I cannot tell a lie

This week is tough. It's partly the back pain/front numbness/looped on painkillers impact, together with my second jab (yesterday hooray) adding a few more sore spots. There's the concerning prospect of Unconfinement, which I know a lot of us aren't exactly ready for and which is demanding some emotional energy. There's trying to do two excellent things (one work, one not), both of which need time and attention, which I don't have. There's a sinister looming thing I can't talk about *at all* (also work). And there's still trying to help my folks out since they haven't magically become less vulnerable just because I put my back out. We met in a park today so I could hand over groceries. Splitting the carrying duties between the crocked and the really, really crocked. But it meant they both left the house today, which is good. And the park was nice, although the very boisterious pigeon in the tree above kept showering us with chewed leaves. Oik.

What hasn't been tricky is the food, hooray. In fact, it's been rather nice. I've gone back to old favourites I can do without reference books, instead of showing off for you lot. And to give myself a set of minor treats I've also been switching things up a bit, using parts of ingredients rather than cooking two meals at a go. Because nothing is complicated, there can be a bit of variety.

I'm still eating Stuff on Toast, mind. Though only for lunches now, as you will see - I've moved on to pasta for dinners, still easy enough to manage. And ingredients are doing multiple duty. Especially peas, which are working damn hard, and a couple of small packs of chorizo and pancetta that are the second halves of twinpacks which had purposes in previous weeks. They came in very useful, hurrah to my squirrel tendencies.

Indulgently recreating a brunch dish from a cafe that went under in first lockdown: avocado toast with feta and chorizo. If anything, slightly overdid the chorizo, but it's still good.

Or how about crushed peas on toast with leftover pancetta? Ideally you blend the peas with some tarragon and creme fraiche, but even just some ancient coriander was nice enough that I forgot to photograph it decently before biting. 

Meanwhile, for dinner. I think I've mentioned this one before, but it's my own random assemblage of good things and I love it. 

Chorizo, peas and tomato pasta

Other than mentioning that onion in with the chorizo is nice but not mandatory, and that the other green stuff is coriander, I think you get the picture without an actual recipe. Yellow tomatoes are fancy, but equally unnecessary. 

Finally, a proper recipe. Ottolenghi, in fact, though it's Ottolenghi in Jerusalem which is waaaaay easier most of the time. 

Pasta with yoghurt, peas and feta

This is also something of an assemblage - you'll need a handful of cooked peas, some chunks of feta, some basil leaves, and some cooked pasta. But you will also make a sauce, out of Greek yoghurt blended with more cooked peas, some olive oil and some garlic. 

I love garlic, but go a bit easy. This was actually fiery after I bunged in two cloves. 

Add some pinoli, toasted with pul biber if you can (or alternatively warmed up in a frying pan which you used for chorizo at lunch, this is an excellent plan). They will crunch, which you want in among the smooth and squishy parts of the meal.

I know you may think this is a weird combination, but it's very good indeed. It's also, apart from me having prematurely ripped the basil so it darkened before serving, one of the few dishes I make that looks roughly like the recipe book. I commend it to you.

I also commend a week of relay eating like this, and not trying too hard.