Simply nigella

Nigella Lawson served up tasty cornflakes crunchy chicken cutlets or escalopes served with a fennel, watercress and radish salad on Simply Nigella. Nigella says: “Chicken cutlets are what Ame…

This is a salty-sweet version (think Greek cheesecake) of the Greek Patsavouropita, created by bakeries as a way of using up old scraps of filo pastry: the ”old rags” indicated by the title. They’d just go along their counters, collect up all the bits and turn them into this pie. For this reason, you don’t need to worry about keeping your filo covered as you go, as is normally advised. It doesn’t matter if it dries out a little as you make it, indeed this can even be desirable. I have made…

Now this is where my pickling obsession started. For all that, it isn’t really a pickle, more of a sprightly salad, but I eat these spikily soused cucumbers just as I do gherkins. If you can get Lebanese cucumbers, do, as they have much more crunch and flavour, and baby cucumbers (more widely available now) are also fabulous here, but I have made these as well with regular cucumbers cut into spears. The White Condimento I use in the dressing is a clear, sweet vinegar (made by Belazu and…

No one is doubting the glory of mashed potatoes, and while they are not difficult to make, they can be quite a faff in large quantities at the last minute. This is the answer: a tangy, subtly cheesy mash, with a crunchy topping, that has revolutionized my cooking life. I made them for the first time last year for Thanksgiving, and they have happily appeared on my table several times since. They come heartily recommended with the Slow-Cooked Black Treacle Ham, and any time you want to spread…

Cooking queen, Nigella Lawson, reveals her faults, including how she was once terrified of poaching eggs. The humble chef also said she disliked fancy meals and would happily eat home-cooked dishes forever more.

This soup is old trusty favourite of mine, and always garners tonnes of compliments from greedy recipients.

Nothing will ever take the place of my Ham in Coca-Cola from Bites — in my heart or on my table — but this slow-baked ham is a revelation of a different sort. The meat is astonishingly tender and carves into thin slices with ease; there is also very little shrinkage, and no wrangling with large joints of meat in boiling liquid. I always like a ham for the holidays — hot, it is spectacular, and it is helpful, after, to have cold ham to bring out alongside cold turkey (and for general sandwich…

You too can be a domestic goddess this Christmas with Nigella Lawson's wonderful recipes for the tastiest lunch ever (and there's even a timetable to make sure it's all cooked on time...)

From her famed Coca-Cola braised ham to chicken Cosima, Observer Food Monthly’s selection of favourite Nigella Lawson dishes