Yes. it is Wednesday today, not Monday, but remember that I promote flexibility! Unfortunately I'm getting far more acquainted with my office than I'd like and the whole working for a living thing is getting in the way of blogging at times.
So what are we eating this week?
On Monday, we had spaghetti and meatballs. This is really a cheat's meal and I love it. My local butcher (or his mother) makes lovely italian style herbed meatballs and sells a whole tray fresh for about $3.50.
It's a matter of browning some onion and garlic, sealing the tiny meatballs and then simmering them in a rich tomatoey sauce (try crushed tomatoes plus passata or bottled pasta sauce, with a generous amount of salt and pepper, plus oregano, thyme, parsley or whatever herbs you have lying around) until you can stand it no more, and serving over al dente spaghetti.
On Tuesday we went out for dinner. It is wonderful to take the opportunity to relax over someone else's cooking and talk about the few things we each do at work that isn't classified. Luckily we always have plenty of other things to talk about - a conversation about what was done in 10 hours of work is over within about 30 seconds.
I have the day off on Wednesday so I get to visit the friendly butcher, baker and candlestick maker. Well not really. I don't know a candlestick maker. I am toddling off to the fishmonger to get some freshly cooked crab - to make Angelhair pasta with crab and lemon. This recipe was on last week's menu but was rudely rescheduled due to that silly work thing I do from time to time.
Check back later on for the recipe and run down on this one.
We'll be graced with the presence of my sister and her boyfriend on Thursday night and I'll be making the risotto with tomato, prosciutto and basil that I planned to cook for them last week. My clever last-minute-cooking sister is going to bring something lovely for dessert.
On Friday we'll throw together some homemade pizzas - I'm thinking rocket (aragula), smoked salmon, red (spanish) onion, fetta, capers. We cook the bases brushed with olive oil and spices and then add the other ingredients cold, once the base is cooked.
On Saturday we'll be having some lamb cutlets in a spicy crumb, served with steamed greens, saffron basmati rice, eggplant kasundi and natural yoghurt.
As usual we'll be doing the family thing on Sunday.
Photo: Knife and Fork by nickwheeleroz
So how's your week shaping up? Leave a comment and let me know and then pop over to Chive Talkin' and I'm an Organizing Junkie to see what other people are eating this week.
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]]>Good thing too, because as it turns out husbands tend to be awfully forgiving of a wife's foibles when the smell of roast lamb, garlic and rosemary is caressing their nostrils. (Maybe I should have got the shoes as well?)
Smear (please use your hands - trust me) a paste of mustard, olive oil, garlic, fresh chopped rosemary and parsley over lamb racks. Cover and hide the lamb racks in the fridge for as long as possible, overnight if you can manage it. If you're doing it at the last minute as I often am, pop the lamb in the fridge and get started on some accompaniments.
BTW: I find that soup on the stove can hide a multitude of sins (or at least an utter failure to start dinner at a reasonable hour) so home-made soup in the freezer (or a good quality bought product) can be useful!
The lamb needs a quick sear in a medium-hot pan for 1-2 minutes on each side, then, depending on the size of the racks, about 15-20 minutes in a hot oven. Cover and rest the lamb (and yourself) for about 10 minutes.
Deglaze the pan and pour the pan juices over the lamb and serve with roasted vegetables, paris mash potato, (or for a lower GI option) sweet potato rosti, steamed greens or whatever takes your fancy.
Healthy Eating Update
While the addition of olive oil and the carbiness of roasted root vegetables meant our dinner wasn't all that low-calorie, it was delicious, healthy and satisfying.
I find I need carbs in the evening to prevent me craving over-processed sugary sepulchres in the middle of the night. A glass of wine also helps me sleep and avoid the binging. It seems to be working - it may be my imagination but I'm feeling a little lighter!
So there we have it. My love handles are still prominent but I'm healthy and happy.
(Challenge for later: weigh myself. Regularly.)
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]]>This is my speedy, healthy-ish, completely not-Indian, not-curry version.
Mix a couple of tablespoons of good quality curry paste (if you're in Perth and haven't already, check out Prime Products) with roughly the same amount of plain yoghurt. Low fat yoghurt works perfectly.
Smear the curry paste mixture over a couple of chicken breasts (beef or lamb works too) and marinate in the fridge for at least 5 minutes. Chargrill until just cooked through (chicken breasts take 4 minutes on my Breville electric chargrill thingamy) and serve with basmati rice, vegetables of your choice and pickle or chutney.
If you cook double the chicken, you can serve it cold the next day wrapped in roti bread with salad, pickle and a bit of yoghurt.
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