Yotam Ottolenghi's comfort food | Food
Comfort food recipesFoodYotam Ottolenghi's comfort food
From childhood memories of Hanukkah, to his first company kitchen in Notting Hill, Yotam Ottolenghi selects eight dishes that bring a helping of nostalgia to his table …Collect all 36 glossy recipe cards from seven of our favourite chefs – free in the paper from Saturday 21 January
Beetroot blinis
During Hanukkah, Jews eat latkes (potato cakes) fried in butter or oil and dipped in sour cream. They are pure indulgence – crisp and luscious. These blinis are slightly more sophisticated but they still evoke the same sense of comfort and pleasure I remember from childhood.
Curry laksa
South-east Asia is the ultimate destination for food tourists. Nowhere else in the world are people as happy and willing to spend their days doing nothing but eating – and it's done with such a joyful sense of celebration. This soup takes me back to my first night in Malaysia, in a bustling hawker centre in Penang.
Turkey cakes with wasabi guacamole
These turkey cakes – or burgers as we call them at Ottolenghi – take me back to the early days of the company, when there were only a few of us working in a tiny Notting Hill kitchen. Sami Tamimi, head chef, would leave the burgers to cool down right under our noses. Sadly, they often didn't make it to the shop.
Mackerel escabeche salad
My affair with mackerel started in Amsterdam, many years ago. Winters in Holland can be bitterly cold, but once spring arrives everything comes to life. My personal celebration would be to go out on my bike, stop by the side of a canal to buy a fresh mackerel sandwich and sit and watch the world go by.
Indian ratatouille
In 2007, I went backpacking by myself in India. After three days, in the holy city of Haridwar, I ditched the backpack, upgraded to a hotel and treated myself to a delicious meal, not dissimilar to this dish.
Stuffed peppers with fondant swede and gruyère
All root vegetables are elevated to the sphere of the sublime by slowly cooking them in butter. I learned this during my French culinary training. Still, I never turned into a complete convert – I guess it was a step too far from the food I grew up with. But once in a while, I go back to basics and it is a joy.
Meringue roulade with rose and morello cherries
There is something magical – slightly unreal, even – about eating flower petals. It's a bit like drinking perfume – the scent of f lowers in food always transports me to exotic places, far from London in January.
Blackberry and star anise friands
When buttery cakes like these come out of the oven, I'm often besotted by the smell. I feel compelled to grab a warm piece, take a bite and enjoy the wonderful sensation of sweet bliss taking over …
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