic, and peanuts". Different titles can be confusing! This was quite easy and quite good. The preschooler gobbled it up and commented on how "yummy" it was, surprisingly. Definite repeat, though I always over-steam broccoli, so I need to work on that. The orange peel definitely adds a great note to the fried garlic, ginger and peanut mixture, so I wouldn't skip it.

  • anya_sf on July 03, 2019

    I oversteamed the broccolini a tad, as the stems - although thin - weren't getting tender. So next time I'll cut the broccolini into shorter pieces. The peanut topping was great.

  • fedenorreri on May 02, 2019

    Love the toppings in this recipe. I sub cashews for some of the peanuts and used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce (allergies in the family) - served with the Thai sticky rice and shrimp.

  • Ezair92 on January 19, 2023

    This was good. Next time I would probably add even more peanuts and less soy sauce

  • stepharama1 on December 01, 2022

    It thought this was very good but not great. However, I subbed cashews for peanuts and tahini for the peanut butter. Preparation of this dish also took more time than I expected.

• Gem lettuce with fridge-raid dressing

  • MollyB on July 22, 2021

    Not a success. The tahini mixed with avocado and a lot of herbs in the dressing was a little too strange a mix for us.

  • TrishaCP on May 02, 2021

    I really loved this dressing, which I made subbing chives for tarragon out of necessity. I also used jalapeño olive oil since I didn’t have fresh green chiles and the heat was very nice. I’m guessing the bitterness noted by Ro is from the tahini, which I don’t feel is necessary to include since avocado makes things very creamy on its own.

  • Nossovitzky on April 28, 2022

    love this without the ginger & with lots of tarragon. also good on the coleslaw from plenty more.

  • KarinaFrancis on October 06, 2021

    We really enjoyed this salad. In the spirit of it being a fridge raid I threw in the herbs I had in the fridge and growing on the balcony (parsley, mint, chives and oregano). Served it with the turkey burgers from Jerusalem

  • joneshayley on April 19, 2020

    Everyone loved this salad, the dressing especially. Even the children ate it with gusto

  • Ro_ on May 31, 2020

    This was nice, but there was a slightly bitter edge to the dressing even after fiddling with the balance at the end. I've made similar avocado/herb dressings from Allegra McEvedy and Nigella Lawson recipes which I prefer.

• Soba noodles with lime, cardamom and avocado

  • MollyB on June 23, 2022

    Quick, tasty, and healthy meal. Served with some leftover roast chicken, thinly sliced and served on top. It was good, but, reading others' notes here, I think salmon would be even better.

  • cultus.girl on December 19, 2020

    Delicious dish and it does go so well with salmon.

  • grindabod on November 15, 2021

    The dressing for this surprised me. I made this recipe for a solo dinner, thinking it would be (and taste like) a healthy option, but something about that lime, basil and cardamom combination really blew me away. Looking forward to making this again.

  • DePollepel on November 30, 2021

    Delicious and very fast meal. Served with canned salmon, but might also work with steak

• Roasted trout with tomato, orange and barberry salsa

  • TrishaCP on January 27, 2019

    This was really easy and very fresh tasting with the salsa. I couldn’t find whole trout so used fillets laid on top of each other and secured with toothpicks to mimic a whole fish. The amount of butter called for in my opinion isn’t at all necessary- I would at a minimum half it, or consider using olive oil.

  • Astrid5555 on January 01, 2019

    So simple, quick and delicious. Used whole seabream instead of trout. The salsa takes this dish to another level! Yum!

  • TLouise on January 15, 2021

    I don't eat alot of fish other than salmon so this was quite a change for me. I wasn't sure if I would like it and admit that I was dreading preparing it all day. After getting on with it I must say that it was beautiful, served with roasted tenderstem broccoli and herby new potatoes, the zingy salsa (made the day before) was just delicious. Definitely one I would make again.

• Sumac-roasted strawberries with yoghurt cream

  • TrishaCP on May 30, 2021

    Wow, this is completely delicious. I never would have thought to combine sumac and strawberries but they are great together. I didn’t bother draining the yogurt or adding the cream, but I would next time so it doesn’t get too watery from the berry juices.

  • FJT on July 09, 2019

    I just made the strawberries, not the strained and sweetened yoghurt. Next time I would reduce the sugar in the strawberries too, because they really didn’t need that much (I used 60g). This was excellent served with plain, unsweetened Greek yoghurt.

  • Yildiz100 on March 01, 2019

    Surprisingly delicious. Two small tweaks. Start draining the yogurt much earlier to get it really thick (the recipe is too optimistic). And add sugar AFTER yogurt is drained

  • KarinaFrancis on August 31, 2019

    I’m seriously in love with this dish! I’ve made it twice in the last 2 weeks. I added a dash (1/2 tsp) of rosewater the second time and it worked well. Served it with almond bread and it benefited from the crunch. I’m going to make this again and again even if I serve it with ordinary yougurt or even ice cream.

  • puddlemere on May 27, 2019

    I took a few liberties with this recipe--I didn't bother straining the yogurt and didn't have mint or a vanilla bean. The sumac-strawberry combination is really good!

  • karen51 on September 03, 2020

    This is one of my favorite recipes. The cream isn't really necessary, but the mint and the lemon zest really make a difference. It's good over unsweetened yogurt (drained or not). I usually add less water when roasting the strawberries because I like the syrup to be thicker.

  • CheesyKranskyLove on October 04, 2022

    I enjoyed this a lot but would definitely double the amount of strawberries next time

  • elysedc on January 14, 2023

    I thought this was just ok. I might make again following previous commenters advice to use less water and less sugar. I didn't do the yogurt part of the recipe, just added the strawberries to some lightly sweetened greek yogurt, so it was very quick and easy. I will be playing around with strawberries and sumac again though - the brightest part of this recipe is that flavor combo!

• Beef tomato carpaccio with spring onion and ginger salsa

  • crandall57 on May 26, 2021

    Delicious! Will make this again. Used a spice/coffee grinder, not a mortar and pestle.

  • jackiecat on June 22, 2020

    AKA Beefsteak tomato carpaccio in my Kindle edition

  • hewlettn on January 25, 2023

    https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/23/tomato-recipes-salad-red-onion-chickpea-chinese-ginger-yoghurt-yotam-ottolenghi

  • peaceoutdesign on August 31, 2022

    Blend all but chilies. this was good and interesting.

  • Ro_ on June 22, 2020

    This is the third tomato dish I've tried from this book, and they've all been outstanding including this one. I loved the ginger with the tomato, unusual and delicious.

  • StephEpices on August 26, 2019

    This is a perfect side and a good change from making the tomatoes with sumac salad every day during tomato season.

  • Ganga108 on October 30, 2021

    This beautiful salad is one of Ottolenghi’s simplest dishes. You can make it in just over 5 minutes – perfect for a weekday evening, and spectacular at a weekend BBQ, picnic or lunch. The quality of the ingredients make this dish, so you’ll need the best tomatoes – preferably home grown ones if possible – as well as the best sherry vinegar you can afford. The salsa is glorious spooned on all sorts of dishes, from toast topped with mozzarella and/or avocado to lentil salads and pasta dishes. So double or triple the quantities when you make it. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days.

• Slow-cooked chicken with a crisp corn crust

  • blintz on October 18, 2019

    Fabulous comfort-food chicken dish that’s good enough for company. Make the chicken stew the day before and then the night you’re entertaining there’s just the corn crust. I used the very last of farm market corn, but the recipe says frozen works too.

  • Astrid5555 on November 23, 2019

    Husband made this as a surprise when I returned from a business trip. He used a very smoky and hot harissa spice blend instead of rose harissa, which was balanced perfectly by the dark chocolate in the sauce. Made only two thirds of the crust which we thought was more than enough. Puffed up a little bit like a soufflé. Excellent!

  • Nossovitzky on May 19, 2019

    Very easy and tasty, with the caveat that I've never made the corn topping.

  • tarae1204 on September 29, 2021

    Delicious! Dinner party and family friendly. I left the harissa out. I used defrosted frozen corn for the corn crust. It came out underbaked, so I ran it under the broiler. It did not soufflé up, but it was sweet and rich and crispy. The texture and flavor of the stew was wonderful and different.

  • tmitra on October 22, 2019

    I liked the stew and was fascinated by the use of rose harissa in a dish that approximates Mexican flavors. I don't think I'd repeat the corn crust, given that I needed my blender and hand mixer to make it, and it turned out far from crispy (maybe it just needed more time, as anya_sf suggested below?)

  • lou_weez on April 08, 2020

    I was expecting a firm corn crust but instead got a light, fluffy corn topping. Really delicious.

  • averythingcooks on December 07, 2019

    This is a beautifully rich and warm chicken "stew". I did eventually opt out of the corn crust (but started out planning to make it) and then as dinner approached, decided to make a skillet corn bread to eat beside it. I have both hot and mild harissa (but not rose) so used 1 tbsp of the hot version. It thickened beautifully and although it didn't end up as dark as in the book photo , it is a delicious winter one pot.

  • bwhip on October 20, 2018

    Very delicious, with rich flavor that just melts in your mouth. Our corn crust was more like a souffle than crispy, but still a lovely complement to the chicken stew below. The recipe takes a while to make (hence the title "slow cooked"), but it's not a difficult prep at all. Served it with a simple green salad as suggested.

  • anya_sf on April 30, 2019

    I made 2/3 recipe, which served 3 for dinner with a large green salad. I loved the smoky flavors from the paprika and rose harissa, which I reduced a bit so it wouldn't be too spicy. This dish reminded me of a lighter, more flavorful tamale pie. The corn crust took an extra 10 minutes to cook through, perhaps because the sides of my casserole dish were extra high. Next time I'll add some more vegetables with the chicken mixture. Delicious!

  • mgmcewen on November 03, 2018

    We couldn't get the crust to work but the chicken was delicious. I guess we needed a mixer to really get the egg whites right, tried doing it by hand.

  • JJ2018 on November 28, 2019

    This was absolutely delicious. A simple recipe that takes a bit of time the flavours were so layered. We all loved it. Topping is like a corn cloud! We halved the harissa which was right for us

  • Lsblackburn1 on June 27, 2020

    When I was a kid in Tucson, AZ, I loved tamale pie. This has a similar taste profile and I loved it! I wouldn’t call this “simple” but it’s not hard - just time consuming. I couldn’t get rose harissa so used regular. Made it start to finish in my 5 qt brasier so one less pan, I guess?

  • domechef on March 31, 2019

    It is a very good dish when serving a crowd. The corn crust adds a beautiful decadance to the stew, so I wouldn't skip it. Just make sure the egg whites are whipped nicely. I don't have rose harissa but normal harissa worked just fine. I used a tablespoon less then called for and it felt just right.

  • ALawson25 on January 23, 2021

    I think this was good, though I'm not sure I'd make again. The corn top was fluffy and the filling was nice (though the paprika overpowered a bit). It wasn't too difficult to make either.

  • Running_with_Wools on December 04, 2020

    What a fun and unusual recipe. The chicken filling was wonderful and full-flavored. I used a whole chicken rather than thighs because I had the time to slow-roast it during the day. The topping was like a corn souffle. It was so tasty and everyone in my family enjoyed it.

• Blueberry, almond and lemon cake

  • blintz on November 29, 2020

    Oy! Forgot to use SR flour. No matter, it's still delicious and not even that flat. I served it without the glaze and it's the perfect snacking cake. Very lemony in a very good way!

  • Astrid5555 on September 12, 2019

    Delicious, even with skin-on coarsely ground almonds, which was all I had on hand. Usually I do not like icing on loaf cakes, but as already mentioned this one made the cake even more lemony. Very quick to make, too.

  • SugarTreeBaking on May 20, 2020

    Oh my! I missed the errata mentioning the missing baking powder. Without it, I have a flat loaf with little rise and not much texture.

  • FJT on May 13, 2019

    This cake tastes lovely. Mine was a bit chewy, probably because the only ground almonds I could find were ground with their skins on and were very coarsely ground. Will definitely make again when I can find some better ground almonds!

  • JennyHay on December 27, 2018

    I have many good blueberry and lemon cake recipes but this one is a standout. Superb.

  • KarinaFrancis on November 29, 2020

    I have to confess I made this with Apple instead of blueberries because I had some on hand and it was as good as everyone says it is, and very easy to put together. Update: I finally made the blueberry version and the icing. I like both versions, one for spring and one for autumn

  • stockholm28 on April 27, 2020

    Very good flavor and nice and moist. I like how some of the blueberries are added part way into baking. There is a very similar recipe in ”Sweet” for lemon blueberry almond teacakes and I prefer that recipe.

  • joneshayley on April 23, 2020

    Really easy and delicious cake.

  • Foodycat on June 21, 2022

    I was a bit short on fresh (actually frozen) blueberries so I made up the quantity with 25g dried blueberries, and I only had one lemon so I also used some grated lime zest. What a great cake! I love how the 2nd lot of berries means that there's a more even distribution of fruit through the cake. Really good flavour.

  • kitchen_chick on August 09, 2020

    Wow. I missed the errata about the baking powder, but my cake rose nicely without the baking powder. Not sure what’s with that. I did reduce the sugar to 160g because I prefer less sweet desserts, and I omitted the glaze because it’d be too sweet for me. Still completely delicious by my taste preferences. Would be great with tea. Baked up super tender and light and moist. I did toss the blueberries in a bit of the flour-almond flour mixture to reduce sinkage.

  • bwhip on October 27, 2018

    This cake turned out great for us. A lovely combination of sweetness and lemony flavor. Unusual method - baking at 400 degrees, and after 15 minutes you put more blueberries on top of the cake (which makes a lot of sense, so they don't all sink to bottom). The temperature gives the cake a nice brown and crispy perimeter. Delicious.

  • anya_sf on September 04, 2020

    Very moist cake, quite sweet, but balanced by the lemon. The blueberries that were stirred into the batter mostly sank to the bottom, so it was good some were sprinkled on top. King Arthur self-rising flour worked (with salt omitted). Family liked this a lot.

  • Ro_ on July 04, 2020

    Loved the flavours of this cake. The only issue was that I think I added a few too many blueberries, and these all sunk to the bottom make it very soggy and loose so somewhat difficult to get out of the tin and cut well. I think next time I'd use fewer blueberries and/or coat them in flour to try to keep them more buoyant.

  • ChelseaP on May 21, 2021

    Unbelievably good!!

  • JJ2018 on October 02, 2020

    Loved this recipe the cake vanished almost instantly.

  • AndieEats on November 28, 2020

    Missed the errata about baking powder until after - came out okay, just a bit flat. Decreased sugar to 110g and it was still sweet enough. Used frozen blueberries, and tossed it in some flour before mixing into the dough - next time try tossing it with a bit of the dry mix. Also did not put blueberries on top part way through baking, just mixed it all in at the same time. Baked it uncovered at 400F for about 30 minutes, then with a tented foil for the remainder 30 minutes.

  • etcjm on February 05, 2019

    Lovely. Please do the icing, it adds extra lemonyness. I used frozen blueberries, since they are always there for overnight oats. Added about 20 minutes to the cooking time. I will do with fresh next time, because I think both the texture and keeping quality was hindered because of using frozen, hence it's not brilliant on day 2 but still edible. Very easy and no doubt will be get knocked together on a regular basis, great for elevenses at work and packed lunch!

  • MollyPellecchia on February 12, 2019

    Pg 276/Sides were a bit burnt. Next time line all four sides with parchment and start checking for doneness 10 minutes earlier. Note the Errata

  • Running_with_Wools on November 24, 2020

    I brought this to a summer party and it was a big hit. Delicious, and not too sweet. We had it with mint ice cream. The only part of the recipe that confused me a little, was when you take the cake out of the oven, before it is done, and add more blueberries (so they stay on top). I think I waited too long, and some of them did not incorporate into the batter. It was still delicious.

  • TLouise on August 04, 2021

    Very nice and easy to make using ingredients I usually have on hand

• Iranian herb fritters

  • L.Nightshade on February 16, 2019

    A very simple recipe, calling for a lot of mixed, chopped, fresh herbs, ground cumin, breadcrumbs, barberries, toasted walnuts, and eggs. Everything is mixed together then ladlefuls are fried in sunflower oil. The herbs called for are dill, basil, and coriander, but the notes say any herbs can be used to equal the 120 gram total. I played fast and loose here, and the major portion of my “herbs” consisted of carrot tops! Parsley, tarragon, cilantro, mint, and dill also went in to make up the gram total. These end up being like little, fried, kuku zabzis. I thought the barberries were barely discernible, and I would add more next time, as I like that little sweet-tart kick. We each had two of the 10 the recipe made for me, and found them very filling. Instead of the suggested accompaniment of a parsley sauce, I used up some of the leftover tomato-chlle-garlic sauce and the tahini sauce from the halibut dish.

