Nigella the Domestic Goddess!!!!

[Tigger2]

Well, having watched Nigella on UK Style and read her books as well, the woman is a God send!

Here goes and this is a recipe I made up for myself based on Nigellas marinading in the bag.

4 Lamb Leg Steak
4 Tablespoons Garlic Infused Olive Oil
1 Onion
2 Carrots cut into batons
Brocolli (as much as you want to us)
2 Tomatoes quartered
1 yellow pepper
Pinch of salt and pepper

Put everything into a food bag that seals shut, and put in fridge it tastes better if done the day before, but is ok if done in morning.

Empty the contents of the bag into a frying pan or wok and cook until the lamb is starting to colour on both sides. remove lamb and put in an oven proof dish and cook in hot oven for 15 minutes until the veggies etc are cooked in the frying pan/wok.

Serve with boiled or mashed tatties, and of course large glass of red wine!! it must be good even the kids ate it!!.

An alternative for vegetarians is to add the tatties instead of meat and any other vegetable of their choice.

Has anyone cooked Nigellas recipe that involves cooking Ham in Coke(a Cola)? It's in her How to Eat book.
Looks and sounds intriguing, but have 8 for lunch this sunday, and am reluctant to have them as complete guinea pigs!

fms, I was a bit disappointed with the ham in coke recipe...thought it was going to be a stormer, but it turned out to be nothing special, imo.

fms, I have made the Ham & Coca-Cola but out of her Nigella Bites book, I believe it is a little different to the one in How to Eat. We rather liked it and it was even nicer cold the next day.

Thanks for your comments! However, I have one vote for, and one against the recipe.... Hmmmm... might just have to "Slam in the Lamb", and experiment with the ham on just family!
Oh, any ideas as to what to do with large slab of smoked salmon (on offer at christmas, and still in freezer!) Can't cope with serving it on brown bread.... so boring!

I think Jamie Oliver did a good one here, goes something like this...
Get a huge platter, drap smoked salmon over in artistic foldy, drappy, way! Get creme fraiche and add hers (dill or whatever), thin it a little if it won't pour (I'd use milk at a guess). and drizzle (again highly artistically) over the salmon platter. Throw on more herbs and fresh black pepper. Looks really artistic ( ) and although I've never done it sounds nice.

Or how about as a different way of serving, get bagels (if you can get mini ones form a real jewish bakerery then all the better) smother with cream cheese (has to be Philidelphia), and then add smoked salmon. This could be a fun starter if you have an 'ironic' dinner party. Mini bagels make great nibbles at parties.

Smoked Salmon pate or mouse (no idea how to cook, but there you go. Smoked salmon on Taggelletele (noodles!) with cream and bits f salmon drapped for effect.

Any good?

Ainsley Harriot does a great smoked Salmon Bagel. I think it is roughly as follows:

Lightly toast bagels
Flash fry the smoked salmon and put on bagel
Top with a soft boiled egg, cut in half, so all the yolk is runny
Finally top with a tablespoon of creme fraiche and loads of chives.

Wonderful comfort food if a little extravagant

FMS:

hmmm, you've got me craving smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagels! When I lived in Brooklyn, there was a place on the corner that served it at brunch - yummy crunchy bages, with capers, paper thin slices of tomato and bermuda/red onion. So good! I have been putting off going back to visit, but now I will have to go soon!

Also, following is a recipe that dp loves...

• 3/4 16-ounce package farfalle or bow-tie pasta
• 1 large carrot, grated (about 1 cup)
• 1/3 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
• 1 cup light cream or half-and-half
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound sliced smoked salmon, cut into
• 2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

In saucepot, prepare farfalle as label directs but do not use salt in water; drain.

Meanwhile, in nonstick 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook grated carrot and 1/2 cup water until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add vermouth and heat to boiling; cook 1 minute.

Stir in cream, salt, and pepper; heat to boiling.

Cook 1 minute.

Remove skillet from heat; stir in salmon pieces and chopped fresh dill.

Toss salmon mixture with pasta to serve.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

Warning - do not give in to pre-menstrual chocolate urge. Just spent Sunday afternoon trying to be Domestic Goddess while dealing with fractious ds. Not recommended.

The chocolate fudge cake in Nigella Bites is scrummy but only recommended if you have a household of guests or nice neighbours to share with. Tons & tons of sugar & butter called for - which is why its scrummy. But not good for post-natal weight loss - its now 5 months & still procrastinating about exercising.

Oh also, make sure the cake is thoroughly cooled b4 icing - I was too tired & impatient - ds was screaming - to wait - hence icing melted thru!

pena - ditto jam donut muffins. Delicious, easy, but all too simple to scoff the lot (me & greedy 2 year old) and then feel sick and guilty.

Thanks all for your help!

Lunch went well, and did a variation on the Jamie Oliver sm salmon theme in the end. Bought some soda bread, one slice on each plate, piled up the sm salmon, strips of cucumber, drizzled (Oh, how posh!!) mixture of creme fraiche, horseradish and lemon juice.
Went down a treat, but all this piling and drizzling takes much longer than you think!!

I gave up and did lamb, and finished off with brownies, ice cream and choc sauce.

However, still got lots of sm salmon left, so thanks Joanne 427, will try your idea tonight!

