Continuing with "Jerusalem: the Cookbook"

Ottolenghi's Kofte

My record now stands at 8 recipes done from the Ottolenghi cookbook. Every one of them was worth the effort!

Earlier this week, I made his spinach salad with pita croutons, almonds, and dates. Another night I made the very simple roasted potatoes with prunes and caramel (which is clandestinely a version of tzimmes without any carrots). I served it with plain baked salmon filet.

Tonight's dinner was Ottolenghi's kofte; that is, meatballs made from ground veal and lamb and quite elaborately spiced including toasted pine nuts. The sauce on the side is made from tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and ice water. My Israeli chopped salad with tomato, cucumber, lemon, and cilantro was better in total than each of its winter ingredients.

Mujedara is the lentil dish that is a favorite of Ottolenghi -- I like the version from Hiller's Market that comes in a box, visible in the photo at upper right. Steve's, the maker, also offers great hummus and babaganoush. Maybe I'll try the recipe for Ottolenghi's mujedara some day.