![\"Chaya\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791228140_870_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nHost Robin Young speaks with famed chef and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi about his new cookbook, \u201cOttolenghi Simple Too,\u201d which he wrote with Verena Lochmuller.<\/p>\n
\nThe book features recipes with few steps geared towards busy lives.<\/p>\n
Book excerpt: \u2018Ottolenghi Simple Too\u2019<\/p>\n
By Yotam Ottolenghi<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Chaya\u2019s saffron yogurt hake. (Courtesy of Penguin Random House) <\/p>\n
Chaya\u2019s saffron yogurt hake<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Serves 4-6<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Prep time: 20 minutes<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Cook time: 15 minutes<\/p>\n
\nThis makes a colorful impact placed in the middle of a dinner party table, thanks to the saffron. Thank you, saffron! Thanks also to our test kitchen colleague Chaya, who developed this dish. It\u2019s got Chaya written all over it: generous, sunny, and loved by all.<\/p>\n
\nTake a moment to slice the lemons as thinly as you can\u2014the aim is for them to almost melt on top of the fish. Serve with the spiced roasted potatoes (p. 204) or any potatoes.<\/p>\n
\nIngredients<\/p>\n
\n\u00be tsp saffron strands<\/p>\n
\n2 hake or cod fillets, skin on (2 \u00bd lb\/1.2kg)<\/p>\n
\n1 \u00bc cups\/360g Greek yogurt<\/p>\n
\n2 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste<\/p>\n
\n1 lemon, very thinly sliced (1\u20132mm)<\/p>\n
\n\u00bd oz\/15g thyme sprigs<\/p>\n
\n\u00bd tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed<\/p>\n
\n7 tbsp\/100ml olive oil<\/p>\n
\nfine sea salt and black pepper<\/p>\n
\n1. Preheat the oven to 500\u00b0F.<\/p>\n
\n2. Add the saffron to a small frying pan on low heat for 1 minute to warm up slightly. Take off the heat, add 3 tablespoons of water, and set aside to bloom for 10 minutes.<\/p>\n
\n3. Meanwhile, place the fish, skin side down, in a large roasting pan and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper.<\/p>\n
\n4. Mix the saffron and liquid with the yogurt, garlic, and \u00bd teaspoon of salt. Reserve a<\/p>\n
\nquarter of the mixture for later and use a spoon to generously cover the fish with the rest. Arrange half the lemon slices on top of the fish, with the rest nestled around the fish in the pan. Scatter the thyme and cumin, followed by a good grind of pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and bake for 12 minutes, until some of the lemon slices and thyme are slightly charred and the fish is tender and flakes easily when pressed.<\/p>\n
\n5. Serve with the reserved yogurt on the side.<\/p>\n
Butternut \u201cparmigiana\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Butternut](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791228140_780_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Butternut \u201cparmigiana.\u201d (Courtesy of Penguin Random House) <\/p>\n
A classic parmigiana\u2014made with slices of eggplant, layered with cheese, and then baked\u2014is hard to beat. This take might not have the parmesan (or, indeed, the eggplants) but it echoes the flavors and textures and has the advantages of being made in a fraction of the time, assembled in one dish, and also very much hitting the same spot. Serve with butter lettuce salad (p. 230).<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Serves 4<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Prep time: 20 minutes<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Cook time: 50 minutes<\/p>\n
\nIngredients<\/p>\n
\n1 large butternut squash (about 2 \u00be lb\/1.3kg), unpeeled, halved lengthwise, and seeds<\/p>\n
\nremoved<\/p>\n
\n7 tbsp\/105ml olive oil<\/p>\n
\n4\u20135 plum tomatoes, grated and skins discarded (heaping 2 cups\/380g)<\/p>\n
\n1 tbsp tomato paste<\/p>\n
\n\u215b tsp ground allspice<\/p>\n
\n\u00bd tsp ground cumin<\/p>\n
\n\u215b tsp ground cinnamon<\/p>\n
\n\u00bc tsp granulated sugar<\/p>\n
\n\u00bd cup\/25g panko breadcrumbs<\/p>\n
\n1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste<\/p>\n
\n2 tsp za\u2019atar<\/p>\n
\n4 oregano sprigs, plus a few leaves for garnish<\/p>\n
\n4 \u00bd oz\/125g taleggio (or brie or mozzarella), thinly sliced<\/p>\n
