This is music to the ears of chef and author Yotam Ottolenghi, who will be in Launceston to launch his newest cookbook SIMPLE on Saturday for Petrarch’s customers.

“Zucchini is underrated, but it’s such a versatile ingredient. It has such a great flavour,” Ottelenghi said.

“It’s in quite a few recipes [in SIMPLE], like salads and stuffed, because it can do a few different things. It is delicious.”

Ottolenghi enjoys the seasonal move from spring to summer when he can get fresh asparagus, tomatoes are “at their peak” and eggplants are “absolutely wonderful”, but he thinks any time of the year is a good time to cook.

“I love all vegetables,” he said.

SIMPLE goes beyond vegetables to include a mix of savoury and sweet recipes that are manageable for whoever is cooking.

“A lot of people are put off by a long list of ingredients and I wanted to come up with a group of recipes that are particularly approachable,” he said.

The recipes are divided into sections using the SIMPLE anagram: S – short on time, I – 10 ingredients or less, M – make ahead, P – pantry, L – lazy, and E – easier than you think.

“I wanted to break it down so people really understand their idea of simple. I spoke to a few people about the way they cook and got the idea from them,” Ottolenghi said.

“Simple cooking is often about injecting as much flavour as possible into a dish in a way that is quick and easy,” he said.

During his first visit to Tasmania, Ottolenghi stops at Launceston and hopes to see Festivale while he’s here.

The SIMPLE launch in Hobart follows, with Sunday off to do some exploring before heading back to the UK.

“A girl I used to work with moved to Hobart and now works at Mona. I haven’t seen her for a while.”

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