Nigella Lawson: Nigella Express

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Given time, it seems every food writer pens a fast cooking book - from Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way, Nancy Silverton's Twist of the Wrist, to Colette Rossant's The After Five Gourmet. The truth is that good cooks and chefs cook fast, they move with economy, they think ahead, and know how to bring together rich tastes and textures without too much effort. They speed through purchasing and preparation, even if actual cooking times are long. But many home cooks need a helping hand to figure out how to streamline effort in the kitchen and still make superb meals. Nigella Lawson's Nigella Express: 130 Recipes for Good Food, Fast (Hyperion 2007) has some surprisingly inspired, quick recipes in a companion book to her Food Network show of the same name. Think of a sophisticated and tastier Rachael Ray book and you'll get the picture. She uses packaged, convenience foods, and cuts down on the number of ingredients and steps. The cover shows Nigella dialing on a mobile phone while holding a bunch of dry spaghetti in her other hand, ready to drop in a pot of water before her guests come to dinner. Inside is a photograph of Nigella's pantry, a brand placement executives' dream – here are all those British favorites like Lea & Perrins, Coleman's and P&G Tips, plus plenty of EU and Asian and American bottles and jars. On the title page is a locomotive with a mighty "N" – you get the point. The recipes are not divided by course (soups, entrees and salads) but by a system suggested by the recipes themselves – or more likely, the TV show. The first is Everyday Easy (now that does sound like Rach) that includes suppers. The second is Weekday Winners for entertaining, and so on, but then the chapters turn to ethnic food (Mexican, Italian) or Holiday Snaps (Christmas Quickies) presumably because the book hit the market November 1. Since it is winter, check out the recipes in the Quick, Quick, Slow chapter (p.108): But for most of our lives, the time needed to cook something is the least stressful aspect; what you should be considering is how much time you are required to spend in the kitchen. This is why I would so much rather, when I'm tired and lacking in impetus and inspiration, put a chicken on to roast –which will take an hour or so to cook, during which time I am not needed – than start chopping up things to stir—fry, which might take only ten minutes, I will be required to busy myself frenetically. (p. 109) Braise, roast, slow cook and simmer so you don't have to be in the kitchen working at something that cooks fast. The first recipe is for Maple Chicken' n' Ribs (p.110) a super simple dish of refrigerator marinated ribs and chicken cooked in the oven. The next is for Crispy Duck (p. 112) that calls for store bought Chinese pancakes and hoisin sauce. All you have to do is cook a duck in the oven, very slowly at 325 degrees for hours on end, shred it and serve. The stews are equally easy. For Lamb, Olive, and Caramelized Onion Tagine (p. 114) you dump eight ingredients in a casserole, bring to a boil, put in the oven for a couple of hours and serve. Holiday Snaps (p. 314) starts with drinks, then cocktail snacks, a few soups, sides, and then quickly slips into desserts. The main courses are in Nigella's Feasts. These are recipes to tide you over. These desserts aren't fancy and some are back-of-the box simple like Marshmallow Crispy Squares (347). You don't need to buy this book, just a box of your favorite crispy rice cereal. Does Nigella eat these? Or her kids? Who knows? Do you need Nigella to put them in a cookbook, giving the nod that it is OK to make and serve them seriously? No doubt that Nigella Express will be a useful cookbook for fans of her TV show. Flip through its pages when you get tired and need a new idea for a quick dinner from ingredients you already have. Nigella will give you the confidence that simple, quickly cooked dishes do make for good meals. Previous articles: BordersTV: Borders Kitchen The Nigella Effect Nigella Lawson's Feat Nigella Lawson on QVC: Stand Aside, Boys! Xmas Shopping: Rating Celebrity Chef Cookware Amazon UK's Steamy Xmas Chefs [Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef