The most important thing for me is to walk the little alleys of the city, to find the little alcove where someone is cooking something, and just watch them do it. That’s my idea of fun. – Yotam Ottolenghi
If I am honest, my food is actually quite far removed from both the food of my mother and my father. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Infants have around 30,000 tastebuds, only about a third of which survive into adulthood, so a child’s sensitivity towards extremes of sweet, sour and bitter flavours is heightened. – Yotam Ottolenghi
There are many reasons I feel at home in the U.K., but if I were asked to pinpoint the moment I knew I’d arrived, it might well be when I realised the British shared my love of fritters. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Popping broad beans out of their skins can be therapeutic, but it isn’t everybody’s favourite waste of time. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Conflict is very much a state of mind. If you’re not in that state of mind, it doesn’t bother you. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Brunch, for me, is an extended breakfast that should be enjoyed whenever you have time properly to engage in cooking and eating. – Yotam Ottolenghi
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. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Turkish cuisine is, to my mind, one of the most exciting and accomplished in the world. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Chana dal are skinless dried split chickpeas used in Indian cooking. They have a great texture and delicate flavour. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Date syrup is a natural sweetener that has wonderful richness and treacly depth; I drizzle it over semolina porridge. – Yotam Ottolenghi
A lemon, boiled whole and blitzed, makes a useful base for all sorts of dressings. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Breakfast is always the best time for something juicy, sweet and fresh – it just feels like the right way to open the day. There’s no right way, though, when it comes to choosing the fruit. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Amaranth, the world’s most nutritious grain, is available from health food stores. – Yotam Ottolenghi
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. – Yotam Ottolenghi
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. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Chermoula is a potent North African spice paste that is ideal for smearing on your favourite vegetables for roasting. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Speaking as someone who didn’t go through the U.K. school system, with all the culinary baggage that entails, I am inordinately fond of custard in any shape or form. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Tossing doughnuts, fritters or fried dumplings in fennel sugar adds grown-up complexity without diminishing the indulgence factor. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Most pumpkin dishes involve scooping out the seeds, cutting off the skin, and chopping up the flesh before cooking. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Jerusalem artichokes have a great affinity with nuts. I love them with chopped walnuts or almonds, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and plenty of olive oil. – Yotam Ottolenghi
Just-poached vegetables show off their natural attributes and taste fresh and light in a way you never get with roasting or frying. – Yotam Ottolenghi