  • Barb_N on May 22, 2019

    More of a note to self, since I had to wildly adapt the recipe. I wanted to use cilantro (my daughter has soap gene), mint (none at store) and dill (rotten 24 h after purchase) so I had only half as much chopped herb mixture (parsley, marjoram, sorrel). I may have miscalculated but found the cumin overpowering. If I make this again, I will decrease the cumin, and use an appropriately flavorful herb mixture.

  • kitchen_chick on July 21, 2019

    We really like these with the suggested herb-tahini sauce. I agree with adding more barberries. We used 4 Tbs (1/4 cup). This recipe is very substitution friendly - I've used different proportions of herbs based on what I had available and used sliced almonds because we didn't have walnuts. I even used panko for the breadcrumbs one time (and added a splash of water to the mix because they're drier than fresh breadcrumbs). The second time I made this as a frittata in a 10" cast iron pan, which I liked better. You do have to flip the frittata, which is more difficult than flipping little fritters, but it cooks all the mixture at once and is less oily. Does anyone know what's going on in the photos with this recipe? The first photo shows a bowl with what looks like fried onions or shallots and some kind of red oil or hot sauce, neither of which are in the recipe.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    These Iranian fritters are herbaceous and delicious. They are a perfect snack at afternoon tea time, or make a great lunch with flatbreads and fresh salads. We make our herby fritters with a chickpea flour base rather than eggs. They are very easy to make and utterly delicious. These fritters are a bit of a fridge raid – use whatever soft herbs you have to hand.

• Courgette, pea and basil soup

  • L.Nightshade on February 26, 2019

    I got a little overzealous spiralizing zucchini the other day, ended up with not only the cores that are always left, but too many zoodles. Since I had peas and feta, I ended up making this. I only had one issue, one I’ve had occasionally with zucchini in soups, which is that there is a slightly bitter finish with each mouthful. I suspect this is from the peel of the zucchini, but I’m not certain. In this case it was a minor issue, in fact Mr. Nightshade did not sense the bitterness at all. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the flavor, but I would certainly love the soup more without it! I almost dropped in a tiny amount of baking soda, as I do with bitter tomatoes, but I was afraid of ruining it.

  • aargle on September 21, 2019

    This soup is a winner and a meal in itself. Loved the feta and lemon zest on top - it really set this soup apart. So easy and economical as well.

  • FJT on May 21, 2019

    Fantastic soup - it’s summer in a bowl. And it’s ridiculously easy to make.

  • Hellyloves2cook on January 20, 2019

    Easy and absolutely delicious. The whole family loved this! Have made twice already.

  • Boffcat on May 05, 2019

    I'm so glad I tried this, spurred on by the positive reviews - it's delicious, and one of the best ways I can think of to use courgettes.

  • anya_sf on April 28, 2019

    Quick and easy to make and really delicious. I used chicken broth for extra flavor. I only had about half the basil, but the flavor was still there. As usual with Ottolenghi recipes, the garnishes (lemon zest and feta) really add to the dish.

  • MissKoo on June 30, 2021

    I made this for a cookbook group dinner. The color is gorgeous, great flavor combo, and minimal effort to put together. Because the weather was so hot I served it cold, and everyone loved it that way. I tried it both hot and cold, and actually prefer it chilled, although weather was undoubtedly a factor. Topped with feta, grated lemon, pan fried pancetta, and Italian lemon olive oil. Served in bowls from Provence, it had maximum eye appeal. Will definitely add to my regular soup rotation. It makes a lot, so good to freeze also.

  • Elbea on March 30, 2021

    I'm not sure I should leave a note as I deviated from the recipe and used mint instead of basil, and added spring onions and chicken stock. With these changes made I can say that the soup I made was delicious and incredibly quick and easy to make. I agree that the feta and lemon was a great finishing touch.

• Charred prawn, sweetcorn and tomato salad

  • L.Nightshade on January 31, 2019

    I made this exactly as written, in a non-stick grill pan. I’m not sure why a grill pan was specified, as it would be perfectly fine in a regular pan. I’d like to try it in a basket over an actual grill. I’d also like to try it with fresh corn in the summer time! But as-is, the timing was spot-on, and I thought it was delicious. Mr. Nightshade thought the dressing could do with a bit less sriracha, so if you’re heat-shy like him, be conservative with the sriracha. It was perfect for me. If I had made up this recipe I probably would have added cilantro. Ottolenghi, in his genius, specified marjoram or oregano. Our marjoram has died out, the oregano is just hanging in, so I used that. Just made it brilliantly different. We decided this would be a great first course for a dinner party, using just three shrimp or so per person. Definitely a do-again.

  • peaceoutdesign on September 22, 2022

    good and easy with a lot of zip.

  • Foodycat on October 06, 2018

    I used fresh corn on the cob and cooked all the elements on a charcoal grill. I'm in two minds about it really. The charred prawns, sweetcorn and tomatoes were very good but the dressing was a bit aggressive. I think I would have preferred basil instead of oregano.

  • anya_sf on August 17, 2019

    In lieu of a grill pan, I cooked the ingredients in a large cast iron skillet. I added some chopped asparagus (charred) and avocado (not charred) as well, and 2 people had no problem eating the whole thing for dinner. Instead of marjoram, I used basil, since I had it on hand. Different herbs would work as well - mint or cilantro would probably be especially good. The dressing was tasty, but actually quite spicy, which overpowered the flavors somewhat; I'd use half the amount next time. A lot of flavor for such a quick, easy dish.

• Nutella, sesame and hazelnut rolls

  • Astrid5555 on January 23, 2022

    These are delicious and really quick to make. The addition of the sesame seeds really elevates these rolls to the next level. Not just for the Nutella lovers among us.

• Chicken Marbella

  • Astrid5555 on October 26, 2018

    Can be made ahead and just popped into the oven. Used date syrup instead of date molasses (not sure if they are the same). Loved the combination of dates and olives baked in the oven. Very happy husband.

  • FJT on May 03, 2021

    A really easy, hands-off recipe. We all commented that we'd have liked more sauce, but otherwise very happy with it. Used pomegranate molasses instead of date molasses and boned chicken legs rather than bone-in. Will make again.

  • JennyHay on December 27, 2018

    I enjoyed this dish but I expected more, given the ingredients and the long marinating time. I will make again but not score the meat, as I thought it dried the chicken too much.

  • Delys77 on January 15, 2023

    I've made the Cook's illustrated version of this using chicken breasts and quite liked it, but this was easier. There is no browning of the chicken prior to going into the oven, and marinade is easy to put together as there is next to no chopping. I used thighs and drumsticks as that is what we had on hand and didn't score, but otherwise followed the recipe. We did have 6 for dinner so we went with 1.5 times the recipe which was nice and snug in the pan. we cooked for a 40 minutes on convection and it was just right. I did have some issue with capers and figs burning a bit, so I would make sure they were tucked under the chicken so they don't over caramelize. Nice and easy and well received.

  • clkandel on April 21, 2021

    This dish is so tasty. Loved the flavor from the dates.

  • KarinaFrancis on June 05, 2021

    Finally made this and now I know why everyone raves about it! Loved the flavours and it couldn’t be easier. I only marinaded the chicken for a few hours and it was still very tasty. I served it with the baked rice and it was great for soaking up the delicious juices

  • stockholm28 on February 16, 2019

    This was so easy for a weeknight meal, but my dates were completely burnt and so was the marinade. The chicken and flavors were good. Next time, I will use a slightly smaller pan so the chicken pieces are closer together. I used chicken thighs and they were done before the 50 minute mark. I should have checked about 10 minutes earlier.

  • mharriman on May 06, 2021

    I agree with those who thought this was a delicious recipe. My husband and I loved it. I used four chicken w/ thigh quarters with full amount of marinade and Full amount of wine/molasses sauce with great results. I made two small cuts in each chicken piece and marinated the leg quarters 30 hours, turning the chicken in the sauce three times while it was in the refrigerator. Because I baked the dish alongside the recommended baked basmati rice, I cooked it at 425 degrees, since the rice was supposed to bake at 450. I just split the difference (400/450) with no noticeable change in the result of either dish. I basted twice during the 50 minute baking time which kept the chicken juicy and tender. We especially liked the subtle flavors. The flavors reminded us of ones we enjoyed when we were in Israel and Palestine two years ago. Update: Wonderful flavor as leftovers second night (350 degree oven for 40 minutes on top of leftover rice)

  • Foodycat on September 25, 2018

    I used pomegranate molasses instead of date molasses or treacle. Given all the big flavours in this, it's actually quite subtle. And very nice.

  • Londonyankee on January 01, 2020

    This was disappointing. I like Martha Stewart’s chicken with dates, citrus, and olives much better, and it’s easier, too. I don’t feel the marinade did much of anything, and there were hardly any dates. The flavor was just too subtle compared to Martha’s, which is my go-to dinner party recipe, so I’ll stick with Martha on this one!

  • anya_sf on November 20, 2018

    I've only had this dish made with prunes before, never dates, and surprisingly really enjoyed the dates here. I used all chicken thighs and substituted pomegranate molasses for date. Delicious, will definitely make again.

  • Baxter850 on November 05, 2020

    Great recipe. No changes other than I wish the chicken skin was crispy.

  • domechef on March 31, 2019

    This really was a show-stopper. Served it at a dinner party and everybody couldn't stop raving about how good it was. Also, it is quite a forgiving recipe, so easy to scale up or down.

  • Anne_em on January 06, 2021

    A real success. I made sure my chicken legs were quite snug in the pan so the juices wouldn’t evaporate straight away and there was still plenty of sauce. I will certainly make it again.

  • Shaxon on March 25, 2022

    I made this using steamed cubed tempeh to make it vegan. I don't eat chicken so I'm not sure how it's supposed to turn out, but it was successful as a vegan dish - slightly sweet, sour and salty. I served it with roasted potatoes, but it would be better over rice.

• Butternut squash with sweetcorn salsa, feta and pumpkin seeds

  • Astrid5555 on August 29, 2020

    Great flavor combination, got rave reviews! Used a skin-on hokkaido pumpkin and made all the different elements of the recipe a day in advance.

  • EmilyR on September 04, 2019

    This comes together quite easily and is an interesting riff on a Mexican style feta corn. The lime juice is key.

  • e_ballad on November 29, 2018

    Corn & butternut squash wouldn’t be a combination that would typically spring to mind, but this was delicious!

  • tmitra on September 29, 2019

    A great choice for late summer/early fall!

  • JJ2018 on October 01, 2019

    Added some chorizo to it.

  • domechef on March 31, 2019

    Pleasantly surprised at how good this was! The flavor is subtle but spot on, and the various textures are also awesome. Wouldn't change a thing.

  • elysedc on June 16, 2022

    First time I made this, the squash didn't quite cook through (I may have cut the pieces too large) and was quite clunky to eat. Second time, I cubed the squash, cooked until the texture was nice and lush, and this became one of my all time favorite fall recipes. Omitted the chile (cooking for a sensitive crowd) and everyone loved it.

• Roasted baby carrots with harissa and pomegranate

  • Astrid5555 on August 29, 2020

    Made as part of a mezze spread. Everyone was surprised how delicious roasted carrots can be. Just the right amount of sweet and savoury in one dish, will definitely make again!

  • FJT on June 29, 2019

    Made with normal harissa as I couldn’t find rose harissa. This was a definite hit with my guests and I will make it again.

  • Nossovitzky on May 19, 2019

    Have never managed to make this with pomegranate seeds (or rose harissa - difficult to find in Melbourne) but otherwise very good. Works fine with sliced regular carrots.

  • mondraussie on December 31, 2022

    Nice and simple to prepare with great flavours. Didn't have any rose harissa, so added chile flakes instead and worked just fine. Next time I have a bottle of rose harissa I'll try it again.

  • KarinaFrancis on April 12, 2022

    Like previous reviewers we really liked this, super easy and very tasty. I didn’t use pomegranate seeds but I added a touch of pomegranate molasses to make up for it. A great standby especially if you have a bag of carrots languishing in the fridge.

  • cjross on October 21, 2018

    Would absolutely make this again soon. Used agave instead of honey since I was feeding it to my baby and didn't have cilantro so I used mint. Nice easy recipe.

  • saarwouters on September 16, 2018

    Easy and very delicious! Just mix everything toghether and put it in the oven. The kids loved this too.

  • Frogcake on October 28, 2018

    Excellent! I roasted a huge pile of carrots and sweet potato wedges (I doubled the recipe for the sweet potato), and they were gobbled up between the three of us with rave reviews. ( I was hoping to send leftovers back with my son. ) Served with grilled steaks and a lovely sprouts salad. ( I finally found some rose harissa in st Jovite!)

  • anya_sf on December 03, 2018

    The carrots were delicious; the rose harissa wasn't too spicy for my son. While the pomegranate seeds went fine with the carrots, I'm not sure they added that much, so I wouldn't hesitate to make this again without the pomegranate.

  • Baxter850 on November 02, 2020

    Carrots were great texturally. Liked this but don’t know how many times I’ll come back to it. Was healthy and a nice change for carrots.

  • Ro_ on December 14, 2020

    Used regular harissa instead of rose and ground cumin instead of whole seeds. A really nice recipe, simple and quick, I'll definitely repeat this! You could easily make it without the pomegranate, although I think it does add a nice freshness to the finished dish as well as looking pretty. I wasn't sure from the recipe if it's actually meant to be eaten cold as a salad, but I served it straight from the oven and it was great.

  • kateroni on December 28, 2018

    Delicious! Love the sweet from the honey and spicy rose harissa. Have made multiple times already. Made once without pomegranate seeds and didn't really miss them.

  • ChefBeccs on April 18, 2020

    Absolutely delicious! Amazing flavour combination. Kids loved. Used standard carrots and standard harissa. Kept the pomegranate as it looks festive and provides a textural pop but you could easily leave our. I didn’t have any coriander and it was still lovely

  • foodgloriousfood on March 29, 2022

    I didn't think this needed the pomegranate seeds. Would make again.

• Orzo with prawns, tomato and marinated feta

  • Astrid5555 on February 29, 2020

    Good, but not one of the spectacular recipes from this book. Still, the feta and fennel seeds make it special, but not special enough to repeat in the near future.

  • aargle on July 23, 2021

    This was a lovely family meal on a Saturday night and we all enjoyed it immensely. None of us found the fennel overwhelming but then again I love fennel. Will definitely make again.

  • Delys77 on March 22, 2023

    I've made a few versions of this dish from other books, notably the Essential NY Times and an Ina Garten book I believe. Overall the combo of tomato, feta, fennel/anise/pernod, and shrimp is usually a winner for us. This dish is a bit simpler than some others and I really liked the toasted orzo and somewhat risotto like texture of this dish so would put it ahead of a few others. We had no orange in the house so left it out, but as per many others it didn't seem to do much for the dish. That said, I think we do need some bright acidity here. The feta is lovely but I didn't serve all of it as I thought that would be too much creamy dairy for the dish, but then found myself lacking a touch of freshness, which is why I would likely serve with lemon for those who want less cheese but want to up the acidity.

  • KarinaFrancis on February 07, 2020

    Delicious! We loved it. Based on the previous notes I cut back on the fennel and might have stumbled on the right amount. Agree that the orange adds nothing, next time I’ll add a squeeze of lemon at end instead.

  • Zosia on October 18, 2018

    This was quick and tasty but there was a little too much fennel for me and I couldn't detect the orange at all. I think I would prefer it with half the fennel and perhaps with some grated orange zest stirred in with the basil at the end.

  • mharriman on October 24, 2019

    I liked this better than my husband did. We both like fennel, so that wasn’t an issue for us. However, we couldn’t figure out what it or the orange peels were supposed to do as we couldn’t detect even a hint of orange and only a mild fennel flavor. We thought the chili flakes overtook the other spice ingredients. I followed the instructions and ingredient list as directed and felt it took more steps and time than I prefer for our “pretty good” enjoyment of it. Probably won’t repeat as there are other orzo, tomato, and shrimp recipes out there that aren’t as involved that I like better.

