Riffing on Yotam Ottolenghi

Angela, Stacia, Vanessa & The Moi, cooked dinner for 25 at Roberts Creek Cohousing yesterday. What totally delighted us, over and above how the food turned out, was that there was enough left over to feed the children of a friend of ours who is currently in hospice with a terminal brain tumour. A small blessing in a hard time.

To accompany the vegetable stew, we served quiche made with eggs from our own chickens (and also Stacia’s celebrated butter-pastry), salad - which included garlic from the Cohousing garden, home-made bread (with freshly ground flour) & Vanessa’s strawberry ice-cream. Angela, being Angela, decorated the tables with flowers and candles to add that extra bit of pizzazz. One word sums it up: Fun. Ok, maybe two words are needed: Total Fun. Absolutely!

Iranian Vegetable Stew with dried lime

Some of the ingredients used by Yotan Ottolenghi are impossible to come by on the Sunshine Coast. Instead of dried limes, I used a mix of dried lemons (thank you Kinga) & calamamsi. Instead of barberries, I added dried cherries. It worked perfectly.

20-30 servings	10-15 servings	Ingredients	To do
7T	3 ½ T	Clarified butter	Heat butter, and sauté for 10 minutes
2 lg	1 lg	Large onion
1 tsp	½ tsp	Turmeric
1T	1 ½ tsp	Cumin Seeds
2T	1 T	Tomato paste	Add & cook for 2 minutes
1 ½ oz	¾ oz	Cilantro sprigs	Bundle together with string and add with vegets
2/3 oz	1/3 oz	Tarragon sprigs
2/3 oz	1/3 oz	Dill sprigs
5 lb	2 ¼ lb	Yukon gold potatoes peeled & cut into 1 ½” chunks	Add to above
2 med	1 med	Butternut squash peeled & cut into 1 ½” chunks
6	3	Iranian limes (or lemons & calamamsi) pierce 2-3 times
2	1	Green chile, slit
	4 ½ c or 1 l	Water	Add & bring to boil (less water works well – cover vegets). Boil for 15 min (or less) – until slightly tender.
1 T	1 ½ tsp	Salt
8	4 med	Medium tomatoes - quartered	Add, stir in, and transfer to baking pan & bake uncovered at 375 F. for 20 min until veg are soft. Discard herb bundle & dried limes (or substitute). I also removed the chile.
10c	5c	Spinach leaves
4 T	2 T	Dried sour cherries cut in half (or barberries)

NOTE: We cooked the vegets in the oven for longer than suggested – probably 30-45 minutes. It thickened the sauces nicely, didn’t overcook the veg, and caramelized the top. A plus.

This can be purchased locally at Talewinds. You won't regret buying it.