Episode 3 Simply Nigella


Episode 3

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MUSIC: For Once In My Life by Stevie Wonder

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I don't believe it's possible to live well without eating well.

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Now, of course, this means different things on different days.

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'But whatever the day, I want food that makes me feel good -

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'not just when I'm eating it...

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'..but when I'm cooking it, too.'

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And a deep, deep joy awaits.

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'Simply Nigella is about dishes that do just that.

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'Recipes that relax and restore...

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'..uplift and enrich...'

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That's what I wanted to see.

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'Food I've enjoyed with family and friends

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'as I've settled into my new kitchen

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'and where I am in my life, right now.'

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I believe with all my heart

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that what and how we cook can make us feel better and more alive.

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Wonderful.

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And for me, a meal, however simple, is a celebration of life -

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and life is there to be celebrated.

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The start of the working day

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understandably calls for a speedy breakfast,

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but the weekends can make way for something a little more leisurely.

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I will never turn my back on familiar favourites,

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but sometimes I want to branch out and give them a fresh twist.

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I wouldn't be able to count the number of pancakes I've made

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in over two decades as a parent,

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but these oat pancakes are the house specialty at the moment.

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Instead of flour, I'm using porridge oats - not instant -

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that I've blitzed up in a processor, with about two pinches of salt.

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It's not a fine flour.

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It's a bit mealy, but it's a flour nonetheless.

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That's 100g there.

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And on top of these, a teaspoon of baking powder

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and a teaspoon and a half of ground cinnamon.

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And the ground cinnamon really makes the oats taste so toasty and warm.

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Have a little stir...

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..and then get on with the rest of the ingredients,

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which are pretty simple.

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This is 100ml of milk. Now actually, I'm using oat milk.

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It seems to enhance the oats themselves.

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Just one egg...

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..and a teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract.

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I rather like this dark, heavily scented gloop.

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A little whisking.

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Nothing too strenuous...

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..with a bit of spilling.

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As with all pancakes,

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it's what you eat with them that really makes for the magic

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and with these oat pancakes,

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I make a gloriously rubied honey and raspberry sauce.

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It's 150g of raspberries

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and I want 150g of honey.

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Beautiful, that amber ooze...

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Frankly, by the time the raspberries have thawed, the sauce is made.

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I have to say, that what with the oats

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and the raspberries and the honey,

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these pancakes have a distinctly Scottish feel -

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and I can't help feeling that a wee nip of whisky

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somewhere along in the mix would be a good thing.

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That makes me very happy.

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Now, a little oil on the griddle.

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And I know it looks like I'm just wiping it off,

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but I am actually leaving the faintest smear.

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And I'm ready to roll.

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To dollop the batter on, I like a quarter cup measure,

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not filled to the brim.

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You can tell when it's time to flip pancakes over,

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because little bubbles appear on the surface.

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So, can you see? There are little bubbles now...

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..and the edges are a teeny bit darker.

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Lovely.

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I have to say,

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I couldn't have got away with these when my children were little,

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but these days, I cater to a slightly more mature crowd.

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I've got enough mixture left for another batch,

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but for now, I'm pleasing myself.

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How could a day not be good, that begins with this?

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MUSIC: Nowhere To Run by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas

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There are those who believe

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that to fiddle in any way with a classic recipe

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is an act of desecration.

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Well, it's not a dishonourable stance,

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but I think it's a flawed one.

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The classics, in food as in literature,

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are the very forms that can withstand and, indeed,

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spawn a plethora of interpretations -

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although I think this slim '60s version of Jane Eyre

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may be taking it too far.

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I had to buy it for the cover.

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Anyway, I can't apologise for taking liberties with a Caesar salad,

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when the outcome is so pleasurable.

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Even a riff on a Caesar salad needs to start with anchovies.

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Or it does, as far as I'm concerned.

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After the fierce saltiness of the anchovies,

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a hit of garlic.

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And some olive oil will help these flavours go further.

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Anchovies, garlic, romaine lettuce, or what we used to call "cos".

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So far, so classical.

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But this is my radical step.

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It's a question of context.

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I half the lettuce...

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..and I wilt it in a hot oven.

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First, I'm going to spoon over the anchovy and garlic.

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I always like roasting in a very hot oven,

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so luckily, this won't take very long.

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Instead of fiddly little croutons,

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I go for a large croute in the form of a slice of toast,

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drizzled with olive oil, to be munched alongside.

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Ah, the scent is glorious.

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You see, it's beginning to wilt and I love these charred pieces.

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In fact, I have to say, roast or baked lettuces are a wondrous thing.

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I want some lemon juice and zest.

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The zest is where all the flavour lies.

