Recent eats: the interminable winter edition

I find myself so intensely boring at the moment that I haven't wanted to inflict any blogging on the world. Lockdown has not been good for me. I have basically turned even more sloth like in my habits and my hair is, frankly, ridiculous. Funky, asymmetric styles are all very well until they start growing out and then they just look like someone can't cut straight.

So we've been cooking and eating, which is fine. What can I tell you about? We brined a roast chicken the other week - or, to be strictly accurate, we brined a chicken for 48 hours prior to roasting it which was delicious. It would have been better, however, if I hadn't managed to roast it upside-down. Which meant that the underside was golden and crispy and buttery and the breast was...a wee bit pale and flabby looking. D removed the breast skin and crisped it up under the grill, while I languished on the sofa wondering how on Earth I have reached the age of 40 without knowing which way up a chicken should go. 

I made pizza last week, and remain very impressed with Dan Lepard's dough recipe, so that was good. We cooked a smoked haddock and kale hash from one of the new Christmas cookbooks which was DELICIOUS. It is actually online, here, if you're interested. It is one of those dishes that somehow manages to be significantly more than the sum of its parts. Highly recommended.

Oh, and D splashed out and treated us both to a Dishoom bacon naan takeaway kit thingy. Good, but we think we can tweak it to make it even better (it will probably include a liberal drizzle of our beloved coriander and chilli chutney, aka "green stuff").

In the background, we've both been trying to shift a bit of weight which I am loathe to talk about really because - see first paragraph it is SO BORING. And I'm conscious that this blog is like bloody Groundhog Day for Diets - except that it's not, not Bill Murray actually learns and grows during Groundhog Day and me...not so much. But I will say that a few months ago - mid-October time - we introduced low calorie days back into our week, so we now follow a programme of intermittent fasting which involves only eating for 8 hours a day and, on two of those days, only eating 500 calories. A mash-up of 16/8 and 5/2. And it does work, albeit slowly, and it is a hell of a lot easier to manage low calorie days when we're at home not really doing everything. Whether it will be sustainable when the world goes back to normal...not so sure. But since that shows no sign of happening for a while, we'll keep going for now! 

Meal planning and catching up

*Slinks back in with a new post.  Torn between starting with abject apology for absence (which always feels slightly self-aggrandising since it pre-supposes that anyone actually missed self in the first place) and just acting like it never happened.  Wrestles with dilemma.  Deletes and rewrites and deletes same chunk of text multiple times.*

Anyway (in lieu of any excuses, I’ll opt for an aggressive stance), in this day and age how many people still read blogs?  Especially little backwater blogs like this one where the writer still uses their original Blogger template and eschews any sort of decent photography preferring to stick with everything look like primordial sludge.  The blogging scene ain’t what it was all those years ago. Feel free to shoot me down if I’m being an unreasonable cowbag but I reckon that it used to be about sharing personal experiences with like-minded people in a nice, low-key manner and creating a little virtual community of kindred spirits.  Now, you get people who actually put the career of Influencer on their passport (or would do if you still had to list your career on your passport).  So everyone who has a blog wants it to be the biggest, shiniest, shoutiest blog in the world in order to attract attention and, thus, money.  Oh, not to mention the bloggers have to have a presence all across social meeeeeja.  Which kind of puts paid to the fact of anonymity.

I think that it’s a little bit sad.  But then, I suppose if someone had Discovered me and offered me ludicrous sums of money / amounts of free stuff to write about what I love, thus saving me from a life of Desk Bound Drudgery, I would probably have taken them up on it.  So maybe it’s just envy talking.

ANYWAY.  What’s going on with me?  Work – busy, busy, busy.  But good.  Food – we’ve cooked some really lovely stuff lately that I hope to get round to posting, but there may not be pictures because I think I have to really give up on the whole pictures thing.  I’ll just illustrate everything with a photo of my cat.  Weight – well, still there.  At this stage of the game I think it’s going to take a serious bout of novo virus to kick-start things on a downwards trajectory again. 

And as for meal planning this week…

Monday: as long term friends will know, we often have ready-made soup on a Monday night.  This is partly a hangover from our 5:2 days, ensuring a relatively low calorie start to the week.  It also means that after getting through Monday we don’t have to worry about any elaborate cooking.  But D finally cracked and said what we were both thinking – soup can be a bit dull.  So now, Monday is going to be soup-and-bread-and-cheese night. We’ve got some chicken and vegetable broth along with a lovely looking piece of Caerphilly to enjoy.  I’ve had some baguette dough defrosting in the fridge since this morning – I’ve not tried freezing it before, so not sure how it will turn out but am hopeful it will work well.

Tuesday: currently, spiced monkfish with chutney and flatbreads, but this may end up bumped to the weekend.

Wednesday: spaghetti carbonara – D is out for a couple of pints after work but I should be able to whip this up quickly when he comes home starving.

Thursday: roasted vegetables with couscous and feta.  We used to cook a stove-top version of this on a regular basis when I was a student.  It was the go-to “We’ve been eating rubbish for several days and require some proper nutrients” meal. 

