This is one of the most delicious, yet simple, recipes in Plenty, with a picture by Jonathan Lovekin that didn't make it to print.

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I didn’t really want it to end. But all sweet things must, eventually, come to an end and so I had to say a sad goodbye to my charming group of students at the Arvon foundation in Totleigh Barton, Devon, and to the centre’s inspiring managers Claire and Olly. Oh, and also to Mr Doggles, a dog who’s much more than just a dog.

I spent a week at Totleigh giving a course in creative writing, alongside Peter Gordon.

Both Peter and I, we later sheepishly admitted to each other, arrived at the centre with serious trepidations. We hadn’t a clue how to teach food writing, or, for that matter, any other form of creative writing. I guess we both secretly trusted the other to get out of this one safely.

As a matter of fact, it wasn’t half as trying as we had imagined. Claire and Olly put us at ease in seconds, with their calm and naturally reassuring demeanours. The beauty of the place and its long and solid literary history also managed to calm our nerves. And Mr. Doggles, of course, with his canine lovability and persistent barking fevers.

But it was only after the first encounter with our students - all so obviously different from each other and having a vast variety of culinary and literary agendas, yet with tons of humour and big personalities – that we realised that all is safe.

The rest was pure fun: from the chicken auction in Hatherleigh to the eventful readings in the barn, from the one-on-one tutorials, where some brutal honesty was often called for, to writing restaurant reviews, from group cooking in the afternoons, where the standard continuously deteriorated, to fumed roars of laughter around the massive dinner table dissecting the organ of one infamous TV chef.

I guess that in the end it worked out so well because our week was about so much more than just creative writing. It was about self expression, changing direction and exposure; it was about courage to embellish, uncovering a voice and leaving safe grounds; and it was about simple human (and dog) interaction.

Due to the phenomenal response to the Saturday classes we run together with Leiths School for Food and Wine, we had to come up with a new booking system with greater clarity and, hopefully, eliminating the frustration of the long waiting list.

Basically, a new list of courses will be advertised every six months. After several weeks, Leiths will open their phones for bookings over two clearly designated days. Those who don’t manage to secure a place in those two days will, unfortunately, have to wait for the next time. To start with, Leiths will restrict booking to one course per person calling.

This may seem a bit harsh but we believe this is the most effective and fairest way to ease the disappointment created by the existing system, where courses are booked out as soon as they are advertised and before many can’t even get a chance to check whether they are available or not.

Here is the system in detail:
• Leiths’ website and the Ottolenghi site will make it clear when the next menus and dates are going to be displayed.
• The new menus will be displayed for several weeks before booking starts.
• The website will give two dedicated booking dates for the next series of classes.
• You will need to make bookings by telephone to Leiths School of Food and Wine on 02087496400 between 9.00am and 4.00pm on those dates.
• You may book for yourself and one friend if you wish.
• When the places are all full, Leiths will then take a waiting list of 15 people.
• Gift vouchers for Ottolenghi courses will only be available during the 2 days of bookings.

The next Ottolenghi menus and dates will be on the Leiths website and Ottolenghi website from 20th of September 2010.

You will be able to book onto these courses if you call Leiths on 02087496400 on the 20th and 21st of October, 9am – 4pm, or until places run out.

Thank you so much for supporting Ottolenghi classes at Leiths and we are sorry such a formal arrangement has been necessary, but we hope you understand and find it easier to use.

After almost 8 years of mango and passion, blueberry crumble and carrot and apple - we are about to change our muffins. It may not sound like anything to some but for us, in our little geeky cake world, this is as momentous as any of the big revolutions in human history.

But please bear with us while we experiment a little longer and come up with suitable substitutes for those old giants... and it is probably evident from the picture that we are not taking this lightly.

Apart from long walks (some sunny, some rainy), a spectacular Sunday Roast at The Potting Shed Pub in Wiltshire and lazy evenings by the fire in a charming Landmark Trust house near Tetbury, we managed to fit in a masterclass and sign many, many books.

...and to all of you (and others) who were brave enough to come and see us cooking scallops at 9am on a Bank Holiday weekend, here are the recipes (all serving 4):

Tiger prawns, scallops and clams with tomato and feta

250ml white wine
1kg clams
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish
600g tinned Italian plum tomatoes, chopped
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 an 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.

