Nigella Express

NIGELLA EXPRESS - 130 Recipes for Good Food, Fast - by Nigella Lawson

This cookbook has a copyright of 2007. I don't know where I got this cookbook. I have never cooked from this cookbook before.

I bought this cookbook a few years ago after watching several episodes of the corresponding cooking show on The Food Network. Every recipe she cooked just sounded delicious...like down home country type food. Not hard to make but rib sticking goodness. Of course her accent probably helped sell me on the food, but nothing seemed too foreign or out of my comfort zone. I realized when the DVR was getting full of this cookbooks episodes, that maybe getting the actual cookbook was a good idea.

I think Mr. L has a crush on Nigella Lawson. He seems to get very interested whenever I watch one of her cooking shows on TV. And then if I ask, he doesn't seem to remember anything that she's cooking. Just sayin'.....

A few pages of introduction. She does let you know a few specifics (like all eggs are large size, all butter is unsalted etc). Each chapter has an opening page explaining the food in that chapter (for the chapter on Mexican food she explains she's never been to Mexico and the recipes given are "inspired" by that country only). Each recipe has an intro that tells a bit about the recipe...more like you were sitting in her house and she was explaining the whatfors about what she was doing. For something like Glitzy Chocolate Puddings she lets you know having an electric mixer makes the dish low effort but a real showstopper and gives alternatives to using a Butterfinger bar (chopped pistachios). She uses words like "fantabulousness" which again, makes it sound like she's there talking and explaining the dish to you.

All instructions are listed in English equivalents.

Chapters: Everyday Easy; Workday Winners (weekday entertaining); Retro Rapido (old time favs); Get Up and Go (breakfast); Quick Quick Slow (prep ahead of time); Against the Clock (really quick); Instant Calmer (soul food); Razzle Dazzle (party); Speedy Gonzales (Mexican); On the Run (picnics, eat on the go); Hey Presto (Italian); Holiday Snaps (Christmas); Storecupboard SOS (no time to shop).

Each recipe has a full page photo. Yes, there are photos of Nigella spread about.

Recipes seem pretty straight forward with clear directions. I had read some negative reviews because of hard to find ingredients, but things like harrisa, wasabi paste I can find in my local store. A quick Google search for something like "almond flakes" explained them as sliced almonds with skin on. I know there is a UK version of this cookbook and an English version (no idea which one I have) so I have no idea if ingredients were changed or "Americanized". I also read a couple of reviews that mentioned problems with a recipe (asking for 1 Tablespoon of salt instead of 1 teaspoon).

There where folks that returned this cookbook because they couldn't find any appetizing recipes or dishes they wanted to cook out of the book. Frankly I had just the opposite problem, too many recipes to try! Many I remember from her show so her voice and some of the images stick with me when perusing the cookbook.

Some of the recipes do seem pretty simple...take a steak and sprinkle it with lemon, thyme and olive oil, but sometimes just having some quick recipes that I might not have thought of works for me. The recipe for Scallops and Chorizo only calls for additional lemon juice and parsley, but with the grease from the chorizo flavoring the scallops, I think it would be a simple recipe with great flavor.

Recipes on my to try list (and this is a small count as I'd probably bookmark every recipe): Mustard Pork Chops; Mustard Caper Sauce for Broccoli; Red Shrimp and Mango Curry; Caramel Croissant Pudding; Crab and Avocado Salad with Japanese Dressing; Brandied-Bacony Chicken; Eton Mess; Avocado Crayfish Cocktail; Goujons of Sole with Dill Mayonnaise; Mango Split; Chocolate Croissants; Maple Chicken and Ribs; Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad; No-Churn Pomegranate Ice Cream; Forgotten Pudding; Chicken Schnitzel with Bacon and White Wine; Scallops and Chorizo; Noodle Soup for Needy People; Rapid Ragu; Chicken, Mushroom, and Bacon Pie; Roly Poly Pudding; Dougnut French Toast; White Chocolate Mint Mousse; Mexican Scrambled Eggs; Quick Chili; Margarita Ice Cream; Rocky Road Crunch Bars; Mortadella Pasta Salad; Hokey Pokey; Tuna and Beans; Lamb Rib Chops with Chile and Black Olives; Amaretto Syllabub; Cocktail Sausages; Halloumi Bites; Holiday Hot Cake with Eggnog Cream; Merguez with Halloumi and Flame-Roasted Peppers; and Nutella Pancakes.

Lots of what look like simple recipes to try for those days when I have very little time to think about cooking much less time to cook something! I'm just wondering if Mr. L is going to expect me to lick my fingers with abandon like Nigella does :)

 

Comments

[Chris]

Mr. L and I are in the same boat. With her elegance, accent, and curves, I have the same reaction to Nigella that Alexis does to a young Sean Connery. Except he doesn't have curves...I don't think ;)