Use them liberally (and within a year), keep them in a dark place and don’t be afraid to experimentIf you were an amateur cook (me), would you buy spices whole or ground? Would you keep them for a month or a year? And how would you use them? Add them at the beginning or mainly at the end? Merci beaucoup! François, Paris, FranceBonjour! The short answer...

Adaptability and ease is the order of the day for this tinned fish crostata with chermoula topping and conchiglie with smoked oyster sauceMy cupboards are rarely without a tin or two (or three) of tinned fish. Sardines, anchovies, tuna, smoked oysters: they’re all usually on standby, and I’m crazy about all of them. I find them very reassuring, too,...

From a maximalist pumpkin soup to a low-and-slow dal, these are the dishes to cook when you seek comfort and flavourGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailVegetable and bean soup reads so quotidian; ribollita is a far more elegant-sounding name. This thick Tuscan stew is an excellent way to use the odds and ends in your kitchen – that onion rolling...

The answer, surprisingly, is not just to use more garlic (but you can go to town with the basil)Ask Ottolenghi: send in your kitchen questionsHow can we get a pleasingly strong garlic taste in our tomato sauce for pasta? Is the secret the amount of garlic, or how you cut it, or the length of cooking? Our sauces tend to be bland rather than zingy. The...

A grilled salad of onions and shallots with boiled eggs and tarragon yoghurt, and a hearty chive and challah bread puddingIt’s the oldest trick in the book: get some onions and garlic on the stove, cook them until they’re smelling lovely, and everyone will assume that dinner is just around the corner. One way to fast-track that process is to make those...

A griddle pan is the key, but you can also get similar results on a gas flame, in an oven and even on an induction hobAsk Ottolenghi: send in your kitchen questionsI love chargrilled vegetables, but don’t have a barbecue – any ideas on getting that unique smoky flavour with a standard cooker? Sophie, Glasgow You love chargrilled vegetables and vegetables...