Q&A WITH YOTAM OTTOLENGHI

Popular chef and restaurateur, Yotam Ottolenghi will be heading Down Under in 2023. MiNDFOOD joined him for a chat.

How did the COVID-19 lockdowns change the way you did things?

Lockdown cooking was so different in terms of having to put food on the table so many times a day, so people discovered new ways of cooking. For example, ingredients that have been considered not so sexy – such as chickpeas and barley – really came into their own.

My last book, Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love, was all about celebrating those ingredients and creating delicious meals from things you think you can’t do much with. Like my Confit Tandoori – it’s just chickpeas, garlic and spices – in one pot. After one hour, you have an incredibly delicious stew – with cheap ingredients! It also means you can cook really well in spite of inflation.

During lockdown, a lot of restaurants had to shut down but we improved the technology in our restaurants and came up with different ways of serving people. Now, I find there is a kind of renaissance in restaurant dining.

Have you toured Australia before?

I’ve been to Australia many times for tours but I’ve not holidayed there – just been to the capital cities. Australia has an incredible way of mixing different cuisines – not a lot of places do it as well as you. It’s always inspiring. Australians are so well versed and knowledgeable

– when you talk about food, you have a deep understanding.

What can we expect from your shows?

We’ll talk about recipes, ideas, entertaining, the state of the world and how I cook. It’s a conversation with the audience.

Twenty years ago, you said you wanted “drama in the mouth” as your cooking philosophy. Is this still true?

When I say ‘drama’, I mean not every bite is the same as the previous bite. In my recipes and dishes, there is quite a lot going on. There must be surprises. When you have a tomato soup, it’s one dimension. You know what to expect. My food is the opposite.

Recently, we were making a beef pie. When we cut into it, it was a very one-dimensional experience. We were struggling with how to add more interest ... something that makes you think ‘Wow!’ We ended up adding olives and black garlic.

Do you have a favourite dish?

It changes from year to year. There are certain things I will always love, such as eggplant. My all-time favourite dishes would often include eggplant, for example, roasted and then tossed into a salad.

How about a secret vice?

I do eat a lot of chocolate and I’m indiscriminate – not just the good stuff. I like it every day.

What are you most proud of?

It’s not an achievement that you can put on the shelf in your study but when I speak to someone and they tell me that the food they cook every day is a dish that I’ve created – sometimes handed down from their parents – this is my most gratifying experience. That I have had a long-lasting influence.

YOTAM OTTOLENGHI’S ‘FLAVOUR OF LIFE’ TOUR

21 January 2023 Canberra Theatre; 22 January 2023 Sydney ICC; 23 January 2023 Adelaide Convention Centre;

28 January 2023 Brisbane QPAC; 29 January 2023 Melbourne Hamer Hall;

30 January 2023 Perth Concert Hall.

Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Extra Good Things will be released in September, 2022.