YOTAM OTTOLENGHI’S NEW COOKBOOK FOCUSES ON COMFORT FOOD.
And where better to start than with a Northern Italian ‘Ragu” topping Rigatoni? Ottolenghi comes to Italian cooking with an advantage: the Israeli-born mega-chef is of Italian descent. Today’s recipe echoes one his Italian father made when Yotam was a child. (Our version, pictured above, is not as ‘bianco’ as it could be because we used dried Morel Mushrooms. Although “Comfort’s” version isn’t exactly white and substitutes Spirali for Rigatoni). Ottolenghi starts his chapter “Pasta Polenta Potatoes” with an observation. Italians don’t have a separate notion of “Comfort Food”. They believe “All Food is Comfort Food”. And for this non-Italian, there is nothing more comforting than a big bowl of pasta. And I am not alone in this by a long shot. My dear Italian ‘sister’ has tried to serve her husband salad for lunch. She is rebuked for doing so. “Where is the pasta?” Mario asks. I’m with Mario. Pasta combined with a great sauce is like a big hug from whoever cooked it.
‘COMFORT’ ARE PERSONAL TOURS OF COMFORT FOOD
Yotam was not alone in creating “Comfort”. Far from it. He assembled a team of members of his London-based business. Ottolenghi COMFORT was co-written by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley. Helen Goh is a pastry chef and author, Verena Lochmuller is Head of Product Development at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen and Tara Wigley is the co-author of “Ottolenghi SIMPLE” and “Falastin”. Each of the authors brings their personal idea of what comfort food is wherever they’ve eaten it. So “Comfort” is not a book about the comfort food universe. Instead, each one mirrors where they’ve lived or where their families are from and that’s pretty much everywhere. Yotam has family roots in Italy and Germany. From there he incorporates his days in Jerusalem, Amsterdam and ultimately London. Helen Goh taps into her Chinese roots, Malaysia and Melbourne where she was born. Verena roams from Germany to Scotland to New York. And Tara, a Londoner through and through has spent 20 years with the great man himself in his recreation of great Levantine food in London.
FEW POSTS ON CHEWING THE FAT ARE MORE POPULAR THAN THOSE OF YOTAM OTTOLENGHI.
Right after today’s recipe, we’ll link you to them– all four of them are among our 50 most popular recipes. And today’s will likely be no exception.
HERE’S TODAY’S RECIPE FOR RIGATONI AL RAGÙ BIANCO
RIGATONI AL RAGÙ BIANCO
An easy-to-make combination of beef, pork and wild mushrooms with a traditional 'battuta' of onions, carrots and celery, this is true Comfort Food Italian-style.
Ingredients
- ½ oz/15g dried wild mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup/240ml boiling water for 30 minutes
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced (1¼ cups/180g)
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced (1½ cups/180g)
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced (1 cup/100g)
- 14 0z/400g ground beef, 10-15% fat
- 14 0z/400g ground pork
- 1% cups/300ml chicken stock
- 12% oz/360g dried rigatoni
- (or spirali)
- salt and black pepper
- Potato paste
- 1 small russet (or other floury) potato, peeled and roughly diced (⅔ cup/160g)
- 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 6 sage leaves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- ½ tsp chile flakes (optional)
- 4 anchovies, roughly chopped
- To serve:
- 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
- 12 oz/15g parsley, finely chopped / oz/20g parmesan, finely grated
- (3 tbsp)
Directions
- Step 1 First make the potato paste. Put the potato, garlic, sage, rosemary, chile flakes, and anchovies into a food processor and process to form a coarse paste. Scrape into a bowl and set aside. Don’t worry if it discolors a little.
- Step 2 Strain the mushrooms (saving the liquid), roughly chop, and set aside. Strain the reserved liquid (discarding any gritty sediment) and set aside, as well, for later.
- Step 3 Put the butter and oil into a medium pan, for which you have a lid, and place on medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 10 minutes, until softened. Increase the heat to high, add the ground beef and pork, and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring gently, to brown. You don’t want the meat to completely break up, so don’t be too vigorous with the stirring. Add the potato paste, along with 1½ teaspoons of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the mushrooms, along with their soaking liquid and the stock. Bring to a simmer, then decrease the heat to low and cook for 1½ hours, partially covered, until the sauce has thickened.
- Step 4 Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, then toss with the ragù. Combine the lemon zest and parsley and sprinkle on top.
- Step 5 Finish with the parmesan.
HERE ARE YOTAM OTTOLENGHI’S MOST POPULAR RECIPES ON CHEWING THE FAT
Yotam Ottolenghi’s Splendid Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE ARE MORE…GO TO https://chewingthefat.us.com/?s=Yotam+ottolenghi
