Some of the people who made this another gorgeous Ottolenghi Christmas.

So many positive feedbacks after the Jerusalem documentary on BBC4! I can’t tell you the number of warm emails and tweets I received. Working on this project with James Nutt, the director, was fun and challenging at the same time but meeting all the beautiful people of Jerusalem was only uplifting and touching and delicious.

If you live in the UK, you can catch the show on the BBC iPlayer here. At the moment it is only available with a sign language interpreter. BBC4HD will air it on the 31st December and after that you will be able to watch the original on iPlayer.

People have been particularly interested knowing about the restaurants featured in the programmes.

So here they are, and here’s to falafel, za’atar and harmony!

Machneyuda – that’s the last restaurant featured in the show, with the service and all the madness.
Arcadia – where I was shown a deconstructed baba ganush and stuffed potato cakes (Ezra “my-first-name-is-salad” Kedem).
Majda – read all the way down to get the details. This is the restaurant belonging to Michal and Yaakov, a mixed couple, but more importantly – stunning food.
Azura – the incredible kubbeh place where I go to “work” at 5am.
Jaffar – the Knafeh place with the pistachios and all that orange colour. Sweet and meaty.
Zalatimo – the place where Jesus visited regularly and the old man rolls pastry paper-thin. The most delicious sweet in the world, a Zalatimo.
Hummus – so many good hummus places (any of the ones listed is top!). Though I couldn’t find a link to the one featured in the show (“They took our land, now you ask me about the dish?”). It’s called Al-Akarmawi and if you leave Damascus gate from inside the walls, cross the busy road and start going up the street coming off it, it is on the right hand side.
Kadosh – the café and bakery making those mouthwatering krantz cakes that I made so badly.

And a few other great places that I wouldn’t miss but didn’t make it to the final cut:
Rachmo, Barood, Ramas Kitchen and Shaheen.

To my surprise there has been a lot of discussion about the music, so here's a list of the artists and songs.
Balkan beet box with; Gross, Joro Boro, Smatron, Gypsy queens, Balcumbia, Baharim.
Shantel with Fige ki ase.
It also featured music from Tristin Norwell.

Slightly complicated, but here are this year's holiday season opening hours:

Kensington will be closed 24th December to 5th January.

Notting Hill, Belgravia and Islington

December 24th 08.00 – 16.00
December 25th closed
December 26th closed
December 27th 09.00 - 18.00
December 28th normal
December 29th normal
December 30th normal
December 31st 08.00 – 16.00
January 1st closed
January 2nd closed (Islington will be open 09.00 - 18.00)
January 3rd normal

A very short weekend in the Basque cities of Bilbao and San Sebastian was a living proof of the extreme abilities of the human stomach to expand endlessly and the incredible power of mother nature to inflict all its might – gale force winds and quantities of rain not seen since Noah – on a bunch of people that just wanted to... eat.

There was the minimum dose of the obligatory culture at the Guggie in Bilbao, but that wouldn't have sustained us for very long. So off we went to San Sebastian, the culinary capital.

On the way, in the mountains between the two cities, was the absolute highlight of the trip: a meal at Etexbarri. This is where we had the best chorizo, the best jamon and the absolutely best charred beef we have ever tasted: fatty and moist and very very beefy. This is worth the biggest detour.

We skipped Arzak and all the other big names in San Sebastian in favour of long hours in the hotel – rain, rain, rain – and hopping from one pintxos bar to the next. The pintxos (Basque tapas) are so varied and complex that you need to go and sample the specialties of each bar to really get the full experience.

A few pointers: Paco Bueno in the old town does beautiful gambas. Have it with Vermouth. Borda-Berri, also in the old town, is for the octopus.

In the new town Meson Bidea Berri does sensational piquillo peppers. And the most fantastic coquettes in the world are at Gaztelu-txiki. Never had anything like them, particularly the mushroom variety.

And then it rained so badly, that we had to run away, which is good, since our bodies would just not tolerate one more gram of fat.

Feeling totally smug and completely happy to congratulate ourselves on winning Best Cookbook for Plenty in the Observer Food Monthly 2011 Awards.

Our next available set of cookery classes at Leiths are starting in January 2012.

