The Kitchen Diaries

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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. 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. Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water till it is virtually tender. This should take about 8 minutes, but will depend on which brand and shape you are using. Drain the pasta as it becomes ready. Add a little more fresh oil and the butter to the frying pan, then add the flattened cloves of smoked garlic and the mushrooms. Spoon the butter and oil over the mushrooms, then cover with a lid. Lower the heat and continue cooking for a good 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, basting often, till tender and soft. My one gripe with the format of the book, is that Nigel comes across as a little annoying insofar as all he seems to spend his day doing is lazily shopping for his dinner at the local market (?! - it's well for some...) while the rest of us race around Tesco for ten minutes with a screaming toddler on our hip, at the end of a day's work in the office. Now, he being a professional cook and cookery writer, the chances are this IS all he does all day, but depending on the day, it can make for a jealous/angry/disgruntled reader (esp in Jan/Feb....).

The Kitchen Diaries II by Nigel Slater | Waterstones The Kitchen Diaries II by Nigel Slater | Waterstones

I think the really interesting bits of my story was growing up with this terribly dominating dad and a mum who I loved to bits but obviously I lost very early on; and then having to fight with the woman who replaced her ... I kind of think that in a way that that was partly what attracted me to working in the food service industry, was that I finally had a family." As he told The Observer, "The last bit of the book is very foody. But that is how it was. Towards the end I finally get rid of these two people in my life I did not like [his father and stepmother, who had been the family's cleaning lady] - and to be honest I was really very jubilant - and thereafter all I wanted to do was cook." Soak the beans for at least 8 hours in deep, cold water. Drain, then boil them in unsalted water for about an hour, till they start to show signs of tenderness. Turn off the heat. Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. You could, of course, make your own sponge cake for this simple ice-cream dessert. But then, if you are going to that much trouble, you might as well make your own ice cream, too. Some major food shops sell really buttery plain sponge cakes, and if they have ground almonds in, then all the better, or you could use a brioche loaf or a plain panettone instead. It is essential to bring the cake out of the freezer a good half-hour before you intend to eat. I know this seems like a long time, but, trust me, it takes that long to soften enough to cut. If you don’t want to use the mild and fragrant spice mix ras el hanout, you could add a fiery element and stir in a little chilli sauce.Add the almonds, then the cream. You need no salt, because of the salted almonds and the bacon. Leave to bubble briefly, then serve. Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth I had a very hard time convincing myself to “read” a cookbook. I usually skim. But when I skimmed I missed things!

Nigel Slater’s new Kitchen Diaries 12 delicious recipes from Nigel Slater’s new Kitchen Diaries

When the courgettes are pale gold, add the tomatoes, 6 whole sprigs of thyme and a teaspoon of dried oregano and let them cook for a minute or two, then transfer the whole pan to the oven. I pepper and salt the four plump little partridge, smear them with butter inside and out, then put a sprig of thyme up them. I am not sure the thyme does a fat lot, but it makes them look the part. Divide the seasoned lamb into nine, then roll each piece into a small, squat sausage, like a large wine cork. Gently push a long wooden skewer lengthways through the centre of each one and set aside for 20 minutes in the fridge. 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.Roughly chop 4 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds and add them to the softening onion. Stir in 2 teaspoons of ras el hanout and a little salt. Break the eggs, beat them with a fork, then gradually add them to the butter and sugar. Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold them gently into the mixture. Scrape into the lined cake tin. Put the spiced apples on top of the cake mixture, then scatter with the breadcrumbs and, if you wish, a little more demerara sugar.

The Guardian Flavour of the month | Food | The Guardian

Good as these lamb kofta are on their own, they’re even better with a herb dip. To make it, mix a handful of chopped dill and another of chopped mint leaves with 4 tablespoons of yoghurt, and serve with the lamb. This is such a lovely, atmospheric read- makes you want to run into the kitchen and start cooking ;)The best, possibly the only, places to get crisp apples with any true depth of flavour are the farmers' markets and farm shops. Greengrocers no doubt do their best, but when did you last see a Michaelmas Red or a Peasgood Nonesuch at your local shop? I walk 30 minutes every Sunday to get a decent apple. Today there are strawberry-scented Worcester Pearmains, small, striped Ellison's Orange, maroon-flashed Laxton's and orange and rust Egremont Pippins. I avoid the Cox's Orange Pippins, knowing they will be better after a few weeks in storage. I come home with a mixed woven basket that looks like something from a medieval country fair; certainly nothing like the blue polystyrene trays and cling film so typical of the supermarkets. Right food, right place, right time. It is my belief - and the point of this book - that this is the best recipe of all. A crab sandwich by the sea on a June afternoon; a slice of roast goose with apple sauce and roast potatoes on Christmas Day; hot sausages and a chunk of roast pumpkin on a frost sparkling night in November. These are meals whose success relies not only on the expertise of the cook but on the more basic premise that this is the food of the moment - something eaten at a time when it is most appropriate, when the ingredients are at their peak of perfection, when the food, the cook and the time of year at one with each other.'

Nigel Slater | The Guardian Nigel Slater | The Guardian

I hate it when authors live in much more advanced, metropolitan areas and think that it’s easy to find 10 farmer’s markets “on the way home.” This just makes me jealous.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. Place them cut-side down in a single layer in the pan, add the butter and let them brown very lightly, then add the onion. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, until the sprouts are softening and the onion is translucent. His take on onion soup using pan roasted onions instead of cut and pan browned made such a spectacular result I remain amazed to this day. You could use one of the ready-prepared assortments of fish meant for fish pie if it is more convenient. The soup is a calming, delicate version, but sustaining enough to be a light main dish. It is important not to stir the chowder too much as it cooks, which would result in the fish breaking up.