Easy pistou

For ➍

80 g pine nuts

40 g basil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

10-12.5 cl olive oil

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until they are nicely browned. 

Set aside 12 basil leaves. 

Place the rest of the basil leaves, garlic and half the pine nuts in the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times. While the machine is running, pour in as much oil as needed for a runny sauce in a trickle. Taste and season the pistou with salt and pepper.

Eggplant with feta, mint rice & tomato sauce

For ➍ 

3 garlic cloves

5 tbs mild olive oil

10 cl balsamico

4 eggplants

1 tbs dried oregano

300 g three-color rice or nut rice

1 shallot

400 g polpa with basilic

½ tbs brown sugar

16 caper apples

200 g feta 43+ or vegan alternative

40 g fresh mint

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Squeeze ⅔ of the garlic into a small bowl and mix with ⅘ of the oil and balsamic vinegar. Halve the eggplants lengthwise, leaving the stem on. Cut the eggplants on the cut side crosswise every centimeter and place them cut side up on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with half of the balsamic mixture and sprinkle with the oregano. Season with pepper and possibly salt. Bake for 35 m until soft and cooked through.

Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package directions.

Chop the shallot and finely chop the rest of the garlic. Heat the rest of the oil in a small pan and fry the shallot and garlic for 2 m over medium heat. Add the finely chopped canned tomatoes, season with pepper and the brown sugar. Bring to a simmer over low heat for 15-20 m.

Cut the capers in half. Crumble the feta. Remove the leaves from the mint sprigs and roughly chop. Set aside 1 tbs mint (per 4 people) and mix the rest of the mint with the rice. Remove the eggplant from the oven. Sprinkle with the rest of the balsamic mixture and the caper apple halves. 

Serve with the mint rice and the tomato sauce and garnish with the feta, the reserved mint and some pepper.

Burrata with warm peppers & tomato salad

For ➍
3 mixed peppers
4 tbs olive oil
360 g mixed tomatoes
2 tbs green pesto
½ jar (90 g) sun-ripened olives Taggia
1 ciabatta
1 burrata

Halve the peppers, remove the stalk and seeds and cut into strips 1 cm wide. Heat 2 tbs oil in a frying pan or wok and fry the peppers over high heat for 8 m. Stir frequently.
Meanwhile, halve the tomatoes and cook for 1 m with the pepper mix. Remove the pan from the heat.
Mix the pesto with the remaining oil and stir in the olives. Spoon into a bowl and let stand for 5 m.
Meanwhile, tear the bread into pieces. Put the burrata on the pepper-tomato salad and serve with the bread. Drizzle cheese with some oil.

Pollo arrosto all'arancia, limone, e zenzero (Jewish chicken with orange, lemon & ginger)

For ➍
1 lemon
1 roasting chicken, about 2.5 kg
grated zest 1 lemon + lemon cut into quarters
grated zest of 1 orange + orange cut into quarters
3 tbs peeled & grated fresh ginger root
salt & freshly ground black pepper
5 tbs margarine, melted, or olive oil
4 tbs fresh lemon juice*
10 cl fresh orange juice
3 tbs honey
orange sections for garnish

Preheat an oven to 190°C. Cut the lemon into quarters. Rub the outside of the chicken with one of the lemon quarters, then discard. In a small bowl, stir together the lemon and orange zests and 1 tbs of the grated ginger. Rub this mixture evenly in the cavity. Put the lemon and orange quarters inside the bird. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. In the now-empty small bowl, combine the melted margarine or olive oil, lemon and orange juices, honey, and the remaining 2 tbs ginger. Mix well.
Place the chicken in the oven and roast, basting with the citrus juice mixture at least 4 times during cooking, until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a knife, about 1 h.
Transfer to a serving platter and let rest for 10 to 15 m.
Carve the chicken. Garnish with orange sections.

* Use 4 tbs pomegranate juice in place of the lemon juice.
**Roast in a Dutch oven for about 1 h /kg.

Ginger arrived in Italy with Arabic traders or North African Jewish immigrants, so it's likely that this is a Sicilian or Livornese recipe. Most Italians would use ground ginger.

