- Advertisement -
Nici Wickes has a life that most of us who love food and travel can only dream of, travelling the world exploring cultures and cuisines for her popular television series World Kitchen.
With all this travel, cooking and eating, it is only natural that Nici has at her finger tips some of the best recipes from the countries traveled.
Nici’s beautiful new hard covered book Cook, Eat, Enjoy celebrates a mixture of signature dishes plus Nici’s favourite recipes from 6 countries, being Morocco, India, Spain, Greece, Vietnam and Mexico with the final section returning to Nici’s beachside home here in NZ with recipes she cooks for family and friends.
With the same enthusiasm Nici gives to World Kitchen, each country has it’s own page of lively introduction plus a pantry checklist, ensuring you have those essential ingredients to take you further.
As well as fabulous recipes there are also many stunning photos capturing life and culture from each of the countries.
If this book doesn’t have you reaching for your passport then I don’t know what will!Spicy Baked Yoghurt Chicken Drumsticks
As well as fabulous recipes there are also many stunning photos capturing life and culture from each of the countries.
If this book doesn’t have you reaching for your passport then I don’t know what will!Spicy Baked Yoghurt Chicken Drumsticks
One of my favourite ways to serve a meal is as a platter of deliciousness, where
we all sit around and build our own little snacks, adding as much chilli or
cooling yoghurt as we like. These drumsticks are wickedly spicy and so, so good.
Makes 10 drumsticks
You will need:
Marinade
5 tbsp yoghurt
1½ tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tsp chilli powder
1 heaped tsp paprika
½ tsp garam masala
1 tbsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground coriander
juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp rice bran or vegetable oil
10 chicken drumsticks, skin on or off
2 tbsp oil
lemon juice, to serve
yoghurt, to serve
What to do:
To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients together in a large dish or bag. Marinate the chicken in the ingredients overnight if you can, or for at least 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Remove chicken from marinade and lay out in an oiled baking dish. Make sure there’s space between each drumstick so that the hot air can circulate and the skin crisp
up. Roast for 35–45 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Take the chicken out of the oven, sprinkle a little lemon juice over it and serve with yoghurt, Minted Lettuce (below), Tomato Kasundi and roti or naan breads.
Minted Lettuce
Serves 6
Serves 6
You will need:
½ iceberg lettuce, shredded
½ cup mint, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime or lemon
What to do:
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to mix.
Taste it — it ought to be minty with a hit of citrusy acid. If
not, add more of these. Transfer to serving platter.
You will need:
Baked Lamb Chops
These baked chops drive me wild and, even as party food, they’re worth the
messiness — just provide guests with plenty of serviettes!
Serves 4
You will need:
8 lamb cutlets, trimmed
(I use lamb racks)
1 x 3 cm piece ginger,
peeled and roughly
chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 red chilli, deseeded and
roughly chopped
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chilli powder
4 tbsp cooking oil
1 x 400 g can chopped
tomatoes
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
1 cup natural, unsweetened
yoghurt
coriander leaves, to garnish
What to do:
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Trim off any excess fat around the chops, or get your butcher to do this.
Make a paste by putting the fresh ginger, onions, garlic, chilli, garam masala, cumin, cayenne pepper, chilli powder and 2 tbsp oil in a food processor or blender and process to
a paste.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy-based ovenproof pan, pour in the paste and fry for 5–7 minutes until the spices give off their aroma and the onion pulp has begun to cook. Add
the chops, tomatoes, lemon juice and salt and bring to a simmer.
Cover and bake for 30–45 minutes until the chops are tender and the sauce is thick. Remove the cover for the last 10–15 minutes, stir in the yoghurt (reserving 2 tbsp for
garnishing) and allow the sauce and chops to deepen in colour as they finish cooking.
Just before serving, drizzle with yoghurt and garnish with fresh coriander.
Fiesta Cake
Tres leche cake, or three milk cake, is the cake to beat all cakes! It demands
a party and perhaps that’s why it is one of the most popular desserts for
birthday and wedding celebrations in Mexico. This is my version, complete
with a fresh fruit filling.
Serves 10–12
You will need:
6 eggs, separated
¾ cup caster sugar
1½ cups plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp rice bran oil
½ cup milk (optional)
1 x 395 g can sweetened
condensed milk
1 cup evaporated milk
½ cup whole milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp rum (optional)
300 ml fresh cream,
whipped
1 cup cut fresh fruit (I like
strawberries or mango)
¼ cup chopped almonds
(optional)
sprinkles, for decoration
Frosting
75 g butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk
What to do:
Preheat oven to 175°C. Line a 30 cm round cake tin with baking paper. Make sure it comes up the sides of the tin.
Beat the egg whites until soft peak stage and set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale, light and creamy. Fold the flour, baking powder and oil
into the egg and sugar mix. If the batter is too stiff, add up to ½ cup milk, until it reaches a soft runny batter consistency. Gently fold in the egg whites until incorporated.
Pour into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 40–45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when tested.
In the meantime blend condensed, evaporated and whole milks with vanilla and rum (if using). Use a skewer or fork to poke holes in the top of the cake to break the crust and allow easier absorption of the milks.
Now slowly pour the milks onto the cake, bit by bit, letting it absorb after each pour. Don’t do it too fast or the milks will plunge to the bottom of the tin. It might look like it is too
much liquid, but the cake will absorb it.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. For better results refrigerate overnight.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. For better results refrigerate overnight.
Turn the cake over onto a cake plate and with a long knife cut through the middle, horizontally.
Cover the bottom half with fresh whipped cream, fruit and almonds (if using). Replace the top half and decorate with frosting.
To make the frosting, beat the softened butter, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl until fluffy. Add milk if needed to loosen it up. Ice the cake with a thick layer of the frosting and decorate with some festive sprinkles!
Recipes printed with permission from Harper Collins.
Copyright applies.Cook, Eat, Enoy RRP $44.99 To enter into the draw to win one of 2 copies of Cook, Eat, Enjoy enter your details below.
I all the time emailed this weblog post page to all my friends, as if like to read it afterward my
contacts will too.
Love Nici’s simple yet full of flavour recipes.
I watched Nici on TV the other night and was really impressed by her down to earth way with people and it shows also in her food. Love it!
I am not an overly keen cook but the recipe for chicken drumsticks has just gone on to my ‘must cook’ list.
Many thanks!
Nici just wanted to say, I watch ALOT of foodie tv, and its so nice to have someone who I can relate to and has such a passion for food. I have writtern down your receipes from the shows with my teenage daughters chipping in with which ones they like (oh but they never watch them ,if you are talking to their friends) then we set about hunting down ingrediants, alot from the riccarton farmers market christchurch and wonderful asian supamarkets (see christchurch isnt dead) then monday night we all take turns in magically delieving a family meal. Funny tho always seems to be extras and not 1 of my daughters missing that night. thankyou