Sugar and Spice Nigel Slater's Simple Cooking

I'm Nigel Slater.

I think the best kind of cooking is the simplest.

It's just a matter of knowing

which combinations work well together.

And that's what this series is all about.

Think surf and turf, soft and crisp, sweet and sour.

I'll be taking a new look at old favourites.

I wouldn't normally say "scrumptious", but it is.

And trying out fresh ideas.

The whole thing just works together on a plate.

Today is all about sugar and spice.

That mixture of the familiar and the mysterious...

the comfort of sugar and the excitement of spice.

Sugar and spice go so well together in sweet things.

Think of a fruity Christmas pudding or a sugary cinnamon pastry.

But I want to explore how sweet and spicy flavours

work in all kinds of dishes.

And I'll be sharing fabulous flavour combinations with other cooks.

You can smell that sugar! Smell the sugar.

And just a hint of spice as well.

I often think the best fun a cook can have is seasoning.

And one of my favourite seasonings of all

is when I mix sweet things with something spicy.

It's getting the right amount of heat

and the right amount of sweetness.

When I'm making ribs - pork ribs - I often start with some honey.

Sticky ribs are a classic example

of sugar and spice working brilliantly together.

You might never have thought of making them at home,

but it's much easier than you think.

So I've got the sweet honey, and now I need the spice.

I'm going to add crushed chillies.

And you can use ground chilli if you like,

but I much prefer the lightly crushed dried chillies.

They're really quite spicy.

But because spicing isn't all about heat -

it's a very aromatic thing too -

I'm going to stick in a warm, sort of earthy spice too -

a little bit of star anise.

They'll give the ribs a lovely, mellow, aniseed flavour.

I'm adding some oyster sauce for richness.

There are so many recipes for ribs.

Some of them have so many ingredients,

they almost cancel one another out.

I keep mine simple -

just a few ingredients that all add their certain something.

All it needs now is some salt and pepper.

Don't grind the peppercorns - just bash them a bit.

Now for the ribs.

You want something you can really get your teeth into.

Coat them thoroughly in the marinade.

What I like to do

is to leave the ribs

in the sticky marinade for a few hours.

Two is the minimum and overnight is probably the maximum.

It just gives a chance for the spices

and the sugar to work with the meat.

Finally, tuck some garlic cloves between the ribs.

And they'll soften as these are roasting,

and you'll get a lovely mellowness.

You won't get that rasping garlic flavour.

Cover them and leave for as long as you can.

Once the flavours have really got to know each other,

then it's into a low oven for 90 minutes.

Turn them occasionally

to make sure each rib gets a good coating

of the sweet and spicy marinade.

These ribs have been cooking for a good hour and a half,

and this is the moment when it gets slightly dangerous,

because I'm going to put them back in the oven,

on a slightly higher heat.

I'm going to keep my eye on them

until they're almost starting to burn.

Then I've got this incredible sweetness, the spiciness

and just that edge of caramel burntness to them.

So this is how I like my ribs - very, very dark, very sticky...

..very sweet and very spicy.

Choose plump, meaty ribs and cook them slowly.

While they're in the oven, they'll fill the kitchen

with warm, sweet and spicy smells.

And they'll be the best ribs you've ever eaten.

Savoury dishes with sugar and spice notes are found around the world.

Fragrant vegetable curries or fruity lamb tagines.

And of, course, the wonderful dishes of southeast Asia,

with all their amazing spices.

Sometimes I look at recipes

and I see a great big long list of ingredients.

At first, I am tempted to turn the page.

But then, if I have a closer look, I find that, actually,

it's just a long list of shopping,

but the method is really quick and simple.

This is one of those dishes.

It's a sweet and spicy soup,

with all those lovely southeast Asian flavours.

With chilli for heat and coconut milk for sweetness.

First, I'll need chilli, garlic and ginger.

Then one of my favourite ingredients...lemongrass,

and if I can find some in the shops, a few lime leaves.

I'm going to break these up a little bit. I want to crumble them.

They're not essential,

but they will give a lovely citrus fragrance to the dish.

I'm putting some coriander in there.

I'm saving the delicate leaves to add at the last minute,

but the tougher stems can go in with the spices.

Add a little oil and then simply blitz.

This will keep in the fridge, so make it in advance, if you like.

I'll use about half of that spice mix,

and the rest I'm going to put in a little bowl in the fridge,

to keep for another day.

