Yotam Ottolenghi

Photograph Richard Burbridge

"No one who has grown up in the Mediterranean Middle East can really live without the colors and textures and tastes of home. The food that Ottolenghi serves and writes about often includes them all, but it isn’t ethnic cooking, grounded in one tradition, and it certainly isn’t fusion cooking..."

— The Philosopher Chef, New Yorker Magazine

Caroline

I don't think it would be wrong to say that we Epitourists are fans of Ottolenghi and his bold use of spices, fresh herbs and "unusual to us" ingredients. I thought it would be fun to really explore his recipes and cook some for our February Epitourist lunch. As I was hosting, I offered up the main. Laura chose a "have-cake-will-travel" dessert recipe as she was coming on the train from Wolfe Island. And our Queen of Salads happily put on her thinking cap to come up with a salad plus a Ottoyummy appetizer.

Menu du jour

Fried Olives with Spicy Yogurt - Plenty More

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Peas, Za'atar and Feta Fritters - Simple

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Beet, Avocado and Pea Salad - Plenty More

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Lamb Siniyah + Roasted Eggplant
with Anchovies and Oregano - Simple

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Pistachio and Rosewater Semolina Cake - Sweet

His cookbooks are a delight to the taste buds as well as the eye!

At first I chose to do fritters two ways with a side of eggplant for my main. Having access to daily fresh eggs from our hens, this was a perfect idea for a light lunch main with variety to boot. When I tested my recipes, I did a 180 and headed the other way. Because they were simply delicious, I kept the Peas, Za'atar and Feta Fritters on the menu and offered them as appetizers. The odd combination of mashed peas, fresh mint and feta really works. These little bundles are elegant and will wow any taste buds!

Peas, za'atar and feta fritters

And for the main, a rich lamb Siniyah, a middle eastern equivalent to shepherd's pie. The richness of the stewed lamb and tahini crust makes this dish go a long way. Très riche. The pine nuts add an exotic dimension to the look and texture. A side of roasted eggplant with anchovies and oregano nicely completed the siniyah. This main was paired with a Tessellae Vieilles Vignes Carignan 2015. Delicious.

An attempt at an homage to the Y.O. style

Kaarina

Strange how after decades in the kitchen, cooking can still be humbling. Not by being eclipsed by the creative genius of someone like Ottolenghi but by neglecting something as basic as the importance of measuring all ingredients. Instinctive cooks often tend towards the more-or-less school of weights and measures. In this case, the consequences of my laissez-faire attitude became obvious the second time I made Ottolenghi’s gorgeous Beet Avocado and Pea salad. First time it was a work of art - literally a Monet without the pond - when I made it for our February Epitourist lunch.

A Monet without the pond...

I followed the recipe to the letter. From Ottolenghi’s cookbook Plenty More, it also appeared in his Guardian column. The second time I made it, I realized just before assembling all the ingredients that I had made the dressing for two instead of four servings. So I added a glug of EVOO, a splash of vinegar - and voilà! just like that, the subtle balance was off and the salad lost its magic. As I regretted the haste, the Introduction to his first cookbook, Ottolenghi, came to mind. He talks about the difference between cooking and testing recipes in order to communicate them precisely enough for others to replicate them. Already an international sensation at that time, Ottolenghi recalls how hard it was to force himself to measure and weigh until THAT discipline became instinctive.

Also from Plenty More, Coated Olives in Spicy Yogurt were tasty enough, but not worth the time and effort. The quick spicy yogurt dip benefited from being prepared the day before and using preserved lemons made it irresistible. Paired with Château Val Joanis Tradition Rosé 2016.

Preserved lemons make this sauce irresistible!

Laura

I was tasked with dessert this time. I pulled out my copy of Sweet, by Ottolenghi and his pastry chef Helen Goh. It’s full of beautiful photos of luscious-looking desserts. Because I would be having to transport my dessert by train to Toronto, I needed something that would travel well. I chose the Pistachio and Rosewater Semolina Cake. There is an optional garnish of candied rose petals but unless you can source pesticide-free petals, they suggest it’s best to stick with just the chopped pistachios. That’s what I did.

I had never used semolina flour in a cake before and I was pleased with the texture along with the ground almonds. It’s a very simple cake to put together and it keeps well for a few days. It’s a good thing Ottolenghi mentions in the recipe not to be afraid of pouring the large amount of glaze over the cake. It definitely is a lot of liquid but as Ottolenghi says, “the cake can take it.”
 