  • Barb_N on March 20, 2019

    This is a favorite combination of mine- shrimp, orzo, feta and tomato, so I decided to try out the Ottolenghi spin. Overall it is simple, tasty and very beautiful. I wish I had paid more attention to the reviews about the fennel; I found the seeds were intrusive and didn’t add a lot of flavor (a new jar no less). My tomato pieces did not break down to a sauce like the photo in the book. Marinating the feta the night before meant that this was on the table in 30 minutes once I finished the prep. 1/21/20 ETA: I made this again using fresh fennel instead of fennel seeds. Half the thinly sliced bulb was sautéed with the garlic, the other half topped with a preserved lemon vinaigrette. I put some preserved lemon in the marinated feta and in the orzo in place of the orange peel- perhaps a bit TOO lemony but I really liked the fresh fennel in place of the seeds.

  • nadiakoj on December 04, 2018

    Really simple (!) dish but the fennel was a little too strong. Will half the amount mixed in with the feta next time.

  • Nomola on November 25, 2019

    Made for friends with a ‘fussy’ daughter - it was lovely, I think I’ll use a little more chilli next time. The fennel was obvious but I didn’t think overpowering. Easy to make

  • lou_weez on September 27, 2018

    Considering I didn't feel like cooking dinner, this was a delicious, super easy, one pan dish, that I'm really glad I made. I thought the fennel would overpower everything but it was lovely against the sweetness of the prawns.

  • bwhip on December 21, 2018

    This was very tasty, and easy to put together quickly on a weeknight. I scaled back the fennel to three teaspoons based on some of the feedback from other reviewers, and it seemed just right to me.

  • sgmensing on February 21, 2021

    We loved this! I was careful to grind the toasted fennel, not leaving any whole seeds (mortar & pestle grinding). I also cooked the orzo until it was at least a medium brown. I didn't notice the orange flavor as many people noted, but wouldn't eliminate it since Ottolenghi knows how to combine flavors and it could be making a subtle difference.

  • Pimlicocook on January 08, 2022

    I loved this. Followed the recipe but cooking for one, so halved the sauce ingredients and quartered the orzo, while being generous with prawns (which I adore). It was a bit soupier than risotto, but still utterly delicious. I would probably reduce water/stock by a quarter (so still a bit more than the recipe calls for per portion), but I loved being able to mop up the juice with bread. Unlike other reviewers, I thought the orange/fennel/chilli balance was subtle and spot-on. Will definitely make again. Simple and so good.

  • lofolky on January 01, 2021

    Made this for my family and thought it was delicious! Made a few adjustments to the recipe based on other comments here. Only 1tsp fennel on the feta and less than 2 tsp in the sauce. Also added some lemon zest to the feta and lemon juice when the orzo was cooking. Also used more shrimp than the recipe called for. Turned out great.

  • pomegranate on July 15, 2022

    This was delicious and super easy. I used shrimp, goat cheese, and orange zest instead of the peel. Everyone loved it.

• Pasta with pecorino and pistachios

  • Astrid5555 on February 23, 2019

    As stockholm28 mentioned this is just a variation of pasta with pesto. Nevertheless a nice and healthy one because of the addition of the mangetout. As promised quick and simple to make, but without the wow factor that some of the other recipes from this book have.

  • anniemac on July 05, 2019

    I thought this was delicious. I used cascarelle pasta instead of the trofie, but otherwise made as written. As others have pointed out it is essentially pasta with pesto, but I thought the snow peas added a lot, although asparagus or snap peas could be subbed in.

  • clkandel on September 13, 2021

    This dish is quick to make and extremely flavorful. I used homemade trofie pasta and liked the shape because the basil sauce had lots of folds to cling to. No snow peas this time of year, so I just used frozen peas, which worked fine. I omitted adding the basil leaves at the end since one diner isn't a complete basil lover. They loved this dish too, so that says something.

  • KarinaFrancis on March 04, 2022

    After a few weeks of rain my basil plants are out of control and easily gave up enough basil for this recipe. Lovely, fresh and quick. Next time I might take a previous reviewers tip and add some dried tomatoes.

  • stockholm28 on February 21, 2019

    This was a good and quick dish and it is really just a variation of pasta with pesto, with pistachios in lieu of pine nuts, pecorino in lieu of parmesan, and snow peas for extra fiber and greenery. I only made 1/4 of the recipe as it turns out that one of those grocery store basil plants only produces 12 grams of leaves and the recipe calls for 50g. I didn’t think the snow peas brought much to the party (the basil overwhelmed their flavor), but that may be more attributable to the low quality of grocery store snow peas this time of year. I think I would prefer this with sugar snaps. I also used fusilli rather than trofie.

  • JJ2018 on May 13, 2019

    We really enjoyed this - quick to come together and fresh tasting. Added the slow roast tomatoes and a squeeze of lemon juice. Would make again would also make a nice pasta salad for a barbecue etc

• Pasta alla Norma

  • Astrid5555 on October 18, 2018

    One of the best pasta alla Norma recipes I have cooked so far. Eggplants are baked in the oven separately and then added to the finished tomato sauce. Used Aleppo pepper flakes for additional smokiness and topped the pasta with some leftover feta cheese I happened to have in the fridge. Husband was very happy ;-)!

  • aargle on February 19, 2020

    I was expecting a very pleasant pasta dish but was delighted to find that it was fabulous. I followed the recipe to the letter and next time will reduce the cooking time of the eggplants by 5 minutes. I love these recipes that are more than the sum of its parts.

  • seherhussain on March 31, 2019

    Super easy to put together (thanks to the baking of the eggplant) and delicious results! Will repeat.

  • Delys77 on January 05, 2023

    Despite not having a huge collection of books, I have 6 recipes for this dish and this is the second I have made, the other being from Jamie's Italy. Both are very good but I will give the edge to this one. Very nice balance of flavours, most especially the smoky element from the roasted eggplant. I used rotini, as those are my son's favourite, and it worked very well. I didn't brush and tossed as suggested and it worked fine for me. I will admit to using garlic oil in addition to the garlic, plus some zucchini to add a bit more vegetable. The result was pungent with garlic, smoky with eggplant, with a great balance of acidity from the tomato. Big winner.

  • clkandel on October 30, 2020

    Such a tasty sauce given it cooks in 10 minutes. The eggplant is delicious. Roasting it before adding it to the sauce gives it such a great texture.

  • dinnermints on August 12, 2020

    Very good. In the sauce, eggplant had an unctuousness from being roasted, even though I ended up using less oil and dried it out a bit (typical for me). I sprayed olive oil on the eggplant with a pump spray; maybe would try brushing it next time (or tossing it and hoping for the best, as that really would be more simple). Per other posters' suggestions, I also reduced the oven temp by 25 degrees. I used one can crushed fire roasted tomatoes and one can whole, and that seemed to work pretty well. I roasted the eggplant a couple of days in advance, and might do that again.

  • Zosia on December 12, 2018

    Very tasty and quite doable on a busy weeknight. I particularly liked the treatment of the eggplant.

  • ksg518 on February 11, 2019

    This was delicious - a recipe where the ingredients add up to something more than you expect. I like the idea of roasting the eggplant although I nearly burnt mine so I'll either slice them thicker next time or reduce the cooking time. I didn't have the dried chilies so I just added a small pinch of red pepper flakes.

  • nadiakoj on December 04, 2018

    Fabulous dish. One of the best pasta dishes we've had at home

  • Lepa on February 24, 2020

    This was delicious. The tomato sauce was so rich and had such a wonderful taste. I followed other posters' suggestions and brushed olive oil on the eggplant rounds after trying to toss the slices and finding that only a few ended up with olive oil. I should note that I accidentally bought one can of sauce and one can of whole tomatoes and the resulting sauce was so good and saucy I might do the same next time.

  • anya_sf on October 27, 2018

    I baked the eggplant a day ahead. Tossing eggplant with olive oil in a bowl coats it unevenly; it's more work, but brushing with oil works better - however, it didn't seem to matter in the final dish. The only mild chile I had was a large pasilla, so I tore a couple of pieces off and simmered them with the tomatoes, then removed them with the oregano stems. Used 12 oz spaghetti. This recipe is unusual in that the eggplant remains in slices and the tomatoes whole, but somehow it works. My family devoured this.

  • Skamper on June 16, 2022

    If you roast the eggplant in advance, this is an easy and delicious weeknight meal. One indian red chili, unseeded, provided the right stealth heat for us. I used banza penne.

  • Ro_ on January 17, 2020

    Aubergine being one of my favourite foods, I really loved this and even my partner who doesn't really like aubergines that much enjoyed it. Used parmesan cheese, and dried oregano instead of fresh. Like another note-leaver, a few of my aubergines got a bit burnt, so I'd reduce the heat or the time in the oven next time. Also agree with the comment that said tossing the aub slices with oil in a bowl doesn't result in even coating.

  • JJ2018 on May 08, 2019

    Really enjoyed this - as other reviewers say this tasted a lot more impressive then the list of ingredients would suggest. Pecorino really added to the dish. Will definitely make again

  • dc151 on September 12, 2021

    I've made this twice now. This worked so much better with smaller eggplants, which caramelized so much better and made for a wonderful raghu. Used with a fusilli. Lovely! Edited to add I made this tonight with Chinese eggplant, zucchini and an orange bell pepper tonight for a fuller flavor profile. Roasted them all together. Even better than the original in my opinion!

• Fettuccine with spiced cherry tomato sauce

  • Astrid5555 on August 27, 2021

    This makes a really flavorful sauce, great way of using up those cherry tomatoes from the garden!

  • eliza on September 05, 2020

    Great way to use all those cherry tomatoes from the garden. Very easy and I'm sure the sauce would freeze well for longer term storage. The sauce can also be used to top cooked greens. It was delicious with Swiss chard from the veg garden. Updated to add: last summer, I made many batches of this and froze in jars. Now finding it super useful in various ways such as meat sauce for pasta, lasagne, etc.

  • bernalgirl on September 24, 2020

    An hour of mostly hands-off cooking yields a deeply flavorful sauce. I used a pound of peeled early girl tomatoes, a guajillo pepper which lended depth but no heat, and a minced Gypsy pepper that needed using, and puréed the final sauce. He recommends topping with parm but we opted for feta.

  • FJT on August 21, 2019

    Delicious and relatively easy to make. I left the ancho chilli in quite large pieces in case I wanted to take it out, so it didn't really break down as the recipe described; I popped everything in the blender at the end of the cooking time and blitzed it into a smooth sauce. We loved this which is just as well because I made a double quantity!

  • michalow on September 16, 2020

    Good and definitely simple, but nothing extraordinary. I liked this best with a little bit of ricotta stirred in and a generous grind of black pepper.

  • Nossovitzky on May 19, 2019

    Also subbed in smoked paprika and added some dried chilli flakes. Works best with fresh cherry tomatoes, lacked a bit of something when I made it with tinned tomatoes.

  • clkandel on August 07, 2022

    Very simple to prepare. As mentioned in a previous comment, my sauce didn't come out as dark as the picture in the book, but I also used a guajillo chili since I didn't have an ancho. Next time I'd cut the pepper into small dice size instead of tearing into pieces. The basil adds such a fresh flavor.

  • Tealismyname on January 16, 2022

    DId it for 15 miniutes in the pressure cooker as was rushed for time. Came out really lovely!

  • averythingcooks on August 08, 2022

    So many little tomatoes bursting out of the garden right now! I cut this in 1/2 as I wasn't sure about the ancho with the sweet tomatoes and of course T tasted it and asked why I didn't make more. With fresh basil also from the garden, this is tomorrow night's dinner and there are more batches planned whose destiny is the freezer.

  • anya_sf on October 07, 2020

    A good, easy way to use up late season cherry tomatoes, but not that exciting. I used smoked paprika instead of ancho chili, so there was a hint of smokiness but no heat. With a full pound of pasta, there was an "Italian" amount of sauce; next time I'll use less pasta or make more sauce. We added lots of cheese.

  • lean1 on December 24, 2018

    Very easy. Use fresh basil.

  • Ro_ on September 03, 2020

    Delicious and simple. Mine didnt go as dark as in the book photo, possibly because I used a guanjillo chilli instead of ancho. Could probably reduce cooking time for sauce down to 50m if necessary to make it achievable in the hour I usually have for prepping and cooking a meal on a weeknight.

  • Lsblackburn1 on September 11, 2020

    So simple, but with great depth of flavor! I didn’t have as many ripe cherry tomatoes as I thought, so I added a 14.5 ounce can (which meant I probably used way too many tomatoes, but it worked out).

  • dc151 on April 25, 2022

    Good, straightforward, but not really great. I expected a bit more kick. I used this with my first attempt at making homemade fettuccini, the sauce looks after itself while simmering, so it was a fine accompaniment, but not the best I've made.

• 5-spice peach and raspberry salad

  • Astrid5555 on August 11, 2022

    Made with arugula from my garden instead of the watercress and radicchio. The peppery salad was a great accompaniment to the sweetness of the fruit. A great summer salad!

  • mondraussie on August 25, 2021

    lovely, but next time will try using raspberry vinegar instead of making the dressing with whole raspberries.. it was a bit too chunky for my taste.

  • kitchen_chick on July 14, 2019

    Made this without the shallots. It was delicious, cool, and refreshing. Lovely summer salad!

• Burrata with chargrilled grapes and basil

  • Astrid5555 on October 12, 2019

    Made this as a dinner party starter and everyone asked for the recipe. Great make-ahead dish which comes together very quickly. Delicious!

  • joneshayley on February 13, 2020

    Very impressed with the flavour to effort ratio for this. A complex and layered dish that’s prepared and served on minimal time. Beautiful.

  • anya_sf on December 02, 2018

    I used the full amount of grapes but half of everything else and thought the proportions were good, but I think you could adjust to your own preference or how much you have on hand. My skewers were long and didn't fit on my grill pan, so I used a griddle. I suspect a grill pan (or real grill) would impart even more flavor, but this worked. The combination of flavors was fantastic. The presentation was also quite lovely, making this a good (and easy) option for a dinner party.

  • sscholl on January 27, 2019

    I made this for a gathering of girlfriends after work, so opted to marinate the grapes overnight and just removed them to a skillet with a slotted spoon when I got to the gathering and poured them and the marinade over the burrata. Great flavors, tastes upscale and complex and not the usual appetizer. It got great reviews from my friends.

  • MissKoo on June 30, 2021

    Made by a friend for an Ottolenghi cookbook dinner. Rave reviews all around. The presentation is so impressive, and the flavor combination totally unexpected. A great appetizer to wow your guests, with minimal effort.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    Italians love to roast grapes, for a concentrated and smoky flavour. They make great additions to Summer meals, picnics and BBQs. It turns out that you can also grill them, and the easiest way to do that is to skewer them! Grill on a ridged grill pan on the stove top or on an Aussie style BBQ. This lovely recipe pairs the cooked grapes with Burrata or fresh Mozzarella for a fresh, gorgeous Summer lunch, or a pre-dinner starter. It could also be a Summery salad as part of a outdoor lunch spread or picnic.

• Tomatoes with sumac onions and pine nuts

  • Astrid5555 on August 29, 2020

    Looks very impressive when made with mixed tomatoes. The sumac shallots make a big difference, highly recommended.

  • KarinaFrancis on January 28, 2021

    Sadly for us this was a miss, maybe I’ll try again when I have better tomatoes

  • Rutabaga on November 10, 2020

    This is a great, easy tomato salad, ideal when tomatoes are at their best. Unfortunately, the kids have not been into fresh tomatoes lately, so weren't thrilled, but my husband and I really liked it. It's a good accompaniment to a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean meal, or served alongside a rich main dish.

  • kitchen_chick on September 16, 2019

    I don't care for a lot of raw onion-y flavor (mainly because I don't want to taste raw onions three hours later!), so I used only a very small amount of shallot for a hint of that flavor. My basil leaves were very large, so I also sliced the basil into a "wide chiffonade". Nice salad. I do like the toasted pine nuts with tomatoes.

  • anya_sf on October 25, 2018

    This was good, but not my favorite tomato salad. I'd use fewer shallots next time.

  • Ro_ on May 31, 2020

    I was worried that the sumac shallots would overwhelm the dish, but actually they were way more subtle than I expected (perhaps because I only used one very small shallot and left it to macerate for a number of hours?). I absolutely loved this recipe, I had really fresh and delicious tomatoes and the sumac onions, basil and pine nut just gave them that perfect little lift plus it looked really really pretty. I'll definitely make this again.

  • pomegranate on June 13, 2022

    I really liked this! It was very easy and delicious.

• Roast cabbage with tarragon and pecorino

  • Astrid5555 on March 07, 2022

    Roasted cabbage at its best! Had to improvise and used Grana Padano and parsley instead of pecorino and tarragon. Delicious!!

