And suddenly, just like that, it is autumn. The cooler weather means I can happily plan meals around the oven, and that stews and curries can start to creep back into the menu. Coincidentally, I had my oven cleaned this week all ready to fire up without smoking out the house.
This week we ate:
Sunday:
Pasta Amatriciana
Monday:
Minced Soy Pork with NoodlesI switched this up a bit to use what I had on hand, rather than buy new ingredients. I dropped the dried shrimp and mushrooms, using finely chopped fresh mushrooms instead, and also added some green beans I had lurking in the fridge. The Princess requested Udon Noodles, so I used those in preference to the flat rice noodles.
Tuesday:
Zucchini, Ham & Ricotta TartsIdeally these should be served with a green salad, but I couldn't be bothered and reasoned that they were full of vegetables anyway.
Wednesday:
Chicken Tagine with Preserved LemonThis was served with wholegrain cous cous.
Thursday:
Night out - Yay, no dishes!
Freezer Cooking:
I've managed to make a few things for the freezer this week. Using a batch of Artisan Bread in Five Wholegrain Pizza Dough in the fridge, and their recipe for Turkish Spiced Lamb Pittas, we had a tasty lunch on Sunday. The remainder of the lamb mince has gone into the freezer for another day.
I made a batch of mini calzones (or pizza pockets if you prefer) as afternoon snacks for The Princess with more of the dough. These were simply pizza sauce, grated mozzarella and olives. I baked the calzones, then froze them flat on a baking sheet. Once frozen, they were transferred to a large zip lock bag. The Princess just zaps one in the microwave when she is hungry.
I used chicken cutlets (thighs with the bone in) for the Tagine on Wednesday night. As it was just The Princess and I for dinner, we had a cutlet each, and the rest went into the freezer for another night. I left the olives, coriander and parsley out of the portion I froze, and will stir these through when reheating.
Bon Appetit!