As before, there will be a short window of opportunities to sign in to the classes, due to their great popularity. Leiths' booking line (020 87496400) will be open on 17th of October only, from 9am onwards, until places run out. We advice you to be persistent and keep on trying even if the line is busy. Once connected, you'll be able to book a class for up to 2 people.

We hope you all have success in booking and looking forward to teaching you soon!

14 January, with Sami Tamimi
Purple sprouting broccoli with chilli, garlic and feta
Root mash with wine braised shallots
Spicy lamb and kebabs
Kohlrabi and white cabbage slaw with lemon zest, tarragon, dill and sesame seeds
Plum, grappa and hazelnut trifle

18 February, with Yotam Ottolenghi
Bulgur and cauliflower tabouleh with red onion, pomegranate and sweet spices
Smoked aubergine salad with red onion, yellow pepper, tomato and cumin
Swiss chard cakes with Greek yoghurt
Purple sprouting broccoli with chilli, garlic and lemon
Busbusa: semolina, orange and coconut cake

24 March, with Sami Tamimi
Courgette fritters with Greek yoghurt and mint sauce
Char-grilled chicken, orange and herb salad
Roasted red and golden beetroot salad
French beans with tarragon, sesame and garlic
Baked rhubarb with meringue and yoghurt cream

21 April, with Yotam Ottolenghi
Padron pepper fritters
Chicken and courgette burgers with spring onion and yoghurt-dill sauce
Saffron couscous with chervil
Caramelised fennel with goat’s curd and fennel seeds
Baked pears in white wine and cardamom

12 May, with Sami Tamimi
Baked artichokes and broad beans
Pork belly and fresh fennel salad with sumac, lemon and mint
Saffron rice with barberries, pistachio and mixed herbs
Okra with tomato, preserved lemon and coriander
Limoncello and mascarpone trifle

16 June, with Yotam Ottolenghi
Roasted aubergine with preserved lemon and chilli yoghurt
Salmon steaks with chreime (North African sauce)
French bean salad with fennel, roast cherry tomato and basil oil
Bulgar and herb pilaf
Baked cherries with meringue and yoghurt cream

21 July, with Sami Tamimi
Padron pepper fritters
Butterbean mash with lemon juice, garlic, spring onion and sumac
Yoghurt flatbread
Roasted aubergine with a sharp salsa of walnut, pomegranate and coriander
Caramelised fennel with goat’s curd and fennel seeds
Fresh strawberries with orange blossom syrup and cream

A weekend at two harvest festivals, Alex James in Oxfordshire and Jimmys in Suffolk, was full of small exhilarating moments, some slightly nerve wrecking, others of great joy.

I travelled with Mark Hannell, ex-Ottolenghi currently-NOPI chef, with the unclear position of companion / assistant / sous / big spoon.

Our drive from London to Oxforshire on a serene Saturday morning was going so smoothly that we just had to manufacture some drama. Waiting for two and half minutes for the coveted blue wristbands (VIP!), allowing you to roam freely in the grounds, threw Mark into a fit of rage.

Here is Mark, livid at having to wait at the gates:

And then, finally, the desired bands:

Then, some real drama. We are sat sipping wine minutes before our demo on the big stage, with screens and other paraphernalia all around, when earlier demonstrator, Nuno Mendes of Viajnte, (pictured below with Gee, the back stage manager) blurts something about having to bring all his ingredients with him from London. A shiver down the spine, a violent bout of cold sweat, a tight knot in the stomach... Ingredients? What ingredients? And Mark and I are marching/running/sprinting towards the back stage, arriving breathless with pleading grins: Gee, Gee, Ingredients? Maybe?

“Oh, it’s all been sorted out hours ago, of course”, says the annoyingly chilled Gee. Pheeeww.....

The rest went smoothly and delightfully. I cooked couscous, a seafood stew and fennel with soft goat’s cheese (recipes below), the audience seemed happy, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall featured prominently, Richard Corrigan tried kicking me off the stage and Mark even got an autograph request (he’ll never hear the end of it from fellow NOPI-chefs)

Fat Freddys Drop were brilliant on stage and dinner at The Chefs Table with the festival team, Jay Rayner and Ravinder Bhogal was delicious, even if I was (arguably) responsible for some of the dishes.

