Nigella and me

K just got me Nigella Express from the library.
Here are six recipes I'd like to try:

Mustard Pork Chops - I love any recipe that begins with "bashing" the meat. We eat quite a bit of pork and I'd like to try this recipe. Alas, we never have hard cider in the house - do you suppose regular cider and some white wine would do?

Mustard Caper Sauce For Broccoli - Obviously not on the same night. We like broccoli well enough and I never know what to do with it.

Quick Calamari With Garlic Mayonnaise - Why do we insist on eating calamari with red sauce? Why?

Brandied-Bacony Chicken - What could be wrong?

Potato And Mushroom Gratin - This is one of those recipes that you think will be easy and fast. But it probably isn't at all. Still, I'd like to try it. Sadly, it assumes I have "garlic infused oil" hanging around in a decorative jar.

Steak Slice With Lemon And Thyme - I think I saw her make this on television. I wanted to crawl out of bed and find some raw meat.

And here are six you couldn't pay me to attempt.

Layered Salad With Roast Quail - I get nervous with any bird that looks as though it may have come from our yard.

Smoked Trout Pate - Oh. I'm afraid not. K would love it though. I'm such a bitch.

Ouefs En Cocotte - This is another recipe wherein we realize Nigella's English-ness. I'm not good with the whole coddled egg/heavy cream/truffle oil thing, even if it does have a French name.

Irish Cream Tiramisu - I don't have to explain how I feel about Tiramisu again, do I?

White Chocolate Mint Mousse - Four things that should never be put in the same dish.

Hokey Pokey - Another name for honeycomb candy, we've tried this recipe three or four times over the course of a weekend and will never attempt again. Somehow ours became impossible to remove from the pan (stirred at the wrong time) or resembled one of those science fair vinegar and baking soda volcanoes. We will purchase our Hokey Pokey from now on, thanks.

There are probably at least ten other recipes I'd try - hopefully I will be equally as enthusiastic when it comes time to make dinner.

Comments

Badger said…
I actually own this book but have not made anything from it yet. There's a recipe in there that calls for stale croissants that I can't remember now but made me salivate when I read it.

I would use regular cider and DRINK the wine, for the pork chop thing.

And garlic-infused oil -- at 5pm when you're pouring your first glass, bash up a couple of cloves and cover them with oil, then just let it steep until you need it. The more quickly you need it, the more garlic you use.

Aren't I a big ol' smarty pants this morning?
Anonymous said…
i made garlic infused oil the other day, and it was super easy. i was making it for bread-dipping purposes, and i just filled a little 6oz ramican with olive oil and threw a clove of minced garlic in. it only had time to sit for about 45 min, and it tasted AMAZING.

also, potato and mushroom gratin? i don't care if it takes 3 weeks, it sounds amazing.
i hope you'll update us with the results.
BabelBabe said…
what's wrong with smoked trout? Yum. go on, make it for K.

and white chocolate is an oxymoron. and an abomination.
Jess said…
Oh, I know, she's gorgeous, isn't she?

Garlic Mayonnaise would make even calimari taste good!

Brandied Bacony Chicken? Sounds like heaven, actually. Although maybe not for the chicken.
Nora :) said…
I. Love. Her.
Anonymous said…
You had me at pork chops. I'm late to the party--what's wrong with tiramisu?
Paula said…
Ooh, I make a yummy smoked trout dip with local grapevine-smoked trout. M.M.M.

And? I heart Nigella.
celestial opus said…
Oh my. Can I come over for the chicken? Seriously.
Anonymous said…
At our house, brocolli is always served with "mustard sauce" -- a simple combo of half mayo, half mustard. It sounds weird but it's so good. My third grader regularly brings brocolli with mustard sauce in her lunch, which I'm sure raises some eyebrows among her peers.
Sinda said…
Those pork chops have achieved regular rota status at our house, and the sauce is excellent with gnocchi. We just use whatever booze we have on hand, and don't worry about the hard cider. Last night I made her "jumbleberry cobblers," which consisted of frozen fruit and a simple crumble topping you make ahead of time and keep in the freezer. It took 20 minutes in the oven, 3 minutes of prep, and was so good, I'm hooked.
Unknown said…
W-S carried a Boiled Cider, which I used for their roasted pork loin recipe. It would probably be a good substitute for the hard cider, if they still carry it. I have three or four bottles in my cupboard, so I haven't checked lately.

I am so with you on White Chocolate Mint Mousse. I am just generally not down with the mixing of mint with chocolate, except perhaps the peppermint bark. Most chocolate mint recipes I've seen are spearmint flavored, which gives me the yicks.

Still, I dream of visiting Tuvalu one day and enjoying some amazing food and fun in the kitchen with you and K and the boys.
Anonymous said…
Yummm. Garlic.

Another quickie prep for broccoli: steam it until not quite al dente, then stir fry it in some toasted sesame oil with toasted sesame seeds. And garlic, if you want. Add a splash of soy sauce, too, if you want.
Anonymous said…
I actually bought another Nigella book this weekend, "How to Cook". I've only glanced through it but there are quite a few I'm going to try.

And Mr. Pom, he has quite the little crush on her. Who could blame him? She's gorgeous and she eats out of the fridge at night with her fingers.
I like the donut french toast
too much
the granola bars - not so good
curry -yum
xo
Joke said…
Nigella is one of my VERY inappropriate crushes.

Wait, that gives me an idea for a blog entry.

Thanks!

-J.