September - Nigella Lawson

[cjs]

I mentioned sometime in August that since I have so many cookbooks and lots that I have never tried a recipe from, I was going to begin a new project... Each month I'm choosing one of those books and trying dishes from them. What fun this month has been cooking with Nigella Lawson!

All the recipes I tried were from her book, "Feast" except the Halloumi with Chili which I coincidentally found on a website and it's from her book, "Nigella Bites"

Here's the ones I've tried and enjoyed every single one of them.

Halloumi with Chili - sliced cheese fried and topped with a chili oil and lemon.

Lamb Meatballs with Couscous - a vegetable stew with the meatballs and served over couscous made with ground cumin and coriander. wonderful! and I saved some of the meatballs out of the stew and served as an appetizer with picks as Lawson suggests.

Alcoholic Hot Chocolate - this is another really good one!

Basil & Goat's Cheese dip - walnuts, scallions and basil mixed together with the goat cheese and garlic-infused oil.
And the leftovers combined with a little marinara sauce over pasta - yum!!!

The month is over, but there are still some dishes that I want to be sure and try -
Ricotta & Pinenut Salad
Schmalzy chicken - this is one of those, WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS methods - she melts the fat removed from the chicken and rubs the bird with it and roasts it - how simple is that????
One Pan sage & onion chicken & sausage

Have no idea what book I'll choose today for this month. Did anyone else do this for September????? It really is fun.

[luvnit]

That sounds like a wonderful fall/winter project. So many recipes, so little time. When we moved (8 years ago) I gave away many cookbooks and only kept my favorites. Of course 2 of my faves I have never made a recipe from, yet.

Good idea perheps I will pull of of them out and see what I should make myself

[Harborwitch]

Many many eons ago - back before there was dirt - I used to melt the chicken fat and rub the bird before roasting. I also saved all the schmaltz and cooked with it! Evil!

Jennifer tried to throw out my duck fat the other day - scream had to stop that!

I'm still waiting on the cookbook - but soon!

[bbally]

I did make seven from the same book. I just love Nigella's recipes.

Let me know what book you picked next and I will hopefully have it. I like the program as it gets me looking into stuff I have not done for a long time.

I made the Ricotta & Pinenut Salad but changed the cheese to Chevre as I had the ricotta in the past and like the zip of the chevre better.

What book is next lady?

[cjs]

Shoot, forgot to mention the (maybe) favorite recipe from her book that we tried... Finger-Lickin' Ribs. Man, they are so tasty and since so many of us around here love ribs, here tis -


* Exported from MasterCook *

Finger-Lickin' Ribs
Serving Size : 2

8 pork spare ribs
1 small onion
1 star anise
1 small cinnamon stick -- broken into barky shards
1 green Chile (I used jalapeno)
1 piece fresh ginger -- (1")
Juice & zest of 1/2 lime
2 T. soy sauce
1 T. peanut oil (I used canola)
1 T. molasses
1/4 cup pineapple juice

Put the ribs into a large plastic bag. Peel the onion and cut it into eighths and add to the ribs along with the star anise and the crumbled cinnamon stick. Roughly chop the chile, removing the seeds if you don't want the heat from them and peel and finely slice the ginger and throw all in, too. Zest and squeeze the lime into a glass measuring cup and add the soy sauce, oil, molasses and the pineapple juice and stir together before pouring into the bag. Tie a knot and squidge everything around well, then ideally leave in a fridge overnight, or for at least a couple of hours in a cool place somewhere in the kitchen.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. let the marinated ribs come to room temperature, and pour the whole contents of the bag into a roasting pan and put in the oven for 1 hour. Turn the ribs over about halfway through cooking time to brown a bit on the other side. To serve, turn out on to a large flat plate and you're done.

Description:
"Nigella Lawson recipe from Feast"

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I'm still walkin' back and forth in front of the 'library'.....can't make up my mind.

[Lorraine]

Great sounding meals, Jean! I've had "When French Women Cook" by Madeleine Kamman for over a year, and haven't cooked anything from it yet. Will have to take another look at it.

[cjs]

Do it, Lorraine - it was such a fun month.

[Roxanne 21]

This is a bit dorky, but I was into the American chefs for a while a "few" years back---Caprial Pence CAPRIAL'S CAFE FAVORITES---I watched a couple of her programs MANY years ago and picked up a couple of her books (and John's) and thought she was so sweet and her recipes were quite simple but very tempting---soooo---this is what I did last month--

Chilled Shrimp with Smoked Onion Aioli
Mushrooms Stuffed with Garlic Goat Cheese
Sauteed Prawns with Sweet Peppers
Leeks Soup with Apples and Blue Cheese (did not care for)
Sweet Pea Soup
Eggplant Sandwich with Roasted Red Peppers and Olive Tapenade
Open-Faced Smoked Salmon Sandwich
Grilled Pork Tenderloin Sandwich with Roasted Shallot Relish
Poached Scallops with Reisling and Pears
Grilled Salmon with Citrus Marinade
Salmon with Ginger and Basil Butter Sauce
Northwest Crabcakes with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli
New York Salad with Parmesan Croutons and Black Pepper Dressing
Roasted Leg of Lamb with Hazelnut and Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Plum Puree

AND there are several more I want to work with but I suppose I must move on to the next book---I have soooo many--

Nigella---I have a couple of hers, hmmmm!!!

[cjs]

I would have tried most of those also!! sound good.

[Lorraine]

I had forgotten about her. I got her program years ago on PBS, and loved it. One of my sisters has a book of hers and loves it.