“Radishes. Radishes? Is it the creamy eggplant Caesar dip? A sake-pickled radish?”
On Friday, October 11, Yotam Ottolenghi hosted a book talk and cooking demo at Sacramento’s Tsakopoulos Library Galleria in conversation with Benjy Egel, restaurant critic for the Sacramento Bee. Before the chef appeared, some in the audience hit the indexes of Ottolenghi’s newest cookbook, “Comfort,” to guess the fate of colorful ingredients mise en place (put in place) next to the fronds of dill and mint on stage.
More guests arrived with their seasoned copies of his earlier cookbooks, including “Simple,” “Plenty,” “Flavor” and “Jerusalem,” and stories of how they “got to know” the international chef and restaurant owner. Some were surprised that such a big name in the culinary world would visit “Sacramento, of all places” — despite the agricultural epicenter Comstock’s readers know Sac to be. Sacramento was one of nine venues the chef visited as part of his U.S. tour to promote his 10th cookbook. Each show on the tour featured a Q&A, a special guest and a cooking demonstration in which the audience members voted on which ingredients would go into crepes.
In answer to “why Sacramento,” the chef noted the sheer abundance of quality local ingredients available. “Every time I come to California I am so jealous, because I live in England. Don’t get me wrong, we have good ingredients and vegetables, but they are limited. Seasonality is something we celebrate so much. … It’s so frustrating when I come here and see all the wonderful produce. Like peaches! I haven’t seen a peach for like three months now. It’s difficult not to get inspired by the produce you have. And such good quality olive oil. Great wine.”
The event was also reflective of Sacramento’s growth as a food hub. Next September, Sacramento will host two events for food lovers: Terra Madre, the first full-scale American version of the Slow Food Movement’s flagship event that started in Turin, Italy, in 1996, and the annual Farm-to-Fork Festival.
Dill, mint and other ingredients were arranged on stage in
preparation for Yotam Ottolenghi’s cooking demo. (Photo by Anna
Dobrowolski)
“A number of factors have contributed to that growth, including a nationwide focus on local sourcing and Sacramento’s relative affordability attracting people from the Bay Area and Los Angeles, but perhaps the biggest one is that the dining public knows more about food and is more willing to be adventurous than in years past,” says Egel.
“Sacramento’s modern diners encourage chefs to be more creative and support the restaurants that are truly excellent, which has brought national attention to the region’s dining scene in the form of James Beard Awards, Michelin stars and glowing articles,” he continues. “Having internationally renowned chefs and cookbook authors such as Yotam Ottolenghi visit only spurs that movement.”
Balancing fusion
Ottolenghi is known for infusing ingredients from around the world into dishes with equally widespread origins — from mung bean to kimchi, meatloaf to falafel. On stage, Egel asked the chef how he stands out in a world of infinite fusions. In the process of defamiliarizing something that many may have an emotional connection to, how does one balance creativity without stepping into the land of cultural appropriation?
“Historically, all food is ‘hybrid food,’” Ottolenghi said. “Cooking has never been an activity that’s been practiced by one person on their own; it’s always been a process of cultural exchange between members of a family or clan. It’s never been ghettoized to a particular place, it’s always been fluid. The problem today is that we want to perceive ‘traditions’ and call things authentic, which is bogus because those were fluid from the beginning.
“And often our ideas of ‘authenticity’ are overrated and many times plain wrong. When you travel the world, you’ll often find that people will disagree with certain traditions within the same culture.Purity is something an outsider expects, rather than something that is practiced by chefs. That’s just one part. It’s important to tell the story of the dish and not erase its history. When a recipe comes from somewhere, I want to tell people where the inspiration came from. It’s a way to capture the origin of a dish.”
He takes a similar approach towards food tourism and foodie destinations. “Wherever I go I always try to learn something. I always come back with a recipe or idea that I utilize for cookbooks or myself. I think it’s a wonderful way to explore a new place or learn from a culture. I always research restaurants and markets. Food is a great way to break cultural barriers because it’s a great way into conversations with people. Food is a global language everyone understands. It can start with food but end up going in an entirely different direction.”
Chef Yotam Ottolenghi visited Sacramento as part of his promotion
tour for his 10th cookbook, “Comfort.” (Photo by True Love Photo,
courtesy of Sacramento Public Library)
What is comfort?
“A lot of people associate comfort food with eating or being fed, and being taken care of. As a chef, do you get comfort from cooking, or is it more work for you?” Egel asked.
“Actually, it gives me more comfort,” Ottolenghi said. “The world that we live in feels less and less safe. We have a pandemic, we have unsettling wars happening in different parts of the world, and a lot of innocent people are suffering. The pain is something I have to live with every day. Some people are closer to it, and others have it more at a distance. We are feeling more anxious. Screens don’t help at all, either. Cooking is something that makes us feel safe.”
Make your own Ottolenghi-inspired squash stew. 
Sac Asks, Ottolenghi Answers
After the conversation, the chef answered some of the questions from the audience.
How do you decide what kind of fat to use when starting a recipe?
YO: Depends on what you grew up with, if you are from a “butter” or “oil” culture, so to speak. I find that bitter vegetables such as kohlrabi or rutabaga work better with butter. Olive oil is for browning and salad dressings. Sometimes you can use both. For example, searing fish (or anything with short cooking times) can take a combination of butter and oil. In general, use flavorless oils for stir fries. Sesame oil is normally a finishing oil, whereas groundnut/peanut oils can carry high heat.
A note, too, on fat. In the book we use coconut milk or coconut cream, like in Thailand or parts of China. You can warm up your coconut milk and when it cools down it splits into solids and liquids, the solid is the coconut fat.
How and when should you substitute?
YO: This question comes up a lot. One of the misconceptions people have is that you really need to follow a recipe to a T. A good rule of thumb: If it’s in the title, you can’t substitute it. If it is a roast potato and you don’t have a potato, maybe you want to let that one go.
Hosting for people with dietary restrictions?
YO: One respectful workaround is to cook up a sauce that can be adapted for separate mains. A tomato-based sauce with lime and coriander could just as easily take sweet potato as it could tofu, fish, fish cakes, or chicken (whereas red meat would overpower it). I’d suggest making a couple of sauces and then roasting the mains or proteins separately.
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