Shalom Yotam Ottolenghi!!

 A very warm welcome to our new IHCC chef, Yotam Ottolenghi!

Shalom Yotam Ottolenghi!

Ottolenghi is an Israeli-born chef, cookbook writer, and restaurant owner who specializes in marrying his native Middle Eastern cuisine with Mediterranean and Asian flavors.  He is also known as a champion of vegetables, or rather as 'the man who sexed up vegetables'.  His innovative vegetarian recipes delight the palate with fresh bold flavors.   

Ottolenghi has three best-selling cookbooks: Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, Plenty, and Jerusalem. He also has a very strong online presence.  A quick online search will yield pictures, recipes, cooking videos, and interviews. In addition, he writes a weekly column for The Guardian, which is also available online.  Those of you who utilize your iPhone and iPad will be happy to know there is both an app and an e-book available (links to all of the above can be found on our sidebar to the right).

It is with great excitement that we welcome in Yotam Ottolenghi! We are really looking forward to his innovative style and vibrant dishes.  Feel free to welcome in Ottolenghi with any dish you chose!  Make and post your Shalom Yotam Ottolenghi recipe by Sunday, April 7th.  Don't forget to link your dish, as well as your image, below.  Please remember to leave a comment after linking so that we don't miss out on your dish. 

New to IHCC?  Need help linking up?  Please see our Welcome page.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will get back with you.  

New Feature: Optional Monthly Community Recipe

We are very excited to introduce a brand new feature here at IHCC, the Optional Monthly Community Recipe.  At the beginning of each month one Yotam Ottolenghi recipe will be chosen and announced.  This recipe will be our featured Optional Monthly Community Recipe. Participants can chose to make, post, and link this recipe in place of any weekly theme or simply as a bonus recipe for the month.  At the very end of the month, or very beginning of the next month, there will be a recipe roundup including a picture and link to all the participant's posts.  We look forward to sharing the experience of the recipe with you.  We encourage everyone to feel free to add their own twist or variation to the dish and tell us all about it!  It is our hope that cooking and sharing the same recipe will help to create a better sense of community and sharing here at IHCC and we are really looking forward to it!

 This month's Optional Monthly Community Recipe is......Shakshuka!

Shakshuka is a beautiful brunch dish where poached eggs set atop a colorful and lightly spiced sauce made from tomatoes, onions, and peppers.  Shakshuka can be served family style or individually.  There are many variations of shakshuka and we encourage you to experiment as you wish.  Some like to add preserved lemon, feta cheese, and/or different herbs and spices.  Shakshuka is best served with  chunky white bread on the side for dipping.

Below is a video of Yotam Ottolenghi making his Shakshuka.  Here is a link to the recipe, which can be found on the The Guardian's website. 

*We are experimenting with a new linky tool so please be patient with us.  If there are any issues we will get them worked out shortly.*