Day 50: the first milestone
I must admit, I did ponder for quite a while over whether or not ‘milestone’ was the right choice of word here. Apart from the realisation that my limited word bank didn’t have an alternative, I (eventually) decided that it was, in fact, more than suitable: it marks the completion of 50 entries into this blog, 55 Nigella recipes that have been cooked, eaten and enjoyed, and reaching 25% of our fundraising target. For many years now I have allowed my anxieties and worries to dictate everyday life, so this indeed also marks significant headway into my journey to better understand my anxiety, tame it, and take back control. All of this has taken place over 115 days so far, so I can only apologise for the sheer length of time remaining - where you may, or may not, choose to stick around for my incessant prattling - until I reach the 365th blog entry. I did take 3 weeks off for Christmas, mind, so that slowed me down a little.
It has been a fantastic experience trying new foods and flavour combinations. This cookalong really is diversifying our palates and drawing me out of my comfort zone. I have lost count of the number of jars of anchovies we have consumed, which - in contrast to before this cookalong started - is a mammoth feat; in fact, the total number of anchovies I had eaten before stood at less than a quarter of a fillet.
The challenge for me so far has been trying to break thirty years of stubborn habits, many years of being governed by my anxieties and being too afraid to pursue something I love, in fear of how I might be judged.
If you suffer from anxiety, you may find it difficult to relinquish control to someone else, which is essentially what you’re doing when you follow a recipe. I also fear that I’ll mess it up, so I think why would I bother putting myself through that stress – stick with what you know. I tend to spend an inordinate and exhausting amount of time overthinking and worrying about what other people might be thinking, so this has been a good chance for me to take ownership of something and be proud of it. Working on overcoming these self-doubts has been challenging but rewarding. I look for no praise either, only joy in the experience, a sense of accomplishment throughout, and knowledge that perhaps even just one or two of you are enjoying my tiresome witterings.
Following this process of picking recipes each week, incorporating the ingredients into my weekly shop, meal planning, taking the essential time-out to cook each one and then writing about them is brilliant for the development of organisational skills, time management, and in helping me focus on the task in hand. This whole process is giving me the chance to re-train my brain, the way I approach new situations and tackle the anxieties presented when stepping into unfamiliar territory. It is very time-consuming on top of a fulltime job, but it keeps me entertained, out of trouble and it puts the biggest smile on my face. I am so happy to be sharing it with you and am very grateful for each and every day.
And finally, but by no means least: a few weeks ago, I made a small tweak to this website to help raise awareness of the ongoing food waste plight in the UK. It is not the core reason for this cookalong, but I wanted to use it to help benefit others and not just myself. So far, we have raised £500 for FareShare UK. I thank you all for your donations and I will continue to donate at least £20 each month for the duration of this Nigella cookalong, as promised.
It was Nigella’s #recipeoftheday not so long ago, so I have marked Day 50 of 365 Days of Nigella with an Italian Roast Chicken with Peppers and Olives: a marvellous meal that has provided sustenance for three days now.
Nigella’s Italian Roast Chicken with Peppers and Olives
A little unwrapping, a small amount of slicing, some elaborate drizzling, 75 minutes in a hot oven, and you're done. I served this with beef dripping roast potatoes, adding a twist of the Mediterranean with some garlic and oregano.
I think I’ve taken up enough of your time today and will refrain from jabbering on at you for any longer. We will definitely be enjoying this on repeat throughout summer, sitting in the evening sun with a glass of something cold. I yearn for some al fresco dining. Don't we all?
Flavour musings
The thing I love about cooking a roast chicken is that dinners and lunches for a few days after are more or less taken care of (especially if cooking a whole chicken just for one or two people - if you’re a bigger family then, of course, it might not go so far). I stripped the majority of the meat from bones and put it in the fridge with the leftover olives and peppers. With the bones, the lemon, and the tougher green ends from the trimmed leeks (that I didn’t put in the roasting tin) I made a both, to which - after stripping the remaining meat from the bones - I added cooked orzo, a good grinding of salt and pepper, fresh parsley and fresh dill. A beautiful bowl of fresh summer-like sunshine.
Tonight, I will make a speedy chicken, olive and pepper stew to serve with rice. You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter, where I will also share how I put leftovers to use through this cookalong (not that they wouldn’t be fabulous reheated, just as they are).
