My last meal was a success not just because it was surprisingly tasty, but because it was really quick and easy - the end result didn't match the work that went into it. The same can often be said of the pasta dishes, although in a very different way - the end result has often been disappointing compared to the amount of effort involved. And so it was with some despair that I looked my spreadsheet and was told that I should be cooking a pasta dish today. In the end I decided to grab the bull by the horns and use it as an opportunity to strike off my list the one 15 minute meal I've really been dreading cooking - the mushroom farfalle.
Flicking through the book the other day, I was a bit shocked to see how many of the remaining meals contain mushrooms. I haven't consciously been avoiding them, but it does appear that I've cooked a disproportionate number of mushroom-free meals. I'm not a fan of mushrooms in any shape or form, but the saving grace that this dish has is that at least all the mushrooms were blitzed up in the processor. I find the slimy, spongy texture worse than the flavour (the mushroom soup meal was actually palatable) so maybe this won't be as bad as I thought it would be at first glance.
Alongside the pasta there is a much more appealing salad featuring crushed hazelnuts, apple and blue cheese, and you prepare that whilst the pasta and mushroom "sauce" are cooking. You finish off by adding cottage cheese to the pasta and sauce - I didn't really understand the purpose of the cottage cheese to be honest.
Lolz and I had some differing opinions on the meal. I thought it was too mushroomy (did I mention that I don't like mushrooms?) but she thought it wasn't mushroomy enough and would have liked some whole mushrooms in there. She didn't like the salad too much, but I thought it was one of the best side salads in the book so far (apple, blue cheese and hazelnuts? What's not to like?!)
Lolz gave the meal 6/10. Difficulty rating 2/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment