Yotam Ottolenghi Quotes
-
Plums are a good substitute for gooseberries.
-
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.
-
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.
-
A lemon, boiled whole and blitzed, makes a useful base for all sorts of dressings.
-
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.
-
Most pumpkin dishes involve scooping out the seeds, cutting off the skin, and chopping up the flesh before cooking.
-
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.
-
What makes maftoul worth celebrating is that it's so easy and forgiving to cook.
-
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.
-
I'm a firm believer that the world should be your oyster when you're cooking. People should open themselves to other cuisines - there are a lot of hidden secrets all over the world.
-
On many occasions, an informal buffet and casual seating offer a little more intimacy than a loud gathering around a big table.
-
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.
-
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.
-
The moment to tell my barber I was gay just never came up.
-
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?
-
Seasonality in winter doesn't have to mean sleep-inducing, stew-like, starchy casseroles.
-
Sweet potatoes are ideal for lazy days: just bake, then mash and mix with yogurt, butter or olive oil.
-
When it comes to cooking pasta, the first essential is to make sure you have a big enough pot: it needs room to roll in the water while cooking.
-
Stereotypical vegetarian food looks gray and brown.
-
I have been cooking with preserved lemon for years, using it left, right and centre, but I am still far from reaching my limit.
-
You can be vegetarian and eat fish. It's your choice, just say: 'I am what I am.' There are no hardcore divisions anymore.
-
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.
-
Sea spaghetti looks like dark fettuccine and has a similar texture - you can get it in health food stores or online.
-
Apart from its famous healing properties, manuka has a strong, woody flavour.