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?
06:33Actions
06:36there are those who believe that to fiddle in any way with a classic recipe is an act of
06:40desecration well it's not a dishonorable stance but I think it's a flawed one the classics in food
06:47as in literature are the very forms that can withstand and indeed spawn a plethora of
06:53interpretations although I think this slim sixes version of Jane Eyre may be taking it too far I
07:00had to buy it for the cover anyway I can't apologize for taking liberties with the Caesar salad when the
07:07outcome is so pleasurable even a riff on the Caesar salad needs to start with anchovies where it does
07:20as far as I'm concerned after the fierce saltiness of the anchovies a hit of garlic
07:34and some olive oil will help these flavors go further anchovies garlic remain lettuce or what
07:43we used to call cause so far so classical but this is my radical step it's a question of context
07:51I
07:51I halve the lettuce and I wilt it in a hot oven first I'm going to spoon over the anchovy
08:07and garlic
08:12I always like roasting in a very hot oven so luckily this won't take very long
08:24instead of fiddly little croutons I go for a large crout in the form of a slice of toast drizzled
08:32with olive oil to be munched alongside
08:51the scent is glorious you see it's beginning to wilt and I love these charred pieces in fact I have
09:00to say roast
09:02or baked lettuces are a wondrous thing I want some lemon juice and zest the zest is where all the
09:10flavor lies
09:11what you get from the juice is brightness and sharpness a spritz of this and I'll pop it back in
09:22while I tend to my egg
09:34and I'm frying it always a good move
10:06I want some salt to the juice
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.
10:42Can I have 600 grams of those clean weight?
11:03Of course you can.
11:04They look so beautiful, I love the tentacles.
11:05Aren't they lovely?
11:06They're all 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.
11:35So 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.
12:03And 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.
12:09And repeat until you have a loose layer of phyllo rags.
12:19In 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,
13:06which 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.
13:28And giving a final drizzle of butter.
13:34Now, using the sharp point of a knife, make two cuts down and 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.
14:27Once it's ready, it'll be golden and puffed up.
14:31And all it requires is an amber ooze of honey on top.
14:54But 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 flavour, not finesse.
15:31This is just a bit of fennel.
15:35Let's halve it.
15:39Try and remove the core.
15:45And as for the rest, let's chop it, tubey bits and all.
15:51And a couple of cloves of garlic, not minced or anything, just squished, so I can get the skins off.
15:59And the thing about garlic is that when you mince it, it's really strong and hot.
16:04But when it's squished like this, it's mellow and sweet.
16:14I wouldn't normally cook with extra virgin olive oil, but because the temperature is so low throughout,
16:20it doesn't lose its fabulous flavour.
16:27Into the pan with this mixture.
16:36Oh, I love those colours.
16:38And here is the joy of this.
16:39The squid goes in just as it is, not chopped.
16:52Tentacles always fabulous.
16:59There are really two ways to go with squid.
17:01You either cook it quickly at a high heat or go low and slow.
17:05And this is low and slow.
17:11And because the fennel and the squid both give out quite a bit of liquid,
17:16really 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.
17:32And the body of the squid has lost its translucency.
17:35So, on with the dance.
17:38Some orzo pasta.
17:43And a can of tomatoes.
17:49A good squirt of tomato puree, just to boost the tomato-iness.
17:56And whenever I use canned tomatoes, I always swill out the tin with water.
18:00Get every last drop.
18:02And in it goes.
18:07A little souvenir from a holiday.
18:10A splosh of ouzo.
18:15Don't be alarmed by this, or by the fennel.
18:18Even those who profess aniseed antagonism love this.
18:23If you don't have ouzo, you could use vermuth.
18:26I'd be happy with red or white.
18:31It's important not to season at this stage.
18:33Not 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.
18:47By which time, the orzo will have absorbed all the liquid and be quite sticky.
18:52And this squid will be so soft, I'll be able to cut into it just with this wooden spoon.
19:01And low it bubbles.
19:05Clamp on a lid.
19:08And into the oven.
19:16Clamp on a lid.
19:24And into the oven.
19:28Clamp on a lid.
19:29Clamp on a lid.
19:29Clamp on a lid.
19:33Clamp on a lid.
19:42Clamp on a lid.
19:46Clamp on a lid.
19:47Clamp on a lid.
19:47Clamp on a lid.
19:48Clamp on a lid.
19:51Clamp on a lid.
19:51Clamp on a lid.
19:55Clamp on a lid.
19:56bits from the bottom there's so much flavor in those bits according to terry
20:02Pratchett burnt sticky bits were a food group and since I didn't season before
20:10it's time to go hardcore now but let's taste it's quite a bit of salt
20:22some pepper
20:46perfect and have to stop myself from eating it all now got a forest of dill you can have some
20:53more on
20:54table when we eat but for now so stir this in and put it back in the oven just for
20:5910 minutes with
21:00the lid off a bowl of this with a crisp green salad food for the Greek gods
21:39that's a good bit here
21:52now has everyone got tentacles oh my god I'm going to give you a tentacle
22:07oh thank you
22:08are you ready for the warm
22:12now I've got corner envy
22:14you've got an edge 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
22:42I always adore feeding people but I really cherish the sort of food I make myself too
22:48a rice bowl please forgive the trendy term is 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 hang
23:03now a rice bowl is generally a bowl of rice that is topped with an array of vegetable ingredients
23:11I like to keep it rather simpler I do need short grain brown rice it has nubbiness and nuttiness but
23:19not that jaw aching endless chew of long grain brown rice
23:23I also need raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and some mixed seeds and I'm off
23:33the rice has had 25 minutes simmering
23:36and 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
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 you 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 water
24:18it works perfectly for me
24:23right
24:24some radishes
24:25I 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
24:34depending on how much slicing I want to do
24:41bit of coriander
24:42some leaves whole
24:44and some just chopped
24:54I make this when I have a girlfriend coming over
24:56or if I have a wonderful quiet time to myself
25:00makes me feel very zen
25:04the rice should be ready now
25:06and all the ingredients can be mixed together
25:08when I say all
25:09not that many
25:14scrape it out of my little pink pixie pan
25:21I'm not normally much of a vinegar person
25:23but I find that raw apple cider vinegar
25:25has a fresh sourness
25:27really sprightly
25:31just need a bit
25:32obviously it's to taste
25:35a bit of saltiness from soy
25:41I like quite a lot of seeds in this
25:43I've got pumpkin seeds
25:45sunflower seeds
25:46flax seeds
25:47and sesame seeds
25:50they add crunch
25:51and really boost
25:52the rice as well
26:03and I want to tumble in
26:05my exuberantly
26:07coloured radishes
26:10and some of the chopped coriander
26:15let's have a little mix up again
26:19beautiful
26:21and I love eating ginger in strips
26:26just using a vegetable peeler
26:29you get so much heat this way
26:33good in stir fries as well
26:46and on top of my bowl
26:48of deeply flavoured nubbliness
26:50I like the smooth cool jade clay
26:53of an avocado
27:13beautiful slices of avocado
27:21I'd only ever come across
27:23these rice bowls in California
27:25but now they seem everywhere here
27:27and I can see why
27:48I like to top this
27:50with a few delicate coriander leaves
27:55it's both calming and uplifting
27:57just to look at
27:58as well as to eat
28:00and I shall try not to rupture
28:02this mood of serenity
28:03by shoveling this down
28:05too unbanctiously
28:06but it's hard not to
28:10mmm
28:39I appear to have difficulty putting lids on pans
28:43what do I do now?
28:49that makes me very happy
28:53where am I going to put this?
28:54where am I going to put this?
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