Just back from an enchanting weekend in the south of France. Karl and I stayed with our friends, Ossi and Paul Burger, in the house they rent every summer at the village of La Garde Freinet, 25 minutes up the hill from Saint Tropez.

Ossi, an extremely capable yet unassuming cook, had for us a majestic meal as soon as we came out from our first run of the pool. Paul got the line caught Loup de Mer at the tiny fish market in Saint Tropez (see above) and Ossi served it in a light broth, made with tomato, fennel, saffron and Pernod. How appropriate!

Cheese - Chèvre frais, Reblochon and Beaufort – Paul got next door to the fish market, at a hole-in-the wall shop selling a huge array of French cheese and run by the entertaining Carmen and Dominique (photo above).

The wine was from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Paul and Ossi went to the famous estate Vieux Telegraph hoping to come back with cases of the famous wines. Instead, they managed to buy a case of wonderful Gigondas 2003, Domain Les Pallières.

There was more, but at some point you just sink into blissful unconsciousness.

The next day we were at the famous beach club 55 in Saint Tropez, where we saw some (literally) unreal bodies descending from yachts for a bite at this 50 year old establishment.

Dinner was at a fantastically hidden-away little restaurant in the village of Cogolin, where Anne and Philippe Audibert have been running and admirable two-man-show for years. The menu at Grain de Sel is minimal, made out of what Philippe buys at the local market and nothing else and is typically Provencal/North-Italian. The highlights were veal confit with roasted vegetable, risotto with wild sea bass and lemon and small yet full of flavour strawberries drizzled with vanilla infused olive oil. Wow!

We have just received all the hi-res photos taken while working on the cookbook. This is a treasure of striking images by the highly gifted Richard Learoyd.

Richard was generous enough to give us all the images, including many that didn't make it to the book.

Over the next few months we will be publishing here a trickle of photographs, with the relevant pages in the book. This is meant to encourage those of you who haven't got the book yet to rush out and buy it. The others we encourage to try more and more recipes.

Pan-fried sea bass on pita with labneh, tomato and preserved lemon - page 144

Sweet broccolini with tofu, sesame and coriander - page 39

A culinary weekend at the Brecon Beacons ended up being a very wet affair. Apart from a short venture up a promising hill - reaching a fine summit to discover zero visibility and 3 solitary sheep - we mainly managed to steam up the car.

Still, a huge consolation for the poor weather conditions was an unforgettable meal at Shaun Hill’s Walnut Tree, outside Abergavenny. It was, literally, perfect, a title I am always hesitant to give.

The starters and the mains were outstanding (the calf’s sweetbreads and pig cheeks – the highlights) but the desserts ruled. I have never had a pannacotta with better consistency and the poppy seed parfait with caramelized apricots surprised all of us by the harmony of flavours and beautifully light texture.

Worth a huge detour, all the way from London and back.

Come and celebrate with us the publication of our Cookbook in a relaxed and informal style dinner.

On Thursday, 24th July 08, La Fromagerie will be hosting a tasting event with Sami Tamimi & Yotam Ottolenghi.

On arrival guests will enjoy Lychee Martinis & Saffron Scented Prosecco, before being introduced to a menu of vibrant of dishes. This will include roast chicken with saffron, honey and hazelnuts, cauliflower and cumin fritters, marinated aubergine with tahini and oregano, cous-cous and mograbiah with oven-dried tomatoes and seared tuna with pistachio crust and papaya salsa.

All dishes will be enjoyed along side well chosen wines.

Tickets are £70.00pp including all wines.

La Fromagerie, 2 – 6 Moxon Street, W1 Time: 7.30pm

For further information please telephone La Fromagerie: 020 79350341

Or download a booking form

Last night we resumed our tradition, where Sami and Yotam, together with partners, gather for a tasting of a new dish, soon to be turned into a recipe. Sami makes the food, the rest of us taste and give a verdict.

We did it every Friday for many months, whilst working on the cookbook. After a long-winded discussion of inherent virtues, textures and subtle aromas, we'd come out with a final decision: yay or ney.

This recent one was definitely a yay. Fried and then baked baby aubergines, served warm with a sweet spice tomato sauce and, you'd never guess, thick Greek yoghurt.

Soon to appear on an Ottolenghi menu!

This is such an exciting time for us - Sami and Yotam. We are barraged by compliments and good wishes about the book that we just continuously smirk and blush.

Sales seem to be great (constantly refreshing Amazon's bestsellers page) but what is more important are the reactions we get from customers and readers.

They all seem to like it - a lot. "I tried 7 recipes this week and they were all incredibly delicious," a customer in Islington told us the other day. She is taking the book to Tuscany with her to give to a friend, an accomplished Italian chef.

And there is much more. Check out these 2 reviews (we couldn't have written better ourselves):

Amazon.co.uk

101cookbooks

Incredible!

We have now finalized our plans for the next set of Saturday morning cookery classes, done in collaboration with Leiths School of Food and Wine.

The classes tend to fill up quickly so sign up now!

Just to remind you, the days begin with registration at 9.30 and start promptly at 10.00 with a discussion of the skills and recipes to be covered. Students work in pairs and then sit down and enjoy the food they have made with a glass of wine. Some people come with a friend, but most come alone and enjoy the friendly atmosphere. The classes finish at approximately 2.00.

September 13th

Gazpacho soup with Yemenite chilli paste
Baked monk fish with fennel, potato, caper and fennel seeds
Braised broccolini with chilli, garlic, sesame oil and lime

October 18th

Polenta crusted fish cakes with spicy tomato and basil sauce
Aubergine with preserved lemon and chilli yoghurt
Wild rice and quinoa salad with dried blueberry, walnut, lemon and herbs

November 15th

Courgette and feta fritters with Greek yoghurt and mint sauce
Bulgar and aubergine pilaf with onion and sweet spice
French bean salad with fennel, roast cherry tomato and basil oil

December 6th

Braised lamb meatballs with quince, pomegranate and fresh coriander
Buttered basmati rice with fennel seeds, coriander seeds and dill
Slaw of courgette, fennel and red cabbage with dried cranberries

The cost of one class is £120. To book please call Leiths School of Food and Wine (020 8749 6400) or book via the website

It took us, Yotam and Sami, a whole year, and many hours of testing and tasting to put together our first collection of recipes. The Cookbook, finally out on the 1st of May 2008, is published by Ebury press, cover price £25. You can order it from Amazon, Play, Waterstone’s, or the publisher’s own rBbooks online shop.

The Cookbook is our first attempt at “summing up” Ottolenghi food for the home cook. The 140 recipes cover everything we do: our prominent salads and roast vegetable dishes, cold meat and fish, substantial main courses from our dinner menu in Islington, some of our wholesome breads and savoury pastries, and a good mixture of the sweets that distinctively adorn Ottolenghi’s windows. We encourage you to use this open window into our world.

The pollution almost did me in. I am back from a short visit to Vietnam, where I took in some of the filthiest air on the planet with some of the most incredibly delicious food.
First, 24 hours in Hong Kong. Despite jetlag, I dragged my lazy bones to the Jordan neighbourhood in Kowloon. Sat on low a stool at Aberdeen restaurant, somewhere around Temple Street, and downed truly great scallops, topped with vermicelli, bread crumbs, coriander and garlic (so much of it, I should take some Ottolenghi customers here to show them what garlicky really means). Also on the menu, and I quote precisely: Fried affluent prawn with spiced salt; Big shell in boiled water till cooked; Deep fried stomach fish; Pigs intestine and goose intestine.
Next day I managed to squeeze dim-sum and jellied pig’s ears, incredibly tasty, at King’s Lodge, 67-71 Chatham Road South, Kowloon.
Hanoi greeted me with a thick veil of misty smog that never lifted during my 5 days there and eventually brought me down with a violent flu. Prior to this unfortunate eventuality, Alex (my travel companion and Ottolenghi’s designer) and I managed to find the best restaurant in town on the first day. All other paled in comparison so we just kept on coming. We must have eaten at Quan An Ngon (18 Phan Boi Chau, Quan Hoan Kiem; Tel: (04) 942 8162/3) five times, turning into regular fixtures. It is not quite a restaurant but more of a cluster of stalls, serving what they do best in Hanoi, street food. The freshness of ingredients and the light touch when bringing it all together are the signature features. Fish sauce, nuoc mam, the common denominator. Everything was good, but some wonderful highlights were: Banh Xeo (Vietnamese pancake or crepe, light as a feather); Goi Bo Bop Thau (beef salad); and Mien Xao Luon (stir-fries cassava noodles with eels).
Check out this Hanoi food blog: www.stickyrice.typepad.com

Try making these for a posh bonfire. It isn’t that simple, though, as it requires boiling sugar to a certain point. You will need a sugar thermometer and a strong free-standing mixer. Note that we don’t roast the pistachios so that they keep their vibrant green colour.

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You don’t have to use pears here. Granny Smith apples, firm peaches and even bananas could work well. Whatever you choose will turn this into a delicious seasonal dessert when served with cream or ice-cream.

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Over the past few years we have been nurturing a close collaboration with Leiths school of food and wine, now based in Chiswick. As well as guest chef classes given by Yotam Ottolenghi to the students at the school, we take on students (and sometimes also teachers) for work experience, some of which end up working with us permanently.

As part of this close collaboration, we also offer monthly hands-on cookery classes at Leiths. These sessions, held on Saturday mornings, offer a brilliant opportunity for our customers and fans to come and get a first-hand Ottolenghi cooking experience with our chefs and the highly qualified teachers of Leiths. The Saturday workshops start at 9.30. They are fun and are conducted in a very relaxed manner. You don’t need to know much about cooking and can come on your own or with a friend or a partner.

The cooking is done in couples and at the end, around 1pm, tables are laid for everybody to enjoy their creations with a glass of wine.

The cost of one class is £115. To book please call Leiths School of Food and Wine (020 7937 3366) or book via their website www.leiths.com

Next cookery classes:

Moroccan Flavours, February 2nd 2008 – sold out

Sweet potato patties with cumin and coriander
Crunchy cucumber and red onion salad
Chicken tagine with preserved lemon and olives, served with saffron couscous

Vegetarian, March 8th – sold out

Beetroot, carrot and red cabbage slaw with cranberries and pecans
Baked polenta with wild mushrooms, tallegio and thyme
French beans with tarragon, sesame and garlic

Brunch, April 12th – sold out

Own granola with yoghurt and fresh fruit
Warm and spicy corn muffins
Shakshuka: Tunisian eggs with tomatoes, peppers, saffron and coriander

Early Summer Event, June 14th - sold out

Chilled pea and sour cream soup with basil and chive
Pan-fried sea bass with green and red tomato salsa
Bulgar salad with caramelized onion, feta and tarragon

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.

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This is a gutsy dish. You allow the mushrooms to burn slightly and then absorb lots of lemon juice to create sharp, contrasting flavours. You can serve the mushrooms on a plate of mezzes along side different roasted and marinated vegetables.

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We make infinite kinds of rice salads at Ottolenghi, mixing different varieties of rice and many combinations of herbs and vegetables. The secret is getting in enough oil and juices so the rice isn’t dry at all.

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