Lawson - Nigella kitchen: recipes from the heart of the home

Acknowledgements

The clutter of my kitchen is not only the backdrop as I write and cook, but fittingly enough the backdrop of this book. Of course, many readers will recognize pots, pans, glasses, bowls and other bits and pieces from previous books, and this is just how it should be. Familiarity is the cosy province of the home cook, and proudly so. But the needs of a kitchen and the needs of a photography shoot are not exactly the same, and many of the pictures that precede this page have been enormously aided by Ceramica Blue, The Conran Shop, David Mellor, Divertimenti, TheFrenchHouse.net, Few and Far, Heals, John Lewis Partnership, littala, Lytton & Lily, NOM Living, Rice, Seeds of Italy and Vintage Heaven. I am very grateful.

I am grateful, too, enduringly to those who have worked so hard to make this the book I wanted it to be, even when I left them hardly any time to do so. Caroline Stearns, Jan Bowmer, Parisa Ebrahimi, Poppy Hampson and Alison Samuel deserve more than thanks: they deserve some sort of medal of honour. Alison, in particular, I wish to thank for her patience, forbearance and an attention to detail that verges on a state of grace (or medical condition). At Random House, too, I am, as ever, profoundly grateful for the huge good fortune that has provided me with a publisher as brilliant as Gail Rebuck.

I am similarly blessed beyond: I rely utterly on the guidance so generously given to me by Mark Hutchinson; and Ed Victor, I think, knows how eternally indebted I am to him. I can never truly get over my luck in having worked, over the years, with Caz Hildebrand. All my books, and especially this one, owe their existence greatly to her. As they benefit, too, from the dedicated attentions of my photographer, Lis Parsons.

But I have a special gratitude not just for those who have worked with me on this book, but who have spent so much time in the kitchen with me as it bubbled its way into being. Hettie Potter and Zoe Wales have devoted themselves particularly to the task in hand, as well as to me over the years, and Rose Murray, once again, helped bring a beautiful book into the world with them; but I give heartfelt thanks to all of them, my kitchen confidantes: Lisa and Francesca Grillo, Rose Murray, Hettie Potter, Zoe Wales and Anzelle Wasserman.

About the Book

Nigella Collection: a vibrant new look for Nigellas classic cookery books; previously published as Kitchen.

A little pottering in the kitchen gives me that feeling I find so crucial, of being in a fixed, familiar place in a whirling world. So here it is, from my kitchen to yours: cosy, cocooning food.

The classic family recipe book by Nigella Lawson. Kitchen is packed with feel-good food for cooks and eaters that solves all your everyday cooking quandaries, from what to cook for Sunday lunch or how to give children food theyll eat, to how to rustle up an impromptu dinner party menu or a gluten-free cake. As well as her mouthwatering recipes, Nigella rounds up her kitchen must-haves: essential kitchen equipment and standby ingredients.

With luscious photography, easy family recipes, indulgent food writing and a beautiful hardback design, this is a book you will treasure for many years as well as a delicious gift for friends and family.

Part 1: Kitchen Quandaries
Whats for tea? everyday eating made simple for all ages
Hurry up, Im hungry! quick meals and easy suppers for those frantic days
Easy does it dinner party ideas that wont try your temper
Cook it better waste-saving recipes
My sweet solution problem-solving pudding recipes
Off the cuff quick dinner ideas for feasts from the fridge-freezer and store cupboard
Part 2: Kitchen Comforts
Chicken and its place in my kitchen chicken recipes to soothe the soul
A dream of hearth and home comforting weekend baking, from muffins and cupcakes to brownies, scones and cakes
At my table steak, casserole, lasagne and much more: easy suppers to share with friends
The solace of stirring finding comfort in risotto
The bone collection ham hocks, spare ribs, braised beef and other meaty treats for the die-hard carnivore
Kitchen pickings easy cocktails and party food
The cooks cure for Sunday-night-itis cosy and substantial supper ideas that require little effort from the cook

About the Author

I love Nigella Lawsons writing and I love her recipes Delia Smith

Theres an intelligence to the way she writes and she expects a certain intelligence of her readers as well Nigel Slater

I am unapologetic about being a home cook rather than a chef.

Real cooking, the sort that goes on in homes, does not have to be tricksy or difficult. A dish of chicken poached with leeks and carrots definitely isnt fancy. But it tastes good, and feels essentially nourishing, to both body and soul, to cook and eat.

I want you to feel that Im there with you, in the kitchen, as you cook. My books are the conversations we might be having.

Nigella Lawson has written nine bestselling cookery books, including the classics How To Eat and How to Be A Domestic Goddess the book that launched a thousand cupcakes. These books, her TV series and her Quick Collection apps, have made her a household name around the world. In 2014 she was voted Best Food Personality at the Observer Food Monthly Awards.

www.nigella.com
@Nigella_Lawson

Her prose is as nourishing as her recipes Salman Rushdie, Observer

Miss Lawson is the Thinking Persons Cook. She tells stories, she explains why things must be the way she says they must be... enlightenment and sensual pleasure Jeanette Winterson, The Times

When I was young, and even longer ago, cookery books used to contain counsel called, according to the French classical tradition,"batterie de cuisine", in other words, a slightly panic-inducing list of all those pieces of kit and equipment that any cook worthy of the title should own. Dont worry, I shant be visiting that kind of finger-wagging bossiness on you. I mean, really: how much or how little you buy for your kitchen is up to you. And even then, no one has a free rein. There are likely to be constraints before you even start: budget being one, space another.

Anyway, most kitchen items are a luxury, and a very pleasurable indulgence; all that is actually needed for the cooking itself is fire, a receptacle and something to stir with. Still, I am hesitant about sounding too austere on the matter. As Imelda Marcos was to shoes, I am to the whole covetable arena of kitchen items and equipment (foodstuffs included). How then, could I advise too spartan an approach in you? For me, buying stuff for the kitchen is one of the great joys of life. While Im not entirely innocent of extravagance, the truth is many gadgets cost a lot less than clothes, and whats more you dont have to try them on.