Every so often a cookbook comes along that reminds you why cookbooks are advisable in the first place. Such is the case with Jerusalem, by famed restaurateurs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi...
Every so often a cookbook comes along that reminds you why cookbooks are advisable in the first place. Such is the case with Jerusalem, by famed restaurateurs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. Having both grown up in the Holy City – Ottolenghi in the Jewish west with his German mother and Italian father, Tamimi as part of a secular family in the Muslim east – they have come together to celebrate the commonalities of Jerusalem’s many cultural communities, and to share delicious variations on their culinary traditions.
With Jerusalem winning the equivalent of a cookbook Oscar – ‘Best in the World’ for Mediterranean Cuisine at the Gourmand Awards 2013 – it’s clear that it has already found its way into the hearts, minds, and kitchens of many home cooks. And what makes this cookbook an even more exciting proposition is the recent launch of Ottolenghi’s new online shop, where many of the dry ingredients needed for Jerusalem’s recipes are available for home delivery.
Ottolenghi and Tamimi first made a name for themselves for their beautifully presented London cafés, before finding international fame with several lavishly wholesome cookbooks. With this success came many appeals from desperate cooks asking where to get ingredients such as whole Iranian lime, freekeh, or Aleppo chilli flakes; and thus the idea for the online store was born. Not only offering difficult to source ingredients, many from small Palestinian producers and co-ops, Ottolenghi online has some of the freshest and most flavourful ingredients available, including spices such as sumac and za’atar, which are relatively easy to find but often disappointing.
"Not only offering difficult to source ingredients, Ottolenghi online has some of the freshest and most flavourful ingredients available..."
So with cookbook and Ottolenghi ingredients in hand, we set about preparing a Jerusalem-inspired Sunday feast. Starting with a basic hummus (p114), we enhanced the recipe with whole sesame seed tahini, a thicker, stronger paste that gives this beloved dip a more complex flavour, and sprinkled it with black sesame seeds and sumac, before moving on to the rich and satisfying burnt aubergine and mograbieh (giant couscous) soup (p141). Next was the split wheat and Swiss chard with pomegranate molasses (p100), made with organic freekeh (roughly hewn whole roasted green wheat). A sweet and intense dish, it was challenging at first but then quickly grew on us. For our main, we decided on some simple but delicious roasted chicken thighs, rubbed with lemon myrtle salt to give them a citrusy lift, and accompanied by heritage potatoes with smoky urfa chilli flakes, as well as parsley and barley salad (p81), for which we substituted some firm and flavourful maftoul (hand-rolled Palestinian couscous) spiced with cumin. The salad calls for za’atar as well, and this warm, sharp Palestinian spice blend is sold at the Ottolenghi store in its strongest and freshest incarnation. For late afternoon desserts we made a cardamom rice pudding (using risotto rice) with pistachios and rose water, which even naysayers enjoyed (p270), as well as some raw apricot kernel spread mixed with mascarpone, a truly luxurious treat – this spread is an absolute must-have. Excitingly, there are also many unusual wines to choose from at the store, including a delicious Italian Prosecco di Conegliano from Casa Coste Piane di Loris Follador, which is exceptionally bright in colour and taste, and some light and refreshing orange wines including Baccabianca 2006 from Tenuta Grillo, also from Italy, which was the perfect accompaniment to our meal. Having already worked our way through many of the recipes in Jerusalem – which scale up excellently for large groups – we look forward to further excuses to visit the Ottolenghi online store.
Text by Ananda Pellerin
Ananda Pellerin is a London-based writer and Neil Wissink is a visual artist also based in London. More from The Hunger here, and contact The Hunger here.
