Nigella Lawson

Last night was a rarity in our house - my youngest daughter (Stephany) and I were the only ones home for supper. She and my oldest daughter (Emily) are ridiculously easy to cook for - they’ll try anything. So, on the rare occasions that it’s just us, I take the opportunity to try something new.

Steph and I both love fish fiercely, so I knew it’d involve some sort of fish. I put a few fillets of cod in a large skillet. I added some bay leaves, lemon zest, chives, a stalk of celery, and seasonings. Then I poured about a cup to a cup and a half of water over the whole production. After I brought it to a boil, I reduced the heat and covered the pan with foil. I poached the fish for about 6-7 minutes.

I removed the fish and wrapped it in foil to keep it warm. Then I tried something I’d seen in Nigella Express (an AMAZING cookbook if there ever was one): I added a few cans of Cannellini Beans to the remaining seasoned water in the skillet. I let the beans get all hot and bothered in the aromatic water.

I strained the beans into a small casserole dish, crumbled the fish on top, and finished it all off with a few spritzes of freshly squeezed lemon juice. I’m chive mad, so I also snipped some fresh chives on top.

Geez, Louise - it was amazing! It was a perfect, light yet filling, and very delicious meal. It would have been great with hushpuppies, but we had some Red Pepper Hummus left from the weekend, so I toasted some thick Italian Bread to use with that. We finished it all off with Rice Krispie Treats with red, white, and blue Go USA sprinkles on top. We enjoyed a great meal and great conversation - I don’t think we left an Olympic event or athlete un-discussed.

When Em got home, she delighted herself with a plate of goodies I’d saved for her. When my husband came dragging in, he was too pooped to pop, so he just popped in bed. The vegetarian (Brittany) of the group wrinkled her nose at the cod and dove head first into the hummus served with a boca burger I fixed for her. I told her that I’ll make her a version of this dish soon, with Firm Tofu instead of the fish. Tofu soaks up the deliciousness of bay leaves and lemon beautifully. It loves garlic, too, but I wouldn’t want to steal the show from the lemon - garlic’s such a scene stealer!

Poached fish is amazingly fast and a very healthy alternative to fried fish. The next time I make poached fish, I’m going to serve it with orzo - although I’ll be returning to the Cannellini beans often. They’re a perfect companion to just about anything.

One of the things I was fortunate enough to receive for Christmas was Nigella Express. I’m a huge fan of the ridiculously beautiful Nigella Lawson, so when I pulled her newest cookbook out of the gift box, I immediately launched myself into the recipes.

In the end, good southern manners prevailed, so I led Nigella to the dining room, seated her at the table, and promised to return when all the presents were given out, opened, and enjoyed. British graciousness ensured that she wouldn’t mind - not in the least.

When I returned for her, I started with the Introduction and read through every single recipe and every single notation. All 378 pages. I even read the Acknowledgement’s Page. It was here that I learned that all of the beautiful dishes, linens, silverware, pans, and other embellishments featured in the book’s photos came from Nigella’s own “…cupboards and an almost dangerous eBay habit.” Her words, not mine.

Nigella Express is an absolutely perfect cookbook. She set out to prove that fabulous food doesn’t have to take hours to prepare. As the inside cover (yes, I read that, too) says, “Nigella Express is her solution to eating well when time is short.”

But don’t think for one second that the recipes aren’t out of this world, because that’s exactly where they are. These recipes are fresh, original, fun to make AND serve, delectable, and….I know you’ll love this…highly do-able. They feature ingredients that won’t be strangers to your favorite grocery store’s shelves. In fact, you probably have the ingredients on hand for many of the recipes.

In addition to (honestly) sone of the best recipes I’ve ever seen, Nigella offers countless ingenious tips, suggestions, and shortcuts. There’s even a chapter, Chapter 13 to be precise, called “Storecupboard SOS: How to Cope When You Haven’t Got Time to Go Shopping.” The recipes in this chapter are to help you out when you have people to feed with little or no warning. Instead of hitting the panic button or punching in the number for Papa John’s Pizza, you can just grab Nigella and let her help you out of a little jam.

