Thank you to everyone who participated in round 25 of Weekend Cookbook Challenge theme:Nigella Lawson!! It was a great roundup(47 enteries) and with only two overlapping recipes.

I read Nigella Lawson's cookbooks like novels. She writes much like her
television persona. Cooking is exciting, fun and delicious. And no one describes food like Nigella does. I can say so with confidence that say she is definitely my favorite chef. I could watch any episode of one of her shows over and over again. I hang on her every word because I care to see if a recipe is a revamped version she got from one of her grandmothers, or what shortcut she suggests.

I was really interested in all the participants takes and versions of her recipes and thankfully there was a good amount. Please let me know if I may have missed any submissions.

The first entry was a main course, Beef Stew With Anchovies And Thyme, from Mike from Mel’s Diner. His was the first entry for Weekend Cookbook Challenge just like I was for when Mike hosted. Although the recipe turned out to be too Macey, Mike still has a soft spot for Nigella.



However Mike tried again with three more dishes. With a total of four tries. Beating me. This time a dessert and two appetizers. Zabaglione, Pea and Garlic Crostini and Butternut Squash and Pasta Soup. Mike almost became the blogger who contributed the most recipes.



The Zabaglione made for an interesting post and a good learning experience. Nice try Mike! However the Pea and Garlic Crostini and Butternut Squash and Pasta Soup saved the day. Both came out tasty, easy to make and a sure hit as an appetizer for any dinner.



The next participant was from Allen at Eating Out Loud, who made a delicious looking appetizer of Avocado and Green Pea Hummus. And what a lovely photo to accompany it.



Sara the mastermind of Weekend Cookbook Challenge made two scrummy dishes of Chicken Caesar Crepes and Green Eggs and Ham. Mmm great meals for any occasion!





Ruth from Once Upon A Feast made the most dishes with eight entries! Thank you so much Ruth; everything(Sticky Asian Ribs, Gingery Snowpea Stir Fry, Cauli-fried "Rice", Cacik, Black & Blue Steak, Hasselback Potatoes, Chocohotopots and St. Tropez Chicken) looks marvelous.











Michelle from Je Mange Laville made a lovely main course of Pollo alla Cacciatora. This looks so delicious and was featured on a recent episode of Nigella Express. A must try.



Tami from Running with Tweezers made a lovely Clementine Cake. Clementines are one of my favorite fruits so I was interested to see how it would fair in a baked good. Glad it turned out fabulous.



Joanna over at Lost in the kitchen made Honey Chocolate Cake although took a bit long was still yummy.



Raspberry and Chocolate Meringue Stack inspired Abby at Eat The Right Stuff, who added her own touch which resulted in a tasty version all her own.



Mansi Desai had a little write up about Nigella on her blog Fun And Food.

Dennis from Kookjegek.nl mad a springy side dish of Lemon Risotto. He also has some beautiful photos on the site.



Zakia from the The Frosted Bakeshop enticed us with Rosebud Madeleines one of my favorite desserts.



Mari from Mevrouw Cupcake made two lovely dishes. A main course of Cinnamon-Hot Lamb Tenderloin and a side dish of Cherried and Chickpea'd Couscous. Yum yum yum. I adore lamb, chickpeas and couscous. Must try this the next time I invite family over.



Michelle from Us vs. Food adorned brought the second Clementine Cake recipe to the round up. And am I glad there are two fans of this cake. Michelle's post which tickled me, so I shall now try definetly try it. She certainly did smack down the Clementines.



Lysy from Munchkin Mail contributed yet another dessert recipe Translucent Apple Tart. Mmm apple tart. Delicious.



Lisa from La Mia Cucina’s and her hubby’s contribution was a lovely main course of Chicken Pot Pie. A recipe from her beloved Nigella that she liked.



Mimi from All Things Mimi gave us a wonderful sounding dessert recipe Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake.



