Hi all, how are you doing? The fourth episode of Simply Nigella aired last night, did you watch it? In this episode, the delectable Ms Lawson made Chai Muffins, Beef Ribs, Fish Tacos and Salted Chocolate Tart. The thing with Nigella, is that like quite a few cooks out there, she makes everything seem effortless. From leisurely tearing up filo pastry for the best Rag Pie on the planet, to declaring her dislike for sieving with a swishing of those elegant wrists, there is something highly watchable about our Nigella. The lady oozes foodie cool and to those unsatisfied by the simplicity of basic dishes such as avocado on toast, give the domestic goddess a break.
I loved the Chai Muffins. Chai latte is my drink of choice in the morning and I can only imagine how scrummy it would be when ingested with the aforementioned muffins. I imagine these Chai Muffins would be great as a wintry treat, so you’re fully charged and ready to face a cold Monday morning. These would be most excellent in the winter time, mainly due to its spices of cardamom, cinnamon and whisper of black pepper. I love coffee too, and I’m currently looking into a recipe for coffee muffins (more on that later).
My standout dish from this episode were the Fish Tacos, that were unfussy and quick to rustle up. I love the garlic butter she made and for this reason alone (I adore garlic, seriously, vampires would hate me), this dish has now leapfrogged onto my weekend ‘To-Make List’. I’m not a fan of beef, yet I couldn’t help but marvel at Nigella’s Beef Rib dish. Describing them as “Flintstone hunks of meat” was inspired and that’s what I love about Nigella – her vocabulary is just so darn cool. Her descriptions always elicit a chuckle from me (or an eye-roll from the masses, if the Twitterati is anything to go by). Of course fun Nigella quotes abounded in this episode too, including the highly humorous “Deep pleasure awaits”. (Come on guys, it’s scripted, she knows what she’s saying, and it’s supposed to be taken with a fistful of salt.)
I’m still dreaming of that Salted Chocolate Tart. Did you see her pouring melted chocolate with wild abandon into the Oreo crumb pastry dish? That scene was right up there with those pesky M&S adverts (they’re pure food porn at its best). I actually hate watching an M&S food advert late at night, because I always wind up craving whatever lovingly shot dish they’re serving.
Back to Nigella; she certainly seems to like her chocolate, having made a vegan chocolate cake in episode 2. With Christmas around the corner (quite literally, as there’s less than 1 month to go, eek!), her chocolately offerings will go down a storm.
Have you made any recipes from the Simply Nigella series? Do send me pics, I’d love to see how you got on!
RAxx