Amaranth, the world's most nutritious grain, is available from health food stores. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
You can be vegetarian and eat fish. It's your choice, just say: 'I am what I am.' There are no hardcore divisions… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Small okra pods have a much more attractive texture than large ones, which, when cooked, can be gloopy, stringy and totally spoil… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
On many occasions, an informal buffet and casual seating offer a little more intimacy than a loud gathering around a big table. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Almost every culture has its own variation on chicken soup, and rightly so - it's one of the most gratifying dishes on… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Chana dal are skinless dried split chickpeas used in Indian cooking. They have a great texture and delicate flavour. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Dried porcini add a substantial, deep flavour to otherwise more neutral vegetables. I use them in risottos, mashed roots and winter soups. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
There is nothing like a good old recipe. If it has lasted, then it is good. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
I love my garlic press; in fact, it is probably my one true desert island gadget. But I'm happy to put it… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Jerusalem artichokes have a great affinity with nuts. I love them with chopped walnuts or almonds, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and plenty… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
The difference between brown and white rice is that the former is not milled. With the outer bran and germ intact, the… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
After all these years of cooking and writing recipes, I am still amazed every time I notice how even the minutest of… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
The range of ingredients available to home cooks has expanded dramatically. People are incorporating herbs and spices like lemongrass, smoked Mexican chile,… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
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… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Chickpeas are one of my favourite things to serve with chorizo or lamb meatballs; they also work brilliantly as the quiet partner… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
I have a terrible tendency to lick my fingers when I cook. So much so that I got a telling off from… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
The kitchen is tough. It's one of the last bastions in civilized culture that sets out to crush the spirit. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Many ingredients are called 'earthy,' but none comes as close to fitting the bill as buckwheat. I'm mildly obsessed with the stuff. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
These days, meals are more open to personal preferences. People like to serve themselves. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Celery leaves are an underused ingredient, most likely because supermarkets sell mostly leafless stalks. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Steaming maintains some of the aubergine flesh's texture, which doesn't happen if you cook it in any other way. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Pasta with melted cheese is the one thing I could eat over and over again. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
You can really taste the difference between a shop-bought and a good homemade mayo. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Most British cheeses are now vegetarian and are labelled accordingly. However, French and Italian manufacturers still tend to use rennet. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Long-, medium- and short-grain rices differ in the amount and type of starch they have. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Too many books are full of recipes that aren't doable at home. They are purely aspirational. They are quite frightening, even for… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Mothers and grandmothers: these are the people that I admire most, not so much chefs. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Some heat, some spice and plenty of citrus are the building blocks of many North African fish dishes. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Like parents, cooks shouldn't have favourites, but some recipes inevitably shine more than others. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Lebanese mezze, Cantonese dim sum and Basque pinchos have all evolved over years and are designed to make sense together. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
In certain European cuisines, vegetables are cooked a long time. I take the term 'al dente' and use it for vegetables. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
A well-made salad must have a certain uniformity; it should make perfect sense for those ingredients to share a bowl. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
The Guardian's 'Word of Mouth' blog bridges the gap between blogging and serious food journalism. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Call me tacky, but I love the union of sweet and sour, even in some now-unloved Oriental dishes incorporating pineapple and ketchup. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
The tang of tamarind is a great way both to flavour and lighten up slow-cooked savoury dishes. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Custard is controversial: what makes it a custard, how best to cook it and, crucially, is it to be eaten or put… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
A lemon, boiled whole and blitzed, makes a useful base for all sorts of dressings. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
For my money, celery hasn't got a mean bit of fibre in its body, and we all need to start being much… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
I adore recipes that make use of one cut of meat or a whole animal to create a complex dish, loaded with… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
Eating ready-made meals is about being very passive, and actively cooking is something that nothing compares to. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share Image
I have an intense dislike of doctrines, because you will always end up eating your words. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
If the first bite is with the eye and the second with the nose, some people will never take that third, actual bite if… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
The teaching thing, the one where I have to impart my knowledge, is probably what comes the least naturally to me because I'm an… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
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. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
Preparing and cooking squid is easier than most fish. The only thing to remember is not to cook it for too long. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
Brunch, for me, is an extended breakfast that should be enjoyed whenever you have time properly to engage in cooking and eating. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
You can be vegetarian and eat fish. Its your choice, just say: I am what I am. There are no hardcore divisions anymore. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
I have a terrible tendency to lick my fingers when I cook. So much so that I got a telling off from my pastry… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
Fish cakes are perceived as being quite British, and they're always a bit brown and a little dull. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
Chinese sausage, which is widely available from Asian grocers and online, is sweet, rich, and enticingly smoky. I add it to steamed rice with… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
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… — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
Every era has its own list of ingredients that are considered exotic and then, 15 years later, they're not. — Yotam Ottolenghi Copy Share