Stephanie from Just One Bite made one of her favorite Nigella recipes Rhubarb Cornmeal Cake. Versatile and delicious!



Shaun of Winter Skies, Kitchen Aglow a newcomer to Nigella Mania, nonetheless made a delicious main course dish of Fettuccine with Chicken from the Venetian Ghetto.



Pille from Nami Nami submitted a very tasty looking dish I have to make for Niel, Cider and Mustard Pork Chops.



Jasmine from Confessions of a Cardamom Addict made four recipes from Nigella Express. Three breakfast and one main course dishes. All a tasty hit!









Lisa from Lady Concierge made a very tasty looking Chocolate Cloud Cake. Mmm chocolatey goodness.



Over at Laws of the Kitchen there is a lovely meal of Nigella's Buttermilk Chicken, Asparagus and Warm Potato Salad. Thanks Cake Law!



Gretchen from Canela & Comino made one of my favorite side dishs Creamy Scalloped Potatoes.



Halo from Cook Almost Anything Once made the tastiest looking cupcakes I ever did see.



Duff over at Duff ABC's offered the second soup entry with Hot & Sour Soup. Glad the soup turned out well, although the ingredients were a bit difficult to come by.



Judy from Judy's Gross Eats provided the third soup entry. A Cream of Chicken Soup. Perfect for chilly days such as now.



Holly from Phemomenon made a yummy breakfast, dessert, hey an anytime pastry of Sticky Buns. They look so delicious!!!



Cara from Cara's Cravings made a yummy dish of meatballs that would be great for an appetizer or main course.



Johanna Green Gourmet Giraffe made the fourth soup entry with a lovely bowl of Chesnut and Lentil soup. Rich, creamy and perfect for any weather.



I made three dishes for this round up. Two main and one dessert. The main courses were inspired by my wanting of winter to be over and the dessert cause anything could tast good fried! Sliced Steak with Lemon and Thyme.



And I squeaked in with Maple Chicken and Ribs, and Fried Mounds bars.





Thanks again to everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed making these meals and everyones reading your posts!

I decided to sneak in two more recipes for Weekend Cookbook Challenge: Nigella Lawson.

I'm tired of winter, though it really wasn't a bad one for NYC. Nonethe less I want more BBQ meat. But not having a BBQ living in an apartment was a problem, however I found the next best thing in Nigella's Maple Chicken and Ribs from Nigella Express. They were super easy to make and pretty tasty.


Maple Chicken'n'ribs
Adapted from Nigella Lawson, Nigella Express
12 pork spare ribs
12 chicken thighs, with skin and bones
1 cup apple juice, as sharp as possible
4 tablespoons/1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick, halved
6 unpeeled garlic cloves

Put the ribs and chicken pieces in a couple of large freezer bags or into a dish.
Add all the remaining ingredients, squelching or everything together well before sealing the bag or covering the dish.

Leave to marinade in the refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days.

Take the dish out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 200C/400 degrees F.

Pour the contents of the freezer bag into 1 or 2 large roasting trays (making sure the chicken is skin side up) and place in the preheated oven and cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, by which time everything should be sticky and glossed conker-brown.


The best fried dessert I have tasted were at the Chip Shop. They were mini fried Mounds bars. The fried Oreos I sampled at the Lady of Mt. Carmel festival were mushy instead of melty. I decided to try stick to fried Mounds and made some for dessert using a Nigella Bites recipe. I omitted the pineapple though. They were good, but make sure the oil is pretty hot. I think next time though I will try pancake batter.




Deep-Fried Candy Bars with Pineapple Recipe
Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Bites

Approximately 2 quarts sunflower or other oil for deep frying
1 ripe pineapple
1 cup self-rising flour
About 1 cup soda water
8 fun-sized Mounds bars (see Note below)

PREPARATION:
Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to maximum heat.

