A Flavorful Fresh Start: Ottolenghi Recipes as My New Year’s Resolution

I started to write a post about my New Year’s resolution, but it quickly derailed into the ramblings of someone scrambling to dismantle internalized fatphobia. Because, as you might imagine, over New Years my feed became an ‘inspirational’ pile-on of before and afters that made me want to erase my screen like an Etch-a-Sketch and cry, “but the before was beautiful! We are all struggling souls in a xenophobic, fatphobic, white supremacy-rooted world!”

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My New Years Resolution

Oops I’m doing it again. THE POINT is, I didn’t want to join the throngs of people picking a goal weight for the new year. But I was aware that with frequent moves and months abroad, I had completely dropped my gym going-ness and with it most of my healthy routines and habits. My resolution was thus inspired: cook through Ottelenghi’s cookbooks.

If you don’t know Ottelenghi, he’s an Israeli-British chef. I discovered him when I stumbled on one of his cookbooks back in 2013 and bought it for my roommate for our Secret Santa exchange. Like every time I buy something for someone else, I immediately wanted it for myself. Eventually I got my own copy. Then I let the gorgeous Jerusalem cookbook sit on the shelf like the sad lentils in my dry goods cabinet, going stale.

Last year, I received Ottelenghi’s Test Kitchen cookbook as a gift, and it also sat unopened on the shelf.

This year, I saw that my sister had Ottelenghi’s cookbook Simple, and thought, oh, if I have that, maybe the pattern of abandoned cookbooks on my shelf will finally cease!

An astute reader may guess what happened to that cookbook… and they’d be… WRONG! HA! The Simple, Test Kitchen, and Jerusalem cookbooks have been sprawled open on my coffee table all month. Because I do love keeping a resolution.

Anyway, I thought it’d be fun to share some of the recipes I’ve made from these books (mostly from Simple).

For the ingredients, I bought 8 jars of Rose Harissa while in the UK and put them in a checked bag home. Everything else I managed to buy from international markets or the local spice mart.

Harissa and Manchego Omelettes – Simple Cookbook

Brussels Sprouts With Browned Butter and Black Garlic – Simple Cookbook

Spiced Mashed Eggplant (Aubergine) and Peas – Test Kitchen Cookbook

Egg McMuffins – TikTok Recipe

These were good but I’m learning the not-so-surprising lesson that TikTok recipes do not quite measure up to the cookbook ones.

Hot Charred Cherry Tomatoes with Cold Yogurt – Simple Cookbook

The rating isn’t necessarily this recipe’s fault. I just found these tomatoes to be quite acidic.

Chickpea Tomato and Feta with Cashew Cream – TikTok

Lamb Meatballs with Barberries yogurt & herbs – Jerusalem Cookbook

Easily my favorite meal of the bunch

Gigli with chickpeas and za’tar – Simple Cookbook

Couscous Salad with Pickled Red Onion – TikTok

Roasted Whole Cauliflower with Green Tahini Sauce – Simple Cookbook

Shockingly delicious

Stuffed Zucchini with Pine Nut Salsa

Tomatoes with sumac shallots and pine nuts

January – Check!

This resolution was pivotal in encouraging us to cook more at home, and plan recipes around fresh local ingredients. We also joined the local rock climbing gym and have been enjoying improved routines so far. Aside from the lamb meatballs, most of our recipes have been meat-reduced or completely vegetarian. Going meat-lite has always been a goal of mine, and it’s been nice that the recipe book makes it easy.

What About You?

What was your resolution? Did you do it?

What’s your go-to healthy recipe?

Which of these do you want to try?

Let me know in the comments below!