  • KarinaFrancis on March 05, 2022

    Yum! I’m loving roasted cabbage! The lemon/ garlic dressing is just the right amount of zingy with the pecorino. I used basil because I have it growing.

  • lmhester on January 09, 2023

    We loved this one — even though I did goof up and add the lemon juice to the oil before coating the cabbage. I would have never thought to roast cabbage and the lemony tang was a perfect compliment.

  • shane.metzke on August 27, 2022

    Excellent, would work well for a dinner party dish… used Savoy cabbage.

• Tofu and French beans with chraimeh sauce

  • Astrid5555 on July 20, 2021

    I have to admit I do not like green beans, so having had some in my farm box I thought that giving them an Ottolenghi treatment would maybe change my mind. Unfortunately it did not. While the sauce on rice was ok, the whole family agreed to not repeat this one.

  • tmitra on September 23, 2021

    I will double the sauce next time.

  • luluf on August 03, 2020

    This was nice but I think the tofu should be cut into smaller pieces. My son made the sauce in a large shallow frying pan and because of this, I think too much liquid evaporated as I would have liked there to be more lovely chraimeh sauce.

  • damjih on October 21, 2020

    Have made this a few times, I made the tofu into smaller domino sizes to crisp them up easier then chopped them smaller.

  • purrviciouz on August 21, 2020

    Fantastic and quick dinner.

  • jenburkholder on August 04, 2020

    Really good, very easy. A definite repeat. I’ve also used other vegetables than haricots - broccoli, in particular worked well.

  • mademoisielle on February 25, 2021

    Really like this dish! Also delicious with halloumi instead of tofu.

• Roasted beetroot with yoghurt and preserved lemon

  • apattin on July 08, 2019

    It was yummy but needed more acid and saltiness. Maybe because I only used the rind of the preserved lemons? I should know better than alter an Ottolenghi recipe :))

  • slouj on July 12, 2022

    Very tasty recipe - sweet, subtle flavours. Perfect accompaniment to a piece of salmon.

  • mondraussie on September 19, 2020

    Excellent flavours, came together very nicely.

  • clkandel on January 07, 2021

    Good flavors but not as outstanding as most of Ottolenghi's recipes.

  • KarinaFrancis on September 20, 2021

    A good, basic beetroot salad. It didn’t blow me away, maybe it needed something crunchy like walnuts?

  • dinnermints on August 27, 2022

    We really enjoyed this. I cooked the beets in the instant pot, decreased the oil to 1 tablespoon, used mint because dill was nowhere to be found, and mixed the yogurt right on in there instead of dotting on top.

  • Poppyseedbagel on April 02, 2020

    Coronavirus recipe, using what we had in, so less dill than recipe specified. Still excellent though. Cooked beetroot after peeling in a tray under foil, much less faff.

  • ChefBeccs on November 24, 2019

    I used pre cooked beetroot in vacuum pack

• Vanilla custard with roasted strawberries and rhubarb

  • lilham on September 30, 2018

    A simple and delicious pudding for children, and anyone who loves custard. I used frozen rhubarb instead of fresh. The recipe was written for 8-10 people. I made half for 3 adults, a 7 and a 3 year old. Ottolenghi must eat very small portions of pudding. We could have done with a full recipe between 5 of us.

  • raybun on March 16, 2019

    I absolutely loved this recipe. Rhubarb isn’t available yet so made the sumac roasted strawberries from the same book to top the custards with. I got 4 deep ramekins & the two crème brûlée dishes in the photo. Served slightly warm, divine!

• Roasted asparagus with almonds, capers and dill

  • aargle on November 14, 2019

    Loved this. Very quick dish to prepare and had lovely flavours and textures.

  • FJT on November 06, 2018

    Really tasty recipe.

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    A lovely combination. Works well as a side with fish.

  • KarinaFrancis on October 05, 2020

    I agree with the chorus of previous reviews, this is a great side dish and the topping could be used on any green vegetables

  • ksg518 on April 20, 2021

    Wow this is good. Admittedly the butter and oil turn it into a bit of an indulgence but it's worth it.

  • Rutabaga on April 19, 2020

    As others have said, this is a great combination. Something a little unexpected with asparagus, and everything comes together beautifully. It was a great Easter side dish.

  • anya_sf on April 17, 2020

    I substituted a smaller amount of tarragon for the dill. The asparagus was delicious. There was a generous amount of topping.

  • Skamper on November 21, 2021

    I was a bit disappointed given the rave reviews. It was good, just not the standout combination of flavors I expected.

  • Huongey on May 20, 2020

    The almonds and capers fried in butter is life changing. I throw it on top of different veggies, rice, and grilled meat.

• Pumpkin, saffron and orange soup

  • aargle on August 03, 2019

    I have made many versions of pumpkin soup over the years and this has definitely become my new favourite. I didn’t have rose harissa (have now procured) so used normal harissa. Beautiful flavour and silky texture. Will repeat.

  • meggan on November 21, 2020

    I don't feel like the rose harissa really came through. I would add more next time. Otherwise pretty good.

  • Rinshin on January 31, 2019

    I often find these pumpkin based soup recipes to be so thick that is is more like a mash to me and have to add much more liquid to make them more creamy textured soups like potage. I had to add about a cup of liquid for the half a recipe. That said, this soup has a very lovely flavor and I can really taste the orange flavor coming through. Reduced the amount of harissa to only a tsp and the heat was there only as a background note for spice adverse family member. It took almost 50 min to fully caramelize the kabocha pieces that was used and onion slices. I wish I had added some salt to the maple syrup mixture because baked kabocha seeds needed it but sprinkling salt after coming out of the oven does not work well. Salt mostly slips off. Photo posted.

  • cultus.girl on June 22, 2019

    Outstanding soup. Pumpkin soup can be so ordinary however this is elevated with the flavours and the cream.

  • Frogcake on October 21, 2018

    Great flavours here and it’s easy to make. I’m having a devil of a time finding rose harissa in Ottawa Canada. So I used a tablespoon of good quality harissa instead. Still a refreshing, fantastic soup!

  • metacritic on December 01, 2021

    Quite good and quite easy. I used butternut squash, biber salcasi with a drop of rose water instead of harissa, and 2/3 the quantity of creme fraiche called for, given what I had on hand. I thought of making up the difference with buttermilk but decided to save the calories for another time. It worked well. I used a lovely vegetable broth but suspect it would be equally good with just water as the liquid.

  • Boffcat on October 04, 2018

    I made this using butternut squash - the soup has a good texture and a lovely combination of flavours, and the pumpkin seeds are addictive. (Don't ignore the instruction to bake them on parchment though; I cooked them directly in a tin and had to chisel them off as the maple syrup coating had set like cement!)

  • hibeez on November 29, 2021

    This soup was very tasty; I only had regular harissa but added a drop of rose water. I had a cooked pumpkin, so skipped the roasting step. As other mentioned, it is a thick soup. And while I made half a batch of soup, I would urge you to double or triple the seeds. I ate half of them while waiting for the rest of the meal to finish!

• New potatoes with peas and coriander

  • janecarrick on June 19, 2020

    We really loved this, particularly the preserved lemon and green chilli. The leftovers were amazing in a breakfast frittata the next day.

  • ncollyer on March 24, 2019

    Lovely combination of flavours. The preserved lemon worked really well with the peas and cilantro.

  • KarinaFrancis on June 25, 2020

    A delicious departure from regular potato salads. I didn’t have preserved lemon or coriander so I just added more lemon and parsley. Next time I might add a few shallots/spring onions for crunch. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow for lunch

  • mharriman on August 01, 2020

    We liked this take on boiled potatoes. It was a bit bland but most likely because I used a fraction of the chilies and was out of preserved lemon. I substituted fresh lemon. The preserved lemon would have added a lot of flavor to the dish.

  • Lepa on December 01, 2018

    This was not very good and certainly not worth all the extra effort.

  • raybun on March 18, 2019

    I really enjoyed this, and it went very well with the spring chicken from the same book. I used half a small preserved lemon, and the salt/acid balance was perfect.

  • Ezair92 on February 18, 2023

    This was very good. Didn’t have preserved lemon so used lemon and a little more sea salt. Had fresh peas from local farm

• Harissa and confit garlic roast potatoes

  • bernalgirl on December 28, 2021

    What an outstanding recipe! My 8yo asked me to make this again asap. I did make some changes, cutting the rose harissain half, adding 1/2 t smoked paprika, and omitting the caraway becaus I don’t care for it. I’d make it this way again, unless I knew everyone could handle the harissa heat. I also used fingerling potatoes, mine were perfect after a six minute boil and 25 minutes in the oven.

  • FJT on June 29, 2019

    Loved these! I substituted polenta for the semolina to make this dish gluten free. My husband would like me to make these every week!

  • clkandel on October 20, 2020

    Flavorful, crispy potatoes. Next time I'll use more of the rose harissa.

  • KarinaFrancis on July 06, 2020

    These were wonderful, flavourful and crispy. I was a bit timid with the harissa, next time I’ll be braver with both the harissa and garlic.

  • ksg518 on April 29, 2019

    Very good. My garlic turned hard and bitter with the additional roasting time, but perhaps that was user error. I loved the harissa with the potatoes although I might cut back a little bit next time since my harissa is fairly spicy. I'll definitely try this again.

  • Rutabaga on April 19, 2020

    As one would expect, these were delicious. How could they not be? I made my garlic confit using bacon fat, as that was what I had on hand. Unsurprisingly, that was a great choice. My only disappointment was that I was a little low on rose harissa, so the flavor didn't come out as much as I would have likes, but at least this way my younger son was able to eat them without any concerns that they were too spicy.

  • janeths on May 06, 2022

    Delicious!

  • Frogcake on October 25, 2018

    So good. Made garlic confit in advance. (Note to self: make double for other uses). I would be very happy eating just these potatoes for supper with a bit of tahini mayo on the side.

  • sosayi on July 15, 2019

    Absolutely loved these potatoes. Thanks to FJT for the note about polenta for GF, as my mother was visiting and I needed to make that sub. Will 100% make these again.

  • anya_sf on May 04, 2020

    I cut the potatoes slightly smaller (about 1.5") and could have boiled them slightly less, as they started to break apart. I made half the recipe and my family of 3 devoured it all (teenage son ate half). Made with Belazu rose harissa, the potatoes were very flavorful, not spicy. My son insists I make these again soon, so now I need to order more rose harissa.

  • Ro_ on December 14, 2020

    These came out super crunchy, maybe a smidge too crunchy - I cut my potatoes pretty small so I could have taken them out of the oven slightly earlier. The flavour was great, but like another commenter my garlic ended up kind of burnt and bitter - I think that once the garlic had flavoured the oil I'd consider not adding it back to the finished dish at the end, or else cooking it for longer and slower at the start until it got squishy, and adding it back just 5m before coming out of the oven to heat it through.

  • ChefBeccs on November 26, 2019

    Elevates the humble potato side dish to the most talked about plate on the table!

• Aromatic olive oil mash

  • bernalgirl on August 13, 2021

    While my daughter immediately recognized the lack of dairy, three generations of the family gave this mash raves. Waxy potatoes can by gluey when mashed bit these are smooth and the potato flavor comes through beautifully. The herbed oil is a lovely finishing touch.

  • Frogcake on November 25, 2018

    We really enjoyed this mash, which I served with grilled flank steak. It’s very tasty and lighter than our usual fully-loaded mashed potato recipe. Will repeat. The drizzle would be lovely on any grilled vegetables also.

  • robertofwine on March 10, 2019

    Delicious with the Bridget Jones salmon recipe. Adds a nice mellow contrast to the sweet/salty salsa that tops the fish - but the olive oil links the two recipes. Needs a bit more seasoning if served on its own, but with the salty salsa it was perfect. Will definitely make again.

• Puy lentils with aubergine, tomatoes and yoghurt

  • FJT on November 11, 2018

    This was delicious; used marjoram instead of oregano because that is what I had on hand. Will definitely make again.

  • JennyHay on January 28, 2019

    Good served as a side with lamb cutlets.

  • emiliang on January 16, 2022

    If your oven has a broiling function, here's a MUCH easier way of roasting these eggplants and tomatoes and getting that delicious smoky taste: Preheat your broiler on high; cut the eggplant in half lengthwise; line a pan large enough to hold all of your eggplant with aluminum foil; spread a bit of olive oil on the aluminum foil, to keep the eggplant from sticking; place your eggplant halves, cut side down and in one layer, on the foil; broil close to the flame for 15-20 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through, until very soft when pushing down on the skin; move the eggplant halves to the colander and press down lightly to drain; place the tomatoes on the same aluminum foil; broil for 5 minutes. Also, I replaced the yoghurt with some good quality feta, crumbled. It gives this otherwise fairly lean dish a nice salty richness. Delicious!

  • mharriman on February 22, 2022

    I agree with other reviewers this is a delicious side dish. I made it in my electric oven/ electric stovetop as written. It is time consuming to make; it’s one of those dishes to do when you can spare a couple hours in the kitchen, especially if you’re making a main to go with it. I roasted a rack of lamb while the eggplant and tomatoes were cooling down. That condensed the time needed to put together an entire meal. Definitely will repeat.

  • Tealismyname on March 12, 2021

    Great side dish-- to speed things up I blackened the aubergine on the stovetop which gave a delicious smoky taste to this.

  • Ro_ on January 04, 2021

    Really nice dish, the only annoying thing is that it takes quite a while to make what with roasting the aubergines for an hour and then letting them drain for 30m. I think probably at a pinch you could reduce the aubergine cooking time and do away with the draining stage though. I didn't have any fresh oregano so used basil, and I upped the quantity of cherry tomatoes. All the flavours and textures were delicious together, although some components were cold by the time they all came together and had (cold) yogurt added, which was a shame as I think I would prefer this dish warm (not piping hot but not lukewarm/cold).

  • Hansyhobs on January 09, 2022

    Very easy to make and enjoyable as a side dish. Roasting the aubergines in an electric oven works well when you don't have gas hobs.

• Grilled lamb fillet with almonds and orange blossom

  • FJT on June 29, 2019

    This was really good despite me mistakenly ditching the marinade instead of reducing it as a sauce (I got distracted with guests arriving). Didn’t seem to matter, but it would probably have been even better had I managed to follow the recipe properly.

  • Jesmondgirl on April 04, 2020

    Was really nervous about this as I have always thought of lamb neck fillets as something which requires slow cooking. I was nervous that simply searing and cooking in the oven for a few minutes would result in tough meat. I should have trusted Ottolenghi ! It was both rare and superbly tender.

• Spinach and Gorgonzola-stuffed jacket potatoes

  • FJT on February 12, 2019

    I had some spinach to use up and some baking potatoes and this is the recipe that came up! I didn’t have Gorgonzola but, as Yotam said any cheese would do, I used garlic and herb Boursin and a little bit of Comte. Very easy to make and delicious. I didn’t even get the usual comments about “this would be so much better with bacon”.

  • Barb_N on March 21, 2019

    This only got an “i” for 10 ingredients or less, but a) you can bake the potatoes ahead, b) it’s ‘lazyday’ and ‘easier than you think’ in my opinion [imle] . I baked the potatoes the night before, and heated them up in the oven before scooping out the innards. I did not top with toasted walnuts, instead choosing to sprinkle the walnuts over a side salad of baby arugula, shaved fennel, carrot, cucmber and beet. ETA this flavor profile is by far my favorite of several twice baked stuffed potato recipes I’ve made.

  • Foodycat on September 23, 2018

    I bought cream and forgot to add it. Didn't miss it! Would have benefitted from a bit of garlic or some chives beaten in to the potato, but otherwise lovely. And half a potato is definitely plenty for a side dish.

  • averythingcooks on January 19, 2022

    With spinach & gorgonzola in the house, these were pretty easy to prep early in the day and then heat up at dinner; very tasty with a salad & a little bit of thinly sliced leftover ribeye. These are richer than many other stuffed bakers I make but they will certainly be made again.

  • anya_sf on December 03, 2018

    I baked the potatoes and made the filling ahead of time, then stuffed and reheated them at 350 for 30-40 min. Skipped the walnuts as they were a side dish and didn't need to be richer. My family loved them. I agree that some garlic or chives would be a nice addition.

  • Baxter850 on December 19, 2022

    Subbed Gouda and didn’t add walnuts. Killer recipe. In the rotation.

