Ani from Foodie Chickie is hosting her second Weekend Cookbook Challenge and her brilliant theme for February is Nigella Lawson.
I love Nigella. I love her books, her show, the fact that she is not a twig sized person.
I love the way she talks about food, how passionate she is. I love the sounds on her show - did you know she wears a microphone in her hair to pick up the cooking sounds?
It was pretty easy to pick a recipe to make this month. I've spent a few hours flipping through her newest book, Feast, and the first recipe that caught my eye was the Chicken Caesar Cornets, chicken Caesar salad wrapped in a corn tortilla. I couldn't find corn tortillas, so I stole from my second Nigella pick, Green Eggs and Ham (ham wrapped in pesto crepes), and made the chicken Caesar wrap with a sundried tomato pesto crepe instead.
Other than fiddling with finicky crepes, something I haven't made since last April, this was easy and delicious. The crepes were a beautiful color and the pesto added a flavor that went nicely with the chicken. The crepes could be made in advance and then filled up with yummy chickeny goodness when you're ready to eat.
And then since I'd mastered crepes once again, the next day I made Green Eggs and Ham for lunch. I had more trouble with this batch of crepes, but a slightly mangled crepe tastes just as good as a prettier one.
We found this one a bit boring, frankly, and even after we'd added some cheese it still left something to be desired. But the recipe is not a bust; it just needs more tweaking. Maybe a nicer cheese, and more of it?
Want to join in the Nigella fest this month? Send your Weekend Cookbook Challenge post to Ani by February 28. Her email is foodiechickie at yahoo dot com.
Chicken Caesar Crepes
adapted from Nigella Express
6 to 8 Sundried Tomato Pesto Crepes (see below)
200 g cold cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
60 g mayonnaise
1 large garlic clove, very finely minced
50 g shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup finely shredded iceberg lettuce
2-3 dashes (or more) Worcestershire
salt and pepper.
Make the crepes and set aside.
Mix the chicken, mayo, garlic, cheese and Worcestershire together. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the lettuce.
Divide the filing evenly between the crepes. Roll or fold the crepes around the filling, and eat!
Orange Eggs and Ham and Cheese
Adapeted from Nigella Express
Crepes:
75 g sundried tomato pesto
1 egg
75 g flour
150 ml milk
oil
thinly sliced ham
thinly sliced or shredded cheese
Place all the crepe ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth. **I usually add 1 or 2 tb of water to the batter to make it a bit thinner**
Lightly oil a pan heating over medium heat, and pour in enough batter to thinly coat the bottom, swirling the pan to cover.
Cook the crepe until lightly browning on the bottom. Flip over and briefly cook the other side. Remove from the pan, cover, and repeat, to use up all the batter.
To assemble, place as much or as little ham and cheese on each crepe as you want. Fold in to a triangle, or roll up, and enjoy.
I love Nigella. I love her books, her show, the fact that she is not a twig sized person.
I love the way she talks about food, how passionate she is. I love the sounds on her show - did you know she wears a microphone in her hair to pick up the cooking sounds?
It was pretty easy to pick a recipe to make this month. I've spent a few hours flipping through her newest book, Feast, and the first recipe that caught my eye was the Chicken Caesar Cornets, chicken Caesar salad wrapped in a corn tortilla. I couldn't find corn tortillas, so I stole from my second Nigella pick, Green Eggs and Ham (ham wrapped in pesto crepes), and made the chicken Caesar wrap with a sundried tomato pesto crepe instead.
Other than fiddling with finicky crepes, something I haven't made since last April, this was easy and delicious. The crepes were a beautiful color and the pesto added a flavor that went nicely with the chicken. The crepes could be made in advance and then filled up with yummy chickeny goodness when you're ready to eat.And then since I'd mastered crepes once again, the next day I made Green Eggs and Ham for lunch. I had more trouble with this batch of crepes, but a slightly mangled crepe tastes just as good as a prettier one.
We found this one a bit boring, frankly, and even after we'd added some cheese it still left something to be desired. But the recipe is not a bust; it just needs more tweaking. Maybe a nicer cheese, and more of it?
Want to join in the Nigella fest this month? Send your Weekend Cookbook Challenge post to Ani by February 28. Her email is foodiechickie at yahoo dot com.
Chicken Caesar Crepes
adapted from Nigella Express
6 to 8 Sundried Tomato Pesto Crepes (see below)
200 g cold cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
60 g mayonnaise
1 large garlic clove, very finely minced
50 g shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup finely shredded iceberg lettuce
2-3 dashes (or more) Worcestershire
salt and pepper.
Make the crepes and set aside.
Mix the chicken, mayo, garlic, cheese and Worcestershire together. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the lettuce.
Divide the filing evenly between the crepes. Roll or fold the crepes around the filling, and eat!
Orange Eggs and Ham and Cheese
Adapeted from Nigella Express
Crepes:
75 g sundried tomato pesto
1 egg
75 g flour
150 ml milk
oil
thinly sliced ham
thinly sliced or shredded cheese
Place all the crepe ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth. **I usually add 1 or 2 tb of water to the batter to make it a bit thinner**
Lightly oil a pan heating over medium heat, and pour in enough batter to thinly coat the bottom, swirling the pan to cover.
Cook the crepe until lightly browning on the bottom. Flip over and briefly cook the other side. Remove from the pan, cover, and repeat, to use up all the batter.
To assemble, place as much or as little ham and cheese on each crepe as you want. Fold in to a triangle, or roll up, and enjoy.
8 comments:
Crepes are good mangled or perfect.
Maybe a smoked ham and smoked provolone.
oops and I love the idea of the chicken in the pesto crepe.
It was that long ago on those crepes!
I love Nigella, too, Sara, and you've chosen a delicious recipe!
I'll try to take part in the event, too.
This could be my excuse to finally buy a Nigella cookbook!!
You are so the very best!!
Thanks for participating. :)))
Ani
foodiechickie.com
Those chicken caesar crepes sound tasty. I like the idea of adding sundried tomato pesto to the crepes.
Mmmm nummy! I love chicken salad in all it's forms! And I think I'd prefer it in a crepe rather than a corn tortilla anyway - so excellent job my friend!
xoxo
As a boy, I have to admit that's one of my favorite Nigella pictures, but only because I REALLY LIKE english muffins. Seriously...
Yeah....
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