Cut the top and bottom off the pineapple, and then quarter it vertically. Trim the woody core off each segment, and then lay it skin-side down, and slice the flesh in half lengthwise, stopping when you feel the skin.
Then cut it across into slices and run the knife between the flesh of the fruit and the outer husk. The pineapple pieces should then come away easily. Squeeze the outer skin of the pineapple over the cut fruit to get every last bit of juice.

Measure the flour into a bowl, and whisk in 3/4 cup of the soda water to make the batter, adding the rest of the water if the consistency is still too thick: you want this just thick enough to adhere easily. The best way to check is to turn a Mounds bar in it: if the batter sticks well enough, it's fine. I just use my fingers for this, but tongs work well, too.

Plunge the batter-blanketed Mounds in the hot oil and fry for about 3 minutes until the batter's puffed and golden. Remove to pieces of paper towel to absorb excess grease, then pile up on a plate to sit on the table alongside the cut-up pineapple.

For Weekend Cookbook Challenge 25 I couldn’t think of any other better theme than Nigella Lawson.

I would say I have made about seven Nigella Lawson recipes though I only took photos of four. I just find her shows so enjoyable. The dishes look and taste good. Plus I just feel at rest when watching her show. These are enough reasons for me to try more Nigella's recipes.

I chose Steak with Lemon and Thyme for this round; a recipe from her latest cookbook and Food Network show Nigella Express. Yes stews and casseroles are perfect for this time of year but I just want a bit of summer. And I thought a BBQ would be a great choice and an indoor grill would do just fine to cook it.



The recipe was easy to make, very tasty. The only thing I did differently was marinate the steak ahead of time. I served it with a baked sweet potato and corn.

Steak Slice with Lemon and Thyme
courtesy Nigella Lawson, 2007

1 rump steak (1-inch thick) weighing approximately 1 pound 4 ounces
Oil, for greasing
5 stalks fresh thyme to give 1 tablespoon of stripped leaves
2 bruised cloves garlic
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon Maldon salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
Good grinding fresh pepper

Cut away the fat from around the edge of the steak while you heat a griddle or pan.
Brush the steak with oil to prevent it sticking to the griddle or pan, and then cook for 3 minutes a side plus 1 minute each side turned again (this gives you pretty griddle marks) for desirably rare meat; the lemon in the post-hoc marinade 'cooks' it a little more.

While the steak is cooking, place the thyme leaves, garlic, oil, lemon zest, juice, salt and pepper in a wide shallow dish.

Once the steak is cooked, place it in the dish of marinade for 4 minutes a side, before removing it to a board and slicing thinly on the diagonal.

To say I adore Nigella Lawson is an understatement. I anticipate any new program or product from Ms. Lawson as much glee as getting a meal perfect. But I've been known to happily sit and watch reruns from previous shows as well. Right now I enjoy watching her latest show Nigella Express on The Food Network. She brings an easy and relaxed approach to cooking a variety of recipes from simple to more advanced. And I've tried several of her dishes with success. So I was very happy Sarah agreed to let me host another Weekend Cook Book Challenge (# 25) with Nigella Lawson as the theme. Pick any recipe of Nigella's whether it be sweet or savory, from appetizer to dessert and send me your post by February 21st.


Image from nigella.com

I found out through Shannon's site that Nigella Lawson is back on the Food Network with another show Nigella Express. I love Nigella and am glad I read about it. The meals will preparation will be a bit quicker apparently. But I don't think her other dishes take very long to make either.

I really wanted to try Nigella Lawson's recipe for Cheesy Pea Puree. I always have frozen peas on hand. Same for Parmesan. That is the cheesy part of the recipe. So I decided to make two other Nigella recipes to accompany it. Garlic Roasted potatoes. Which I could always eat. Ok any potato recipe I would eat.
And also Chicken and Sausage bake. Two of Niel's favorite meats. Everything turned out well. Next time I would have put the sausage a bit later than the chicken because the sausage cooked faster.