Some of you may know who Nigella Lawson is. If you don’t, let me share a brief story about why she is so important in the cookbook world!
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Nigella started her career in publishing, but realized she was on the wrong path. Shortly, she started writing for many different columns, one of which happened to be about food for Vogue magazine. It seems as if her food career really took off after the publication of her first cookbook: How To Eat. The reason was because she pointed out many of the common downfalls of home cooking and gave her audience solutions!
Shortly after this, she published many cookbooks and quickly rose to the top of the cookbook world. She was given the title of Author of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2001! In turn, she hosted her own cooking show television series, Nigella Bites, that ran until 2001. The rest is history – she is hugely famous now in the food industry!
Nigella Lawson is an idol for home cooks, because she was never professionally trained. Even with her success, she still doesn’t consider herself a “celebrity chef” or an expert in her field, but I feel like she’s being modest.
Now, with her new cookbook “Cook, Eat, Repeat: Ingredients, Recipes, and Stories” we get a glimpse of how she runs her kitchen at home.
Nigella has provided us with over 100 brand new recipes that she utilizes at home. Some examples are garlic cream sauce on chicken or beef cheeks with port and chestnuts. She provides quite a few desserts – the one I am most excited about is the almond and cherry crumble.
Throughout many of the recipes there are detailed accounts of how they came to be. Within these stories are often tips on how to make the recipe better or things to take note as you begin the cooking process. In some instances she will list off required tools and things to take note of as you are making each dish.
I thoroughly enjoy reading through this cookbook more than other cookbooks. She gives her two cents throughout the book which makes it feel like she is cooking alongside of you.
These recipes are very easy to follow and allow for vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free alternatives. For instance, her cookies exchange regular flour with gluten-free flour measurements so no one feels left out. It’s easy to find substitutes for her dishes, and the ingredients are overall very easy to find and accessible to most households.
If you’re a home cook you should give Nigella Lawson’s “Cook, Eat, Repeat: Ingredients, Recipes, and Stories” cookbook a peek. She is called the “Domestic Goddess” for a reason, because home cooking doesn’t have to be tough. Instead she makes it fun, relaxing, and tasty!
For those who are familiar with Lawson and her career, what are some of your favorite recipes of hers? I’m wondering if we have any overlap!
~Kaiti