Delightful pistachio and rosewater semolina cake

Mexican Cooking School, Part 2

Kaarina

Within two hours of the 737 wheels hitting the tarmac in Cancun, I was standing in front of a mind boggling array of peppers. “Grab the ones you recognize and at least one you don’t,” I told myself and moved on to filling the cart with a week’s worth of fruit and veg. We were in a Soriana supermarket in the Centro Maya mall just off the main Cancun-Tulum highway in Playa del Carmen. We had an hour to shop for 12 days. For US$30, USA Transfers stops for groceries en route to our destination, a condo on Half Moon Bay, North Akumal. It was a critical stop because in Akumal we’d be limited to a couple of convenience stores and a twice weekly fruit market on the edge of the village basketball court.

Akumal fruit market

We tore the shopping list in half. My husband’s had the basics - milk, eggs, cereal, mayo etc. I had the meat and tomatoes list. And the wine, of course. Mike found some great bread and scored mightily with the coffee, stumbling on the Starbucks of Mexico, Cafe Punta del Cielo, adjacent to the supermarket. It sells grind-your-own gourmet blends. This cafe alone is a reason to pick Soriano as the shopping stop. In this part of the world Nescafé rules.

Our condo garden pool

My first go at a Mexican dish in our rental condo was an encouraging start to my private Mexican cooking lessons. Of course, it’s likely that even a frozen pizza would have tasted spectacular on our sunset-bathed balcony where we took most of our meals eye-level with the tops of swaying palm trees.

View from our sunset-bathed balcony

That first recipe, Pork in a Tomatillo sauce from my guru Mely Martinez’s blog, Mexico in My Kitchen, introduced me to dry roasting vegetables on stove top. This sensible method will translate well to cooking aboard a sailboat, cottaging, camping or when an oven or a grill is unavailable or it’s simply too hot to fire up an oven. 

Dry roasting vegetables and pork in a tomatillo sauce

Having learned from Mely that various peppers are used in different parts of Mexico in this dish, I felt free to deploy the mystery peppers purchased at Soriana. They turned out to be mild Chilaca chilies (known as Pasilla when dried). They added lovely depth and a touch heat to the dish. Yucatan’s mild Xcatic pepper would likely produce a similar result. I chose to cook the pound-and-a-half sirloin pork chop in one chunk instead of cutting it into stewing pieces. I browned it on both sides and finished it in the sauce, reducing the cooking time by almost an hour. Sliced and smothered in green sauce and served with rice: Delicious.

Chilaca chilies, chayotes, chayotes with potatoes and BacDyn disinfectant

In my search for new vegetables I discovered chayotes and jicamas. The first step - always - is to wash all produce with a disinfectant. The owners of our condo provide this (as well as bottled drinking water), two important precautions to ward off Montezuma’s Revenge. For a refreshing salad, light green, pear-shaped chayotes are boiled like potatoes, cubed and tossed with a light oil and vinegar dressing, Mexican oregano and thinly sliced onion. A bit like a cross between cucumber and potato, chayotes go well with pork or chicken. Better yet sliced and sautéed with potatoes and onions as a side for chorizo sausages.

Jicamas whole and in fruit salad

Jicamas, a light brown round root, looks like celeriac but tastes quite different. I loved the crisp apple-like crunch of raw jicama in this sweet/tart citrus salad. Originating in the Yucatan, where the salad is known as Xec, this recipe is a true keeper, terrific as a side dish or on its own.

Spaghetti and chorizo in tomato sauce

Pasta with chorizo and tomato sauce is an easy and tasty menu option when kitchen equipment and/or shopping possibilities are limited.

I used dry spaghetti made with corn and rice, fresh tomatoes and grated Oaxaca cheese. Cotija would have been better for grating and a bit stronger in flavour, but there was none to be had in local stores. Sadly the choice of honest to goodness Mexican cheeses was very limited in this area. Most of the cheeses were labelled Manchego, but appeared processed with no resemblance to their famous Spanish namesake. Soriana did have very good goat chèvre, mild and creamy, and a firm Iberico from Spain.

