When Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes started to gain a following in the early 2000s, a constant refrain was that they were over-complicated, with long lists of hard-to-source ingredients. But it’s fair to say that the chef, who grew up in Jerusalem, started a revolution in many kitchens. Hands up those of you who have za’atar, sumac or pomegranate molasses in your cupboards?
Ottolenghi moved to London almost three decades ago and had his real breakthrough in 2018 with the publication of Simple, which has sold over a million copies worldwide. Now comes the follow-up, Simple Too, co-written with Verena Lochmuller from the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen. And here’s the promise: “Whatever your particular barriers to cooking are – time, confidence, decision paralysis, or the general noise that distracts and numbs – we’ve put together a collection of dishes whose sole purpose is to bring you into the kitchen with a promise that simple solutions are within reach, both technically and mentally.”
Of today’s dish, he says: “These Iranian-inspired meatballs don’t sit quietly on the plate. They’re super bright with plenty of herbs and pistachios, and lightly sweetened with dried fruit. The food processor does much of the work for you.” Simple!
Words by Jane Ferguson
Photography by Jonathan Lovekin
Ottolenghi’s chicken meatballs with pistachios and spinach
A whole meal in itself: serve in a shallow bowl, with some flatbreads if you like. The dish can be made the day before, ready to warm through before serving.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
100g pistachio kernels
8-10 spring onions, roughly chopped (125g)
50g coriander, roughly chopped
20g dill, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tsp ground turmeric
2½ tsp ground cumin
25g panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
400g chicken or turkey mince
105ml olive oil
200g baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
650ml chicken stock
100g orzo
75g dried sour cherries (or cranberries), roughly chopped
2 tsp cherry molasses (or pomegranate molasses)
Lemon wedges, to serve
Fine sea salt and black pepper
Method
Combine the first seven ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Transfer 175g of the mixture to a small bowl and set aside. Keep the remainder in the food processor and add the breadcrumbs, egg, mince, ¾ tsp of salt and plenty of pepper. Blitz to combine, then shape into 14 meatballs.
Put 2 tbsps of oil into a large sauté pan on a medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and brown on all sides, about 5 mins. Remove to a plate.
Add the remaining 75ml of oil to the pan along with the reserved blitzed mixture and the spinach. Cook for about 3 mins, stirring until wilted, then add the stock, orzo, sour cherries, molasses and ¾ tsp of salt. Bring to a simmer, add the meatballs and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 mins, covered, until the meatballs and orzo are cooked through. Leave to stand, covered, for 5-10 mins, until the orzo has plumped up and thickened the sauce. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.
Ottolenghi Simple Too by Yotam Ottolenghi and Verena Lochmuller is published by Ebury Press (RRP £30; buy it at a discount at the Nerve Bookshop)