Best Ottolenghi Recipes for Dinner Parties
Find the best Samin Nosrat recipes from Salt Fat Acid Heat and other sources for dinner parties from this list of favourites or find a new idea to entertain and feed your guests!
Things to consider when choosing your Samin Nosrat recipe for entertaining
Like with the best Ottolenghi recipes for dinner parties and entertaining, best dinner party menus should consider each guest’s dietary requirements and restrictions, as well as the occasion or theme for your party.
For example, if you’re hosting a more formal get-together, you might want to choose recipes that are more sophisticated, and take longer to make, where a more casual dinner party might be suited to easy-to-make and pre-prepared meals.
On that note, it’s always a good idea to consider the amount of time and effort you’ll be putting into each recipe. If there is prep work you can get done early for some recipes, this will give you more time to cook later or give you more time to entertain your guests.
But even more importantly, find the recipes that look the most fun to try, the most delicious, and the ones that are a balance between flavours, presentation and practicality.
10 Best Samin Nosrat Recipes for a Salt Fat Acid Heat dinner party
1. Summer Paella
This recipe by Samin Nosrat is for Summer Paella, which is a delicious and flavourful dish perfect for a dinner party.
The recipe calls for homemade chicken stock, which is the key to its flavour, but if that’s not possible, high-quality stock from a butcher shop is a good option.
The recipe includes marinated chicken thighs and chorizo, which are browned before adding them to the paella. The paella is cooked in a large pan and includes a sofrito made of onions, garlic, and tomatoes. The rice used is Bomba rice, which can absorb three times its weight in liquid, and the dish includes fresh romano or green beans. The finished dish is garnished with parsley and homemade aioli.
The recipe can be cooked over a live fire, on a gas grill, or on the stove. This means you can be the centrepiece — the entertainment of the party!
The dish serves six people and is a bit of a time commitment, but the end result is worth it.
2.Buttermilk-marinated roast chicken
This recipe is for Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken. It’s one of those “Wow, I forgot roast chicken could taste like this!” kind of recipes, which makes it a great choice for entertaining.
The recipe is for buttermilk-marinated roast chicken. You start by salting the chicken, refrigerating it overnight, and then marinating it in buttermilk for 24 hours. After that, you roast the chicken on top of a layer of vegetables. The recipe recommends using a cast-iron skillet and roasting the chicken at 475 degrees for 15-20 minutes, then lower the heat to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (250 and 220 Degrees Celsius for us Australians) and continue to roast for another 60 minutes or so.
When the chicken is done, let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving it. Serve with roasted vegetables and spicy French mustard, if desired.
This recipe for entertaining is actually shared with Adam Roberts (Artisan Books), and is featured fondly on Samin’s website.
3. Sticky Buns
According to Samin Nosrat, Marion Cunningham is the queen of breakfast. And according to Best Recipe, this recipe isn’t only a great breakfast recipe, but an impressive finisher to a successful dinner party.
Like with a few of the Ottolenghi finger foods, this recipe is easier to eat than it is to make, and requires some preparation. But, but the end result is worth it.
The dough is light and buttery, and the caramel glaze is rich and sweet with a generous amount of salt to balance the flavours. The toasted pecans add a nice crunch to the gooey buns, and the addition of cinnamon would only enhance the flavours further.
This recipe makes two dozen buns, so there will be plenty to go around for a dinner party. The buns can be made a day ahead and reheated before serving, making them a great option for hosting. Overall, this recipe is a delicious and impressive dessert that is sure to impress your guests.
4. Provençal vegetable tian
Samin Nosrat’s Provençal Vegetable Tian recipe is an excellent option for a dinner party because it is simple yet elegant and flavourful, and it can be made in advance, allowing the host to spend more time with their guests.
If you’re making this with seasonal vegetables, it might also be one of the best cheap recipes for large groups.
Additionally, the dish is vegetarian, making it suitable for a range of dietary requirements.
To make the tian, you will need three medium Italian eggplants, four medium zucchinis, three medium red onions, about 10 early girl tomatoes (or about 5 heirloom tomatoes), a bunch of basil, good olive oil, salt, and a head of garlic. You should be able to find a few of these at your local farmer’s markets or similar places to shop.
The recipe’s use of seasonal vegetables and pantry staples such as olive oil and garlic showcase the simplicity and versatility of cooking with what is on hand.
The dish’s vertical shingled layers and the addition of torn basil and sliced garlic create an elegant and visually pleasing presentation.
The caramelised, sweet, and soft vegetables offer a range of flavours and textures that are sure to impress dinner guests.
5. Frittata Di Spaghetti
Samin Nosrat’s frittata di spaghetti, made with leftover spaghetti, eggs, and cheese, started as a solution to not having enough time to cook because of changing to a long-commute office job – sound familiar?
But though it started as a way to use leftovers, it’s actually a delicious meal and a timesaver when entertaining your dinner party too!
The dish derives its name from the fact that it’s fried together in the shape of a frittata. And that’s essentially the dish, leftover spaghetti fried in a pan to make a frittata!
Simply make your spaghetti ahead of time, let it cool and then refrigerate it. You can even make it the night before your guests are set to arrive.
