I am just the biggest fan of Yotam Ottolenghi. I love his restaurants, his cooking, his cookbooks, and his style. I have been wanting to go to one of his classes for so long, but they are an absolute mission to get into. What happens is as soon as his classes become available, they all get sold out in a matter of hours. The Ottolenghi groupies are a tenacious bunch, that’s for sure. But believe me when I tell you, nobody is getting one over on this housewife! I was going to get into that class no matter how many Louboutin clad feet I had to step on! So when Leith’s Cooking School announced the next batch of Ottolenghi classes, I was at my phone as soon as the booking lines opened. Bleary eyed but unquestionably beautiful, I awoke early in the morning in order to make sure that I snagged my place in one of his classes at long last. Redial. Redial. Redial…. my fingers were ready to go numb, when after about 40 minutes I finally got through and booked a class that was about 6 months later. Let me just tell you, the £140 admission charge and the long wait were most definitely worth it.
Yotam Ottolenghi. The best way I can describe him? Lovely. He is just a super nice guy. He was soft spoken but friendly, inquisitive, and interested. He was very personable and open, happy to talk, and willing to answer questions. He follows the same philosophy that I do when it comes to cooking: food should be fun, not something to stress over. Another thing he highlighted during the class was the importance of tasting the food while cooking (not like he needs to tell me that, as I am famous for devouring half the dinner before it even reaches the table, all in the name of quality control you understand). I thought it was so cool the way he’d come around to our cooking stations while we were working, and he would taste our food and tell us what seasoning a dish might need a little more of. I found the way he did that completely endearing.
Aside from Moi-self, the class consisted of about 25-30 students, Yotam Ottolenghi, and some very knowledgeable and friendly helpers from Leith’s Cooking School as his assistants. The day went by so fast, it was oodles of fun, and at the end we all sat down to the dishes we made. Everything looked and tasted sooooooo good, just as if it came out of the Ottolenghi restaurant itself.
Feeding time at the zoo 
Nothing we made in class was particularly time consuming or difficult. Everything was totally doable for the home chef. I left the class feeling excited and ready to cook those dishes on my own. The next couple of posts, my dollies, will be dedicated to those recipes. I figure it is the next best thing to actually taking you guys with me.
Ottolenghi does loads and loads of eggplant (aubergine) dishes. Here is one that we made in class. It was completely fabulous. The secret to this dish is to really cook the eggplant properly. You want the edges of your eggplant to be slightly charred and the flesh inside to be really soft. This, like most of Ottolenghi’s salads, is to be served at room temperature. When the eggplant has completely cooled, you may then add the yogurt sauce and allow some time for the flavours to really meld and infuse.
While eating it, I can imagine myself lunching (isn’t “lunching” the most awesome verb?) on a beautiful Mediterranean coast. I can smell the ocean and hear the waves. I can picture myself all dressed in all white with a big wide brimmed hat, some giant sunglasses and a white Gucci sundress. This type of food is the best of both worlds in my book, it’s super healthy, but also leaves me with the fatty goodness factor that I so crave 
. Life is good.
Roasted Aubergine with Preserved Lemon and Chilli Yogurt
Ingredients:
- 1 medium aubergine (eggplant)
- 60 ml olive oil
- 150g Greek yogurt
- 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped skin of a preserved lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 15 basil leaves
- salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 210C.
Remove the leafy top of the aubergines. Cut each aubergine in two, width-ways. The fat half cut length-ways along its centre and then cut each half into 3 wedges. Do the same with the thin half, but cut each of its half into only two wedges.
You should end up having 10 similar sized pieces with skin on their curved side. Place on a large roasting try. Brush on all sides using about half of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Roast the aubergines in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until they take on a nice colour. Leave them to cool down.
Mix the yogurt with the garlic, lemon juice, chilli and the rest of the oil. Taste and season with salt.
Arrange the aubergine on a serving plate and spoon the yogurt sauce on the top. Sprinkle with preserved lemon and parsley over the yogurt and garnish with basil leaves, whole or chopped.
You’re so lucky. I’d love to take cooking classes with a celebrity chef, actually, who wouldn’t?
The eggplant salad sounds and looks great. perfect all summer long.
Thanks for sharing, hope you’re having a great summer time.
What a lovely experience! I am so glad you were able to participate in such a great class with such a wonderful chef!
Do you have any good chickpea recipes?
I am soooo happy you had this wodnerful opportunity and I learned something about you and a chef you love.
The salad is marvelous
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
Sounds like an awesome experience. Looking forward to all the dishes!
Amazing! Yotam’s recipes are my absolute favourite, they are so immensely full of flavour!
Ooh how exciting HH! And that is great how nice a guy he is too!
Amazing! Sounds like such a fabulous experience. I would have loved to join you for this outing! I used to take cooking classes with some celebrity chefs and it was always worth the time and expense! You and I could have so much fun in the kitchen…we need to meet!
Oh I so love reading of your adventures, you make me laugh so. But this is extraordinary and lucky toi! Now I want to take one of his classes. I’l bet you were the most beautiful and engaging student he has ever seen. And the aubergine – wow – it is certainly the best looking, most scrumptious aubergine I have ever seen and will so be trying this recipe and following the instructions. Gorgeous, dahling! xoxo
I am wildly jealous you got to go to his classes. I love his cookbooks too. His eggplant salads are really delicious. The eggplant with buttermilk and pomegranates from Plenty is my favourite.
Loved this recipe and am posting a salad inspired by it. Linking to you of course dahling.
How fun. I never managed to get a class at Leith’s (though I do have their cookbook and apron) while living in London, though I rememberf even then the Ottolenghi classes. Still bummed about that.
Thanks for sharing. That eggplant looks amazing.
How absolutely wonderful! What an experience and such lovely creations…this asparagus salad alone would be enough for me to stalk you guys
Well – I cannot believe how far behind I am on you! I know I have been “away” from reading – but what a fantastic experience. I am greeeeen with zee enveee!
And so happy for you. I know you love and rave about him and his food – and to go to the class would have been a dream for me just because of your admiration – so I cannot imagine your joy.
I grill eggplant all the time and look forward to making this salad.
Valerie
The reason that’s why I love visiting different blog is to learned many delicious and new recipe. I love cooking, especially to prepare for my family. Thank you for sharing this and hope that you will teach me many more.
Keep it up!