  • Ro_ on January 15, 2020

    This was a little long, but very nice, if not outstanding. I think the suggestion in another note of adding some garlic and/or chives woulld be a good one. Or even (contrary to another note) some bacon lardons!

• Oven chips with oregano and feta

  • FJT on October 13, 2020

    The chips crisped up beautifully despite using much less salt than called for in response to comments below. I couldn't see the point of the feta though and would omit this next time. Otherwise a good recipe.

  • twoyolks on April 30, 2020

    This seems like it's inspired by a "loaded-fries" recipe but it falls a bit flat. There's way too much salt on the fries (particularly with the cheese). I liked the cheese but the cheese doesn't really stick to the fries so it's hard to eat together. I will say that the oven fries got quite crispy which is unusual.

  • sshieff on April 20, 2019

    This has become a time-and-again favorite. I par-cook the spuds, toss with semolina and a little salt and roast very hot (see Nigella Lawson's best-ever roast potatoes in "Feast"). We use fresh and/or dried oregano, depending on the season - and salt to taste. Of all recipes, this one is a blue-print rather than an instruction. Use your imagination, and remember Samin Nosrat's advice about salt - the feta will add a layer, so add as much table salt as you think will suit your own preferences. You can always add more later.

  • Rutabaga on May 01, 2020

    These fries are indeed very crisp, especially the leftovers, which I reheated in the oven the next day. I found the salt to be about right, but that will depend on the saltiness of your feta, which I find varies greatly among different brands. Chopped fresh oregano added a relatively mild herbal note, but I think the sharper taste of dried would also be welcome. They remind me of the feta fries we used to get at a local fast food Greek restaurant in college.

  • Ro_ on July 04, 2020

    I didn't totally love this. Agree with the other comments re: too much salt and too much oregano. I absolutely love feta cheese, but in this case I don't think it actually works that well with chips. The method for cooking the chips was good, but I always find that par-boiling is a somewhat unnecessary step nonetheless.

  • Lsblackburn1 on September 22, 2020

    I was disappointed with these. I let them cook for 70 minutes and they still didn’t seem browned or crisp enough, but was getting impatient. Kind of mushy in the middle. For all the extra work, I think I prefer just my usual roast new potatoes (no recipe required for that!)

  • riley on November 25, 2018

    I was disappointed with this recipe. Really thought it would be a favorite. Little too salty (I'm a salt addict) and a little too much oregano. The individual ingredients are flavors I love, but it just didn't sing when combined. Edible, not terrible, but not going to crave.

  • jenburkholder on August 10, 2020

    We loved these. Simple but so good, just good technique. We subbed in fresh oregano, since it was looking lonely out in the garden.

  • Shaxon on May 23, 2021

    I used small yukons and split them in half. Next time, I may add some fresh parsley to the final toss.

  • Ganga108 on December 12, 2021

    What a great Sunday night feast, in front of movies, with a Greek salad. I do love baked chips or wedges of any style. I don't usually par boil, and altho I liked the result, I might skip that step for a Sunday night in front of the teev. The feta and oregano were fabulous, turning 'the usual chips' into something a little more glamorous. Ours were quite garlicky which we loved - I used garlic we have recently harvested from the garden. We always salt to our own taste rather then use the amount in a recipe as different salts can vary in saltiness. One other tip, if you know your oven runs a little cool, crank up the heat. Ours does, so I used 240C and they cooked perfectly in 40 mins + 5 with the garlic and oil.

• Puy lentil and aubergine stew

  • FJT on February 10, 2020

    Reading the other notes on this recipe and tasting the stew as it cooked, I decided to add some chilli flakes before the end of the cooking time and was so glad I did. This was quite tasty, but not up to the standard of the many other recipes I’ve made from this book. Also, I added much less water than stated.

  • VineTomato on March 08, 2019

    I've just read EmmaJaneDay's review of this recipe and am disappointed to say we didn't have the same experience. We thought it was lacking flavour, very bland and boring. The sprinkle of dried urfa flakes puzzled me but I went with it - I should have gone with my instinct to gentle heat them in a little oil and then drizzle. Served with Israeli cous cous (our favourite part!)

  • EmmaJaneDay on October 15, 2018

    Oh my, this was divine. Even my DH, who does not like lentils, nor does he like eggplant, thought this was delicious! I'm afraid to try this a second time for fear it won't taste as good!!

  • sosayi on July 15, 2019

    I'm more on the side with EmmaJaneDay... we found this delicious. Served with yogurt in place of creme fraiche.

  • Baxter850 on May 27, 2022

    Great flavor. Be careful not to break the tomatoes when cooking. Ended up burning the bottom and had to change pans and cut off cooking early. Small eggplant means very small. Would make again and be more gentle during the sauté.

  • Ro_ on July 19, 2021

    I really liked this, great as a side, and even my partner liked it when I didn't think he would.

  • Lsblackburn1 on November 09, 2019

    A perfect weeknight option for a cozy fall dinner. The flavors didn’t exactly knock my socks off, but my husband really loved it. Served this with bread and Brie which was lovely dunked in the stew.

  • katy1729 on August 20, 2019

    19/08/2019. Very tasty - had as main course with rice. Only criticism from my better half was that there was not much variation in texture. He would be happy to have it again, but perhaps as part of a meal rather than the main event.

  • Anne_em on January 06, 2021

    I refrained from adding all the water stated in the recipe and very glad I did. It is an original approach to the traditional French lentils I am used to and it goes well with rice and yogurt as a vegetarian meal. Next time I do it I will add some balsamic vinegar at the end, to give it a nice kick (“relever le goût”).

  • Ganga108 on January 01, 2022

    Freekin' good! I have made this so many times, and my daughter has fallen in love with it too - it is now a common dish in both places. Despite the very familiar ingredients, the result is a bit magic and unexpected. It is an O. M. G. dish. The texture of the lentils with the silkiness of the eggplant. The pop of the tomato flavour, the way the sour cream enhances the dish, the heat of the chilli and the Greekness of the oregano. Serve as it is, for a light meal, or bulk it up by spooning on top of rice, on slices of grilled or toasted sourdough. You can serve the stew either as a hearty starter or a side, or as a main served with any grain you like. It can be made up to three days ahead and kept in the fridge–just warm through then add the creme fraiche, oil, chilli flakes and oregano before serving. It’s at its best served warm, but is also very good at room temperature.

• Pea, za'atar and feta fritters

  • FJT on June 15, 2021

    Like Rutabaga I pan-fried these as smaller patties. They were delicious and surprisingly light. I thought that the balance of flavours between the za’atar, mint and lemon was perfect. We really enjoyed dinner.

  • KarinaFrancis on November 13, 2020

    These were great, maybe a touch more work than I was expecting but still achievable on a weeknight. The flavours all worked beautifully together and even though I thought the za’atar would be too much, I trusted the recipe and it was just right

  • Barb_N on April 21, 2021

    I followed the proportions, until it came to the feta. I used half of a 7 oz block which seemed just right, especially as it was fairly salty. I found the za’atar flavor a bit too strong and didn’t taste the mint at all. Served with lemony yogurt flavored with the juice of preserved lemons. Unlike the recipe yield of 8 quenelle shaped fritter, I had about 20.

  • Rutabaga on March 08, 2019

    These have a nice flavor and texture when cooked, but the batter was very soft and wet. I ended up pressing them into patties in a frying pan to cook, which was much easier than trying to form balls and deep frying them. They also took longer to cook than indicated in the recipe, maybe 10 to 15 minutes per patty. Surprisingly (to me, at least), my seven-year-old did not like them, even though he loves peas, which is too bad, because they were pretty easy to mix together in advance and both my husband and I enjoyed them.

  • LadyCJKT on February 22, 2019

    A delicious combination of ingredients and great with some salad for a light dinner. Pleasingly, these did not feel oily as deep fried foods can sometimes do. The remaining cooked fritters also kept well overnight in the fridge for lunch the next day. I will certainly make these again.

  • JJ2018 on April 14, 2019

    Absolutely delicious - the lemon zest is a must and really comes through. Looking to minimise mess I didn’t blend the peas at all so mine were a bit chunkier but not for the worse. I also didn’t have ricotta so subbed in a little mascarpone.

  • Shaxon on September 10, 2021

    Fritters fell apart in the oil and they were greasy. I baked a batch the next night and they were much better, easier and healthier.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    These beautiful fritters from Simple are indeed quite simple to make. A pea puree is mixed with za’atar, mint and feta, formed into fritters and fried. They can be served simply with a salad and lemon wedges, or with a yoghurt or cream based sauce for dipping. You can use any yoghurt or cream based sauce.

• Chopped salad with tahini and za'atar

  • FJT on June 29, 2019

    Lovely salad to serve alongside just about anything. I chargrilled my red peppers because my husband won’t eat them raw, but otherwise followed the recipe faithfully. Will definitely make again.

  • ncollyer on March 24, 2019

    Delicious and easy to throw together. Looked as good as it tasted.

  • KarinaFrancis on September 27, 2021

    Nothing earth shattering but a nice salad to have in your repertoire. I had some baby cucumbers which added to the crunch factor.

  • Rutabaga on March 28, 2019

    This is a great chopped salad, really fresh and flavorful. I used cherry tomatoes and substituted white wine vinegar for the lemon juice. My husband especially liked it, and this will be the perfect picnic salad come summer.

  • banba1 on March 06, 2021

    Good, fairly typical. Add dill and garlic next time. Fair amount of chopping.

  • Ro_ on June 24, 2020

    This was nice, and very easy to do. However for me it's not one of the best salad recipes in this book, I've preferred others.

  • Ezair92 on January 05, 2023

    This is a nice fresh salad. Similar to some other chopped Mediterranean salads I have done. But the tahini really does add a nice twist to it

  • shane.metzke on January 29, 2022

    Add in some baby cos lettuce, no cucumber… feta not really necessary but would be fine… just used cherry tomatoes… didn’t have peppers but I imagine cooked might be better? The tahini addition was excellent. Went really well with bbq flat chicken and some Greek style chips.

• Brunsli chocolate cookies

  • FJT on November 27, 2020

    Delicious; the 5-spice works beautifully here and the texture is lovely. I imagine that mixed spice or Lebkuchengewürz would work well too.

  • vfsalom on December 04, 2019

    The texture is wonderful, but the Chinese five spice is too savoury (containing onion powder!) and doesn't belong in a chocolate cookie at all. I'll be making this again but substituting mixed spice or a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg.

  • raybun on March 18, 2019

    They have a wonderful chewy texture, the orange zest & Chinese 5 spice really work together.

  • elysedc on June 16, 2022

    I've made this with the Chinese 5 spice, as well as a homemade chai mix, both are delicious. These are very yummy but seem to depend heavily on how fresh my ground almonds are - when ground fresh at home, these have a lovely, luscious, almost brownie-like texture. When using store bought almond meal, they cool to such a hard texture, you could break a tooth!

• No-churn raspberry ice cream

  • FJT on June 29, 2019

    Relatively easy to make once you’ve managed to force the raspberry purée through the sieve (that bit took longer than expected!). Lovely creamy taste and the reserved purée made it zing. Perfect dessert for this heat wave.

• Spring roast chicken with preserved lemon

  • JennyHay on December 27, 2018

    Simple to prepare and the flavours are subtle. I used a different roasting method.

  • Delys77 on February 27, 2023

    We enjoyed this dish as well. My chicken was just over 3lbs and took about 60 minutes in the oven. Mine also got a bit dark on the top and I also should have covered it towards the end. I also hand chopped the compound butter and I think that contributed to some of the over browning since I had chunks of lemon in my butter that burnt a touch on the top of the chicken. Next time I will blitz the butter as suggested and see if that resolves the situation. Flavours were lovely though, and very easy.

  • dinnermints on November 20, 2021

    Great flavor. I spatchcocked the chicken (over 5lbs in weight), rubbed the preserved lemon mixture under the skin, then let it sit in the fridge uncovered for a little under a day. Then I roasted it at 425° for around 80min (should've covered it with foil sooner than I did, as the top got a wee bit overly brown and set off the fire alarm). I forgot to look at the recipe before roasting, since I was following different roasting instructions, so I forgot the lemon juice and salt on top before popping it in the oven (also didn't baste it).

  • Barb_N on April 03, 2019

    If Lemony Snicket had a signature dish, this would be it. It is lemony, salty and simple to prepare. I roasted it on top of tiny new potatoes and served with roasted vegetables (carrots, spring onions and quartered mushrooms) despite my plan to make another Ottolenghi recipe. It doesn’t say so in the recipe, but the photo shows a halved lemon in the cavity- something necessary to prevent the breasts from drying out during roasting.

  • Ro_ on January 20, 2020

    This was super-lemony and really delicious. It went down really well. I put foil over the chicken for part of the cooking time, as it looked like it was going to burn on the top. 90m in the oven for a 1.9kg chicken was perfect, the bird stayed really juicy and moist.

  • Running_with_Wools on November 24, 2020

    This is delicious and simple and my kids love it. I've made it twice and it is now on regular rotation.

• Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with mint and cumin

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    I used the marinade paste only, and didn't include the vegetables. Flavours were superb. This is now my new go to marinade for slow roasted lamb shoulder.

  • Nossovitzky on May 19, 2019

    This is definitely a recipe to read first - overnight marination and then 6.5 hours cooking. The celeriac in the dish is great and I think adds a lot of flavour, but I didn't love the marinade paste.

  • knittingfrog on September 21, 2019

    Made the recipe with no change. Thoroughly disappointed. I was expecting aromatic flavours but what I got was... Reminiscent of grass clippings with nowhere near enough salt. And no juice despite an excellent seal (I scalded my hand with the steam when I opened it up). Oh Yotam how could you do this to me?

  • Ro_ on January 12, 2020

    Oh, this was so disappointing! I made the marinade and thought it seemed delicious, I love the idea of loads of mint, lemon and cumin/coriander with lamb. I nurtured it through the first few hours of cooking, basting etc and everything looked fine. But I took my eye off the ball towards the end, and didn't check on it because I was doing other stuff - it ended up completley dried out, the outside and the veg totally burnt with no juices left in the pan. I used a 1.4kg lamb shoulder and had reduced the cooking times accordingly, but even so it wasn't enough to save it. What a shame, I do partly blame myself for not checking and removing it from the oven earlier, but I do think the recipe should have pointed out that during the last 1.5 hours of cooking time without the foil, a close eye needs to be kept on it.

  • etcjm on April 11, 2019

    I used the marinade as well with a leg of lamb cooked for 2 hours. It was good. Not sure it's what I'd go to next time but it might be different with the shoulder. The leftovers had the flavour of mint, but surprisingly the small amount of fenugreek came through which I didn't particularly like.

  • teresastern on October 13, 2021

    We used a 4.5lb lamb shoulder, bone in, marinated it overnight, and followed the recipe. Although we added chicken stock throughout to prevent burning, the time and temperature were far too much. The lamb -- as well as the vegetables -- came out charred and the lamb was dry and overcooked. Very disappointing. If we try it again, we'll do it at a lower temperature for a shorter time and keep a close eye on it.

• Seeded chicken schnitzel

  • JennyHay on December 27, 2018

    I used chicken tenderloins which worked well. A lovely crunchy coating.

  • clkandel on January 07, 2021

    Lots of flavor in the coating. Made this in the air fryer and the coating came out very crispy with moist chicken.

  • joneshayley on April 19, 2020

    Loved this! Easy to prepare and cook. The crust is flavourful and crunchier than any other schnitzel I’ve made, Loved by everyone who ate them.

  • Zosia on October 19, 2018

    Family really enjoyed this variation on a schnitzel. The coating was very crisp and nutty and delicious but it was also more involved than I anticipated and it took me quite a bit longer than 30 min to get this dish to table; I think the suggestion to make the breadcrumb mixture to keep on hand is a good one. My 4 chicken breasts weighed 1100g, almost double what the recipe states but there was enough coating for all. I served this with the tomato, chard and spinach dish from the same book.

  • Rutabaga on June 10, 2019

    This is a delicious variation on schnitzel, but be sure to serve with lemon wedges, as I found the coating rather dry on its own. Since the kids aren't big fans of "seeds", I also cooked plain chicken for them. While I used almost twice the amount of chicken called for, there was still, as others have noted, a lot of breadcrumbs left over. Next time, I would set half of the crumbs aside so that they could be safely stored for future use.

  • e_ballad on March 28, 2019

    Unlike some of the other recipes in the book that are still relatively lengthy to prepare, this is a very quick dish to make. We weren’t as taken with the flavour as some of the other reviewers.

  • anya_sf on May 05, 2020

    I cooked 3 large chicken breasts, one with a tender, so I cut that into 4 pieces. Trying to conserve eggs, I found that 1 egg was just enough to dip all the pieces. There was at least twice as much breadcrumb mixture as needed. The coating turned out super crunchy (even after keeping warm in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes) and pretty tasty. The lemon really helped boost the flavor. I thought it could use a little extra salt.

  • mgmcewen on October 21, 2018

    We've made this twice and love it! The coating mix though makes waaay too much coating for the number of chicken breasts. I recommend starting with half for dipping so if you don't use it all you can save to use in the future.

  • hannah_n on March 20, 2019

    I've made this once and it was a real crowd-pleaser! I made plenty of extra coating, and have stored it in a jar in the pantry for next time. I found the recommended cooking time for the schnitzels was too long - I overcooked my first batch - so I'd suggest keeping an eye on it while it cooks. I can't wait to eat this again.

  • halfasleep on December 25, 2020

    Pretty good. The way the crust is made, it reheats very well. I agree with the other reviewers- it could have used a little more salt, and definitely works better with a lemon or some dip. I had a tahini lemon sauce on hand and it went together very well.

  • pomegranate on September 05, 2022

    This was surprisingly easy and very tasty. I salted the chicken beforehand and omitted salt from the breading. Will definitely make again!

• Sweet and salty cheesecake with cherries

  • JennyHay on December 27, 2018

    I loved the crumble and the compote very much. Unusual flavours, perfect for a special occasion given that it can all be made well ahead. I found the feta in the cheesecake too lumpy so I substituted with the Set Cheesecake recipe from Plenty More. A delicious dessert with a difference.

  • Foodycat on September 30, 2018

    It's a very good combination, and even though there are several components they are all pretty easy to bring together. But while it says it serves 6-8, the cheesecake component served 5, the cherries 6 and we will be eating the nutty crumble topping for weeks to come. So next time I will make 1.5 quantities of the cheesecake and half the crumble. I will make it again though, my husband asked for seconds which is very unusual.

  • shoffmann on January 20, 2019

    I was uncertain about the cheesecake element of this. I was able to work the feta enough that it wasn't lumpy, but alone the flavor was a bit odd. However, when combined with the cherries and crumble it worked and was quite tasty. This worked well as a make ahead dessert.

  • BasicStock on October 26, 2018

    Delicious! I was craving cheesecake, and this was a very satisfactory substitute, cheesecake deconstructed. Made it all the day before. I leaned more heavily on the cherries and would make double the amount for one quantity of the cheesecake mixture. Agree that there is a lot of crumble and half the amount would have worked. Both crumble and cherry leftovers would be great with yogurt for breakfast though!

  • ChelseaP on August 05, 2021

    Different and oh so delicious.

  • etcjm on January 19, 2019

    Not for us. Couldn't get the feta smooth which meant it was an odd texture. Compote and crumble nice but I have a feeling the leftovers of the cheesecake element will end up in the bin. Sorry yotam. First thing I've made from this book so a bit disappointed.

• Cucumber and lamb's lettuce salad

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    A different fresh dressing.

  • Delys77 on January 15, 2023

    We used baby spinach and it worked quite well. I would also increase the dressing by 50% and consider committing the mint as it wasn't popular with the husband. Overall very light and healthy with an interesting balance of flavours. A different take which was well received and would be especially nice with a richer meal.

  • hewlettn on September 01, 2021

    Sub in baby spinach if lambs lettuce difficult to find

  • Ro_ on January 15, 2020

    I found this salad a little dry - lamb's lettuce can be a little papery, plus all the chopped herbs etc. There really wasn't enough of the dressing (and I followed the amounts of everything religiously) next time I'd make double or even triple the amount of dressing in order to taste it more and render the salad less dry.

  • jgreenheck on September 16, 2019

    I found the ginger to be over powering. Was that just me?

• Tomato and bread salad with anchovies and capers

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    A different take on the Italian bread and tomato salad. Works well.

  • KarinaFrancis on February 07, 2022

    Delicious, a great version of panzanela. I didn’t have enough lemon juice so I added a touch of red wine vinegar.

  • Kinhawaii on September 26, 2019

    We loved this variation too, will definitely make again.

  • Trentinla on June 18, 2020

    WOW is this good! One of my faves from the book!

• Couscous, cherry tomato and herb salad

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    I really loved this combination for couscous. The ras el hanout I use has nice bite which adds to the dish. It was even better the next day heated slightly. I served it with the Lamb and Feta Meatballs (page 204)

  • KarinaFrancis on April 04, 2022

    This was a pretty good salad but probably not my favourite. The onions and tomatoes are great flavour boosters, it needed a lot more lemon, I probably added double what was stated.

  • Lepa on October 23, 2018

    This was fussy to pull together and completely lacking in flavor. I took it to a book club and nobody ate much. The dish needed more flavor, more dressing and probably some acid or cheese to bring the flavors together. As written, it's a bit of a dud.

  • PQPantry on March 13, 2022

    Delicious, balanced nicely with spicy harissa chicken.

  • katy1729 on August 11, 2019

    First time making this recipe, so I followed the quantities rather than guessing! Great. The almonds are a very nice touch. Would definitely make again. Served with the turkey & courgette burgers on this occasion.

  • Ganga108 on June 24, 2021

    Love this salad. Have also made it with buckwheat instead of couscous. I love the play of sweet and sour in this dish. The sweet from the onions and the raisins, the sour of the lemon and tomatoes. The warmth of the spices. The texture of the couscous and the crunch of the nuts. Truly delicious.

• Sweet potato chips

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    Good flavours, but not crispy enough for me.

  • clkandel on April 01, 2021

    I had no problem getting these to crisp up. Liked the addition of polenta/cornmeal - gives the fries a nice coating and I think helps with the crisping. Process would work with any seasonings.

  • KarinaFrancis on March 16, 2019

    I made these to go with the miso lime chicken, so I sprinkled them with togarashi instead of the paprika. They were delicious but they didn’t crisp up for me either. I’d still make them again

  • stockholm28 on July 19, 2020

    The sweet potatoes did not really crisp much. I subbed stone ground cornmeal for polenta. I’m not a huge sweet potato fan, but I’d make these again.

  • cjross on October 19, 2018

    Yummy. The polenta added a nice crunch. I felt the garlic tasted burnt and would use garlic powder next time. Appreciated the directions on how to make this ahead of time.

  • shoffmann on February 25, 2019

    These tasted good, but the texture was a bit odd.

  • Frogcake on October 20, 2018

    Delicious crunchy coating! I’ve also used this on Yukon gold wedges.

  • mgmcewen on November 25, 2020

    We’ve made this a couple of times and the ratio of seasoning to sweet potatoes is way too high so if you use it all they are likely to be overseasoned. The garlic ends up tasting burned. And they don’t crisp up.

  • Ro_ on February 05, 2020

    I think this is probably the only recipe I've tried for sweet potato fries, and I thought it was pretty good (younger family member really liked it, my partner a little less so). The flavours and spicing were good, and there was an element of crunch on the outside, however next time I'd try cooking them on (tightly spaced) wire rack to get them even more crunchy.

  • JJ2018 on March 08, 2019

    These were really tasty. Didn’t go as crispy as I would hope but would definitely make again as tasty quick side.

  • robertofwine on March 11, 2019

    Also didn't turn out particularly crispy for me, but I wasn't able to cook on the heat indicated as there was something else in the oven. Will try again for sure; overall they are a quick and yummy side dish.

  • Ganga108 on July 11, 2021

    Delicious! Turned the oven right up and cooked until crispy. Added small cubes of feta 10 mins from end. Loved the polenta crust on the chips.

• Carrot salad with yoghurt and cinnamon

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    A very easy side for any meat. I served the yoghurt mix in a separate bowl as one guest was lactose intolerant. It still worked a treat.

  • Rutabaga on February 14, 2019

    This is a good way to dress up carrots. I used small to medium-sized carrots, sliced lengthwise into halves and quarters, but they took much longer to steam than indicated in the recipe. After 20 minutes, I thought they were finally ready, but realized when I served them that they were still nearly raw. That was OK, but we would have preferred them to be a bit softer. Maybe next time I'll make sure the water is boiling more rapidly.

  • raybun on March 25, 2019

    I was really surprised by how much I liked this. Carrots & cinnamon, who would have thought of putting them together?! Went very well with a Simple vegetarian meal I put together.

  • Ro_ on September 02, 2020

    I am just now realising that I totally forgot to put the cinnamon in this dish, oops. I think I made a bit too much of the dressing for the quantity of carrots I had as well. Maybe due to those two factors but I didn't totally love this dish, There's something about the combination of cooked carrots and cream/yogurt/oil which puts me off a bit. Maybe I should have steamed the carrots less, or maybe next time I'd try it as a shredded raw carrot salad.

  • chefengineer on January 10, 2022

    Unsure. Two pounds is a LOT of carrots, more than I had - I'll try again but will do the math and cut back the dressing to match the amount of carrots. I think that should fix things. My steamer was busy with some beets so I used the microwave to cook the carrots; worked fine.

• Butterbean mash with muhammara

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    A very tasty dip indeed. I did remove the skins of the capsicum, because I like the smoothness and I like the smoky flavour it adds. I also served the Avocado and broad bean mash (page 106). They went very well together with lots of bruschetta and the colours looked great.

  • KarinaFrancis on October 03, 2021

    I love Muhammara and this is a good one. It works well with the butter bean mash, but would be good without it too. I didn’t discard the garlic clove after infusing the oil, I just added it to the mash.

  • joneshayley on February 15, 2020

    The mash is delightful, could serve it with anything. The pepper dip a little sweet for me - I'd increase the chilli flakes next time. Another easy light lunch.

  • Allie80 on August 18, 2019

    Really tasty and very simple. The red pepper muhammara was deliciously smokey and the walnuts gave a really interesting flavour and texture. It had a nice warmth to it but not too spicy even for those who can’t tolerate much heat. The butter bean mash didn’t have loads of flavour of its own so definitely needed the muhammara, if I was serving just the butter bean mash I’d probably want to add some roasted garlic or something to it for additional flavour.

  • metacritic on September 29, 2020

    This was good, not great. I'd likely make it again. I found it quite light - the butterbean mash was much lighter than a hummus. The muhammara was lighter than my usual go-to recipe (Paula Wolfort), calling for a much lower ratio of walnuts and no bread crumbs. Curiously for an Ottolenghi recipe it calls for balsamic rather than the standard: pomegranate syrup. As fate would have it I was out of balsamic but had the other so used that. While neither the mash nor the muhammara were my preferred recipes on their own, together they were quite good, complementary, and satisfying to eat. I'd add more hot pepper, like others, doubling it in the future.

  • Ro_ on January 30, 2020

    I was using fresh walnuts, and while deshelling them some shards of shell obviously snuck into the pile of nuts, which ended up like little hard stones in the red pepper dip. There was also a weird taste to the muhammara, giving the benefit of the doubt I suppose it must have come from the bits of shell too. The butterbean mash was nice (I used haricots blancs) but not particularly outstanding. These notes are for my own benefit rather than pointing out a fault in the recipe, but even with my own mistakes I didn't love the basic textures/flavours of this to want to make it again correctly.

  • etcjm on April 11, 2019

    The mash is so lovely and smooth and so easy. I can't eat potato so this for me was brilliant. The red pepper dip is very unusual, not what was expected but then I hadn't tasted it before. We all trust Yotam though! It was relatively easy and worked well with the lamb. The walnuts gave a different texture and I'd almost be tempted to try it without next time. Definitely will cook again.

• Avocado and broad bean mash

  • JennyHay on December 26, 2018

    A perfect summer dip with a difference. I also served the butterbean mash with muhammara (page 107). They went very well together with lots of brushetta and the colours looked great.

  • KarinaFrancis on August 31, 2019

    Another win from this book! Lush, delicious and pretty easy to make (podding broadbeans isn’t difficult, just a bit time consuming). The broad bean flavour works beautifully with the creamy avocado. It doesn’t make a huge amount, so take advice from etcjm and double it if you have a few people coming.

  • etcjm on April 11, 2019

    I loved this, but I LOVE broad beans. I think my other half found it quite strong at first but then it grew on him. Same as jennyhay I cooked this alongside the butterbean mash and muhammara. They make very different amounts. I could eat this amount myself so if you think it's going to be a hit with your audience just double and enjoy the leftovers for lunch!

  • domechef on June 24, 2019

    Awesome! Amazing how a combination of few ingredients can create something this glorious. Would repeat for sure. Soon!

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    I love the lightness and simplicity of this dish. It is a great dip and spread – use it as a mezze plate, a snack in front of the TV, or as nibbles with a glass of wine and group of friends before you head out on the town. There is no garlic in it, so you’ll be right.

• Thai sticky rice with crispy ginger, chilli and peanuts

  • JennyHay on April 12, 2019

    I used Vietnamese mint instead of coriander and absolutely loved the dish. Served it with the Miso chicken on page 230. A superb combination.

  • anya_sf on July 03, 2019

    I cooked the sticky rice in the rice cooker so I didn't have to monitor it. The topping was not a winner for me - coriander stems were too chewy and the flavor was lacking something (salt?). I might try it again with coriander leaves or mint as suggested by JennyHay, and would definitely add more salt. I used red Thai chilies which were quite spicy, which I liked, but my son couldn't eat, so I'll substitute a milder chile next time.

  • Futuregirl23 on February 24, 2023

    Very nice but wouldn’t say it blew me away. Loved the crispy texture against the rice.

• Brown rice with caramelised onions and black garlic

  • meggan on July 15, 2019

    Delicious and healthy - we added soft boiled eggs.

  • tarae1204 on February 23, 2022

    Very satisfying and well-balanced to my taste. I adapted it to the instant pot by sautéing the onions in the pot, removing, then pressure-cooking the brown rice with water ratio and time that’s worked in the past. It came out a little undercooked and beautifully browned from the onion bits in the pot. Added more water and let it sauté further. Instead of sliced black garlic I used a generous sprinkle of dried granules of black garlic (available at Trader Joe’s grocery). Enjoyed by all with some Greek yogurt spooned atop.

  • e_ballad on June 11, 2019

    A tasty side dish that really shows off the flavour of the black garlic. I don’t think the drizzle of Greek yoghurt added a great deal to the dish.

  • ricki on January 01, 2021

    Not as wonderful as I had hoped. Very (too) rich. Try increasing the lemon, especially if not using a lot more salt than I'm used to.

  • Skamper on May 01, 2020

    Very umami. Made a half batch as lunch for two, using leftover brown rice. I omitted the yogurt and topped with a fried egg to up the protein, but it really needs an acid or spicy note to counter the sweetness of the onions and black garlic (first time using)

• Fig and thyme clafoutis

  • Bloominanglophile on September 05, 2021

    This was really nice! Will have to make again next fig season.

  • dinnermints on October 06, 2020

    So delicious. The red wine adds a lovely richness to the flavor. In my convection oven, it was done at 25min, and next time would check it at 23min.

• Herby courgettes and peas and semolina porridge

  • Nossovitzky on May 19, 2019

    Tarragon with zucchini and peas is great - would make that bit to go over pasta I think, the semolina's texture was too similar and everything was a bit soft.

  • Jojobuch on April 28, 2020

    Liked the flavors in this - the pine nuts add a bit of a contrast texture-wise

  • Tealismyname on January 16, 2022

    I thought this was a very cosy dish and perfect for winter or when you're just not feeling great. It was very comforting.

  • pomegranate on May 29, 2022

    I didn’t make the porridge, just the veggies. Delicious.

• Garry's stir-fried cabbage with garlic and chilli

  • Yildiz100 on May 13, 2019

    Tasty, but I would like it better if the cabbage leaves were chopped slightly smaller rather than just ripped in half.

  • cjross on October 21, 2018

    As the description says, this is a quick way to eat a lot of cabbage!

  • kitchen_chick on July 22, 2019

    I chopped the cabbage into smaller pieces (but still on the large size), and I added the thickest pieces to the wok first. I also used some pickled piquante and slightly sweet chiles because I didn’t have any fresh red chiles on hand, and it was delicious.

  • DePollepel on August 28, 2022

    So simple yet so delicious!!!

• Fishcake tacos with mango, lime and cumin yoghurt

  • mondraussie on November 14, 2020

    I thought the mixture looked a bit wet, perhaps the fish I used, so I added a handful of panko breadcrumbs and turned out perfectly.

  • cjross on October 24, 2018

    Used tilapia for the fish. Turned out well. Would make again.

