00:06I don't believe it's possible to live well without eating well.
00:10Now, of course, this means different things on different days.
00:14But whatever the day, I want food that makes me feel good not just when I'm eating it,
00:21but when I'm cooking it too.
00:23A deep, deep joy awaits.
00:26Simply Nigella is about dishes that do just that.
00:31Recipes that relax and restore, uplift and enrich.
00:37That's what I wanted to see.
00:40Food I've enjoyed with family and friends.
00:43As I've settled into my new kitchen and where I am in my life right now.
00:49I believe with all my heart that what and how we cook
00:53can make us feel better and more alive.
00:59And for me a meal, however simple, is a celebration of life.
01:04And life is there to be celebrated.
01:21The start of the working day understandably calls for a speedy breakfast.
01:25But the weekends can make way for something a little more leisurely.
01:30I will never turn my back on familiar favourites, but sometimes I want to branch out and give them a
01:36fresh twist.
01:39I wouldn't be able to count the number of pancakes I've made in over two decades as a parent.
01:44But these oat pancakes are the house speciality at the moment.
01:49Instead of flour, I'm using porridge oats, not instant, that I've blitzed up in a processor with two pinches of
01:57salt.
01:57It's not a fine flour. It's a bit mealy, but it's a flour none less.
02:02It's 100 grams there.
02:04And on top of these, a teaspoon of baking powder and a teaspoon and a half of ground cinnamon.
02:12And the ground cinnamon really makes the oats taste so toasty and warm.
02:21A little stir.
02:25And then get on with the rest of the ingredients, which are pretty simple.
02:29This is 100 mils of milk.
02:31Now, actually, I'm using oat milk.
02:33It seems to enhance the oats themselves.
02:37Just one egg.
02:42And a teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract.
02:48I rather like this dark, heavily scented gloop.
02:59A little whisking.
03:02Nothing too strenuous.
03:05With a bit of spilling.
03:15As with all pancakes, it's what you eat with them that really makes for the magic.
03:20And with these oat pancakes, I make a gloriously rubied honey and raspberry sauce.
03:35There's 150 grams of raspberries.
03:39And I want 150 grams of honey.
03:44Beautiful.
03:45That amber ooze.
03:52Frankly, by the time the raspberries have thawed, the sauce is made.
03:59I have to say that what with the oats and the raspberries and the honey, these pancakes have a distinctly
04:05Scottish feel.
04:07And I can't help feeling that a wee nip of whisky somewhere along in the mix would be a good
04:12thing.
04:20That makes me very happy.
04:23Now, a little oil on the griddle.
04:30And I know it looks like I'm just wiping it off, but I am actually leaving the faintest smear.
04:37And I'm ready to roll.
04:41To dollop the batter on, and like a quarter cup measure, not fill to the brim.
04:48You can tell when it's time to flip pancakes over, because little bubbles appear on the surface.
05:01So can you see, there are little bubbles now, and the edges are a teeny bit darker.
05:12Lovely.
05:23I have to say, I couldn't have gone away with these when my children were little.
05:27But these days I cater to a slightly more mature crowd.
05:32I've got enough mixture left for another batch, but for now, I'm pleasing myself.
06:04How could a day not be good that begins with this?
06:20THE END
06:36There are those who believe that to fiddle in any way
06:39with a classic recipe is an act of desecration.
06:42Well, it's not a dishonourable stance, but I think it's a flawed one.
06:45The classics, in food as in literature, are the very forms
06:49that can withstand and indeed spawn a plethora of interpretations.
06:54Although, I think this Slim Six's version of Jane Eyre may be taking it too far.
07:00I had to buy it for the cover.
07:02Anyway, I can't apologise for taking liberties with the Caesar salad
07:06when the outcome is so pleasurable.
07:16Even a riff on the Caesar salad needs to start with anchovies,
07:20where it does as far as I'm concerned.
07:24After the fierce saltiness of the anchovies, a hit of garlic.
07:34And some olive oil will help these flavours go further.
07:40Anchovies, garlic, romaine lettuce, or what we used to call cause,
07:45so far so classical.
07:47But this is my radical step.
07:49It's a question of context.
07:51Next, I halve the lettuce
07:56and I wilt it in a hot oven.
08:05First, I'm going to spoon over the anchovy and garlic.
08:12I always like roasting in a very hot oven,
08:15so luckily this won't take very long.
08:24Instead of fiddly little croutons,
08:26I go for a large crout
08:28in the form of a slice of toast
08:31drizzled with olive oil to be munched alongside.
08:51Ah, the scent is glorious.
08:53You see, it's beginning to wilt,
08:55and I love these charred pieces.
