365 Days of Nigella
374 recipes cooked; £6,100 (and rising) raised for FareShareUK; 1 Forever Family forged (2 dads, 3 kids, 2 dogs).
365 Days of Nigella has been devised, by me, to provide a much-needed escape from the worries of living with anxiety and the complexities they can bring to daily life. It’s a 365-day Nigella cookalong that will diversify our household palate and, at the same time, grant me the avenue to express my passion for food and write about the memories it can evoke. One of the best therapies for anxiety is to recall our feelings of love, positivity, serenity, and pleasure, and, for me, these are often - if not always – associated with food and cooking. And, of course, eating.
I define one day as one entry into this blog: it may comprise of multiple recipes, or a single recipe, but will feature my witterings of the day - at the time of posting. I aim to post every other day (3-4 times per week), so this journey will go on for considerably longer than a year - a realisation that makes me very happy indeed. The reason for not posting every day is that we do not waste food in this house and we will need the days between each cookalong to gladly enjoy leftovers.
A few pleasantries before we begin: I am not running for first place in a photo competition, and I am quite guilty of rather ignorantly throwing about punctuation, and for this (and my writing) I apologise. However, I don’t deny that there is great satisfaction to be had in capturing a dish in all its beauty. I don’t have any fancy equipment; just a phone, small windows, and a bread board and cheese board for a backdrop.
Above all, however, it’s a bit of fun and I would love for you to join me. Cooking is a joyous way to spread love and happiness and I hope you enjoy it as much as I am sure I will enjoy creating, writing and eating my way through this journey.
Day 148: yellow food
Hot and sour and sweet and creamy. A gorgeous thing to look at and a divine thing to eat. Day 148 is Nigella’s Kerala Fish Curry with Lemon Rice.
Day 147: autumn’s kiss
Making and eating this was like taking a cosy stroll through an autumn-kissed, amber-carpeted, cep-flecked woodland. Pure comfort. Day 147 is Nigella’s Mushroom Risotto.
Day 146: fluffy gorgeousness, with bite
Light, fluffy, gorgeously perfumed and flecked with crunch: Day 146 is Nigella’s Bulgur Wheat with Flaked Almonds and Nigella Seeds.
Day 145: a happy kind of sourness
The name alone invokes pure joy - and just to speak the words summons smiles upon faces. Day 145 is Nigella’s Happiness Soup.
Day 144: chicken for magda
An exquisite experience: gorgeous to look at and gorgeous to eat. Day 144 is Nigella’s Indian-Spiced Chicken and Potato Traybake.
Day 143: lusciously pink and deliciously buttery
A deliciously buttery crumb atop a beautifully tart, fragrantly sweet, lusciously pink rhubarb filling. Day 143 is Nigella’s Rhubarb Crumble.
Day 142: tender goodness
Juicy, tender and bursting with seriously good flavour: Day 142 is Nigella’s Juicy Beef Skewers with Horseradish Dip.
Day 141: gorgeous anise crunch
Gorgeously crunchy, pleasingly juicy, addictively salty and appropriately refreshingly: Day 141 is Greek Salad, Nigella’s Way.
Day 140: getting to like it hot
Hot sauce for the weekend! It’s big on flavour, high on heat and wonderfully aromatic: it’s Nigella’s Jumbo Chilli Sauce.
Day 139: doubling up on the comfort
Mission Find My Shimmer is officially underway: starting with a little carb-on-carb action to help put the spring back in my step. Day 139 is Nigella’s Spaghetti with Lemon and Garlic Breadcrumbs.
Day 138: an apex pud
This is the crème de la crème of the dessert world. Day 138 is Nigella’s Sticky Toffee Pudding.
Day 137: my new mate
My new mate: Nigella’s Spaghetti with Marmite. It’s got that great big fuzzy umami hug about it. And I am in love.
Day 136: speared with summer crunch
This makes for wonderful summertime eating; light, fresh, sharp, full of flavour, and really easy to make. Day 136 is Nigella’s Short Pasta with Asparagus, Lemon, Garlic and Parsley.
Day 135: deliciously uplifting
This is, without question, one of my new favourite things to eat. It’s deliciously uplifting and full of summery goodness. Day 135 is Nigella’s Double Courgette and Bean Salad.
Day 134: holidaying through food
Holidaying through food on Day 134 with Nigella’s Mauritian Prawn Curry. Sprightly and uplifting, yet warming and soothing at the same time. Delish!
Day 133: storecupboard cooking
An impromptu - very delicious - addition to the line-up, last night's solo supper, and Day 133: Slut's Spaghetti.
Day 132: a virid summer glow
Virid, creamy and studded with pellets of green summery sweetness. Nigella’s Pea Risotto made for the perfect summer catch up with friends - and it was a big hit with the kids too!
Day 131: shoreline meets bodega
Briny shoreline meets the caramelly, heady scent of a sherry bodega. A big bowl of robust and rejuvenating umami comfort: Day 131 is Nigella’s Linguine with Mussels.
Day 130: splendid summer eating
Fruity and sharp, sweet and salty, spicy and zesty. Day 130 is Nigella’s Gammon with Pineapple. And it is FAR removed from the horror of those pink leathery slabs topped with tepid rings of pineapple from my school dinner days!