Banana custard

Yet another custard, and yet another method.  This method always seemed in danger of curdling despite lots of stirring on a very gentle heat.  She has a perfectly good recipe for custard, here, which you can then pour over bananas.

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Liver with sweet onions

All i can say, is its not easy to make liver and onions look good!  It was a success though - the sweetness of the pomegranate molasses was great.

- Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan and gently fry 1 finely sliced onion for 10 mins.
- Add 1 tablespoon of pomegranate juice (or pomegranate molasses diluted 50:50 with vermouth!) and cook for another 10 mins.
- Remove to a warm plate, add another tablespoon each of butter and oil, and cook 220g liver, coated in seasoned flour, for about 1 min on each side.
- Add to the plate of onions, then add another tablespoon pomegranate juice to the pan, deglaze, taste, then pour over the liver and onions.

The deglazed was delicious - i don't really like sweet and savoury often, but the sweet pomegranate sauce was great with the liver and what was a kind of onion marmalade.

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Roast shoulder of lamb

This tasted better than it looks in the photo!  My new japanese knife that i bought the other day in marylebone, made a slightly bigger hole than i meant.  It is phenomenally sharp and only needs sharpening every 6-9 months because it's made from high carbon steel and therefore very hard (about 64 on the Rockwell Scale)- an ordinary stainless steel knife apparently should be sharpened after every use.  It is a joy to use and i would recommend getting a decent chef's knife (16-22cm) to anyone.

This is probably the easiest meat recipe in the book and tasted all the better for it!

- Mince 3 cloves garlic and finely chop a sprig of rosemary.
- Mash both together with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Make insertions with a knife into 1-2kg shoulder of lamb and push the mixture into the lamb.
- Coat the top of the lamb with some of the oil, sprinkle with coarse salt and cook for 30 mins per kg plus 20 mins.



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Squid and clams with chilli

Some of nigella's most successful recipes are the simple asian flavour dishes and this another one of those.  Very and quick to make, with only a few key ingredients, and yet the end result has the flavour of a seemingly much more complex dish.  I recommend this to anyone to try.

- Rinse 600g clams under a cold tap, throwing any that are cracked, damaged or stay open.
- Slice 4 large squid or 10 small ones, into rings.
- Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a wide pan on a high heat, and when hot, add 4 cloves chopped garlic, and 1 chopped dried chilli.
- Stir, then add the squid, cooking for about 1 min.
- Add the clams along with 250ml sake and 250ml water.
- Cook with the lid on for 4-5 mins, shaking a couple of times.
- Check the clams have all opened, pour into a large bowl and serve sprinkled with parsley or thai basil.

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Zabaione

Another one of nigella's creamy puddings that she loves.  A lot of them are disappointing, but this one was great. Tara had cooked some rhubarb in the oven, so i added some rhubarb juice which worked well.  Whisking by hand seemed to have no effect, and the eggs only started to froth up with the whisk on turbo.  The glasses might be half full either because its possible to make it even more foamy, or because i got loads on the new floor with the extreme whisking.

- Put a bowl over a pan of boiling water and in that bowl whisk together 2 egg yolks and 25g caster sugar.
- Keep whisking while the water below simmers, until the mixture becomes thick and pale.
- Slowly add 60ml marsala, whisking continuously until you have a foamy mixture, then add to 2 glasses.

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Thai style mussels

The moules mariniere were pretty good, but this was even better.  It may just be my personal preference, but i think this is a tastier way to eat mussels.  I doubled the quantities below to make it a low fat main course for tara and I.

