Although
Forever Summer is one of Nigella's older books (first published in
2003), I pull it off the bookshelf ever year at the first sign of
Summer, so this year I thought it was the perfect time to review it
and really put the recipes to the test.
To be
fair although this is a book full of bright Summery recipes it's sole
intention is not just to be cooked from in those balmy Summer months,
but rather year-round to remind you in the darkest, coldest days of
Winter about those blue skies that seem at that point like a distant
memory. In all honesty however, I don't think I have ever cooked from
it in Winter as the majority of ingredients are Summer based and
although I'm not a super strict follower of using what's in season I
do try my best so it's extremely unlikely that you would ever find me
making her recipe for Watermelon,
Feta and Black Olive Salad in the middle of our Winter (unless of
course I was sunning myself in a hot tropical location!).
The
book is divided up into 'First Course', 'Second Course', 'Dessert'
and 'Drinks' but within each main chapter are plenty more categories
such as Starters, Salad, Pasta, Fish and so on, so every area is
covered. Having bookmarked lots of recipes in the end 5 recipes were
put to the test....
Tested
Recipes:
Shrimp
and Black Rice Salad with Vietnamese Dressing
Watermelon,
Feta & Black Olive Salad
Happiness
Soup
Za'atar
Chicken with Fattoush
Chicken
and Cashew Nut Curry
The
first recipe I tried was the Shrimp and Black Rice Salad with
Vietnamese Dressing. I knew it would be good because the dressing
was similar to other dressings I have tried of hers in different
books, and also because it was so incredibly easy to make. Although
the dressing wasn't suitable for Wee One (too much spice) hubby and I
loved it and I can understand why she uses the dressing on lots of
other things. This was a nice, quick and easy recipe which I will
definitely make again. The only issue I can see with this recipe is
being able to get the Black Rice but if you can definitely try this
recipe.
Next
up was the Watermelon, Feta & Black Olive Salad. This
wasn't a new concept/recipe for me as I have made my own version
before but since my version was inspired by this recipe I thought it
was time to try it again. Also since Wee One loves Watermelon, Feta
and Black Olives I knew he would be delighted with it which he was.
The perfect refreshing Summer Salad which ticks all the taste bud
boxes and since I always have Feta and Black Olives in the fridge I
know we'll enjoy this all Summer long.
The
third recipe to be put to the test was her mood enhancing Happiness Soup. The recipe itself was incredibly easy and other than the
chopping of the yellow zucchini/courgette there wasn't much more
effort required. I would make a couple of changes in future by
reducing the amount of olive oil and halving the amount of turmeric
as it just seemed to make the soup fluorescent yellow and didn't do
much flavour wise but otherwise it was a
lovely summery soup. If you are interested to see what Happiness Soup
is then you can check out the recipe here.
Next
up and for a family meal I made the Za'atar Chicken with Fattoush.
Since I already had Za'atar in my spice drawer it was an incredibly
easy recipe to make with minimal ingredients. I did deviate slightly
from the recipe by using all thighs instead of a whole chicken which
had been jointed, but taste wise it didn't change things. The salad
was also easy and straightforward and very refreshing. Even my Dad
who isn't a fan of cucumbers seemed to enjoy it despite the large
amount of cucumber! All in all it was an easy and delicious mid-week
meal.
The
final recipe to be put to the test was the Chicken and
Cashew Nut Curry, and to
really put it to the test my Auntie cooked this dish while over
visiting. Her opinion of the recipe was that it was easy to follow,
however you had to cook it for a lot longer than the cooking time
suggested as it was just too watery and thin. The final flavour was
very nice but definitely not what any of us would call a curry! I did
think it unusual with the spices she used and so next time to boost
the flavour a bit I would add a teaspoon or two of actual curry
powder as well as the suggested spices. Other than that though it was
a real success and even Wee One loved it.
I
had hoped to try out a few more recipes, including some sweeter
dishes but with my family over to visit for a holiday and being out
and about so much I ran out of time, however here are some of the
recipes that I bookmarked for future use:
Bookmarked
Recipes:
Risi
E Bisi
Summer
Minestrone Alla Genovese
Mauritian
Shrimp Curry
Coconut
and Chilli Salmon Kebabs
Seafood
Laksa
Keralan
Fish Curry with Lemon Rice
Porchetta
Spareribs
Crispy
Lamb Chops
Moroccan
Roast Lamb
Golden
Jubilee Chicken
Slow-Roasted
Garlic and Lemon Chicken
Ricotta
Hotcakes
Anglo-Italian
Trifle
Arabian
Pancakes with Orange-Flower Syrup
Baci
Ice Cream
Skor
Bar Ice Cream
Frozen
Chocolate Truffles
White
Chocolate Ice Cream with Hot Blackberry Sauce
Blue
Lagoon
Fragonard
Fresh
Green Gimlet
White
Lady
Specialty
Ingredients?
By
chance I just happened to have some black rice that I bought a while
ago from a specialty store so I'm not sure how easily I would be able
to find that from my local supermarkets. Also the Za'atar was another
spice that I bought a while ago while home in Scotland so if you live
there you can easily pick it up however I think it would be much
harder to find in Canada other than at a specialist shop or online.
Learn
anything new?
No,
but I did use my Za'atar for the first time which is a bonus.
One
of the biggest problems I have with cooking in the Summer is deciding
what to have. Some days it is just too hot to really want to eat and
other days you are hungry but the last thing you want to do is spend
a long time in a hot kitchen cooking over an even hotter oven!! The
book certainly does inspire with it's fresh and straightforward
recipes and has a real mix of cold and warm dishes for those days
when you need something more than just a salad. The book has so much
influence from other countries which I love as there is a real
variety of recipes and adds a lovely “holiday” feel to it which
is what after all, Summer is all about!
My
least favourite chapter funnily enough was the chapter on Pasta which
seems crazy considering how much I love pasta but for some reasons
the recipe just didn't inspire. That being said there were plenty of
other recipes from the other chapters that I wanted to try (as you
can see from the bookmarked list of recipes) especially the chapters
on Fish and Desserts. As per true Nigella style the recipes are
uncomplicated and don't require a huge list of ingredients but there
is a good variety of recipes that are super fast or require a bit
more time to prepare or cook.
This
book will definitely get you through the Summer months with plenty of
inspiration so if your budget doesn't allow you to fly to far-off
places you can at least pretend by making some dishes that are
inspired by sunnier climates and lazy days. Although this book is
meant for year-round cooking I have to say once Summer and Autumn are
passed it will probably be returned to the book shelf for another
year but I can guarantee it will be taken off at the first sign of
Summer next year.
Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson gets the Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops
stamp of approval.
(The
book I tested these recipes from was my Canadian/American copy.)
It's probably my favourite Nigella book, so many lovely recipes. Thanks for reminding me, I should really get it out and have another look!
ReplyDeleteYour welcome! I really enjoy it as well - lots of inspiration and lovely recipes.
DeleteI love this book - the mint & oregano lamb patties are delicious! I've made them several times (http://athomewithmrsm.blogspot.co.uk/2010/02/mint-and-oregano-lamb-patties.html) Definitely worth trying!
ReplyDeleteYum! After reading your review I am now seriously craving them! They are definitely going on the meal plan for next week! :)
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