EatingWell: What does eating well mean to you?
Nigella Lawson:It’s whatever I’m in the mood for in that particular moment.
I feel that so much of what seems like the ideal food depends on our mood.
And I suppose more and more I think that is what eating well means to me.
EatingWell: Cook, Eat, Repeat has a lot of stories in addition to recipes.
How did you know how you wanted to structure the book?
Lawson:I work in this pretty unstructured way.
I think I’ve only once done a book which had fairly conventional chapters.
I really startedCook, Eat, Repeatin my headwith the various ingredients I wanted to write about.
I wanted to write a loving defense of brown food.
I wanted to dwell on the anchovy.
And I don’t particularly like the idea of everything too ordered.
Nevertheless, there has to be some rationale for what recipe goes where.
I cook in a much more garlicky-fierce way than my grandmother would have done in the olden days.
Garlic was really considered something you had to confirm people actually liked.
It was a very English thing.
When I did my chicken in cream sauce, I put four garlic cloves minced in it.
Now, if I ate my grandmother’s it would taste a bit floury and bland.
I’ve cooked it in a way that’s quicker and livelier and suits my palate.
The more times you cook something, the easier it becomes to simplify.
I could have put it in the same bowl as everything.
Do what I do: repeat the same dish quite often.
You’ll get to have some sense that you understand what’s going on.
Cook for yourself and yourself alone.
What really hinders people is a fear of judgment.
And so when you cook just for yourself, you’re not frightened of that.
You have to make yourself in the present.
No phone near you.
Give yourself something to cook, something to return to that is a recipe you really want to eat.
It’s that simple.
That teaches you so much about cooking.
EatingWell: Where does developing a recipe start for you?
What do you find challenging about it?
Lawson:I’m thinking about what I’m going to eat for lunch or dinner.
And then sometimes that leads to a recipe and sometimes it doesn’t.
So, the minute I’ve eaten, if I carry on, then [I write].
The challenge is reproducing that the next time.
That’s the greatest challenge, but I also find it so fascinating.
I don’t resent it, but sometimes I do resent myself for not having taken better notes.
Sometimes I just can’t get back to that first moment of deliciousness, but generally I can.
EatingWell: If you had to choose one recipe to cook on repeat, what is it?
While it’s a recipe which a lot of people have cooked, it makes me so happy.
As I say in the book, it’s a labor of love, lasagna.
It’s not complicated, but to make a lasagna properly takes time.
You should never do it when you’re in a hurry.
EatingWell: Is there a dish that you love from the typical Thanksgiving fare in America?
Lawson:Your Thanksgiving meal is not enormously different from our Christmas meal.
I find I love the tradition of pies that you have.
There’s something about that; just the word “pie.”
That, to me, is what is so wonderful about the Thanksgiving meal.
But, I pretty much adore every part of it.
EatingWell: Are there any food items you like to give as gifts during the holiday season?
Lawson:Well, if I have the time, I do like to give chutney.
It’s very much a holiday thing for us.
I have a particular Christmas chutney I often make with quince and cranberries and lots of cinnamon.
It is a lovely present to make, and it’s so simple.
There’s something wonderful about giving people your time and something delicious to eat.
But I don’t think the aim is to impress with something difficult.
What makes her a good conversation partner?
Lawson:We come at food in a very similar way.
I feel very strongly about that.
