Cheap and cheerful: Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes for budget cooking | Food (2024)

Cheesy panzerotti with tomato sauce (pictured above)

Fried pizza always feels like a luxury, whatever it’s filled with. This version originates from Naples, and is the perfect handheld pie to share with friends. If you can’t find scamorza, provolone or a low-moisture mozzarella will work well instead.

500ml vegetable (or other neutral) oil, for frying

For the dough
500g ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting
7g fast-action dried yeast (ie, 1 sachet)
1½ tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper

For the filling
160g ricotta
160g scamorza, thinly sliced
16 basil leaves

For the tomato sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
⅛ tsp chilli flakes
1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
¼ tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp basil leaves, thinly sliced

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Put the oil in a small saucepan on a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chilli flakes, fry, stirring frequently, for 30 seconds, until fragrant, then add the tomatoes, 100ml water, the sugar and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer, then, with a potato masher or the back of a fork, roughly crush the tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until slightly thickened, then take off the heat and set aside.

Now make the pizzas. Tip out the risen dough on to a well-floured work surface and knead to knock out the air. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces each weighing about 80-90g. Roll each piece into a ball, dust lightly with flour and cover with a damp cloth.

Heat the oven to 140C (120C fan)/275F/gas 1 and gently reheat the tomato sauce. Put the vegetable oil in a medium-sized saucepan on a medium-high heat; it’s ready for cooking when it hits 170C, or when a small piece of dough sizzles the moment it’s dropped into the hot oil. Gently lower two of the panzerotti into the pan and fry for three minutes, turning over carefully halfway, until evenly golden. Using a slotted spoon, lift them out of the oil and drain on kitchen paper. Once drained, place on a large baking tray and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining panzerotti, allowing the oil to come back up to temperature before frying each batch.

Arrange the panzerotti on a platter and serve with the warm tomato sauce on the side for dipping.

Allium tuna pasta bake with crisp topping

Prep 15 min
Cook 55 min
Serves 4-6

Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Thoroughly wash and pat dry the leeks, then spread them out on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and scatter over a tablespoon and a half of oil, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Toss to coat, then bake for 15 minutes. Add the spring onions to the tray, toss again to coat and roast for another 10 minutes, until soft and lightly coloured. Remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, put the butter and a tablespoon of oil in a large ovenproof saute pan on a medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, until soft and golden brown. Add the garlic, cook for two minutes, until fragrant, then stir in the pasta and flour. Pour in the milk, stock, cream, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a quarter-teaspoon of freshly cracked pepper, bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, for 18 minutes, until the pasta is just cooked and the sauce has thickened. Off the heat, stir in the cheese, parsley and roast alliums, until the cheese melts, then gently stir in the tuna chunks so as not to break them up too much.

Turn the oven grill to high. In a small bowl, mix the panko with the remaining 50g cheese, lemon zest and remaining teaspoon and a half of oil, then sprinkle evenly over the top of the pasta. Grill for six minutes, until golden and bubbling, and serve straight from the pan.

Aubergine and egg curry with spring onion and ginger oil

Prep 20 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 6

2 aubergines (400g)
200ml vegetable oil, or other neutral oil
Salt
6 large eggs
7 spring onions, white parts roughly chopped, green parts thinly sliced (140g)
2 red chillies, stems removed and discarded, flesh roughly chopped, seeds and all (20g)
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tsp hot madras curry powder
100g tinned plum tomatoes (save the rest of the tin for another use)
1½ tsp caster sugar
500ml vegetable stock or water
2 tbsp double cream
15g piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 limes – 1 juiced, to get 1 tbsp, the other cut into quarters

Meanwhile, three-quarters fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil; have ready a large bowl of ice-cold water. Turn down the heat to medium-high, gently lower the eggs into the hot water and cook for seven minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, plunge into the iced water and, once cool, peel and pat dry.

Put five tablespoons of oil in a medium saute pan for which you have a lid, and set it over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the peeled eggs and fry, turning often, for two to three minutes in total, until golden all over. Drain on kitchen paper, discard the oil and wipe clean the pan.

Meanwhile, make the spring onion and ginger oil. Put the remaining 45ml oil in a small saucepan on a medium-high heat until smoking. Add the ginger, fry for a minute or two, until softened, then add the spring onion greens, take off the heat and stir in the lime juice and an eighth of a teaspoon salt.

Spoon half the spring onion and ginger oil over the curry and serve straight from the pan with the extra oil and lime wedges alongside.