Pistou

For ➍
2 cloves garlic
1 nice handful basil leaves
3 to 4 tbs olive oil
salt & pepper
1-2 tbs grated cheese (f.i. Gruyère)*

Peel the cloves of garlic. Cut them in half, then put them in a mortar. Start pounding.
Add the basil leaves little by little while continuing to pound until you get an ointment.
Add the finely grated cheese*, if you have chosen to use it, while continuing to pound.
Add olive oil always by continuing to pound, you must keep this consistency of ointment, it should not be bathed in oil.
Pistou can be used in the famous soup with pesto, or in sauce in a pasta dish, or as such on grilled toast as an aperitif.
For preservation, you can completely freeze the pesto, the easiest remaining in ice cube trays.The advantage is the ease of dosing without having to thaw everything. Garlic loses some of its strength after thawing however.

*Optional

Risotto with gray shrimps, watercress & lemon

For ➍
300 g grey North Sea shrimps
1 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
1½ vegetable stock cubes
300 g risotto rice
1.5 l water
60 g Parmigiano cheese
3 lemons
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 bunch of watercress
pepper from the mill & salt

Put a pan on the fire with some olive oil and simmer the shallot and garlic. Add the rice and fry a little further on a low heat. Bring the water to a boil and dissolve the bouillon cubes. Add the stock little by little to the risotto, wait until the stock is fully absorbed by the rice before adding new.
When the rice is done, add the butter and let it melt. Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons and pour into the risotto, season with salt and pepper and mix. Finish the risotto with the Parmigiano cheese, the watercress and a lemon wedge.
Serve with the shrimps.

Read how to make a quick risotto.

Naked** lemon & olive oil layer cake

For ➊➏ cm cake
350 g all-purpose flour*
1½ ts baking powder*
1 ts baking soda*
1 ts salt*
3 large eggs*
300 g granulated sugar*
37 cl extra-virgin olive oil*
37 cl buttermilk*
2 tbs lemon zest*
¼ ts lemon extract (optional)*
2 ts vanilla extract*
frosting:
250 g unsalted butter, at room temperature*
900 g sugar*
zest of 1 lemon*
1 ts pure vanilla extract*
12 cl whole milk*
lemon zest, as needed for garnish
blueberries, as needed for garnish

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Grease and flour two 16 cmh cake pans.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs and sugar until pale yellow and thick, 2 to 3 m.
Add the olive oil, buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon extract (if using) and vanilla extract to the egg mixture and mix well to combine, 1 m more.
Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined, 45 s to 1 m.
Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 m.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 15 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.
-
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter while gradually adding the confectioners’ sugar gradually. Mix until light and fluffy.
Beat in the lemon zest, vanilla extract and milk. Mix well to combine.
-
When the cakes are cool, use a serrated knife to cut the domed top off of each cake and then cut each cake into two layers. (You’ll have four layers total.)
Place one cake layer on a platter or cake stand and scoop 1 heaping of frosting on top of it. Using the spatula, spread the frosting into an even layer, all the way to the edge. Place another cake layer on top. Repeat until you’ve used all four cake layers.
Spread the remaining frosting in a thin coat on the top ( and side of the cake*). Run your spatula around the edge of the cake to scrape away any excess frosting. (You should be able to clearly see the cake through the thin layer of frosting.)
Sprinkle with lemon zest and garnish with berries. Slice and serve the cake at room temperature.

*Use half the quantities to bake a 2 layer cake for 4-6 people.
**Naked as in not overfrosted layers. You can eliminatie all outer frosting except the top.

Creamed chicken with mushrooms

For ➍
2 chicken breasts, cut in half
75 g mushrooms
2 tbs flour
2 tbs grated + 35 g Parmigiano cheese
1 ts salt
1 pinch pepper
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs olive oil from dried tomatoes
2 ts garlic, chopped
200 g sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
37.5 cl cream
2 tbs fresh basil
2 ts Italian herbs

Mix flour, grated cheese, salt and pepper. Coat 2 chicken breasts in this preparation.
Heat 1 tbs olive oil.
Add the chicken breasts, cook for 5 to 6 m, or until the fowl is browned on both sides. Keep warm.
Heat 1 tbs olive oil, and add dried tomatoes, the sliced ​​mushrooms and 2 ts chopped garlic.
Cook for a few m. Reduce heat, and add cream*. Leave to simmer. Add fowl. Simmer for 20-25 m, or until chicken is weel cooked..
Simmer until thickened. Add 35 g Parmigiano cheese and 2 tbs Italian herbs.
Serve with the chicken. Sprinkle 2 ts fresh basil on top.
Serve with good pasta al dente or  warm bread.

*Or use  half milk, half creamy goat cheese.

Light avocado & tomato salad

For ➋-➍ as salad or side-dish
1 tbs minced shallot
1 tbs minced fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
½ ts Dijon mustard*
½ ts maple syrup
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
270 g gourmet tomato medley**
1 large avocado, pitted & thinly sliced
1 tbs fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped (for garnish)
100 g feta, crumbled***
salt & pepper, to taste

In a small bowl, combine the minced shallot, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, and chopped parsley. Very slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Wash and pat dry the gourmet medley tomatoes. Slice the small tomatoes in half, and quarter the larger ones. Place the tomatoes in a large mixing bowl.
Pour half of the vinaigrette over the tomatoes. Toss to combine.
Arrange tomatoes in the center of a serving platter and drizzle additional vinaigrette over top, if desired. Arrange avocado slices around the tomatoes in a single or double layer.
Garnish the entire dish with crumbled feta and chopped fresh parsley. Alternatively, you can simply toss everything together and pour into a bowl or onto a plate.****

*gluten free if possible
**or cherry tomatoes
***or crumbled goat cheese or sliced halloumi
****serve as a side dish with roasted chicken, a hearty white fish, or grilled tofu kebabs

Roast chicken with dates, olives & capers

For ➍
8 chicken legs, drumstick & thigh attached, skin on (2 kg net)
5 garlic cloves, crushed
15 g fresh oregano, torn, plus extra for garnish
3 tbs red wine vinegar
3 tbs olive oil
100 g green olives, pitted
60 g capers, plus 2 tbs of their juices
70 g Medjoul dates, pitted & quartered lengthways
2 bay leaves
12 cl dry white wine
1 tbs date syrup or treacle
salt & black pepper

Place the chicken in a large, non-reactive bowl and add all of the ingredients, apart from the wine and date molasses, along with ¾ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Gently mix everything together, cover the bowl and leave in the fridge to marinate for 1 to 2 days, stirring the ingredients a few times during the process.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Spread out the chicken legs on a large baking tray, along with all the marinade ingredients. Whisk together the wine and molasses and pour over the meat. Place in the oven and cook for 50 m (or up to 70 m, depending on the meat pieces' size), basting 2 or 3 times, until the meat is golden brown on top and cooked through.
Remove from the oven, transfer everything to a large platter, sprinkle over some freshly picked oregano leaves and serve.

This Ottolenghi favourite was inspired by the 1980's recipe for Chicken Marbella, a popular dish on Jewish pass over meals. Created in NYC, it blended influences from North Africa and Spain, as well as the mixing of poultry and fruit from Persia and the Middle East.

Borlotti with garlic & olive oil

For ➏
2 kg fresh borlotti beans, shelled, or 1kg frozen or dried (soaked overnight if dried)(or use cannelini)
3 plum tomatoes, quartered
10 large unpeeled garlic cloves
8 large (or 16 small) fresh sage leaves
18 cl extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Combine beans, tomatoes, garlic, sage and oil in a medium pot. Add cold water to cover by 1 cm (about 40 cl). Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered and adding water as needed to keep beans submerged. Cookuntil tender, 35–45 m for fresh or frozen and up to 1½ hours for dried. Skim any foam from the surface. Season with salt, pepper, and more oil, if desired.
Beans can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool in cooking liquid; cover and chill. Return to room temperature before serving.
Serve beans warm or at room temperature.

Spaghetti with avocado sauce

For ➍
170 g spaghetti
1 avocado,pitted & peeled
½ garlic clove, smashed
½ bunch scallions, roughly chopped
juice of ½ lemon
5 cl extra-virgin olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup chopped parsley, for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, 6 to 8 m.
While the pasta cooks, make the sauce: In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the avocados, garlic, scallions, lemon juice and olive oil until smooth.
When the pasta is tender, reserve 5 cl of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the reserved water to the avocado mixture and process until smooth.
Add the sauce to the pasta and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, portion the pasta onto plates and garnish with parsley.

Cannellini soup with garlic & parsley

For ➍-➏
8 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 ts chopped garlic
350 g cooked cannellini or other white beans, from dried beans (recommended)*
salt & black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
25 cl homemade beef stock or water**
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
thick grilled or toasted slices of crusty bread (optional)

Put the oil and chopped garlic in a soup pot and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the garlic, stirring it, until is becomes colored a very pale gold. Add the drained cooked or canned beans, a pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Cover and simmer gently for 5 to 6 m.
Take about 100 g of beans from the pot and puree them through a food mill back into the pot, together with all the broth.
Alternately, use a blender, loosening with a bit of the broth. Simmer for another 5 to 6 m, taste, and correct for salt and pepper. Swirl in the chopped parsley, and turn off the heat.
Ladle over the grilled bread slices into individual soup bowls.

*cannellini bean = white kidney bean = fazolia bean
For dried beans, soak them in lots of cold water for a minimum of 5 h. Drain and rinse, then put them in a large pan, cover with 5 cm of cold water, bring to the boil, scoop off any foam, then boil for a further 10 m. Scoop the foam off again, then add just a little salt (too much salt before they're cooked will harden the skin, as will anything acidic like lemon juice or tomatoes), and simmer gently with the pan lid half on for 1 to 1.5 h, until tender. Keep an eye on the water level, and add more if necessary.
**Use a little less water or broth (5 cl) and oil (2 tbs) to make a thicker mash that can be served as a side dish with roast white fish, spicy chorizo and grilled scallop, or spread on thick bread.

Grilled fennel with lemon oil

For ➍
500 g (baby) fennel
extra virgin olive oil
lemon olive oil (or lemon juice & zest)
sea salt
fresh Italian parsley, chopped

When using baby fennel, cut off the green stems and the very bottom of the root (but not so much that the layers have nothing to attach to). Cut the fennel in half lengthwise, and then again into 4-6 bite-sized wedges.
When using a large fennel bulb simply trim off the stems, slice off the bottom and cut the bulb in half lengthwise. Cut each half into even-sized wedges, about 1.5 cm thick.
For an outdoor grill, simply brush your fennel wedges with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and grill until soft and tender, turning occasionally.
For a grill pan, heat the pan on medium high heat for 3-5 m. Lightly coat fennel in olive oil and sea salt (use a bowl and stir)*. When the pan is hot, add 1-2 tbs olive oil and gently swirl it in the pan to coat the surface. Place fennel in a single layer on the hot grill, lower the heat to medium and cook until translucent, tender and slightly browned, turning occasionally, about 10 m.
The fennel should have grill marks and be caramelized in places. Remove the fastest cooking fennel pieces from the grill when they are done and place them in a bowl.
When all the fennel is finished cooking, drizzle it lightly with lemon oil (or juice and zest) and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley. Adjust salt and zest if necessary.
Serve it as a salad or with grilled chicken or salmon.

*Or make a marinade of 1½ ts olive oil, 1 tbs balsamic vinegar (or ½ lemon juiced), 1 tbs Dijon mustard (coarse if you have it) and 1 tbs minced garlic. Brush the fennel slices with the marinade before grilling.

Rouille

For ➍
for the rouille:
1 egg yolk
1 tbs harissa*
2 cloves garlic
10 cl olive oil

Beat the egg yolk and harissa.
Add olive oil in small nets until a good consistency of mayonnaise is reached. Mix in the finely minced garlic and continue beating until you get a smooth, thick rouille.
Serve with bouillabaisse.

*Replace harissa by fresh peppers, chopped.

Panzanella (Italian bread salad)

For ➌-➍
4-5 thick slices of stale, springy country bread with a good crust*/**
1 small red onion
1-2
 tbs red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
1 medium, crunchy cucumber, thinly sliced (you could also peel if you like)
1 handful rucola, washed and pat dry
salt & pepper, to taste***
extra-virgin olive oil
10-12 basil leaves

Pass the slices of bread under running water and let sit in a bowl to soften while preparing the other ingredients.
Slice the red onion very thinly and place in a small bowl. Sprinkle with 1 to 2 tbs of red wine vinegar and cover with cool water. Let sit 10 m (this will take some of the edge off the raw onion).
When the bread pieces are springy to the touch, tear and crumble the bread in your hands (depending on the type and freshness of your bread, the crusts may be too hard. If so, you may wish to remove them, but some like the chewiness of the crust). If the bread is still too hard, you can sprinkle on some more water, but keep in mind that you’ll be adding vinegar and oil to the salad as well, which the bread will also soak up. If you have added too much water, simply give your bread a squeeze to remove the excess liquid before adding to the salad. Place the bread in a large bowl with the cucumber and rucola.
Drain and add the onion to the salad. Season with a good pinch of salt***7*, a few twists of pepper, a healthy dose of olive oil, a splash or two of red wine vinegar, and toss until well combined.
Add the basil leaves, torn into pieces just before serving****.

*the bread should make up half of the volume of this salad
**ciabatta would work well
***use chopped anchovies instead
****this dish is best eaten about an hour after preparing, to give time for the flavors to combine. That said, it does not keep well for more than a day because the fresh ingredients tend to get ruined by the vinegar.

This is an early version without tomatoes, which now have become a staple ingredient in most recipes. You could add 2 tomatoes, peeled, sliced

Lemony green salad

For ➍
1 large clove garlic, crushed (or grated, or mashed into a paste with a pinch of salt)
3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs good balsamic vinegar
1 tbs anchovy paste or finely chopped anchovies (or more to taste)*
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
juice of 1 lemon (I always use a full lemon)
1 head crisp romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and torn or chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 stalk celery (2 stalks if small), sliced into half moons
½ cup grated Parmigiano cheese
salt, if needed, and lots of freshly ground black pepper to serve

Add garlic to a large salad bowl
Add olive oil and stir and let sit for a few minutes.
Add vinegar, anchovy, Worcestershire, and lemon juice, and stir. For a thicker dressing, add half the Parmigiano now. You can let this sit while you prepare the rest of your meal.
Dip a lettuce leaf in to taste your dressing. If it doesn't taste fiercely of lemon juice, garlic, and anchovy, add more of those, to taste. The balsamic and Worcestershire should be in the background.
Just before serving, add lettuce and celery and toss.
Add Parmigiano and freshly ground pepper before a final toss.
Serve immediately.

*Replace with salt for a completely vegetarian salad.

Pheasant salad with fennel

For ➋***
1 whole pheasant or chicken breast, or a half of a turkey breast
1 l pheasant, turkey or chicken stock
1 medium fennel bulb, chopped
2 ts fennel pollen (optional)
1-2 tbs green fennel seeds (optional)
1 tbs mint leaves, chopped
1 small, red hot chilli, minced
zest & juice of 1 lemon
6 cl olive oil
salt &  black pepper to taste

Bring the broth to a simmer in a lidded pot. Turn the heat off and drop the pheasant breasts in. Make sure they are submerged. Cover the pot.
Meanwhile, chop the fennel bulb into pieces. Add all the remaining ingredients and set aside.
The pheasant breasts should be fully cooked in 20 m.* ** When the pheasant is cool enough to handle, shred it into pieces.
Mix everything together and let it stand, covered, at room temperature for 1 h. You can also store it overnight in the fridge.

*Turkey and chicken breasts are larger and will take longer. A turkey breast might require a full 45 m in the warm broth.
**Save the broth for soup or something else. It will keep in the fridge a week or so.
***Double quantities for 4.

Fennel & halloumi salad

For ➍
1 large fennel, thinly sliced
halloumi cheese, sliced
coriander
olive oil
butter
salt &pepper

Braise the fennel slices in some butter. Add pepper.
Bake the halloumi in olive oil.
Put some fennel slices on a plate, add the halloumi. Finish with torn coriander leaves and a dripping of olive oil.
Serve luke-warm or cold.

Pesto alla Trapanese (Sicilian almonds & tomato pesto) (pesto rosso)

For ➍
190 g toasted almonds
15 g coriander*
20 g flat leaf parsley*
10 cl extra virgin olive oil
250 g cherry tomatoes

Put the almonds, coriander, parsley and oil in a high cup and puree with a hand blender until pesto. Add the tomatoes, or serve on the dish.
Serve with couscous or with pasta like penne or farfalle.

*Or 35 g basil