: Tagliatelle with Chicken from the Venetian
                             Ghetto



       3 1/2-pound chicken
       2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
       Salt and freshly milled black pepper
       Leaves from 3 rosemary sprigs, minced
       1/3 cup of sultanas, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
       1/2 cup of pine nuts, lightly toasted
       1 pound of tagliatelle
       2-3 tablespoons of chopped parsley

                                                               Preheat the oven to 350 F.

       Rub the chicken with the oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper--then
       place it breast-down in a roasting pan and roast for about 1 1/2 hours
       or until well browned, turning it over toward the end to brown the
       breast. It's done when the juices run clear--not pink--when you cut
       into the thigh. When the chicken's nearly ready, put abundant water on
       for the pasta, salting it when it boils.

       Take the chicken out of the oven and take the meat off the bone,
       leaving all that glorious burnished skin on, and cut it into small pieces. I
       do much of this by just pulling without a knife, but if you haven't got
       asbestos hands, use a knife and fork or wait till it's cooler.

       For the sauce, pour all the juices from the roasting pan into a saucepan.
       Add the rosemary, the drained sultanas and the pine nuts. Begin to
       simmer the sauce when you're ready to cook the pasta.

       Cook and drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce, chicken pieces and
       parsley in a large warmed bowl. No cheese, please.


                                                               


              Excerpted from How to Eat  2000 by Nigella Lawson
             Reprinted by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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: Lamb with Garlicky Tahini



       1 onion
       1 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
       Zest of 1 lemon and juice of 2
       1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin, plus more, for garnishing
       10 lamb of noisettes, about 1 1/4 inches thick
       8 tablespoons of tahini
       4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
       1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt

                                                               




       Put the onion into one large shallow dish in which the noisettes will fit in
       one layer--or divide the onion into two medium-to-large freezer bags.
       Add the oil, lemon zest and cumin (dividing equally, obviously, if you're
       using bags). Give a good stir and then add the lamb. Cover the dish or
       tie up the bags and leave, turning or squishing respectively at half time,
       as long as you've got--frankly, though, it should be for at least 10
       minutes and preferably not in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 425 F
       and put a nonstick or cast-iron pan on the stove. Remove the noisettes
       from the marinade--you don't need to wipe them dry, just brush off the
       bits of onion. Sear each side for a minute or two, then transfer to a
       baking pan and then to the preheated oven. 10 minutes should be right
       for pink (but not bloody) lamb--you may need a bit longer if the meat
       started off very cold. You will need to check for yourself, obviously, and
       when cooked as you want, remove to a warmed plate.

       For the sauce, put the tahini in a bowl and add the garlic and salt. Stir
       with a wooden spoon, adding the lemon juice as you do--it will seize up
       here, but don't worry, because it will loosen later. Slowly add some
       water (I find I can use about 1/2 cup), pouring from a measuring cup,
       so only a little goes in at a time--and keep stirring. When you have a
       smooth mixture--the consistency of heavy cream--stop adding water.
       Put into a bowl with a spoon and sprinkle with the additional ground
       cumin.


                                                               


              Excerpted from How to Eat  2000 by Nigella Lawson
             Reprinted by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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                     Trashy: Ham in Coca-Cola



       4 1/4-4 1/2 pound bone-in fresh ham
       1 onion, peeled and cut in half
       2-liter bottle of Coca-Cola

       For the glaze:
       Handful of cloves
       1 heaping tablespoon of molasses
       2 teaspoons of English mustard powder
       2 tablespoons of granulated brown sugar

                                                               




       One thing before you start: Don't even consider using Diet Coke--it's full
       of sugar. If you know that you're dealing with a salty ham, put it in a
       pan covered with cold water, bring to the boil and then tip into a
       colander in the sink and start from here; otherwise, put the ham in a
       pan (skin-side down, if it fits like that), add the onion and then pour
       over the Coke. Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on
       (though not tightly) and cook for just under two-and-a-half hours. If
       your joint is larger or smaller, work out timing by reckoning on an hour
       for every two pounds, remembering that it's going to get a quick blast in
       the oven later. But do take into account that if the ham's been in the
       refrigerator right up to the moment you cook it, you will have to give it
       a good 15 minutes or so extra, so that the interior is properly cooked.

       Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 500 F. When the ham's had its time,
       take it out of the pan (but do not throw away the cooking liquid) and
       let cool a little for ease of handling. (Indeed, you can let it cool
       completely and then finish off the cooking at some later stage if you
       want.) Then remove the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat
       with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes and stud each
       diamond with a clove. Then carefully spread the molasses over the
       bark-budded skin, taking care not to dislodge the cloves. Gently pat the
       mustard and sugar onto the sticky fat. Cook in a foil-lined roasting pan
       for approximately 10 minutes or until the glaze is burnished and bubbly.
       Should you want to do the braising stage in advance and then let the
       ham cool, clove and glaze it and give it 30-40 minutes, from room
       temperature, at 350 F, turning up the heat towards the end if you
       think it needs it.

       Serves eight people.


                                                               


              Excerpted from How to Eat  2000 by Nigella Lawson
             Reprinted by arrangement with John Wiley & S


