I’ve enjoyed all of the Ottolenghi cookbooks, and I was particularly intrigued to see a few new ingredients in the book taste. The reason for these additions was Ixta Belfrage. At that time she was a cook in the Ottolenghi test kitchen, now she has published her first cookbook, Mezcla: Recipes to get excited about. I received a review copy. Mezcla means blend or mixture in Spanish and perfectly describes her culinary influences. From the age of three she grew up in Tuscany, but often visited her mother’s family in Brazil. She also lived in Rio de Janeiro for a year. Her paternal grandparents lived outside of Mexico City near the volcano for which she was named. Recently, her time in the Ottolenghi kitchen has also left its mark. Exploring all these places and having connections to the food of each place led to her very personal cooking style. The book is divided into two main parts: Everyday and Entertaining, and a candy chapter called The End. The recipes for everyday use are quicker to prepare than those in the Entertaining chapter. There are clear fusion dishes like Cheesy Roasted Eggplant with Salsa Roja, which is like Eggplant Parmesan but with ancho and habanero sauce, and Pappardelle with Chipotle Pancetta Sauce. And there are flavor-packed dishes that might not fit into neat categories, like piri piri tofu over crispy orzo, roasted cabbage with mango and harissa salsa, and spicy ginger tomato sesame dip. One idea that comes up a few times in the book is an “aioli” made from cooked onions. In one version, the onion is roasted with garlic before being mashed with olive oil, lemon, and cream. In another, onions are caramelized on the stove before being mashed with miso, mustard, milk, olive oil and lemon. Both sound delicious as a spread on toast, toppings for beans, or to serve with eggs. First I wanted to try the Mangold Rotolo as it is filled with a rocket paste and my home grown rocket was ready just in time.
There are a few steps to put this together, but each one is easy enough. To start, I made the rocket paste with lots of rocket, basil, a few anchovies, olive oil, lemon zest and instead of mascarpone I used plant-based cream cheese. The ingredients were pulsed in a food processor until smooth. Next, water was boiled and chard leaves were briefly dipped in it to soften them. The stalks were chopped and added to the arugula paste. I used dried lasagne sheets which I soaked in hot water before using, but fresh lasagne sheets would have saved this step. A sheet of parchment paper was placed on the work surface and layers were built up on it. The chard leaves formed the base layer, next came lasagne sheets, then arugula paste was spread onto the pasta sheets. The parchment paper made it easier to roll the layers. The leaves were tucked into the ends and the finished scroll, still on the parchment, was lifted into a frying pan. It was covered with foil and baked for 20 minutes before removing the foil for another 8 minutes of baking. A simple sauce was made from tomato puree, butter, garlic and oregano. I sliced ​​the rotolo and placed chunks on top of the sauce in a serving bowl.
This recipe was fun to make and flavorful to deliver, and the sliced ​​roll was a beautiful presentation. Arugula paste with anchovies is an element that can be used for various purposes such as: B. as a spread in sandwiches or as a layer in traditional lasagne. As with everything in the book, there was adventure for your taste buds and cooking inspiration.
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