Then, when everyone’s getting a bit hungry, simply assemble your ingredients and fry away!
This is an incredibly versatile dish that can be served hot or cold and is perfect for a casual, relaxed gathering.
6. Pan/skillet cornbread
This recipe for skillet cornbread from Samin Nosrat is a classic American Southern-style dish that is easy to make and perfect for a dinner party.
The recipe is very simple and can be made with just a few ingredients, many of which you may already have in your pantry.
Additionally, like almost any Best Recipe favourite, the cornbread is cooked in a cast iron pan, which gives it a lovely crust and crispy edges.
One of the great things about this recipe is that it can be made with a variety of different types of cornmeal, which will give it a slightly different flavour and texture each time you make it. Samin Nosrat recommends using the most delicious (expensive!) cornmeal you can find, such as mais pignulet from Piemonte or anson mills cornmeal, or red flint cornmeal. These ones are rarely found in Australia, so to compromise, you can head to your local supermarket or health food shop and find relatively similar flavour notes.
It’s a great choice for a dinner party because it is easy to make, can be made in advance, and is sure to please a crowd. The skillet cornbread is comforting, satisfying, and just the right amount of indulgence, making it a perfect addition to any meal.
And with the option to customise the recipe by using different types of cornmeal or adding additional ingredients, you can make it your own and impress your guests with your culinary skills.
7. Jeweled Rice
This recipe for Persian Rice with Carrots and Nuts by Samin Nosrat is a delicious and impressive dish to serve at a dinner party.
The combination of fragrant basmati rice, orange-scented carrots, and toasted nuts creates a complex and flavourful dish that is sure to impress your guests.
The recipe requires some time and effort to prepare, including toasting nuts, soaking fruit, and cooking the rice in stages. However, the ingredients are easy to find, and the finished dish is worth the effort.
One of the reasons why this recipe is great for a dinner party is that it can be made in advance. The fruit and nut mixture can be prepared up to two days ahead, which means that you can focus on other dishes on the day of your event. Additionally, the recipe can be easily scaled up or down to serve more or fewer guests.
In terms of cooking instructions, it’s important to rinse the rice thoroughly and cook it until it’s firm but not fully cooked before layering it with the fruit and nut mixture. The bottom layer of rice should be crispy and golden brown, which adds a lovely texture and flavour to the dish.
8. Shirazi salad
This recipe from Samin Nosrat, author of Salt Fat Acid Heat, is a refreshing and flavourful salad that would be a great addition to a dinner party.
The salad features a variety of different types of tomatoes, which add colour and sweetness, as well as Persian or English cucumbers, which have a crisp texture and mild flavour. The addition of fresh herbs like chives, dill, cilantro, parsley, and tarragon, adds complexity and depth to the salad.
One reason why this recipe would be a great choice for a dinner party is that it can be made in advance and served at room temperature, which makes it easy to prepare and frees up valuable time during the party.
Additionally, the bright colours and fresh flavours of the salad are sure to impress guests and make a beautiful presentation on the table.
This recipe is written and hosten at Bon Appetit, which means that to make this recipe at home, you might need to convert the Fahrenheit temperatures provided in the original recipe to Celsius. For example, the recipe calls for a 375°F oven, which is equivalent to approximately 190°C.
9. Sparkling sour cherry Apertivo
This Sparkling Sour Cherry Aperitivo recipe from Samin Nosrat would make an excellent choice for a dinner party for several reasons.
Firstly, it’s refreshing and a cocktail that is easy to make and can be prepared in advance, which allows the host to focus on other preparations for the party.
The sour cherry syrup can be made a month ahead and stored in the fridge until needed, which saves time on the day of the event.
Secondly, this recipe is perfect for entertaining because it can be easily adapted to serve any number of guests. The recipe makes six glasses, but it can be easily scaled up or down as needed to suit the size of the party.
Finally, the use of fresh and seasonal ingredients, such as sour cherries and lime juice, gives this cocktail a bright and vibrant flavour that is sure to impress guests. The addition of sparkling wine adds a touch of elegance and makes it feel like a special occasion drink.
10. Beet yogurt with herbs
This Beet Yogurt with Herbs from Samin Nosrat is an undeniable party-pleaser, and a vibrant and healthy condiment that could be enjoyed before, after or during any meal.
Roasting the beets means less effort and staining, with all of the natural flavours as well. And, by mixing all the ingredients ahead of time, you can save time and serve this dip while you’re preparing your first or second courses!
Tips for your dinner party
Samin Nosrat’s book, Salt Fat Acid Heat, talks about combining the fundamental factors of food to creating a whole meal.
Your dinner party is a fantastic time to try this! Balance time, acidity, and other flavour notes, to create a whole meal that excites guests into wondering what could come next!
And, if you’re unsure about finding our preparing your ingredients, check out local places to shop, or cooking tips and advice to help you along.
You’ll be creating food from easy-to-follow recipes from one of the world’s best chefs. It’s going to taste amazing, and you’ll have plenty of time to entertain, because lots of these can be prepared ahead of time – so do you have a spare invite to your dinner party?