If you try a smaller amount, the blades won't engage with the food.

Now I'll need some liquid.

Water would do in a soup,

but it's always good using a really good stock.

I've got lots of spice in there. I want to add something sweet.

I'm going to use coconut milk.

This has a rich, nutty sweetness.

Without it, this dish would just be a spicy soup.

I want this to be a sugar and spice, and that sugar,

that sweetness, comes from the coconut milk.

I love putting smooth, slippery noodles in a sweet and spicy soup.

These are glass noodles...

no cooking required.

Just soak in boiling water for a few minutes.

I want some other ingredients in there.

And I'm going to put some tomatoes in.

I want to keep these pieces quite small.

They take seconds to cook.

What else goes in the soup is up to you.

It could be chicken, fish or vegetables.

Today I fancy some sweet, juicy prawns.

Frozen are fine.

Use grey, uncooked ones.

As soon as they've stopped being grey,

and they've taken on a little bit of pink colour, then they're cooked.

Now's the time for a quick taste -

an opportunity to adjust the flavours to how you like them.

I'm adding a little extra sweet coconut milk,

a splash of fish sauce and a squeeze of lime.

That's what I really love about cooking.

It's not following a set of rules. 1 - do this, 2 - do that -

it's about tasting as you go along

and working out the changes you want to make.

Add the coriander leaves before putting everything together.

And finally, a sprinkling of cooling mint.

It's the heat from the chillies, the heat from the ginger,

the sweetness from the coconut milk, and then this amazing freshness

from the lime, from the lemon and from the mint.

The classic southeast Asian combination of spicy and sweet

just works so well in this soup.

The sweetness of the coconut

marries with the heat of the chilli and ginger

and makes a few prawns and noodles into a very special supper indeed.

My search for something gorgeously spicy and sweet

has led me down to the woods.

And I've been promised I'm in for a big surprise.

I wanted a job where I could work with my dog around me all the time.

It's dog-walking woods, and the site became available.

I contacted the Forestry Commission and I've been here five years now.

Most regulars come every day, which is really, really nice.

It's a lovely feeling that they want to come back all the time.

Steve Lowe is the owner of a mobile cafe

which sets up every day in Sherwood Forest.

But this isn't your average burger van.

Everything here is home-made to an amazing standard.

Since he's been here, everybody comes down.

We're just like one big family.

The quality of food is excellent. Something different every time.

It's fabulous. It really is.

I've eaten at a lot of "chucky wagons" on lay-bys.

Steve's food is remarkable.

Steve's going to be cooking a real treat for me -

spicy and sweet fluffy pancakes.

But first, we're going blackberry-picking.

So where's our little patch?

They grow everywhere around here.

Ooh, look at these! Glossy ones.

And it's really weird, because some areas,

you'll get massive bushes and there's nothing on them.

That's because you've been out at dawn!

The customers do bring them for me.

We're doing well for late in the season.

The fresh air's given me an appetite.

I can't wait for breakfast, and one of Steve's most popular dishes.

-Pancakes.

-Yep.

The thicker-style ones, with apples in advocaat and cinnamon ice cream.

Steve makes his batter from eggs, flour, sugar and milk.

-So that's a good, thick batter.

-Really thick.

Just dropping consistency.

A lot of people call them drop scones.

Yes, I think that's what I know them as.

-I can do this in a good heavy frying pan, can't I?

-Oh, yeah.

Wait for the bubbles to start really popping.

That's when you know it's going to form

a really good colour on the bottom.

He dusts the pancakes with icing sugar to make them extra sweet,

and for the spice, he sprinkles them with cinnamon.

He's stewing apples with a liqueur

that I associate with a more festive time of year.

Now, I know advocaat from my Christmas afternoon snowball!

-I've never ever thought of using it in the kitchen.

-Really?

-Mm-hm. It's never crossed my mind.

-Smells good.

-Smells very good.

It's like instant custard, with a little bit of brandy in.

Steve serves up the pancakes with the apples and home-made ice cream.

Looks gorgeous.

Oh, goodness me!

It's good?

Everything's just so comfortable together.

What's coming through all this is the cinnamon.

I think I've died and gone to heaven.

-I'm really glad you like it.

-I so do. I think I'd better get a dog.

Nothing puts me to rights like a great big bowl of lentils or beans.

Something that's very frugal,

and something that I can have in the fridge and keep going back to

and heating up whenever I want it.

