New cookbook from team Ottolenghi: Falastin (plus a delicious recipe!)
Yotam Ottolenghi is one of the most successful bestselling authors of the past decade. Together with a full test team, he develops the most delicious dishes every day. Recipes for his books, restaurants and delis, and columns (including in The Guardian). Two loyal cooking buddies from team Ottolenghi are now launching their own cookbook: Falastin. Entirely in the tradition of Ottolenghi, with mouthwateringly delicious and colourful recipes from Middle Eastern cuisine. Or, more precisely, Palestinian cuisine (because it does exist too). An absolute must for every Yotam fan.
The authors
Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley have been the culinary pillars of the Ottolenghi family for many years. Sami, born and raised in the Arab part of Jerusalem, met Yotam Ottolenghi in London years ago. Yotam came from the Jewish quarter of Jerusalem, and together they founded, among other things, the renowned Ottolenghi restaurants and delicatessens. Sami is also co-author of Ottolenghi’s first bestsellers Ottolenghi – The Cookbook and Jerusalem. Tara Wigley has worked closely with Yotam as a test chef for almost ten years and wrote his cookbooks Plenty More, Sweet and Simple, which have sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide.
A tribute to Palestine
The book is a tribute to Palestine. Arabic has no letter ‘p’. Hence the spelling with an F in the title. It is an ode to the rich food culture that has given us, among other things, falafel, hummus and tabbouleh.
A mini-trip through the region
More than 110 deliciously photographed, colourful recipes. From snacks, bread, spreads and sauces to generous salads, dishes with all kinds of grains, roast meats and fish. Interspersed are stories about the history, culture and people of Palestine. Reading it feels like taking a mini-trip through the region.
Easy for everyone
For most recipes, you don’t need to spend half a day in the kitchen. Dishes such as za’atar with eggs or musaqa’a, an oven dish with aubergine, chickpeas and tomato, are easy for anyone to make. One or two other dishes from the book require a little more cooking skill, such as maqlubeh, a spicy upside-down rice cake.
A preview: roasted cod with coriander crust
Samak mashew bil cozbara w al limon, as it is called in Palestine, is almost as quick to prepare as fast food. From start to finish, preparation takes no more than 15 minutes. And it will probably take even less time to eat. “We usually find the combination of fish and tahini hard to resist, but this dish is also delicious without the tahini sauce if you want to make a quicker version or keep the focus on the lemon.” Besides cod, you can use any meaty white fish, such as sea bass or halibut. It is also delicious with salmon.
What you need (serves 4)
60 ml olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
50 g coriander, finely chopped
2 teaspoons spice mix for fish
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
4 large pieces of cod loin (or other sustainably caught white fish), skin on (approx. 700 g)
4 large, fresh bay leaves (optional)
2 lemons: cut one into eight very thin slices, and the other lengthwise into four wedges, to serve
approx. 4 tablespoons/65 g tahini sauce (optional), to serve
salt and black pepper
How to make the roasted fish with coriander crust
Preheat the oven to 250 °C. Put a small pan with 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-low to low heat. Fry the chopped garlic for 10 seconds, then add the coriander, spice mix, chilli flakes, a teaspoon of salt and a generous twist of black pepper. Fry everything for 4–5 minutes, stirring regularly so the garlic becomes buttery soft, then remove the pan from the heat.
Place the cod skin-side down in an oven dish lined with baking paper. Brush the fish with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper and spoon a generous amount of coriander mixture onto each fillet. Spread the mixture out so the entire top is covered. Place a bay leaf and 2 lemon slices on each fillet, if desired. Roast the fish in the oven for 7–8 minutes, until cooked through. Serve the fillets immediately, drizzled with approximately 1 tablespoon of tahini sauce, if desired, and with a lemon wedge alongside. Enjoy!
Alternatives
It is handy to have an Ottolenghi-proof pantry at home, stocked with flavourings such as za’atar, tahini and sumac. Don’t happen to have, say, any jameed at home? The fermented, dried yoghurt flakes with wheat in which you braise a leg of lamb? No problem. Sami and Tara come to the rescue with alternatives for ingredients that are difficult to find in the Netherlands.
A delightful book to read and cook from
You might think that, after Ottolenghi’s extensive series of books, Middle Eastern cuisine has now been covered sufficiently. Yet Falastin still offers plenty of inspiration and new variations on dishes that continue to surprise. Naturally, pomegranate, preserved lemons, shatta and harissa are never far away in this cookbook either, but as a true Ottolenghi fan, you can keep browsing Falastin to refresh your Middle Eastern repertoire. It is also a wonderful book to read and cook from for travel-loving foodies who, while reading the stories about local culture, can daydream about their next culinary trip to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.
Falastin
Sami Tamimi & Tara Wigley
With a foreword by Yotam Ottolenghi
Fontaine Publishers, € 29.95
