Yotam Ottolenghi Quotes
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Barberries, or zereshk, are tiny dried red fruit with a tremendously sharp flavour. They come from Iran, where they're used to add freshness to rice and chicken dishes.
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Seasonality in winter doesn't have to mean sleep-inducing, stew-like, starchy casseroles.
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Small okra pods have a much more attractive texture than large ones, which, when cooked, can be gloopy, stringy and totally spoil a dish.
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Having grown up in the Middle East, eating beans for breakfast always seemed like a bizarre British eccentricity.
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Plums are a good substitute for gooseberries.
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I have been cooking with preserved lemon for years, using it left, right and centre, but I am still far from reaching my limit.
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Some days, just occasionally, when I've had just one too many chickpeas, drizzles of olive oil or chunks of feta, I crave a return to the sushi-filled joints of Tokyo.
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Way back when I was a junior pastry chef, I'd bake loads of muffins every morning, as many as 120 or so, while operating on autopilot.
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If the first bite is with the eye and the second with the nose, some people will never take that third, actual bite if the food in question smells too fishy, fermented or cheesy.
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Take your average couscous salad, and it's almost always a sloppy mush, no matter how much attention has gone into getting flavours in there.
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Almost every culture has its own variation on chicken soup, and rightly so - it's one of the most gratifying dishes on the face of the Earth.
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Sea spaghetti looks like dark fettuccine and has a similar texture - you can get it in health food stores or online.
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You can be vegetarian and eat fish. It's your choice, just say: 'I am what I am.' There are no hardcore divisions anymore.
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Sweet potatoes are ideal for lazy days: just bake, then mash and mix with yogurt, butter or olive oil.
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Too many books are full of recipes that aren't doable at home. They are purely aspirational. They are quite frightening, even for me.
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It's well worth making your own harissa, but there are some very good commercial varieties.
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For me, the end of childhood came when the number of candles on my birthday cake no longer reflected my age, around 19 or 20. From then on, each candle came to represent an entire decade.
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Rice and vermicelli is a common combination in Arab and Turkish cooking - it has a lighter texture than rice on its own.
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On many occasions, an informal buffet and casual seating offer a little more intimacy than a loud gathering around a big table.
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A great fig should look like it's just about to burst its skin. When squeezed lightly it should give a little and not spring back. It must be almost unctuously sweet, soft and wet.
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The moment to tell my barber I was gay just never came up.
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I love my garlic press; in fact, it is probably my one true desert island gadget. But I'm happy to put it aside whenever the smell and sweet taste of slow-cooked garlic is called for.
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Apart from its famous healing properties, manuka has a strong, woody flavour.
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Food that's served at the table in a paper parcel always creates a remarkable culinary moment when opened, because the package is full of aromatic steam from the lightly cooked ingredients inside.