Yotam Ottolenghi: Keep Cooking Simple

Overview

If you're a vegetarian, worshipper of eggplant or just a keen home cook — which, let's face it, many of us are becoming — chances are Yotam Ottolenghi has had some impact on your life. In fact, we bet you've got at least one of his bestselling cookbooks in your cupboard. And, this week, you can get some tips and tricks from the cult Israeli chef when the Sydney Opera House streams its 2019 chat with him.

Streaming at 3pm AEST on Sunday, April 26, the recording is from the Opera House's Talks and Ideas program. Ottolenghi's Aussie visit followed the publication of his book Simple, which celebrates the joys of fuss-free dishes, featuring 130 easy-to-make yet super-tasty dishes. The renowned chef will be in conversation with Malaysian Australian cook Adam Liaw and they'll be discussing everything from what makes a recipe simple to the humble cauliflower, bold flavours and cooking for kids. So, even if you're a bit of a novice in the kitchen, this talk is sure to get you cooking up a storm soon enough.

But, Ottolenghi will be talking about much more than that, too. Firstly, there are all his other books, like the Middle Eastern-inspired Jerusalem, the vegetarian-friendly Plenty and the dessert bible Sweet, a collaboration with Melbourne pastry chef Helen Goh. Then, there are his documentaries and his regular writing gigs: a weekly column in Feast magazine and a monthly column in The New York Times.

Flickr/Stijn Nieuwendijk

The talk is part of the Sydney Opera House's three-month digital program From Our House to Yours, with free content streamed nightly from Wednesday–Sunday.

While you wait for the full talk to stream on Sunday, you can also check out the Opera House staff's favourite five Ottolenghi recipes here, as well as five fun facts about the famed chef.

Image: Ken Leanfore