- Put 400g mussels in a cold pan of water and throw any that don't sink to the bottom, and any that don't close when tapped.
- Put 100ml stock in a pan together with 1 shallot, 2 cloves garlic, 3 kaffir limes leaves (or stick lemon grass) and 1 cm piece ginger, all chopped finely.
- Heat for 3-5 mins until there's a thickish, soft mess in the bottom of the pan.
- Add 1 chopped chilli, and after 30 seconds, add the mussels, 120ml boiling water, and 1 tablespoon each of lime juice, mirin and fish sauce.
- Put the lid on, shake the pan and cook for about 3 mins.
- Pour into a bowl and serve sprinkled with coriander.
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Steak and kidney pie

We had just started tucking the steak and kidney pie, when i remembered to take a photo.  That's it on the left, with Tara's mini vegetarian one on the right - portabello mushrooms to make up for the missing steak.  You would think, by the way, that Tara amongst others, is called a vegetarian because she only eats vegetables.  Apparently, though that is wrong - the word vegetarian doesn't come from the word vegetables, but from the latin word "vegetus", which means fresh and lively.

We had a lovely meal, even if i say so myself, with blinis to start (we managed to stop angus eating them all before everyone else arrived), the steak and kidney pie with the onion mush and petit pois a la francaise, followed by turkish delight figs, done deliciously by tara.  My crust didn't perform brilliantly - i forgot to add the pie tunnel in the middle, which apparently helps the steam escape and cook the pastry.

- Finely chop 2 onions, 1 carrot, 1/2 stick celery and 3 sage leaves and heat in a pan in 4 tablespoons olive oil for about 5 mins until soft.
- Remove and add to a casserole dish, then add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan and cook 200g sliced mushrooms and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley for a few mins, then add the casserole.
- Spinkle 4 tablespoons flour on a plate, add lots of grated nutmeg and pepper, then coat 500g stewing steak chunks and 250g kidneys in the flour.
- Brown the steak in the pan in another 2 tablespoons of oil and remove to the casserole.
- Add 200ml beef stock and 200ml stout or red wine to the casserole, stir well, season and cook for 2 hours in the oven at 150C.
- Move to a pie dish and leave to cool.
- Make the pastry by adding together 200g self raising flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, fresh nutmeg and 100g suet, then gradually stir in 100ml water until you have a soft paste.
- Roll out into a fat disc about 1/2 cm thick, using the off cuts to coat the rims of the pie dish first.
- Cook for 30 mins at 190C, covering in foil if the top looks like burning.

Call me old fashioned, but i don't consider this to be a proper pie - for me, a pie has to have a complete covering of pastry, but i recognise that i might be in the minority here.  Despite some googling, this is also not a generally accepted definition - what i am talking about is a "two crust pie" apparently and this recipe is a "one crust pie".  However, i feel i have history on my side, as the origin of the pie, was to encrust the ingredients in pastry so as to preserve them - wikianswers confirms it just in case!

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Petit pois a la francaise

I had run out of of petit pois, so this is really  "soya bean a la francaise".  Not sure i've ever cooked lettuce before, but this was good and something i'd definitely do again.  Very simple and quick to do as well.

- Melt 3 tablespoons butter, and stir in 500g frozen petit pois, 1 small lettuce, shredded and 6 chopped spring onions.
- After a couple of mins, coating everything in butter, add 50ml boiling water,  teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper.
- Cover and stew for about 20 mins, season to taste, then serve sprinkled with parsley, basil or mint.
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Sauternes custard

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Apple and walnut crumble

Here's charlie serving up the apple and walnut crumble, which we had with the tokai, pictured, given to us by emily and andrew.  Seeing as they were over for dinner as well, it seemed only fair!  tokai has to be my favourite dessert wine - this one was a very good 5 puttonyos (scale of 1-6)  I've just checked this on wikipedia and there's no entry for Puttonyos!  A quick 15 min break and i've now written one.

- Cover 25g raisins/sultanas with 3 tablespoons of marsala that has been gently warmed.
- Sieve 100g flour into a bowl and rub in 50g butter, cut into small cubes.
- Add 60g finely chopped walnuts and then stir in 45g brown sugar.
- Store in a cool place, while peeling, coring and slicing 2 cooking apples.
- Heat the apples in a saucepan together with 1 tablespoon of sugar and add the marsala soaked raisins.
- Cook with the lid for 5 mins until soft.
- Put the apples in a pie dish, cover with the crumble mixture and cook for 25 mins at 190C.

