Ragu! Or if you prefer, spaghetti bolognaise? I did a (brief) bit of research and it seems like spag bol is a bit of a misnomer anyway. We call it ragu. This recipe, that I have adapted from part of a Nigella Lawson recipe for a pasta bake, makes a vast quantity and freezes without so much as a hiccup. I feel most competant when freezing little bags of ragu marked ‘enough for 3′, ‘one child’ or ’2 adults’.
Mind you, since that episode of ‘The Sopranos’ when they wept as they ate the last frozen lasagne made by the deceased wife and mother, I feel like I should write a message of love on each bag. Or an insult to make them chuckle through the tears. Happy thought. So make this recipe, enjoy the feeling of contentment when on a busy day, dinner is but a defrost away and contemplate your mortality at the same time.
And they say that housewives have lost their sense of identity. Ha!
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Oooh I love the sharpness of lemon drizzle cake – the sharpness contrasting with the sweet tender crumb, the sticky syrup that drenches it and I’m helpless to resist crystallised rose petals and violets. This is a Nigella Lawson recipe and it works perfectly every time.
I haven’t got a picture of it sliced because I made it for Alex’s school Summer Fair ‘Guess the weight of the cake’ competition. I was about to start when it hit me. It’s a loaf cake made in a 450g tin. Oh dear. That would kind of give the weight away, non? So I got out my long tin (30x11cm), did 1½ quantity and all was well.
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Sticky cinnamon buns. A yeasted dough, curled up around a buttery, sugared, cinnamon filling, sporting a buttery, maple and golden syrup top. Did I mention the pecans too? Far, far less intimidating to make than it might appear, these are wow. Just wow.
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I’m sure there are lots of names for it. This is one of Nigella’s recipes and she calls it ‘hokey pokey’, so there you are. Make up a name and this is it.
We always called it honeycomb. Of course it has nothing to do with honey, but rather a lot to do with sugar and golden syrup. Fat free though – yes, really! Fat free! Unless you dip it in chocolate, but that’s a different matter.
Sweet, crunchy but chewy. And easy? Easy?! If you have 10 mins to spare and want to give someone a present that isn’t a box of dusty chocolates from the shop, then this is a choice to consider.
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Intensely lemony, satin creamy pots with sweet, buttery shortbread. This recipe, adapted from one of Nigella Lawson’s (How to Eat) is pure joy; rich enough to satisfy but with enough zing that you don’t feel overloaded.
Once you had made the mixture it needs to sit in the fridge to steep. 2 – 3 days is the recommendation and I would definitely concur.
Before we start, let me say that when we eat these, we like the lemons to punch you in the face and call you names; hence I have increased the recipe to 4 lemons from the original 3. It is an intense recipe there’s no doubt, but if you wish to be cautious, start with 3 lemons and once you’ve added the cream, taste the mix. If you can take some more lemon, go ahead and add the zest and juice of the 4th one. Are you man enough?
Here we go.
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