The Kitchen Diaries. Nigel Slater

boil. Serve piping hot, with the grated Parmesan.

      Enough for 6

      January 15

      I buy oysters today, fines de claire from the fish shop on Marylebone High Street, six apiece. They smell clean and slightly salty. The heavy-gauge oyster opener I bought five years ago has proved a sound investment, firmer and safer than its predecessor, which was, with hindsight, too flimsy to do the job. Opening oysters requires a no-messing attitude. Not exactly gung-ho, but with a certain amount of (mock) confidence. Even then I have to fish out bits of broken shell from the tender flesh and not-to-be-wasted juices. The shellfish was quite expensive, so I strike a balance with a cheap cupboard recipe to follow.

Bulghur wheat with aubergines and mint

      Bulghur is one of those mild, warming grains that soothes and satisfies. I value it for its knubbly texture and nutty flavour. This, to me, is supper, but others may like to use it beside something else, such as grilled chicken or a gravy-rich stew.

      olive oil – 6 tablespoons

      a small onion

      a bay leaf

      aubergines – 2 small ones

      garlic – 2 large cloves, chopped

      bulghur wheat – 225g

      vegetable stock – 500ml

      tomatoes – 4

      pine kernels – 3 tablespoons, toasted

      mint – 15-20 leaves, chopped

      lemon juice to taste

      Warm the olive oil in a shallow pan, peel and finely slice the onion and let it cook slowly in the oil with the bay leaf. When the onion is soft and pale gold, add the aubergines, cut into 3cm pieces, and the chopped garlic. Let the aubergines cook, adding more oil if necessary, until they are golden and soft.

      Pour in the bulghur wheat and the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then leave to simmer gently for fifteen to twenty minutes, till the wheat is tender and almost dry. Half way through cooking, roughly chop the tomatoes and add them. Once the wheat is cooked (it should still be nutty and have some bite), stir in the toasted pine kernels and chopped mint leaves. Check the seasoning; it will need lemon juice, salt and pepper.

      Enough for 2, with seconds

      January 17

      A bench-

      mark

      Bolognese

      No sooner is lunch over (supermarket sushi brought to life with enough wasabi to make my sinuses sting) than it starts to rain. The butcher has fresh mince, which looks straight from the mincer, the sight of which is enough to stir me into making a proper Bolognese. By which I mean one that has been left to blip and putter slowly on the stove, so that the flavours have a chance to mellow and deepen.

A really good spaghetti Bolognese

      butter – 50g

      cubed pancetta – 70g

      a medium onion

      garlic – 2 fat cloves

      a carrot

      celery – 2 stalks

      flat mushrooms – 2 large, about 100g

      bay leaves – 2

      minced beef or lamb – 400g

      crushed tomatoes or passata – 200ml

      red wine – 200ml

      stock – 200ml

      a nutmeg

      full-cream milk or cream – 200ml

      To serve:

      spaghetti or tagliatelle for 4

      grated Parmesan

      Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan – I use a cast-iron one about 24cm in diameter – then stir in the pancetta and let it cook for five minutes or so, without colouring much. Meanwhile peel and finely chop the onion and garlic and stir them into the pancetta. Scrub and finely chop the carrot and celery and stir them in, too. Lastly, finely chop the mushrooms and add to the pan, then tuck in the bay leaves and leave to cook for ten minutes over a moderate heat, stirring frequently.

      Turn up the heat and tip in the meat, breaking it up well with a fork. Now leave to cook without stirring for a good three or four minutes, then, as the meat on the bottom is starting to brown, stir again, breaking up the meat where necessary, and leave to colour.

      Mix in the tomatoes, red wine, stock, a grating of nutmeg and some salt and black pepper, letting it come to the boil. Turn the heat down so that everything barely bubbles. There should be movement, but one that is gentle, not quite a simmer. Partially cover the pan with a lid and leave to putter away for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring from time to time and checking the liquid levels. You don’t want it to be dry.

      Pour in the milk or cream a bit at a time, stir and continue cooking for twenty minutes. Check the seasoning, then serve with the pasta and grated Parmesan.

      Enough for 4

      January 19

      Sometimes I make my own chicken stock and sometimes I buy it ready-made. Today I take the lazy route, picking up a large tub from the butcher’s, idle, good-for-nothing guy that I am. The outcome is another ten-minute supper, which turns out to be more appreciated than any supermarket cook-chill dinner, at once warming (the broth), uplifting (lemon, mint) and satisfying (the noodles).

Chicken broth with noodles, lemon and mint

      dried egg noodles – 50g

      very good chicken broth – 1 litre

      cooked chicken (leftover roast is fine) – 200g

      chopped mint leaves – 2 heaped tablespoons

      roughly chopped coriander leaves – 2 heaped tablespoons

      the juice of a lemon

      Drop the noodles into a deep pan of boiling, salted water and cook for two to three minutes, until tender. Drain them, rinse under cold running water, then leave to cool in a bowl of cold water until you need them.

      Bring the chicken broth to the boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Shred the chicken with a sharp knife and add it to the simmering broth with the mint, coriander and lemon juice. Add the noodles, leave for one minute, then serve steaming hot in big bowls.

      Enough for 2 as a main dish

      January 21

      A cheap fish

      supper

      I sometimes feel as if I am on a one-man mission to make the world eat more mackerel. This recipe, spiced with smoked paprika and rings of soft, golden onions, is one of the best I have come up with for this underrated fish. I am not sure you need anything more with it than some steamed spinach or spinach salad.

Spiced crumbed mackerel with smoked paprika

      mackerel – 4, filleted

      onion – 1 medium to large

      olive oil

      parsley – a handful

      garlic – 3 small cloves

      smoked ‘hot’ paprika