Today I'm cooking one of my favourite suppers...

a lentil stew.

It's also got a twist from paprika

and a topping of sweet caramelised onions.

To begin with,

I'm cooking some roughly chopped onions over a low heat.

I could soften those onions in oil or butter,

but I'm actually going to use some bacon fat.

Or even better, some pancetta.

To make a vegetarian version of this dish,

you can simply leave out the bacon.

If you cook this on a high heat, it will sizzle and seal,

and I don't want that to happen.

I want the fat to slowly ooze out, almost to melt,

so I can cook the onions in it.

I want some sweetness in my lentil stew,

so I'm pulling up a few baby carrots.

Parsnip would work just as well.

Pop the lid on for a few minutes, just to keep the moisture in there.

Next, the spices...

There's two sorts of paprika.

There's the very spicy, hot one, and then there's a softer one.

And that's the one I'm using.

About half a teaspoon...

..to start with. We can always add more later.

And then cinnamon.

Barely half a teaspoon.

And then nutmeg. You can buy it ready-ground,

but I like it as a whole nutmeg,

which I then grate.

I'm going to use these slate-grey puy lentils for my stew.

They hold their shape during cooking and are deliciously nutty.

Next, some liquid.

You can use water or stock.

I'm using half and half.

Then leave for a good half an hour,

so the lentils soften and the carrots give up all their sweetness.

As the stew cooks, I'm going to make the wonderful topping.

If you want to up the sweetness factor

in any recipe,

then onions slowly cooked over a low heat is the way to do it.

Their sugars will caramelise on the pan and they'll add a rich,

mellow sweetness

to whatever you're cooking.

While the onions are sizzling,

I'm adding chopped parsley to the lentils.

So I'll put some of the parsley in now,

just so it can quietly cook with everything else,

and then some of it I'll add at the end,

just to give it a bit of a green blast.

So much of our cooking is about fast and frantic. It's about speed.

This is the sort of cooking you take your time over.

Just put things on a low heat...

and let them get on with things themselves.

Once the onions are golden brown and very soft,

I'm going to finish them off with a tiny pinch of nutmeg.

What I'm after is sweet warmth.

Now, that is going to get a little bit of creme fraiche.

This just adds that little touch of luxury

and doesn't cost very much.

And lovely sweet onions.

That's something to warm you through and through.

It's just so sweet and mellow.

And lovely soft spicing in the background.

This lentil stew is so comforting.

The warm spices are given a lift by the caramelised onions.

I'm spending the day with Steve,

who runs a mobile cafe in Sherwood Forest.

We've come to the family allotment, where he gets a lot of his produce.

But today, I'm raiding the vegetable patch.

-Sweetcorn...

-Mm-hm.

-That's when they're ready, when the silks go brown.

-What's in the bath?

Come and have a look. The smaller variety of carrots...

-I've not had any of those this year.

-I wouldn't mind cooking with them.

Take whatever you like.

Oh, it's too soon to pick them,

but they're SO sweet when they're that size.

I like the fact they come out nice and easily.

I quite fancy a bit of your beetroot, if you don't mind.

-We've got some already pulled for you - different sizes.

-Great.

When the weather gets really cold, I'm happy with all the big old veg.

But when they're this tiny and sweet, I can't resist them.

A few young parsnips, and I'll be ready to cook.

Isn't it really early for parsnips?

I like them once the frost has got at them, but..

see how white and sweet that is?

Look at him! That's beautiful.

Oh, my word! That's for soup.

I've picked the sweetest young vegetables -

they just need a little helping hand to bring out their natural sugars.

Root vegetables, particularly things like parsnips...they love butter.

They absolutely love it.

So you don't always know what you're cooking, do you?

You can't sort of plan a menu.

-If you're lucky enough to get fresh veg, you should use it, whatever's there.

-Yeah.

It's what I was brought up with.

You cook with what you've got.

It's amazing to be out in the open air,

cooking wonderfully fresh vegetables.

Oh, you grow some lovely things here, Steve.

It's all thanks to family, not me. I just cook it.

I'm lucky to receive everything,

without the back-breaking work.

I've got some very sweet spice here.

-This is garam masala.

-Wow!

-The very soft spices, the non-hot spices.

So...a little bit of mace,

and maybe some star anise.

Some cinnamon, and some nutmeg.

And clove.

The lovely thing about garam masala is that,

when you buy it, the spices are already roasted and ground.

So you can put it in at the very end of cooking,

because it's already been roasted.

