Recipes From Abroad: Ottolenghi

Being a traveler and a foodie often times go hand in hand. We at The Traveler’s Collection are no exception to that rule. Adventures abroad would be incomplete without dipping into authentic family-owned dives, local farmer’s markets, or exquisite haute-cuisine experiences. The difficulty for the foodie traveler, who typically eats out from early morning to late night, however, is maintaining a healthy, nutritious diet. The other issue falls into the category of homesickness: how many times have you been on the last few days of an incredible vacation only to find yourself salivating at the thought of returning to your mother’s cooking?

This past winter, after a fattening food affair with Paris, The Traveler’s Collection hopped the channel to London in need of some serious detox. Luckily, we were referred to Notting Hill’s perfect paradox, Ottolenghi: healthy take-out. Thousands of miles away from home, we could not have possibly gotten any closer to a hearty, home-cooked meal. Everything looked and tasted so new and so real, like the carrots had just been picked or the tart had just been baked.

Ottolenghi, which has four locations throughout London, has no trick up their sleeve. The “so real” and “so new” is no illusion. Influenced by Israeli and Mediterranean cuisine, Ottolenghi offers the ultimate remedy for the foodie traveler yearning for a home-cooked meal. And that is exactly their goal: to produce and serve what one would in their own kitchen with ingredients from a local source and the skills of a talented chef. No coloring, no preservatives, no freezing- we left Ottolenghi feeling renewed, refreshed, and inspired.

Although healthy eating should be a year-round principle, summertime seems to be most conducive to snacking on cut-up cucumbers over potato chips, or enjoying fruit salad over brownies. So, to further promote the fresh fiesta that is summer, we thought we’d pass on a few sensational recipes from Ottolenghi’s kitchen to yours. Bon appetit!

Wild Rice Salad

250g wild rice

60g peeled pistachio

150g soft dried apricot, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes

1 small bunch of mint, leaves picked

1 small bunch of rocket

3 spring onions, roughly chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large clove of garlic, crushed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the rice in a large pot and cover with water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and cook for 30-40 minutes, depending on the variety, or until the rice is cooked aldente. Drain and rinse under cold water.


While the rice is cooking, roast the pistachio in a dry pan over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Coarsely chop them with a large knife. Drain the apricot and coarsely chop them too.

In a bowl mix the rice, apricots and pistachios. Add the rest of the ingredients, toss well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Stuffed Squid with Pine Nuts

16 whole baby squid (or 16 cleaned baby squid tubes and tentacles), plus 16 toothpicks

1 small onion, peeled and finely diced


30g fresh breadcrumbs


30g finely chopped parsley


½ tsp each sweet and smoky paprika


½ tsp ground allspice


¼ tsp ground cumin


3 tbsp lemon juice


Salt and black pepper


250g toasted pine nuts, lightly crushed


70g clarified butter

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Prepare the squid: pull away the wings, remove the tentacles and head, and empty the main tube of cartilage and slime. Pull or cut away the eyes and beak, and remove anything else that feels hard or slimy from the tentacles. Discard everything but the cleaned tentacles and main body tube. Wash well and dry.

In a large bowl, mix together the onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, half the sweet paprika, all the remaining spices, two tablespoons of lemon juice, a quarter teaspoon of salt, some black pepper and all but a tablespoon of the pine nuts. Mix with your hands until well combined.

Stuff the mix into the squid tubes by gently pressing it in with your fingers – it’s a good idea to prick the base of each tube to allow air to escape. Once the squid tubes are three-quarters full, secure the open end with a toothpick. You can now chill the stuffed squid for up to a day.

To cook the squid, put a nonstick frying pan on medium heat and add the clarified butter. Cook the tubes in two batches for five minutes each, basting them with hot butter and turning them over once. Lift the semi-cooked squid on to an oven tray and roast for two minutes.

While the squid is in the oven, put the remaining pine nuts and sweet paprika into the hot butter. Add the tentacles and a quarter-teaspoon of salt and sear for a minute. Pour in the remaining lemon juice, stir gently and remove from the heat. Place the hot tubes on a plate and pour over the tentacles and sauce. Serve at once with a sprinkling of parsley, if you like.

Roasted Rhubarb with Sweet Labneh

800g natural yoghurt


80g icing sugar


Salt


400g rhubarb


100ml muscat (or other dessert wine)


70g caster sugar


½ vanilla pod, scraped


The skin of 1 lemon, half shaved into strips and the rest grated


20g pistachios, coarsely chopped

Put the yoghurt in a bowl with the icing sugar and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Mix well and transfer to the middle of a clean muslin or linen cloth. Tie into a bundle with an elastic band or string, and hang over a bowl in the fridge for up to 18 hours.

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Cut the rhubarb into 6cm batons and mix with the wine, sugar, vanilla pod and seeds, and lemon strips. Put in an ovenproof dish that’s just large enough snugly to accommodate the rhubarb and roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Set aside.

Just before serving, give the yoghurt a good squeeze to release the last of the water. Remove from the cloth and place in a bowl. Stir in the grated zest and spoon on to plates. Top with the rhubarb and some of its cooking juices and sprinkle over the nuts.

For London locations, cookbooks, and other Ottolenghi info check out their website: http://www.ottolenghi.co.uk/