Yoghurt flatbread

140g wholemeal flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
140g Greek yoghurt
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
4 tbsp clarified butter (or a mixture of melted butter and vegetable oil)

Combine all the ingredients, apart from the butter, in a bowl and use your hands to mix them together to a dry dough; add more flour if needed. Knead the dough for a minute or so, until it is smooth and uniform. Wrap it in cling film and chill for at least an hour.
When ready to make the flatbreads, divide your dough into six pieces. Roll into balls, then flatten them with a rolling pin into round discs about 2mm thick. Heat some clarified butter in a non-stick pan and fry the flatbreads, one at a time, on a medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Add more butter as you need it and keep the flatbreads warm as they are cooked.

Burnt aubergine with tahini and pomegranate

2 large aubergines
140g tahini paste
120ml water
1½ tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, crushed
30g chopped parsley
6 mini cucumbers (360g in total)
180g cherry tomatoes
Seeds from 1 large pomegranate (180g)
Olive oil to finish
Salt and black pepper

To cook the aubergines on a gas hob, which is the most effective way, start by lining the area around the hob heads with foil to protect them. Put the aubergines directly on two moderate flames and roast for 12–15 minutes, turning frequently with metal tongs, until the flesh is soft and smoky and the skin is burnt all over. Keep an eye on them the whole time so they don’t catch fire. For an electric cooker, pierce the aubergines with a sharp knife in a few places. Put them on a foil-lined tray and place directly under a hot grill for 1 hour, turning them a few times. The aubergines need to deflate completely and their skin should burn and break.
When cool enough to handle scoop out the flesh into a colander, avoiding the blackened skin. Leave to drain for at least 30 minutes.
Chop the aubergine flesh roughly and transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Add the tahini, water, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, garlic, parsley and some salt and pepper; mix well with a whisk. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more garlic, lemon juice or molasses if needed. You want the salad to have a robust sour/slightly sweet flavour.
Cut the cucumbers lengthways in half and then each half lengthways in two. Cut each quarter into 1cm long pieces. Halve the tomatoes. Stir them and the cucumber into the aubergine mix.
To serve, spread over a shallow dish, scatter the pomegranate seeds on top and drizzle with oil.

Saffron rice with barberries, pistachio and mixed herbs

35g unsalted butter
350g basmati rice
550ml boiling water
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp saffron threads
40g dry barberries
2 tsp caster sugar
30g chopped dill
20g chopped chervil
10g chopped tarragon
60g slivered pistachios, lightly toasted

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and stir in the rice, making sure the grains are well coated in butter. Add the boiling water, salt and white pepper, mix well, cover with a tight lid and leave to cook on minimum heat for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, soak the saffron in 3 tablespoons of boiling water and set aside. Throw the barberries and sugar into a small saucepan of boiling water, remove from the heat and leave on the side.
Next, remove the rice pan from the heat and pour the saffron water over the surface of the rice. Cover the pan immediately with a tea towel and place the lid tightly over the towel. Leave for 5 minutes.
Finally, transfer the rice into a mixing bowl, fluff it up with a fork and let it cool down a bit. Drain the barberries and stir them into the rice along with the herbs and most of the pistachios, reserving some to scatter on top when serving. The rice is delicious warm or at room temperature.

It is not too late to come and watch Yotam and Sami at the Hay Festival this bank holiday weekend. Tickets are available online. On the program: Tiger prawns, scallops and clams with tomato and feta, Saffron rice with barberries, pistachio and mixed herbs and more! Entertainment guaranteed.

The most beautiful place for a cookery demonstration? I think I was there on Wednesday.

Sarah Ravens garden is truly outstanding and a perfect venue for a bunch of colourful old Ottolenghi recipes, plus a some new ones from Plenty: Gruyere and rosemary cake, Watercress and chickpea soup, Beetroot with preserved lemon relish and more.

I am there again on June 8th! Call to see if they have any places left: 0845 092 0283. I don't think they do, though. Sorry.

We've been spending the last couple of weeks re-writing and re-trying our canape menu. The new menu is full of our latest creative ideas. We are now fully ready for all manner of spring garden parties, cocktail events, fancy gatherings, or whatever comes to mind.

Cheers!

Hurrah! We are in the Good Food Producers Guide 2010.

This is a fully independent guide, written by the award-winning Daily Telegraph food writer Rose Prince, listing the best places to buy food in the United Kingdom, ranging from farm shops to delis, food markets to specialist producers.

You can order your copy here.

