Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home Hardcover – October 12, 2010

Ordinarily I control my cookbook urges. With a collection of cookbooks that has overrun the available shelf space (cookbooks squished sideways on top of others, some spilling onto the floor, others taking over bookshelves originally allocated to "travel" or "history"), I. must. control. myself. I force myself to take a cookbook out of the library first, to ensure that I want to actually cook from it more than once. If a cookbook survives three recipes, I give myself permission to purchase it.Not Nigella's. The moment I saw this book was on sale, I pre-ordered it. Doing so was the right decision.Unlike some of her recent cookbooks, about Feasts or Christmas or Cooking Good Food, Fast, this has less of a specific theme except maybe "comfort food meets your real-life frenetic schedule." The first half of the book, called Kitchen Quandaries, leans toward serving your "dinner in 30 minutes" needs, with chapters like "Hurry up, I'm hungry" and "Off the cuff" (pantry suppers). The second, Kitchen Comforts, is full of recipes for when you're in the mood to chop and stir, segmented into chapters including "The solace of stirring" and "the bone collection."Her recipes do not disappoint. (Well, they almost never DO disappoint, which is why I could order this book with such confidence.) So far, I've made two meals, both from the fast-food side of the book. "Lemony salmon with cherry tomato couscous" was quick to throw together but sure didn't taste that way; it was good as a cold salad, too, when I wanted lunch the next day. Her "speedy seafood supper" won't make me throw out my recipes for the putter-worthy cioppino, but it was 30 minutes from "What's for dinner?" to pouring the fish stew into a bowl and grabbing a hunk of bread. Even better, that recipe started with a pound of frozen mixed seafood from Trader Joe's; I didn't have to remember to defrost anything (a common "oh drat!" moment in this household). I'm making this week's shopping list now, and am trying to decide if I'll make her "spatchcocked Cornish hen" (with sultanas and pine nuts) or "pork and apple hotpot." It might be both.Nigella includes a few extra features in this cookbook that I really appreciate. One is a chapter devoted to shortcuts and other things that make life a little easier. In many cases these are obvious tips, at least for someone who's been cooking for 30 years, but in this case I had a few, "Oh, I'll try that!" moments. (I had already learned from her TV shows how handy it is to use kitchen shears to cut up bacon or scallions directly into the pan; if that's all you need to cut up, why dirty a knife and cutting board?) Plus, she has a very good balance between recipes that feed 6-8 and those that serve one or two.Another thing I like is that she has a postscript to many recipes that tell you what you can do with the leftovers. Some leftovers are intentional, of course, such as poaching chicken with the goal of turning leftovers into one of the chicken salads she suggests. Others, though, answer my "What the heck do I do with THIS?" questions, such as her suggestion to turn leftover Risotto Bolognese into "risotto burgers" with cheese melted on top, served with peas. I wish more cookbooks did this.This cookbook has already earned its spot on the cookbook shelves, and I've had it for only a week. I expect you'll feel the same way. Highly recommended.

Busy wife, mother and career woman, Nigella Lawson shares her feelings about her kitchen, how she works in it and her family favorite recipes. Her "Introduction--Or what the kitchen means to me and why I live in it,"--is charming.Nigella starts with her kitchen caboodle--what is needed and what is not. Included also is "My kitchen Gadget Hall of Shame."In "Kitchen Confidential," she lists her own shortcuts and practices. She enjoys good food, simply prepared-- because after a day of working, her family wants dinner fast."A kitchen should never look decorated; it just needs to feel lived in." Her chatty style is engaging and the lovely photos draw the reader/cook in.Recipes are indexed and there is a special "Express Index." Recipes that take 30 minutes or under from first move to plate!Nigella Kitchen belongs in every kitchen, no matter the expertise of the reader. Great book for newlyweds, seasoned cooks and cook book collectors. This is one volume that will not sit on the shelf. PS I was so excited when my package arrived from Amazon--I got an autographed copy!

Nigella Lawson writers some very nice cookbooks! I have used a number of recipes from her "Nigella Express" and found them quite tempting. Here is a new cookbook from her kitchen. She notes the point of this specific work (Page xix): "The life of a kitchen takes in many moods and many meals. The recipes in this book try to reflect and, more, to celebrate that fact. . . [T]his one is based on the premise that the kitchen is an enduring place of comfort and that the food which comes out of it provides essential sustenance not just for body, but for soul, too."The book begins with something like "Kitchen Confidential," as Lawson lays out her choices for tools in the kitchen (forget cast iron skillets--too much hassle and too heavy, even though they are glorious instruments of cooking), gadgets (like a slow cooker), shortcuts (e.g., boiling water or how to keep onions from browning).Part I focuses on recipes related to "Kitchen Quandaries." Recipes abound here, with those catching my fancy including "Crisp chicken cutlets with salad on the side, "Barbecued ground beef, "Chicken teriyaki, "Egg and bacon salad," "Tarragon chicken," "Lone linguini with white truffle oil," "Indian rubbed lamb chops," "Chicken with Greek herb sauce," "Minestrone soup," "South Indian vegetable curry," and "Pasta with pancetta (what a glorious element in cooking!), parsley, and peppers."Next, a section on "Kitchen Comforts." Among these that intrigue me: "Date steak" (with brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, red currant jelly, gingerroot, tomato paste, garlic flavored oil, top loin strip steaks), "Chicken with 40 cloves of garlic" (a tasty dish indeed!), "Saffron risotto" (I enjoy a good risotto!), "Patara lamb shanks," "Greek lamb chops with lemon and potato," and "Pork and apple hotpot" (hotpots are pretty cool dishes).A nice addition to Nigella Lawson's body of work!