  • lou_weez on October 29, 2018

    Used lemon as I didn't have any limes and also served with lettuce. Nice enough for a summer meal and I would make it again because it was so quick and easy.

• Beetroot, caraway and goat's cheese bread

  • clkandel on April 27, 2022

    Lots of flavors and textures in this bread. No problem with the texture as some of the other commenters had. I did use a lot less thyme since I thought the amount called for would be overpowering.

  • Allie80 on March 07, 2021

    It was okay, nothing special. Mine was too crumbly to slice, not sure if I should have cooked it for longer or if my mix had been too wet. I think it could’ve used a stronger goats cheese (I used Waitrose soft British one). Agree with the previous reviewer that it would work well with soup. We both decided it tasted ‘healthy’ so if that’s your thing, you’ll enjoy this.

  • LadyCJKT on February 22, 2019

    This was every bit as good as I had thought it would be. (Although I couldn't get nigella seeds and replaced that with some ground cumin and had to use ground caraway instead of seeds.) The flavours are very complex together and texturally its very pleasing with the cheese, beetroot and pumpkin seeds. A winning recipe.

  • JJ2018 on May 24, 2019

    This was really nice and would be great with soup. I mistakenly bought precooked beetroot not in vinegar not fresh so Used this even though recipe explicitly said not to, just reducing quantity a little as it is was wet and still turned out well

  • stephenrossthomas on January 16, 2021

    The textures were great, and milder than I thought it would be. And so easy to make. Great for breakfast.

• Chilled cucumber, cauliflower and ginger soup

  • clkandel on July 14, 2021

    This is the first Ottolenghi recipe I haven't liked, at all. After tasting it, I literally threw the the entire batch down the disposal. We could think of no way to make this dish edible.

  • Ganga108 on January 01, 2022

    Full marks for a delicious summer soup, almost a cucumber raita over poached cauliflower topped with toasted almonds (I used macadamias). Perfect! I used less oil than suggested. I suggest incorporating zucchini juice when they are ripe (zuke juice is incredibly refreshing). A Perfect Summer soup! It was loved.

• Pizza bianca with potato, anchovy and sage

  • KarinaFrancis on October 01, 2021

    Oh this was so good! The crust was super thin, which is a good thing in my books. Every element combined perfectly. Next time I might add a couple of extra sage leaves, the ones on my plant are a little small.

  • dinnermints on November 20, 2020

    Loved this unique combination. Just as the savory anchovy-onion flavor hits your tongue, the scent of oranges wafts up your nose. I mainly decided to make this recipe because I needed to use up some mascarpone; didn’t expect the wow factor. I used half goat cheese and half mascarpone; next time I would use ricotta and goat cheese to replace the mascarpone entirely. And might try a different (maybe sourdough) crust. Also, I used the thinnest setting on my mandoline to slice the (purple!) potatoes, and I think that was too thin. I had plenty of slices to cover the pizza, but their texture was a bit chewy. As other reviewers mentioned, these pizzas are not very large; we only were able to make two meals out of it because my toddler hated it lol.

  • stockholm28 on February 21, 2019

    This is pizza topped with a cheese mixture (mascarpone, romano, anchovy, sage, lemon zest, and black pepper), green onions, and thinly sliced roasted potatoes. It is very rich. I liked it, but didn’t love it. I would have liked more dough with a slightly thinner spread of the cheese.

  • Rutabaga on December 08, 2018

    This pizza is absolutely delicious. What makes it simple, in my opinion, is that the different components can be easily prepared in advance. I doubled the recipe, which was just the right amount to make one big pizza using a half sheet pan. Possibly because of the size, it took almost 20 minutes to fully bake. Since my potatoes had started to turn green, I peeled them. Even though I weighed them after peeling to be sure I had the right amount, I felt I could have used just a little more. I also used only about half the amount of sage called for, as I was afraid the flavor would be overpowering. But in retrospect, I think the full amount would have been fine, as it was pretty mild. I didn't have anchovies, but used a couple of tablespoons of leftover anchovy oil from the jar.

  • Lepa on January 21, 2019

    This was very good but if I make it again I'll make more dough (like the other poster) and make it into a proper pizza. The recipe as written had only enough dough for two tiny, very thin little squares. There also weren't enough potatoes for the topping and I used 8 oz of potatoes instead of the 6 oz. called for in the recipe. The flavor combination- and especially the cheese/sage/anchovy spread- was delicious so I think it's worth working out the kinks.

  • Ro_ on July 04, 2020

    I must admit that I used a roll of ready-made pizza dough instead of making the dough in the recipe. I kept the quantities for the topping the same, and it worked out perfectly for my single rectangle pizza. We really loved the flavours of this: I found it's the kind of thing that really grows on you with every bite, and is very moreish. I will make again.

  • Lsblackburn1 on June 13, 2022

    Delicious but very rich - and oily (think I used too much oil on my potatoes). I made one larger pizza using store bought dough, but the ingredient ratios seemed fine.

  • Running_with_Wools on May 25, 2021

    I made this for some friends and we enjoyed it with a glass of wine. It was easy and good. A nice pantry-style appetizer to share.

• Two bean and two lime salad

  • KarinaFrancis on August 18, 2020

    I used peas in place of the edamame, only 1 chilli and parsley because I didn’t have any coriander. I thought was delicious and would make it this way again. Great side dish

  • anya_sf on May 05, 2020

    I just had half the green beans, but the full amount of edamame. Half the dressing was just right. I reduced the chile to 1/2 jalapeno so it wouldn't be too spicy for my son and thought the level of heat was pleasant - in the background, not the forefront. We really enjoyed this dish.

  • Ro_ on July 08, 2021

    A different and tasty way with French beans. I used frozen beans and I think I ended up adding too many because I'd have liked a bit more sauce for the quantity of beans. Also thought that a touch (just a touch) of light soy sauce or something salty would have been nice.

  • PQPantry on December 30, 2018

    Peas add a sweeter note to the dish vs edamame. Go easy on the green chili - used 1 large jalapeño instead of 2 small - it overwhelmed the dish. Visually a very attractive dish. Followed recipe very closely, sadly not a hit with the family and guests.

  • Ganga108 on October 30, 2021

    In this salad the green beans are paired with either edamame, younger broad beans or even peas. The key to the salad is a beautiful dressing made with lime zest, lime juice, coriander, mint, garlic and chillies! Oh, yes, you just might get excited. Once the beans are trimmed, it is quite simple to make. 10 ingredients, quick, and it can be made ahead of time.

• Tomato, chard and spinach with toasted almonds

  • KarinaFrancis on June 29, 2021

    The caraway, lime, almonds and herbs really set this dish apart. A great way with chard

  • Zosia on October 19, 2018

    The base tomato-chard recipe is good but the finishing touches of fresh spinach and herbs, the juice and zest of some limes, and toasted almonds make it quite special. I made the tomato-chard mixture the night before and reheated it just before it was needed, adding the remaining ingredients at the very end. I served it hot with the book's seeded chicken schnitzel.

  • EmmaJaneDay on May 17, 2020

    This was yum and easy to make. Will definitely be making this again

  • Ro_ on July 06, 2021

    This just wasn't for me. I think I added too much lime juice at the end, but even so I felt like it was kind of on the bitter side. Might have been nicer with yoghurt mixed through? But I probably won't repeat.

  • Ishie1013 on April 19, 2022

    Very decent dish, but definitely needed more salt. It also makes a massive amount of food, so I'd probably half or quarter it in the future. Not my favorite use of swiss chard though.

• Stuffed courgettes with pine nut salsa

  • KarinaFrancis on February 06, 2020

    Really liked these, especially the salsa which gave it a nice brightness. Next time I'll up the quantities of the salsa. We subbed brioche for the sourdough, which might have messed with the texture a little but we were happy with the flavour. Will make it again very soon with sourdough.

  • kitchen_chick on May 03, 2020

    I used a vegan "parmesan" and it worked just fine! I also used panko because I didn't have any bread. When I use panko as a sub for breadcrumbs, I always use somewhat less than the recipe calls for by weight and add a little bit of water (less than you think you'll need), mix it up, and let it sit a bit to absorb the water so it can mimic fresh breadcrumbs. I did have to cook my zucchini longer than the recipe says, and I ended up using the broiler to brown the top.

  • Lsblackburn1 on July 22, 2022

    Loved the flavors in this. I think if I made them again, I’d precook the zucchini boats for about 5 minutes before adding the filling - I like my zucchini a bit more cooked than they got.

  • mariarita on August 05, 2022

    I made this with round 8 ball zucchini and it looked great . But Even with normally shaped zukes I don’t know how it could be cooked in 15 minutes. I prebaked the zucchini for 10 minutes, then with stuffing for another 20. Also, the filling was wet and custard-like, which was not what I expected. Flavors were nice, but not sure I’ll make it again, given the textural qualities.

• Roasted whole cauliflower

  • KarinaFrancis on April 25, 2022

    I was trying to recreate a dish I had at a restaurant and used this recipe as a base. My cauliflower opened up which didn’t seem to happen to others, it was delicious and made for lots of charred crispy bits so I was happy about it. Note to self use more salt in the pre boil.

  • Rutabaga on September 12, 2020

    Yum! I've made roasted cauliflower plenty of times, but always cut into florets, never whole. It worked amazingly well, and was delicious served with both tahini sauce and feta garlic sauce. I will definitely make this again.

  • Baxter850 on November 05, 2020

    This was good (not great). A lot more work and time involved than with other recipes although the whole head does make for a nice presentation. Enjoyed the green tahini sauce.

  • Jesmondgirl on March 14, 2020

    Simple and tasty.

  • Ganga108 on January 01, 2022

    So easy to make and utterly delicious. And simple it is – par boiled then roasted with butter and oil before serving with a green tahini sauce. Elements of Ottolenghi, without all the hoohaa of his other books.

  • rhb on November 18, 2022

    Just fabulous with the Green Tahini Sauce. Basting didn't really work...the butter/oil just kind of burned on the baking sheet. Next time, I will put on parchment and brush with a little extra butter/oil a few times.

• Arnold's roast chicken with caraway and cranberry stuffing

  • KarinaFrancis on July 11, 2021

    Yum! The stuffing is so good especially with the pops of cranberry, and the caraway marinade made for a delicious and super crispy skin

  • Joanclemence on June 10, 2021

    The stuffing is delicious and goes well in a sandwich with mayo the next day

• Ricotta and oregano meatballs

  • KarinaFrancis on July 01, 2020

    Omg these were fantastic! The flavour of the meatballs was delicious and the texture was super light from the ricotta. The mixture was very soft so we cooked the meatballs in a very hot oven before adding them to the sauce and they held together beautifully. The silver fox said “can we pleeeease make these again?” Winner!

  • Rinshin on March 12, 2019

    Did not have problems of crumbly texture, but had problems with meatballs sticking using non-stick frying pan and abandoned frying in favor of baking them in 400f oven for about 25 min. These meatballs have sticky texture when raw due to fair amount of ricotta and parmesan cheese. Even with baking, there was some sticking. Loved the taste of the sauce which was very different from regular marinara because of chicken stock addition. The final dish was well balanced in flavor and meatballs had excellent texture and taste. Some might find the meatballs a little too soft in texture but we loved the texture served alone in a sauce like this. Because very soft textured, these meatballs need to be handled very, very gently.

  • Rachaelsb on November 22, 2019

    Yum! Meatballs had great texture and flavor. Sauce was differently delicious.

  • cultus.girl on October 27, 2018

    This is a lovely recipe with beautiful flavour. Next time I would use breadcrumbs made from Italian bread which have a bit of “body”. My balls were a little crumbly.

  • Silverscreensuppers on December 04, 2018

    I thought these were delicious. Boyfriend made the sauce while I made the meatballs which was fun. I used breadcrumbs from homemade walnut bread which gave the balls a perfect texture I thought. Yummy!

  • averythingcooks on January 24, 2022

    These were delicious made with a mix of ground beef & "sweet with heat" sausage. However, to get the 12-14 meatballs expected, the meatballs must be huge. I made a 1/2 recipe and with meatballs around 35 g each (ie a "generous" golf ball) I got 16. I oven baked mine and served with a different sauce over spaghetti. I also wanted to compare to Julia Turshon's sausage ricotta version (which we also loved) - the key differences are that Ottolenghi specifies ground beef and includes bread crumbs, fresh oregano (and not basil) and egg. Not sure if we thought one was definitely better than the other but I do know for sure that we like our meatballs made with ricotta.

  • Ro_ on January 24, 2020

    These were lovely. I had to reduce the cooking time a little as pressed for time, but I don't think they suffered for it. The texture was great, very moist. No problems with breaking up in the pan. I should have added more salt though to the meatball mix.

  • kateroni on December 28, 2018

    I made this for dinner for my husband and young kiddos, and it was a huge hit! Possibly our most favourite new recipe we've tried in months. The meatballs were a great texture, and the sauce was delicious. Bookmarking it as solid recipe to serve guests (as I can do most of the prep etc in advance, have the meatballs and sauce ready to cook before guests come).

  • MissKoo on July 15, 2020

    OMGilicious! These are just amazing, so light and flavorful. Everyone raved about them. Made a night ahead as they do take time; flavors just improved from that resting time. Opted to broil the meatballs on sheet pan about 4-5 minutes per side before placing in sauce rather than sauté to keep them together better. If you do mis en place and are in a hurry, do note that certain ingredients -- the onions, garlic, chopped oregano -- are halved. Half in the meatballs, half in the wonderful sauce. Recipe explains that, of course, but sidebar list of ingredients does not include the magic word "divided" by those ingredients.

  • Pimlicocook on February 19, 2023

    Deep, rich tomato sauce and light meatballs - I don't make meatballs often, and I enjoyed this. Easy to make, too. Served with buttered spinach.

  • dj2eats on March 31, 2022

    3/4 of family loved these, one of them didn't care for the 'texture' - she's used to more traditional solid meatballs. Some of the balls were really difficult to keep together during the frying phase, but I didn't stress too much because I knew I could still eat the 'globs'. We had leftovers twice and each time the aroma of these meatballs were heavenly!

• Cauliflower 'tabbouleh'

  • wjjjww on October 19, 2022

    i skipped the allspice and it was yummy!

  • pomegranate on September 18, 2022

    I didn’t care for the allspice. It would be great without it.

• Mustard-marinated kale with asparagus

  • dinnermints on April 03, 2022

    Excellent. Of the three Ottolenghi dishes we made for a dinner with guests, this was hands down the favorite. The lightly sweet crunchy seeds with the tangy mustardy greens was addictive, and the asparagus and peas (which I used instead of the edamame) were delightful in there as well. I was only able to use about a quarter of the amount of tarragon; the full amount would be that much better. I used less oil - maybe around half the amount. I made a double recipe, which was a LOT - next time would do 1.5 recipe for six adults. And for a single recipe, more than one bunch of kale and one bunch of asparagus would be needed. Looking forward to making this again.

  • CallmeIshbel on October 26, 2018

    Used baby kale and broadbeans, really tasty dish

  • lmhester on January 09, 2023

    We found this recipe to be lacking something. More maple syrup would have helped, in fact, more dressing in general. And maybe some dried cranberries or something. We were disappointed in this one.

• Gnocchi alla Romana

  • greedyrosie on June 28, 2020

    I thought this was delicious. I messed up somewhat on the rolling in clingfilm, but even though I couldn’t get tight rolls, they stayed together well enough to slice cleanly after chilling. I served this with some fresh tomato and garlic sauce.

  • Rachaelsb on April 02, 2022

    Yum!! So easy to make and very tasty, comforting texture and taste.

  • joneshayley on April 19, 2020

    I found this relatively easy to make, and worth making as my whole family loved it. Effort to taste ratio is great as they were cheesy, salty and unctuous- looked beautiful too. I’d make this for family or for a dinner party. I’d make sure to use good cheese though.

  • anya_sf on April 11, 2020

    The gnocchi weren't hard to make, although the semolina thickened almost immediately upon mixing with the milk. Although the logs seemed somewhat loose and misshapen, they were easy to slice after chilling. We had this as a main with a crisp green salad, as suggested. Three of us nearly ate all of it. I quite liked it. My son only liked the broiled cheesy top parts; he wanted more cheese (and flavor) overall. Some rosemary might be nice in them.

• Lamb bake with tahini sauce and tomatoes

  • Rachaelsb on November 08, 2019

    More work than I expected...I thought this was Ottolenghi Simple! But good, different not too heavy flavor -just make sure really squeeze vegetables well - mine didn't quite hold together as well as I hoped.

