Opening Night with Nigella! Part 1

Nigella Lawson left a pretty big impression on me in my twenties. She is definitely known as an entertaining queen, one that I was determined to replicate in my own foodie adventures. She knew (and most likely still does) how to create a sanctuary in her kitchen, despite being the opposite of minimalistic which is what I am drawn to these days. Her mismatched China pieces dotted around the kitchen bench, flowers and other vintage decorative arrangements, her messy but, but organised chaos, and the fairy lights that twinkled in the background off the back of the lighting and camera work on her hit TV series’, just made me want to create that kitchen sanctuary for myself, no matter what sort of space I had available. (It didn’t matter which series she was running at the time – the sanctuaries were all the same; warm, welcoming and inspiringly beautiful!

I felt like a true ‘Domestic Goddess’ when I was given the book so titled, second only to Jamie Oliver’s ‘The Naked Chef’. Just eighteen years of age, about to leave home and embark on my own journey of food discovery (that was affordable on a student friendly budget) and experience the concept of entertaining for myself. For a couple of golden hours every other weekend, I would channel my inner ‘domestic goddess’ just as Nigella inspired – not to impress anyone, simply to get creative and bring new friends together. There was nothing glamourous about these events, definitely had the broke student vibe at times, but the food was tasty and company was never dull. And it can’t have been too bad, because my friends kept coming back when invited! Entertaining remained a focus every other weekend as I entered my twenties, feeding new found friends who I had made through my boyfriend (now husband) who truly looked after me as he chased his dreams in the USA to become a professional baseball player. Cooking shows got me through time apart from him, and were a big part of the preparation for entertaining. Nigella’s TV gems – ‘Nigella’s Food Express, Nigella Kitchen, Nigellissima, Forever Summer, Nigella Feasts and Nigella Christmas’ were definitely on repeat over those years. ‘Kitchen’ by Nigella Lawson (Published by Chatto & Windus 2010) was gifted to me by my twin sister upon moving internationally only recently, unable to travel with a load of books. Thrilled with the newest member of the GOAT cookbook family, I am very excited to create the first menu of this cooking journey from one of the true greats of the food and entertaining world.

After spinning the wheels, it was revealed that the opening meal would be a two course dinner. Excited and raring to go, I reached for this book from my shelf and began flicking through the dusty pages to find my menu. I found this part of the challenge very exciting. I was happy to have those first few decisions made for me and felt like I was able to get straight to the fun part, that is, deciding what my family was going to eat! I was drawn to the simpler of the recipes as they revealed themselves to me when turning the pages. Perhaps this full time working mother of two is far too comfortable with taking the simple route. **Note to self, get out of comfort zone! At the request of my daughters, the two courses would be made of a main and a dessert (of course), and with one fussy eater, I was drawn to the simple pleasures to make up the first family offering.

This weeks’ ‘Eating with the GOAT’ meal will be prepared on Thursday evening. (This is an activity free day of the week for us so there is a bit more time for food preparation.) Our opening night menu? Course one: Crispy Chicken Cutlets (pg 29) with Pasta alla Genovese (pg 41) & Panzanella Salad (pg 148) Course two: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake (pg 175)

For recipes used this week, please click on the links below.

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/panzanella

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/crunchy-chicken-cutlets (This is a version of the original recipe. I couldn’t seem to find the original recipe from the book online. See below also a link to purchase this cookbook which contains the original recipe.)

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/ligurian-pasta-with-basil-beans-and-potatoes

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/chocolate-peanut-butter-cheesecake

https://www.nigella.com/books/kitchen (The cover of this book has been updated so looks quite different to the copy that I have, but the contents remain the same.)

***Please note – page numbers are reflective of the copy of Nigella Lawson’s ‘Kitchen’ that I have. These may differ slightly in updated reprints.

Nigella writes in ‘Kitchen’ a line that really resonates with me. “Sometimes reality has the edge over romance….the kitchen is not a place I want to escape from, but escape to”. This journey to eat with the GOAT already has me excited about being in the kitchen in a more soulful and fulfilling way, even after just one week. I am eager to see what meals I will create in the weeks ahead and I genuinely hope that I can inspire you to find your groove, your rhythm if you will, to begin feeding your soul with me. I am very much looking forward to sharing the first experience with you in PART 2 of ‘Opening Night with Nigella’.

Until next time, start reacquainting yourself with the cookbooks on your shelves at home. Whether you’re a busy mum looking to rediscover joy in the kitchen, a twenty-something just beginning your cooking journey, or somewhere in between—come along with me. Let’s find our kitchen mojo together, one moment in the kitchen at a time.

The rhythm is in the cooking. The soul is in the experience. Grab those cookbooks, tie on your apron and join me next time at Eating With The GOAT!