8 Yotam Ottolenghi Recipes From Spiced Beet Dip to a Chickpea Stew You'll Make Every Week

The beloved chef and author has you covered from brunch all the way through the sweet, sweet end.

Za'atar-Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts
Photo: © Antonis Achilleos

Yotam Ottolenghi was raised in Jerusalem by a German Jewish mother and Italian father who loved to take their "greedy little boy" (as he recently described himself on the Tinfoil Swans podcast) out to restaurants and markets to explore the multitude of foods available in the very international city. As a wildly popular chef, restaurateur, columnist, and cookbook author, Ottolenghi uses all of these influences to create lavishly delicious and completely achievable dishes that maximize the power of herbs, spices, acid, and dairy to celebrate the bounty of the season — or even liven up fusty standards. We have his recipes for a beet dip, chickpea stew, ricotta crêpes, and plenty more of your soon-to-be favorites.

Tinfoil Swans
01 of 08

Charred Corn Salad with Mint, Parsley, and Cilantro

Charred Corn Salad with Mint, Parsley and Cilantro
© Antonis Achilleos

Lime juice, jalapeños, maple syrup, red onions, and a bounty of cool herbs meet grill-kissed corn in a warm salad that'll delight all your senses.

02 of 08

Red Rice and Quinoa Salad with Orange and Pistachios

Red Rice and Quinoa Salad with Orange and Pistachios. Photo © David Malosh
© David Malosh

If need be, you can sub in brown rice for Camargue red, but it's worth checking your local specialty store (or online) for this particular grain from Southern France. It melds particularly well with the quinoa, onion, apricots, pistachios, scallions, garlic, arugula, and orange juice that give this salad its sweet, zesty pop.

03 of 08

Ricotta Crêpes with Honey, Walnuts, and Rose

Ricotta Crêpes with Honey, Walnuts and Rose
© Christina Holmes

Paying homage to his Middle Eastern background, Ottolenghi turns to rosewater and honey, marrying them with sweet cheese, cinnamon, allspice, and walnuts for an utterly unforgettable brunch flourish. Take it over the top with a scatter of edible dried rose petals.

04 of 08

Za'atar-Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts

Za'atar-Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts
© Antonis Achilleos

Baked beets bring vibrant color to Ottolenghi's luscious puree of yogurt, garlic, chiles, maple syrup, and fragrant za'atar. Scatter it with chopped hazelnuts, thinly sliced scallions, and crumbles of goat cheese, and serve with warmed bread for a ker-pow party dip or your new favorite at-home appetizer.

05 of 08

Cauliflower-and-Cumin Fritters

Cauliflower-and-Cumin Fritters
© John Kernick

Don't fear the fritter! These pancake-like patties are made from a blend of simmered cauliflower and flour, plenty of warm spices, a little egg to bind them, and then a quick dip in a shimmer of oil. A lime-boosted yogurt dip maximizes the flavorful fun.

06 of 08

Caraway-Spiced Chickpea Stew with Mint Yogurt

Caraway-Spiced Chickpea Stew with Mint Yogurt
© David Malosh

Whether you're cutting down on meat or simply seeking your next batchable favorite, this distinctively spiced and carrot-sweetened stew is your everyday answer. Cool, mint-infused yogurt served on the side brings an extra dollop of bliss.

07 of 08

Polenta-Crusted Fish Cakes with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Polenta-Crusted Fish Cakes with Spicy Tomato Sauce
© David Malosh

Ottolenghi loves to surprise and delight and takes particular delight in updating British staples. Here, he casts his net on fish cakes, packing them with plenty of herbs, polenta, cod, and potatoes, and serving them with a tomato sauce spiked with chiles, garlic, and even more herbs.

08 of 08

Walnut Snowball Cookies

Walnut Snowball Cookies
© Antonis Achilleos

Ottolenghi told Food & Wine's Tinfoil Swans podcast that he always leaves room for dessert, and these crumbly, buttery, nut-studded cookies prove exactly why those are words to live by.

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