I broke my own unwritten rule this week, and served pasta twice. I forgot to buy the key ingredient for the meal I had planned on Thursday, and had to find something else to make that didn't require the oven. Pasta just seemed like the obvious choice.
The oven is still not fixed, and it is making me so grumpy I am finding it hard to be in the kitchen. As a result there was no freezer cooking (or much of any cooking) this week. However I did manage to borrow my neighbours oven whilst they went away for the weekend, so at least I was able to bake a few things for The Princess's lunchbox. On the menu was:
Sunday
Tomato, Pesto & Goats Cheese Tart, served with green salad.
The perfect Sunday night meal. Easy to put together, and great for the end of the weekend. Mr Grumpy cooked this in his BBQ, thanks to the lack of an oven.
Monday
Spaghetti with Anchovies, Dried Chilli and Pangritata from Jamie Oliver's The Return of the Naked Chef.
Tuesday
Steamed Fish with Ginger and Spring Onion, and Oiled Greens from Adam Liaw's Asian Cookery School. Served with steamed rice.
This was a surprisingly easy meal for a weeknight. I cooked the greens whilst the fish was steaming, so everything was ready at the same time.
Wednesday
Pork Sausage & Lentil Braise from Slow: mouth-watering recipes for the slow cooker & crock pot. Served with crusty bread
I was apprehensive that the lentils wouldn't cook properly in the slow cooker, so soaked them in cold water for about an hour before I assembled the dish. In retrospect, I don't think this was necessary. I did brown the onions, garlic and peppers before adding them to the slow cooker, but not the sausages. Serving this all-in-one dish with crusty bread meant we could walk in from late afternoon activities and sit straight down to dinner.
Thursday
Farfalle with Carbonara & Spring Peas from Jamie's Dinners.
I did not have farfalle, so used spaghetti instead. I also replaced the heavy cream with sour cream, and omitted the mint.
Bon Appetit!