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Ceviche with garlic potatoes

Back to the fishmonger in primrose hill, and he surpassed himself.  He does sushi fish - fish that has been kept at a much lower temperature from being caught to being on our plate.  I found this out when someone who worked for me eventually got really ill from eating raw fish from sainsburys!- and its not easy to find.  He however, had salmon, tuna and sea bass.  With a lot of flourishing of knives, i found myself leaving with perfectly filleted and thinly sliced salmon and sea bass.

- Cover 600g of sushi fish with the juice of 3 limes, 2 lemons, 1 orange and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and leave for a few hours in the fridge.
- Chop 300g new potatoes into 1cm chunks, coat in 4 tablespoons olive oil and 3 minced cloves of garlic, and roast for 40 mins at 200C until brown and crispy.
- Tke the fish out of the marinade, and arrange on a bed of watercress, sprinkle over the potato croutons, and add some chopped coriander.

You can use some of the marinade to make a dressing, adding a tablespoon olive oil.  We thought that the ceviche was tart enough already, and in fact needed some sesame oil over it to complement the acidic marinade.  It was delicious however, although i'm not sure the croutons added much.  I'm going to do this again - next time though, i think i would marinade in just a little lime juice for a shorter period of time, and definitely dress with some sesame oil.  In fact, i'm salivating just thinking about it!

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Welsh cawl

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Miso dressing for beans

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Barbados cream

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Baked spiced plums

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Gravy

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Yorkshire pudding

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One pan chicken

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Chicken and chick pea tagine

Half way!  120 recipes down out of 240.  It's taken me nearly 6 months though - 6 months to do the whole book is looking a bit amibitious.  I have no idea how julie powell cooked 550 recipes in a year.  She would have done 250 recipes by now, and i feel like i've been really going for it.  it must have completely taken over her life.  Anyway, i'm really enjoying it and learning lots, so here's to the next 120 recipes.

Had this with the chickpea couscous and it was a bit chickpea-tastic. i think i'd add fewer chickpeas next time, and more vegetables.  The chicken thighs were delicious in it though - much tastier than chicken breast and less bony than wings - from now on, its "Eat More Thighs".  I didn't cook it in the tagine above, because you can't use it on the hob, but it looks more authentic for the photo!

- Put 1 onion, 5 cloves garlic and 1 stick celery in a processor and finely chop.
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a casserole on the hob and brown 10 chicken thighs.
- Remove to a plate, add the onion mixture and cook for 5 mins until soft.
- Add 2 carrots cut into batons and cook for a further 5 mins.
- Mix 1 tablespoon flour with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon each of cumin and turmeric, add to the pan and cook for a couple of mins.
- Put the chicken thighs back in, add 2 tins chickpeas, pour over 400ml white wine and 300ml chicken stock.
- Season and put on a low heat for about 1 hour.
- Sprinkle with coriander to serve.

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Chick pea and sour cherry couscous

Tara hates savoury couscous that has fruit like raisins in it, but i think that sour cherries are the answer.  They bring a similar morrocan feel to dishes, but are much less sweet.

- Pour 450ml vegetable stock in a pan and bring to the boil, add salt.
- Mix 350g couscous with 50g sour cherries, 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon and cumin, then add the pan of stock and remove from heat.
- Heat a tin of chickpeas, and when the couscous has absorbed the stock, add the chickpeas, then stir in 30g butter.
- Toast 60g pinenuts, add half of the couscous and sprinkle the other half over the top when serving.

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Italian broth

I had this just as a soup, but it's actually more of a stock - nigella says it makes a great base for a rissotto.  A lot of meat goes into making this, and i'm not sure its worth it.

- Put 500g piece beef flank, 2 pieces ossobuco, and 500g chicken wings in a large saucepan.
- Add 1 onion cut in half, each stuck with a clove, 2 sliced carrots, 2 sliced stalks celery, 2 sliced leeks, 1 ripe tomato halved, 1 peeled clove garlic, 1 bay leaf, 6 parsley stalks, 6 peppercorns and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Cover with water by 6cm, bring to the boil and simmer very gently for 3 hours, skimming the scum off every hour.
- Remove the large pieces of meat and strain through a cheesecloth or muslin.
- If storing, cool in the fridge and remove the fat from the top of the jelly with a kitchen towel.

