In solution mode with Ottolenghi and the OTK squad

Passion for pantry is the first cookbook produced by the creative brigade of chef Yotam Ottolenghi, to whom we owe in particular Plenty and Jerusalem. In their laboratory kitchen in London, the Anglo-Israeli chef and his OTK (Ottolenghi Test Kitchen) team have developed the dishes that they want will enhance and simplify our daily lives. On the menu: creativity, ingenuity and mixed flavors. Meeting (by videoconference) with one of the most prominent chefs of his generation and his co-author, Chef Noor Murad.

Isabelle morin
Press

How did you approach the writing of this book?

Noor Murad: Making a series of books with the OTK was in our plans for a long time. The pandemic has provided us with the framework around which this first work revolves. During confinement, everyone tried to cook with what they had on hand. We decided to make it our angle. Creating from what you have in the pantry is a skill to be learned, whether or not you are in a pandemic.

This book is obviously the result of a synergy. How do you develop the recipes at the OTK?

Yotam Ottolenghi: Collaboration is the very essence of OTK. Each chef develops his recipes, but a lot of conversations take place around each one to push it further. After several tests – which sometimes stretch up to ten – we obtain a version of the recipe which finally reaches its target. We then send it out, where it is tested in a family setting. We therefore ensure that our recipes are analyzed many times, and not only in our environment.

N. M.: What is nice is that we have a very diverse team. OTK leaders come from different parts of the world and each has strengths to bring to the group. All of our comments allow us to improve a recipe until its final version. It’s a very rigorous process.

Several culinary cultures come together in your recipes. Is this a criterion in the choice of your collaborators?

YO: I would say it’s done organically. OTK chefs are people who worked at the Ottolenghi restaurant before joining the team. There isn’t really an underlying concept, but rather a group of people who together make the essence of this project. Our kitchen is not formatted. We present different creations made with different sensibilities. We are all creative and passionate about cooking.

What is a good dish for you?

N. M .: It’s when you take a bite and want to take it over and over again, because there are many layers of flavor, different textures and each bite is a surprise. We know then that it is a success.

YO: To answer no, I think a recipe doesn’t work when, at the end of the day, no one wants to leave with the leftovers! [rires]

Where do you get your inspiration from?

NM: I think everyone in the Test Kitchen was very influenced by the food that came with them as a child, by the way our mothers or members of our family cooked. We start from this nostalgia, we modernize it and we bring it into the Ottolenghi universe.

YO: Indeed. There is often this idea of ​​wanting to push the technique further in the kitchen, but I find that everything is much better when it comes from a place that makes us feel good. Eating should be a pleasant and comforting experience.

Are there any chores you don’t like or shortcuts you wish you could take in the kitchen?

YO: Constantly, and I have nothing against it. Chefs often tend to look up on things that simplify actions, but I don’t see anything that can justify this behavior. It’s easy to be a snob, but it doesn’t help. If we can make it easier or faster – using an ingredient that’s frozen or out of a box, a food processor or a garlic press – so much the better! It must be remembered that those who cook at home do not have the luxury of having help or the opportunity to cook for hours on end.

N. M.: This is also the reason why we have included a section that allows you to cook everything in the same dish. The dishes are definitely the hardest part of the job!

Is there a dish you never get tired of?

YO: I love chicken soup. It doesn’t necessarily have to contain a lot of meat, but it definitely has to be some form of starch and some vegetables. I could also say rice, but I don’t want to steal Noor’s answer.

N. M.: Rice and apples! As a pie, a crumble … I could eat it at every meal.

What food are we unlikely to find in your recipes?

N. M.: Oysters! I hate their gooey side.

YO: Ah… but I love fried oysters! For my part, I have a problem with the tapioca balls, but you could find some in my recipes.

Do you still have challenges to overcome as a chef?

YO: Always! Sometimes you get a vision of what a recipe should look like, but you don’t get there. I remember working on a tahini and walnut cake for a very long time. It took us forever to make sure it didn’t dry out. A lot of times you have to overcome technical challenges, and the way to do that is to keep trying and testing.

N. M.: For my part, I sometimes think of an idea and realize that I have already made it. It can be difficult to be creative all the time. Sometimes, too, I develop a dish that I have tasted so many times that I no longer know how to bring it elsewhere. And that’s where the team comes in, and that’s why we work together.

