Rice and vermicelli is a common combination in Arab and Turkish cooking – it has a lighter texture than rice on its own.

There is nothing like a good old recipe. If it has lasted, then it is good.

The moment to tell my barber I was gay just never came up.

Every era has its own list of ingredients that are considered exotic and then, 15 years later, they’re not.

I have an intense dislike of doctrines, because you will always end up eating your words.

A lemon, boiled whole and blitzed, makes a useful base for all sorts of dressings.

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

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.

Yoghurt cuts sweetness and richness, tempers spice, and makes a dish sing.

Just-poached vegetables show off their natural attributes, and taste fresh and light in a way you never get with roasting or frying.

A well-made salad must have a certain uniformity; it should make perfect sense for those ingredients to share a bowl.

If the British Isles had an official vegetable, it would have to be the potato.

Eating ready-made meals is about being very passive, and actively cooking is something that nothing compares to.

Call me tacky, but I love the union of sweet and sour, even in some now-unloved Oriental dishes incorporating pineapple and ketchup.

Amaranth, the world‘s most nutritious grain, is available from health food stores.

Hardly any of my most memorable meals have been eaten in a restaurant, and definitely none in one of those fancy marble-floored, polished-silver establishments.

My maternal grandmother made fantastic ox tongue with velvety roasted potatoes. She cooked sweet red cabbage and lovely cauliflower with butter and bread crumbs.

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

Popping broad beans out of their skins can be therapeutic, but it isn’t everybody‘s favourite waste of time.

Some heat, some spice and plenty of citrus are the building blocks of many north African fish dishes.

Tahini is fantastically versatile, its deep, nutty flavour a harmonious match with roasted vegetables, grilled oily fish or barbecued meat.

I’ve been accused of having very long ingredient lists, and I guess there’s some truth in that.

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.

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.

Food that’s served at the table in a paper parcel always creates a remarkable culinary moment when opened, because the package is full of aromatic steam from the lightly cooked ingredients inside.

Long-, medium- and short-grain rices differ in the amount and type of starch they have.

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.

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 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.

Some heat, some spice and plenty of citrus are the building blocks of many North African fish dishes.

You can really taste the difference between a shop-bought and a good homemade mayo.

The only way reliably to gauge the heat of any particular chilli is to cut it in half, so exposing the core and membranes, and to dab the cut surface on your tongue.

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

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.

The emotive power of hummus all over the Middle East cannot be overstated, being the focus of some serious tribal rivalries.

Having grown up in the Middle East, eating beans for breakfast always seemed like a bizarre British eccentricity.

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.

Dried porcini add a substantial, deep flavour to otherwise more neutral vegetables. I use them in risottos, mashed roots and winter soups.

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.

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.

Blanching the cloves removes the harsh and bitter bite of raw garlic.

Brunch, for me, is an extended breakfast that should be enjoyed whenever you have time properly to engage in cooking and eating.

Good-quality nuts, toasted in a little butter and salt, make a magical addition to many salads.

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.

I tend to mean what I say: in life, generally; in recipes, certainly.

Urfa chillies are a Turkish variety that are mild on heat but big on aroma. They’re sweet, smoky, a lovely dark red, and go with just about anything.

There used to be a time – it isn’t so much the case now – that vegetarianism was some kind of religion, and either you belong or you don’t belong.

After all these years of cooking and writing recipes, I am still amazed every time I notice how even the minutest of variation in technique can make a spectacular difference.

Marinating chicken in miso adds lots of character to the meat with little work.

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 across it cooked with water, coconut milk and a pandan leaf.

Just-poached vegetables show off their natural attributes and taste fresh and light in a way you never get with roasting or frying.

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.

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.

It’s well worth making your own harissa, but there are some very good commercial varieties.

Raw fish suppers admittedly require a little planning, not least in the acquisition of the main ingredient.

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

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.

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

I now understand how varied the world of cultivated rice is; that rice can play the lead or be a sidekick; that brown rice is as valuable as white; and that short-grain rice is the bee‘s knees.

There is a unique freshness when eating buckwheat noodles cold with plenty of herbs and citrus acidity. I can’t think of any better use of chopsticks on a hot and sweaty evening.

