A lemon, boiled whole and blitzed, makes a useful base for all sorts of dressings.
— Yotam Ottolenghi
Gooseberries aren't just for creamy desserts and pies.
You can really taste the difference between a shop-bought and a good homemade mayo.
Apart from its famous healing properties, manuka has a strong, woody flavour.
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.
It's hard to beat the rough texture of steel-cut oats, with their slight resistance against the teeth.
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.
Sorrel adds a unique grassy sharpness to salads and dressings, but it can be hard to come by.
Chefs don't use white pepper just to avoid spoiling the whiteness of pommes puree or bechamel. It has a more peppery aroma, with sharpness and sweetness, too.
Date syrup is a natural sweetener that has wonderful richness and treacly depth; I drizzle it over semolina porridge.
I've been accused of having very long ingredient lists, and I guess there's some truth in that.
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.
The combination of olive oil, garlic and lemon juice lifts the spirits in winter.
Celery leaves are an underused ingredient, most likely because supermarkets sell mostly leafless stalks.
I love dishes that feature the various shades of a single colour, making you stop to check what's in there.
I adore recipes that make use of one cut of meat or a whole animal to create a complex dish, loaded with flavour.
I rarely cook traditional risotto, but I love other grains cooked similarly - barley, spelt or split wheat. I find they have more character than rice and absorb other flavours more wholeheartedly.
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.
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!
Mackerel is sustainable and healthy.
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.
Having grown up in the Middle East, eating beans for breakfast always seemed like a bizarre British eccentricity.
Kibbeh comes in all forms, but most feature bulgur and meat.
Marinating chicken in miso adds lots of character to the meat with little work.
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.
I have been cooking with preserved lemon for years, using it left, right and centre, but I am still far from reaching my limit.
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.
Some heat, some spice and plenty of citrus are the building blocks of many North African fish dishes.
Braising eggs in a flavoursome, aromatic sauce is all the rage. It is warming and comforting, ideal for the morning when you are not normally up for a great culinary challenge.
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.
New-season lamb shoulder, cooked pink, is the perfect platform for a mixture of fresh and cooked herbs.
Steaming maintains some of the aubergine flesh's texture, which doesn't happen if you cook it in any other way.
The combination of lentils with rice or bulgur is the absolute height of Levantine comfort food. I could eat it every day.
Chermoula is a potent North African spice paste that is ideal for smearing on your favourite vegetables for roasting.
The emotive power of hummus all over the Middle East cannot be overstated, being the focus of some serious tribal rivalries.
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.
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.
Agave nectar is a good substitute for refined sugars. It has a relatively low glycaemic index, which means it doesn't cause quick rises in blood sugar levels. It also has a nice, mild flavour.
Herbs deserve to be used much more liberally.
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.
A great ratatouille is one in which the vegetables interact with each other but are still discernible from each other. The trick is to cook them just right: not over, not under.
Tossing doughnuts, fritters or fried dumplings in fennel sugar adds grown-up complexity without diminishing the indulgence factor.
Forget mung beans' reputation as healthy yet bland - used right, they soak up loads of flavour.
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.
Miso makes a soup loaded with flavour that saves you the hassle of making stock.
A well-made salad must have a certain uniformity; it should make perfect sense for those ingredients to share a bowl.
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.
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.
Poaching white fish in moderately hot oil guarantees soft-textured flesh and allows you to prepare a sauce calmly, without the usual panic about overcooking the fish.
