What a tart!

Ottolenghi Cafes are like high-end fashion stores. They are all white with the odd bit of abstract wall art and staffed by the perfectly formed whose body shapes confirm that they have never even licked one of the perfect meringues that they sell, piled high on the countertop. There are loads and loads of big white bowls with delicious exotic salads, salmon wrapped in delicate tissue pastry and passion fruit cakes that whisper your name when you go in to buy your mellow latte (in a white cup). Often I’ve tried to emulate the broccoli, chill and flaked almonds but never succeeded to get it just right.

Yotam Ottolenghi writes a column for the Guardian on a Saturday, with a vegetarian slant. He’s kindly packaged his recipes up in a (white) book so that now I can try with more success. M unkindly said that the food in the pictures looked like the top of your rubbish bin when you take off the lid. They are all messy and deliciously half-eaten-looking. I don’t care, I love food like that, and Mr. Ottolenghi’s book, 'Plenty', has remained on the kitchen table permanently.

I’ve tried lots of the offerings. They’ve all come out perfectly, although some of the ingredients required are not your average. They are often a tiny bit fiddly, including the caramelized garlic tart, which I made yesterday, which took about 2 hours. Mr. Ottolenghi claims that this is the most delicious tart ever. He isn’t lying. I made mine in a massive frilly pie tin and it’s all gone now. I’m not going to bother typing up the recipe because I think you should go and buy the book so you can make lots of fabulous bin food.