Possibly the Best Packed Lunch, Ever

Are you a packed lunch kind of person? Or are you more of a devil-may-care, see-how-the-mood-takes you lunch person, having sushi one day and soup the next? Oh, how I envy your carefree ways.  Because I have to confess I'm firmly in the former category, since the tin mine is located in an area of London where your lunchtime options are strictly limited to a small branch of Nisa.  Also, I like knowing what I'm going to be eating that day; if I don't take lunch with me, I always have an I-don't-know-what-I-feel-like, what-on-earth-am-I-going-to-eat panicky feeling as soon as midday approaches.

Anyway, that was just a long and roundabout way of saying that I like a good packed lunch. And, I hate to boast, but I made an AMAZING packed lunch the other day. A packed lunch to end all packed lunches. A packed lunch that, by rights, should have come with a throne, a crown, and a little sign saying KING OF EVERYTHING.  Behold:

There was a little pot of edamame (prepared this way, and then left to cool - just as yummy when cold. There was another little pot of hummus (are you impressed, as well, by my wide range of Tupperware?  I have plastic containers for any occasion.  I AM A MIDDLE-AGED SUBURBAN WOMAN).  There were crudites of raw carrot, red pepper, and celery. And, just to top things off, there was a freshly-baked, homemade granary roll.

You hate me, don't you.  I don't blame you. 

Leek & Bacon Risotto

Yes, I know, another flipping risotto recipe.  I know I've inundated you with them, so much so that you probably think I've got shares in arborio rice, but the truth of it is that I just really like risotto.  Sorry about that.  If it's any consolation, I promise that this is the simplest risotto recipe you will ever encounter, using just a couple of core ingredients, and it's awesome.  I promise.  (The recipe is via Nigel, although I can't remember which book.  You might know by now that I have a lot of Nigel in my life). 

Here's how it goes.  Sweat two large, finely chopped leeks in some butter until soft.  Add the rice, and ladlefuls of stock and vermouth (or white wine, whichever), stirring and adding more liquid as needed.  Meanwhile, grill six slices of smoked streaky bacon until crisp.  Chop (or snip with scissors) and add to the now-cooked risotto.  Stir through a smidge of grated Parmesan, some black pepper, and serve.

Somehow, this method of cooking keeps the leeks the most beautiful shade of green, so that the finished risotto looks perky and glowing with general health-giving properties.  They also taste sweet and soft, which works gorgeously against the smoky bacon and the creamy rice.   Delicious, and even if you're not a risotto fanatic (why not?), you'll think so too. 

Hot (Cross) Buns

It's Lent!  Hooray!  What have you given up this year?  I never manage to last out until Easter without chocolate/alcohol/coffee, so this year I have accepted my lack of willpower and have given up nothing at all.  I did observe this time of year, however, by making one of those incredibly Easter-y foods:  the hot cross bun.

I love a good hot cross bun.  Don't you think it embodies the perfect combination of carbs and sweetness - that delicious bread-like dough perked up with spice and currants?  It makes them ideal for any time of day, plus they're so quick to prepare - slice in half, two minutes in the toaster, a good slathering of butter and presto!  The perfect Lent breakfast. 

You can buy lovely hot cross buns in the supermarket, so there's no real point in making them from scratch unless: -

1.)  You have time on your hands;
2.)  You have in your cupboard all manner of dried fruits and spices, which, frankly, you've no idea why you bought in the first place, you aren't sure how old they are, and really they could do with being used up. 

Both the above points happen to be true for me, so I gave it a go.  

It turns out that you make hot cross buns pretty much the same way as you'd make bread.  We followed the Nigella recipe, and substituted water for milk and added an egg before beating the dough.  There's no sugar involved, so we upped the amount of spice and added some crystallised ginger to make sure they didn't taste bland.

You should let the dough prove overnight, so this isn't a quick recipe.  It does mean, however, that you could make them one evening, leave them to rise, then convince your husband to get up early and bake them the next day so that you can enjoy them fresh and piping-hot for breakfast.  Just a suggestion.

They smell delicious - all cinnamon-y and currant-y, like a lighter version of Christmas cake.  And they go beautifully with inordinate amounts of butter.  Happy Lent!

PS - putting crosses on them seemed like too much effort.  So, really these are just hot buns.  Hee hee.

Miso-Marinated Salmon With Soy & Ginger Broccoli

We've become slightly obsessed with miso paste.  We bought a big tub of ready-mixed stuff from the Japan Centre (first used here), and it's our new favourite thing.  It's surprisingly versatile - it makes a deliciously salty soup, a punchy salad dressing ingredient, and, as it turns out, it's also a super-easy, super-quick marinade for fish.  Hooray for multi-purpose ingredients!  Miso paste, we love you.

