OttoLenghi

Buy here $ 76.97  - Ottolenghi: The Cookbook

Roasted sweet potato with pecan & maple

Try this wonderful recipe as a side dish at your Christmas table or as an original picnic salad.
Serves 4


• 2 sweet potatoes (about 850g in total)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 35g pecans
• 4 spring onions, roughly chopped
• 4 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
• ¼ tsp flaked chilli
• 35g sultanas
• Salt and pepper
• Dressing
• 60ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 190ºC/Gas Mark 5. Start with the sweet potatoes. Don’t peel them! Cut into 2cm cubes, spread out on a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper, mix well with your hands and roast in the oven until the potatoes are just tender, about 30 minutes. Turn them over gently half way through the cooking.
In a separate tray, toast the pecans in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and chop roughly.
While the potatoes are roasting make the dressing. Whisk together all the ingredients in small bowl. Taste and add salt and pepper in needed.
When the potatoes are ready, transfer them to a large bowl while still hot. Add the spring onion, parsley, coriander, chilli, pecans and sultanas. Pour the dressing over and toss gently to blend, then season to taste. Serve at once or at room temperature.

Mejadarah

This is an Arab dish, common in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. It is highly satisfying as its flavours are deep and comforting. Serve it with goat’s yoghurt or tomato and red onion salad and you have a wonderful vegetarian main course.


Slice the onion, lightly salt and place in a colander to get rid of some of the liquids.
In a saucepan, place the lentils and 750ml of cold water. Cook for 25 minutes or until the lentils have softened but still have a bite.
In a separate large saucepan, toast the cumin seeds until they start to “dance”. Add the rice, olive oil, cinnamon and turmeric. Make sure the rice is coated evenly with the oil. Add the cooked lentils with their liquid and the remaining water. Add salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on a very low heat for 20mins. Leave covered for another 10 minutes.
While the rice in simmering deep fry the onion till golden brown. Place on kitchen paper. Mix half the onion through and taste for seasoning. Plate the rice and garnish with the rest of the onion.
Serves
• 120g basmati rice
• 120g brown lentils
• 1lt water
• ½ Tbsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 large onion
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Roast chicken with chilli and basil

Choose a good quality free-range chicken and keep it in the marinade for as long as you can.


In a bowl, whisk the oils, mustard, soy sauce, vinegar and chilli flakes. Season with a little bit of salt and some pepper.
Roughly chop the spring onion and add it to the sauce with the chicken and the whole chillies. With your hands, rub the chicken well with the marinade and keep refrigerated for 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Place the chicken in a roasted tray and place in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. Arrange the chicken on a serving plate, place the chillies on top and pour the juices on. Garnish with basil.
Serves 2-4
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• tsp dried chilli flakes
• 3 spring onions
• 2 chicken legs
• 2 chicken breasts
• 2-4 mild red chillies
• 8 basil leaves for garnish
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

French beans with Dijon vinaigrette, capers and garden cress

In this recipe green beans are livened up by a bold vinaigrette. Serve with something meaty (if you like) and baby potatoes roasted with chilli and fresh oregano.



To make the vinaigrette, put the mustard, garlic and vinegar in a mixing bowl. Slowly add the olive oil while whisking until you get a thick dressing. Taste and season.
Blanch the beans in boiling salted water for 4 minutes. Refresh and drain.
Mix the beans with the vinaigrette and the rest of the ingredients, apart from the garden cress.
Pile the beans on a serving plate and garnish with cress.
When serving warm, mix the vinaigrette with the warm beans and the rest of the ingredients just before serving.
Serves 2
• French beans
o 200g trimmed French beans
o 1 small red onion, chopped
o 1 tablespoon capers
o 1 tablespoon tarragon leaves, chopped
o 3 tablespoons chopped chervil
o ¼ cup garden cress
• Vinaigrette
o 1 small garlic clove, crushed
o 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
o 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
o ¼ cup olive oil
o Salt and pepper

Iolanda's apple fritters

Sweet, sour and wonderfully comforting.
Sami got this recipe from his friend Gianluca's mother.




In a bowl, mix all the ingredients well, apart from the sugar and cinnamon and set aside for 20 minutes. In a separate flat plate, mix the sugar and cinnamon.

Heat the vegetable oil well. When hot, use two spoons to drop dollops of the mix into the hot oil, turning them frequently until golden. Lift the fritters from the oil onto kitchen paper. While they are still hot, roll them in the sugar and cinnamon mix. Eat at once!
Serves 2-4
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup milk
• 2 eating apples, peeled and chopped
• A handful of sultanas, about 40g
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups of plain flour
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• Vegetable oil for deep frying