Inside Yotam Ottolenghi's surprisingly traditional Christmas feast

Updated a month ago by Amy Martin

It's not every day that you get to ask one of the world's most well-known chefs what he's making for Christmas.

While Yotam Ottolenghi was born in Israel and grew up in a Jewish family, the London-based chef and his test kitchen embraces the December holiday in a very Ottolenghi way.

In fact, when we sat down to chat over Zoom, Ottolenghi had just finished a day in the kitchen preparing this year's Christmas recipes.

But there's a certain freedom that comes from selecting a Christmas menu for Ottolenghi.

Yes, there are Christmas recipes and certain flavours that will make an appearance. But the holiday doesn't revolve around specific recipes such as Challah bread for Hanukkah dinner, or matzo ball soup for Passover.

Does this mean that every December 25 there is a completely new, curated menu? Yes and no.

Ottolenghi says he never feels the need to reinvent the Christmas meal.

"You do that the rest of the year, and Christmas, or any other holidays for that matter," he says.

"Now in Jewish culture, there are meals that are specific to the holidays, and you don't mess around with it and that's what you have in this particular holiday, because the food symbolises something and has to have a symbolic meaning.

"And I think Christmas is a bit different, because the food doesn't have a symbolic meaning. It's just like what we've had over the last 50 years is also very different from how we ate 100 years ago.

"But I think there's something to be said for getting together around a kind of predictable meal.

"It all comes down to tradition, without being fanatic about it."

Living in the northern hemisphere, seafood isn't on the menu like it is here Down Under. But he does know what it's like to have two families coming together and not quite agreeing what to serve on Christmas.

In Australia, it looks a little bit like the turkey versus seafood debate.

"That's the story of Christmas isn't it?" he says.

"Families coming together and not really agreeing on anything."

What happens at an Ottolenghi Christmas is something reminiscent of the annual holiday.

A turkey or goose, served with a couple of condiments - usually something with chilli because he always needs something with a bit of heat to it.

"I do have roast potatoes, but then I add a spice, or I add a set of herbs, or a dipping sauce, or I'd like to finish it off with some kind of nutty element. I just wanted to have that kind of angle to it," Ottolenghi says.

"Today when we were shooting in the Christmassy vibe, even though we're not there yet. I did this kind of very simple roasted crispy cabbage halves that I finished off with like a pine nut vinaigrette, which gets spooned over them as they come out of the oven, and with some fresh basil.

"And for me, that is Christmassy because at Christmas you want that kind of side of greens, but I like roast vegetables so the cabbage is roasted, but the vinaigrette gives it that kind of lightness. So I tried to go wintry. Christmassy, traditional, but not as heavy. I like to keep things light, happy and spicy."

Christmas marks less than two months before Ottolenghi returns to Australia.

The internationally acclaimed chef will be back on our shores for the first time in a couple of years as part of his An Evening With Yotam Ottolenghi tour.

In honour of his latest book, Comfort, the tour will not only see Ottolenghi answer questions from the audience, but there will also be live cooking demonstrations of how to dish up elevated comfort food.

An Evening with Yotam Ottolenghi will be in Australia from February 10, with shows in Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Bendigo, Melbourne, Hobart, Brisbane, Sydney and Newcastle. For full dates and tickets, go to fane.com.au.

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