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.

Even in the busiest kitchen, there’s always a point at the end of the day when you go home.

Recipes can be incredibly vague where chillies are concerned.

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 absorber of things.

I have yet to meet a carnivore who doesn’t love a sausage roll.

Pomegranate molasses is ubiquitous in Arabic cooking: it’s sweet, sour and adds depth.

You can be vegetarian and eat fish. Its your choice, just say: I am what I am. There are no hardcore divisions anymore.

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.

My father always cooks more polenta than he needs for a meal. The excess he spreads on an oiled surface and chills. Next day, he cuts out chunks, fries them in olive oil and serves with salad.

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.

The kitchen is tough. It’s one of the last bastions in civilized culture that sets out to crush the spirit.

The way to entice people into cooking is to cook delicious things.

I like to talk about food, ingredients, and how to adapt recipes. It’s a dialogue.

Stereotypical vegetarian food looks gray and brown.

I do support people eating more vegetables. It’s a good thing to do.

Greek yogurt with some olive oil stirred in can transform many dishes.

In vast parts of the world, people don’t eat meat.

The difference between brown and white rice is that the former is not milled. With the outer bran and germ intact, the rice is therefore chewier and nuttier.

Brussels sprouts are really quite versatile.

Plums are a good substitute for gooseberries.

Many ingredients are called ‘earthy,’ but none comes as close to fitting the bill as buckwheat. I’m mildly obsessed with the stuff.

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.

Leeks are normally given the job of flavouring other things, such as stocks and soups, but I find their creaminess and sweet, oniony flavour very satisfying.

Date syrup is a natural sweetener that has wonderful richness and treacly depth; I drizzle it over semolina porridge.

I love dishes that feature the various shades of a single colour, making you stop to check what’s in there.

I get great pleasure from stuffed foods, from an apple strudel to a vegetable samosa, from a whole roasted bird with a sweet and savoury stuffing to a vine leaf filled with rice and spices.

My secret with kale is to add lots of sweet or sharp flavours to offset some of that grassy intensity.

If you can’t taste an ingredient, you have to ask yourself why it is there.

Mothers and grandmothers: these are the people that I admire most, not so much chefs.

Chipotles, which are dried jalapeno peppers, give out a terrific smoky flavour – they’re warm, earthy and usually not too spicy.

How can something that’s 95% water be so divisive? Alone among vegetables, the poor, innocent stick of celery elicits the most vicious attacks.

A great fig should look like it’s just about to burst its skin. When squeezed lightly it should give a little and not spring back. It must be almost unctuously sweet, soft and wet.

Some breakfast cereals only come into their own as children‘s party treats: what are cornflakes and Coco Pops for, if not to clump together with melted chocolate and spoon into a cupcake holder?

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

Tiny quails may not seem as impressive as a mammoth turkey, but there is something refreshing about a spread of individual birds on the Christmas table.

Tossing doughnuts, fritters or fried dumplings in fennel sugar adds grown-up complexity without diminishing the indulgence factor.

You don’t need a machine to make pasta: a rolling pin and a fast hand can create a smooth, if thick, sheet.

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.

I used to love fine dining, but I lost my appetite for it to a degree because sometimes it is too much about the effort and too little about the result.

One man‘s trash is another man’s treasure, and the by-product from one food can be perfect for making another.

The differences between a tart, a pie and a quiche are a blur.

Celery leaves are an underused ingredient, most likely because supermarkets sell mostly leafless stalks.

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.

The range of ingredients available to home cooks has expanded dramatically. People are incorporating herbs and spices like lemongrass, smoked Mexican chile, sumac, and za’atar mix.

On many occasions, an informal buffet and casual seating offer a little more intimacy than a loud gathering around a big table.

Halva works brilliantly in ice-cream.

The tang of tamarind is a great way both to flavour and lighten up slow-cooked savoury dishes.

Kirmizi biber has a sweet aroma and can vary in spiciness.

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

There’s nothing more marvelously wintery than orange root veg mash; some butter is all it needs.

In certain European cuisines, vegetables are cooked a long time. I take the term ‘al dente’ and use it for vegetables.

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.

