Photo by Jonathan Lovekin
A new Ottolenghi book is always a treat, but I am in a state of evangelical fervour about this one. I’ve been lucky enough to have eaten from it (at the author’s house) and cooked from it (at mine) and I can tell you right now that it’s a book that I will be cooking from forever. I actually have to force myself to stop sometimes. I wouldn’t want to get too obsessive, you understand.
Simple is always a difficult concept in cooking: no one can ever quite agree what it means; and I fear there are plenty of people who will not readily see the simplicity (certainly not want to see the simplicity) here. So, it’s not simple in the sense of being a cookbook for those who don’t actually want to cook, but for those of us who do want to cook, who are eager to try new things, it is rich in ideas for bold-flavoured, inviting and gorgeous do-able meals. Ottolenghi has a way of introducing ingredients into our kitchens, and making us instantly comfortable with them. There were many recipes that jostled to be highlighted for you here, and before I get on to the dish I have chosen, I must tell you that there is a recipe in this book for a gingery, garlicky cucumber and lamb’s lettuce salad that, in various guises (I can never stop fiddling) has made a weekly appearance on my table, since I first ate it. The recipe I’ve actually chosen for you is another one that is worth the price of the book by itself (and in a book where there are many such recipes), the Slow-cooked chicken with a crisp corn crust. I also love making the chicken part (without the crust) and eating it gratefully and greedily labelled over rice in a bowl.
Extracted from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi (Ebury Press, £25).
Photography by Jonathan Lovekin.
Photo by Jonathan Lovekin
