Yotam Ottolenghi has become synonymous with high-end London home cooking.
Yet the renowned Israeli-British chef’s offering represents so much more than lavish dinner parties within London’s most enviable enclaves.
When delving into the abundant and joyful world of Ottolenghi’s cooking, it’s important to remember that the vast majority of his cookbooks were co-authored by Sami Tamimi, an equally beloved Palestinian chef living in London. Together, they also co-own six delis and restaurants situated throughout the capital. Their success is beautifully symbiotic.
Tamimi and Ottolenghi’s signature Middle Eastern food has distinctly Mediterranean influences, offering a smorgasbord of wonderful hot and cold dishes carefully designed to be enjoyed no matter where you live. The two chefs offer it all, from delicious sweet and savoury pastries, to extra-large and made-for-sharing savoury meals, to delicate and scrumptious dessert options.
Think: fresh salads filled to the brim with tasty grains and fruity garnishes, vegetable-packed dishes with the option to include juicy, seared meats, and strange yet delicious spices sourced from across the globe.
The Ottolenghi team put it best, “Our commitment to the championing of vegetables, as well as unusual ingredients, has led to what some call The Ottolenghi effect. This is shorthand for the creation of a meal which is full of colour, flavour, bounty and joy.”
Want a crack at making your own? Scroll on for the best cookbooks by Ottolenghi and Tamimi.
Ottolenghi Simple
The platinum standard of Mediterranean-style cookbooks, Ottolenghi’s Simple is home to a diverse selection of native Middle Eastern recipes which promise to nourish body and soul.
Beloved for staying true to its title, the London-based chef talks readers through whipping up seemingly complicated meals with ease – whether you’re in a pinch or you’ve got time to kill. Indeed, the brilliant cookbook follows an acronymic structure: S is for short on time: less than 30 minutes, I is 10 ingredients or less, M is make ahead, P is pantry, L is lazy and E is easier than you think.
Simple is crafted around 10 basic pantry ingredients which, once you own, open a world of recipes beyond the realm of Simple alone; you can buy the ‘flavour bombs’ including black garlic, rose harissa and tahini via Ottolenghi.
Buy now £20.00, Amazon
Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love
Intuitive cooking can be hard. You’ll likely spend more time in front of your kitchen cupboards or fridge staring at a tin of tomatoes or a half eaten block of cheese, and wonder how to transform it into a nutritious and tasty meal. If there was ever a cookbook to help with this age old problem, it’s Shelf Love.
These evocative Ottolenghi recipes are exactly what you would expect from the creative chef, but this time they offer us greater flexibility to use what we have to hand to edit and alter these dishes. Each recipe features a ‘make it your own’ box which allows you to substitute various ingredients or simplify the process if you’re short on time.
We made the Creamy Dreamy Hummus with a can of chickpeas and leftover peppers from the fridge and followed it up with a tomato salad to use up other veggies we already had.
Buy now £16.99, Amazon
Jerusalem
A merging of the diverse melting pot that is Jerusalem cooking, this co-authored cookbook by Ottolenghi and Tamimi includes 100 recipes derived from the Muslim, Jewish, Arab, Christian and Armenian communities within the Israeli capital. Thanks to its sunny Mediterranean climate, you’ll also notice some influences from the traditional coastal cuisine.
Ottolenghi and Tamimi were both born in Jerusalem in the same year, Yotam on the Jewish west side and Sami on the Arab east. In this 2012 recipe book, the chefs come together to share their mutual love of great food. Beloved recipes include spicy frikkeh soup with meatballs, saffron rice with barberries and pistachios, and clementine and almond syrup cake.
Buy now £23.97, Amazon
Plenty
A timeless favourite at ES Best, Ottolenghi’s Plenty was, and continues to be, one of the most innovative approaches to vegetarian cooking we’ve ever read.
Ottolenghi takes a carnivore’s POV to the flavours and textures that he imbues into wholesome vegetables, offering a unique ethos to cooking healthy meals bursting with flavour.
The renowned cookbook contains sections dedicated to cooking greens, aubergines, brassicas, rice and cereals, pasta and couscous, pulses, roots, squashes, onions, fruit, mushrooms and tomatoes. It’s a kaleidoscopic journey of whole foods and delicious spices that every home kitchen needs.
Buy now £22.45, Amazon
Plenty More
Same but different. Plenty More simply picks up where Plenty left of, with 150 more recipes to choose from. It was released four years after its predecessor and is organised based on cooking methods rather than ingredients: sections are split into grilled, baked, simmered, cracked, braised, raw and so much more. Our favourite recipe is the Corsican Pie with Courgette Flowers.
Buy now £17.89, Amazon
Flavour
For those who are rather intimidated by the wonderful world of Ottolenghi, Flavour is a brilliant entry-point into the chef’s flavoursome revolution. The cookbook features an array of delicious vegetable-based recipes to re-ignite your love for weeknight cooking. It also breaks down the three major facets which contribute to flavour (process, pairing and produce) to help you become a more intuitive chef. Recipes include aubergine dumplings, miso butter onions and spicy mushroom lasagne.
Buy now £30.00, John Lewis
Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
Another cookbook which has been co-authored by the inimitable Sami Tamimi, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook is a one stop destination for classic Ottolenghi. The 2008 best-seller was re-released in 2016 alongside a selection of new recipes. Expect a hearty blend of cuisines ranging from the Middle East to North Africa, Italy and California.
Buy now £22.45, Amazon
NOPI
This cookbook co-authored by head chef of the Soho restaurant, Ramael Scully, exemplifies the distinctive Asian twist which the eatery brings to classic Ottolenghi food. Though it includes options for all cooking levels, adept home chefs will delight in recreating some of the renowned restaurant’s most famous dishes such as beef brisket croquettes and Persian love rice.
Buy now £22.25, Amazon
Comfort
Currently available for pre-order, Ottolenghi’s latest cookbook is dedicated to comfort food, set for release in early September 2024.
The highly anticipated release is set to bring the chef’s classic twist to gorgeous, soul-affirming and easy-to-make dishes by adding signature flavour bombs.
Ottolenghi transforms a simple bowl of pasta into caramelised onion orecchiette with hazelnuts and crispy sage (we can smell it now), and a warming winter soup into cheesy bread soup with savoy cabbage and cavolo nero.
In the mood for mash? How about garlicky aligot potato with leeks and thyme.
Buy now £30.00, Waterstones
Falastin
Though not strictly an Ottolenghi cookbook, we’d be remiss not to introduce readers to Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley’s Falastin.
A true compendium of classic Palestinian dishes, it includes recipes handed down throughout generations which have been adapted to suit modern kitchens. With over 110 recipes to choose from, largely inspired by Sami and Tara’s collaborations with producers and farmers throughout Palestine, let your next home cooked meal celebrate Middle Eastern tradition.
Buy now £18.35, Amazon
