Chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi gives his spin on comfort food in 'Ottolenghi Comfort'

Host Robin Young speaks with restaurateur and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi about his new cookbook “Ottolenghi Comfort,” which he wrote with Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley.

By Yotam Ottolenghi

Chicken with Steph’s spice

Steph was a Jamaican chef Helen worked with many years ago in Melbourne. A lot of time has passed since the recipe for Steph’s roasted jerk-spiced meats was handed on—passed around the kitchen, scribbled down on a scrap of paper—but it’s been with Helen ever since. Recipes, like postcards, flying around the world with the scent of a place on one side, scribbled greetings on the other.

We served the chicken with a simple slaw made with half a small cabbage and a quarter of a pineapple, both thinly sliced, some freshly flaked coconut, sliced jalapeño, green onion, cilantro, and mint. It’s dressed with olive oil, lime juice, and maple syrup.

Serves 4, with rice and salad

• 1 tsp whole allspice berries (aka pimento)
• 2 bay leaves, roughly torn
• 1½ tsp chile powder
• 1½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1½ tbsp honey
• 1–2 green jalapeños, finely chopped
• 1–2 red Scotch bonnet (habanero) chiles, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, cut into
• ½-inch/1cm dice (¾ cup/100g)
• 3 green onions, finely chopped (1⁄3 cup/30g)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lb 2 oz/1kg chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar salt

Put the allspice and bay leaves into a dry pan and toast them for 1–2 minutes, until the bay leaves have blistered. Using a mortar and pestle, crush to a powder, then tip into a large bowl along with all the remaining ingredients except the chicken and vinegar. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, mix well to combine, then add the chicken.

Massage well so that all the thighs are coated, then keep in the fridge, covered, for at least 6 hours (or overnight).

Half an hour before you are going to cook the chicken, take it out of the fridge, add the vinegar, and toss to combine.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Spread the chicken out on a large parchment-lined baking sheet, skin side up. Bake for about 45 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through, until crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Butter beans with roasted cherry tomatoes

Source the larger butter beans (lima beans), or judiones, for this, if you can. They’re softer, more buttery, and much creamier than the smaller ones (that come in a can). This dish works well as part of a mezze spread, or can be eaten as it is, with something like crumbled feta or olives on top.

Keeping notes: Once made, the beans keep for up to 3 days in the fridge: just bring them back to room temperature before serving. The crispy tomato skins are a great thing to have around as well, to add to salads and pasta dishes. The recipe comes from a restaurant called Bar Rochford in Canberra, Australia, where they’re served with fresh green beans. They keep for 1 week in a sealed jar.

• 1 lb 2 oz/500g cherry tomatoes
• 5 tbsp plus 2 tsp/85ml olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced (1 cup/150g)
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp thyme leaves, roughly chopped, plus a few whole thyme leaves to garnish
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1⁄3 cup/80ml dry white wine
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 x 25-oz/700g jar of good-quality butter (lima) beans, drained and rinsed
• salt and black pepper

To serve

¼ cup/75g Greek yogurt

thick slices of sourdough (or any crusty) bread, toasted (optional)

Serves 4

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Toss the tomatoes with 2 teaspoons of the oil and spread them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, until the skins have loosened and the tomatoes are soft and have shrunk a little. Remove from the oven and transfer the tomatoes, along with all their juices, to a shallow bowl to cool.

Re-line the baking sheet with a fresh sheet of parchment paper and decrease the oven temperature to 250°F.

Once cool enough to handle, pinch the skins off the tomatoes and place the skins on the lined baking sheet. Return the sheet to the oven for about 45 minutes, until the skins are dry and crisp, giving them a good stir a couple of times during baking. Set the skinless tomatoes aside.

Put the remaining 5 tbsp/75ml of oil into a medium saucepan and place on medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, fennel seeds, and bay leaf and cook for 10–12 minutes, until the onion has softened but has not taken on too much color. Add the wine, simmer for 2 minutes to reduce, then add the paprika. Cook for 1 minute, then add the reserved tomato flesh, along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes, stirring often so that the tomatoes break down. Add the beans and a good grind of pepper and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, just to warm through, then remove from the heat. Spread the yogurt over a serving plate and then pile the beans on top. Crumble the dried tomato skins over the top, finish with a sprinkling of thyme leaves, and serve with the toasted sourdough (if you like).

Ottolenghi Comfort” Copyright ©2024 by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller,  and Tara Wigley. Photographs copyright ©2024 by Jonathan Lovekin. Published by Ten Speed Press, and imprint of Crown Publishing Group.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.