Nigella Lawson, the British domestic goddess, has a column in the New York Times today where she presents two tasty-sounding comfort food recipes.
I have never seen her show — if anybody knows whether and when it plays on DirecTV in the States, please let me know — but based on this lead-in, I think I would like her.
If you are the sort of person who, when catching a train, needs to arrive at the station with time to spare, you will cook in a very different way from someone who habitually boards the train while it is inching away.
Those like me who need to arrive on time take comfort from cooking that can be done in advance. It makes us feel safe and relaxed, knowing that not too much frenetic last-minute activity will be necessary. We are not the stir-fry crowd. But even if you are a skin-of-the-teeth type who feels that planning smacks of regimentation, there will be times when you need to get ahead of yourself.
Life, after all, is not always arranged according to our own inclinations. If a crowd is coming for supper at midweek and you work late every night, then it makes sense to find the time on a Sunday afternoon to get dinner well under way. And let’s be frank: what else is there to do on gray February weekends? Finding an excuse to stay inside, and to feel good about it, can be only a good thing. It’s even better knowing that you have a dish of chili or winter-warming stew stashed away in the refrigerator for a night when you scarcely have the energy to boil water. [NYTimes]