The next morning we were at Jimmy’s where there was no drama, real or made-up, just a perfect peaceful festival atmosphere, mostly blue skies and a loving crowd. Couldn’t ask for more!

Green couscous (adapted from my book Plenty)

Serves six

100g fregola (giant couscous)
150g couscous
170ml boiling water or vegetable stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
50g shelled unsalted pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1 fresh green chilli, finely sliced
80g rocket leaves
Salt
Herb paste
Grated zest of 2 lemons
30g parsley
20g coriander
3 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp chopped tarragon
2 tbsp chopped dill
120ml olive oil
½ teaspoon salt

Place the fregola in a pan of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon of salt per litre) and simmer for 18 minutes or until aldente (this may vary according to brand). Drain into a colander and run under plenty of cold water. Leave to dry completely.
Place the couscous in a large bowl, cover with the boiling water or stock and drizzle with half the olive oil. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave for 5–10 minutes. Use a fork to fluff up and then stir in the cooked fregola.
Meanwhile, fry the onion in the remaining olive oil on medium heat until golden and completely soft, 10-15 minutes. Add ½ a teaspoon of salt and the cumin and mix well. Leave to cool slightly.
Next, make the herb paste by placing all the ingredients in a food processor and blitzing until smooth. Add this to the couscous and fregola and mix everything together. Add the cooked onion, the pistachios, spring onions, green chilli and rocket and gently mix. Taste, add salt if needed and serve at room temperature.

Tiger prawns, scallops and clams with tomato and feta

Serves four

250ml white wine
1kg clams
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
600g peeled and chopped Italian plum tomatoes (fresh or tinned)
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 lemon
200g tiger prawns, peeled and de-vained
200g large scallops, cleaned
120g feta, broken into chunks
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper

Place the wine in a medium saucepan and reduce to 1 quarter. Add the clams, cover immediately with a lid, and cook for about 2 minutes, shaking occasionally, until the clams open. Transfer to a fine sieve to drain, keeping the cooking juices. Remove the clams out of their shells, keeping just a few in the shells to finish the dish.
Set the oven to 220ºC.
Cook the garlic in the oil for about a minute, until golden. Carefully add the tomatoes, clam liquids, sugar, oregano and some salt and pepper. Shave off 3 lemon skin strips, add them and simmer gently until the sauce thickens well, about 20-25 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper accordingly.
Add the prawns and scallops, stir gently and cook for just a minute or two. Fold in the shelled clams and transfer everything to a small ovenproof dish. Sink feta pieces inside the sauce and sprinkle with spring onion. Top with some clams in their shells and place in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until the top colours a little and prawns and scallops are just cooked.
Remove the dish from the oven, squeeze a little lemon juice on top and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Caramelised fennel with goat’s curd and fennel seeds (from my book Plenty)

Serves four

4 small fennel heads
40g unsalted butter
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 garlic clove, crushed
50g dill, roughly chopped
140g goat’s curd or a young and creamy goat’s cheese such as rosary
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Coarse sea salt and black pepper

Start by preparing the fennel bulbs. First take off the leafy fronds and keep them for garnish. Then slice off some of the root part and remove any tough or brown outer layers, making sure the base still holds everything together. Cut each bulb lengthways into 1-1½cm thick slices.
Melt half the butter and half the oil in a large frying pan placed over high heat. When they start to foam add one layer of sliced fennel. Do not overcrowd the pan and don’t turn the fennel over or stir it around in the pan until one side has become light golden, about 2 minutes. Turn the slices over, using kitchen tongs, and cook for a further minute or two. Remove from the pan. Continue with the rest of the fennel using up the remaining butter and oil. Once the entire fennel has been seared, add sugar, fennel seeds and plenty of salt and pepper to the pan. Fry for 30 seconds and then stir the fennel slices back into the pan, caramelising them gently for 1-2 minutes (they need to remain hard inside so just allow them to coat in the melting sugar and seeds). Remove the fennel from the pan and leave to cool down on a plate.
To serve, toss the fennel in a bowl along with the garlic and dill. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Arrange on a serving plate, dotting with spoonfuls of goat’s curd. Finish with a drizzle of oil, scatter with lemon zest and garnish with the fennel fronds. Serve at room temperature.

