For post-festive meals, turn to the larder and leftoversI’m looking at the storage jars of parchment-hued beans – the oval cannellini and round haricot, the flat butter beans and, of course, the plump little chickpeas – and wondering if I will ever rem…
Nigel Slater’s festive recipes for roast cauliflower and chocolate treats
A humble yet splendid dish – and handmade fruit and nut clusters for ChristmasI brought a dish of baked cauliflower to the table the other day – creamy-white clouds in a spiced, brick-red sauce. Humble, yet somehow splendid with its festive colours and…
Nigel Slater’s roast chicken pilau recipe
Lefover roast chicken transformed into a spicy, herby, curried treat with riceWash 200g of white basmati rice in a bowl of warm water, drain, then transfer to a medium-sized saucepan. Add 2 bay leaves, 4 cloves, 8 peppercorns and half a stick of cinnam…
Nigel Slater’s recipe for peach, cucumber and peanut salad
A fruity, flavoursome, nutty and unusual statement saladCut a 600g cucumber in half lengthways, then into short pieces, about 6m in length. On a chopping board, lightly bruise the flesh with a rolling pin or the flat side of a kitchen knife, to soften …
Nigel Slater’s puffed rice with courgette and tomatoes recipe
A herby, nutty, spicy, veggie treatCut 300g of courgettes in half lengthways, then into small cubes, each about 2cm square. Continue reading…
Perfect roast chicken, apricot tarts, cheesecake: recipes from Nigel Slater’s new book
‘Cooking is about quiet moments of joy,’ says the Observer’s food writer in this exclusive extract from A Cook’s BookYou could measure my life in recipes. Each one a letter to a friend, a story of something I have made for dinner, the tale of how it ca…
Nigel Slater’s recipe for orecchiette with green beans and tomato confit
Toast the departing sun with a glorious tomato extravaganzaThere is much to do in the kitchen. I made the last of the plums into jam last week – a softly set version for spooning over yoghurt – there are damsons to be frozen for winter and I just manag…
Nigel Slater’s recipes for plum and rosemary cake, and baked aubergines
Late-summer plums lend themselves to many recipes, but you can’t beat a nice cakeAt the bottom of the garden, past the old well and the hazel frames of runner beans, was what we grandly called “the orchard”. Hidden among the pear and greengage trees, p…
Nigel Slater’s recipes for pickled figs and baked sardines
A winning way with short-season figs, and a crunchy, herby, baked fish treatThis is the most extraordinary summer I can remember. The day on which monsoon-style rains smashed my tomato plants to rags was followed by one so hot and dry I could barely fi…
Nigel Slater’s recipe for roast peppers, tomatoes and lentils
A succulent, juicy, midweek veggie feastSet the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Wipe 4 large peppers, halve them lengthways, remove their seeds, then place them in a baking dish or roasting tin. Tuck around them 250g of cherry tomatoes. Bake for 40-50 minutes…