We can hardly begin to count the excellent lessons we have learned over the years from Nigella Lawson. Here we’ve compiled just a few of our favourites.
Nigella on life’s simple things
“Good food doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes the simplest dishes are the most satisfying.”
Nigella on chicken
“You could probably get through life without knowing how to roast a chicken, but the question is, would you want to?”
Nigella on peeling beetroot
“Wear gloves when peeling a roasted beet unless you want more than a touch of the Lady Macbeths”
Nigella on custard
“Custard should be firm but not immobile; when you press it with your fingers, it should have a little wobble still within. Soft, warm and voluptuous - like an 18th century courtesan's inner thigh.”
Nigella on being a domestic goddess
"Sometimes...we don't want to feel like a postmodern, postfeminist, overstretched woman but, rather, a domestic goddess, trailing nutmeggy fumes of baking pie in our languorous wake."
Nigella on her ham in Coca Cola recipe
“Only those who have never tried this raise an eyebrow at the idea. Don't hesitate, don't be anxious: this really works. No one who cooks it, cooks it just once: it always earns a place in every repertoire.” Ham in Coca Cola
Nigella on keeping dinner parties fun
“Tension translates to your guests. They'll have a much better time having chilli and baked potatoes than they would if you did roast duck with a wild cherry sauce and then had to lie down and cry for a while.”
Nigella on her Naan Pizza
“I beg you to keep the wherewithal for this fantastic instant snack-cum-supper in your storecupboard. It's a lifesaver! All I feel strongly is that while shop-bought pizzas are vile, packet naans, when heated, are not.” Naan Pizza
Nigella on cooking
“I don't believe you can ever really cook unless you love eating.”
Nigella on Fondue
“I don't suppose this is ever going to win plaudits from the World Health Organisation, but a cheese fondue is surely the stuff of dreams. On the plus side, health-wise, I love it best with radishes, chicory, spears of radicchio and carrots dipped in, but I don't know why I am trying to engage with that particular argument.Make a vat of this, and supply nothing other than fruit afterwards or, at most, a little palate-tickling sorbet.”
In our October issue, we remember domestic goddesses from across the years in our feature ‘Household Names’ which starts on page 88.
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