Book Reviews

OTTOLENGHI SIMPLE by Yotam Ottolenghi | Cookbook Review + Recipe

Review copy provided by the publisher

Yotam Ottolenghi’s streak is unbroken: SIMPLE delivers delicious, accessible, quintessentially Ottolenghi dishes for the home cook

In Yotam Ottolenghi’s latest cookbook, OTTOLENGHI SIMPLE, the simple (Ten Speed Press; $35.00), isn’t just a euphemism for “everyday” or “weeknight cooking” or “30 minutes or less.” SIMPLE is the system underlying the recipes. Short on time, 10 Ingredients or less, Make ahead, Pantry, Lazy or Easier Than You Think. It’s up to you to choose based on your cooking agenda on any given day.

I tested a handful of recipes from across the book and consistently the recipes were easy and delicious, but still very Ottolenghi. The meat section features eight different lamb recipes, which might be heavy (and pricey) for some cooks. Several recipes in Ottolenghi SIMPLE call for rose harissa, which seems to be more widely available in the UK. Ottolenghi suggests you can use any harissa, adjusting as needed to accommodate the spice level. I opted for jarred harissa, rather than the concentrated variety in a tube. World Market carries Casablanca brand, and Trader Joe’s often has it, too.

The publisher’s excerpt featured a hot charred cherry tomato recipe served over yogurt, which was incredibly delicious. I used the last of the summer cherry tomatoes, but charring them in the oven gives you the wiggle room to pull off a delicious dish using grocery store tomatoes. They work well as a side dish to the lamb and feta meatballs in the book.

SCROLL THROUGH THE GALLERY ABOVE FOR MORE PHOTOS

On our first really ugly rainy Northwest day, the Mustardy Cauliflower Cheese demanded to be made. Scented with curry, cumin and mustard seeds, it’s the sophisticated cousin of that cauliflower with cheddar cheese sauce some of us grew up with in the 80s. I loved the technique of steaming the florets first, then giving it a short bake and broil. So much faster than just trying to roast cauliflower for an hour.

I got on a roll, and in the course of a week, I also made:

Roasted Baby Carrots with Harissa and Pomegranate — a fast, delicious side dish with pork chops.

Slow-Cooked Chicken with a Crisp Corn Crust from Ottolenghi SIMPLE. Photo by Jonathan Lovekin.

Seeded Chicken Schnitzel — It’s a simple breaded fried chicken with wide appeal. Call them schnitzel, katsu or chicken fingers, they’re flat out delicious. The breading includes black and white sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and some spices. They also rewarm fairly well in a 425F oven. Alongside, I served the stir-fried cabbage with chile and lime. In all that I’ve cooked from the book, the cabbage was the only bummer in the bunch. It was kind of unremarkable. Maybe it needed ginger and a splash of soy sauce instead of salt.

Spiced Apple Cake — A resounding hit in my house and so perfect for fall. It is a make-ahead recipe but putting it together is easy. Make it Sunday morning for afternoon tea or dessert. I barely got photographs done before the husband was asking for a slice.

One of the recipes still on my to-do list is Slow-Cooked Chicken with a Crisp Corn Crust. It has fall written all over it with a rich chicken filling spiced with harissa, paprika, chocolate and cilantro. You can enjoy the chicken as is or top it with the corn crust. We have the recipe below, thanks to the folks at Ten Speed Press.

I’ve cooked from several “everyday” type books in the last few years, including Alton Brown’s EveryDayCook (review) and Smitten Kitchen EveryDay. Ottolenghi SIMPLE is a winner with fresh inspiration for the busy home cook. This collection is the one I’ll be coming back to again and again.

Ottolenghi will be touring the US and Canada starting October 21 with stops in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle (sold out), Vancouver and Toronto.

Get Ottolenghi SIMPLE on Amazon

Print Recipe

Slow-Cooked Chicken With a Crisp Corn Crust

By Yotam Ottolenghi – Serves: 6

This is a wonderful meal on an autumn day, served with a crisp green salad. The slow cooked chicken is packed full of flavor and the crust -- gluten-free, rich and corny -- makes for a welcome (and lighter) change to a heavier mash. You can make the chicken well in advance if you want to get ahead. It keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days or can be frozen for 1 month. You want it to go into the oven defrosted, though, so it will need thawing before baking. The batter needs to be made fresh and spooned on top of the chicken just before the dish gets baked. It can also be baked a few hours in advance—just warm through for 10 minutes, covered in foil, before serving. I love the combination of the chicken and the corn, but the chicken also works well as it is, served on top of rice, in a wrap, or with a buttery baked potato.

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
2 medium-large red onions, thinly sliced (5 cups/500g)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp rose harissa (or 50 percent more or less, depending on variety)
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 lb 14 oz/850g boneless, skinless chicken thighs (9 or 10 thighs)
Salt and black pepper
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp/200ml passata (tomato puree)
5 large tomatoes, quartered (14 oz/400g)
1½ cups/350ml water
1 cup/200g jarred roasted red peppers, drained and cut into ¾-inch/2cm thick rounds
½ oz/15g dark chocolate (70% cacao)
1 cup/20g cilantro, roughly chopped
CORN BATTER
5 tbsp/70g unsalted butter, melted
Scant 4 cups/500g corn kernels, fresh or frozen and defrosted (from 4 large ears corn)
3 tbsp whole milk
3 eggs, yolks and whites separated
Salt

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the onions and fry for 8–9 minutes, stirring a few times, until caramelized and soft. Decrease the heat to medium and add the garlic, harissa, paprika, chicken, 1 tsp salt, and a good grind of black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes longer, stirring frequently, then add the tomato puree and tomatoes. Add the water, bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring every once in a while.

Add the peppers and chocolate and continue to simmer for 35–40 minutes, with the pan now uncovered, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and the chicken is falling apart. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. If you are serving the chicken as it is (as a stew without the batter), it’s ready to serve (or freeze, once it has come to room temperature) at this stage. If you are making the corn crust, spoon the chicken into a ceramic baking dish—one with high sides that measures about 8 x 12 inches/ 20 x 30cm—and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

To make the batter, pour the butter into a blender with the corn, milk, egg yolks, and ¾ tsp salt. Blitz for a few seconds, to form a rough paste, then spoon into a large bowl. Place the egg whites in a separate clean bowl and whisk to form firm peaks. Fold these gently into the runny corn mixture until just combined, then pour the mix evenly over the chicken.

Bake for 35 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Keep an eye on it after 25 minutes to make sure the top is not taking on too much color; you might need to cover it with foil for the final 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes before serving.