Thinking small

You know I said I've lost my Covid worry? It turns out that I have, but only in specific ways. I've been on the Tube a fair bit, as off peak as I can but far from invariably. Weekly office trips are routine. I've been to theatre and concert (see the glorious windows of Cadogan Hall, and actually bump into an ex-colleague, as one might have done in the Before Times - though tbf she is a great Prom goer and if I was going to bump anyone/anywhere, that was a likely one). 

 

But I've been failing and failing to book anything to do with my week off in September and it turns out that's because of displaced covid worry. I don't know what you do if you get covid or even get pinged* while on holiday - you're not in your own space. I don't have any way to go home without putting others at risk. And cases are way high, and rising. I've had a couple of colleagues get it this month (not ones coming into the office), and generally a sense that there's a Lot Of It About right now. The vaccine does make me feel more confident about me, but not about being a public health risk. And every time I nearly booked something (still so tempted by Dublin), I just didn't.

So I'm staying in London. And going to a zillion theatre things, which makes no sense from an infection control perspective, but does mean I know what I'll do if the worst happens. 

Meanwhile, this week has been turmeric week. Once because of a recipe, and once because having shuffled it to the front of the spice shelf, I then knocked the box off the shelf. Although initial indicators were of a fairly controlled splatter on the counter, it turns out to be *absolutely bloody everywhere* through some dispersal mechanism I don't understand. So much yellow, so much ongoing discovery.

Annoyingly, the recipe was excellent, so I can't even banish it for future spice security. A simple one from Crave, which you could gussy up with green veg and rice, or do as I did and have it with toast and a handful of leaves. Whatever you need on the side, have it ready before you start heating the prawns, they take seconds.

Black pepper garlic butter prawns

Briefly prep your cleaned raw prawns - marinade in a shake of turmeric, oil and as many garlic cloves as seem good to you, for 15 minutes or so. 

Then start a frying pan with plenty of black mustard seeds, warming for 30 seconds till they pop. Add the prawns when it's hot, leave them for 30 seconds, then add plenty of cold butter and freshly ground black pepper (or crushed peppercorns but my grinder is so inefficient it produces basically the same result as a pestle and mortar, for less washing up). Stir on the heat, till the prawns are cooked, maybe 90 seconds total. 

Quick, easy, handy if you're eating at an unlikely 5.45 before heading out for some post-pandemic culture. Even if you don't actually believe we're post-pandemic yet. 

Also on the menu this week, my very amended version of a recipe from a nameless chef in a library stock sell-off Mediterranean Cooking recipe book mum picked up for 10p in about 1995, which is so nice we've both cooked it ever since. I think I've cooked it before in the Confined Kitchen but it bears repeating. 

Lemon chicken with houmous on toastish

Three bits to this. Or four? The bread bit is basically part of bit one. 

Firstly, some boneless chicken marinaded with lots of lemon juice and garlic. How much? A lemon for a couple of chicken breasts, plus a couple of tbsps of oil and at least two cloves of garlic. Amend according to taste. How long for? As long as you have. An hour is okay, a morning which is what I had this time is good, overnight isn't a problem. When you're ready to cook, into the 200 degree oven for 20-30 minutes depending on what cuts you have. 

Meanwhile, slice some bread. One of those finish-at-home ciabattas is ideal as you'll add it to the oven for the last 5 minutes of cooking the chicken - these steps are connected. If stale, you will put the chicken on top and let it mop up the juices in both directions to soften. If not stale, bung it anywhere in with the chicken where it can absorb juice along one flat surface, and crisp on the other (it's easier to wrangle in the end if it's not saturated). 

Also meanwhile, take some houmous and (if you have it) plain yoghurt (not Greek yog, the thin stuff, this is to add acidity) and mix them in a bowl. This is only to put on the bread, so judge quantities according to how much you'll be covering. 

Also also meanwhile (come on, you've got 20 minutes for this), make a spice mix. The perfect one is one part cayenne to two parts sea salt to three parts ground cumin to four parts sesame seeds. Imperfectly, I've bodged a lot of this over the years. Cumin is essential, as is salt to my palate, but I've used sesame oil when I don't have seeds, and left out the cayenne now I can't digest it. Added some paprika this week for the heck of it. If you've just got salt and cumin you'll be fine. 

Once the chicken is done, remove from the oven, cut up as seems good to you and assemble as messy open sandwiches. Soggy juicy bread, then a splodge of the yoghurty houmous, then rough slices of the chicken, then the spice mix. 

Good with green leaves of salad, or tomatoes. Something with a bit of crunch. 

It is emphatically not date food, or impressing the boss food (does anyone do dinner parties for bosses now? Even pre-covid I doubt it). It will scale up beautifully and serve people deliciously, though. No shame there.

So that's my week - slapdash, speedy, and finally making a decision that I'm not up for doing stuff. But not uncheered, so I will take that.

I will also, obviously, be around for Confined Cocktails tomorrow. I'm going nowhere, much.

*I know you don't have to isolate now, but let's face it, I would, at least till I'd got a test.