Quotes from Yotam Ottolenghi

As for pineapple, it's far more versatile than you might think, and certainly merits wider use than in Hawaiian pizzas and pina coladas and on cheesy cocktail sticks.

I have a terrible tendency to lick my fingers when I cook. So much so that I got a telling off from my pastry teacher years ago, who said it would hinder my prospects.

Pot barley takes longer to cook than pearl, but an overnight soak in water will speed things along. It's a robust grain that, if overcooked, won't collapse but will become more tender.

Most fish require a short cooking time, but cephalopods are the exception to this fishy rule. As with some cuts of larger land beasts, the longer they're cooked, the more tender they get.

I used to have a very unmediated experience of food but, because of the recipe testing, I've lost that now. I can't switch it off even when I'm on holiday.

Most pumpkin dishes involve scooping out the seeds, cutting off the skin, and chopping up the flesh before cooking.

My all-time favourite classic use of ricotta is in gnudi: fluffy, cheesy dumplings of almost ethereal, feathery lightness.

What makes maftoul worth celebrating is that it's so easy and forgiving to cook.

Kibbeh comes in all forms, but most feature bulgur and meat.

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.

Small okra pods have a much more attractive texture than large ones, which, when cooked, can be gloopy, stringy and totally spoil a dish.

Steaming maintains some of the aubergine flesh's texture, which doesn't happen if you cook it in any other way.

I always pan-fry sprouts - it retains texture and enhances flavour.

Leeks, like other oniony things, reach a certain peak when fried. It's the subtle sweetness that suddenly becomes evident and works so well with their creamy texture.

Chana dal are skinless dried split chickpeas used in Indian cooking. They have a great texture and delicate flavour.

Sea spaghetti looks like dark fettuccine and has a similar texture - you can get it in health food stores or online.

It's hard to beat the rough texture of steel-cut oats, with their slight resistance against the teeth.

Pasta with melted cheese is the one thing I could eat over and over again.

Preparing and cooking squid is easier than most fish. The only thing to remember is not to cook it for too long.

Fusion food as a concept is kind of trying to quite consciously fuse things that are sometimes quite contradictory, sometimes quite far apart, to see if they'd work.

Polenta is one of those ingredients that in many homes spends its days at the back of the kitchen cupboard, on the 'no one knows quite what to do with it' shelf.

The combination of olive oil, garlic and lemon juice lifts the spirits in winter.

The natural sweetness of leeks, with their soft, oniony aroma, makes them the perfect winter comfort food.

Seasonality in winter doesn't have to mean sleep-inducing, stew-like, starchy casseroles.