| Title | : | Nigellissima: Instant Italian Inspiration |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0701187336 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780701187330 |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 |
| Publication | : | First published September 13, 2012 |
Italian food has colonised the world.
Nigellissima: Instant Italian Inspiration Reviews
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So. I knew her name. But really nothing else about Nigella Lawson. I've seen her cookbooks in friends' kitchens; that was about it. When Shauna Niequist (Bread & Wine) highly recommended her cookbooks for "comfort reading" I decided to see what was what.
Sidenote: When I told a co-worker that Nigella was my 'new thang', she informed me that Nigella is now déclassé (well, that's not the word she used, but I just learned it--from Nigella--and needed to test drive it) because of personal problems. Ah. I'm always at least five years behind pop culture.
Shauna was right. What an entertaining cookbook! Nigella twice writes about her "appetite for alliteration" and "alliterative allure". And all the British English makes this Anglophile chuffed to bits. It's kind of like getting two-for-one (England and Italy).
• a fierce but exquisite supper
• just bung 'em all in
• A roast chicken always feels celebratory; indeed, a roast chicken always is celebratory.
• The saffron-soused grains of barley positively ooze sunniness.
• I like this with a few raspberries to tumble around and a chocolate sauce to Jackson Pollock over it.
(I whooped aloud when I read this!)
• I’m not going to give an evangelical tub-thump about my turkey brining techniques,
• I know it might sound a bit of a faff,
I took notes. Never salt pasta water until it has come to a boil. Always hold back a cup of the pasta water in reserve for the sauce. Mushroom should only be wiped with a damp cloth, never washed. I'm going to buy some vermouth to have on hand, because we seldom open a bottle of white wine and then it goes to waste. And shallots are the thing, she says. Easier to peel than an onion and cooks faster. She also buys egg-whites in a carton (better than having the egg yolks woefully staring at you in the fridge).
While this was a fun cookbook to read, there were many ingredients that would be hard for me to find in my isolated town in Oregon. I'd like to try a few. And perhaps make a grocery list for an Italian deli the next time I'm in a Little Italy.
The section An Italian-Inspired Christmas was fun and timely. Several gift options, if I were a brave girl. Spaghetti Spice packets. Biscotti. Chocolate Salami. (It just looks like salami.)
My Kindle ran out of juice (and my loan is about to expire) so I read the rest on Kindle for PC. What a grand idea! The pictures were so much more scrumptious looking. -
4 stars.🌟🌟🌟🌟
A good 👍cookbook overall and while I always enjoy Nigella's personal approach to writing recipes, I don't see me making that many of her pasta dishes. Where this book really shines for me is her wonderful recipes for vegetable sides and her fabulous desserts. I love her Italian Christmas and know I will pull up these recipes during the holidays.
I already own several of her cookbooks and always seem to end up with those recipes that become staples for me. I am interested to see which ones will be the keepers here. -
Gnocchi gratin, saffron orzotto, Tuscan fries, mascarpone & ricotta pancakes with run-steeped strawberries, meringue gelato cake, pork belly slices with chilli and fennel seeds, chocolate nougat cookies, turkey breast stuffed with Italian sausage - shall I go on?
I have a great admiration for Nigella Lawson, and I think that the foundation of this cookbook is brilliant. We all have an Italian cookbook, or have stared longingly at some delicious recipe, but where on earth do you find some of these ingredients? This is the point where you reach for 'Nigellissima'. She says in the introduction: "What I am is an English woman who has lived in Italy, who loves Italian food and has been inspired and influenced by that... I don't claim that these recipes are authentically Italian, but authentic they are nonetheless."
So do as Nigella does and be inspired by your favourite cultures (this philosophy is not restricted to Italian) and make it work for you. Even for these Anglicised versions of Italian food Nigella gives options for when you can't find/don't have/don't like something.
I love following a recipe and recreating something magical. But I also love reading a recipe and going to explore my own pantry and seeing what I come up with; simply being inspired to create.
And, P.S. I read this cover to cover. Every single word. -
Italian food is not high on my list of favourites. (It almost seems like blasphemy to admit this. I don't like capers, olives or veal.) I did enjoy this recipe book, precisely because it is the Nigella treatment of Italian cuisine. She has made a thorough study, kept the best bits, and made the rest out of her extensive technical knowledge of food. I like Italian-style recipes a lot more once they have been run through her filter.
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“Sometimes it's good just to be seduced by the particular cheeses spread out in front of you on a cheese counter.”
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I was only interested in the veg, and weirdly, most had ingredients I don't like. But, the recipes look amazing and each uses just a few ingredients.
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Not my favourite Nigella, but her voice still shines through, and as I love Italian cuisine, I found it particularly useful in the summer.
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I was very sad to see a bookshop that had been in the local mall for about 40 years was closing. I popped in to peruse the sale, not expecting to buy anything when I spotted this book. I had a copy of "Nigella Bites" at one point and in an unhauling frenzy, added it to the charity shop pile. So when I saw this one on sale, with an additional 40% off, I decided to grab a copy and see if it would make up for my lack of forethought.
