I have a whole bookcase dedicated to cookery books, and I do actually use them. Apparently this is not always the case; I am told that many people own cookery books and do not cook any recipes from them. This is not to say that I do not sometimes change and adapt recipes or invent my own recipes. You may be thinking that I spend an awful lot of time in the kitchen, and you would be right! I am going to share some of my favourites with you, and am starting by reviewing a selection by specific writers.
Nigella Bites was published in 2001, although I am not sure how long I have owned it. A quick skim through the book and I can count at least 21 recipes I have cooked from this book, many of them on numerous occasions. I love Nigella’s chatty, descriptive style and her suggestions for changing, adapting and even (dare I say it?!) improving the recipes. She is also one of the chefs I enjoy watching on television. My one rule for watching chefs on television is that the content of the programme has to be the pure pleasure of food with no competitiveness. Thus I am not a fan of Masterchef or The Great British Bake Off. Anyway, I digress.
I know that not everyone enjoys Nigella’s style. She is very sexy and attractive and enjoys her food very much. I must admit that I do love gazing at other peoples’ kitchens. I have a very small kitchen, and sometimes try to do too much in it.
The format of Nigella’s recipe books is to organise by themes and menus rather than conventionally grouping together all the starters, main courses, puddings and so on. Some of the chapters in Nigella Bites are: All-Day Breakfast, Comfort Food, Trashy, Suppertime and Slow-Cook Weekend.
There are some recipes in this book which I shall probably never try. I am not a fan of pomegranate seeds: I have tried them and find them completely bitter and indigestible. Pomegranate molasses is a different matter – I love it and use it frequently. I am also not keen on the Jewish way of making chicken soup, so I’ll not be trying the version in this book. Another recipe I am not tempted to try is the Ham in Cocoa Cola, however much it might be recommended! Some of my favourite recipes are:
Welsh-Rarebit Muffins – cake-style savoury muffins which are wonderful for breakfast.
Double Potato and Halloumi Bake – a really excellent vegetarian dish which is good for everyday as well as being special enough for a party dish.
Chocolate Fudge Cake – one of many chocolate cake recipes by Nigella; this one has a lovely squidgy chocolate icing made with plain chocolate. At this point I need to show you the evidence that I have made this cake on many occasions. See the state that this page is in, in my book!
Thai Yellow Pumpkin and Seafood Curry – this is one recipe I turn to again and again. I sometimes serve it with basmati rice, or I have made it more soupy and just served it in big bowls.
Bitter Orange Ice-cream – again I have made this on many occasions. It is the easiest orange ice-cream ever to make, being completely made from cream rather than from a custard base. Nigella also helpfully has instructions for making either with seville oranges (only available for a short time in the winter) or with sweet oranges and limes.
Soft and Sharp Involtini – this is a wonderful Italian vegetarian dish of stuffed aubergine slices. It is easy enough to make for a mid-week meal, although some may dispute this (I spend a reasonable amount of time preparing evening meals and am also very quick at putting meals together once I know a recipe well).
Bream with Anchovies and Thyme, served with the following recipe of Chick Peas with Chilli, Garlic and Thyme. Nigella uses two of my favourite ingredients in this medley – anchovies and chick peas.
Chocolate Pots – I show you below the photo of my pages, which have been stuck together with chocolate. A good thing I more or less know the ingredients! This is the easiest of cold chocolate pots to make and can easily be adapted for larger quantities.
Chocolate Pots recipe
I hope that you enjoy this cookery book as much as I do. It really is worth having a look at, and none of the recipes contain ingredients which are difficult to get hold of. Simplicity is the key in this book.