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Oxtail with mackeson stout

Another marathon cooking time, but at least you get to eat the meat at the end of it this time.  I have to say this is one of the tastiest stews i've had - the bones of the oxtail add real meaty depth, and you can really taste the stout.  The one change i would make is to add additional stewing steak because i didn't find that there was that much meat on the oxtail i bought.

- Heat 35ml vegetable oil in a large pan that will go in the oven and gently fry 4 onions, sliced thinly, for about 15 mins until soft..
- Add 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 teaspoon dried marjoram (i used thyme), and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.
- After a couple of mins, remove to a plate.
- Mix 65g flour with 1 teaspoon mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground mace, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, salt and pepper.
- Coat 1.5 kg oxtail and 1kg stewing steak in the flour, heat 35ml oil and brown the meat well.
- Add the cooked onions together with 4 carrots sliced into batons, 1 tin plum tomatoes, 2 whole celery sticks, and 2 bay leaves.
- Pour over 400ml mackeson stout (i used bottled guiness) and 300ml beef stock.
- Put the lid on the pan and move to the oven, cooking for 3-4 hours at 150C.
- If storing, allow to cool, then remove the surface fat.
- Serve sprinkled with parsley.
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Consommé

It doesn't look much in the bowl, but it tasted good and took 8 hours to make.  I started early and had something to show for it by the end of the day.  It seemed strange to cook a whole chicken and a lot of beef, to then throw it away and just keep what's left over.  But i tasted the chicken and beef and its flavour had left it.  It seems a huge waste, but apparently its common in france to use a fresh chicken to make stock, rather than just a carcass.  Nigella suggests making a lot and freezing it.

- Put a whole chicken in a large pot, and add 1kg shin of beef, cubed (i used stewing steak).
- Cover with 3.5 litres of water and bring to the boil.
- Remove the scum, adding 100ml or so of water to replace, repeating a couple of times as necessary.
- Simmer for 1 hour, then add 2 large carrots, 2 onions, and 2 leeks, each thickly sliced, together with 3 stalks parsley3 sprigs thyme, 1 peeled clove garlic, salt, pepper and 2 cloves.
- Simmer for 7 hours, then strain through a cheesecloth, muslin or j-cloth.

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Baked veal and ham pasta

This recipe is from the "cooking in advance" chapter, and i now have a freezer full of baked veal and ham - 8 large servings i got from it!  And nigella only uses 325g veal and 75g pancetta.  It's far too mean on the veal and ham, so i have suggested cooking 300g pasta rather than nigella's 500g - and that's from someone who loves their white carbs.  If you have a massive freezer, then double the amount of veal and ham.

- Boil 6 cloves garlic for 7 mins, then remove the skin and put in a processor together with 75g pancetta, 2 sticks celery, 1 onion, 1 carrot, and a handful of parsley, processing until finely chopped.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan, add the mixture, and cook for a minute or so.
- Add 3 tablespoons marsala, 1/4 teaspoon each of ground mace and paprika.
- Cook on a low heat for 15 mins, stirring regularly.
- Turn up the heat and add 325g finely chopped/minced veal, cook for a min or so, then turn down the heat and cook for a further 15 mins.
- While this is cooking, make a bechamel by melting 95g butter in a large saucepan, add 95g flour and a pinch of mace, and cook for a couple of mins.
- Season, then slowly stir in 1 litre milk.
- When the milk is incorporated, add a bay leaf and cook for about 15 mins until the sauce thickens so its velvety.
- Season, add 1/4 teaspoon mace and some grated nutmeg, take off the heat, and stir in 110g parmesan.
- Cook 300g penne pasta till al dente, then add the sauce and the veal mixture.
- Put in a large shallow casserole dish, season to taste, grate over some more parmesan and bake for 30-40 mins at 190C.