One of our fans lost her recipe for our carrot cake. So here it is again. Note, it is the same recipes as in the Ottolenghi Cookbook

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After an emotional goodbye to Maria and Tanah, we started heading south, through the centre of the north island. The breathtaking landscape made up for bits of culinary desolation, where small towns have little to offer, apart from an always descent flat white and a range of savoury pies, the Kiwi equivalent of the British sandwich.

We visited the area of Rotorua, a unique centre of geothermal activity where boiling geysers erupt through mud and streams of steamy water flow through newly created volcanic valleys. The active volcano Ruapehu was reluctant to show its snowy peak to us until the last minute, when the clouds lifted to reveal its full glory.

Closer to Wellington, in little Greytown, was the culinary highlight of our road trip from Auckland. It was our breakfast at the French Baker, where we had exquisite croissants and the most delicious Parkvale mushrooms on toasted sourdough. This was pure perfection, created by the admirable Moise Cerson, a French chef who had married a Kiwi girl and set up a wonderful bakery of top standards and a cosy and generous atmosphere.

In Wellington we met Hilary, ex-manager of Ottolenghi Notting Hill, a good friend and a true Wellingtonian (with all the local know-how). Hilary took us to lunch at the famous restaurant Logan Brown, where we had paua (local abalone) ravioli with lemon and coriander. It was superb.

In the evening we went to Zibbibo where Anthony Shone, Hilary's boyfriend and head chef, spoilt us with some of his creations. Ortiz anchovy salad with caviar, orange, fennel and radish sticks to mind.

Our one day in the windy Kiwi capital was... how to put it?... filling.

We next headed to Whangarei Heads, a stunning area on the eastern coast of the northern island, about 2 hours drive from Auckland, where our friend, Maria Dallow, has a beautifully charming beach house.

Our weekend at Maria's "bach" was a total heaven. We went swimming in the stunningly clear sea, trying to catch the shoals of dolphins that make regular appearances, alas, without much success, despite Maria's Maori dolphin call.

It was also a culinary wet dream thanks to Maria's friend, Tanah Jane Dowdle, an expert in anything food and wine related, and to the constant flow of seafood supplied by Maria's generous neighbours.

From the freshest kingfish imaginable (see picture), Tanah prepared Ike Mata, a kind of ceviche originating from the Cook Islands and consisting of whatever was left of the fish that we didn't eat while Peter was filleting it, coconut milk, lime and chilli. Superb!

We were also thoroughly introduced to the local clam, Pipi, that we picked ourselves from the water bed during low tide, shucked and then ate as the most sensational spaghetti vongole Tanah made using kamut pasta.

The seafood extravaganza, always accompanied by the finest New Zealand wine or Tanah's cocktail of choice, just didn't want to end. The highly popular Kiwi delicacy of whitebait fritter was probably the pinnacle. (By the way, New Zealand whitebait is a completely different kettle of fish, excuse the pun, from what we have in the UK and absolutely fantastic!)

Haven't been blogging for a while due to a long anticipated trip to New Zealand and Australia, where food, naturally, was very much the focus.

We started off in Auckland, where my friend, Peter Gordon, has Dine, an elegant restaurant serving his signature fusion food with much flare.

Peter's friends and colleagues made us feel at home in seconds after a attending a proper Kiwi barbecue, with the moistest grilled lamb, a huge selection of fantastic local wines and, finally, an alcohol ignited burst of Maori/Kiwi sing-along.

I would have stayed longer in Auckland if there wasn't so much more we wanted to see. Before leaving, though, we had the most gorgeous breakfast at Dizengoff, with the perfect flat white and poached egg.

In May 2010 Yotam Ottolenghi published his much anticipated Plenty, a collection of recipes many of which appeared in different forms in his New Vegetarian column in the Guardian's Weekend magazine, plus plenty of new vegetarian dishes.

All the recipes are true to the Ottolenghi form: vibrant, daring and highly original, with fantastic new photography by Jonathan Lovekin. Signed copies are sold at all of our branches.

Alongside the seriously genius Peter Gordon, I will be tutoring in a summer course focused on food themed writing.

The course will be run by the Arvon Foundation, which offers a huge variety of courses in creative writing set in the most inspiring rural or historic locations.

The week long course, starting July 12th, will be held at Totleigh Barton in Devon. It will explore many types of food writing genres and include various assignments, including some hands-on cooking. Some serious inspiration guaranteed!