After seven years of hectic operation, we are about to give the Islington restaurant a serious and well-needed facelift.
For this we will need to close the restaurant for nine days – from Tuesday, 30th of August, to Wednesday, 7th of September. We will re-open, all white and gleaming, on Thursday, 8th of September.
We hope that you will bear with us and come back to enjoy all the usual Ottolenghi delights soon after.
Thanks for your understanding!

Hundreds of recipes by Yotam Ottolenghi are now available in both our cookbooks (Plenty and Ottolenghi), and there is a constant stream of fresh ones available in the Guardian website (you can scroll back years to find an untold treasure!) and many other publications. Happy cooking!

read more

Now it’s LA and what a change from modest San Francisco! It’s sunny, it’s flat and it’s massive. Joans on Third is the first stop and Joan gives me a reception of a lifetime, with enough food, actually, to last at least a lifetime or two. And if that isn’t enough, she brings some more goodie bags to dinner later on, just in case I am still hungry. Joan’s popular cafe/deli is a bit of a stars’ Mecca. But it is also pretty good! Joan’s pickles and short rib sandwich are heartachingly good.

Here’s Joan, on the right, with Lucy Lean, author, blogger, expert of all LA and food related topics and the worthy organiser of most of my LA engagements.

Dinner is at Animal, where chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo do the honourable thing and turn their meaty joint (think St John’s, but grungier) into a righteous vegetarian temple. They do it with style and grace and with no complaints. The dishes – perfectly executed – are all from Plenty and I have to pay the price and individually personalise 150 copies. Ouch!

On the last day in LA I get to meet Jeff Cerciello at his Farmshop in Santa Monica and sample some of his delectable breakfast dishes. How can you feel so full at 11am, I ask myself.

Dinner is another Plenty event, this time at Soho House. With the help of Nikki and Max (actually, those two lovely people do everything, I just window dress), we serve 60 diners butternut, fennel and other veggies. But what I get most excited about is the design and layout of this member’s club, occupying the 2 top floors of 14 storey building on Sunset Blvd. Surreptitiously (photography isn’t allowed), I manage to take some pictures of the space and views. As Americans say, it’s awesome.

My last day in San Francisco I spend with Heidi Swanson, a venerated cookbook author and one of the first and most popular food bloggers. She’s also generous, kind, knowledgeable and a total pleasure to be with.

Together we visit Big Daddys Antiques and then Rainbow Foods, a quirky food co-op that couldn’t possibly exist anywhere but in California, with 6 types of organic peanut butter sold from barrels, hundreds of grains in jars and about a hectare worth of weird vitamins.

Lastly, Heidi and her partner Wayne treat me to a delicious goodbye from America at NOPA, the chefs’ hangout and centre of pure comfort. I think I’ll be back.

Breakfast on day two was a morning bun at the legendary Tartine bakery in San Francisco’s Mission. It is out of my scope to describe the deliciousness of the morning pastries at Tartine. The infamous queue – always there, all times of the day – speaks for itself. It’s worth it though. Everything, absolutely everything, is wonderfully buttery and sweet and soothing.

I also happened to stumble across so some wonderful graffiti on Clarion, a few blocks away from Tartine.

Having used the term legendary once here, how can I describe the next stop at Berkley’s Chez Panisse? I guess that in the case of Alice Waters, whom I have had the honour to meet briefly, no fancy adjectives are really needed. The visit was inspiring on all fronts, including a brief meeting with another hero, David Tanis.

My lunch at the cafe with the team from Chronicle was just fantastic. As expected, the ingredients did most of the talking. We had, among other things, pizza with figs, pancetta and rocket, a Tunisian spicy chickpea soup, a superb fattoush and chicken with plum sauce and fried whole spring onions. The best thing, though, was bowl of Santa Rosa plums. I have never tasted such plums before.

Later I was taken to Chez Panisse’s Edible Schoolyard, an organic garden and kitchen where young students from the local school learn how to grow fruit and veg, how to cook and how to engage with the world and with each other with food at the centre.

