Nigella Lawson on “bowl food”

Nigella Lawson remains one of the most popular authors in the EYB Library. NPR’s Steve Inskeep recently talked with Nigella about her latest cookbook, Simply Nigella: Feel Good Food, which explores the breadth of food you can serve in a bowl.

Noting that “bowl food” sounds a bit similar to “soul food”, Nigella explains that it has a similar connotation, that of food that bolsters you. She goes to on say that while some people associated comfort food with bland flavors, she goes in the opposite direction: “You know, I do want flavor. I want it to be punctuated by heat. I like fire. I like tanginess. But most of all, I do like the feeling of eating when every spoon or forkful is reassuring me the same as the last. And for me, that is one of the most wonderful ways to eat. “

Nigella also discusses the versatility of eating from a bowl, as the shape lends itself to everything from soups to salads. She describes some of the different recipes in the book, including the split pea soup, which is often considered to be quite bland. This is partly due to the inherent qualities of the legume, she says, “because split peas are almost – they’ve got a way of blanketing spices, you do have to be a bit more full throttle. And you can spice them quite firmly, and it won’t be frightening. It won’t be blow your head off time.” Listen to the entire interview on the NPR website.