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94 _

Servesfour

250 g couscous 90 mloliveoil 2

teaspoonsrasel hanout 400 mlboiling

water 300 g cherrytomatoes 2 onions,

slicedin thinrings(300g) 30 g golden

raisinsorsultanas 1 teaspooncumin

seeds,toastedandlightlycrushed 50 g

roastedandsaltedalmonds,coarsely

chopped 15 g cilantroleaves,coarsely

chopped 15 g mintleaves,coarselytorn

1 lemon:gratetoget1 teaspoonofzest

andjuicetoget1 tablespoon saltand

blackpepper

Placethecouscousin a mediumbowl.

Drizzlewith2 tablespoonsofoil,sprinklewith

1 teaspoonofrasel hanout,¾ teaspoonof

salt,andplentyofpepper.Nextpourin the

boilingwater.Stir,coverthebowlwith

aluminumfoil,andsetasidefor 20 minutes.

Removethefoil,fluffthecouscouswitha

fork,andsetasidetocool.Add1 tablespoon

ofoiltoa largefryingpanandplaceoverhigh

heat.Oncehot,addthetomatoesandfryfor

3 to4 minutes,stirringa fewtimes,untilthey

starttobrownandsplitopen.Removethem

fromthepan,sprinklewitha pinchofsaltand

setasidewithanyjuices.Wipethepanclean,

thenaddtheremaining3 tablespoonsof oil

andreturntoa medium-highheat.Addthe

onions,theremainingteaspoonofrasel

hanoutand^1 / 8 teaspoonsalt,andfryfor 10 to

12 minutes,stirringuntiltheonionsturna

darkgoldenbrownandsoften.Removefrom

theheat,stirin theraisinsandsetasideto

cool.Oncethecouscoushascooledslightly,

transferit toa largebowl.Addtheonionand

raisinmixandstir.Addthecumin,almonds,

cilantro,mint,lemonzestandjuice,^1 / 8

teaspoon salt and a generous helping of

freshly ground pepper. Mix gently. Transfer to

a serving platter and top with the tomatoes.

INTERVIEW

ELLEN NIJ BIJVANK

RECIPE

YOTAM OTTOLENGHI

PHOTOGRAPHY

JONATHAN LOVEKIN

Does the table full of dishes

depicted on the preceding page

resemble a scene from your

own home? Yes. I do enjoy

spending time in the kitchen on the

weekend after a long working week

and covering the table with a variety

of dishes. Add a little flatbread and

everyone can just grab what they

want. Sharing food with others this

way is the most fun for me. The

table in the photo was taken

during a photo shoot for my book,

Ottolenghi Simple. In between all

the picture-taking, the whole team

took a few minutes to eat together.

It was such a celebration!

How do you unwind after a day

of working? I enjoy a piece of

Pecorino cheese and a glass of

wine. When you’ve been tasting all

day, it’s nice to finish off with

something simple and light.

So, cheese is always the right

choice? Well, it’s one of the

ingredients in my favorite comfort

food for example, gnocchi alla

romana. I make this dish with

semolina instead of potatoes and

roll them through finely grated

cheese. The combination of

semolina and cheese is delicious.

It’s actually also a sentimental

recipe; it reminds me of my

grandmother who used to make the

gnocchi for us when we were little.

Do your memories play an

important part for you when it

comes to cooking? Although I’m

always looking for new flavors and

ingredients, it’s my memories, the

place I grew up, my training and

education that are all inextricably

linked to how I cook. Just like my

Italian father, I think it’s important to

always have lemons, olive oil and

tomatoes on hand. I inherited my

adventurous side from my mother.

She also cooked meals from all four

corners of the world for us.

If you’re already spending so

much time in the kitchen, can

cooking still be relaxing for

you? For me, cooking is definitely

a way to escape the stress of

everyday life, and it’s not always

dependent on the amount of time I

spend doing it. I can enjoy spending

an entire afternoon grilling eggplant

or slowly simmering a lamb

shoulder, but whipping up a simple

pasta dish with chickpeas and

za’atar can give me just as much

satisfaction. Now that I have kids,

they’re the ones who determine how

much time I have to cook at home.

On weekdays, it’s mostly about fast

and simple; on the weekends, I take

my time and can spend hours

slicing, cooking and baking.

Can you name one ingredient

that always makes you happy,

one that makes every dish a

success? Lemon! And, another

good tip is to never throw away the

crusts of your Parmesan cheese. If

you add these to soup, stews or

sauces, it really gives them a delicious

extra umami flavor. And it means one

less thing to throw away.

COUSCOUS

SALAD

with cherry tomatoes and herbs