Episode 5 Simply Nigella

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

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

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

not just when I'm eating it...

..but when I'm cooking it too.

The moment of truth.

Simply Nigella is about dishes that do just that.

Recipes that relax and restore...

..uplift and enrich.

So seriously good.

Food I've enjoyed with family and friends...

..as I've settled into my new kitchen and where I am in my life right now.

I believe with all my heart

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

-Mm, really delicious.

-This is so good.

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

and life is there to be celebrated.

There are days when I want a big bowl of something cosy,

and others when I want something light but still luscious.

And I've got just the thing in mind.

Got my avo, need watercress -

everything else is back at the ranch.

My salmon, watercress and avocado salad

is a bit of a house special in Casa Lawson.

I make it so often I could probably make it in my sleep.

And I like to use wild Alaskan sockeye salmon,

which naturally has this vivid hue.

And although it's in a frying pan, I poach it.

Want some spring onion to bring a bit of flavour to

the poaching liquid.

And some black peppercorns.

The reason I use a frying pan is that you don't need much liquid,

which means it comes to a bubble faster and it cools faster,

so the flesh stays tender and doesn't overcook.

I want the sprightliness and brightness of some lime.

And I think you need to be bold with the salt.

I have devised the perfect poaching procedure for this.

I let the pan come to a bubble and once it does bubble,

I turn off the heat, I turn the fish over,

and I let them stand in the pan for seven minutes.

Works for me every time.

So it's bubbling now, I do not want it to come a rollicking boil.

Turn off the heat.

And flip these over.

They do look a bit raw on the top but they will cook

so gently as they stand in the water.

The texture will be soft and luxurious.

I like a bit of a crunch in the salad, so I add pumpkin seeds.

Now, I love pumpkin seeds anywhere and anyhow,

but toasted they really are wonderful.

It enhances their flavour and it brings out

their nuttiness and smokiness.

And if I wait patiently, I'll start hearing them pop.

Patiently being the key word.

POPPING Oh! They're going.

The noise reminds me of those little caps that my brother had

when we were little, and you flicked them like that, picked at them

and they would pop like the pumpkin seeds.

I don't want them scorched, obviously, but I do want them

to brown a little, or rather go bronze among the green.

POPPING CONTINUES

I'm going to give myself the pleasure of a few more pops

and then I'm going to shake them out into a pan to cool.

Beautiful.

The salmon's had its time.

I'm going peel away the skin.

Although I love skin if fish is fried or grilled, not when it's poached.

Perfect!

And they can sit on the plate to get cool...

..while I get on with my salad.

I want a tangle of watercress.

Bit of arranging.

And a few drops of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

And I love the fierce pepperiness of watercress.

It's the perfect foil to the smoothness of the avocado

and, indeed, the salmon.

I prefer just to spoon out curls of avocado

rather than have it sliced rigidly.

Getting rather camouflaged in there.

Now the salmon.

See, this is how I like to eat salmon -

still a bit bright coral within.

Silky, the texture.

I always go for cold-pressed rapeseed oil here.

Again, it's got a pepperiness like the watercress,

although extra virgin olive oil would not be a bad choice.

Crunch of pumpkin seeds.

This is the work of mere moments.

Such a relaxing way to cook fish.

I'm getting excited now.

In or out of the kitchen, balance is all-important,

but for me, a life cannot be a balanced one

if there's no room in it for chocolate cake.

And I have a radical new one in mind.

My brand-new creation is a chocolate liquorice layer cake,

sandwiched with jam, draped with chocolate

and topped with blackcurrants.

And I'm ecstatic about it.

I've re-stocked my liquorice box.

Now, I know the world divides into liquorice-loathers

and liquorice-lovers,

but I'm on a crusade and I have made a few conversions.

The combination of chocolate and liquorice is a revelation.

These chocolate liquorice almonds are - I describe as - entry level.

But this liquorice-filled chocolate bar

is decidedly for the mature student.

Moving to warp factor nine,

this salty liquorice syrup is the Antichrist for liquorice-loathers.

But for me, this...

drizzled over ice cream is a sensation.

This is where my love affair with liquorice started.

I used to spend all my pocket money on these blackcurrant

and liquorice sweets.

What I savoured, and still do, is that balance between

bright, sharp blackcurrant and warm, deep liquorice.

This is Yin and Yang in confectionary form

and I knew I had to emulate this in the cake.

To do so, I brought chocolate into the partnership,

and I use fine liquorice powder.

This is much more like a spice,

bringing a subtle bloom after the bite,

and it's my secret weapon for luring liquorice-loathers over to my side.