Friday: we’re both out for a leaving do, so no current plans in place.

Saturday: might end up being the monkfish.  Otherwise, we have steak in the freezer all ready to be turned into steak sandwiches.

Sunday: D has a yen for chicken Kiev.  So he’s going to make that.  He has done a homemade version before and it worked out very well, so I have high hopes for this.  What could be nicer than crispy chicken drenched in garlic butter?

And that takes us nicely back round to Monday.  Quite a meaty weekend, so might need to balance that out with a few more veggie based meals next week (never a major hardship).  Hope whatever you find yourself cooking and eating is lovely. A bientot! 

MPM: 6th August 2018

There are only so many times that one can write “Monday again” or, “Where did the weekend go?” or, “Can’t believe we’re eight months into the year!” without it becoming ineffably tedious. Suffice to say, please take all the above as read.

If nothing else, my returning to Weight Watchers has refocused our attention on meal planning which is excellent news. We’ve more or less completely stuck to the plan these last few weeks and have been eating extremely well. We’re also getting more of a sense of what works well with the current WW ideal – NB: if you like fish, chicken and pulses and can make them the main constituents of your dish, you’re going to be laughing all the way to the (Smart Points) bank. I also continue in my efforts to stick an egg on top of pretty much everything I eat.

This week, we again have no particular plans, other than Tuesday night, when we’re off to the cinema and I am angling to fit in a cheeky Nando’s, having discovered that a double chicken pitta is a mere 8 Smart Points. I have to admit I secretly quite adore Nando’s and yes, I know that I could cook something just as nice at home and not pay ridiculously over the odds for it, but I maintain that it is worth the occasional splurge, especially since there is a branch located very handily for our local multiplex. D is out for lunch on Thursday (probably Nando’s again, the lucky sausage. Fortunately, he is very partial to chicken) so keeping things light on Thursday evening.

Monday: Crab scrambled eggs with pan roasted asparagus.

Wednesday: Prawns with sweet potato mash and chilli vinaigrette

Thursday: Tuna sandwiches

Friday: Twice baked cheese soufflés, roast courgette and spinach salad with balsamic dressing, garlic bread

Saturday: Momofuku chicken wings

Sunday: Butternut squash, sage and amaretti ravioli

Recipe corner: Masala spiced fish finger sandwiches

I don’t think that I ever met a sandwich that I didn’t like.  Not all sandwiches are created equal, obviously, and the slightly flabby, pre-boxed supermarket offerings are never going to be the finest example of the genre.  And yet, something magical happens when you take a thing and shove it in between two slices of bread, preferably with a smear of another thing.

Actually, I’ve just remembered.  I don’t really like peanut butter and jam sandwiches.  Mind you, I can’t remember the last time I tried to eat one.  Maybe I should have another go.

Anyway, this recipe is my current favourite sandwich.  It was created by D as an anniversary treat meal back in September and it combines three great loves – fish, curry and sandwiches.  The ingredient list looks long (as is often his wont) but there is nothing there that you likely won’t have in your spice cupboard and the results are superlative.

Ingredients

2 thick fillets of white fish – cod loin or monkfish work well

Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp fennel seeds

100g flour

1 tbsp cornflour

1 thumb of ginger, finely grated

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

100ml beer or lager

Suggested to serve:

2 x sub rolls

Mango chutney

Cucumber raita (bought or homemade  - combine yoghurt, crushed garlic, coriander or mint, lemon juice and grated or sliced cucumber)

Shredded lettuce

Serves 2, 9 pro points per portion (fish fingers only)

Combine all the dry spices with the cornflour, half (50g) of the flour, and plenty of salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cut the fish into finger shapes.  Or any shapes you like really.  Toss well in the spicy flour and then set aside.

Add the remainder of the flour and the ginger, garlic and beer and stir well to make a batter.  If it looks to be too thick – you want it to be about the consistency of double cream – add a touch more liquid.

Return the floured fish fingers to the batter and coat well.  You can do this well in advance and leave them in there quite happily.

To serve as suggest, split the rolls in half and spread one side with mango chutney and the other with raita and sprinkle over the lettuce and any other fillings that you might fancy.  Heat the oil and then fry the fish for a couple of minutes on each side, so that the batter crisps up and the fish remains tender.  Add to the bun and serve.

D’s drinking note:  Preferably accompany with a small glass of whatever beverage you used to make your batter – I like Saltaire Cascade Pale Ale.

Recipe corner: Tuna steak baguette with Asian slaw

I think it is both a good thing and a bad that I have no particular expertise in any one cuisine (unless cheese on toast can be said to be a cuisine - in which case I am basically the love child of Ken Hom and Madhur Jaffrey.)  It means that I can't tell authentic from inauthentic which is a shame, and I put things together without due regard for tradition which would have matrons the world over wagging their fingers expressively.  But, equally, I am generally guided by what I think tastes good and unrestricted by a food's particular heritage. Which means that my cooking may be confused, but a lot of the time it is pretty yummy.