Ha! Enid I have entrapped you into my secret jam doughnut muffin cult!!! Bwahahahahahha... you will never escape!!!!

Zoe and anyone else who makes the Jam Doughnut Muffins, I wonder if you could be of some help. I have just finished making them and they are pretty good but I am not sure if I have done something wrong. I ended up with 18 of them instead of 12 (not too much of a problem I hear you say. I think the problem is that what I call a mini-muffin tray and what Nigella calls a mini-muffin tray must be two separate things, also I wasn't paying enough attention to the receipe and used muffin cases in the tin as well, would this have been enough to make the difference? I am using what Lakeland plastics call a mini-muffin tray if this helps. I notice when she makes fairy cakes etc she says to use a muffin tray but I always use just an ordinary bun/cake tray.

If anyone can gather what I am talking about I wonder if you can help?

Thanks!

Demented - I used muffin cases in an ordinary cake tin (like I use for jam tarts) and twelve was about right there. The do slop over the edge of the case a little but you can rectify that when you roll them in the butter and sugar (ooh I can feel my arteries clogging as we speak!) and anyway your not making them for the asthetic appearance they don't last long enough! Well done for having a proper muffin tin - I did half heartedly look for one in Sainsbury's but not for long!

Zoe thanks I get the impression she did mean a different tray to what I used and I think yours sounds right I will try one of those next time. The small ones were a bit of a fiddle. I had resolved not to make them again in view of the amount of butter etc but DH came in, tried them and loved them, so I will just have to give them a go again! Thanks again

PS DS did actually have two as Nigella says you make them with your little darlings in mind then eat them all yourself!!!

hi there

has anyone made the chocolate raspberry pudding cake from "how to eat"? i'm about to make it as ds's birthday cake - he will not get v. much as the plan is for ourselves and the grandparents to devour it for dessert tomorrow!

unfortunately my cake tins have gone awol - think they have fallen down behind drawer but can't shift it and am waiting for dh to come home from the outing he has taken ds on to allow me to bake it to see if he can move it. sigh.

any comments on this cake very much appreciated.

thanks in advance.

Yes, its delicious and really easy, I missed out the raspberry liqueur. I've made it twice and both times it cracked quite a lot on the top but I disguised it with lots of icing sugar

You MUST use one of those tins with the removable bottom, mine has got a hinge on the side for ease of removal and its great.

Good luck!

Thanks, Enid!

I found I had to cook it for longer than she said - no signs of cracking or anything after 45mins, but it turned out very well!

My cake tins didn't show up - could be a whole separate thread there - so bought one with a separate bottom and hinge thingy, you're right, I think it could have been difficult with say a sandwich tin.

thanks again

Has anyone got the recipe for the chocolate fudge cake from Nigella Bites - it's the only one of her books i haven't got, and I'm rather panicking about ds's third birthday coming up. I'm a reasonable cook, but never made a cake!

Or can anyone suggest something easy and yummy that three year olds will like? Thanks

She has an excellent choc birthday cake in the intro of How to Eat if you've got that. I have made that before to rapturous acclaim - it is VERY chocolatey though and maybe a bit 'grown up' for 3 year olds. Otherwise her buttermilk birthday cake (in kids section of how to Eat) is good too and you can ice it.

Don't listen when she tells you to put it all in the food processor though, I always use an electric whisk as you get a much better result (more air in I think). HTH.

It's really yummy!

CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE

400g Plain Flour
250g Golden Caster Sugar
100g Light Muscovado Sugar
50g Best quality Cocoa Powder
2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
1/2 Teaspoon of Salt
3 Eggs
142ml/small Tub Sour Cream
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
175g Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
125mlCorn Oil
300mlChilled Water

for the fudge icing:
175g Dark Chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
250g Unsalted butter, softened
275g Icing Sugar, sifted
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Preheat the oven to 180 C/gas mark4.

Butter and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins. from personal experience deep tins are required, this is a whopper of a cake

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking powder, bicarb and salt. In another bowl or wide-necked measuring jug whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Using a freestanding or handheld electric mixer, beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended (your'll need another large bowl for this if using the hand whisk; the freestanding mixer comes with its own bowl), then beat in the water. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins. And actually, you could easily do this manually; I just like my toys and fin the KitchenAid a comforting presence in itself.

Bake the cakes for 50-55 minutes, or until a cake-tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins on a wire rack for 15 minutes, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.

To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave - 2-3 minutes on medium should do it -or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water, and let cool slightly.

In another bowl beat the butter until it's soft and creamy (again, I use the KitchenAid here) and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy. I know sieving is a pain, the one job in the kitchen I really hate, but you have to do it or the icing will be unsoothingly lumpy. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate and mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.

Sandwich the middle of the cake with about a quarter of the icing, and then ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with the rubber spatula.

Serves 10. Or 1 with a broken heart.

Apologies for any typos, if there is anything that doesn't make any sense at all just ask and I will check the recipe again.

Enjoy!

hey, demented, just wanted to thank you for mentioning nigella's one tin chicken (i've got that name a bit wrong i feel...) on another thread & reminding me about it. ds & i (the meat eaters in our house) have eaten it twice in 4 days. yum!

yeah, great for v. lazy cooks like me. must try one of her cakes. the only cake i've ever made was the day before i gave birth & was the full extend of my nesting.