Ottolenghi Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage pushed beyond the vegetable-as-side-dish philosophy of Plenty into vegetables as the primary carrier of intense, complex flavour. The book's most significant technical contribution is the rehabilitation of char — deliberate blackening of vegetables beyond what Western cooking considers acceptable — as a flavour development technique rather than a mistake to be avoided.
The deliberate burning of the exterior of vegetables (onions, peppers, aubergine, corn, leeks) to produce a layer of bitter, smoky, complex char compounds that transform the flavour of the entire vegetable — the charred exterior flavouring the soft interior through contact during cooking.
Charred vegetables provide bitter, smoky complexity that no other cooking method produces. The char creates a flavour contrast within the same vegetable — the blackened exterior against the sweet, soft interior. This contrast is the dish. Without the char, the vegetable is merely roasted; with it, it becomes something categorically more interesting.
- The char must be complete on the exterior — partial charring produces bitterness without the smoky complexity that full charring develops. Commit to blackening the surface - Direct flame (gas hob or charcoal) produces the most complex char — the flame's aromatic compounds from combustion add to the vegetable's own Maillard and pyrolysis products - Cast iron or a very hot grill produces oven-char — different from flame-char but still effective. The surface must be above 200°C to produce proper charring rather than mere browning - The charred exterior is sometimes removed (aubergine baba ghanoush — the skin is discarded and the smoky-flavoured flesh is used) and sometimes kept (corn, onion — the char is part of the eating experience) - Time: vegetables charred over direct flame take 5–10 minutes per side; in a very hot oven, 25–40 minutes. The interior must cook through before the exterior burns completely — this is the timing challenge [VERIFY times] Decisive moment: The moment to move the vegetable — when the surface in contact with heat is fully blackened and the vegetable begins to release steam through the char. Moving too early produces uneven charring; leaving too long without moving produces carbonisation rather than char.
- Partial charring — produces bitterness without the compensating smoky depth - Charring without allowing the interior to cook — produces raw, bitter vegetables with no sweetness to balance the char - Not seasoning after charring — char absorbs salt poorly; season before and after
FÄVIKEN + OTTOLENGHI FLAVOUR