Miso-Marinated Salmon (serves 2)

You need:

2 salmon fillets

2 cloves garlic, smashed

4 tbsp miso paste

2 tbsp soy sauce

In a bowl, mix the smashed garlic, miso paste and soy sauce into a thick paste.  Add in the salmon fillets, covering as much as them as possible with the marinade, and leave in the fridge for half an hour.

When you're ready for dinner, take the fish out of the marinade and griddle for 3-4 minutes per side, until the skin is crispy but the inside is prettily pink.

Broccoli With Soy & Ginger (serves 2)

You need:

1 small head broccoli, chopped into florettes

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 small fresh chili, chopped

2 tbsp soy sauce

Steam the broccoli over a pan of boiling water until the pieces are bright green and not too soft.  While they are cooking, mix the other ingredients together thoroughly.  Serve the broccoli onto plates, and drizzle over the dressing.

I'll admit that the picture above doesn't look totally appetising, so you'll have to take my word for it - this was light, bright, and full of punchy flavours.

Pancaken!

Hi!  Happy Wednesday!  How have your weeks been so far?  We're still living in the House of Germs.  We've developed a worrying addiction to Kleenex Balm tissues, and in fact our zealous use of them may well be resulting in severe deforestation around the world. 

The Cat would like it noted that he is also unwell.  He has lost all the whiskers off the right-hand side of his face, and he doesn't feel that this terrible affliction is getting the attention it deserves

When you're not well, it is the law that you're allowed to eat anything you feel like.  Getting Better requires many calories, as everyone knows. 

Which is why we honoured tradition and treated ourselves to all-pancake dinner yesterday.  Cheese and ham pancakes to start, sugar and lemon pancakes to finish.

Scrumbles.  You'll be pleased to hear that we felt marginally better afterwards. 

Valentine's Day Dinner

Firstly, let me start this post by coming out of the closet:  I dislike Valentine's Day.  I don't like the idea of being romantic only on one random day a year.  I think you should buy your wife/girlfriend/partner flowers whenever you feel like it, and not when a calendar tells you to.  I don't like the wave of tacky red/pink rubbish that invades the shops from New Year onwards, and I particularly don't like the idea that people actually buy that stuff.  (Who in their right mind would want to express their love through a gift of a cuddly red devil with a satin cape embroidered with the words Be Mine?  I genuinely saw that on sale in a supermarket this year.) 

I'm also not a fan of going out to eat on Valentine's Day.  I love going out for dinner, and nothing ranks higher on my date-o-meter than an intimate meal for two in a cute, cosy restaurant, but I'd rather go on another day when there's less chance of being surrounded solely by other couples also feeling the pressure of Being Romantic. 

This is why, every 14th February, you'll find B and I at home in our pyjamas, cooking up something special.  While I don't like Valentine's Day providing a reason to be romantic, I do very much like it providing a reason to eat ice-cream.

On the menu this year.....

...an avocado and pink grapefruit salad, with a chili and coriander dressing.  (Via Hugh.) 

This was a lovely, fresh way to start the meal - the grapefruit's zinginess is balanced out by the creaminess of the avocado, and the dressing counteracts the sweetness of the fruit.  And doesn't it look beautiful on the plate?  Like a little bit of summer.  Oh summer!  We miss you!

To follow, we had Dover sole grilled with vermouth and parsley butter:

And broccoli, and chips.  In fairness, we really didn't need the chips at all - the fish turned out to be surprisingly substantial and filling.  But we ate them anyway (we're troopers that way). 

To finish, we had peach melba, which neither of us have ever made before.  It was easier than we'd thought.  Although we didn't skin the peaches, and we really should have, because trying to wrestle a peach with its skin on when only armed with a spoon is somewhat messy.

To make a peach melba, you poach the peaches in water, sugar, and vanilla.  Then you serve them with masses of vanilla ice-cream, and a raspberry sauce which you make by blitzing a punnet of fruit in your food mixer.   Can you think of a more perfect dessert?  Sugar, fruit, and ice-cream.  Sublime.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.  May your boyfriend/girlfriend/lover/spouse surprise you with flowers for no reason, whisk you out for a romantic dinner just because you've had a long week at work, and never, ever give you a cuddly devil in a satin cape.  Cheers!

Eating Our Way Back to Health

B and I both have colds.  We are living in a House of Germs, littered with tissues and Strepsils, and have watched more daytime television than could ever be good for us.  We're also trying to eat ourselves healthy.

Breakfast:

Lunch:

It's no fun at all being ill, but at least you can eat well while you're suffering.

In the meantime, I'll put up a long-overdue post about Valentine's Day next.  Yay!