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Crab and saffron tart

This tart was okay, but i think i could have improved it in various ways - i didn't bake the pastry blind for long enough so it became a bit wet; there was too much tomato in the recipe which slightly overpowered the crab and definitely the saffron which i couldn't taste at all; and i should have used better crab meat than pre-packaged crabs from sainsburys.  I'm going to give this another go at some point because it should be amazing - i love crab and i love a nice tart.  So a search for a really good crab tart starts here!
- First make the pastry, as here, baking it blind for 15 mins. - Put half tin chopped tomatoes in a pan with 1 bay leaf and 1 sprig thyme, season, and reduce to a thick sauce.- Cool, remove the herbs and spread on the bottom of the pastry case.- Warm 3 tablespoons double cream with 1/2 teaspoon saffron and steep for a few mins.- Beat 4 egg yolks together with 250ml double cream, then add the saffron cream.- Add 150g white crab meat and 2 tablespoons brown meat, season and carefully add to the pastry case.- Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins and serve warm.
 
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Lentil and chestnut soup

Andreea came over for lunch with her son, Octave - Marni loved having octave to play with and he gave her some lovely hugs.  I managed to polish off 2 nigella recipes in a go - this soup followed by the crab tart.  The soup was delicious, even though i made it slightly too thick, and the chestnuts give a lovely depth of flavour.  I think i might try adding chestnuts to more soups in the future.  Serves 4-6.
- Finely chop 1 small onion, 1/2 leek, 1 carrot, and 1 stick of celery.- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan and add the vegetables to soften.- Add 225g red lentils, stir and add 1 1/2 litres vegetable stock.- Bring to the boil and simmer for 40 mins.- Add 225g cooked chestnuts and simmer for a further 20 mins.- Liquidise until smooth and add water as necessary.- Sprinkle with parsley and lace with double cream.



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Greek lamb stew

I cooked this for ginny and matt for saturday lunch and it seemed to go down well.  The only thing greek about it was the feta crumbled over the top - a bit weird for a stew but tasted pretty good.  It was slightly dominated by the small pasta (shaped like rice as you can see), so i have suggested using slightly less than nigella.

- In a large pan that will also go in the oven, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and brown 2 1/2 kg lamb shoulder, cut into large cubes, in batches.
- Remove to a plate, then add 750g finely sliced onions, adding more oil if needed, season with salt and cook until soft.
- Add 4 cloves minced garlic, 2 stalks finely chopped celery, 4 sprigs thyme and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
- Remove half the mixture after a few mins, add the meat on top, and put the other half of the mixture back on top.
- Add 3 bay leaves, 2 carrots halved, 3 400g tins of chopped tomatoes, 300ml lamb stock, and a bottle of dry white wine.
- Bring to the boil, remove the scum, bubble for 3 mins then transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours.
- If you are doing this in advance, let cool in the fridge, and before re-heating, skim the fat off the top.
- Add 500g small pasta (such as ditalini or macaroni) partially cooked beforehand, and then finish off cooking it in the stew, adding more liquid as necessary.
- Crumble 300g feta cheese in a bowl with some parsley, oregano or basil, and let people sprinkle it on top.

This feeds about 10 people.



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Guacamole with paprika-toasted potato skins

I've cooked potato skins before, and they were a revelation.  Much nicer than the ones you get in Mexican restaurants, because they were much crispier and less soggy and fatty.  They make a perfect dip for the guacomole. This was daniel's (my nephew) first try of guacamole, and his response was to say that he was going to try and make this at home as soon as possible - praise indeed!