This cake isn't just divine to eat, it's also really easy to make -

just a case of mixing wet ingredients into dry.

I'll start with the dry - plain flour...

..and enough sugar to balance the immense amount of bitter cocoa

that comes after.

On top of that, baking powder and bicarb,

without which the cake will not rise enough.

And last to go into the dry ingredients is fine liquorice powder,

enough to give a pronounced hit -

but trust me, the effect is oh-so subtle.

Then the wet ingredients, just three.

First, milk. You can use semi-skimmed but I use almond milk,

not least because then it's a dairy-free cake

for those who want it so.

Next, some sunflower oil.

And then eggs.

And once combined, they can be added to the dry ingredients.

This is when the magic happens.

The pale, speckled flour is transformed into

a glistening, rich, mahogany paste.

And this becomes a glossy batter thanks to the addition of

some water from a recently boiled kettle.

I whisk this in swiftly...

..then pour the smooth, chocolaty batter

into two lined and greased sandwich tins.

And don't even think of using loose-bottom ones,

or the batter will escape.

These need about 25 minutes in a moderate oven, then let them cool.

My cakes have been waiting so patiently to be iced

and I'm happy to oblige.

In fact, I am quite excited.

Now, the icing should be a subtle echo of the flavours in the cake,

so I'm starting with a whisper of liquorice.

Just to dissolve that, bit of hot water.

Oh, and now I have some information to impart -

I am going to show you my magic trick.

I take this, I put a bit of oil in it.

Just brush it.

And because I'm using golden syrup, it won't stick.

This is good for honey, treacle - anything like this.

And now, I will perform said magic trick.

All comes out.

I'm going to give it a quick stir.

And while this comes to a bubble, I'm going to chop my chocolate,

the last and very important ingredient in the icing.

This chocolate is good and dark,

a bitter hit against the ambrosial sweetness of the golden syrup.

I like bashing this into smithereens.

Getting a bit obsessive here now. SHE LAUGHS

I'm marshalling my chocolate rubble.

My bronze liquid is bubbling.

So, heat off - this is crucial -

the rubble...tumbles in.

And I just need to swirl the pan...

It's not very demanding work.

..so that the chocolate is submerged

and I can get on with filling the cake.

The cakes will look quite flat at this stage - they're meant to.

Now, one cake down here.

I talked earlier about the inspiration for this cake

and the sweets of my childhood, so it's only right that

the filling for this cake should be blackcurrant jam.

Oh! I love its malevolent glint.

And the sharpness of the jam...

..is just what you need to punctuate

that rather sort of husky liquorice quality.

And now, lid on.

And it's ready to receive a swathe of glossy chocolate.

Whisk it on.

Needs a bit of coaxing -

it's shy.

I'm not a neat freak

and I love it when the chocolate drips down the edges.

Blackcurrants can be quite hard to find,

although you can sometimes get them frozen.

However, I have been to known to scrummage about a frozen packet

of mixed berries just to get the blackcurrants for this.

It's not the most exciting work,

but it's worth it.

One of the wonderful things about living in a big city is that

you absorb culinary influences from so many different cultures.

And one of my favourite recipes is testament to that.

Chicken shawarma is a kind of Lebanese kebab,

and it's cooked on a spit.

Now, I make a version at home, I bake it in the oven,

and it's fabulously simple.

But I still like to eat it in the trad manner,

and that means flatbreads and a lot of pickles.

MUSIC: Get Ready By The Temptations

I'm lucky enough to live near a Middle Eastern deli,

so my supper guests get to crunch on pickled green chilli peppers

and pickled turnips.

Beetroot in the pickling liquor is what turns them so radiantly pink.

And for me, nothing beats proper Middle Eastern pita bread.

What I'm making to eat with these is something

I get started on in leisurely fashion a day ahead.

I'll admit my chicken shawarma relies on an awful lot of spices,

but this couldn't be easier to make.

And besides, any recipe that starts with the zest and juice

of two lemons makes my heart sing.

And this involves minimal washing up -

always an important factor for me.

I throw everything in a plastic bag and I've already got

12 skinless, boneless chicken thighs nestling in there.

I've got some serious impaling work to do,

because on top of that fabulous mimosa sprinkle of lemon zest,

now the sharpness of the juice.

Remarkably pip-less lemons,

although I don't much mind if a pip or two falls in.

Very satisfying work.

I want some olive oil, just regular olive oil.

Bit of moisturiser.

And now for my carefully-calibrated spice collection.

Some paprika, first off.

Gorgeous colour, gorgeous taste.

Next, cumin.