08:58In fact, I have to say,
09:01roast or baked lettuces are a wondrous thing.
09:05I want some lemon juice and zest.
09:08The zest is where all the flavour lies.
09:11What you get from the juice
09:13is brightness and sharpness.
09:19A spritz of this,
09:20and I'll pop it back in
09:22while I tend to my egg.
09:35And I'm frying it.
09:37Always a good move.
09:38I'm frying it.
09:55Then I take down a few minutes.
09:56I will make it well for a long time.
09:56I thought yeah.
09:56Be quite as good.
10:08Then we'll add an octave to a large amount.
10:19eat tops with a fried egg the words I always want to hear and now for a little artistic
10:31drawing I suppose this riff in a way is like a little culinary joke but it is so seriously good
11:01I have 600 grams of those clean weight oh they look so beautiful I love the tentacles aren't they lovely
11:06all three dresses I've got a Greek inspired supper tonight first I've got my new absolute favorite
11:19way of cooking squid Greek squid and also and for pudding a rapturous combination of phyllo feta and
11:29honey the thing is both these are utterly glorious to eat so relaxing to make I get going with pudding
11:42first and my old rag pie which is the relaxing Lee slapdash work of mere moments I'm using frozen
11:52phyllo which I've thawed the first step is to line the pin with a sheet or two of phyllo the
11:59then I pour in a spoonful of melted butter and now you'll see why it's called old rag pie tear
12:06and
12:07scrunch up a sheet of pastry and drop it in the tin and repeat until you have a loose layer
12:12of phyllo rags
12:19in some ways I think of this as a kind of Greek cheesecake crumble some feta over the top of
12:26the
12:26phyllo rags
12:32a scattering of grated parmesan
12:38and then I sprinkle over some fresh thyme leaves and pour over some more melted butter to finish the layer
12:44off
12:49and then I do the same again so phyllo feta parmesan thyme and butter
12:56and then I do the same again so phyllo feta parmesan thyme and butter
13:17for the third and final layer I use larger phyllo rags filling the tin a little more tightly before folding
13:24over the edges
13:27and giving a final drizzle of butter
13:34now using the sharp point of a knife make two cuts down
13:41and two across
13:48pour over some eggs and milk beaten together
13:59finally I scatter over a few more thyme leaves
14:03and some sesame seeds
14:09leave it to sit for a good 30 minutes before going into the hot oven for another 30 minutes
14:14that hour leaves you free
14:28once it's ready it'll be golden and puffed up and all it requires is an amber ooze of honey on
14:35top
14:53but before we come to put there is squid and it is sensational and so simple to make
15:03countless recipes start with an onion but I prefer the sweeter gentler tones of a banana shallot
15:13if banana shallots elude you you could always use a small red onion
15:18these just need to be cut into chunky half moons
15:23this is just so joyously easy going
15:26it's all about flavor not finesse
15:31a bit of fennel
15:35let's halve it
15:39try and remove the core
15:45and as for the rest let's chop it
15:47tubey bits and all
15:51and a couple of cloves of garlic
15:54not minced or anything just
15:56squished
15:57so I can get the skins off
15:59and the thing about garlic is that when you mince it
16:02it's really strong and hot but when it's squished like this
16:07it's mellow and sweet
16:14I wouldn't normally cook with extra virgin olive oil
16:17but because the temperature is so low throughout it doesn't lose its fabulous flavor
16:27into the pan with this mixture
16:36oh I love those colours and here is the joy of this the squid goes in just as it is
16:42as it's not chopped
16:43as it's not chopped
16:52tentacles always fabulous
16:58there are really two ways to go with squid you either cook it quickly at a high heat
17:03or go low and slow and this is low and slow and because the fennel and the squid both give
17:14out
17:15quite a bit of liquid really this is about softly braising rather than frying
17:25so you can see now that the tentacles are beginning to curl and have turned a wonderfully rosy terracotta
17:31at the edges and the body of the squid has lost its translucency so on with the dance some orzo
17:42pasta and a can of tomatoes a good squirt of tomato puree just to boost the tomato in this and
17:56whenever I use canned tomatoes I always swill out the tin with water get every last drop and then it
18:06goes little souvenir from a holiday splosh of iso don't be alarmed by this or by the fennel even
18:18those who profess aniseed antagonism love this if you don't have oozo you could use vermuth I'd be
18:27happy with red or white it's important not to season at this stage not least because any salt
18:34added now would toughen the squid when this bubbles I'm going to put it in a low oven for about
18:45an hour
18:45and 20 minutes by which time the ought so will have absorbed all the liquid and be quite sticky and
18:53this
18:53squid will be so soft I'll be able to cut into it just with this wooden spoon
19:01and low it bubbles so clamp on a lid and into the oven
19:28the moment of truth that's everything I wanted to see now it needs some water
19:48need to give it a good gentle stir and the important thing is to get all the sticky bits from
19:57the
19:57bottom there's so much flavour in those bits according to Terry Pratchett burnt sticky bits were a food group
20:08and since I didn't season before it's time to go hardcore now but let's taste it's quite a bit of
20:17salt
20:22some pepper
20:43mmm perfect
20:47good I have to stop myself from eating it all now got a forest of dill can have some more
20:53on the table when we eat but for now so stir this in and put it back in the oven
20:59just for 10 minutes with the lid off
21:07a bowl of this with a crisp green salad food for the Greek gods
21:38mmm
21:38there's a good bit here
21:47nice
21:52now has everyone got tentacles
21:54I don't oh my god I'm going to give you a tentacle
21:58you're going to eat
22:07Oh thank you
22:08you're ready for that
22:10music
22:12the pod Numbers
22:13I've got corner envy
22:14you've got an edge
22:16I gave you an edge
22:27Your brain doesn't know quite what's going on, it's like, what's going on?
