Yotam Ottolenghi returns with a true feast of plenty

If you are yet to get your hands on a copy of Yotam Ottolenghi’s new book Plenty More, Suzanne Baum picks her three favourite recipes from it to tempt you… 

Suzanne Baum tweets HERE.

Recipe #1

Corsican pie with courgette flowers  

Serves: 4 as a main course

Ingredients:

½ small red onion – thinly sliced (85g)

3 celery stalks with leaves – thinly sliced (220g)

8 large Swiss chard leaves, white stalks discarded – roughly chopped (175g)

2 garlic cloves – thinly sliced

2 tbsp torn mint leaves

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tsp chopped sage

2 tbsp olive oil – plus extra for brushing

75g feta, crumbled 50g pecorino – finely grated

15g pine nuts – lightly toasted Grated zest of 1 lemon

350g all-butter puff pastry Plain flour – for dusting

100g brocciu cheese or ricotta

4 to 6 courgette flowers – cut in half lengthways if large, or 6 long, shaved strips of raw courgette (optional)

1 egg – lightly beaten Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Place a large sauté pan on medium–high heat and sauté the onion, celery, chard, garlic, mint, parsley and sage in the olive oil.

2. Cook, stirring continuously, for 15 minutes or until the greens have wilted and the celery has softened completely.

3. Remove from the heat and stir through the feta, pecorino, pine nuts, lemon zest, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a hearty grind of black pepper. Leave aside to cool.

4. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/ 200ºC Fan/Gas Mark 7.

5. Roll out the pastry on a floured work surface until 3mm thick, then cut it into a circle, approximately 30cm in diameter. Place on an oven tray lined with baking parchment.

6. Spread the filling out on the pastry leaving a 3cm border all the way around. Dot the filling with large chunks of brocciu or ricotta and top with courgette flowers or courgette strips, if using.

7. Bring the pastry up around the sides of the filling and pinch the edges together firmly to form a secure, decorative lip over the edge of the tart. Alternatively, press with the end of a fork. Brush the pastry with egg and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

8. Bake the tart for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden and cooked on the base.

9. Remove from the oven and brush with a little olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe #2

Meringue roulade with rose petals and fresh raspberries

Serves: 8

Ingredients

4 egg whites (120g)

250g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp cornflour Cream

100g mascarpone

1 tbsp icing sugar – plus extra for dusting

1½ tbsp rose water

400ml whipping cream Filling

150g fresh raspberries

2 tbsp dried rose petals

1 tsp slivered pistachios (or regular if unavailable) – crushed

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC/140ºC Fan/Gas Mark 3.

2. Line the base and sides of a 33cm x 24cm Swiss roll tin with greaseproof paper. Allow the paper to come about 1cm above the sides of the tin.

3. In a large, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until they begin to firm up. Add the caster sugar to the whisking whites in spoonfuls or tip into the bowl in a slow stream. Continue whisking until you achieve a firm, glossy meringue.

4. Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in the vanilla essence, vinegar and cornflour. Spread the mixture inside the lined tin and level with a palette knife.

5. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until a crust forms and the meringue is cooked through (it will still feel soft to the touch). Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin.

6. Tip the cooled meringue on to a fresh piece of greaseproof paper. Carefully peel off the lining paper.

7. Meanwhile, place the mascarpone in a large mixing bowl, along with the icing sugar and rose water. Whisk to combine and become smooth, then add the whipping cream. Whisk by hand for about four minutes, until the cream just holds its shape. (You can do this in an electric mixer but keep a close eye on it as it’s easy to over-mix.)

8. Spread most of the mascarpone cream over the original underside of the meringue, reserving a few tablespoons. Leave a small border around the edge of the meringue. Scatter most of the raspberries and 1½ tablespoons of rose petals all over the cream.

9. Use the paper to assist you in rolling up the meringue along its long edge, until you get a perfect log shape. Carefully transfer the log on to a serving dish.

10. Use the rest of the cream to create a rough wavy strip along the top of the log. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

11. When ready to serve, dust the log with icing sugar, scatter the remaining rose petals, along with the pistachios, over the top, and dot with the remaining raspberries.

Recipe #3

Tomato and pomegranate salad 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

200g red cherry tomatoes – cut into ½ cm dice 

200g yellow cherry tomatoes – cut into ½ cm dice

200g tiger (or plum) tomatoes – cut into ½ cm dice

500g medium vine tomatoes – cut into ½ cm dice

1 red pepper – cut into ½ cm dice (120g)

1 small red onion – finely diced (120g)

2 garlic cloves – crushed ½ tsp ground allspice

2 tsp white wine vinegar

1½ tbsp pomegranate molasses

60ml olive oil, plus a little extra to finish

Seeds of 1 large pomegranate (170g)

1 tbsp small oregano leaves Salt

Method:

1. Mix together the tomatoes, red pepper and onion in a large bowl and set aside.

2. In a small bowl whisk the garlic, allspice, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, olive oil and 1/3 teaspoon of salt, until well combined.

3. Pour this over the tomatoes and gently mix.

4. Arrange the tomatoes and their juices on a large flat plate. Sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and oregano.

5. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve.