For some unknown reason, Yotan Ottolenghi and his eponymously named restaurant/deli/takeaway/shop of delights have managed to sail blissfully below my foodie radar for months. Clearly I’m not as tuned in to current food trends as I thought! Jeanne, of Cook Sister! fame, was the my introduction to Ottolenghi and how could anyone forget her ‘Dear John’ letter to Nigel Slater combined with a declaration of love for Yotan Ottolenghi? That’s the sort of thing that makes a girl sit up and take notice!
A few moments with Google revealed a most amazing group of shops, some more restaurantish than others, and all blessed with the most amazing-looking foods. So when I was indulging in retail therapy a few weeks ago, I positively pounced on Ottolenghi: The Cookboook. A quick flick through the pages was enough to confirm to me that I needed this cookbook.
I love the pictures in this cookbook. Heaping platters of bold, bright salads, mounds of the biggest, fluffiest meringues you’ve ever seen, beautiful cupcakes… all showcased against brilliant white walls like modern art. Which is exactly what Ottolenghi’s food is. Modern, edible art. And delicious, too, if the recipes I’ve tried are representative of them as a whole.
My copy is bristling with bright pink Post-Its marking recipes that I’m dying to make. Which are, well… rather a lot. So far I’ve made five recipes from the book, which have all been astoundingly good and enjoyed by everyone I’ve foisted them on to. But my favourite, by a long shot, is their couscous with dried apricots and butternut squash. I’ve already repeated this glorious salad, which is perfect for lunches and picnics, and the only thing I’ve changed is to use the zest of a whole lemon rather than half as I just adore the extra zing.
This couscous salad may seem fairly ordinary on first glance–roasted butternut squash and apricots are turning into a bit of a modern classic–but the lashings of fresh herbs, lemon zest and cinnamon elevate it to something truly special. I should mention that this is totally toddler-approved. Lucas had his own bowl of couscous, which he duly demolished and then proceeded to eat half of mine! And as for me… it was so good that I opted to have it as an evening snack instead of a bowl of sorbet. That’s how good it is.
Couscous with dried apricots and butternut squash
Source: Ottolenghi: The Cookbook
Serves 6
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 50g ready-to-eat dried apricots
- 1 small butternut squash (about 450g) peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
- 250g couscous
- 400ml chicken or vegetable stock
- pinch of saffron strands
- 3tbsp roughly chopped tarragon
- 3tbsp roughly chopped mint
- 3tbsp roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- grated zest of ½ lemon (or a whole lemon if you like the extra zing)
- coarse sea salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180c. Place the onion in a large frying with 2 tbsp of the oil and a pinch of salt. Saute over a high heat, stirring frequently for about 10 min, until golden brown. Set aside.
Meanwhile, pour enough hot water from the tap over the apricots just to cover them. Soak for 5 min, then drain and cut into 5mm dice.
Mix the diced squash with 1tbsp of the olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Spread the squash out on a baking tray, place in the oven and bake for about 25 min, until lightly coloured and quite soft.
While waiting for the butternut squash, cook the couscous. Bring the stock to the boil with the saffron. Place the couscous in a large heatproof bowl, and pour the boiling stock over it, plus the remaining olive oil. Cover with cling film and leave for about 10 min; all the liquid should have been absorbed.
Use a fork to whisk, or fluff up the couscous, then add the onion, butternut squash, apricots, herbs, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Mix well with your hands trying not to mash the butternut squash. Taste and salt and pepper if necessary. Serve warmish or cold.
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I love this book. I haven’t tried this recipe yet, but I think I’ll have to give it a go sometime soon.
Hi Erin! Oh, do try it! There isn’t a picture of it in the book, so I guess it would be easy for it to get overlooked.
I want this book! I would love this couscous - shame hubby doesn’t like apricots!!
I’m definitely going to make this dish. I adore sweet bursts of flavour in couscous and this is great as it can feed vegetarians too so I needn’t make a separate dish for them. Thankyou! And now I’m curious about this book too…
Hi Beth! You could easily substitute just about any dried fruit for the apricots. Cherries would be fabulous, I think.
Hi Lorraine! Yotan Ottolenghi writes (wrote?) a regular vegetarian column in The Guardian newspaper which is online. You can get an idea of his style through those, and I’m pretty sure that I’ll be blogging plenty more from the book. It is sumptuous and I suddenly feel a need to buy lots of platters to pile food upon. He’s certainly caught my interest as much as Nigella did when I first came across her.
Check out the site redesign on her!!! Looks fab
And would you believe, I STILL haven’t bought the book!! I’m trying to preserve the mystery of this new relationship for as long as I can
Love this dish - the combo of butternut and apricots is inspired.
Ah, you’re a fan of Ottolenghi too! I got to know about it through Heidi in 101 Cookbooks. I love couscous but my husband not so much. Therefore I am always finding ways to make it delicious. Your pic looks yum enough to eat!
That looks like a tasty couscous mix.
Angela, that looks lovely! The butternut squash are starting to come in here so this is a must-make!
I will definately be giving this a go at the weekend!
Looks fab!
Lesley
Hi Jeanne! Awww, thanks. I’m really pleased with the site redesign–should have done it ages ago! And I can’t believe that you haven’t bought the book yet! I thought you would have been reading it in bed every night!
Hi Helena! I’m very behind the times, I’m afraid. Everyone but me seems to have heard of Ottolenghi months ago. I think this couscous is definitely tasty enough to tempt your husband!
Hi Kevin! Thank-you!
Hi Ivonne! Thank-you! This would be fantastic made with new-season butternut squash. I did a second batch with some of my own squash and it was lovely
Hi Lesley! Thank-you! Hope you enjoy it
This salads seems anything but ordinary! I’ve been eyeing the book for some time, but have yet to take the plunge. You’re moving me steadily in that direction, though!
Yumm! This is a recipe I’ll definitely have to try out.
Hi Andrea! I’ll be writing about another salad recipe from the book at some point—hopefully that will further tempt you! (There are loads of recipes from the book online from various newspaper columns, so you could happily cook your way through those for a while.)
Hi Matt! Hope you enjoy it!
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