Take this dish.  At the outset it was just to be a steak sandwich, with all the traditional accompaniments, except the steak in question was to be tuna.  And then somehow it veered over to Asia with delicious results. The idea of using baguette was very much inspired by the Vietnamese banh mi, a wonderful collision of French and Asian traditions, and the crunchy side slaw was a perfect accompaniment - zingy, crunchy and jam packed with wonderful flavour.  This is definitely one to add to the dinner rotation list.

Ingredients

For the baguettes:
2 pieces of baguette, split lengthways
2 tuna steaks
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp wasabi

For the slaw:
Quarter of white cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
Half a bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
Red chilli, deseeded and sliced
Handful chopped coriander
Handful chopped mint leaves
Handful chopped Thai basil leaves
2 tsp soft brown sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tbsp olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the chopped veg (reserving the green parts of the spring onions), chilli and herbs.

In a separate bowl prepare the dressing, and reserve until required.  Whisk the sugar into the vinegar until complete dissolved and then add the other ingredients.  Check and adjust seasoning as required - remember, the fish sauce is very salty so you shouldn't need to add much by way of salt.

Bring a non stick frying pan up to a high heat.  Season the fish and then cook for around 90 seconds on each side.  Remove from the heat and allow to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing on the bias,

Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise and wasabi, season to taste, adding a touch of lemon juice if it looks too thick, and then slather over one side of the baguettes.  Arrange the tuna on top and scatter with the chopped greens of the spring onions before bringing together in one messy, juicy sandwich.

Dress the slaw and serve on the side.

Hibernation and a tremendous steak sandwich

When a blogger goes quiet for a while it is traditional to start the next post with an apology.  Since I doubt very much that the dearth of ramblings in this little corner of the internet has impacted anyone adversely I am sure that my beloved band of readers will forgive me and allow us all to move on.

So, nearly Christmas: how on earth did that happen?  For me, the majority of presents are wrapped, the lights are up in the living room, giving it a pleasingly grotto-esque feel, but we haven't yet started prep for the lunch we are cooking on Christmas Day.  We'll be getting on to that tomorrow.  How about you?

If you're looking for something a little different but incredibly indulgent to nibble - perhaps on those grey old days between Christmas and New Year, then I have a lovely recipe to commend to your attention.

Basically, you hollow out a loaf of bread, fill it with layers of seared steak and a garlicky mushroom duxelle, smear the lid with mustard before replacing and then press it for a good few hours.  The result is a kind of cross between a beef Wellington and a steak sandwich.  Fabulous.

More precise instructions to be found here.  You're welcome - and merry Christmas!

How to make the perfect Reuben sandwich

Since last December, it has been rare to find our freezer without several portions of D's home made corned beef.  And one of our absolute favourite ways to eat corned beef is in a classic American deli sandwich, a Reuben.

We had Reubens at Katz's deli when we were in New York earlier this year, but I think mine is better because, as delicious as Katz's beef was, the quantity served in the sandwich was so large as to overwhelm the other component parts - it just wasn't properly balanced.  For me, the joy of this sandwich is the way in which all the ingredients work together.  I like a variety of textures as well, hence leaving the bread under the cheese layer untoasted.

I think traditionally this would be on rye bread, but I find the really dark German style rye bread a bit too intense, so prefer to opt for a crusty loaf, a sourdough if possible.  If you are so clever as to make your own sourdough (one day I will get around to experimenting with that...) then use that.

Serve this with a big dill pickle on the side.

Ingredients

4 slices of bread (see above)
100g corned beef, thinly sliced
50g Gruyere cheese, grated
4 tbsp sauerkraut

For the Russian mayonaise:
2 tbsp full fat mayonnaise
Tsp Dijon mustard
Tsp tomato puree
Tsp chopped fresh (or freeze dried) dill
Pinch of dried chilli flakes

Makes 2 sandwiches, 16 pro points each

Preheat your grill for bread toasting purposes.

Combine the ingredients for the mayonnaise and set aside.  You could, of course, use a reduced fat mayo if you were looking to shave some points off.

Toast the bread on one side until lightly golden.  In our beast of a grill, this takes about ten seconds.

Flip the bread slices, and on two of them, divide up the grated cheese.  Replace under the grill and cook until the naked bread is lightly toasted and the cheese is molten and bubbling.

Spread the mayonnaise on the naked bread slice, and then layer on the sliced meat and the sauerkraut.  Top with the melted cheese slice (cheese side down).

Serve with a napkin (this is a juicy devil) and a large dill pickle on the side.

The wonder of sandwiches

So, remember when this used to be a blog about losing weight?  C'mon really cast your mind back...yes...bit further....there we go!

Well, in the last two weeks this little piggy has managed to lose five pounds.  Which, in turn, has earned me five stars on my star chart.

I love a star chart.

I put all my success down to sandwiches.  Yes, that's right.  As I said to D recently, I think a good 75% of my meals lately have been sandwich-centric. 

It's not very exciting - certainly it wouldn't make for good reading for you, dearest blog followers.

But I am here and I am keeping on keeping on.