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?
06:07.
06:36There are those who believe
06:38that to fiddle in any way with a classic recipe
06:40is an act of desecration.
06:42Well, it's not a dishonourable stance,
06:44but I think it's a flawed one.
06:45The classics, in food as in literature,
06:48are the very forms that can withstand
06:50and indeed spawn a plethora of interpretations.
06:54Although I think this Slim Six's version of Jane Eyre
06:58may be taking it too far.
07:00I had to buy it for the cover.
07:02Anyway, I can't apologise for taking liberties
07:05with the Caesar salad
07:06when the outcome is so pleasurable.
07:16Even a riff on the Caesar salad
07:18needs to start with anchovies,
07:20where it does as far as I'm concerned.
07:24After the fierce saltiness of the anchovies,
07:27a hit of garlic.
07:34And some olive oil will help these flavours go further.
07:40Anchovies, garlic,
07:42romaine lettuce,
07:43or 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.
08:04First, 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
08:33to 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
09:03are a wondrous thing.
09:05I want some lemon juice and zest.
09:08The zest is where all the flavour lies.
09:12What 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.
09:49for a minute.
09:49I'm frying it.
09:50I'll juice the sauce.
09:51And it's actually minute.
09:53It's那個...!
10:02So what is the level of this sauce
10:04and then questa fruit?
10:06It's not easy,
10:08it's going to leave.
10:08It definitely creates a mess.
10:19Each tops with a fried egg are words I always want to hear.
10:29And now for a little artistic strewing.
10:36I 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, they look so beautiful, I love the tentacles.
11:05Aren't they lovely?
11:06Or filly dresses.
11:08I'll clean those.
11:10Thanks.
11:14I've got a Greek-inspired supper tonight.
11:17First, I've got my new absolute favourite way of cooking squid, Greek squid and orzo.
11:22I love some.
11:23Amazing.
11:25And for pudding, a rapturous combination of phyllo, feta and honey.
11:30The thing is, both these are utterly glorious to eat, so relaxing to make.
11:41I get going with pudding first, and my old rag pie, which is the relaxingly slapdash work of mere moments.
11:51I'm using frozen phyllo, which I've thawed.
11:54The first step is to line the tin with a sheet or two of phyllo.
11:58Then I pour in a spoonful of melted butter.
12:02And now you'll see why it's called old rag pie.
12:06Tear and scrunch up a sheet of pastry and drop it in the tin, and repeat until you have a
12:11loose layer of phyllo rags.
12:18In some ways, I think of this as a kind of Greek cheesecake.
12:24Crumble some feta over the top of the phyllo 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.
12:50And then I do the same again.
12:52So, phyllo, feta, parmesan, thyme and butter.
13:01Old rag pie was invented by Greek bakeries as a way of using up old scraps of phyllo,
13:07which means you don't have to be anxious about the fine pastry drying out as you go.
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.
13:49Pour over some eggs and milk beaten together.
13:59Finally, I scatter over a few more thyme leaves and 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.
14:31And all it requires is an amber ooze of honey on top.
14:36the chicken.
14:56and it is sensational and so simple to make countless recipes start with an
15:05onion but I prefer the sweeter gentler tones of a banana shallot if banana
15:14shallots elude you you could always use a small red onion these just need to be
15:20cut into chunky half moons this is just so joyously easygoing it's all about
15:27flavor not finesse a bit of fennel it's Harvard try and remove the core and that's
15:46the rest of chop it to be bits and all and a couple of cloves of garlic not
15:54minced or anything just squished so I can get the skins off and the thing about
16:00garlic is that when you mince it it's really strong and hot but when it's
16:05squished like this it's mellow and sweet I wouldn't normally cook with extra
16:16virgin olive oil but because the temperature is so low throughout it
16:20doesn't lose its fabulous flavor into the pan with this mixture I love those colors
16:37and here is the joy of this the squid goes in just as it is 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 quite 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 at
17:32the edges and the body of the squid has lost its translucency so on with the dance some orzo pasta
17:42a good squirt of tomato puree just to boost the tomato inus and whenever I use canned tomatoes I always
17:58swill out the tin with water get every last drop and then it goes
18:07a little souvenir from a holiday splosh of ooze
18:15don't be alarmed by this or by the fennel even those who profess aniseed antagonism love this