A year later, I finally sat down and became acquainted with this love-letter to Italy. I am extremely fond of pasta, but like so many people I don't venture too far away from the standards. This book has inspired me to combined ingredients that I am familiar with but wouldn't have considered before. It also introduced me to ingredients and recipes that are new to me. "Iced Berries with Limoncello White Chocolate Sauce"? YES PLEASE!!!
Nigella Lawson makes it so easy to fall in love with the entire process of creating a lovely meal while keeping it beautifully simple. From shopping for ingredients to prepping the kitchen to cooking and serving, each step is an act of love not only for the food but for those who will be enjoying it. This is especially true if you are cooking something for yourself.
Can you hear that? I do believe that Italy is calling... -
This just didn't do much for me. I think that if I had picked it up without Lawson attached to it, I might have liked it better - it's a beautiful book, and many of the recipes are simple, delicious and kind of different. I love her fascination with black pasta; the fig and olive chutney is great and the roast chicken with vegetables, while kind of a no-brainer, is totally the kind of thing I wish I'd thought of. But her intros, which I usually love, just don't feel authentic. She's constantly justifying herself, refers too often to other recipes and books that aren't included here, and admits that many of the recipes are derivative of others. So while this is interesting, it's not her best work.
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I love the recipes in this book. I'm going to make a lot of them this year and the few I made were a big success already.
There's one slightly negative thing though. I'm not keen on the pictures in this book. They're rather dark and not always super appetising. Oh well, more reason to make a recipe I guess! -
This book speaks to my soul (and my belly)
I absolutely love Nigella’s take on authentic Italian dishes. She gets it. I also really enjoy the format in which she writes her cookbooks. There is always a story with each recipe she chooses that is just the right amount of information and background mixed with her signature passion and wit. -
Nigella!
The book is fantastic and the pictures of the food are amazing. Nigella’s desserts are the reason I bought this book and her recipes for that definitely do not disappoint. -
Plenty of lovely recipes to get inspired from.
It's not her best cook book though. I absolutely loved Cook. Eat. Repeat. and I was expecting something of the same calibre and I was in fact a little disappointed.
Still, I love Nigella's great taste and the simplicity of her recipes. -
some basic easy recipes - I love her approach to cooking. most interesting was the chocolate pasta...
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Reading her recipes is like listening to her talk on her cooking shows... a dash of this .. add a good slug of that.. making her recipes is a joy!
This is a recipe book and I will never be finished! -
Lots of fun and delicious recipes. The desserts are to die for!
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A very mood altering human.
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Tasty Italian recipes, both for meals and desserts. Includes Christmas & New Year sections—but the recipes in these would be good at other times as well.
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One of my go-to cookbooks. Great recipes and if you can get the TV show (on Britbox), it's a great companion to the book. Mind you, there are not a lot of cook books I reference when cooking, and this is one of my favorites.
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Nigellissima transports you to Italy in all the BEST ways! 100% deliciousness in a single book. I hope there's a follow up because this is just stunning food, and easy to make.
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The Good Stuff
Truly stunning photography
Love the use of many natural ingredients
Plenty of unusual combinations that really work
Simple uncomplicated meals
The introduction is fabulous and interesting - one of the more in-depth introductions I have ever seen in a cookbook
The Shrimp Pasta Rosa is now a main staple in our weekly dinners. Its easy and quick to make and the kids love it. We also substitute chicken for the shrimp frequently as seafood is seriously pricey in Calgary (and don't get me started on how expensive dairy products are in this province - Mascarpone is $12 a container - thank god this recipe only calls for a bit of it)
A fabulous cookbook as every recipe has a remarkable introduction - definitely one of a kind
From this day on I will only make her fries - her cooking method (up front stolen from another chef) is the perfect method for french fries. Never greasy!!!!!
I love her because she is down to earth & loves food - and because she refuses to be Photoshopped!!!!! (Hubby thinks she is hot too)
You have to make the mascarpone/ricotta crepes - trust me - I ate 4 at one sitting - num num num num
The Not So Good Stuff
Not really a not so good entry - more an fyi - read the introduction before making any of the recipes, it makes a huge difference when prepping and preparing the recipes
Not a lot of kid friendly type recipes - my kids had fun looking at the pictures and mentioning unflattering comments about what the finished product looked like (for example one picture reminded them of vomit & I won't tell you what they said about one of the recipes that involved squid ink pasta)
This is not one for the beginner cook. Way too many ingredients and steps that will frustrate the novice
She actually suggested using store bought crepes -- gasp -- much cheaper to make your own (Yes Jeff made them for me - you know I suck at making them)
Favorite Recipes
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Mascarpone & Ricotta Crepes with Rum Steeped Strawberries (to die for I swear - btw recipe calls for store bought crepes - we made our own and much better, cheaper & healthier)
Shrimp Pasta Rosa (we eat this weekly - sometimes with chicken)
Italian Tempura Shrimp - Now I suggest u spice up your tempura batter & forget the deep frying of the sage & lemon (icky)
Italian Breakfast Banana Bread - very moist & although I balked at adding espresso - it actually gives it an interesting edge (ok & I added chocolate chips - hey I have too - banana bread is wrong without it)
Who Should/Shouldn't Use
Obviously fans of Nigella will enjoy
This book is not for cooks like me -- I am much too lazy for the work involved
Would recommend this book for more experienced cooks who like to experiment and have access to hard to find ingredients
4 Dewey's (Quality is a 5 - but I base my review on MY enjoyment of them)
I received this from Random House in exchange for an honest review -
Many of the recipes in Nigella Lawson's previous cookbooks are Italian-inspired, so it wasn't a complete surprise to learn she was releasing a book dedicated to Italian cooking.
