It was 2008 when Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi published their first cookbook, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook. It went on to sell more than 100,000 copies, with several more beautiful books to follow from them both.
Together they created beautiful vegetable-forward dishes, and most memorably that roast aubergine scattered with plump pomegranate jewels and buttermilk sauce. I’ve cooked that dish so many times.
I’m such a fan of theirs and was delighted to eat in their restaurants on a few occasions, and to see them cooking in Ballymaloe a few years back. Their colourful, delicious and multi-layered recipes have ensured that dukkah, harissa and tahini are now available in most supermarkets.
That being said, if you can’t source tahini for this week’s recipe, you can soak sesame seeds in a little water for an hour then blitz till smooth and creamy in a NutriBullet or similar high-speed blender. It gives quite a similar taste and texture. Or you can just flavour the yogurt with lemon and garlic alone and it will be equally delicious.
Pomegranate molasses is a piquant, syrupy treat that’s amazing when swirled through yogurt with a little tahini for breakfast. It’s made by simmering down pomegranate juice and is rich and condensed. You can use lemon juice for that acidity if you can’t find the molasses.
Lamb leg steaks are a quick and easy option. They’re ideal for a fast meal, so you could easily pop them on the tray next to the aubergine for the final five minutes of cooking, but I like to fry them and give them a little colour.
Always seek out the heaviest, smoothest pomegranate you can in the shop: it’ll be the one with the most juice. I find the easiest way to remove the arils is to cut the pomegranate in half and then just take your time in pulling it apart, separating the pith from the arils carefully.
Recipe: Lamb steaks with aubergine and tahini yogurt