The whole day seemed so be about abundance and generosity. After Chez Panisse David from Cronichle took me to Berkeley Bowl West supermarket, probably the place with largest variety of carrots and radishes on the planet. I was beet-red with envy for the quantity and choice. Yes, I know, we are fortunate enough in England to have great local and European produce all year round but this is something else.

To top it all the day ended with the warmest and most welcoming dinner at Camino in Oakland, where Russ and Allison hosted a Plenty inspired dinner for 120 guests that were spoilt rotten by their hearty food and hospitality. The place looked stunning, the food astounding and I believe I was slightly intoxicated by all the love.

I am in the west coast of the US promoting Plenty, with a very (!) full schedule kindly provided by the adorable people at Chronicle, my American publisher. Cramming in one short day enough eating to last anyone else half a lifetime is my form of art. And so far, I have kept my standards pretty high.

Upon landing, literally, I was taken by childhood friend Yoni to Mission Chinese Food, a kind of grubby pop-up restaurant that has seemed to have turned permanent with a cult following of immense magnitude. By 7pm there were at least 20 people queuing outside, and more to arrive shortly. They don’t take bookings so queuing is the only way. And it is well worth it.

Despite the too-cool-for-school style of chefs, servers and many diners, the food is dead serious. Our most loved were the pork belly with soy cured eggs and cucumber, the tea-smoked eel rolls with pulled ham hock and the lamb and fresh noodle soup in a tingly broth. The flavours are massive (!) and that’s a lot, coming for me, but almost always perfectly-balanced. I would have tried everything on the menu, if I only could, but, alas, stomach capacity and jet-lag were creeping up on me, slowly but very surely.

Yesterday, Tuesday, was my first day of proper working (well, at least I call it work). Interview at Il Cane Rosso in the ferry building was over an egg sandwich, but not any old egg sandwich. I am talking a sumptuous take on the theme with a warm salad made with anchovy butter and capers, served on a very crunchy bread slice.

Next was a selection of macaroons from [link https://www.miette.com/ Miette], also in the ferry building. These were not the fancy French style of Pierre Herme and Laduree, but more naturally looking and tasting. The hazelnut and chocolate won a resounding yes.

Dinner was hosted by the charming Elan and Brett Emerson at their Contigo restaurant, a mega-popular place that is talked about all over town for its perfectly executed Barcelona inspired tapas. Elan and Brett were too good natured to stand up to the relentless pressures from Celia Sack of Omnivore Books, the most charming book shop I have ever seen, who took it upon herself to force me on all the best restaurants in town. So they hosted a most delicious meal inspired by Plenty. Such an honour!

Thank you Celia, Thank you Brett, Thank you Elan - And what a night!

Here’s just a few of the highlights:

Wood oven roasted Monterey sardine and avocado toast with pickled onion and smoked salt

Smashed corn on sourdough toast with La Quercia speck, Idiazbal cheese and peimentos de padron

Local king salmon baked on a fig leaf with summer beans, samphire, mustard seeds, tarragon and allioli

Must I continue?

Mike Britten, manager and most familiar face of Ottolenghi, Belgravia, is back from Italy with a very visual travel log:

Another year, another trip to my wonderful friends Neil and Richie and their home in the hills of the Piemonte region of Italy, an area abundant in naturally grown produce that is converted into some of the best quality cheeses, wines, salamis and meats I have tasted.

This trip was full of (mainly) foodie excitements:

A ten course fish supper at the Sardinian owned Trattoria Fabiana perched on the edge of a beautiful valley.

The wafer thin shaved octopus, sea bass fillet on crushed peas with hazelnut sauce and an octopus lollipop croquette were particular highlights of this girth expanding supper.

A trip to the beautiful and historic Turin.

A very tiny cheese and wine festival in Murrazzano, where we met an organic farmer who invited us to his kitchen canteen and farm for supper (more of this later).

The obligatory trip to Alba for Prosecco in the central Piazza, followed by a drive through the wine lands of Barolo and a little stop off in this medieval town perched on top of a hill. Sadly, being in Italy and it being a Monday everything was closed (Next time – wine tasting doesn’t escape me that easily!)

