Yotam Ottolenghi Quotes
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Chinese sausage, which is widely available from Asian grocers and online, is sweet, rich, and enticingly smoky. I add it to steamed rice with strips of omelette and a few baby veg stir-fried with soy.
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Swiss chard is undervalued in Britain. It's a great substitute for spinach and keeps its shape well.
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One of the troubles with food is that people take themselves too seriously. This is why I'm very happy for people to change my recipes, alter them, replace one ingredient for another.
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A food processor, or even one of those small bowls that fit on a stick blender, is a real treasure. No, that's not an overstatement.
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On some subconscious level, I've been prejudiced against turnips, parsnips, swedes and other roots. Do they taste of much? Are they really special? How wrong I was.
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One Indian-inspired favourite of mine is mashed potato mixed with lemon juice, breadcrumbs, coriander and chilli, shaped into patties, fried and served with chutney and yoghurt.
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I can't stand recipes that don't have background.
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Recipes can be incredibly vague where chillies are concerned.
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The addition of vinaigrette to freshly roasted vegetables gives them a freshness and juiciness they don't normally have; the acidity brings out new shades of flavour, too.
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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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I tend to mean what I say: in life, generally; in recipes, certainly.
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I adore recipes that make use of one cut of meat or a whole animal to create a complex dish, loaded with flavour.
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If you can't taste an ingredient, you have to ask yourself why it is there.
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The combination of lentils with rice or bulgur is the absolute height of Levantine comfort food. I could eat it every day.
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Middle Eastern cuisine has the same depth of ingredients and processes as other cuisines. They just haven't had as much exposure.
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Kibbeh comes in all forms, but most feature bulgur and meat.
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I keep returning to the combination of artichoke, broad beans and lemon. The freshness of young beans and the lemon juice 'lifts' the artichoke and balances its hearty nature.
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Pizza was made for television in so many ways: it is easy to heat up, easy to divide and easy to eat in a group. It is easy to enjoy, easy to digest and easy-going. It is so Italian!
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Manouri is a Greek ewes' milk cheese that's light in colour and texture. It's fresh and milky, and goes well with other subtle flavours.
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Some heat, some spice and plenty of citrus are the building blocks of many North African fish dishes.
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Beetroot is a great salad ingredient, especially when still warm; the colour ain't bad, either.
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I always pan-fry sprouts - it retains texture and enhances flavour.
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I always preferred my father's pasta the next day, when he'd put it in a hot oven with heaps of extra cheese. It would emerge slightly burned and very crisp on top.
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Just-poached vegetables show off their natural attributes and taste fresh and light in a way you never get with roasting or frying.