I put my back out on Sunday night, which was not pleasant. Luckily, I had something fiddly to cook on Monday - because sitting hurts, lots of useful things to do when you stand up to ease it are rather more welcome than usual.
Spiced fish with charred corn chaat? Yes please. And then read the recipe properly, which I hadn't done till I was already committed. Oh well.
We are making:
A spiced yoghurt marinade. We've spoken of the ugliness of yoghurt marinades before now, but they are good for actual flavour, and pretty till you add the yoghurt. Turmeric, Kashmiri chilli (or a mix of paprika and chilli), cumin, fennel seeds, a tiny bit of cinnamon, salt and pepper. Then plenty of plain yoghurt. Put your chunky white fish bits in for an hour, or up to four.
A green herb sauce: mint, coriander, lemon, salt, sugar.
And some light pickled onions: just salted with lemon. Salt and rinse if you've got proper onion but I just had a few bits of sprunions so no major work needed.
Bake or grill the fish as kebabs, unless you randomly saw your list say white fish and bought sea bass fillets, in which case, um, just cook your fish.
And then assemble a delicious plateful: mix your onion into the corn, with some spare fresh coriander if you have it. Splodge green sauce over. Scatter with chaat masala. Add the fish. Pop a naan on the side. Messy NOM.
I also made muffins. It occurs to me that though you've had every chance to know how I cook for myself over these many months, you may not know that I have a default group catering option of interesting muffins. It's not like there's been much group catering to report.
But I do like a muffin. They are nice and portable, and ballast the kind of things people tend to bring for picnics (alllll the sausage rolls, pork pies, mini soss as if it's some kind of pork fest, plus a load of dips and salad bits). And it was to a picnic that I brought my muffins: a team work one, designed to be after the 21st June but still legal enough to continue when unlocking didn't. (There are five in our team, and one couldn't make it, so very much a small picnic table rather than a marquee situation. Also: rather windy.)
These ones are from Ripe Figs, and looked promising. In addition to the usual, there's Greek yoghurt and olive oil instead of butter, limited eggs, grated halloumi, and mint. Also, if you're me, sumac plus some sesame seeds in lieu of the recipe's nigella, which I can't be doing with.
In general, pretty good. I'm not sure I'd use halloumi again. I was intrigued to see how it went, but once you've put grated halloumi into a muffin it just sits there, slightly unnervingly, even once it's baked. I think a hard goat cheese would be more interesting, and even more so I don't see why halloumi not feta. They were pleasant, but that salty slap would have been fun.
Anyway: restricted number of muffins baked, of pleasant but limited excitement. I slightly commend them to you.
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