- Cook 4 baking potatoes for 1 1/2 hours at 200C.
- Meanwhile, stone and peel 2 ripe avocados, put the flesh in a bowl and mash with a fork.
- Dissolve teaspoon salt in juice of a lime and pour it over the avocado flesh.
- Add 2 tablespoons chopped coriander, 2 finely chopped spring onions and 1/2 finely chopped green chilli and mash again until you have a rough lumpy mixture.
- When the potatoes are done, halve them lengthways and scoop out the innards with a spoon, leaving a thin layer.
- Halve them again lengthways so you have long quarters of potato.
- Pour 2 tablespoons olive into a bowl and use to brush the skins lightly on both sides.
- Mix a teaspoon paprika with a teaspoon fine sea salt, and sprinkle over the skin interiors.
- Bake in the oven for another 12-15 mins at 200C.

Nigella suggests a lot more lime, but i cut it down, because it seemed a crazy amount and any more than we had, would have had our tastebuds screaming.  We used the scooped out potato as mash potato to have with the dover sole below.



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Sole with chanterelles

Dover sole is one of favourite fishes (having it at the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Restaurant was one of the best  things i've ever tasted) so i splashed out for this dish at the Budgens in belsize park.  i had just taken Marni to her first trip to the cinema - the parent and baby screening at the Everyman in belsize park - and which she absolutely loved.  Unfortunately neither they nor sainsburys in camden do either chanterelle or oyster mushrooms that nigella recommends.  I did it with chestnut mushrooms which worked okay, but they are slightly too firm a texture for the fish so try to at least get oyster (waitrose do them).

- Cook 600g chanterelle/oyster mushrooms in 125g butter with some garlic oil.
- Season then remove to a plate.
- Add more butter if necessary, then cook 8 sole fillets in 2 batches (i did them whole) for 2 mins on one side, then a few seconds on the other, depending on size.
- Remove to a large warm plate and add the mushrooms back, together with a squirt of lemon juice and 125ml vermouth or white wine.
- Let the mushrooms bubble up, then stir in a tablespoon butter, pour over the sole, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Spanish stew

I was feeling quite ill yesterday with a bad cold, unfortunately missing Tara's grandmother's memorial service, and i made this comforting stew to cheer myself up and bolster my system.  It was just what i needed and certainly replenished any salts and fats i was missing!  And that was with no added salt or fat.  I think in future, i would add more vegetables and less chorizo so it's a bit less salty and fatty -  i have suggested below, the addition of a parsnip which is not in nigella's original.

- Gently fry a chopped onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, in a pan that will go in the oven.
- After 5 mins, add 3 cloves chopped garlic and cook for a further 2-3 mins.
- Add 400g chorizo, cut into thick slices, a bay leaf and 100ml sherry.
- Add 1 kg potatoes, cut into large chunks.
- Cover with boiled water and simmer for 10 mins.
- Taste for seasoning (i didn't add any!) and put in the oven for 30-40 mins at 200C.
- Sprinkle with chopped coriander serve with fresh bread.


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Caper sauce for roast lamb

Mmmm, and i don't even really like capers.

- Make a bechamel sauce by melting 45g butter, adding 45g of flour, cooking for 1-2 mins, then slowly adding 400ml milk and 200ml lamb stock.
- Cook until thick, then stir in 3 tablespoons capers and 1 teaspoon vinegar from the caper bottle.
- Season and add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley.

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Moules mariniere

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Bearnaise sauce

Hmmmmm.  Yet again, as with nigella's hollandaise sauce, i could not get this to not separate.  i just think she tries to add too much butter to the sauce, and by the time the butter is absorbed, the egg has been over-heated and separates.  I have adjusted the recipe accordingly, and although this is as yet untried by me, whilst i was making it, with the amount of butter below, the sauce was looking good.

- Put 1 shallot, tarragon stalks, 1 tablespoon each of chopped tarragon and chervil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons wine, and 1 teaspoon crushed peppercorns in a saucepan.
- Boil together until reduced to about 1 tablespoon, then strain and leave to cool.
- Put 3 egg yolks in a bowl with 1 tablespoon water and set over a pan of simmering water.
- Whisk together with the strained liquid.
- Then keep whisking as you add 150g soft butter, cut into 1cm cubes, until it is all absorbed.
- Taste, season and add juice of a 1/4-1/2 lemon to taste.



Even though it separated, it did taste better than it looks!

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