Yotam’s perfect chopped liver
WORLD-FAMOUS Israeli chef, restaurateur and author Yotam Ottolenghi has revealed the secrets of perfect chopped liver to The AJN.
The 45-year-old culinary master is visiting Australia as part of Good Food Month and to promote his new book at speaking events in Sydney and Melbourne.
“A good chopped liver needs fried onion, chicken liver nicely browned, some sweet wine is always good, an egg and duck fat or chicken fat,” Ottolenghi told The AJN.
He added that his Israeli heritage inspires a lot of his recipes.
“I like Sephardi food, like fish marinated in spices and all the hummus of this world.
“I am inspired by food from North Africa and the Middle East, and I cook Ashkenazi food on occasion.”
Born in Jerusalem, Ottolenghi moved to London when he was 28 years old and has built an empire that includes delis and restaurants with his Palestinian business partner Sami Tamimi. More recently he has hosted two TV series, Ottolenghi’s Mediterranean Feast and Ottolenghi’s Mediterranean Island Feast and a documentary Jerusalem on a Plate.
He has also released four books, including his latest Plenty More.
The chef told The AJN that despite serving in the Israeli Defence Forces, he is able to separate the clashes in the Middle East and his relationship with Tamimi.
“We don’t really feel that we are representatives of our respective cultures because we are just two close friends,” he said.
“It bothers us because it’s sad when things go wrong and we would like to see radical shifts to fix the situation but it doesn’t bother us in terms of our relationship.”
As well as running restaurants with Tamimi, Ottolenghi also co-authored Ottolenghi: The Cookbook and Jerusalem with his business partner. But beyond his kitchen, he doesn’t have a recipe for bridging the divide between Israelis and Palestinians.
“My goal is just to cook great food.
“If people buy my books, enjoy my food and it goes beyond that and people come together then it’s a bonus.”
JOSHUA LEVI
Yotam Ottolenghi is visiting Australia.