Finally, back to our organic farm invite. At the end of a tiny gravel lane, down a valley we find, Finnochiona Verde Farm. Literally translated as - Green Fennel Farm, locally known as The Green Gay!

Amusing but lost in translation. The beautiful food made and served here using mainly produce from this farm, worked much better than the local humour.

After watching the livestock milking, we ate peppery salami, extremely ‘hoofy’ goat’s and sheep’s cheese, super-fresh raw broad beans, excellently flavoured carne cruda (something I can never normally get my head around) followed by simple pasta and a rabbit stew.

The piece de resistance however, was the wild strawberry, Moscato and mint jelly dessert. Quite simply - stunning! The wild strawberries are everywhere across the valleys at this time of year.

The Finnochiona Verde is affiliated with W.O.O.F, an organisation that allows volunteers from all over the world to come along and learn about organic farming. No better way to get your hands dirty.

Next up for me: Biennial Bra International Cheese Festival in September - another reason, should one be needed to take a trip to Piemonte.

Plenty is now published in Germany, Holland and the US and I just got back from a speedy promotional tour in Amsterdam and New York.

In the Dutch capital I was fortunate enough to be coupled with the much-admired (by me and everyone else) Claudia Roden who's Book of Jewish Food just got a brand new Dutch edition. We gave a cookery demonstration and a talk at the Uilenburger synagogue and then had dinner at Toscanini, my favourite Amsterdam restaurant ever since I lived there in the mid 90’s. From all the marvellous dishes the lamb’s tongue with quail egg was the one I can’t let go of.

The next day Claudia and I signed books. I had to get out quickly, though, to have the famous herring sandwich sold in small stands along the canals. This was an everyday affair for me in the old days and it was (almost) as heavenly as I had remembered.

A man on a mission, I also had to taste the famous Dutch prawn croquettes from Holtkamp, probably the best bakery in Amsterdam. I was so determined to have them I got the book shop owner to call Holtkamp and reserve some for me. What can I say? I am obsessive. I got there, breathless, at 5-to-closing-time and received a perfectly packed bag with two boxes full of croquettes. As I was leaving the sales’ assistant, clearing down, just reminded me to “defrost them for five hours before you fry them”. My heart sank with agony: how, where and when. Reluctantly, very (!), I had to give the treasure to my Michael and Peter, living in Amsterdam, who sent me this the next morning:

Well, I was on my way to New York, which was some kind of consolation, but the pent-up frustration (plane food was bad, really bad) made me grab Noga, one of my oldest friends, as soon as I arrived and take her to momofuku ssam bar and milk bar next door for David Chang’s famous pork buns and cornflakes milk. Only after wiping my mouth with glee I was truly over the croquette trauma.

The next day I was on the Martha Stewart show cooking garlic tart and couscous live, in front of an audience. I was terrified to start with but the combination of American professionalism (nothing is left to chance, though I did manage to forget the onion in the couscous), Martha’s composure and having Noga and Tamar there turned this into some kind of fun/funny reunion.

Next on the agenda for the day was a book signing at
Williams Sonoma and terrific sushi at Takahachi in the East Village with Jeffrey and Thomas. Sake hangover the following morning felt like some kind of punishment, not sure what for. Perhaps greed?

On Tuesday I cooked aubergine at Bon Appetit and made sure my American publisher didn’t feel they brought me out here for nothing but the absolute highlight was dinner at Torrisi (Food? again?) with warm home-made mozzarella and a pork salad with radicchio and a few mysterious ingredients. My friend Keren was half asleep, I was full and also completely exhausted, but we were both grinning with silly joy when leaving the restaurant.

Just before flying back, I managed to squeeze in vegetable shopping at Union square market, followed by a couple of hours with NY Times journalist cooking Swiss chard cakes at her funky Brooklyn apartment before heading back to a very sunny London.

Our shiny new restaurant, NOPI, is now in full operation. It’s not an Ottolenghi but it is beautiful, delicious and proves very popular already. You can book a table, upstairs or downstairs, read our blog or just enjoy the pictures...

Photographs by Keiko Oikawa