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One man's trash is another man's treasure, and the by-product from one food can be perfect for making another.
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Shimeji are those odd-looking clusters of small mushrooms you often find in so-called 'exotic' selections at the supermarket. They have an appealing firmness that is retained during light cooking.
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There's nothing more marvelously wintery than orange root veg mash; some butter is all it needs.
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The most important thing for me is to walk the little alleys of the city, to find the little alcove where someone is cooking something, and just watch them do it. That's my idea of fun.
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I have to admit that I can't take a whole fig and eat it on its own as I would a peach or mango. It's just too much.
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Like brown rice, black rice is unmilled, and it is the dark outer husk that makes it so nutty and chewy. It's also why it takes longer to cook than many other rices.
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Pomegranate molasses is ubiquitous in Arabic cooking: it's sweet, sour and adds depth.
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Speaking as someone who didn't go through the U.K. school system, with all the culinary baggage that entails, I am inordinately fond of custard in any shape or form.
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Chipotles, which are dried jalapeno peppers, give out a terrific smoky flavour - they're warm, earthy and usually not too spicy.
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Popping broad beans out of their skins can be therapeutic, but it isn't everybody's favourite waste of time.
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Raw fish suppers admittedly require a little planning, not least in the acquisition of the main ingredient.
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Eating ready-made meals is about being very passive, and actively cooking is something that nothing compares to.
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Good-quality nuts, toasted in a little butter and salt, make a magical addition to many salads.
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Dried porcini add a substantial, deep flavour to otherwise more neutral vegetables. I use them in risottos, mashed roots and winter soups.
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Herbs deserve to be used much more liberally.
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Pasta with melted cheese is the one thing I could eat over and over again.
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If I am honest, my food is actually quite far removed from both the food of my mother and my father.
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Panko are the elite of the breadcrumb world because they stay so crunchy and light.
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Healthy is in the eye of the beholder.
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The teaching thing, the one where I have to impart my knowledge, is probably what comes the least naturally to me because I'm an absorber of things.
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Hardly any of my most memorable meals have been eaten in a restaurant, and definitely none in one of those fancy marble-floored, polished-silver establishments.
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Poaching white fish in moderately hot oil guarantees soft-textured flesh and allows you to prepare a sauce calmly, without the usual panic about overcooking the fish.
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I don't do guilt. Whatever I do, I do it happily.
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Tel Aviv is the most exciting place to eat in Israel.