Yotam Ottolenghi is a chef, restaurateur, and food writer who is a regular contributor to The New York Times Magazine. He has authored nine bestselling cookbooks, including Plenty (2010) and Simple (2018). With the exception of Simple, many of his original recipes are quite involved, although they are all incredibly delicious. My friends and I are no strangers to combining efforts to make and eat elaborate feasts together – like our Greek Feast in 2019 or the Christmas Quarantine BBQ of 2020. So it’s not surprising that a group of similarly food-obsessed friends got together and pooled our various Ottolenghi cookbooks together.

Dips

White bean mash with garlic aioli and herb oil (from Flavor, 2020): This requires some planning since the dried beans need to soak overnight. I cooked the beans and onions first, then took out the whole beans needed for the garlic aioli and dill salad, and blended the rest. I took the rosemary and thyme leaves off the stem to simmer in the oil, then crisped them up in a pan for a topping. Get the recipe here.

Curried carrot mash with brown butter and pickled chilis (Flavor, 2020): Both dips said to serve immediately after preparing, which just wasn’t possible in this case. I made the mash of steamed carrots, spices, and olive oil first, then let it sit covered at room temperature. The browned butter sat in the fridge until it was time to serve, then reheated and drizzled on top of the carrots with chopped mint, green onions, and the pickled chilis. Get the recipe here.

Salads

Tomato and sumac shallot salad with pine nuts (Simple, 2018): The sumac shallots and fresh basil are delicious additions to this simple tomato salad. Instead of cherry tomatoes, this version used large tomatoes of varying ripeness for different textures. Get the recipe here.

Char-grilled broccolini with sweet tahini sauce (Plenty More, 2014): This is a great and simple salad with broccolini, haricots verts, and snow peas. Get the recipe here.

Mains

Cabbage tacos with roasted celery root and date BBQ sauce (Flavor, 2020): We roasted the celery roots on the grill outside, basting it with olive oil every 20 minutes. Make sure to buy a whole head of cabbage – you won’t need all of it for the tacos, but the larger leaves are the right size (or just have extra tortillas on hand).

Mustardy cauliflower cheese (Simple, 2018): This cauliflower au gratin recipe is super flavorful. Steamed cauliflower mustard, cumin, and a cheesy sauce that’s baked in the oven with more cheese and breadcrumbs. Get the recipe here.