Nigel Slater’s Dish of the Day episode 6: Nigel shows that sometimes simple cookery is simply the best, with clever recipes that make the most of the weekly shop, one pan at a time. These include herby artichoke stew, chicken in cider and compost crumble.
As he works his way through his weekly shop in this episode, Nigel shows ways to cook with an abundance of ingredients, whether a glut from the garden or a special offer in the shops. He proves there are creative ways to have delicious food every day of the week.
Nigel Slater shows how, with a bit of culinary creativity, he turns the contents of his weekly shop into seven delicious dishes – one for every day of the week. Nigel Slater OBE is an English food writer, journalist and broadcaster. He has written a column for The Observer Magazine for over a decade and is the principal writer for the Observer Food Monthly supplement. Prior to this, Slater was a food writer for Marie Claire for five years.
Nigel Slater’s Dish of the Day episode 6
Chicken in cider
A warming meal of juicy chicken thighs fried with bacon, apples and cider. Try it with mashed potato.
Method:
- Place the butter in a heavy-based, lidded casserole over a medium heat.
- Add the sliced onion and allow to soften for one minute.
- Place the chicken thighs, skin-side down, into the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the skin begins to brown.
- Add the sliced bacon, turn the thighs over, and cook for a further 2-3 minutes, or until the bacon begins to colour.
- Add the apples and allow to soften for one minute.
- Pour in the cider and season with a pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear.
- Serve immediately, taking the pot to the table and allowing people to help themselves.
Compost fruit crumble
Nigel Slater’s fruit crumble tidies away fruit that’s past its best under a delicious toasted oat and nut topping. Far too good for the compost heap.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
- Chop the pears, apple and nectarines and place in a pan over a low heat with the lemon juice. Warm through for 10 minutes.
- For the crumble topping, in a bowl, rub together the flour and butter with your hands until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the remaining dry ingredients and the demarara sugar. Set aside.
- Take a small roasting tin. Layer the warm fruit on the bottom, along with the chopped banana. Sprinkle with the golden caster sugar.
- Top with the crumble mixture and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden-brown. Serve immediately with cream or custard.