Nigella Lawsons Baked Spinach Recipes

GRANNY LAWSON'S LUNCH DISH

Steps:

• Measure the flour into a dish that will fit into the freezer (it doesn't need to have a lid) and cut the shortening and butter into small - approximately 1/2-inch dice and toss them in the flour. Put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
• I tend to make pastry in my stand mixer, but a processor's fine too. In whatever contraption - fitted with the flat paddle in the one, with the double-bladed knife in the other - mix until you have a mixture that resembles coarse uncooked oatmeal. Now, dribble in the chilled salted water, slowly, with the motor still running, until the dough looks as if it's about to cohere, but stopped short of its actually clumping totally. Turn out of the processor (though you could still do this in the bowl of the mixer) and squidge together with your hands until all the pastry forms a cohesive ball. Dribble in a little more water if you feel it needs it. Divide into 2 pieces of equal size and form it into fat disks. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. And this can be done a good day or 2 in advance if it helps.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the tomatoes in a bowl, cover with boiling water from the kettle and leave for 5 minutes. Drain, run under the cold tap, then peel, seed and chop roughly (or use canned tomatoes, chopped and drained). Peel and chop the onions, hard-boiled eggs and olives, too.
• In a large frying pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Cook the chopped onions until softened and beginning to color, turning the flame down to low if they look as if they're sticking. Turn the heat back to medium and add the chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring for a minute or so before adding the beef. Stir well, breaking up the clumps of meat with your wooden spoon as you go, then when the meat's browned, stir in the chopped eggs and olives and season with the allspice and salt and pepper. Cook over gentle heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Get a baking sheet out, and flour a surface and rolling pin. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and roll out 1 of the disks until you have a thin, but not exaggeratedly so, rough square that will fit on the baking sheet, then place it on the baking sheet. Now roll out the second disk and leave it there while you cover the layer on the baking sheet with the ground beef mixture, leaving a margin of about 1-inch all around. With a bit of cold water and your fingers, dampen this edge. Place the second square of pastry on top and press the edges together to seal. Now, roll these edges back on themselves once or twice, then get a fork and press it, the tines curved side down, against this rolled border. Prong the top of the pastry to make air holes and then beat the egg with a generous sprinkling of salt and brush the top and edges of the pie with it to glaze.
• Put it into the preheated oven for 20 minutes, by which time the pastry will be golden and cooked. Slice it into fat oblongs and eat warm with a vegetable or salad, or cold, wrapped in a napkin and without ceremony or cutlery.

CRUNCHY PORK CHOPS WITH GARLICKY SPINACH AND TOMATO SALAD

Steps:

• Trim the thick white fat off the pork chops, cutting carefully around the outside edge. Lay the chops between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and, using a mallet or a rolling pin beat them until the meaty part of the chop is half as thick. You will need to beat around the bone, so turn them over once as you go.
• Beat the egg in a shallow wide bowl with the mustard, oregano, and salt and pepper. On a large plate or platter, combine the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan.
• Press each of the chops into the egg mixture, coating either side. Then dip the eggy chops into the bread crumbs, covering them evenly. Let them lie on a cooling rack to dry slightly while you heat the oil in a large frying pan. When a small cube of bread sizzles if dropped into the oil, then the oil is hot enough. Cook the chops until they are a deep golden color, about 5 to 7 minutes a side (depending on how thin you've managed to get them and how cold they were before going in the oil).
• Meanwhile, quarter the tomatoes and take out the seeds, then cut the shells into strips and dice them. You can take off the skins, too, if you prefer, by steeping the tomatoes first into a bowl of just boiled water for 3 to 5 minutes. Combine the diced tomato, minced or grated garlic, oil, and lemon juice in a bowl, and season well with salt and pepper.
• When the chops are ready, toss the spinach in the tomato mixture until well coated and divide the salad between 2 large plates, putting each chop alongside.

CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT GRANOLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 310 degrees F.
• Mix everything together very well in a large mixing bowl. Spread the mixture evenly in 2 baking tins and bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, turning over half-way through baking. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

DOUBLE POTATO AND HALLOUMI BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the sweet potato into rough 1 1/2-inch cubes and the red potato slightly smaller (1-inch cubes) as the sweet potato will cook more quickly. Halve the red onion, then cut each half into 4 to 6 segments, discarding any tough outer skin. Seed the peppers and cut into 1-inch squares, and separate the cloves of garlic. Put everything into a 2-quart flameproof casserole dish, or whatever you want to use (it should be big, otherwise use 2 dishes) and, using your hands, give the vegetables a good coating of olive oil. Season with black pepper, but no salt as the cheese will make it salty (and anyway, the salt will make water leach out).
• Bake for 45 minutes, by which time the vegetables should be cooked through and here and there tinged with brown. You'll need to turn the oven up to maximum heat or light the broiler for the endgame: so place the thinly sliced cheese on top of the bake, and put it back in the very hot oven or under the broiler until the cheese has melted and turned slightly brown on top, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve straight out of the casserole dish.

