What does a life well lived mean to you?

A life well lived for me unsurprisingly centres around food. Of course I cook for work so I’m surrounded by food all the time, but I find happiness in the pockets of time between big developing jobs, when I can get back to cooking for pleasure- soulfully and instinctively, rather than precisely (when I’m developing recipes, I have to think ahead, to time and weigh everything, and that can take the joy out of it).

What is comfort food to you?

Comfort food has to have some sort of nostalgia attached to it. For me there is no food more comforting than chicken soup, lasagne and tacos.

What are some of your rituals when cooking for pleasure?

I wouldn’t say this is a ritual but when I’m cooking for pleasure, I love the idea of adventuring into the unknown. I prefer to set out with a very loose idea of what I want to achieve, because my favourite part about cooking for pleasure is being able to add anything without thinking, without timing, without weighing, which means that a dish could go in any of a thousand directions.

SWEET & SOUR CELERY BY IXTA BELFRAGE

Serves 4

60g golden (or regular) raisins

1 medium celery bunch, with the leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

>¼ tsp fine salt

25g pine nuts

¼ tsp urfa chilli flakes

¼ tsp pul biber (or use Aleppo chilli/red pepper flakes)

125g ricotta (optional)

5g basil leaves

1 tbsp chives, finely chopped

Dressing

2½ tbsp soy sauce or tamari

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

1 medium garlic clove, very finely chopped

Black pepper (about 8 twists)

Put the golden raisins in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to soak while you fry the celery.

Remove the leaves of the celery. Set aside 10g of the brightest leaves in a small bowl. Cut 400g of the stalks into 4cm-long pieces (cut any of the wider stalks in half lengthways, first). Toss the celery stalk pieces together with the oil and fine salt. Use any remaining celery in another recipe.

Place a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. Toast the pine nuts for 2½ - 3 mins, or until nicely browned. Transfer pine nuts to a plate. Add the celery to the pan and cook for 4 mins undisturbed. Toss the celery and cook for another 5-6 mins undisturbed, or until the celery is nicely charred in places. Take the pan off the heat and cover it with a plate or lid, so the celery softens a little in the residual heat.

Mix all the dressing ingredients together. Drain the raisins, then finely chop them and add to the dressing. Add the cooked celery and leave to steep for 5-10 mins.

Stir through half each of the celery leaves, basil and chives. Transfer the celery and dressing to a plate and sprinkle over the urfa and pul biber. Spoon over the ricotta if using, then finish with the remaining celery leaves, basil, chives and pine nuts.

@ixta.belfrage