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Robert and Darryl had just returned from London and we decided to have them over for dinner, figuring they would be too tired to cook.

We started with drinks in the front yard on a beautiful Los Angeles summer night.

For a first course we served Turkey and Sweet Corn meatballs with Roasted Pepper Sauce from Ottolenghi the Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi Otttolenghi The Cookbook. We all loved these meatballs. It is a great recipe!

We cooked a Herb-Crusted Roast Pork Loin from a recipe in License to Grill by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby.  We had purchased the pork at McCall’s Meat and Fish. This is a great recipe to cook on the egg. It turned out perfectly! You can get the recipe from our blog of July 2, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

With the Pork we served another recipe from Ottolenghi The Cookbook. This is really a great cookbook. We are really getting into it. We made a Fennel, Cherry Tomato and Crumble Gratin. This is a tasty recipe. I really liked it and will definitely make it again. I like the contrast of the fennel and the sweetness of the crumble.

Fennel, cherry tomato and crumble gratin

Ottolenghi The Cookbook

Yotam Ottolenghi Sami Tamimi

Considering the colossal amounts of food coming out of our kitchen in Notting Hill, visitors are always astonished to see how small it is. Sharing such small quarters can lead to extraordinary kinds of personal interaction, with the occasional tense moment between the savoury chefs and the pastry department.

On a culinary level, this yields some unusual hybrids. Using the pastry department's crumble mix for this gratin was originally Sami's revenge for some freshly squeezed lemon juice that was 'stolen' by a pastry chef to make curd. It turned out that the creamy sweetness of the crumble offsets the dominant savoury tones of the fennel and the acidity of the tomato to create a most comforting experience.

You can have this ready well in advance and put it in the oven at the last minute.

Preheat the oven to 400. Trim off the fennel stalks and cut each bulb lengthways in half. Cut each half into slices 1.5 cm thick, Place in a large bowl with the olive oil, thyme leaves, garlic, salt and pepper and toss together. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and pour the cream over the fennel. Mix the crumble with the grated Parmesan and scatter evenly on top.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and arrange the tomatoes on top. You can leave some on the vine and scatter some loose. Scatter a few thyme sprigs on top. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. By now the fennel should feel soft when poked with a knife and the gratin should have a nice golden colour. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes. Sprinkle chopped parsley over and serve hot or warm.

Crumble mix with your hands or an electric mixer fitted with the beater attachment to work it to a uniform breadcrumb consistency. Make sure there are no lumps of butter left. If using a mixer, watch it carefully. Within a few seconds, a crumble can turn into a cookie dough. (If this unpleasant scenario happens, roll it out thinly, cut out cookies, bake them and half dip in melted chocolate.)

2            Transfer the crumble to a plastic container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, or for ages in the freezer.

300g plain flour

100g caster sugar

200g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1            Put the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and

Turkey and sweetcorn meatballs with roasted pepper sauce

Ottolenghi the Cookbook

Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Now you see them, now you don't. That's the fate of these meatballs in our Ledbury Road branch. As soon as we bring them out to the shop they disappear, as if by command of a magician's wand. They are that good!

serves 4

100g sweetcorn kernels (fresh or frozen)

3            slices of stale white bread, crusts removed

500g minced free-range or organic turkey breast

1            free-range egg

4            spring onions, finely chopped

2            tbsp finely chopped parsley
2-1/2            tsp ground cumin

1-1/2            tsp salt Vz tsp black pepper

1 garlic clove, crushed sunflower oil for frying

Roasted pepper sauce 4 red peppers

3            tbsp olive oil
1            tsp salt

25g            coriander, leaves and stalks

1            garlic clove, peeled

small mild chilli, deseeded

tbsp sweet chilli sauce

2            tbsp cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

Turkey and sweetcorn meatballs with roasted pepper sauce

1.    1.            Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. To prepare the peppers for the sauce, quarter them with a sharp knife and shave off the white parts and the seeds. Put them in a roasting tray and toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, then roast in the oven for 35 minutes or until soft. Transfer the hot peppers to a bowl and cover it with cling film. Once they have cooled down a little, you can peel them, although it isn't essential for this sauce. In any case, place them in a blender or food processor with their roasting juices and add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Process until smooth, then tasteand adjust the salt if necessary. Set aside.

1.    2.            For the meatballs, place a heavy, non-stick frying pan over a high heat and throw in the corn kernels. Toss them in the hot pan for 2-3 minutes, until lightly blackened. Remove and leave to cool.

1.    3.            Soak the bread in cold water for a minute, then squeeze well and crumble it into a large bowl. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the sunflower oil and mix well with your hands.

1.    4.            Pour a 5mm depth of sunflower oil into your heavy frying pan. Allow it to heat up well and then fry about a teaspoonful of the mince mix in it. Remove, let cool a little and then taste. Adjust the amount of salt and pepper in the uncooked mixture to your liking.

1.    5.            With wet hands, shape the mince mix into balls, about the size of golf balls. Cook them in small batches in the hot oil, turning them around in the pan until they are golden brown all over. Transfer to an oven tray, place in the oven at 200°C/Gas Mark 6 and cook for about 5 minutes. When you press one with your finger, the meat should bounce back. If unsure, break one open to check that it is cooked inside. Serve hot or warm, with the pepper sauce on the side.