18:23if you don't have ooze you could use vermuth I'd be happy with red or white
18:31it's important not to season at this stage not least because any salt added now would toughen the squid
18:42when this bubbles I'm going to put it in a low oven for about an hour and 20 minutes
18:46by which time the orzo will have absorbed all the liquid and be quite sticky and this squid will be
18:54so soft
18:55I'll be able to cut into it just with this wooden spoon
19:01and low it bubbles
19:04so clamp on a lid
19:08and into the oven
19:09and into the oven
19:28the moment of truth
19:31that's everything I wanted to see
19:35now it needs some water
19:48need to give it a good gentle stir
19:53and the important thing is to get all the sticky bits from the bottom
19:57there's so much flavour in those bits
20:01according 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
20:16it needs quite a bit of salt
20:23some pepper
20:44mmm
20:45perfect
20:47I have to stop myself from eating it all now
20:50got a forest of dill
20:52you can have some more on the table when we eat
20:54but for now
20:55so stir this in
20:57and put it back in the oven just for 10 minutes with the lid off
21:07a bowl of this with a crisp green salad
21:10food for the Greek gods
21:12food for the Greek gods
21:15food for the Greek gods
21:40it's very nice
21:40it smells right
21:41it smells right
21:43that's good to see
21:45that's nice
21:46hello
21:47you're nice
21:48yeah
21:48nice to know
21:52nice to know
21:53now has everyone got tentacles
21:54I don't
21:56oh my god
21:57I'm going to give you a tentacle
22:07Oh
22:08Thank you
22:12I've got corner envy I gave you an edge
22:27Your brain doesn't know quite what's going on it's like what's going on? My brain knows it's good
22:43I
22:43Always adore feeding people, but I really cherish the sort of food. I make myself to a
22:50Rice Bowl, please forgive the trendy term. It's one of my go-to recipes or rather non recipe recipes
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
23:07That is topped with an array of vegetable ingredients. I like to keep it rather simpler. I do
23:15Need short grain brown rice. It has nubbiness and nuttiness, but not that jaw aching endless chew of long grain
23:22brown rice
23:23I also need raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and
23:29Some mixed seeds and I'm off
23:33The rice has had 25 minutes simmering and now I'm just going to let it stand for a few minutes
23:40Perfect. It's absorbed the liquid
23:43And that's the thing about short grain brown rice takes so much less time to cook than long grain brown
23:48rice
23:50And now I'm going to get on with my few but choice ingredients
23:56Ginger as 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. You need one cup of rice and two cups of water
24:09You always have to go by volume, but with the short grain brown rice. I
24:14Need one cup of rice and then a cup and a half of water. It works perfectly for me
24:23Right some radishes. I adore the peppery juiciness you get from radishes as well as the crunch
24:31I tend to quarter these sometimes I cut them into eighths depending on how much slicing I want to do
24:40A bit of coriander what some leaves whole and some just chopped
24:54I
24:54I make this when I have a girlfriend coming over or if I have a wonderful quiet time to myself
25:00Makes me feel very Zen
25:04The rice should be ready now and all the ingredients can be mixed together when I say all not that
25:09many
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 a fresh sourness
25:27really sprightly
25:31Need a bit obviously it's to taste
25:36Bit of saltiness from soy
25:41I
25:42I like quite a lot of seeds in this I'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 colored radishes
26:10And some of the chopped coriander
26:15And some of the chopped coriander
26:16Mix up again
26:18Beautiful
26:21And I love eating ginger in strips just using a vegetable peeler
26:29You get so much heat this way
26:32Good in stir fries as well
26:34Good in stir fries as well
26:47And on top of my bowl of deeply flavored nubbliness I like the smooth cool jade clay of an avocado
27:12Beautiful slices of avocado
27:15Beautiful slices of avocado
27:24California
27:25But now they seem everywhere here and I can see why
27:47I
27:49Like to top this with a few delicate coriander leaves
27:55It's
27:56It'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
28:03By shoveling this down
28:05Too unbanctiously
28:06But it's hard not to
28:09Mmm
28:13I
28:13I
28:13I
28:40I
28:40I
28:40I
28:41I
28:41I
28:41I
28:42I
28:42I
28:42I
28:42I
28:42I
28:42I
28:42I
28:43I
28:43I
28:48I
28:48I
28:48I
28:48I
28:48I
28:48I
28:48I
28:49I
28:50I
28:50I
28:50I
28:50I
28:50I
28:50I
28:51I
28:51I
28:51I
28:51I
28:51I
28:51I
28:51I
28:53I
28:53I
28:54I
28:54I
28:55I
28:55I
28:55I
28:55I
28:55I
28:55I
28:55I
28:55I
28:55I
28:55I
28:56I
28:57I
28:57I
Comments