How would you like this book to be used by home cooks?

YO: With a feeling of freedom and a conviction that you can improvise from what you have at home. The Test Kitchen is based on openness, flexibility and inventiveness. There is nothing rigid in our philosophy.

The comments have been translated from English and edited to match the format.

Our opinion: Make the most of your possibilities

Yotam Ottolenghi and Ottolenghi Test Kitchen team leader Noor Murad describe their cuisine in these terms: generous, mouth-watering, cheerful. With this new book, the first of what promises to be a series, the team takes a more practical turn than in the past and reveals the workings of its creative cuisine. The goal: to simplify work at home and encourage us to acquire the skills that allow us to create from what we have on hand.

What makes up our pantry is not necessarily what occupies the OTK shelves, should we specify by pointing out among others black lime, candied lemon or certain spices such as zaatar. These ingredients will have to be obtained or the Ottolenghi philosophy applied by improvising in turn.

Our team has tested around fifteen recipes. The verdict is unanimous: OTK’s dishes are highly comforting and never disappointing. The simplest (macaroni and cheese, chicken soup, carrot side dish) reinvent the genre and give us a unique taste experience. Some dishes are suitable for everyday cooking, but in many cases it will take a little more effort. The hard work pays off, however.

Designed as a homemade recipe book, Passion for pantry (Quebec edition of Shelf Love, published by KO Éditions) is an invitation to scribble down its pages to record your comments and personal impressions. As you would expect from an Ottolenghi book, the supply of vegetables and pulses is generous and never trivial. If we have a cookbook to offer (or afford) in this season when culinary works abound, that of OTK certainly stands out from the crowd.

Passion for pantry

Ottolenghi Test Kitchen

KO Editions, 2021

262 pages

Roasted potatoes with aioli and pine nuts in butter

The mayo fries from the kebab counters are the inspiration for this dish. “These days, I have a soft spot for this recipe,” says Noor Murad. It’s a great side dish that could very well be on the holiday menu. It’s easy to do while still being impressive. We confirm: we can’t get enough of it.

Set-up: 10 minutes

Preparation: 50 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 750 g (approx. 4 cups) baby potatoes, with the skin on, halved
• 2 tbsp. tablespoon olive oil
• 5 g (approx. 1/4 cup) parsley, chopped
• Salt and black pepper

aioli

• 2 large cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 C. Dijon mustard
• 1 large egg, plus 1 egg yolk
• 100 ml (2/5 cup) olive oil
• 100 ml (2/5 cup) sunflower oil
• 1 C. lemon juice
• 75 g (1/3 cup) Greek yogurt

Pine nuts in butter

• 2 1/4 tsp. tablespoon of butter
• 3 tbsp. pine nuts
• 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

Preperation

• 1. Preheat convection oven to 220 ° C (425 ° F) or standard oven to 240 ° C (475 ° F).
• 2. Place the potatoes and 2 tbsp. salt in a saucepan and add cold water to cover them by about 4 cm (1 1/2 inch). Place the pot over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then simmer 6 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the potatoes in a colander and pat dry. Transfer them to a baking sheet and toss with the oil and 1/2 tsp. of salt, then give a turn of the pepper mill. Roast in the oven for 35 minutes, turning once or twice. Add the parsley and mix.
• 3. Meanwhile, prepare the aioli. In the container of a food processor, put the garlic, mustard, egg, egg yolk and 1/4 tsp. of salt. Grind everything for 10 seconds. While continuing to operate the device, pour the two oils in a stream until a sauce the consistency of mayonnaise is obtained. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, stir in the lemon juice and yogurt, and set aside.
• 4. Prepare the pine nuts in butter. In a sauté pan, over medium heat, heat the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the pine nuts and cook until golden, 3 or 4 minutes. Add paprika and mix, then remove from heat and transfer to a bowl.
• 5. Spread the aioli in a shallow round dish. Top with roasted potatoes and buttered pine nuts.

Your personal touch

If you can’t find small baby potatoes, use regular potatoes and cut them into 1.5 cm (2/3 inch) slices.

Vary the nuts. Blanched and chopped almonds or hazelnuts would be perfect here!

Vegan version: use chickpea mayonnaise (recipe included in book) and olive oil in place of butter.