Notes about Recipes in this book

• Grilled mackerel with sherry vinegar

  • wester on January 11, 2012

    This was a worthwhile variation on the theme "mackerel with something acidic", but not spectacular.

  • Emily Hope on November 18, 2010

    Surprisingly delicious for such a simple recipe. The man has a way with mackerel. Served with the panzanella recipe from Diana Henry's Plenty book.

• Roast chicken with smoked bacon, shallots and toast

  • wester on May 24, 2013

    The flavors are really good, but the wine is added too early. To give the chicken bits a chance to turn "crisp and interesting", let them cook on high for a while before the wine and the jelly is added.

  • Nannip on January 27, 2017

    Can substitute e.g shredded steamed pointy cabbage instead of roast

• Roast chicken broth

  • saladdays on October 23, 2012

    All the additional ingredients make this a well flavoured broth with a rich colour. It has two glasses of red wine in it and next time I would use only one as I felt the taste was rather dominant, probably it needs reducing more than I did. A very good use of a chicken carcase though.

• A fragrant sauté with butter and cardamom

  • wester on April 15, 2011

    The coriander was really overpowering in this one. I would like to try it again with about half the amount given, so I can taste the other flavors as well. I used creme fraiche instead of the given mix of yogurt and double cream, but it needed a bit more acidity. I might try just yogurt next time.

• Sticky chicken wings with lemon

  • tekobo on March 17, 2017

    Yummy, carb free treatment of wings. I used big fat duck wings from Pipers Farm. Hmmm.

• A creamy, colourful, fragrant chicken curry

  • Melyinoz on January 06, 2019

    I enjoyed this. It’s a tasty, filling dish that was very satisfying without being too heavy. I'll be eating the leftovers for lunch this week. Mine looks quite different to another member's dish, so I have included my picture too. Mine doesn’t look as wet because it is on top of brown rice.

  • Jane on February 03, 2018

    This has good flavor but it really didn't seem like a curry to me. He does say in the recipe header "A seriously unauthentic dish" and that is true - a curry with creme fraiche? But in which case why call it a curry? It should be titled Chicken in a spicy, creamy tomato sauce. It is good though!

• Shepard's pie with spiced parsnip mash

  • wester on January 01, 2010

    Warming winter food with a nice twist - the spiced mash really adds something extra to this. It does take a long time, over an hour. Start with the meat sauce, not the parsnips - you can do those while the meat simmers. Do peel the parsnips.

  • gregbw on May 24, 2011

    One of my all time favourites. I put roast lamb on the menu just so I can use the leftovers in the pie the next night. Just as good with minced raw lamb as well.

• Moroccan spiced lamb shanks with aubergine

  • EdinburghCook on August 30, 2017

    Nigel at his best. Great recipe

• Italian-style slow-cooked aromatic lamb

  • veronicafrance on December 01, 2021

    I made this with a lot of fatty chunks of lamb neck. I needed a *lot* of wine to cover them in marinade, as in about a litre. It was fine, but not special. But would probably have been improved by pouring off the sauce and boiling it furiously to reduce.

• Lamb's liver with red wine vinegar and sticky onions

  • veronicafrance on September 03, 2017

    Pretty good, and easy to do. Get everything else ready to go before you cook the liver. My onions took much longer than the half hour advertised, but I was doing them on a very low heat.

• Pasta with spicy sausage and mustard

  • Lindalib on January 17, 2013

    We all liked this very easy recipe. I doubled the (loosely-given) quantities and it still turned out well.

• Pasta with caramelised onions, basil and cream

  • wester on January 01, 2010

    Soft and soothing. Good comfort food.

• Pasta with prosciutto and Parmesan cream sauce

  • EatPictures on January 06, 2012

    To. Die. For.

• Lentil soup with mushrooms and lemon

  • Elbea on September 10, 2020

    This is fantastic with a big handful of spinach thrown in during the last minute of cooking.

• Spiced lentils with cream and ginger

  • tekobo on January 06, 2017

    Simple to make and delicious. Lots of guests commented on this even though it was one of many NY's eve party dishes.

• Baked couscous with chicken and spices

  • cook_fresco on September 20, 2021

    A favourite: absolutely delicious. Use double the quantity of couscous. Don't skimp on the butter!

• Stir-fried greens with mushrooms and oyster sauce

  • tekobo on March 17, 2017

    Simple and yummy

• Roast tomato salad

  • okmosa on January 12, 2020

    Roast Tomato Salad is surprisingly good for how simple it is. Just halved tomatoes, roasted, with a simple flavored oil brushed on. The tomatoes I used weren’t especially ripe or in season, so they benefited from extra time in the oven.

• Mushroom and spinach lasagne

  • stephengk on June 15, 2016

    Added dried porcini to help flavour and also layered with some chopped mozzarella. Layered up in thinner multiple layers more like traditional lasagna. Finished with layer of pasta and topped with bechamel. sprinkled over some breadcrumbs and parmesan for added texture

  • veronicafrance on March 11, 2013

    We really enjoyed this. Lasagne seems labour-intensive, but actually there's not that much hands-on time with this recipe. Nigel suggests buying ready-made bechamel -- I didn't, but it would be a time-saver. The spinach is a crafty ploy. I find the "no precooking" lasagne can make the end result dry, but with this recipe, even though I squeezed out the spinach, I think water still leached out of it, keeping the sauce nice and runny. This would be even better with some dried ceps in the sauce -- I'll try that next time.

• Pan-fried parsnips with browned shallots, garlic and spices

  • wester on January 01, 2010

    Very aromatic, lovely texture. My husband won't have his parsnips any other way.

  • Clog on February 04, 2023

    Perfect comfort food. It's a lovely way to cook parsnips.

• Roast balsamic beetroot

  • wester on January 01, 2010

    Even if you think you dislike beetroot, you must try this recipe! It has converted many people who thought the same, including myself. The taste is warm, sweet and deep. You do have to start early, it needs a total of about an hour and a half in pan and oven.

• Artichoke soup with garlic butter

  • wester on April 20, 2015

    The soup was fine, although not brilliant, but the recipe was written very sloppily. First it tells you to peel the artichokes, and then not to peel them. It also tells you to add salt twice, and to cook "until the artichokes are soft" at two very different parts of the recipe. Not up to Nigel's usual standard.

• Pan-fried potatoes with browned onions and garam masala

  • Clog on July 04, 2022

    An excellent combination of flavours. This will become a regular.