  • Lsblackburn1 on October 27, 2020

    Very tasty! Not hard to make - just a lot of ingredients to throw in a bowl and mix together. We made this into a sandwich by serving it on flatbread with the tomato and tahini sauce.

• Shallow-fried potatoes with rosemary and sumac

  • Zosia on November 05, 2018

    I'm not rating this recipe as I didn't follow the method, oven-roasting the potatoes instead. My family loves garlicky, herby, crispy potatoes and really enjoyed the bright citrus tang the sumac brought to this classic combination.

  • Rutabaga on February 14, 2019

    These well-seasoned potatoes are fried in plenty of oil (I used rice bran oil), so it would be hard not to like them. Although they require frequent stirring, they're still pretty low maintenance, as you can easily work on other dishes in between stirs. The flavor is great, but man, there is a lot of oil! I used about 50% more potatoes than called for, yet didn't increase the oil, and it was plenty. One benefit of all the oil, aside from taste, is that it helps prevent the potatoes from sticking, so you don't lose too many of the crispy bits.

  • Ro_ on January 20, 2020

    These were lovely. It was quite liberating to not peel the potatoes, and it added a nice texture to the dish. I didn't measure the oil and probably used less than the recommended quantity, it still turned out fine. The sumac added a subtle flavour at the end.

• Tomato and cucumber raita

  • Rutabaga on October 09, 2019

    This is a versatile salad/side dish that would go well with a variety of Mediterranean food. We had it with pita and Anna Jones' roasted zucchini and chickpeas from A Modern Way to Cook. The chili/preserved lemon oil is delicious, but unfortunately the jalapeño I used was far hotter than I realized, making it extremely spicy. I served this on the side so that people could add the (somewhat overwhelmingly) flavorful oil to taste.

  • Jesmondgirl on February 27, 2020

    Didn’t have green chilliest so added a little zhoug to the yoghurt. Very tasty.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    This raita, a riff on an Indian dish, is quite good. Although not a typical Indian raita, it is a pretty jolly good plate of food. Love the inclusion of preserved lemon in the chilli paste which is layered on top of the raita. Brilliant.

• Rice noodle salad with cucumber and poppy seeds

  • janeh9 on October 17, 2020

    This was lovely! I didn’t have fresh tarragon, so substituted Thai basil and tossed in some peanuts. Topped it with hoisin/sriracha glazed salmon. The red onion and ginger lost their sharp bite after their time in the vinegar/sugar mix, and really make the salad. I look forward to trying it with tarragon - there will be a next time!

  • LadyCJKT on January 12, 2020

    I made this for lunch although didn't include the chilli (not a fan) or the tarragon (difficult to get locally) and really enjoyed it. The flavours are very fresh and I really enjoyed the crunch of the poppy seeds too. I will make this again for certain!

  • Ro_ on September 21, 2020

    I really enjoyed this salad: fresh, light, great textures (I love the contrast of the slippery noodles and crunchy cucumber/apple) and quite a refreshingly different flavour profile as well, not the typical Asian seasonings you might expect from a rice noodle salad. I wonder if this would hold up well if made in advance to take to a barbecue or similar, because I think it would be a popular dish. Will make again.

• Grilled beef tomatoes with chilli, garlic and ginger

  • CallmeIshbel on October 26, 2018

    no beefsteak tomatoes, so used large truss, too much work for not enough flavour, maybe slow roasting would have made a difference

  • saarwouters on October 14, 2018

    This was absolutely delicious! I used regular tomatoes and white mustard seed. We ate them slightly cooled off, which was great.

  • suzhecker on March 07, 2022

    I love tomatoes and have made many recipes to highlight them. This is one of my favorites.

  • Ganga108 on December 05, 2021

    Absolutely delicious! The key is to get the oil full of flavour, and to use the most flavoursome tomatoes. Also the 10 mins resting time is important to allow the tomatoes to absorb flavours. We have roasted them too, and this intensifies the flavours.

• Lamb siniyah

  • Popisdead on March 07, 2021

    Really easy to follow. I made it a bit harder for myself by having to butcher a shoulder of lamb to make it. Would serve with something other than rice, couscous maybe. Would also be tempted to put some chickpeas in and raise levels of sauce to match, then not serve with anything.

  • kitchen_chick on September 06, 2019

    Wow! Delicious! It's a large dish for two people so I made the full stew amount, but transferred half to a souffle/baking dish and topped with 1/2 the tahini sauce to finish the baking. The other half I will freeze for a later dinner and finish with a fresh topping of tahini sauce when I use it. After the first 20 minutes of baking, I used the boiler to brown the top to shave some time off the cooking.

  • Boffcat on October 04, 2018

    Delicious. I wondered at first whether there might be an omission in the recipe - it tells you to "bring to a boil" and then simmer a mixture that contains no liquid - but the tomatoes gave off plenty of liquid as the dish cooked.

• Steamed courgettes with garlic and oregano

  • saarwouters on October 14, 2018

    Easy side dish with subtle and balanced flavours, despite the raw garlic.

  • anya_sf on November 03, 2020

    Nice, flavorful, different way to prepare zucchini. I skipped the raw garlic on top as I don't care for it.

  • Trentinla on September 01, 2020

    loved loved loved this! so easy.. next time.. i will toast the garlic slices while frying the oregano.. the garlic raw was pretty strong

• Watermelon, green apple and lime salad

  • kitchen_chick on July 12, 2019

    Love this salad - so fresh and perfect for summer! The tart apples and lime make this work. The lemongrass adds a lovely citrus-y depth, but IMO it'll still be tasty without it. I agree that it's best to mix the fruit and dressing right before serving; however, it does hold up as leftovers. The one thing I don't get is why the recipe calls for 3 limes to get 2 tsp of zest and 3 Tbs of lime juice. I can get all that from one lime.

  • shylastrath on September 07, 2022

    Made half a recipe with 1 T. preserved lemon subbed for lemongrass. Also did not toast the mustard seeds. Will make again!

  • MissKoo on June 30, 2021

    A superb refreshing summer salad -- especially when our temperatures have been around 110-115 degrees! Really good and crispy watermelon is key. Parsley substituted for cilantro because one guest can't eat cilantro and the flavors were still amazing.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    This salad - we love it. It has the flair of S. E. Asia with lemongrass, lime, mint and coriander.

• Mint and pistachio chocolate fridge cake

  • kitchen_chick on October 27, 2018

    Great chocolate dessert. When first mixing the ingredients, it seemed like the chocolate sauce barely coated the graham crackers-nut-fruit mix and made a loose matrix of a "cake", but the graham crackers swell while the cake is setting in the fridge and helps create the solid bars when fully set. I know some people really don't like raisins. You can use other fruit, but I also found the raisins fairly unobtrusive.

  • Ro_ on January 01, 2020

    I love chocolate and mint together, so this was a winner for me. I pretty much followed the instrutions but subbed dried cranberries for the sultanas since that's what I had. The texture and overall taste of the finished cake was great. Unfortunately not a lot of my household likes mint and chocolate together, so I'll definitely try it with a different flavoured chocolate another time to appeal more to them, as suggested in the recipe blurb.

  • JJ2018 on October 02, 2020

    This was lovely. It is minty but not overpoweringly so and very easy to make. Definitely will make again

  • LoveOnAPlate on December 21, 2021

    This is a Christmas standard at our home....a huge winner for all ages. I've added ginger sometimes...bliss. Converted using Gluten free biscuits for those who need and works perfectly.

• Coconut-crusted fish fingers

  • tmitra on April 21, 2022

    This recipe worked for me as written using tilapia and dried coconut, and the results were decent. The target audience (ages one and four) ate them fresh out of the oven but didn't want them reheated, so for that reason, I probably won't make them again.

  • sosayi on February 06, 2019

    Sadly, while we enjoyed the flavors of this dish, the execution did not work for us. The breading and broiling instructions did not work for us (all the topping fell off and it took 3xs as long for the fish to cook as called for). I'd try varying the method in the future, possibly, as coconut and fish are much loved in our house, but I wouldn't make it again as written.

  • StephEpices on October 25, 2019

    I didn't feel like turning on the oven so I just pan fried and it came out perfect. Used blue ling.

• Slow-cooked runner beans in tomato sauce

  • lou_weez on October 14, 2018

    I had a hankering for slow cooked beans and rustled these up. The subtle warmth from the spices is lovely with the beans. I am imagining reheating the leftovers for lunch tomorrow and cracking in an egg just because I think it would be great.

  • Ro_ on August 27, 2021

    This dish definitely exceeded all expectations, I loved it. The sauce was so flavourful, I especially loved the addition of hot paprika. Served with rice it made a good light meal, I love the suggestion in another comment for serving with a fried egg, or else I think a big dollop of yoghurt or sour cream would also be good with it.

• Harissa-baked potato skins and crispy lettuce salad

  • averythingcooks on May 04, 2021

    With the skins of 2 baked russets saved from another dinner, I came here. I mixed mild & hot harissa for the coating and then made a little more as they seemed a bit dry. With an extra 2 minutes on the bake time (& a final sprinkle of salt), they crisped up as promised but next time I'm going to try the air fryer for these guys. We had planned a salad but that changed and so I served them beside our soup as crispy dippers/toppers which worked really well. With skins needing a use, I would make these again for sure.

  • anya_sf on July 15, 2020

    I had potato skins left over from the previous day, so the salad was easy enough to make for lunch. With rose harissa, the skins had a kick but weren't too spicy. My preserved lemon is pretty strong and salty, so I rinsed it and used less. I substituted romaine lettuce for iceberg and omitted the tarragon (didn't have). Mint might have been a good subsitute but it was fine without. Really interesting salad with an unusual but rather addictive combination of flavors.

  • JJ2018 on November 28, 2019

    Prepped the potato skins the day before. This was a lovely accompaniment to the chicken as suggested and with potato skins pre-prepped came together easily.

  • Hansyhobs on March 23, 2022

    Really enjoyed this. Cooked the potatoes especially but will use the filling for something else. 1 preserved lemon is probably enough, tarragon felt unnecessary

• Buckwheat and French bean salad

  • anya_sf on October 22, 2018

    I couldn't find tarragon so I doubled the mint. The salad was quite good. Don't skip the yogurt dressing, as it really makes the dish. We didn't want it spicy so we omitted the chili flakes and I didn't miss them.

  • Ro_ on July 01, 2020

    I really liked the textures of this dish, but flavour-wise I thought it was lacking a certain something. Needs lots of seasoning. I used a mix of buckwheat, quinoa and wild rice as it's what I had.

  • Ganga108 on March 02, 2022

    After the devastating bushfires in Australia, fresh beans were difficult to source. Broccolini made a great alternative. I happily eat this buckwheat salad as is for a light lunch or snack. You know I love my salad snacks. It is lovely just on its own. Or it is great served with, say, some fritters, herby new potatoes and roasted beetroot. Yum.

  • pomegranate on October 08, 2022

    This is easy and delicious. I pan fried some chicken and also sautéed the green beans instead of boiling them.

• Seaweed spaghetti and sesame salad with tahini dressing

  • anya_sf on August 25, 2019

    My rating may not be completely fair since I basically only made the dressing, but it was good. I used soba noodles instead of seaweed spaghetti, tossed with shredded romaine lettuce, avocado cubes, and grilled zucchini slices instead of cucumber, and served with grilled mahimahi. For toppings, I used cilantro, black sesame seeds, furikake, and urfa chili flakes. I tasted the dressed noodles before and after adding the toppings, and the toppings really do make a difference in the flavor, which I found to be somewhat muddy initially. A squirt of lime juice also helped. Very tasty.

  • Ganga108 on January 01, 2022

    When I say noodles I suspect you don’t immediately think of sea spaghetti. Yet this member of the seaweed group of ingredients is noodle-like in shape and texture. I have them in the pantry to soak and drape over salads or mix with rice and (real) noodle dishes to add a deep umami flavour. It spreads a deep, saline, addictive flavour throughout a dish. I played with this recipe a little, adding edamame, Japanese noodles, a little Korean salted seaweed stem (not worth it) and spring onions. Delicious! A dark and intriguing dish.

• Whole-roasted celeriac with coriander seed oil

  • mgmcewen on November 23, 2018

    A nice way to cook celeriac though it looks pitiful

  • Florafauna on January 08, 2021

    This was very tasty, however isn't a meal. I combined it with pearl barley and a mushroom sauce as per a similar Jamie Oliver recipe. A keeper, will make again.

  • Ganga108 on January 01, 2022

    Similar to a recipe in Nopi.

• Portobello mushrooms with brioche and a poached egg

  • Ro_ on February 02, 2020

    Basically mushrooms on toast with egg on top! I took a couple of liberties with the recipe, using regular mushrooms instead of Portobello and frying the egg instead of poaching. The flavours were nice, I reduced the cinnamon slightly as it can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. A solid breakfast recipe.

  • Ganga108 on January 01, 2022

    Fab. U. lous. I roasted whole mushrooms drizzled with the oil, then topped with Burrata as I don't cook with eggs. Divine. Eat with or without the toast.

• Beef sirloin and basil salad

  • Ro_ on July 07, 2020

    Really nice salad. I couldn't get red endives so I used red-tipped little gem lettuce, which I prefer the taste of anyway. We like our beef super rare, so I only cooked 30 secs on each side. The only thing I'd say is that 2 pitta breads made way too many croutons for the amount of salad: I'd only use one next time.

  • Pimlicocook on March 06, 2022

    Delicious. Easy to prepare ahead and combine before serving, so a stress-free option for casual entertaining. I used white chicory as it’s easier to find than red, and it still looked - and tasted! - impressive.

• Trout tartare with burnt butter and pistachios

  • Ro_ on June 13, 2021

    Absolutely delicious. I used less pistachio then directed because I thought it might be overwhelming and too crunchy, but it wasn't at all and next time I'd use the full quantity. This was a hit with all the family on a hot summer's day, just the kind of thing we like to eat.

  • StephEpices on December 14, 2019

    This was such perfection! I used lime instead of lemon since that's all I had, but otherwise followed the exact recipe and it did not disappoint!

• Honey and yoghurt set cheesecake

  • ChelseaP on May 22, 2021

    This is such an amazing cheesecake. The topping of honey and thyme is so different and works so well with the yoghurt filling. It doesn't keep that great though as the base goes a little soft and the thyme wilts so it's best eaten soon after it's set.

  • Futuregirl23 on January 11, 2023

    This is truly lovely. Not too sweet and the thyme gives it a really unusual twist.

• Prawn and corn fritters

  • Ganga108 on December 05, 2021

    I made a veg and egg-free version of these as I love sweetcorn fritters. I added shredded zucchini instead of the prawns, and used my usual chickpea flour+cream+eno replacement for eggs. Voilia! Sweetcorn fritters a la Ottolenghi! How very delicious. Just a note about using sweetcorn kernels – they can pop (aka explode like little bullets) if cooked on too high heat. You could pulse the corn a little in a food processor to minimise the chance of this, or keep the heat at the low-medium level.

• Smoked fish and parsnip cakes

  • CheesyKranskyLove on October 04, 2022

    This really depends on the quality of your smoked fish

• Stonesoup

  I wasn’t expecting ‘Simple’ to be truly simple recipes. And it isn’t. Not in any Stonesoup 6-ingredients sense. But to be fair they are significantly less complex than the usual Ottolenghi creations.

  Full review

• What's Gaby Cooking by Gaby Dalkin

  ...one of my favorite authors of all times. His books are always beautiful but sometimes complicated. Not this one, it delivers on simple recipes that you’ll love making it your kitchen!

  Full review

• Two Peas and Their Pod

  I love all of the Ottolenghi cookbooks and this one is awesome because it focuses on simplicity!

  Full review

• Kitchn

  The recipes have 10 ingredients or fewer, some can be made ahead, they're short on time, and they lean on a well-stocked pantry.

  Full review

• Food52

  A simple, make-ahead menu from Ottolenghi’s latest cookbook.

  Full review

• Kitchn

  7 reasons why Ottolenghi's new cookbook is the best thing to happen to weeknight dinner.

  Full review

• Food52

  ...it’s also an ode to the weeknight dinner (or the morning-of brunch, or the fuss-free dinner party): 130 recipes with short ingredient lists, speedy prep and cook times, and maximal punch.

  Full review

• Kitchn

  Fans of this master of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine will be pleased to learn that you can cook like Ottolenghi in under 30 minutes or in one pot (!!!) without skimping on flavor.

  Full review

• Food52

  Picked for Food52's November 2018 Cookbook Club.

  Full review