Street view of Akumal Pueblo

After a week-long search, I found Queso Fresco in Akumal Pueblo, north of the main highway. Up and over the hill just a block or so beyond the shiny tourist convenience store on the main drag, Mike spied a local grocery. Alas, the store carried mostly cans and soft drinks, but when I inquired with my hopeless Spanish, a woman pulled a big block of Queso Fresco from a deli fridge (not self serve) and cut a slice for me. Lucky for us, we had arrived on a day when a few veg and fruit vendors were set up along the centre boulevard near the store so we were able to top up on produce too.With the Queso Fresco I replicated the cheese and salsa verde dip from our January Epitourist lunch.

Eating out in Akumal, Mexico

Imelda in her kitchen

Dining out, and doing it well, is a breeze in Akumal, Mexico. In fact, it’s hard to find a bad meal in this small resort town on the Mayan Riviera. Pretty much all the restaurants have ambiance to spare - half are on the beach, many more in garden settings. The service is friendly and the prices range from bargain to moderate.

The first three restaurants on my list are in Akumal North within walking distance of the condominiums that ring Half Moon Bay. The other three at Akumal Beach are a five-minute taxi ride away (C$7).

La Lunita before and after dark

1. La Lunita, a beachfront restaurant on Half Moon Bay, is where you can dine on soft-shelled crab while hermit crabs nibble at your toes. If you’d rather not share, stay off the sand and pick a table under the roofed terrace. La Lunita has excellent modern Mexican and Mediterranean food, a decent wine list and attentive traditionally-trained servers. This is where you go for a romantic, lantern-lit special occasion dinner under the stars. If you want to dine late, be sure to reserve - the place fills up.

Crab, snapper brochetas and dessert!

The soft-shelled crab wrapped in lettuce leaves was perfection. The snapper brochetas may have spent a minute too long on the grill but they were beautifully presented on oriental noodles tossed with julienned vegetables and infused with bright and lively Thai flavours. The steak is a disappointment both in presentation and flavour.

 2. Que Onda is in a lush garden carved out of the jungle in a quiet neighbourhood at the north end of Half-Moon Bay. We spent a three Margarita afternoon there taking shelter from a gale and torrential rain that surprised us on an afternoon walk.

Que Onda

We’ve had the best tacos and cervezas at Que Onda for lunch after snorkeling at the nearby Yal-Ku lagoon and we’ve sampled the Italian-influenced main courses at dinner. Home-made pastas with a wide variety of sauces courtesy of its Italian owner, fish of the day (grouper on our last visit), shrimp, calamari, salads, grilled meats are all on the menu.

3. La Buena Vida, deservedly the best known Half Moon Bay eatery, has a beach club vibe. It’s where where you go for FUN. Interesting cocktails (including a perfect traditional Margarita), lots of appetizers and small meals for afternoon noshing as well as full lunch and dinner menus. Yucatan’s famous lime soup with shredded chicken, tortilla strips, tomatoes and lime is a sure cure for winter.

Lime soup!

You’ll find swings around the bar at La Buena Vida, hammocks, rustic tables, Muskoka-style chairs on the sand under the palm trees,  multi-level patios and roof top tables. And yes you can swim off the (rocky) beach or in the pool. Across the street half dozen tourist shops sell jewelry, t-shirts, brightly coloured blankets and pottery.

4. Turtle Bay Cafe and Bakery in Akumal Beach makes a fabulous - the best anywhere - pina colada. Don’t miss it even if you don’t normally imbibe girly cocktails. This fresh coconut and pineapple concoction is better than dessert. Maybe even better than chocolate. The shrimp tacos are brilliant and the ahi tuna’s usually OK. There’s baked goods and homemade ice cream, too.

Turtle Bay Cafe

5. Lol-Ha restaurant and bar occupies a prime stretch of Akumal’s public beach. Hop on a stool, order a Dos Equis and feast on the million dollar view. Fishing boats anchor just offshore from the palm tree-lined beach where sea turtles return every year to lay their eggs. Visitors can swim in a restricted area with the turtles that are resident here but when it’s time for them to begin laying their eggs, the beach is closed to the public.
 

Lol-Ha view

6. Imelda’s Ecocina sits on the edge of the basketball court in Akumal. It’s patio dining under a thatch roof with typical Yucatan breakfast and lunch at modest prices. A cheerful place with a lovely vibe, you’ll likely to end up chatting with people at the next table - not unlike dropping by at a friend’s cottage. Perfect for brunch on your way to the nearby produce market that sets up Wednesdays and Saturdays by the Akumal souvenir market.

Happy to serve at Imelda's Ecocina!