Yotam Ottolenghi puts vegetables front and centre of all that he creates. Every recipe bursts with flavour – and these are the ones that GWG’s editors come back to again and again.
Over the past 20 years, Israeli-born British chef Yotam Ottolenghi has revolutionised our attitudes towards the vegetable. His mission – which remains, simply, to share good food – has come a long way since 2002 when he opened his first deli in Notting Hill. Seemingly overnight, he had opened more delis and landed a weekly column in The Guardian. But unlike most ‘overnight’ successes, Ottolenghi has demonstrated his great staying power.
Two decades later, he has penned a staggering eleven books, opened three restaurants and become a household name. The key? Aside from what we can only assume is his extraordinary energy, it must surely lie in the fact that he hasn’t handed over the reins to someone else. He still works daily in the test kitchen in Camden, ensuring everything is exactly as it should be – another revolutionary idea in the age when developing chains of restaurants only to sell them to venture capitalists and watch them slide into mediocrity has become the norm.
From the hundreds of pages of toweringly brilliant recipes Yotam Ottolenghi has written down for our collective delectation, these are our very favourites of them all.
‘Ever since I tried this in the Notting Hill shop, I’ve been addicted! My husband is a great cook and whips it up in no time. A great dish for a side at a dinner party too’ – Lucy Abletshauser, Shopping Editor. Find the recipe here.
‘When I came across this recipe over a decade ago, it changed my life. Accompanied by a simple green salad, it is the best summer lunch imaginable. Your guests will drool’ – Becky Ladenburg, Features Editor. Find the recipe here.
‘I love this Chinese tofu recipe from Ottolenghi. It’s all the things you’d want: sticky, spicy, sweet…plus, it’s perfect with fragrant jasmine rice and Asian greens’ – Lydia Mansi, Lifestyle Editor. Find the recipe here.
‘There are so many Ottolenghi recipes I love – especially those that marry spiced yoghurt with grilled vegetables, elevating humble ingredients into something astonishingly good. But for summer, there is no recipe more refreshing than this one – gazpacho alone is instantly cooling. But add in watermelon and it’s the culinary equivalent to diving into a body of cool water’ – Nancy Alsop, Editor. Find the recipe here.
'Of all the cookbooks in my collection, Ottolenghi's are the most used, well-thumbed and splattered during cooking. It's tricky to choose just one favourite as there are so many excellent recipes that I use weekly. It's interesting that we've all chosen vegetarian options and my pick adds to this. Sprouting broccoli with sweet tahini (from Plenty More) is super versatile. It's a medley of broccoli, french beans, mange tout and coriander. And the dressing? Well I usually have a jar of that on the go in the fridge. Perfect. – Arabella Dymoke, MD. Find the recipe here.
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