I think we're probably ready.

It's only a little bit, almost like an exaggerated pinch...

-Mmm.

-..of spice, but it might be enough.

It looks and smells delicious.

I suppose, just find a couple of bits and dig in, really.

-I'm going to have a bit of beetroot.

-Have a bit of beetroot.

-You can smell that sugar!

-And just a hint of spice as well.

Mmm, that's really nice.

It could take a bit more, though, couldn't it?

Mum! Jan! Would you like to try?

-Ooh, it's delicious.

-Mmm, that is beautiful.

-Very nice, Mum.

It is that thing of the pleasure to pick something

and put it in the pan within minutes.

You know your allotment lunches? When you're working, and you cook something in the shed?

JAN: That's your job, Dad.

-We will do that!

-So I'll do the cooking, you'll do the digging?

-Definitely!

Just a few vegetables...

but marry them with spicy seasoning,

and you get a wonderful accompaniment,

or something to have as a main course.

Gardens and allotments are such exciting places for a cook.

If you'd like more inspiration, just log on to the website.

When I think of sugar and spice, I think of rainy, damp days

and warm kitchens, full of wonderful smells,

like honey and syrup...ginger, ground nutmeg and clove.

I'm going to be using some of those familiar flavours

in a sugary, spicy plum pudding cake

with a stewed plum topping.

A really useful recipe that works either as a family pudding,

or as a glorious cake for tea.

First I need flour, baking powder

and bicarbonate of soda.

Now the spices.

If you wanted to, you could put a little ground clove or nutmeg in,

but I like to keep it very simple.

I'm adding two of my favourites.

Use ground cinnamon -

a good teaspoon...

and another teaspoon of ground ginger.

Sift the flour, bicarb, baking powder and spices together.

Don't be tempted to skip this.

It's what will make the cake really light.

With the spices taken care of, now for the sugary bit.

I'm using golden syrup...

about half a tin.

For extra depth,

I'm adding some honey...

thick or runny.

This is real spice-box baking.

I can get all my toys out of the cupboard.

I use light muscovado sugar for this cake.

Its treacly flavour works so well with the spices.

Add butter and melt it all together over a low heat.

Then whisk up a couple of eggs with some milk.

Stir the sugar and butter very gently,

just to make sure all the sugar's melted.

Almost smells like Christmas in here today!

When the sugar's all melted, turn off the heat

and let it cool slightly while you line your baking tin.

So far, so traditional.

What I want to do is introduce some fruit into my cake.

Not dried fruits, but some fresh fruit.

Of all of the fruits,

I think that members of the plum family take best to spices.

They need to be quite ripe for this.

If the plums are very big, then it's worth quartering them.

They're very heavy, and they'll sink, which is exactly what I want to happen.

So it will have a cakey quality on top and then underneath,

it will be soggy with the juice of the plums.

Add the warm sugar to the spiced flour.

Mix it in gently. It'll be a bit lumpy but it doesn't matter.

Stir in the milk and eggs

and pour the mixture into the lined baking tin.

Into that, I'm going to drop the plums.

It goes in the oven for about half an hour.

I want something luscious to go with it.

I think it'll be lovely with sugary spicy plums on top.

What I'm going to do is make a virtual jam, really,

by popping the fruit into the same pan

that I melted the golden syrup in.

Add a little bit of sugar and butter.

I want some spice in here too.

I'm going to use the syrup from a jar of preserved ginger.

And if I hadn't got this,

I'd just put in a little bit of ground ginger.

Pop the lid on and leave them to cook while the cake's in the oven.

After half an hour or so, give it a test.

It's done when the skewer comes out clean.

With the spicy stewed plums ready, it's time to plate up.

This is definitely a cake worth serving warm.

I'm going to slide the warm plums on top...

and then...

some of the syrup round the outside.

Just a little dollop of cream.

Sugar and spice...

..and absolutely gorgeous. It's like heaven on a spoon.

This is a sweet and spicy treat,

whether you have it as pudding or cake.

If you've never tried making your own cakes,

this is a great place to start.

The simple combination of sugar and spice

can open up a whole world of opportunities in the kitchen.

It could transform the way you think about

some of your favourite recipes.

Next time,

I'll be looking at born and bred -

recipes inspired by ingredients

that Mother Nature tells us should be together.

The only way I could improve that is with just a trickle of cream.

It's like they were always meant to share a pot or a pan.

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