Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love

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What I thought: I made this aptly named “celebration rice” for my parents’ wedding anniversary and it was a huge hit. Best of all, each recipe is designed to leave you with a little extra something left over – from crunchy sprinkles and flavoured oils, to punchy dressings and pickles – that can be used to jazz up a future dish.

By cleverly using your kitchen finds, you’ll put a flavoursome, Ottolenghi-level dinner on the table any day of the week. Drizzle the garlic heads with a little oil, wrap tightly in foil and place them to one side of the tray. Then the Brussels sprouts are mixed with thinly sliced kale leaves, sliced red onion, basil leaves, and toasted hazelnuts. Ottolenghi's bestselling cookery books have proven influential, with The New York Times noting that they are "widely knocked-off for their plain-spoken instructions, puffy covers, and photographs [that Ottolenghi] oversees himself, eschewing a food stylist". With fit-for-real-life chapters like "The Freezer Is Your Friend," "That One Shelf in the Back of Your Pantry," and "Who Does the Dishes?

And the sticky and creamy texture of the bananas and oatmeal are so perfect for these cool late-autumn mornings. Each bite of rice is gently spiced with the flavours of star anise, cinnamon and ancho chilli all baked into the grains. Meanwhile, put the couscous, half a teaspoon of salt and the boiling water into a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat. We honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' continuous connection to Country, waters, skies and communities.

Then, at the back of the book the headings -- Meal Suggestions, Vegan/Easily Veganised, Veggie Mains, Non-Veg Mains, Kid-Friendly, One Pot/Pan/Tray, Under an Hour, and General Notes -- are given so that home cooks can quickly see recipes. The first in a series, Shelf Love is a result of 2020 when it was suddenly necessary to turn to ingredients that one had on hand in the pantry or freezer. The second being that slow-cooking the chickpeas in oil without added liquid makes them super soft, allowing all the aromatics to break down into the oil.Lift out the chicken and, when cool enough, tear into large bite-sized chunks, discarding the skin and bones. If you want to get ahead, make the day before and keep refrigerated, loosening it with a splash of water to serve, if needed. Blank, lined pages are also given so that the home cooks can make notes and, it is in this way that I think the authors are encouraging us to truly make this cookbook our own.

Place portobello and oyster mushrooms, onion, garlic cloves, chopped chillies, whole spices, apricots, 120ml olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper into a roasting tin. The challenge was to find interesting ways to put the ingredients together to feed ourselves and anyone else at the table.Set aside to cool completely and, once cool enough to handle, peel and discard the stems and skins, and roughly pull apart the flesh into strands (don’t worry if there’s a little skin attached). Make the tahini sauce by whisking all the ingredients with 70ml of water and a quarter of a teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl until smooth. For some of us home cooking is something we'd always done but for some of us, home cooking was an entirely new endeavor.

If you are new to Ottolenghi, I think this is a great book to start with and if you already know and love Ottolenghi, then you will almost certainly enjoy this. Make it your own Save time by using a jar of tomato sauce instead; replace the burnt aubergine with chopped roasted courgettes or red peppers. Put the potatoes into a medium saucepan for which you have a lid, and pour over enough water to cover by about 4cm. We celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, traditions and living cultures; and we pay our respects to Elders past and present.Eight volumes have followed: the all-vegetable cookery books Plenty (2010), Plenty More (2014) and Ottolenghi Flavour (2020); Jerusalem (2012); NOPI (2015); the dessert cookery book Sweet (2017); Ottolenghi Simple (2018); and most recently a series of Ottolenghi Test Kitchen (OTK) books: OTK: Shelf Love (2021) and OTK: Extra Good Things (2022). Make it your own Try this recipe using kumquats instead of lemons, and orange juice instead of lemon juice. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat down to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10–14 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente and the sauce has thickened from the pasta starches (it will still be quite saucy). The crispy coating of the panko complements the juicy mushroom, but the real hero is that harissa butter which provides of a burst of flavour and tang. Add three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and continue cooking, covered, for another 30 minutes, or until the chickpeas are very soft and the liquid has reduced by about half.