Ottolenghi

The lamb shawarma recipe from Jerusalem is a prime example of why everyone is so wild about Ottolenghi -- it is a twist on an exotic Mediterranean specialty that turns it into a fresh and exciting dish.

We've been on an Ottolenghi kick and went to the book-signing he and his cooking partner, Sami Tamimi, did for Ottolenghi at the Sixth & I Synagogue. The interview, conducted somewhat ineptly by Joan Nathan, was not great, but did give you an impression of these two Israelis, one Jewish and the other Palestinian, who have taken the culinary world by storm with their London restaurants.

The lamb dish, which you have to all in love with when you see the photo, was the centerpiece of an all-Ottolenghi menu. The rub includes a baker's dozen of spices -- peppercorns, cloves, cardamom pods, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, sweet paprika, sumac, sea salt -- that get in part roasted, then ground and all mixed together. Grated fresh ginger, crushed garlic cloves, chopped cilantro, lemon juice and peanut oil are added to make a rub for the leg of lamb, which ideally gets marinated overnight. Then it is slow-roasted in a 325 oven for 4-1/2 hours, adding 1 cup of boiling water after the first 30 minutes and covering with aluminum foil for the last 3 hours to keep the spice crust from burning. Be sure to keep water in the pan and baste it every hour or so with the liquid. We followed the suggestion to add waxy potatoes, peeled and in wedges, to the roast for the last 1-1/2 hours.

The meat was fork-tender and delicious. The spice crust gave the dish some zing but the full lamb flavor came through well. It was going to be dry in any case and timing for guests kept it in the oven longer, so I would be sure the next time to have more liquid at the finish to ladle over the carved meat. The potatoes, which were very tasty, absorbed some liquid as well.

As sides we served the marinated eggplant with tahini and oregano and the cucumber and poppy seed salad from Ottolenghi. The small eggplants get cut into wedges and roasted, then marinated in a mix of chopped red chile, cilantro, oregano, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. After this sits for at least 2 hours, you top it with green tahini sauce for serving. The cucumber salad calls for small cucumbers -- which by some serendipity Whole Foods happened to have -- mixed with sliced red chiles, cilantro, white wine vinegar, sunflower oil, poppy seeds and superfine sugar. These were also delicious and harmonized well with the lamb. We served a good Bordeaux with the meal.

In their talk, Tamimi (who like Simone Beck and Louise Bertholle tends to get forgotten in all the hullabaloo over Yotam Ottolenghi) emphasized that much of their cooking comes back to garlic and lemon. When someone lamely asked what tools they suggest for the kitchen, Tamimi gamely answered "a lemon squeezer and a garlic press." Enough said.