Yotam Ottolenghi Dishes on Four Recipes from “Plenty More”

Photo: Larry Hirshowitz

We never seem to get enough of Yotam Ottolenghi. The chef and cookbook author has released four exceedingly popular cookbooks including Plenty, Jerusalem, Ottolenghi and his latest, Plenty More. Last week, he dropped by for a long chat about his cooking style, the use of color on the plate and what the heck to do with kohlrabi. Here are a few outtakes from his conversation with Evan Kleiman:

SRI LANKAN EGGPLANT CURRY

“With veg in general they have the most unique ability, especially the porous ones like eggplant and zucchini to absorb flavor and they absorb it at all stages…[this] trick with the turmeric is wonderful.”

FRITTER ROULETTE

“I call it roulette because once in a while you get a really hot one and it flavors the dish with that intensity.”

PEA AND MINT CROQUETTES

“The pea croquettes are two extremes or opposites in one dish…it has all those things that you imagine as a burst of spring freshness but then they are rolled in breadcrumbs and fried…I love that contradiction in one dish. It’s unusual.”

WHAT TO DO WTIH KOHLRABI?

“Kohlrabi is wonderfully crunchy it’s like no other vegetable – it’s like crunchier than any crunchy vegetable.”