While I was saddened to
read of Ms. Lawson’s recent domestic troubles, placed front and center in the
gossip rags, I do not doubt that she will capably solider on. Perhaps, in two years
time, we will learn of a new cookbook, titled Nigella’s Comfort Food: Meals
To Take Your Mind Off Your Worries.
Until such time, there
is Nigellisima: Easy Italian-Inspired Recipes, which speaks of nothing
more than what we have come to expect from Ms. Lawson – solid recipes for
almost every day cooking.
To appeal to her vast
audience, Ms. Lawson sticks with what I have come to think of as her go-to
flavor profile; stock your pantry with a bit of chili and lemon one or two
fresh herbs and one or two hard cheeses and, bada-bing-bada-boom, you have the
foundation to a pleasing, sometimes captivating, not-too-tricky dinner. With Nigellissima,
you would be wise to add a tin of anchovies and bottle each of white and red
vermouth to your liquor cabinet. Armored with the umami power of these staples and a fry pan, the recipes come together quickly and easily.
Writing, as I am, during
the peak of summer, I selected test recipes that feature the season’s produce. Pasta
with Zucchini (page 5) epitomizes summer cooking. Dice some zucchini and onion,
pan-sear with a bit of vermouth, then toss with cooked pasta and freshly grated
Parmesan. Done. As you might experience in Italy, there is just a hint of
garlic in the dish, here from a garlic-flavored oil, but it brings the soft
flavors together, one not over-powering the other.
Garlic-flavored oil
works, too, in Cherry Tomatoes with Olives (page 104). Infused with the oil,
then tossed with red vermouth, olives, rosemary and parsley, the tomatoes
soften, their acidic character tamed. The dish works on its own or as a
dressing for pasta or, this being summer, simply grilled meats.
If you grill the lamb steaks in
Lamb Steaks with Anchovies and Thyme (page 57), the vermouth-enriched
anchovies, transformed into a sauce powerful enough to balance any gaminess in
the lamb, can easily be drizzled over the meat.
Recipes offer straightforward
cooking techniques such as pan-frying that most home cooks are comfortable
with. The challenge comes in the form of a few less familiar ingredients. Sashimi-quality tuna for Tuscan Tuna Tartare (page 87) or the more sustainable monkfish tail filets in the Monkfish Wrapped in Rosemary, Lemon and Parma Ham (page 79) are not necessarily affordable or easy to source locally.
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Mise |
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Squid and shrimp over wild rice with broccoli |
I challenged myself with Squid
and Shrimp with Chili and Marjoram (page 80) served over Italian black rice. I keep neither squid nor black rice on hand. A quick demo from my
fishmonger on squid prep was all that was needed for the protein and I skipped
the black rice for some wild rice already in the cupboard. Visually, it turned
out nearly as nice as the book’s photo and tasted of earth, of sea, of chili.
There are a few crossover
dishes such as Italian Tempura Shrimp (page 84) and Chicken with Tarragon Salsa
Verde (page 95) and a section devoted to Italian Christmas and these dishes add
a bit of interest to this Italian cookbook. But the message here is no fuss,
mostly quick Italian.
Whether you are already
a fan of Ms. Lawson or are discovering her cooking for the first time, you will
find this book useful as a natural extension to your Italian cooking repertoire. With a few
basics stocked in the cabinet and fresh herbs in the fridge, you, too, can be a
domestic goddess. Minus the drama, I hope.
Labels: italian cookbook, italian recipes, monkfish, nigella, nigella lawson, nigellissima, nigelllissima cookbook review, umami