An Israeli chef with a small empire of celebrated London gourmet take-out shops that bear his name, Yotam Ottolenghi writes the weekly column The new vegetarian in the Guardian and is co-author with Sami Tamimi of Ottolenghi: The Cookbook. Find out more about Yotam and check out some of his recipes at www.ottolenghi.co.uk.

Sweet or salty?

Salt is an addiction. Sugar I only crave rarely.

Which ingredient(s) do you use most?

Coriander, lemon, aubergine, yogurt, pasta, the list is long.

What’s the cooking sound you most love?

A thick sauce bubbling, like béchamel or crème pâtissière.

What’s your favorite cooking smell?

Melted mature cheese as it comes out of the oven, particularly Ottolenghi’s puff pastry and cheddar cheese straws with caraway seeds.

What are the qualities you most admire in a dish?

Clarity: the ability to easily taste the different ingredients, to “hear their voices.”

What is your most treasured possession in the kitchen?

I don’t have many a gadget fetish, but I do make extensive use of the small bowl of my Magimix compact 3200.

What is a dirty word in your kitchen?

All the ones ending with “free” — wheat-free, dairy-free, fat-free, joy-free.

What are you afraid to do in the kitchen?

Butchery.

What won’t you eat?

Pickled eggs. Pearl tapioca.

Have you ever lost your appetite for a food you once loved?

I still love them all.

Have you ever had a change of heart involving a food you once disliked?

Tofu. I couldn’t stand it before I was shown the light by my friend Helen Goh.

If you could choose one historical or living cook to make you a meal right now, who and what would it be?

My grandmother Luciana Ottolenghi would cook for me her Gnocchi alla Romana (semolina dumplings with parmesan).

Which food website/blog would you be lost without?

Wikipedia — to fill in all those gaps in my haphazard knowledge.

Who are your favorite cookbook authors/food writers?

Claudia Roden, Nigella Lawson, Karen Martini — mostly women actually.

What is your favorite food-related word?

Sizzle.

What is your favorite food-related scene from literature or the movies?

A bunch of Japanese ladies slurping noodles in Tampopo.

What’s your favorite food-shopping errand or journey?

Don’t tell anyone but I can spend hours in a well-stocked supermarket, particularly in a foreign country.

To which country would you move for the food?

Malaysia, Lebanon, Japan.

To seduce someone, what would you cook?

Stuffed ricotta and spinach tortellini with butter, lemon and basil.

What’s your standard outfit in the kitchen?

Whatever I wore on the day.

You wish to die with what in your stomach?

Chocolate with roasted hazelnuts.

If heaven exists, what do you hope they have on the menu?

Cheese soufflé, fresh tomatoes with basil and olive oil, smoked aubergine and yogurt salad, warm pita, confit duck, calamari in tempura batter, warm scones with cream and jam. Can I mention a few more?…

What are you craving right now?

The one thing I can’t get in London on this overcast morning — Nasi Lamak — that magical Malaysian breakfast staple of coconut rice, dried anchovies and chile.

(Image created at Wordle.)

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