22:31My brain knows it's good.
22:42I always adore feeding people, but I really cherish the sort of food I make myself too.
22:49A rice bowl, please forgive the trendy term, is one of my go-to recipes, or rather, non-recipe
22:56recipes.
22:57Every time I make it, I add something different, depending on what's to hand.
23:03Now a rice bowl is generally a bowl of rice that is topped with an array of vegetable
23:11ingredients.
23:12I like to keep it rather simpler.
23:14I do need short grain brown rice.
23:17It has nubbiness and nuttiness, but not that jaw-aching endless chew of long grain brown
23:23rice.
23:23I also need raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar and some mixed seeds.
23:30And I'm off.
23:33The rice has had 25 minutes simmering.
23:37And now I'm just going to let it stand for a few minutes.
23:40Perfect.
23:41It's absorbed the liquid.
23:43And that's the thing about short grain brown rice.
23:45It takes so much less time to cook than long grain brown rice.
23:50And now I'm going to get on with my few but choice ingredients.
23:55Ginger.
23:57As you can see, I like a lot of ginger.
24:02But there's something else I should have told you about the rice.
24:04Normally, there's a fixed rule with cooking rice.
24:07You need one cup of rice and two cups of water.
24:10You always have to go by volume.
24:11But with the short grain brown rice, I need one cup of rice and then a cup and a half
24:17of
24:18water.
24:18It works perfectly for me.
24:23All right.
24:24Some radishes.
24:25I adore the peppery juiciness you get from radishes, as well as the crunch.
24:31I tend to quarter these.
24:33Sometimes I cut them into eighths, depending on how much slicing I want to do.
24:41A bit of coriander.
24:42I want some leaves whole and some just chopped.
24:54I make this when I have a girlfriend coming over, or if I have a wonderful, quiet time
24:59to myself.
25:00It makes me feel very zen.
25:04The rice should be ready now, and all the ingredients can be mixed together.
25:08When I say all, not that many.
25:14Scrape it out of my little pink pixie pan.
25:21I'm not normally much of a vinegar person, but I find that raw apple cider vinegar has
25:26a fresh sourness, really sprightly.
25:31Just need a bit.
25:33Obviously, it's to taste.
25:35A bit of saltiness from soy.
25:41I like quite a lot of seeds in this.
25:44I've got pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and sesame seeds.
25:50They add crunch and really boost the rice as well.
26:04And I want to tumble in my exuberantly coloured radishes.
26:10And some of the chopped coriander.
26:15Let's have a little mix up again.
26:19Beautiful.
26:19Beautiful.
26:21And I love eating ginger in strips just using a vegetable peeler.
26:29You get so much heat this way.
26:33Good in stir fries as well.
26:47And on top of my bowl of deeply flavoured nubbliness, I like the smooth, cool jade clay of an avocado.
27:13Beautiful slices of avocado.
27:21I'd only ever come across these rice bowls in California, but now they seem everywhere here, and I can see
27:27why.
27:48I like to top this with a few delicate coriander leaves.
27:55It's both calming and uplifting just to look at, as well as to eat.
28:00And I shall try not to erupt to this mood of serenity by shoveling this down too unbanctiously, but it's
28:07hard not to.
28:09Mmm.
28:40I appear to have difficulty putting lids on pants.
28:47What do I do now?
28:50That makes me very happy.
28:53Where am I going to put this?
28:57I can't see it.
28:57I can't see it.
28:57I can't see it.
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