Published by Penguin Random House, 2001, hardcover, illustrated, index, 244 pages, condition: as new.
Nigella is now not only the best and most glamorous young home cook in Britain, and a great cookery writer, she's also become a household name. Her first short series on Channel 4 had over 2 million viewers and propelled her from success into stardom. How to Eat sold spectacularly on the back of the first unheralded 5-part series. Nigella Bites is a must-have for every viewer and all her fans. Some recipes are based on her popular Vogue columns, others are new and different, and all are characteristic of Nigella and the ethos of the TV series - uncomplicated, original, fresh, and perfect for the way we live today. They're easy to produce after a busy day at the office, fun to linger over at weekends or to make with the kids, delectable to read about, dreamy to look at and delicious to eat. They include Late Breakfasts, Party Food, TV Dinners, Trailer Trash , Big Lunches, Indoor Picnics, and other delights. Nigella wants her readers and her viewers to enjoy eating and cooking. With her, how could anyone resist!
Nigella Bites--the title is taken from Nigella Lawson's Style Network cooking show of the same name--is the third book from British Vogue food editor and New York Times food columnist Nigella Lawson, a force of nature all her own. Her other books include How to Eat and How to Be a Domestic Goddess. Fans of the TV show will find all these easy-to-follow recipes familiar, and the book is even designed with pages for note taking at the end of each section.
Nigella Bites is divided into chapters that include "All-Day Breakfast," "Comfort Food," "TV Dinners," "Party Girl," "Rainy Days," "Trashy," "Legacy," "Suppertime," "Slow-Cooked Weekend," and "Templefood." "Templefood" refers to the "body as a temple," and Lawson shares what she calls "restorative" recipes, like the raw egg and brandy hangover cure called Prairie Oyster. Hot and Sour Soup and Gingery Hot Duck Salad are also present and accounted for.
It's all self-referential. Lawson (her chapter introductions are printed in 26-point type for the hard of seeing) holds nothing back about what she likes, how she overindulges, how she works her lifestyle into the kitchen and onto the table. It's encouragement by example, with a practical twist. You aren't going to spend hours in the kitchen midweek. That's a reward you save for the weekend. But there's plenty of deliciousness to be had midweek as well, and Lawson's there to help you along your way. --Schuyler Ingle
