How can I use up nigella seeds or whole dried shiitake? I bought both recently to make specific recipes (the nigella for an Indian-inspired dish and the mushrooms for a Chinese one), but I don’t know what to pair them with in my simpler everyday cooking.
Audrey, Montreal, Canada
One thing I love to do with nigella seeds is to mix them with other seeds, spices and nuts that also need using up. Pair nigella with white sesame seeds, chilli flakes, onion and garlic granules, and flaky sea salt to make what I call “everything seasoning”. I sprinkle that on leafy salads or toss some with cubed bread that’s destined to be salad croutons.

Nigella and nuts, meanwhile, make a great snack – put some on a tray with whole cashews, brazils and/or pecans, toss with oil, honey and spices, then roast. It also works brilliantly when dry-roasted with flaked almonds (and maybe a few sesame seeds and chilli flakes as well): store that in a jar, ready to scatter over salads.

Nigella also looks brilliant against a white backdrop, so strew some over thick yoghurt to serve with curry, say, or on fried eggs. Green is another top colour combo: think green leaves or avocado on toast. It also goes a long way in all sorts of pastry, be that mixed into the dough itself or sprinkled over oil- or butter-brushed filo, such as for boureka or spanakopita.

Shiitake are a bit more in your face, but they’re a great way to add flavour and depth to all sorts of stocks and soups, or pop a couple into the mix when poaching chicken. Risottos also welcome dried shiitake, both as a flavouring for the liquid and as a feature of the finished dish. Lasagnes do likewise, whether you’re going all-out with a mushroom lasagne (in which case a broad mix of mushrooms works best) or to add oomph to a meat or vegetable lasagne. Come to think of it, many hearty dishes won’t shake their heads at a shiitake or two.