Shimeji are those odd-looking clusters of small mushrooms you often find in so-called ‘exotic’ selections at the supermarket. They have an appealing firmness that is retained during light cooking.

Mackerel is sustainable and healthy.

As with lemon juice, the more sorrel you use, the more it has to be balanced with something sweet, starchy or creamy – it’s a yin-yang approach to cooking that I find rather calming.

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

Polenta is to northern Italy what bread is to Tuscany, what pasta is to Emilia-Romagna and what rice is to the Veneto: easy to make, hungry to absorb other flavours, and hugely versatile.

The smells of slow cooking spread around the house and impart a unique warmth matched only by the flavour of the food.

Many people struggle to make hummus that lives up to their expectations at home, and recreating a favourite brand or the stuff from your local deli is almost impossible.

I have had to come to terms with the fact that I am hooked on Twitter. Not good.

Some days, just occasionally, when I’ve had just one too many chickpeas, drizzles of olive oil or chunks of feta, I crave a return to the sushi-filled joints of Tokyo.

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.

Fresh egg pasta is traditionally served in the north of Italy with butter, cream and rich meat sauces, whereas dried pasta is more at home with the tomato- and olive oil-based ones of the south.

A quick shallow fry is a great way to transform leftovers, and no more so than in the case of risotto.

Conflict is very much a state of mind. If you’re not in that state of mind, it doesn’t bother you.

The combination of lentils with rice or bulgur is the absolute height of Levantine comfort food. I could eat it every day.

Vegetarian and frugal it may be, but the chickpea is one of the most versatile ingredients you could keep in your cupboards.

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

New-season lamb shoulder, cooked pink, is the perfect platform for a mixture of fresh and cooked herbs.

TV chefs are not responsible for people’s consumption of fibre; this is not our job.

I have been cooking with preserved lemon for years, using it left, right and centre, but I am still far from reaching my limit.

Barley and mushroom is a soothing combination. It’s mainly a textural thing, with the barley both gently breaking and enhancing the mushroomy gloopiness.

When I was a kid, there was always food to be had on the street in Jerusalem, but anything above a falafel stand was mediocre or worse.

Herbs deserve to be used much more liberally.

For my money, celery hasn’t got a mean bit of fibre in its body, and we all need to start being much nicer to it.

Swiss chard is undervalued in Britain. It’s a great substitute for spinach and keeps its shape well.

When it comes to the battle of the molluscs, cephalopods win tentacles down.

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.

Like parents, cooks shouldn’t have favourites, but some recipes inevitably shine more than others.

Souffles don’t deserve their reputation as potential disasters.

Chickpeas are one of my favourite things to serve with chorizo or lamb meatballs; they also work brilliantly as the quiet partner in a vibrant alphonso mango salad.

Verjuice may not be the easiest thing in the world to find, but you should be able to track some down in good delis and online.

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.

People don’t know how good cauliflower is, because they always have this image of cauliflower cheese – awful, sticky, creamy and rich.

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

You can be vegetarian and eat fish. It’s your choice, just say: ‘I am what I am.’ There are no hardcore divisions anymore.

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.

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

Believe it or not, I’m as much a fan of a supper shortcut as the next person.

Tagliatelle comes from the word tagliare, meaning ‘to cut.’ Tagliolini are simply thinly cut tagliatelle.

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 British cheeses are now vegetarian and are labelled accordingly. However, French and Italian manufacturers still tend to use rennet.

Miso makes a soup loaded with flavour that saves you the hassle of making stock.

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

Most men say they can cook pasta, but I think you should find a little bit of an unusual angle on your pasta and make that your signature dish.

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

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.

My dad makes food with very few delicate flavours.

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!

Normally, when congee is served, the different condiments and garnishes are placed in little bowls on the side so diners can make their own personal creations.

Lebanese mezze, Cantonese dim sum and Basque pinchos have all evolved over years and are designed to make sense together.

Dinner parties are still highly popular, and I believe they always will be.

Too many books are full of recipes that aren’t doable at home. They are purely aspirational. They are quite frightening, even for me.

If I must choose between healthy and tasty, I go for the second: having only one life to waste, it might as well be a pleasurable one.

I don’t do guilt. Whatever I do, I do it happily.