Yotam Ottolenghi Quotes
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The combination of olive oil, garlic and lemon juice lifts the spirits in winter.
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Urfa chillies are a Turkish variety that are mild on heat but big on aroma. They're sweet, smoky, a lovely dark red, and go with just about anything.
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My dad makes food with very few delicate flavours.
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I like to add something unusual to a dish.
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A well-made salad must have a certain uniformity; it should make perfect sense for those ingredients to share a bowl.
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The difference between brown and white rice is that the former is not milled. With the outer bran and germ intact, the rice is therefore chewier and nuttier.
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Normally, when congee is served, the different condiments and garnishes are placed in little bowls on the side so diners can make their own personal creations.
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Tiny quails may not seem as impressive as a mammoth turkey, but there is something refreshing about a spread of individual birds on the Christmas table.
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Fresh egg pasta is traditionally served in the north of Italy with butter, cream and rich meat sauces, whereas dried pasta is more at home with the tomato- and olive oil-based ones of the south.
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Black glutinous rice works in both savoury and sweet dishes. It's a popular pudding rice in south-east Asia, where you'll often come across it cooked with water, coconut milk and a pandan leaf.
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Leeks, like other oniony things, reach a certain peak when fried. It's the subtle sweetness that suddenly becomes evident and works so well with their creamy texture.
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I have yet to meet a carnivore who doesn't love a sausage roll.
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Like parents, cooks shouldn't have favourites, but some recipes inevitably shine more than others.
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You can really taste the difference between a shop-bought and a good homemade mayo.
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If I must choose between healthy and tasty, I go for the second: having only one life to waste, it might as well be a pleasurable one.
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The difference between a bland tomato and great one is immense, much like the difference between a standard, sliced white bread and a crusty, aromatic sourdough.
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The smells of slow cooking spread around the house and impart a unique warmth matched only by the flavour of the food.
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I used to love fine dining, but I lost my appetite for it to a degree because sometimes it is too much about the effort and too little about the result.
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Yoghurt cuts sweetness and richness, tempers spice, and makes a dish sing.
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I rarely cook traditional risotto, but I love other grains cooked similarly - barley, spelt or split wheat. I find they have more character than rice and absorb other flavours more wholeheartedly.
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Jerusalem artichokes have a great affinity with nuts. I love them with chopped walnuts or almonds, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and plenty of olive oil.
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Polenta is to northern Italy what bread is to Tuscany, what pasta is to Emilia-Romagna and what rice is to the Veneto: easy to make, hungry to absorb other flavours, and hugely versatile.
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The taste of any simple tomato-based salad is dependent on the quality of the tomatoes.
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Like all rice, black rice is great at absorbing flavours, but it's just as happy to act as a satiny bed for a poached egg, say, if you want to keep things simple.