The book doesn't stray far from her signature cookbook style – simple fonts, gorgeous photography, clear recipe layouts and the recipes are all introduced with some background information and/or a personal story from Nigella.
Although it's not integral to the 'cooking' part of the book, I love these personal stories before each recipe. I could sit down with a cup of tea and read through cookbooks this way! It's always fun to read how authors were inspired to create certain recipes or how certain foods take them back to a childhood memory.
There are lots of Italian dishes that I recognize, like lasagnas, meatballs and semifreddos, but lots of other completely new-to-me recipes that look promising, like struffoli, saffron orzotto and panettone squares.
Every recipe in the book is accompanied by a beautiful colour photograph of the resulting dish (and a few recipes have step-by-step photos). Ingredients are well laid out and instructions are clear and broken down into short paragraphs, with the start of each paragraph in bold. Each recipe is accompanied by a short introduction, which generally includes things like comments about the ingredients, the history of the dish or a personal story from Nigella.
The recipes are written in a clear, easy-going style and are just as pleasant to read for pleasure as it is to follow in the kitchen.
I found some of the ingredients listed were new to me, but I'm sure it's nothing that a trip to our Italian grocery store won't fix. The recipes are all very easy to understand and nothing in this book looks intimidating to attempt.
I didn't really need the 'Christmas section' – I don't think I would ever specifically look for dishes to cook that are Italian-specific for the December holidays.
With the exception of the Christmas section, the book flows nicely and it's easy to flip through and be inspired to cook something from every section to put together a delicious, Italian-inspired meal. -
Like many modern mommies, I rely on my Pinterest boards and phone apps for dinner recipes, especially around the holidays. The mobile access is critical since I often find myself determining my grocery list while at the grocery store, and clearly would not be lugging six cookbooks with me while shopping! So this weekend I was again at Whole Foods, again scrambling on my mobile, again trying to find a recipe--one that I'd remembered seeing in a cookbook, but was having a hard time pulling up since I could not recall the particulars. How I wished I could just have the book with me at the store.... And here it dawned on me: check out the cookbook...as an eBook. Ah HA!
So I did, and the experience was brilliant. I checked out Nigellissima, which did not have a wait list. I loved the fact that I could bookmark and hyperlink. I loved that the ingredients lists, pictures, and methods were all perfectly readable. And I especially loved the recipes themselves! They are simple, making for great weeknight suppers, and many can be easily expanded to feed larger numbers (Eggs in Purgatory, for example.) I will be checking it out again to revisit the Italian Inspired Christmas section. -
Bookmarked a bunch of things madam looking forward to trying them.
I just like reading her recipes, her enthusiasm for food is so apparent. -
Having read and cooked from all of Nigella's books, Nigellissima has to be (unapologetically so) the best.
Perhaps it is my personal love of Italian food, Italian style or the Italian way of life that drives my biased opinion! Or maybe it is because this is a more accessible version of what we all wish Italian food to be.
By that, I mean Italian food with a British twist. Made simple and effortless to cook.
At this point in my cooking life, I resonate more with the words used in this book - how to cook with authenticity is different from cooking with inspiration, which is a message that more and more people need to hear.
The world of Insta and YouTube are so obsessed with ensuring authenticity that they forget - nothing is authentic anymore, and what rests in between appropriation and innovation is inspiration.
This book is Italian-inspired and authentically written, the perfect Italian cookbook for non-italin people who love Italian food. -
I love Nigella and her quick and resourceful meals and overall practicality. However, this cookbook just didn't appeal to me (surprising, considering how much I love Italian food). The photography was done well and her descriptions and writings are heartfelt and interesting, which made the book enjoyable to read. But I only felt enticed to try a handful of the recipes and haven't been particularly wowed by those I did. Considering how much my family enjoys many of the recipes from her other books, I'm a little disappointed by the offerings of this one. It definitely errs on the side of a refined palate, rather than typical comfort food (or dishes that would please my young children).
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I have never read one of her cookbooks (and I've read them all) where I wanted to make ONE thing. This is no different. If she ate, on a regular basis, by that I mean day-to-day, this food? She'd be as big as a house. Dreadful recipes, heavy on pasta, tomatoes and basil. Few soups, few appetizers, gooey desserts (minus the biscotti.) Useless. I'm glad she has an extremely rich husband. She can play at this food porn goddess for a few more, but for cooking chops-skills-ingenuity? Forget it.
