One man's trash is another man's treasure, and the by-product from one food can be perfect for making another.
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.
Food can bring people together in a way nothing else could.
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.
A well-made salad must have a certain uniformity; it should make perfect sense for those ingredients to share a bowl.
Pasta with melted cheese is the one thing I could eat over and over again.
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.
The differences between a tart, a pie and a quiche are a blur.
The combination of olive oil, garlic and lemon juice lifts the spirits in winter.
On many occasions, an informal buffet and casual seating offer a little more intimacy than a loud gathering around a big table.
I love my garlic press; in fact, it is probably my one true desert island gadget. But I'm happy to put it aside whenever the smell and sweet taste of slow-cooked garlic is called for.
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.
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.
The smells of slow cooking spread around the house and impart a unique warmth matched only by the flavour of the food.
Turkish cuisine is, to my mind, one of the most exciting and accomplished in the world.
Sweet potatoes are ideal for lazy days: just bake, then mash and mix with yogurt, butter or olive oil.
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.
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.
I like to talk about food, ingredients, and how to adapt recipes. It's a dialogue.
For me, the end of childhood came when the number of candles on my birthday cake no longer reflected my age, around 19 or 20. From then on, each candle came to represent an entire decade.
