I've been reading fancy feasting on here and thinking how amazing it sounds. And also how completely I'm not cooking like that at the moment. I'm cooking down to the basics. Something hot: carbs you can ignore while cooking, plus single veg, plus dairy, plus a herb, which I lavish around but takes all of 5 seconds to sort. I can't decide if it's emotional exhaustion from all the news or if it's just autumn, when days are shorter and ambitions smaller - before I get into any kind of festive joy.
This week's soup, for example, should have been Reibele in broth, but I didn't have time or energy to make noodles yesterday lunchtime, so what it *actually* is is orzo in a stock cube broth, with some peas. But also with a load of fresh herbs (mint, chives, parsley), and some parmesan or pecorino added at the last minute. Pasta soup, really. It's very nice, but it's the kind of thing you can make in a couple of two-minute bursts. Not brain-occupying fancy.
Dinner, meanwhile, is from the same German cookbook and it's roasted cherry tomatoes with butter and tarragon, cooked about 30 minutes. Some cream added in later for 5 minutes more in the oven. I don't often cook with actual cream, but this reminded me sometimes it's worth it - cooks down with the buttery tomato juices and becomes luscious without being sickly. Plain boiled spuds on the side is all you want. Possibly some salad would have been an idea, but it's just extra cold stuff at the moment.
Simple and minimal cooking effort involved, but warm and luxurious on the plate. Maybe this is exactly the formula I need to take care of a low mood.
(Or maybe this formula is being driven by the state of my bank account after *quite* a lot of comfort purchasing for the coming cold months. The £1.20 homeworking tax break a week won't go far against my slipper/throw/extra light/wine/Betty's order needs. I'm quite glad it's not possibly steak week for a while...)
I did do some fairly fancy stewed pears, with hibiscus syrup I've had hanging around for ages, plus cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, cardamom. That's a sign of life, right? Even if it is just heat, steep, poach? They are my most frequent and favourite winter fruit pudding, so it's good to be starting out with them.
I think at the change of the seasons when we just want to cocoon, cooking often gets back to basics and the current situation is just magnifying that feeling. I feel like I'm cooking nothing but pasta and soup at the moment - looking at my waistline, the pasta is winning, so I must do something about that! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of pears in general (too grainy), but I have to say your flavourings make them sound quite alluring - the sexily little minxes.
It is reminding me of the March week when we all made risotto - same instinct for comforting stodge!
DeleteThe pears are comice, so not grainy at all. More farmers' market loot, and my absolute faves, though if pushed I do cook with others.
If it makes you feel better, the three meals following Sunday's feast were 1) leftovers 2) pasta and fridge stuff and 3) Tesco chicken kiev. My feasting tendencies only appear sporadically!
ReplyDeleteMuch better! Pasta and fridge stuff is where it's at.
DeleteI only put in effort at weekends!
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