365 Days of Nigella
374 recipes cooked; £6,100 (and rising) raised for FareShareUK; 1 Forever Family forged (2 dads, 3 kids, 2 dogs).
365 Days of Nigella has been devised, by me, to provide a much-needed escape from the worries of living with anxiety and the complexities they can bring to daily life. It’s a 365-day Nigella cookalong that will diversify our household palate and, at the same time, grant me the avenue to express my passion for food and write about the memories it can evoke. One of the best therapies for anxiety is to recall our feelings of love, positivity, serenity, and pleasure, and, for me, these are often - if not always – associated with food and cooking. And, of course, eating.
I define one day as one entry into this blog: it may comprise of multiple recipes, or a single recipe, but will feature my witterings of the day - at the time of posting. I aim to post every other day (3-4 times per week), so this journey will go on for considerably longer than a year - a realisation that makes me very happy indeed. The reason for not posting every day is that we do not waste food in this house and we will need the days between each cookalong to gladly enjoy leftovers.
A few pleasantries before we begin: I am not running for first place in a photo competition, and I am quite guilty of rather ignorantly throwing about punctuation, and for this (and my writing) I apologise. However, I don’t deny that there is great satisfaction to be had in capturing a dish in all its beauty. I don’t have any fancy equipment; just a phone, small windows, and a bread board and cheese board for a backdrop.
Above all, however, it’s a bit of fun and I would love for you to join me. Cooking is a joyous way to spread love and happiness and I hope you enjoy it as much as I am sure I will enjoy creating, writing and eating my way through this journey.
Day 247: gorgeous in green
Gorgeous in green and bowl lickin’ good: Day 247 is Nigella’s Green Pasta with Blue Cheese.
Day 246: i wuv it daddy
As gorgeous to eat as it is uplifting to look at: Day 246 is Nigella’s South Indian Vegetable Curry.
Day 245: heart-warming moments
Heart-warming holiday moments: Day 245 is Nigella’s Aromatic Lamb Shank Stew.
Day 244: peaceful bowls
Peaceful bowls full of slurpy strands of pleasure suspended in a soul-soothing, feel-good broth: Day 244 is Nigella’s Sunday Night Chicken Noodle Soup.
Day 243: classic comfort
Day 243 is an evocative little number: Nigella’s Mustard Pork Chops.
Day 242: hot and sweet
Hot, sweet and express for Sunday lunch: Day 242 is Nigella’s Prawn and Mango Curry.
Day 241: chocolate orange
A nubbly-crumbed, fragrant beauty from the Chocolate Cake Hall of Fame: Nigella’s Chocolate Orange Cake.
Day 240: it’s not sunday, but…
Delivering the comfort and reassurance of the storecupboard stock cube and thick double cream: Day 240 is Nigella’s Sunday Night Pasta.
Day 239: tender golden veg
A gorgeously golden, softly-spiced pot of tender vegetables: Day 239 is Nigella’s Moroccan Vegetable Pot and Couscous with Pine Nuts and Dill.
Day 238: happy gorgeousness
A big vat of bright, happy, perfectly balanced gorgeousness: Day 238 is Nigella’s Tomato Curry.
Day 237: little cosy pots
Litte cosy pots of gorgeously spiced meat and gingery mashed sweet potato: Day 237 is Nigella’s Indian-Spiced Shepherd’s Pie.
Day 236: the bitter orange
Day 236 is Nigella’s Bitter Orange Ice Cream, and I can’t get enough of it.
Day 235: pan of love
Bringing everything I love into one pan and the people I love together to eat it: Day 235 is Nigella’s One-Pan Sage-And-Onion Chicken and Sausage.
Day 234: a hit of chocolate
An entity of deep, deep joy: Day 234 is Nigella’s Sticky Chocolate Pudding.
Day 233: cook for ukraine
Day 233 is for #CookForUkraine: Olia Hercules’s Pampushky; the plumpest of yeasty rolls, baked and smothered in parsley-flecked garlic loveliness.
Day 232: a long-time favourite
I’ve been using this recipe since I was about 16 years old, but this is its debut in the cookalong: Day 232 is Nigella’s American Breakfast Pancakes.
Day 231: midweek mellow
All the comfort you need for a midweek mellow: Day 231 is Nigella’s Mellow Meatballs.
Day 230: kitchen moments
These were just a true joy to make, smell, look at and, of course, eat: Day 230 is Nigella’s Soft White Dinner Rolls.
Day 229: sweet, delicate kisses
A sweet taste of late spring/early summer in an icy winter’s storm: Day 229 is Nigella’s Risi e Bisi.
Day 228: a fiesta of colour
Layers of sweet happiness and vibrant colour: Day 229 is Nigella’s Tortilla Lasagne.