Yotam Ottolenghi webchat: Tuesday 12 February, 9pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

We're delighted Yotam Ottolenghi is joining us for a webchat on Tuesday 12 February at 9pm, as part of our Food Feb celebration of food and cooking.

Yotam worked as a pastry chef and then head pastry chef until he established the Ottolenghi deli with Sami Tamimi and Noam Bar in 2002. Since then, he's gone on to open four London outlets and publish three books.

His first, Ottolenghi, was published in 2008, introducing us to a delicious and vibrant array of salads, which are now dinner party favourites. He has since published Plenty, his exclusive collection of vegetarian recipes, which is drawn from his column The New Vegetarian for the Guardian's Weekend magazine, and most recently Jerusalem, which offers inspired, accessible recipes with culinary influences coming from Jerusalem's Muslim, Jewish, Arab, Christian and Armenian communities.

The Ottolenghi app, which has recipes from all his books, is now available for iPhone. And Yotam has recently launched his Ottolenghi webstore, selling a range of produce, wines, gifts and books.

Post your question to Yotam or join the discussion on Tuesday evening at 9pm and you'll be entered into a draw to win one of five copies of Jerusalem.

@bisjo

You highlighted my comment but thanked Rachel and missed my question

What is your favourite recipe?

sorry. did you get the answer now?

www.ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/tomato-and-pomegranate-salad-with-garlic-dressing.

Thank you, thank you, thank you x

@Lomaamina

Oh that's so funny! My husband always teases me because I comment every time I go to the supermarket and see the regular (watery) cucumbers sold wrapped in plastic (let alone sold by the half - what's that about?). When I lived in Jerusalem I'd buy the lovely little ones by the kilo.

Still, I can buy them, for a price, at my local Turkish shop.

True. Turkish shops also have the most incredible white cheeses, feta style but with tons of varieties.

Thank you!!

I've just logged into the online store and its made me hungry! I think my credit card might be coming out of retirement.

We've come to the end of the hour. Thanks so much to you all for your questions and huge thanks to Yotam for fitting us in to your crazy schedule. Massive congratulations from us all at Mumsnet on the arrival of your son and do come back if you need any assistance or advice from mumsnetters in the future . Thanks for all the great advice tonight and for getting through so many questions.

Lots of great tips! One last question: favorite way to have labneh?

@AndMiffyWentToSleep

Just want to add my message of thanks and adoration!

I'm not sure I agree about you writing a cookbook for babies, but I do like the idea someone earlier gave of compiling a book of quicker recipes for those of us who love cooking but just don't have the time and can't get to one of your restaurants.

i guess i should compile a list of all the quick recipes i've published.

Everybody, thanks so much for all the questions! They were great. I am sure I will be back with tons of requests of advice on the parenting front. x

Thanks Yotam! And thanks MNHQ, great web chat :)

Yes my local Turkish shop sells the tiny cucumbers, They are totally delicious.

Yotam gave me my cooking mojo back several months ago after watching Jerusalem where I salivated for days and dreamed of the food.
The book is fantabulous and the shop... well that is why we work right?

Isn't he just luffly?

I heart yotam

Yotam has to be my male crush! He's fabulous !

Think I had a minor crush which has now exploded into full blown after reading responses here - sadly I missed last night.

I can highly recommend the mushroom parcels for the vegetarian dinner party. You can make ahead they have wow factor and are really tasty, a bit on the plainer side of Yotom's dishes but a perfect base to a an all veg meal with strong flavours in the other dishes . Go easy on the chevril and the Pernod though. Also I used dried chevril and it wasn't as nice as fresh. if you can't get fresh, substitute dill, it works so well I almost preferred it.

The cucumber discussion made me think of my tomato woe, I CANNOT find good tomatoes in London. The ones they sell in even nice shops here are abysmal. I honestly can't believe they charge money for them. You don;t have to have to go to Jersulem to know good tomatoes - I am from canada and our worst tomato is head and shoulders above those in the UK. Sorry, I could rant about tomatoes all day long because as our crush says, a bad tomato can break a dish.

Can anyone recommend a place i.e. perhaps a favourite Turkish Shop in north London for produce?

Yay4may I know exactly what you mean. Tomatoes in the UK, unless home-grown, taste and smell of nothing to appetise the palate!

Swoon swoon swoon. Gutted I missed this. He is just the most delicious man ever. yay4may try the TFC Turkish food centre in dalston - they have EVERYTHING. Or any shop on green lanes I hear. Hth

Just reading this again. Was very excited at having my question answered. I'm glad he was lovely or I would have been so disappointed. Very jealous of filibears wink. I think I have a new crush.

OMGOMGOMG my question got answered! Wooooo

(RachelMumsnet - you can indeed make gorgeous houmous, but there's something different about the amazing stuff you buy in Israel, and the pitta there is so much nicer. Nevermind, I'll just have to plan another trip!)

I too have a new crush

Thank you Yotam... lovely webchat. I am going to try the paste thing next week.

Five copies of Yotam's Jerusalem have been won ! Congratulations to: tallpoppies, fromthehealthyheart, Grockle, StellaMarie and bisjo. We'll be pming you with more details later today.

THANK YOU - As if I wasn't excited enough to get my question answered I get a book too! I just had a clear out of the cookbooks too so there's space on the shelf, can't wait!!!