\nfine sea salt and black pepper<\/p>\n
\n1. Preheat the oven to 450\u00b0F.<\/p>\n
\n2. Cut each squash half into 3 long wedges and arrange them in a large roasting pan. Rub all over with 2 tablespoons of the oil, \u00bd teaspoon of salt, and a good grind of pepper. Bake for about 35 minutes, until browned and cooked through.<\/p>\n
\n3. In a small bowl mix together the tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, sugar, 3 tablespoons of the oil, 2 tablespoons of water, and \u00bd teaspoon of salt. Set aside.<\/p>\n
\n4. In a separate bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, garlic, \u00bd teaspoon of za\u2019atar, and 1 tablespoon of the oil.<\/p>\n
\n5. Remove the squash from the oven, then pour the tomato sauce around it and nestle in the oregano sprigs. Lay the cheese evenly over the squash, sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture, and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Return to the oven for 10\u201315 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle over the remaining za\u2019atar and oregano leaves and serve.<\/p>\n
Breakfast potatoes<\/p>\n
![\"Breakfast](\"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791228140_98_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Breakfast potatoes. (Courtesy of Penguin Random House) <\/p>\n
This is a combination of two great Spanish potato dishes: patatas a lo pobre (poor man\u2019s potatoes) and huevos rotos (broken eggs). Traditionally both fried, here we bake\u2014not to be virtuous; it\u2019s just easy. One sheet pan, one mandoline (if you have one, it makes light work of slicing the potatoes and shallots), and you have easily fed a crowd.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Serves 6<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Prep time: 10 minutes<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Cook time: 1 hour 5 minutes<\/p>\n
\nIngredients<\/p>\n
\n2 lb\/905g Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled and thinly sliced<\/p>\n
\n2 red bell peppers, seeded and thinly sliced (1\u2153 cups\/200g)<\/p>\n
\n4 oregano sprigs<\/p>\n
\n3 large shallots, thinly sliced (1 \u00be cups\/200g)<\/p>\n
\n1 head of garlic, top \u00bd inch\/1cm removed<\/p>\n
\n1 tsp sweet smoked paprika<\/p>\n
\n\u2154 cup\/160ml olive oil<\/p>\n
\n6 large eggs<\/p>\n
\nfine sea salt and black pepper<\/p>\n
\n1. Preheat the oven to 400\u00b0F.<\/p>\n
\n2. Put the potatoes, peppers, oregano, shallots, garlic, paprika, and olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet (about 18 x 13 inches\/46 x 33cm), along with 1 \u00bc teaspoons of salt and plenty of pepper. Mix together well and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn everything over, and bake for another 30 minutes (turning the vegetables over again halfway through), until the potatoes are soft and jammy and the peppers and shallots are frizzled. Remove from the oven, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins, and fold them into the roasted vegetables.<\/p>\n
\n3. Crack the eggs into a bowl, season with a pinch of salt and some pepper, then lightly break with a fork\u2014just enough to burst the yolks. Create a few small pockets in the potato mixture, then pour in the eggs. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, or until the eggs are just cooked through.<\/p>\n
\nThis article was originally published on WBUR.org.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 WBUR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Host Robin Young speaks with famed chef and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi about his new cookbook, \u201cOttolenghi Simple Too,\u201d which he wrote with Verena Lochmuller. The book features recipes with few steps geared towards busy lives. Book excerpt: \u2018Ottolenghi Simple Too\u2019 By Yotam Ottolenghi Chaya\u2019s saffron yogurt hake. (Courtesy of Penguin Random House) Chaya\u2019s saffron yogurt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9331,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-9381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chefs","tag-chef"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/vive.im\/@dnc\/117392859694341495","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/chefs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}