It turns out days are long when you work from home and don't do 3 yoga classes a day. I was planning to go out for a walk at lunchtime as compensation, but due to various unevenly spaced meetings there wasn't more than a half hour slot between everything. And although in theory that's enough for a walk it just didn't happen. There are however many good answers to my tweet asking for how to perk up a walk round my immediate (boring) area.
So there's really no justification for having chips for tea. But I finally managed to buy some potatoes yesterday, and the two I had remaining from pre-lockdown were getting very sprouty. Besides, I also managed to buy Actual CHICKEN, so I could make a souvlaki recipe I wanted to try. And it came with a recipe for chips in the book. So. It was meant.
I haven't actually had the oven on since I started working from home. No special reason, but I am rather conscious of my power bill at the moment (so many extra devices, charging so much more), and I wanted to get value out of it. Some tomatoes from last week had started to go furry at the stems (bastards, they should have lasted longer), and the chicken I'd bought was bone-in, which isn't what you want for souvlaki. So, the full oven was:
1) Chicken skin and thigh bones, just roasting up for some stock. I have said I don't have freezer space for much, but if I have to boil this down to Marmite to fit it in, I'm not going to waste them.
2) A small tray of chopped tomatoes, with oil, salt, ground cumin, a pinch of sugar and what should be a shake of balsamic vinegar but I've just realised I missed it out this time. This is my standard roast tomatoes recipe and it's gorgeous, keeps well, goes with loads of things warm or cold, and will give me some good lunches just on toast on its own. c30-40 minutes is ideal.
3) CHIPS: two spuds, sliced into chip form, parboiled for 3 minutes, onna tray, in some oil, with some seasoning. 30-40 mins on high oven.
4) The souvlaki (recipe below), which needed about 20-25 mins in the oven on high (I know souvlaki should be grilled, but I've mentioned before my lack of grill - and besides, these are in yoghurt and I like oven-roasted yoghurt-marinaded stuff, it goes a little tandoori-style).
About as much use as you can make of an oven, I think.
The actual recipe bit was:
- Skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut bitesize
- 300g Greek yoghurt
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- Zest of a lemon
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- chili (or in my IBS-y case, a faint pinch of pul biber, fingers crossed)
And then I had thyme with a use-by of 1 March that's still edible but drying out fast. And loads of rosemary that I collected from my parents when dropping off their shoppping. They have a couple of big rosemary bushes in the garden, and I've never really got used to the idea you have to buy it. So I added a solid snipping of both those, although that's really a different souvlaki recipe, with just oil. Why not? Mix it all together, marinade for at least an hour, oven as above, or grill it if you have fancy cooking options.
The recipe has exciting sides like griddled olives and a cabbage and onion slaw, but I have none of that available. I do have a courgette, which I chunked and boiled in the potato water. Which has become the stock water now I've bunged the chicken bones in and boiled up. And also, the chips.
It was a good dinner. Cheeringly normal, even as work is increasingly abnormal, and life outside is unimaginable. I wasn't online at 8pm, but even in this quiet suburban street of undemonstrative London, I was reminded to cheer the carers at this time. Doors opened, windows wide, cheering and clapping down the street. I'm about a mile from St George's Hospital, where people are working very hard right now to care for us all. They won't quite have heard us, but it's very close all the same.
So there's really no justification for having chips for tea. But I finally managed to buy some potatoes yesterday, and the two I had remaining from pre-lockdown were getting very sprouty. Besides, I also managed to buy Actual CHICKEN, so I could make a souvlaki recipe I wanted to try. And it came with a recipe for chips in the book. So. It was meant.
 |
| Chips! Chips chips chips, why do I love them so? |
I haven't actually had the oven on since I started working from home. No special reason, but I am rather conscious of my power bill at the moment (so many extra devices, charging so much more), and I wanted to get value out of it. Some tomatoes from last week had started to go furry at the stems (bastards, they should have lasted longer), and the chicken I'd bought was bone-in, which isn't what you want for souvlaki. So, the full oven was:
1) Chicken skin and thigh bones, just roasting up for some stock. I have said I don't have freezer space for much, but if I have to boil this down to Marmite to fit it in, I'm not going to waste them.
2) A small tray of chopped tomatoes, with oil, salt, ground cumin, a pinch of sugar and what should be a shake of balsamic vinegar but I've just realised I missed it out this time. This is my standard roast tomatoes recipe and it's gorgeous, keeps well, goes with loads of things warm or cold, and will give me some good lunches just on toast on its own. c30-40 minutes is ideal.
3) CHIPS: two spuds, sliced into chip form, parboiled for 3 minutes, onna tray, in some oil, with some seasoning. 30-40 mins on high oven.
4) The souvlaki (recipe below), which needed about 20-25 mins in the oven on high (I know souvlaki should be grilled, but I've mentioned before my lack of grill - and besides, these are in yoghurt and I like oven-roasted yoghurt-marinaded stuff, it goes a little tandoori-style).
About as much use as you can make of an oven, I think.
 |
| Fixings, plus extras |
The actual recipe bit was:
- Skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut bitesize
- 300g Greek yoghurt
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- Zest of a lemon
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- chili (or in my IBS-y case, a faint pinch of pul biber, fingers crossed)
And then I had thyme with a use-by of 1 March that's still edible but drying out fast. And loads of rosemary that I collected from my parents when dropping off their shoppping. They have a couple of big rosemary bushes in the garden, and I've never really got used to the idea you have to buy it. So I added a solid snipping of both those, although that's really a different souvlaki recipe, with just oil. Why not? Mix it all together, marinade for at least an hour, oven as above, or grill it if you have fancy cooking options.
 |
| The main problem with yoghurt marinade is, it looks awful |
The recipe has exciting sides like griddled olives and a cabbage and onion slaw, but I have none of that available. I do have a courgette, which I chunked and boiled in the potato water. Which has become the stock water now I've bunged the chicken bones in and boiled up. And also, the chips.
 |
| Action shot. And some extremely chunky chips and courgettes |
It was a good dinner. Cheeringly normal, even as work is increasingly abnormal, and life outside is unimaginable. I wasn't online at 8pm, but even in this quiet suburban street of undemonstrative London, I was reminded to cheer the carers at this time. Doors opened, windows wide, cheering and clapping down the street. I'm about a mile from St George's Hospital, where people are working very hard right now to care for us all. They won't quite have heard us, but it's very close all the same.
I am impressed by anyone who can make their own stock... I’ve never managed that. The applause was a real shiver down the spine moment though.
ReplyDeleteYoghurt marinade always looks dodgy, but the results are usually delicious and this looks all kinds of yummy.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for making your own chips. I admit to using oven chips, the occasional time we have them, since we don't have a fryer. I really must make an effort to make my own...