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The last fat, yellow leaves fell off the fig tree this morning, leaving next year's buds at the tip of each grey branch and 40 green fruits that will never ripen. You approach the tree with caution, each piece of stone around its base splattered with potentially lethal squashed figs, hoping for just one edible fruit. But there is no such thing, and the tree that promised so much in May has failed to deliver anything but disappointment. Peel and roughly chop an onion, put it into a large deep pan with a little oil and fry till golden. Scrub 400g of new potatoes, then halve or quarter them depending on their size. Add them to the onion then pour in 500ml of water and 500ml of milk. Bring to the boil, with a coarse grinding of pepper and a couple of bay leaves. Peel and finely chop a red onion, then let it sweat and soften in a little olive oil in a small pan and over a low heat.
The Kitchen Diaries - Nigel Slater - Google Books The Kitchen Diaries - Nigel Slater - Google Books
When the mixture is well on its way to being frozen (the length of time this will take depends entirely on your freezer but it will probably be a good couple of hours) you must take it out and beat it again. Move the sorbet to the fridge 15-20 minutes before you intend to serve it. Roughly chop 6 anchovy fillets and add to the lamb. Tip 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds into a dry frying pan and toast over a moderate heat till pale gold. Tip the seeds into the lamb, then season generously with salt and pepper. Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth Fluff the couscous with a fork, then fold in the onion and seeds. Season generously and serve with the grilled fish.
I think one of the things I really enjoyed and appreciated was his perspective on meals and portions. From the way he talks about food, it seems like his diet centers around very good food, but not a whole lot of it - so small, hearty, flavorful portions rather than a plate full of mediocre food. As I told Shane, this is something I struggle with in planning meals - I worry that whatever I make isn't going to be enough, or that there should be more protein, etc - when perhaps if I focused on healthy, hearty, and flavorful, the rest wouldn't be as big of a deal. Warm a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan, then add the chopped onions. Cut a large Romano pepper into bite-sized pieces, removing any seeds and the core as you do it, then add to the onion and leave it to soften over a moderate heat. I truly enjoyed this sneak peak into Nigel's everyday life. His (almost) everyday account and thoughts about changing seasons, nature's way of providing us with fresh food within them and his ideas of how to use those in the kitchen. Nigel Slater is a British food writer, journalist and broadcaster. He has written a column for The Observer Magazine for seventeen years and is the principal writer for the Observer Food Monthly supplement. Prior to this, Slater was food writer for Marie Claire for five years. He also serves as art director for his books. Peel 4 banana shallots, then slice them in half from root to tip. Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow heavy-based ovenproof pan and lightly brown the shallots on both sides. Keep the heat moderate.
Nigel Slater - The Kitchen Diaries
A rich and warming version of the classic nursery supper. We follow this with a spinach salad and, for dessert, a plate of new season's Conference pears, chilled for an hour so they are thoroughly cold and juicy. Enough for 4. Put the butter and caster sugar into a food mixer and beat till light and fluffy. While this is happening, cut the apples into small chunks, removing the cores as you go and dropping the fruit into a bowl with the juice of the lemon. Toss the apples with the cinnamon and demerara sugar.
There are recipes. Some that I will be trying. However, there is a lot of ideas in here. Attitudes towards food, eating, and cooking. A happy relationship. The title does not lie: this really is a culinary diary and not a cookbook. There is an entry for every day of the year: always food-related but sometimes merely about shopping for food, or what's growing in his garden, or what he bought and ate. Only occasionally are actual recipes spelled out in a way that can be reproduced. More often, a dish is described sufficiently that a reasonably experienced cook could figure out how to make something similar -- if she could find the ingredients. Add the almonds, then the cream. You need no salt, because of the salted almonds and the bacon. Leave to bubble briefly, then serve.