The thing about these spices is it's not their individual voices,

but it's the choir of flavour when they're together.

Coriander, always the junior partner to cumin

but no less valuable.

Dried chilli flakes.

And now, a slight flirt with the sweeter spices.

Before I put too much in, little bit of cinnamon.

And some nutmeg, just freshly grated over.

Being a bit more boisterous now with some garlic.

Don't be alarmed though - the garlic doesn't overwhelm.

It's all perfectly harmonious.

And I'm happy to throw the end bits in. And then...

Fabulous. Need a crunch of salt.

And two bay leaves.

Serious bit of squelching to do now.

This just sits in the fridge gaining in tenderness and flavour,

and then it goes in a hot oven for 30 minutes and it's cooked.

The thing about the chicken shawarma, it's how you eat it

as well as the fabulousness of the chicken itself.

So I want a pile of warm flatbreads on the table,

some tomatoes I'll chop up with some fresh mint, some shredded lettuce

to go under the chicken, of course my pickle purchases...

Oh, and I have to have my tahini yoghurt sauce

which I sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Now, although tradition decrees that this sauce should served only

with lamb shawarma, I think it partners my chicken perfectly.

Start with regular plain yoghurt and stir in some tahini,

that rich and grainy sesame paste that I like to keep on hand.

Add a good sprinkle of sea salt flakes

and mince or grate in some garlic.

When I serve this, I add a scattering of ruby pomegranate seeds,

but for now, all I need to do is stir it together.

As I'm making this ahead of time, I simply cover and chill this

until I need it.

Pudding has really nothing to do with what we're eating first,

but I don't expect any objections on that account

and I can get it mixed up before my guests arrive.

My children like a chocolate chip cookie

so gooey on the inside that it's hard to make the outside set enough

for the cookies to keep integrity of form.

So this is my solution.

A chocolate chip cookie dough you bake in a little dish

and eat warm with a spoon, the chocolate chips still molten.

These are incredibly easy to make.

You need soft, unsalted butter to start off with,

which you beat together with soft light-brown sugar.

This brings a bit of goo to the texture,

along with caramely sweetness.

I'm using a mixer but a bowl and a wooden spoon would be just fine.

Once the mixture is soft and combined,

add vanilla paste or extract and then beat in an egg.

I've got some plain flour ready in a bowl and before I go any further

with this, I need to add a little salt and bicarb.

Then beat this into the butter and sugar mixture just gently

until it coheres.

When my children were small, they'd have eaten most of this

batter by now.

Finally, fold in some chocolate chips.

I like very dark, teeny chocolate chips for this.

And the pots I cook these in are small too.

I hate the word 'ramekin', but it's ramekins I need for these,

so there it is.

I'm making six, even though I'm feeding four.

As I've said before, I am never knowingly under-catered.

One final touch - I smooth the tops with a cranked spatula.

They'll need around 15 minutes in the oven.

But in the meantime, I have peeps arriving

and the heady aroma of chicken shawarma to welcome them with.

MUSIC: Come And Get Your Love by Redbone

William, you're meant to be on bread duty.

Oh, yes, I was going to be on bread duty.

Really, too busy with the talking.

And now, I'll take it. Thank you very, very much.

Sandwich in a minute. There you are.

I'm going to try and give you some lettuce too.

Oh, you've got... So, you have... Ah.

They're beautiful, aren't they? The pink the red and the gold.

I'm loving that so much.

It's like a cocktail.

-What's in that sauce?

-Tahini, yog and garlic.

Can I recommend a bit of the very nice pink turnip?

Oh, yes.

-NIGELLA LAUGHS

-It's the way you say it.

Look. This is pretty.

And then I am going to apply to face.

-LAUGHTER Mmm.

-Do you want a fork?

You have to wear your napkin like the old boys do, tucked in.

I haven't got... I'm now reduced to fork behaviour.

Mmm. Really delicious.

However much everyone's eaten, there's somehow always room for

my cookie dough pots, which I like with the sour tang of creme fraiche.

OK, so I dig in like thus.

And then...

Oh, my God. Delicious.

And then I fill the middle.

Do you want to try that? You've done the...

-'Action!'

-I have restocked my liquorice box.

Now, I know the world is divided between liquorice-haters

and liquorice-loathers, but...

What am I doing?!

I have to do it like this. I know the world is divided

between liq...liquorice-loathers and liquorice-lovers.

I da...I missed my pairing.

Now, I know the world is divided between liquorice-loathers

and liquorice-lovers, but I'm on a conversion and I have made...

Oh, my God. Will someone throw water at me? SHE LAUGHS