Dinner a la Yotam
/As y'all might recall, I purchased my second Yotam Ottolenghi cookbook, Jerusalem, not long ago. It's a joint effort between Yotam and his childhood friend, Sami Tamimi; they grew up in Jerusalem, one in a Jewish family and one in an Arab Muslim one. I've really enjoyed all I've made from this book so far, and, like Plenty, it's beautifully photographed and clearly written. Tonight, I made two dishes I'd flagged several weeks back: chermoula eggplant with bulgur and yogurt, and a kohlrabi salad. I loved(!) both. T found the kohlrabi too bitter which I didn't sense at all. He must have the bitter allele in spades. Mother of god! Anyway, more for me.
Chermoula is a North African paste made of preserved lemon, garlic and some wonderful spices including cumin, coriander and paprika. Here, you put this together, slather it on a halved eggplant and then roast the concoction in a hot oven for about 40 minutes. In the meantime, you whip up a bulgur salad which is specked with chopped green olives, plump raisins, almonds and some herbs. That, Greek yogurt and sumac top the eggplant when it's done = DELISH!
I thought this kohlrabi salad was fabulous and refreshing; it's dressed with a terrific Greek yogurt-sour cream-mascarpone sauce into which you whisk lemon juice and pressed garlic. YUM! 
