Feast: Food to Celebrate Life

Nigella is my original muse, she single handedly got me back into the kitchen and cooking when the days of making cookies with my grandmother passed and I had to start doing it on my own. I have all of her books and honestly they are something one can actually cook from, my shelves are bending from the amount of cookbooks they house but only half are being used to make dinners and cakes, others I look at for inspiration and for pictures but Nigella's recipes are worth every penny one spends on a cookbook. I can't express my love and gratitude for this woman; she's intelligent, cheerful, honest a magnificent food writer who actually got me into writing as well, I even got my first KitchenAid mixer because she used her so much to make all of her delectable treats. So fear not, this and other books that she penned are not only gorgeous to look at but they can help anyone put something mouth watering on the table in no time. This one has pictures on almost every page and a short little bit of how this came to be or how she eats it before each recipe, probably my favorite part of the book. This book is broken into occasions rather than seasons or ingredients - Thanksgiving & Christmas, New Year, Meatless Feasts, Valentine's Day, Easter, Passover, Breakfast, Kitchen Feasts, Kiddiefeast, Cut-out Cookies, Chocolate Cake Hall of Fame, A Georgian Feast, Eid, Ultimate Feasts, Hallowe'en, Rosh Hashanah, A Venetian Feast, Festival of Lights, Partytime, Midnight Feast, Wedding Feast, Funeral Feast ( somber I know but the food is actually very appropriate and having herself lose her mother, sister and first husband to cancer, Nigella is still living life and making the best of what she has) so no matter what one celebrates they can find something good in this super large volume. I have to admit that I use this daily and don't wait for special occasions. Feast is probably her biggest ( thickest) book to date, and I made some good things from it. Let me tell you, the Pumpkin Cheesecake (on page 68 ) was my first cheesecake and no only was it ridiculously easy it turned out so good I was shocked I made it myself. There was a suggestion for Butterscotch sauce on the page to pour on top, I made it as well ( gotta love the pairing suggestions) and the combination was just divine. The sauce would also go well on something like an apple and macadamia nut crumble or anything thatis sweet. Gingerbread muffins on page 91 were so warm and cozy I make them in cold weather to keep the chill of, the trouble is stopping at one. If you want your house to smell like a home, make this! Roast Loin of pork with caraway, lemon and garlic - spicy fragrant, nothing ordinary about this simple to make dinner, makes great leftovers as the rub on top intensifies. Chicken Pot Pie - I guarantee that after this one no one will be shopping for it in the frozen section of their supermarket, flaky dough, creamy hot center, lost of peas, ham and chicken in sauce, the only caution is n

In "Feast", Nigella Lawson not only explores how food is used to celebrate life through a diverse range of cultures and traditions - she also reveals herself as one of the finest and most moving food writers since MFK Fisher. Her chapter and recipe introductions are frequently as absorbing (and mouth-watering) as the recipes themselves. The recipes offer a good range from the simple (Ritzy Chicken Nuggets = chicken strips marinated in buttermilk and coated in Ritz cracker crumbs!) to the more complex (= fruited and brined turkey, which I look forward to trying this Thanksgiving). Her conversational style makes every recipe tempting and easy to follow, and most of them contain less than a dozen ingredients (usually considerably less than a dozen); I'm not really sure how anyone could be confused or intimidated by anything in this book. As far as some of the other reviews here are concerned: I, too, was perplexed by the misprint regarding butter in the flourless chocolate orange cake recipe (which shouldn't keep anyone from trying to make it - it is otherwise as simple as it is exquisite). And those who have a problem with Nigella's remarks about Jewish food and culture should go back and read the book a little more closely: Nigella comes from a Jewish background, and her remarks are meant to illustrate that there is no such thing as a single "Jewish cuisine", but rather a range of culinary traditions (Ashkenazi, Sephardic, etc.) that often get lumped together. All in all, one of the most treasured books in my 200+ cookbook collection, and one I look forward to turning to over and over again in the coming years.

I absolutely love Nigella's books, and this one is no exception. The layout is simple and sensual, and the varied recipes are easy to follow and relatively basic to make. Her work is an absolute joy to read; down-to-earth and comforting. I particularly love the dense and moist chocolate honey cake, and infact, the entire chocolate cake hall of fame. The lamb shanks with fig and honey are also beautiful. I highly recommend this work, as I would any of Nigella's books. Her prose and recipes are utterly enchanting.

Nigella Lawson's "Feast" is a fabulous cookbook for most people, not just those about to prepare a Thanksgiving Dinner (though it is great for them too). "Feast" celebrates Lawson's unique take on cooking and on life. She is a strong proponent of being comfortable in your own kitchen and at your own party. She eschews "perfectionism" (e.g., perfect flowers as centerpieces, exquisite appetizers) for good, home cooked food and comfort. Lawson's definition of a feast has breadth and depth. This book includes sections on the traditional Holidays both secular and non-secular (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Eid-Muslim, Halloween). However, she also has suggestions for a "One Person Feast" or a "Venetian Feast" (which would make for a great dinner party)and other such events. MOST notably, she includes a section on a feast for a funeral with thoughtful suggestions on food to bring to the home of the bereaved. Lawson's cookbooks can be read as books. In fact, I recommend that's how you begin with "Feast": read it from cover to cover. Her prose is witty, sly and friendly. You feel as if she's standing there in the kitchen with you. Finally, the recipes are terrific. You'll find great soups that you can use anywhere (you may want to rename the Halloween "slime soup" but you can serve it in the summer), wonderful suggestions for roasts (e.g., roiled loin of pork cinghiale, Georgian chicken), side dishes (brussel sprouts with chestnuts and pancetta), and desserts ( a flourless chocolate orange cake) that can be used any day and any time of year, feast or no feast. I cannot recommend this book enough to lovers of food and cooking everywhere.

I can say, without embarrassment, that it took Nigella Lawson to get me to cook. Through her words, wisdom, and her book "Forever Summer" - with it's abundance of lamb, mint, and lemon - Nigella not only introduced me to the ease of cooking, but also to the mystery of spices and spice mixtures such as Sumac and Zatar. And perhaps, more importantly, Nigella and "Forever Summer" provided me with a healthy portion of reliable recipes to cook, eat, and enjoy with friends. "Feast," is like part two of my culinary education. "Feast" is full of recipes for good food, cookable food, the kind of food you want to eat. The kind of food you want on your table when you celebrate, entertain family and friends, or when it's just dinner for two or even one. True to Lawson's style, nothing is to fussy or labor intensive. Whatever labor you put in you get back ten-fold in the results. While Lawson does occasionally borrow from her earlier books like "How To Eat" and "Nigella Bites," it's only to offer up a different version of the dish, and it's often even better. And, it's refreshing that when Nigella uses a recipe found in another cookbook, she gives credit to the chef and the book. Then of course she twists and tweaks the recipe: making it even better. "Feast" is my fall 2004 cooking bible.