Nigella

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

What are your favourite recipes from Nigella’s books, ideally either sweet or vegetarian.

I like her vegetable chilli and mattar paneer recipes, although I add lots more spices to the latter.

Her Chocolate Guinness cake is magnificent.

The roasting tin books rely too much on tomatoes for my liking. They’re in every other recipe. I really like the roasted potato gado gado though, and the cheese and shallot tart.

TBH I hadn't noticed, but I love tomatoes.

Have you tried Ottolenghi's Confit tandoori chickpeas?

https://ottolenghi.co.uk/pages/recipes/confit-tandoori-chickpeas

I use less oil than he does and they are to die for. Although, this does contain tomatoes as well.

Lamb and date tagine
redder than red cranberry sauce

The chocolate Guinness cake, chocolate and peanut butter cake and speedy cheesecake with cherry compote from Express are all regulars for us; as are the mirin salmon from Express and her meatball recipe in Nigella Bites.

Also Cook, Eat, Repeat has a gorgeous roast veg and bulgur wheat recipe which has become my staple summer accompaniment to roast chicken, but would be lovely on its own.

I'm vegetarian too and her beef & beans with pasta recipe - subbed with Quorn mince - is a hit in our house

Sounds interesting. I’ll check this out.

Thanks. Far too many vegetarian recipes use tomatoes imo!

I wouldn't say that I have one author per se - I have lots of favourite recipes from a myriad of sources, both books & websites! But the one veggie cookbook I recommend a lot for easy, reliable weekday recipes that are genuinely quick to make (unlike Jamie Oliver's version of 30 minute recipes!!!) is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Veg Every Day.

You've made me think about reliable favourite veggie recipes though. Maybe I'll do a shortlist!! Favourite authors for reliability - who have loads of veggie recipes - would include Diana Henry, Madhur Jaffrey, Yotam Ottolenghi, Nigel Slater, Claudia Roden, Ursula Ferrigno, Annie Bell, Maria Elia & Ghillie Basan. Hope that helps!

That Madhur Jaffrey one is excellent, I agree. I love her earlier books, they're like travelogues alongside the recipes & she writes beautifully too. She inspired me to visit India!

Try these Ghillie Basan courgette & feta first. In fact, try anything by her!

https://www.stylist.co.uk/food-drink/courgette-recipes-summer-vegetable/661741

I always use her recipe for fairy cakes. Also love the chocolate and olive oil cake and I’ve made all her cheesecakes on repeat.

Her potato gratin is my go to. The pages of that recipe now stick together. I’ve tried the courgette fritters, very nice. If I remember any other veggie recipes, I will post.

Her Anglo Italian Trifle. It's addictive

Thanks for all of these.

For reading, rather than necessarily cooking from, the World Food Cafe books are gorgeous. They have lots of great recipes, travel notes and gorgeous pictures. I just don’t usually tend to follow recipes.

a lot if my favourites have been mentioned but here’s the list:

chocolate Guinness cake
quadruple chocolate loaf cake
New Orleans coleslaw (AMAZING)
supper onion pie
carrot and ginger cake
Christmas morning muffins
Christmas strata
there’s an amazing chicken curry in feast

Loaded potato skins (easy to do without the bacon)

Thanks @EleanorMc67 I love the River Cottage veggie books. Also anything by Ottolenghi. I’m going to start pulling my books out to make some more veggie recipes.

Currently in bed with Nigella marking up everyone’s recommendations.

Madeira Cake
Cherry & Almond Loaf
Coca Cola Ham
Triple Chocolate Muffins

I came over all Kenneth Williams for a moment then.

I've just remembered 'Dinner' by Meera Sodha - it's brilliant and beautiful.

Her lemon polenta cake is lovely. It's meant to be a cross between Italian cake and British lemon drizzle.

Gluten free. It has ground almonds and polenta and baking powder only. So it's a bit expensive due to the almonds. You make lemon syrup and pour it into the cake when it's cooked.

I made it in two tins and but buttercream in-between and on top. But you definitely don't need to!

Her store cupboard chocolate and orange cake is my go-to. It's genius in that you add in a jar of marmalade, although I tend to make it with blackcurrant jam because my marmalade is very chunky! But it's super quick and easy to make and I'm hopeless at sponges, which this isn't.

I like her recipes in the Feast supplement with Saturday's Guardian. I also liked Anna Jones when she wrote for them - her kale, tomato & lemon one-pot spaghetti recipe is a great weekday one.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/sep/28/anna-joness-kale-tomato-and-lemon-magic-one-pot-spaghetti

Definitely no recipes in them, but his diaries were a great read! Rather sad though ...

I love her Old fashioned sandwich loaf from Cook Eat Repeat and old fashioned chocolate cake is a massive favourite here, think that is from feast, I don’t completely cover it in icing though. I never bought her books but then got some on kindle couple years ago.

Nigella's involtini is one of my very favourite veggie recipes, really delicious stuffed aubergine rolls topped with tomato sauce and Mozarella. I think it's in Feast.