karohemd | Entries tagged with nigella

So next time she serves you a tagine you know she's cheated.
When you're lucky enough to have a tagine, why not use it? It's just as easy as it cooks on its own, you don't have to touch it at all, just let it simmer and the result is the same, if not better.

The metal skewer through a jacket potato so it cooks quicker is a cool tip, though.

Watched Nigella Express earlier on BBC2 and again, it was meh.
Her recipes seem to be either bland (the poussins - why not chicken if it's supposed to be simple? - seasoned only with a little cinnamon and cumin on top) or spicy (the wasabi-lime dressing). The pork chops with mustard sauce could be OK, I guess.
Not to mention that every time she takes a knife into her hands, I fear for her fingers. Now, I don't expect everyone on TV to have wizard knife skills, I don't (although it's a joy to watch) but at least you can try and be safe. The way she fried those squid (dumping them into the hot oil from a bag from above) made me wince, too. A large amount (four inches in the pan) of hot oil is probably the most dangerous thing you can have in a kitchen and shouldn't be treated lightly. I'm against all the "nanny culture" things going on but at least the "pros" should show how it's done.
And then little niggles like she didn't score the fat on the chops so they curled up when she fried them.

Say against Jamie Oliver as a person what you will but his food is fantastic. No frills, just great, simple (and easy to find) ingredients cooked quickly and full of flavour, just like how I like to cook. Not much style but boy, is it tasty.