That was the week that was

"Doesn't expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected?"

Bob Dylan

I don't remember which day I had this coffee and a piece of fruit loaf, but it demonstrates, how every now and then I need a bit of a nudge. Most usually my blog writing has fallen in a hole but sometimes it's just general inertia. I now see, from the date on my desk calendar it was Thursday. Mid-week ennui perhaps.

Anyway last week I wrote about an empty week that stretched before me, and what I might do with it - foodwise that is. It's Monday again, fasting again, and so I thought I would write about how that week went.

When I wrote that piece on Tuesday my week had already deviated from the plan, which, of course, is not a surprise - as Bob Dylan so dryly says. Making marmalade had taken care of Monday - as that post about my plans had said. So what about the rest of the week and those aims I had?

Be prepared for some poor quality photographs here - my ones that is.

First a couple of words about the aims, and then I think I'll go day by day. I had aimed to use up various things that needed using up in my fridge and I am here to report that I still have some beans, carrots and celery, zucchini and mushrooms, although some have been used. The pumpkin remains untouched and the broccolini has to go to compost. So really not a success in terms of using up leftovers. Pumpkin and those zucchini and last remaining beans are my priotity for this week. Although, as predicted, I also have leftovers from last week to accommodate as well, so not so many 'original' meals this week.

Those weekly resolutions - guru, vegetarian, fish, legumes and freezer can all be ticked unless beans - green ones - don't count as legumes. So all in all I suppose I should feel pretty good.

So Tuesday as Monday was a fasting day and taken up with making marmalade. I made that beef stew I spoke about, complete with dumplings, and this very unprepossessing photograph is of the leftovers taken from the fridge, because I forgot to take a photograph of the actual dish when hot. Well it was pretty nice, though I say it myself. Beef floured with paprika mixed in and browned with some bacon. Remove. Add sliced onions, celery, mushrooms, grated zucchini garlic and chopped celery leaves and fry until soft. Return beef to pan, pour over red wine, some Worcestershire sauce, caramelised onion chutney and some passata. Add some sprigs of rosemary. Cook in slow oven for an hour or so. Add dumplings and beans and cook for another quarter of an hour or so. We shall eat the rest tomorrow - I'm fasting again today.

Wednesday

This was probably the star dish of the week - based on Rachel Roddy's Linguine with courgettes, egg and Parmesan. It's a sort of carbonara and indeed when I made Rachel Roddy's recipe some time ago it was my first successful attempt at a carbonara sauce, so I have a special affection for it. This time I added some grated carrot and some partly cooked and sliced green beans to the mix. For such bland ingredients this is a really delicious treat, and will be made over and over again I think. Infinitely variable too.

Thursday

The fly in the ointment if you like as it had been unplanned, but this was the night out with the boys in Ivanhoe - also written about in this blog. If I was worrying about achieving all my planned meals this week, this prevented me achieving them, but of course this was a wonderful deviation. Not exactly a surprise as I had been thinking about organising this but a demonstration that:

"The truth is that interruptions are real life." C. S. Lewis

And there had also been the bonus of leftover pasta for lunch and that cup of coffee and fruit loaf in the afternoon. A really good day in spite of the minor family disputes over dinner.

Friday

That leftover fish soup - in fact there is still a bit leftover which I shall finish off for lunch tomorrow. It's a sort of chowder with corn, beans and tomatoes - the liquid being a mix of chicken stock and milk. I think there might have been paprika and fresh coriander and parsley in there too. And yes I guess that technically I shouldn't be eating it this far after it was originally made, and I shall certainly sniff at it and check for growing wildlife, but I think it will still be pretty OK. Food generally takes longer to go off than they say, although I would not serve it to anyone other than me.

I should also mention that it was served with some of David's home-baked sourdough bread, fresh from the oven which was even more delicious than the soup. And although we generally have a glass of wine on Friday, as you can see, we refrained, having had some the night before.

Saturday

Terrible photos - sorry. My chicken dish which is ever so vaguely Middle-Eastern. Chicken marinaded in yoghurt, Greg Malouf's cumin spice mix plus dried mint and za'atar. Also in there were onions of course, garlic and ginger plus lots of carrots, although they seem to have disappeared into it all. Tasty but I've done better.

Sunday

Guru day and Elizabeth David's turn. In the end I decided against the Tranches de mouton Poitevine and expanded the range of options to include Epaule d'agneau boulangère (Shoulder of lamb baked with potatoes); Pork baked with wine and oranges; Miale al latte (Pork cooked in milk) and Pork chops baked with aromatic herbs.

In the end I chose the shoulder of lamb which I served with some roasted zucchini and carrots and more of those damned beans - this time tossed in butter and garlic. I chose this through a process of elimination - I had made the pork with the oranges a couple of times before and although it was delicious I decided to try something new. I think I have made the milky pork too and besides I know it can be tricky. Milk burns. I alsmost went for the pork chops but in the end decided that David prefers lamb. So lamb it was - and very delicious it was too in spite of being so simple and with such an uninteresting range of ingredients really - potatoes, onions, stock and thyme. It was only a small piece of lamb - I had cut my shoulder in half, so there is only a small amount of leftovers to worry about. A pasty perhaps? Photos a bit slapdash:

This week is not empty although I am still battling with the weight. As well as my full day of fasting last week I had two half days - no breakfast or lunch and still the weight doesn't budge, so this week I may have to have two full days of fasting - or shall I just give up and accept that I'm dumpy from now on? But then I look at the pictures above and see that I have the vice of loading my plate - particularly when it comes to potatoes!

And I didn't get to have a go at Nagi Maehashi's butter chicken. Maybe this week.

I also have more leftovers and more vegetables that need using. Just another week really.

POSTSCRIPT

When I was looking for pictures to illustrate 'not according to plan' I came across this picture which pleased and mystified me as well. What has this got to do with 'not according to plan' I wondered. Indeed what is it about? What are those ribbons around the arm at the top, or the red lines linking the two hands and wrapped around the lower one?

I know it's not great art, even maybe a bit kitsch but I have to say it has something magic about it. But that's butterflies isn't it? Beautiful and miraculous but actually quite ugly when you look at their heads close up.

"The greatest value of a picture is when it forces us to notice what we never expected to see." John Tukey

Just something to share.