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What you get from the juice is brightness and sharpness.

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A spritz of this and I'll pop it back in, while I tend to my egg.

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And I'm frying it.

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Always a good move.

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"Eat topped with a fried egg" are words I always want to hear.

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And now, for a little artistic strewing.

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I suppose this riff, in a way, is like a little culinary joke,

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but it is so seriously good.

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MUSIC: Tally Ho! by JR Walker and The All Stars

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Can I have 600g of those, clean weight? Of course you can.

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They look so beautiful. I love the tentacles. Aren't they lovely?

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They're like little frilly dresses.

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I'll clean those. Thanks.

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I've got a Greek-inspired supper tonight.

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First, I've got my new, absolute favourite way of cooking squid.

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Greek squid and orzo.

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Oh, I'd love some. Amazing!

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And for pudding, a rapturous combination of filo, feta and honey.

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The thing is, both these are utterly glorious to eat,

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but so relaxing to make.

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'I get going with pudding first, and my Old Rag Pie,

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'which is the relaxingly slapdash work of mere moments.

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'I'm using frozen filo, which I've thawed.

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'The first step is to line the tin with a sheet or two of filo.

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'Then. I pour in a spoonful of melted butter...

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'..and now, you'll see why it's called "Old Rag Pie".

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'Tear and scrunch up a sheet of pastry and drop it in the tin

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'and repeat until you have a loose layer of filo rags.

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'In some ways, I think of this as a kind of Greek cheesecake.

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'Crumble some feta over the top of the filo rags...

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'..a scattering of grated Parmesan...

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'..and then, I sprinkle over some fresh thyme leaves

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'and pour over some more melted butter to finish the layer off.

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'And then, I do the same again.

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'So, filo, feta, Parmesan, thyme and butter.

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'Old Rag Pie was invented by Greek bakeries

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'as a way of using up old scraps of filo,

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'which means you don't have to be anxious about

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'the fine pastry drying out as you go.

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'For the third and final layer, I use larger filo rags,

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'filling the tin a little more tightly

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'before folding over the edges...

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'..and giving a final drizzle of butter.

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'Now, using the sharp point of a knife,

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'make two cuts down...

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'..and two across.

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'Pour over some eggs and milk, beaten together.

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'Finally, I scatter over a few more thyme leaves

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'and some sesame seeds.

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'Leave it to sit for a good 30 minutes

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'before going into the hot oven for another 30 minutes.

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'That hour leaves you free.

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'Once it's ready, it'll be golden and puffed up

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'and all it requires is an amber ooze of honey on top.

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'But before we come to pud, there is squid -

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'and it is sensational and so simple to make.'

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Countless recipes start with an onion,

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but I prefer the sweeter, gentler tones of a banana shallot.

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If banana shallots elude you, you could always use a small, red onion.

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These just need to be cut into chunky half-moons.

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This is so joyously easy-going.

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It's all about flavour, not finesse.

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A bit of fennel...

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Halve it.

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Try and remove the core.

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And as for the rest, just chop it - tubey bits and all.

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And a couple of cloves of garlic.

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Not minced or anything, just squished,

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so I can get the skins off.

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And the thing about garlic is that when you mince it,

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it's really strong and hot,

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but when it's squished like this,

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it's mellow and sweet.

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I wouldn't normally cook with extra virgin olive oil,

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but because the temperature is so low throughout,

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it doesn't lose its fabulous flavour.

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Into the pan with this mixture.

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Ah, I love those colours.

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And here is the joy of this -

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the squid goes in just as it is, not chopped.

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Tentacles, always fabulous.

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There are really two ways to go with squid.

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You either cook it quickly at a high heat,

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or go low and slow and this is low and slow.

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And because the fennel and the squid both give out quite a bit of liquid,

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really, this is about softly braising, rather than frying.

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So, you can see now that the tentacles are beginning to curl

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and have turned a wonderfully rosy terracotta at the edges

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and the body of the squid has lost its translucency.

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So, on with the dance.

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Some orzo pasta...

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..and a can of tomatoes.

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A good squirt of tomato puree,

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just to boost the tomatoey-ness.

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And whenever I use canned tomatoes,

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I always swill out the tin with water.

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Get every last drop.

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And in it goes.

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Little souvenir from a holiday, splosh of ouzo.

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Don't be alarmed by this, or by the fennel.

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Even those who profess aniseed antagonism love this.

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And if you don't have ouzo, you could use vermouth.

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I'd be happy with red or white.

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It's important not to season at this stage,

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not least because any salt added now would toughen the squid.

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When this bubbles, I'm going to put it in a low oven

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for about an hour and 20 minutes, by which time

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the orzo will have absorbed all the liquid and be quite sticky.

