Meal 82 - October 3rd - Mushroom Farfalle, Blue Cheese, Hazelnut & Apple Salad
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.
Showing posts with label apple. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apple. Show all posts
12 May 2013
Mustard Lamb, Irish Mash and Watercress Apple Salad
Meal 43 - May 12th - Mustard Lamb, Irish Mash and Watercress Apple Salad
After a very lazy Saturday, Lolz and I decided we would add another string to our middle-class bow by visiting the Parsons Green Farmer's Market on Sunday morning. Surely that would deliver a hit of inspiration to save me from this 15 minute meal slump that I am going through? Well, I did make one important and rather momentous discovery (details to follow in my next post...) but, unless you are looking for home made cakes or artisan breads, it was rather lacking in the inspiration department.
After a very lazy Saturday, Lolz and I decided we would add another string to our middle-class bow by visiting the Parsons Green Farmer's Market on Sunday morning. Surely that would deliver a hit of inspiration to save me from this 15 minute meal slump that I am going through? Well, I did make one important and rather momentous discovery (details to follow in my next post...) but, unless you are looking for home made cakes or artisan breads, it was rather lacking in the inspiration department.
25 Feb 2013
Mushroom Soup, stilton, apple and walnut croutes
Meal 20 - Feb 24th - Mushroom Soup, stilton, apple and walnut croutes
With poor Lolz feeling under the weather I agreed to make her a Sunday afternoon soup. We weren't able to make our minds up on which one though so Lolz rigged up a basic lottery system involving a hat and three bits of paper with "tomato", "mushroom" and "squash" written on them. And rigged is probably the operative word as, surprise surprise, I picked the dreaded mushroom option. My demand for a recount was ignored, and, with some loud and suggestive coughing on Lolz's part, I was "encouraged" into the kitchen to begin making our lunch.
My problem with mushrooms is not just the taste - they actually offend pretty much all my senses. I can't stand the smell. They look weird. They even feel like they are alive, like a creature that you would expect to find under a rock. Basically wrong on all kind of levels. I was glad to finally get them in the pan and get them cooked. Alongside the soup we made some "croutes" and in doing so established, several times, that our smoke detector was working well. Fortunately, no major damage was done and with the soup successfully handblended, we plated up.
In an attempt to keep calories under control, the recipe uses basmati rice instead of cream. It kind of works, but maybe at the expense of a bit of richness. It was also quite delicate on the mushroom flavour - for me this was great, but mushroom fans may prefer something a bit more powerful. The croutes were really good - mushrooms are obviously not to my tastes, but apple, walnut and stilton is a classic combination which go really nicely with the lightly charred, garlicky ciabatta.
Lolz gave the dish 8/10. She moaned that the soup was underseasoned and wasn't keen on the walnuts or apples. Difficulty rating 2/10 - extremely straightforward.
With poor Lolz feeling under the weather I agreed to make her a Sunday afternoon soup. We weren't able to make our minds up on which one though so Lolz rigged up a basic lottery system involving a hat and three bits of paper with "tomato", "mushroom" and "squash" written on them. And rigged is probably the operative word as, surprise surprise, I picked the dreaded mushroom option. My demand for a recount was ignored, and, with some loud and suggestive coughing on Lolz's part, I was "encouraged" into the kitchen to begin making our lunch.
My problem with mushrooms is not just the taste - they actually offend pretty much all my senses. I can't stand the smell. They look weird. They even feel like they are alive, like a creature that you would expect to find under a rock. Basically wrong on all kind of levels. I was glad to finally get them in the pan and get them cooked. Alongside the soup we made some "croutes" and in doing so established, several times, that our smoke detector was working well. Fortunately, no major damage was done and with the soup successfully handblended, we plated up.
In an attempt to keep calories under control, the recipe uses basmati rice instead of cream. It kind of works, but maybe at the expense of a bit of richness. It was also quite delicate on the mushroom flavour - for me this was great, but mushroom fans may prefer something a bit more powerful. The croutes were really good - mushrooms are obviously not to my tastes, but apple, walnut and stilton is a classic combination which go really nicely with the lightly charred, garlicky ciabatta.
Lolz gave the dish 8/10. She moaned that the soup was underseasoned and wasn't keen on the walnuts or apples. Difficulty rating 2/10 - extremely straightforward.
3 Feb 2013
Super Smoothie - Green
Meal 12 - Feb 3rd - Green Super Smoothie
Not really a meal but if it's in the book it's in the blog. To be honest I'm not really a fan of smoothies and the combination of spinach and banana, amongst other things, did not look appealing. Still, I knocked it up in about 15 seconds and gave it a go...
Taste wise, the smoothie is a pleasant surprise. The spinach, despite making it look a rather toxic green, is a fairly neutral flavour and overpowered by the apple juice, lime and banana. Unfortunately however, Lolz tends to take offence to banana and gave it a mere 3/10.
Not really a meal but if it's in the book it's in the blog. To be honest I'm not really a fan of smoothies and the combination of spinach and banana, amongst other things, did not look appealing. Still, I knocked it up in about 15 seconds and gave it a go...
Taste wise, the smoothie is a pleasant surprise. The spinach, despite making it look a rather toxic green, is a fairly neutral flavour and overpowered by the apple juice, lime and banana. Unfortunately however, Lolz tends to take offence to banana and gave it a mere 3/10.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)