LAMB WITH SPINACH AND GARLICKY TAHINI SAUCE

Steps:

• For the lamb: Put the onion into 1 large shallow dish in which the noisettes will fit into one layer, or divide the onion into 2 medium-to-large freezer bags. Add the oil, lemon zest, and cumin (dividing equally if you are using bags). Give a good stir and then add the lamb. Cover the dish or tie up the bags and leave, turning or squishing respectively at half time, as long as you've got; frankly, though, it should be for at least 10 minutes and preferably not in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Put a non-stick or cast-iron pan on the stove. Remove the noisettes from the marinade; you don't need to wipe then dry, just brush off the bits of onion. Sear each side for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to a baking pan and then to the preheated oven for 10 minutes. The meat should be right for pink, but not bloody, you may need a bit longer if the meat started off very cold. You will need to check for yourself and when cooked as you want, remove to a warmed plate.
• For the sauce, put the tahini in a bowl and add the garlic and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon, adding the lemon juice as you do; it will seize up here, but don't worry because it will loosen later. Slowly add some water ( I find I can use about 1/2 cup), pouring from the measuring cup so that only a little goes in at a time, and keep stirring. When you have a smooth mixture the consistency of heavy cream, stop adding water. Put into a bowl with a spoon and sprinkle with the additional ground cumin.
• For the spinach: Thaw it in the microwave according to the package's directions and then cook briefly to warm, about 1 minute more. Remove from the microwave and place onto a clean plate. Drizzle with the olive oil and then top with the toasted sesame seeds.
• Serve the lamb noisettes with the spinach and the garlicky tahini on the side.

NIGELLA LAWSON ROASTED VEGETABLES WITH CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Peel and cut the sweet potato into 2 inch cubes and put it in the pan. (Add each ingredient to the pan as you go.).
• Cut the red potato(es) into slightly smaller cubes 1-1/2 cubes (because they are denser than the sweet potato so they need to be smaller to cook in the same amount of time).
• Cut the red onion in the middle, then cut each half into 4-6 segments, discarding the dry outer skin. (the onion should still stay together in large chunks and will still have the end bit on).
• Cut peppers into 1 inch chunks (discard seeds and stem).
• Separate the cloves of garlic but no need to remove the skin.
• Add the oil and mix everything together with your hands (it's fun).
• Season with pepper, but no salt (it will make the dish watery).
• Cook for 45-55 minutes until vegetables are cooked through and the tinged with brown.
• Top with cheese and broil 5 minutes or so until brown.
• (If you want to omit the cheese, you can add a bit of coarse salt before serving.).
• Serve it right out of the pan at the table. Couldn't be easier or more delicious!

GRAVLAX BY NIGELLA LAWSON

Steps:

• Place the salmon fillet, skin-side down, into a wide, shallow dish that fits the salmon snugly. (I used a 9X13 baking dish).
• Place the salt, sugar, mustard and gin into a small bowl and mix well until combined and a smooth paste is formed.
• Spread the mixture over the salmon to cover completely.
• Sprinkle the dill over the mustard paste. Press onto the paste so that no salmon flesh is visible.
• Carefully turn the fish over so that the skin is now facing up.
• Cover the dish with cling film/plastic wrap and press it down onto the top and edges of the fish before wrapping it around the sides of the dish. Repeat the process with another layer of cling film.
• Apply weight to the top of the fish to press it down into the dish, using filled jars or cans or any other weights.
• Transfer the fish to the fridge and leave for 2-3 days. (I did mine for the full 3 days).
• At serving time, remove the fish to a cutting board, skin-side down. Brush off the dill from the salmon.
• Using a sharp knife, carefully cut very thin diagonal slices of the salmon.
• Place on a serving dish and enjoy.
• Any remaining can be wrapped in cling film and refrigerated.

BAKED PASTA SHELLS STUFFED WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a very large saucepan, gently fry the garlic and onion in the oil for about 5-10 minutes until translucent. Add the tomato purée and refill the cans with water about three-quarters full, giving them a shake to mop up any tomato. This will give you about 4 1/2 cups water. Add it to the pan. Bring the sauce to the boil and then partially cover and simmer for about 25 minutes.
• Soak the fresh spinach in the sink to get rid of any mud, drain, and then cook in just the water that's still clinging to the leaves until it has wilted down and cooked through, then drain well and chop roughly (you can just go at it with scissors while it's sitting in the colander). If you're using frozen chopped spinach, make sure - once it's thawed - that you've pressed out every last bit or water; you can.
• Empty the ricotta into a bowl, add the eggs and then grate in about 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) of the Parmesan. Add the spinach when it is cool, squeezing out (again) any excess water with your hands, then stir everything together and season it well with the nutmeg and salt and pepper.
• Cook the pasta shells in a large pan of water, for about 5 minutes once they have come back to the boil, then drain and leave them to get cool enough for you to stuff them without burning your fingers. Tip the shells into a dish, of approximately 15 x 13 inches, so that they lie in a single layer, then fill each shell with a heaped teaspoon of the spinach and ricotta filling. Ladle the tomato sauce over the pasta, and grate over the remaining Parmesan.
• Bake for about 20 - 30 minutes, by which time the pasta will be tender and the light tomato sauce hot and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let stand for a while to cool down slightly before serving.