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And this squid will be so soft,

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I'll be able to cut into it just with this wooden spoon.

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And lo, it bubbles!

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So, clamp on a lid

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and into the oven.

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The moment of truth.

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That's everything I wanted to see.

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Now, it needs some water.

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Need to give it a good, but gentle stir...

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..and the important thing is to get all the sticky bits from the bottom.

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There's so much flavour in those bits.

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According to Terry Pratchett, burnt sticky bits were a food group.

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And since I didn't season before, it's time to go hardcore now -

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but let's taste.

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Needs quite a bit of salt.

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Some pepper...

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Mmm, perfect.

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Going to have to stop myself from eating it all now.

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Got a forest of dill.

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We can have some more on the table when we eat,

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but for now, just stir this in and put it back in the oven

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just for ten minutes, with the lid off.

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A bowl of this with a crisp, green salad -

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food for the Greek gods.

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Mmm. Wow.

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You recognise this?

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Looks delicious.

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Hmm, there's a good bit here. Oh, it smells divine, doesn't it?

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Be honest! LAUGHTER

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Nice to know.

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Now, has everyone got tentacles?

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I don't. Oh, my God. I'm going to give you a tentacle.

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Oh, thank you. Oh, the nice bit.

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Ooh, the corner!

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Now, I've got corner envy.

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You've got an edge. I gave you an edge!

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Your brain doesn't know quite what's going on.

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It's like, "What's going on?" My brain knows it's good. Yes.

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I always adore feeding people,

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but I really cherish the sort of food I make myself, too.

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A rice bowl - please forgive the trendy term -

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is one of my go-to recipes, or rather, non-recipe recipes.

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Every time I make it, I add something different,

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depending on what's to hand.

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Now, a rice bowl is generally a bowl of rice

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that is topped with an array of vegetable ingredients.

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I like to keep it rather simpler.

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I do need short grain brown rice.

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It has nubbiness and nuttiness,

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but not that jaw-aching endless chew of long grain brown rice.

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I also need raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar

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and some mixed seeds and I'm off.

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The rice has had 25 minutes simmering

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and now, I'm just going to let it stand for a few minutes.

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Perfect, it's absorbed the liquid.

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And that's the thing about short grain brown rice.

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It takes so much less time to cook than long grain brown rice.

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And now, I'm going to get on with my few but choice ingredients.

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Ginger.

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As you can see, I like a lot of ginger.

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But there's something else I should have told you about the rice.

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Normally, there's a fixed rule with cooking rice.

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You need one cup of rice and two cups of water.

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You always have to go by volume.

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But with the short grain brown rice,

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I need one cup of rice and then, a cup and a half of water.

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It works perfectly for me.

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Right, some radishes.

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I adore the peppery juiciness you get from radishes,

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as well as the crunch.

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I tend to quarter these. Sometimes I cut them into eighths,

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depending on how much slicing I want to do.

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Bit of coriander. Want some leaves whole and some just chopped.

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I make this when I have a girlfriend coming over,

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or if I have a wonderful, quiet time to myself.

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Makes me feel very Zen.

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The rice should be ready now

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and all the ingredients can be mixed together.

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When I say "all", not that many.

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Scrape it out of my little pink pixie pan.

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I'm not normally much of a vinegar person,

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but I find that raw apple cider vinegar

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has a fresh sourness - really sprightly.

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Just need a bit. Obviously, it's to taste.

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Bit of saltiness from soy.

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I like quite a lot of seeds in this.

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I've got pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and sesame seeds.

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They add crunch and really boost the rice, as well.

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And I want to tumble in my exuberantly-coloured radishes...

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..and some of the chopped coriander.

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Ah. Let's have a little mix up again.

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Beautiful.

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And I love eating ginger in strips,

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just using a vegetable peeler.

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You get so much heat this way.

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Good in stir-fries, as well.

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And on top of my bowl of deeply-flavoured nubblyness,

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I like the smooth, cool, jade clay of an avocado.

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Beautiful slices of avocado.

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I'd only ever come across these rice bowls in California,

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but now they seem everywhere here and I can see why.

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I like to top this with a few delicate coriander leaves.

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It's both calming and uplifting just to look at, as well as to eat.

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And I shall try not to rupture this mood of serenity

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by shovelling this down too rambunctiously,

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but it's hard not to!

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MUSIC: Tell Me It's Just A Rumour Baby by The Funk Brothers

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DIRECTOR: Action!

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I appear to have difficulty putting lids on pans.

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What do I do now?

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DIRECTOR: Action! That makes me very happy.

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Where am I going to put this?

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MasterChef is back, to find the country's best home chef.

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