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 187: you live, you learn
Although mine didn’t turn out quite right (my fault!), a spot of late-night baking and some overnight forgetfulness gave us this gorgeous, pistachio-embellished batch of Nigella’s Forgotten Cookies.
Day 186: na zdrowie
Rich, sharp and bright, and gloriously comforting (as any bowl of pasta should be): Day 186 is Nigella’s Penne Alla Vodka.
Day 185: runkled gorgeousness
A joy to make, gaze upon and eat: Day 185 is the gorgeously runkled Lasagne of Love.
Day 184: a simply kind of day
Days like these - when everything moves at 100mph - call for a little something from Simply: Day 184 is Nigella's Pasta Snails with Garlic Butter.
Day 183: Happy Halloween
It’s Halloween and the cookalong turns one! A double reason cause for celebration I say. Day 183 is Nigella’s Cider and 5-Spice Bundt Cake, in the shape of a haunted house.
Day 182: my kind of lunch
The kind of meal that clanks, tastes fab, you can slurp and dunk chewy bread in: Day 183 is Nigella’s Cod with Clams.
Day 181: seduced
Its honey-pear, lily-strong perfume flirted with me for the duration of its slow caramelisation in the oven: Day 180 is Nigella’s Red Roast Quinces.
Day 180: sweet slime
A warming, sweet slime perfect for a (ferociously) windy autumn day. Day 180 is Nigella’s Slime Soup.
Day 179: dinner for special guests
Last minute addition to the line-up and dinner for special guests: Nigella's Pasta with Ham, Peas and Cream.
Day 178: heady nostalgia
The earthy warmth of cumin, the heady nostalgia of sherry, the gentle tang of rocket and the soft butteriness of chickpeas: Day 178 is Nigella’s Chickpeas with Rockey and Sherry.
Day 177: restorative slurping
Happily restored, comforted and cosy after slurping our way through several large bowls of Nigella’s Thai Chicken Noodle Soup.
Day 176: pre-travel sustenance
Perfect pre-travel eating: Nigella's Spiced Chicken Escalopes with Watercress, Fennel and Radish Salad.
Day 175: a fine runner-up indeed
Simply scrumptious: Day 175 is Nigella’s Sweet Potato Macaroni Cheese, from Simply.
Day 174: a balanced cookie
The perfect balance of crunch and chew: Nigella’s Chocolate Chip Cookies.
Day 173: umami inhalation
This is the kind of lunch you could just sink into for a long and relaxing soak: Day 173 is Nigella’s Ramen, from Simply.
Day 172: shoulder-sinking serenity
Shoulder-sinking, core-collapsing serenity: Day 172 is Nigella’s Wide Noodles with Lamb Shank in Aromatic Broth.
Day 171: dreamy creams
Now, I’d happily eat a banana a day if they came like this! Day 171 is Nigella’s Caribbean Creams.
Day 170: baked, bitter wedges
Wedges of gorgeously bitter, reddy-purple crunch studded with salty, rich stilton and baked: Day 170 is Nigella’s Roast Radicchio with Blue Cheese.
Day 169: bitter comfort
A splendidly pink-hued stew of beans and pancetta and radicchio: Day 169 is Nigella’s Venetian Stew.