Nigella made her comeback this week, with all the usual double entendres and delicious adjectives you’d expect from the domestic goddess. Her new series is like the Eat-Pray-Cook-Eat-Love-to-Eat of cookery shows (as in, look at where I’ve been,I’ve survived a divorce and a public court appearance.) Also, importantly I’ve got a new kitchen she beamed with those big brown eyes, oh and I’ve been to Thailand, look at my holiday pics (nice photos,prop person), I have big hair in some of them, but I still look great, and yeah the food was delicious, darling. It was all relax let’s cook, and I’m happy (and why not, Hugh is on in a min moaning about food waste) from the off…
She kicked off by buying some German (Dinklebrot, in case you are making notes at the back of the class) bread (as you do…what do you mean, you’ve never seen those circular brown breads made with aged spelt in Tesco?!) in a posh shop (at no doubt a hefty price tag), coming home and smearing it with smooth green avocado. Nigella enthused about the liberating noise an avocado makes when you scrape the flesh out. I’ve not done that description justice, but she made me want to grab some green fleshy goodness. Apparently, the internet (AKA Twitter - the Waldorf and Statler of armchair critics #Nigella) was riddled with comments moaning that avocado was her choice of opening recipe. There were cries of “she’ll be teaching us how to make a cuppa next!” I liked it, and it wasn't just green stuff on expensive European bread, it had other stuff on it, like, erm Breakfast Radish (a kitchen must have, obvs if you live in a certain postcode area.) WHO KNEW RADISH HAD A BREAKFAST OPTION!? (seriously I feel enlightened, and at the same time uneducated.)It was also a good excuse for Nigella to promote the beautiful relationship of her favourite recipe colours, it’s all about the green and pink you know (I prefer Green and Blacks personally.)
The show carried on in it’s customary happy, right on, stylistic approach (how many home economists did they need?!), as we had many loving glances at the camera, chest upwards camera moments (of course) and pieces to camera littered with excitable food descriptions. Nigella always puts the style into food, even her pans look nice on the small screen (that wasn't meant to sound rude.) On the innuendo front it was oh so classic Nigella: “I love having an implement in each hand” she said with a twinkle in her eye and “I’m smearing Nigella seeds all over my cheek, but I feel I’m entitled too!” Funnily enough, no scriptwriter is acknowledged in the closing credits (maybe too busy flicking through the A-Z of sexy foodie sounding adjectives in the background?!) Or maybe Nigella is just having fun with her self parody.
Her apricot and almond cake had me reaching for my red Kitchen Aid mixer (oh right forgot don’t have one, still on the kitchen equipment bucket list, start saving now in time for my 50th.) It was simple and who knew one could soak apricots (not me your honour!) And Nigella, you are so right baking is “uplifting and calming” unless, of course you have a small child nagging to be given a wooden spoon covered in raw egg mixture to devour. Cauliflower was given a good makeover too (I’ll always associate cauliflower with being so overcooked someone without teeth could enjoy it, sorry Mum!) in her yummy looking warmed spiced cauliflower and chickpea salad. Off to make both of these now…oh no, I haven't got those pomegranate seeds, dagnammit.
I don’t care what went on in Nigella’s private life and which was publicly exposed on trial. I love her cooking (if you are interested “Kitchen” is my fav Nigella book), I love the genuine enthusiasm she draws from eating and making new foods (and the fact that she uses throwaway foil trays.) She makes food seem so opulent and exciting, and she does it all in the most amazing kitchen (kitchen envy alert!) I did however, really miss the “lets go into the fridge in my silky black dressing gown and trough a pint of double cream” ending as was so classic in her previous TV outings. Oh well, I might just go to my own fridge and stick my face into something unhealthy there, and work on my own elaborate ensemble of edible adjectives (steam swollen barley anyone?)
