Bring on the comfort food

Ottolenghi's newest book comes just in the nick of time. Here's a review-in-progress, with a recipe that's, you know, comforting. And delicious.

Hello, resilient cook,

When the world stops making sense, the kitchen is a natural comfort zone. There we can tap into what sustains us, what makes us feel okay (and more than okay). There we can — slowly, patiently — lose ourselves in aromas and textures and transformations and conjure something marvelous. A soulful braise, a batch of cookies. Something to nurture ourselves and those around us.

As long as we can do this, we’ll be all OK. Right?!

And so, Yotam Ottolenghi’s newest book, Ottolenghi Comfort,* published last month in the U.S. and the previous month in Britain, comes not a moment too soon.

What exactly is comfort food for Ottolenghi and his band of authors — Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley? They sought dishes for this collection that are novel as well as nostalgic. Because the four are from different parts of the world, their recipes are informed by the idea of migration and how that plays on personal food culture.

Besides explaining all that, they also parse in…