Yotam Ottolenghi Quotes
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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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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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When I cook a meal, I like to serve things one by one and keep them separate. I get that from my father - he's such a purist. Some people even put their desserts on the main plate. It's just wrong.
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It's well worth making your own harissa, but there are some very good commercial varieties.
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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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Food was always important in my family, but I didn't think of it as a vocation until a later point in life.
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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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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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Sweet potatoes are ideal for lazy days: just bake, then mash and mix with yogurt, butter or olive oil.
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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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I like to add something unusual to a dish.
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What makes maftoul worth celebrating is that it's so easy and forgiving to cook.
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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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Seasonality in winter doesn't have to mean sleep-inducing, stew-like, starchy casseroles.
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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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Custard is controversial: what makes it a custard, how best to cook it and, crucially, is it to be eaten or put in a pie and thrown?
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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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Beetroot is a great salad ingredient, especially when still warm; the colour ain't bad, either.
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Salbitxada is a sharp and lightly sweet Catalan sauce that's traditionally served with calcots - spring or salad onions, grilled whole, make a good substitute.
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Stereotypical vegetarian food looks gray and brown.
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Most of my recipes start life in the domestic kitchen, and even those that start out in the restaurant kitchen have to go through the domestic kitchen.
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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.