If you’re a fan of Nigella Lawson’s Food Network series - and who wouldn’t be - you’ll really love Nigella Express. Nigella writes just as she speaks, so reading the cookbook is like sitting at the table talking to the Domestic Goddess, herself.

For example, in a recipe for Golden Honey Dressing, she instructs, “Put all the ingredients into a jam jar, make sure the lid’s on firmly, and shake like mad.” Vintage Nigella!

I just can’t tell you how much I want you to buy this cookbook. It’s a work of culinary perfection - and, quite frankly, a remarkably entertaining read!

The links I’ve included in this post are to Cooking.com. I checked my favorite online shops to find the best price for this amazing cookbook. After all, if I’m going to recommend it to my online friends, the least I can do is find the best deal for you, right? Cooking.com actually has Nigella Express for about $11 less than other places, including offline bookstores.

I’ve already tried quite a few of the recipes, including a Red Pepper Humus that’ll be made again in a few days - served inside Celery Sticks, I’ll make a total pig out of myself. Again. I also have plans for about 4 other lovelies this week - with Breakfast Tomato Bruschetta and Breakfast Avocado Bruschetta leading the way! Make no mistake about it, I’ll get to each and every recipe this year - and, if they’re like the ones I’ve had so far, they’ll be repeated again and again.

Some of the recipes in the Cookbook are:

MUSTARD PORK CHOPS

QUICK CALAMARI WITH GARLIC MAYONNAISE

BUTTERSCOTCH FRUIT FONDUE

ROAST CORNISH HEN AND SWEET POTATOES

CRAB AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH JAPANESE DRESSING (threatening to jump in front of the Breakfast Bruschettas!)

POTATO AND MUSHROOM GRATIN

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE BROWNIES WITH GLAZE

CHERRY CHEESECAKE

MANGO SPLIT

HOMEMADE INSTANT PANCAKE MIX

BREAKFAST BARS

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE SUNDAE

Okay. That’s it. I was going to list some more, but the picture of the Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Sundae just derailed my thoughts and intentions. All that chocolate…the caramel spilling over the side… oh man, I’d tell myself, “Be strong!” but it’s too late. My mind has already taken inventory of the ingredients in the pantry and freezer and the ones I’ll need to pick up at Kroger. ASAP.

Get Nigella Express, my foodie friends, you’ll be so glad you did!

Food Network has done it again - they’ve served up another amazing cooking show hosted by an even more amazing personality. I was perfectly content with my “set” favorite shows (Paula’s Home Cooking, all of Rachael Ray’s shows, Everyday Italian, Emeril light and Emeril Live, Good Eats, Food 911, Tyler’s Ultimate, anything by Jamie Oliver, Throwdown and The Secret Life Of…) - more than content, actually, I was as happy as a fat woman in Duncan Doughnuts on pay day.

Truth be known, I didn’t really have any extra time for following another show - then along comes Nigella Lawson, daring me not to get hooked.

I didn’t much want to like her at first - she looks like a young Elizabeth Taylor crossed with a young Raquel Welch. Add in a lovely personality, beautiful voice, and the ability to cook like Emeril - I not only didn’t want to like her, I just wanted her to go away.

Then, a hurt foot and a remote control with faulty batteries found me on the couch and face to face with her. 30 Minutes later, I’d determined three things:

1. I had to go to Food TV.com and print out each of the recipes she used.
2. While on the website, I had to find out the times Nigella was on - so I wouldn’t miss any.
3. I needed to go to the store to get the ingredients for not one, but two of her recipes from the show to make right away: The Chocolate and Peanut Granola and the Raspberry and Oatmeal Swirls.

Done, done, and done. I’ve even made the Chocolate and Peanut Granola - it’s perfectly delicious. I couldn’ t find the brown rice syrup or rice malt syrup in my neck of the woods, so I just used some Dark Corn Syrup that I had left from a recent Pecan Pie.

The Raspberry and Oatmeal Swirls are set to be made today, and the other dishes she made will hit my counter later in the week.

If you haven’t caught one of her shows yet, make it a point to do so. It’s time very well spent. To show how impressed I was — I’ve only seen one show, so far, but I’ve already included her name in my “Blog Category Subjects” to the right. See? She’s right there with Paula, Rachael, Giada, Emeril, and Alton.

Joi