Simple options

The green shoots of normality return. Middle of last March I realised I was about to run out of the pill, rang the surgery in a flap and the doctor prescribed me 12 months' worth over the phone, with nothing but the most fleeting request for me to email my weight in when things got more normal. Ahahaha. This time, with slightly less last-minutage, they made me come in. Woe and thrice woe, I have had to stand on some scales for the first time since well before lockdown. [if this will bother you, skip to the bold line 3 paras down for an excellent recipe]

The nurse was an extremely good egg and merely noted that "going slightly in the wrong direction, try to do something about that", which is fair enough. She also said "bloody virus" more than once, in reference to a) my blood pressure being elevated by mask panic,  b) the general state of weirdness of being inside near another human that I was feeling and c) the Going in the Wrong Direction-ness. So, I do not feel quite as sore as usual after this ritual. 

I reckon I've done okay with lockdown and health, without being one of those who's taken up Iron Man just to kill the time. There has been plenty of exercising, and lots of fresh food, comparatively little baking or chips, etc. But I love to cook, and I use real ingredients, and this has been a shit year where doing something fun is perfectly okay by me tbh. (Also, ahem, booze.) 

Still, I am contextually glad that this evening's dinner is pretty unimpeachable. And it's delicious. I commend it to you all: 

Turkish carrots with lentils

This is from an earlyish Diana Henry book, Food From Plenty. Her back numbers occasionally get sold super cheap on Kindle, and this is one I heartily endorse. It's full of good recipes that come with tweaks and alternatives. OTOH, if you like a recipe with clear steps, avoid - it's full of narrative, replacements, and instructions like "do the same but omit the vinegar and whisky in 3 pints of beer halfway through step 3". But this is a main recipe, and simple anyway. DH says something like it's amazing thrifty tastes this good, and it is. An end of the week/pre-payday option that'll do beautifully.

Begin with an onion. Sliced into half moons and fry, with the usual sense of deadened inevitability. 

Meanwhile assemble: chopped garlic (hard to overdo), lentils (100g? I dunno, I only cook for me and this was The End of A Packet of Lentils, definitely less than 100g), tomato puree (2tbsp), sugar (recipe says a tbsp, I tend to make it a pinch as I don't think tomato puree is that sour now), chilli, sliced carrots (some, 3-6 unless you're cooking for loads, in which case multiple it up obvs), coriander seeds (whole, plenty), salt and pepper, and stock appropriate to your quantity of lentils.

 

Bring to a boil, cook it for about 30 minutes or till the lentils are soft. 

 You can serve hot or lukewarm, and definitely if you can, zhuzh it up at the end with a big squeeze of lemon, a splash of good olive oil, and some chopped herbs - pretty much any soft herb is good. The recipe says mint, parsley or dill, but I've used a handful of mixed bitter salad leaves before now and that is fiiiine. Sub a decent vinegar if no lemon, any oil you like the taste of for EVOO - this is a cupboard staple if you make it so.

Slightly too runny today to be photogenic, but that's all good tasty dressing rather than depressed water. I find a dab of mustard on the side adds excitement, but it's not vital.

Now, let us not speak of last night's dinner (sweet potato oven chips rolled raw in za'tar and quick polenta to make a crunchy topping and served with guacamole). It was however delicious and vegan. So, feel free. 40 mins at 200 deg, all good.