Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home by Nigella Lawson — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

Comprehensive, informative, and engaging, Nigella Kitchen offers feel-good food for cooks and eaters that is comforting yet always seductive, nostalgic but with a modern twist--whether super-fast exotic recipes for the weekday rush, leisurely slow-cook dishes for weekends and special occasions, or irresistible cakes and cookies in true "domestic goddess" style. Nigella Kit Comprehensive, informative, and engaging, Nigella Kitchen offers feel-good food for cooks and eaters that is comforting yet always seductive, nostalgic but with a modern twist--whether super-fast exotic recipes for the weekday rush, leisurely slow-cook dishes for weekends and special occasions, or irresistible cakes and cookies in true "domestic goddess" style. Nigella Kitchen answers everyday cooking quandaries--what to feed a group of hungry teenagers, how to rustle up a spur-of-the-moment meal for friends, or how to treat yourself when you're home alone--and since real cooking is so often about leftovers, here one recipe can morph into another. from ham hocks in cider to cidery pea soup, from "praised" chicken to Chinatown salad. This isn't just about being thrifty; it's about being creative and seeing how recipes evolve.

Nigella Lawson writers some very nice cookbooks! I have used a number of recipes from her "Nigella Express" and found them quite tempting. Here is a new cookbook from her kitchen. She notes the point of this specific work (Page xix): "The life of a kitchen takes in many moods and many meals. The recipes in this book try to reflect and, more, to celebrate that fact. [T]his one is based on the premise that the kitchen is an enduring place of comfort and that the food which comes out of it prov Nigella Lawson writers some very nice cookbooks! I have used a number of recipes from her "Nigella Express" and found them quite tempting. Here is a new cookbook from her kitchen. She notes the point of this specific work (Page xix): "The life of a kitchen takes in many moods and many meals. The recipes in this book try to reflect and, more, to celebrate that fact. [T]his one is based on the premise that the kitchen is an enduring place of comfort and that the food which comes out of it provides essential sustenance not just for body, but for soul, too."

The book begins with something like "Kitchen Confidential," as Lawson lays out her choices for tools in the kitchen (forget cast iron skillets--too much hassle and too heavy, even though they are glorious instruments of cooking), gadgets (like a slow cooker), shortcuts (e.g. boiling water or how to keep onions from browning).

Part I focuses on recipes related to "Kitchen Quandaries." Recipes abound here, with those catching my fancy including "Crisp chicken cutlets with salad on the side, “Barbecued ground beef, "Chicken teriyaki, “Egg and bacon salad," "Tarragon chicken," "Lone linguini with white truffle oil," "Indian rubbed lamb chops," "Chicken with Greek herb sauce," "Minestrone soup," "South Indian vegetable curry," and "Pasta with pancetta (what a glorious element in cooking!), parsley, and peppers."

Next, a section on "Kitchen Comforts." Among these that intrigue me: "Date steak" (with brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, red currant jelly, gingerroot, tomato paste, garlic flavored oil, top loin strip steaks), "Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic" (a tasty dish indeed!), "Saffron risotto" (I enjoy a good risotto!), "Patara lamb shanks," "Greek lamb chops with lemon and potato," and "Pork and apple hotpot" (hotpots are pretty cool dishes).

A nice addition to Nigella Lawson's body of work!