Have you got a favourite Nigella recipe?

[Mamateur]

I think I like Nigella! I've had Feast and How to Eat for ages but never done anything from them - then this week I did the chicken and chorizo, which was delicious, the chocohotopots, fantastic, and some chocolate chip muffins which were pretty nice too.

So I'm thinking we might get on quite well. Does anyone have anything they would recommend from these or other of her books?

[bibbitybobbityhat]

I don't really do cakes or puddings but I love the chicken and chickpea tagine which is in the prepare ahead section of How To Eat. And, her minestrone, also in How To Eat.

Infact, Nigella's How To Eat would probably be my Desert Island Discs book.

[Mamateur]

Thanks Bibbity, I am a reluctant baker too

I'm looking at the tagine now. Looks very nice.

[HowToLookGoodGlaikit]

The cherry coke gammon! Absolutely delicious.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I like the chocolate Guinness cake in Feast, the veggie chilli (also Feast) and the baked plums (though I adapt the recipe) and Barbados Cream (but I leave out the cream) in How To Eat.

Her flapjack recipe and brownies recipes in Domestic Goddess are rubbish.

[neolara]

Veggie chilli in Feast is good.

[BitsyVonMuffling]

The mango and sweet potato curry is a favourite here. She does it with prawns but I always use chicken and it's divine.

[Geordieminx]

Malteaser tray bake is delicious, ESP if you add mini marshmallows.

Her mince pies and turkey in brine are also fab. Oh and the girdlebusting pie

[Mamateur]

Ooh. All v. good ideas, I particularly fancy the gammon in cherry coke.

I've never done puds before (except early 80's ones, cold souffles with cream swirls and angelica ) but now we have a child in the house I'm considering them.

I'm just looking at the bread sauce flavoured potato gratin, sounds nice. I'd really like to do things that are less meat, spuds and veg iykwim.

[smartyparts]

I like the chicken and bacon pie, I think it's in Express? I make it for the dcs all the time. Also the scallop and chorizo starter.

[Mamateur]

Smarty would you recommend Express?

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

The blackberry crisp in Nigella is good (we usually do it with raspberries). Easy enough for children to make with v little help.

[DonaAna]

If you need to start with something really simple, try the avocado/pea guacamole-hummus hybrid. Brilliant.

Love many things from Express and How to Eat and Domestic Goddess - ham in coca cola, cherry pie, buttermilk chicken thighs in the oven, crab pie, granola bars. Her London cheesecake is fab too.

Some of her muffin recipes have been lackluster.

If you only want to buy one Nigella book, I'd get Express for good, quick recipes - but How to Eat if you love reading cookbooks.

Kitchen and Feast are my least favorite Nigella books.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I didn't bother buying Kitchen, having got it from the library and being completely uninspired by it. I like Feast though. The mattar paneer is good, although I change the recipe somewhat and also add more spice.

[Aworryingtrend]

Flourless chocolate lime cake ( I replace lime with orange though)
Irish cream tiramisu

Not sure which books they are in as I just use the website

[Mamateur]

Thanks all, I've been browsing this morning and will be giving the pork ribs in maple syrup a bash tonight. Not necessarily my favourite type of food, but I really need ideas to feed 13 year olds with hollow legs

[GetOrfMoiLand]

Barbados cream is wonderful. It is the easiest thing in the world to do and looks as if you have made loads of effort. A perfect thing to serve with a shop-bought tart.

Ham in coke/cherry coke.

Brined turkey.

French beans wrapped in prosciutto (not a recipe as such, but an idea in How to Eat, called Fascist beans)

Steak and mushroom pie

Sauternes custard (have only made it once, it was divine but I rarely make puddings)

Ed Victor's Turkey hash.

The Georgian feast - ALL of it is absolutely wonderful and inspired.

The Tunisian meatballs and couscous - I cannot urge you enough to try this. It is absolutely wonderful, my absolute favourite recipe of hers.

All of the above are from Feast and How to Eat. They are the best of her books IMO. Express is a bit meh. Kitchen uninspired and full of frankly disgusting recipes which don't work (gnocchi roasties anyone?). Haven't got Domestic Goddess as never bake and rarely make puds.

[Mamateur]

Ooh, thanks Getorf I will definitely try the tunisian meatballs. I can't find the recipe though - is it the one called lamb meatballs in Feast?

[GetOrfMoiLand]

I can't remember what it is called - Tunisian definitely features in the title though.

I have posted about it on mumsnet before - here it is. My recipe is a slight tweak of Nigella's - I tend to find her reipes distinctly underspiced, so instead if using a couple of spoons of rose harissa, I shove the whole pot of it in.

[GetOrfMoiLand]

It's only a small pot - belazu rose harissa comes in 90g jars.

[sfxmum]

a lot of stuff in Feast particularly the assorted chocolate cakes but I usually do a search online to check what users say of the recipe and generally there are adjustments to be made

[Pinkjenny]

Caramel croissant pudding

[sfxmum]

and a quite a few things in How to eat, the Minestrone has already been mentioned

[OwlMother]

The Malteser Cake is my favourite. Nice thick cake, but also really moist (but not raw in the middle as some NIgella cakes can be). Looks really impressive and popular with kids and grown ups!

This is the cake that can't go wrong, often throw it together in the morning of a birthday before racing around doing everything else, safe in the knowledge that it will turn out well.

[SexyDomesticatedDab]

If the cake is raw surely you just need to test it before it comes out - all ovens are different and even slight size difference in tins or eggs could make a change.

The flapjack is a publishing error in HTBADG, qty of syrup is wrong.

Anway - have all of Nigellas books and regularly have a browse through and find something new to try - the onlyu one have not yet tried out is Feast - 'cos I had to hide the book from DW as 'not another Nigella' book was touted.

Lots of regular standbys from all the books - not made the Tunisian meatballs yet but inspired to give them a go now.

Just now I'm lusting looking at Thomasina and her Mexican cooking / book.

[Taffeta]

Her mince pies are the dogs ( Domestic Goddess ).

Also Old Fashioned Choc Cake good ( Feast ), One pan chicken and sausages ( Feast ), Beef with Anchovies and Thyme ( How to Eat ), Cherry Almond Loaf Cake and Madeira cake( Dom God )and Pink Grapefruit Marmalade ( Dom God).