A Conversation with Ottolenghi and Tamimi

I don't even remember on what site I first read about it last week but I count it as one of those internet miracles.  The restauranteurs/chefs/authors of Jerusalem, Plenty and Ottolenghi - Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi - spoke at the Sixth & I Synagogue Monday night in an event sponsored by Politics & Prose.

The event sold out and the synagogue was packed.  I even had that uncomfortable situation where the person sitting next to me in the pew sat in a space far too small for him and was touching me all night.  I like my space. 

This is the new cookbook and I cannot wait to start cooking from it.

Sami and Yotam were absolutely charming and it was a pleasure to listen to them speak about growing up in Israel, opening their restaurants, writing the books together, and cooking.  The moderator, Joan Nathan, asked questions for 40 minutes and then they opened it up to questions from the audience.

They said the most versatile ingredient is sesame because of the many uses for tahini and sesame oil.  They recommended eating tahini and date syrup on bread.  The least versatile are turnips but that is because Sami had a lot of problems trying to stuff them as they would fall apart every time he would try it.

Other advice -

If you don't like lemons and garlic, then don't try to cook their recipes, and the most important tools in a kitchen are a lemon squeezer and a garlic press.