Poor planning and controversy

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The combination of isolation (thankfully ending the weekend before Christmas) and then the uncertainty of Christmas has meant menu planning has been somewhat haphazard recently. A lot has involved using up stuff in the fridge before it goes off. I did manage a supermarket trip this week but wasn't really focussed on the planning aspect so still ended up with a random selection of items which are components of meals I like but not necessarily all the ingredients.

A small green plastic bowl containing a mixture of cherry tomatoes, oil and chilli powder

First up I had cherry tomatoes which are usually the fridge equivalent of a store cupboard basic for me but had been lingering for a while. These were marinated with oil and chilli powder for about 30 minutes. Then added to cooked pasta and blue cheese. This was a tasty meal with the added bonus of the comfort pasta always offers, but I suspect the tomatoes would have been better cooked into a sauce or similar. They were a little soft which for someone fussy about textures wasn't ideal.

A yellow plate with a mixture of pasta, cherry tomatoes and blue cheese on it

Next up was pepper with artichokes and feta - supposedly. I didn't actually have any feta in, but I did have more blue cheese which worked well as a substitute. Start by halving a long pepper. Mix artichokes, pine nuts, cheese, breadcrumbs (and parsley if you have it) in a bowl. Stuff the peppers, top with more bread crumbs and drizzle olive oil. Cook for 30 minutes and serve with toast. Well the recipe actually calls for good bread but another theme of the past week or so has been substituting anything bread like (sourdough, flatbread etc) with toast.

A yellow plate with two halves of a long red pepper stuffed with artichokes, blue cheese, and pine nuts and topped with breadcrumbs. There are also two slices of toast with butter on the plate.

Finally is it even December without sprouts! I have mentioned on here before that I love brussels which aren't just for Christmas in my opinion, but nearly Christmas is a good excuse to enjoy them. This is a another simple roasting tin recipe. Mix sprouts, broccoli, and halloumi with olive oil and harissa paste before roasting for 30 minutes and serving with toast (or flatbreads).

A roasting tin on top of an electric hob. In the tin are halved brussel sprouts, broccoli and halloumi, mixed with oil and harrissa

Despite my haphazard approach I have enjoy all the dishes above, although I appreciate both the blue cheese and sprouts may be controversial ingredients. I am hoping to get back on an even keel by January  at least in the kitchen - it might be asking too much to be balanced in life more generally.

A yellow plate with a mixture of sprouts, brocolli, halloumi, and harissa. There are also two slices of buttered toast on the plate.









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