Yotam Ottolenghi
Yotam Ottolenghi
Yotam Ottolenghi Yotam Assaf Ottolenghiis an Israeli-born British chef, recipe writer and restaurant owner...
NationalityIsraeli
ProfessionChef
Date of Birth14 December 1968
CountryIsrael
family food later life point until vocation
Food was always important in my family, but I didn't think of it as a vocation until a later point in life.
life might
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.
domestic life recipes restaurant
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.
life mean tend
I tend to mean what I say: in life, generally; in recipes, certainly.
full home purely quite
Too many books are full of recipes that aren't doable at home. They are purely aspirational. They are quite frightening, even for me.
meals people serve
These days, meals are more open to personal preferences. People like to serve themselves.
add dried neutral otherwise
Dried porcini add a substantial, deep flavour to otherwise more neutral vegetables. I use them in risottos, mashed roots and winter soups.
bit cakes perceived quite
Fish cakes are perceived as being quite British, and they're always a bit brown and a little dull.
easier preparing
Preparing and cooking squid is easier than most fish. The only thing to remember is not to cook it for too long.
cheese italian labelled melts
Scamorza, an Italian curd cheese often labelled 'smoked mozzarella,' melts fantastically well.
admittedly main raw
Raw fish suppers admittedly require a little planning, not least in the acquisition of the main ingredient.
cheese good image people
People don't know how good cauliflower is, because they always have this image of cauliflower cheese - awful, sticky, creamy and rich.
busiest home
Even in the busiest kitchen, there's always a point at the end of the day when you go home.
knowledge naturally
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.