Oh, dear God, teenage boys need a lot of food.
Of course, I knew this already, but having to feed one 24/7 really brings this home…We do not want to get fat(ter) while in captivity, but we have massively increased our purchases of what L. has taken to calling “morale food” (AKA snacks), so much so that they now have their own shelf in both the fridge (the front facing row of it illustrated above) and larder. Cheeses and crackers, multiple cereals, yogurts, Nutella and a myriad of fruit, crudités and dips, lunch meats and smoked salmon, shirataki noodles and tofu, not to mention every ingredient conceivable for afternoon smoothies, are now available for L., and the addition of those ingredients, along with everything now needed for lunches, made me worry that the grocery delivery service would think I am stockpiling food. Barring a couple of additional packages of dried beans and pasta, I am not. It is all fuel for a near 17-year-old’s gaping maw. By the way, since I am now also providing a daily nourishing lunch, and am presently considering an Asparagus, Arugula and Blue Cheese Tart with a Yeasted Crust and Side Salad as one option, stay tuned for bonus recipes in the weeks to come.
A bout of intense boredom recently inspired me to make a 2 am list of all of the recipes or techniques that I could think of that I have been too intimidated to take on board in the past. Being inside even more so than usual might mean that it is time for me to get some of these under my belt…So far the list non-exhaustive list includes Doberge cake, Xiao Long Bao, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Chicken Kiev, Sacher Torte, Rough Puff Pastry, piping of any kind, hand raised meat pies, potentially with a hot water crust (Huntsman Pie, Pâté en Croûte), Babas au Rhum, Doughnuts, using a mandoline, Croissants, Macarons and Julia Child’s Chicken Melon, which I have wanted to make since I was 20 and my sister gave me a cookbook that included the recipe (which calls for deboning a chicken and then stuffing a mousse made from the meat back into the boneless carcass and trussing it up in a cantaloupe shape before baking it). We shall see what comes of this project in the weeks to come.
Though by now my CSA box should be available again, and I was really looking forward to all kinds of spring goodies, it unfortunately is not, due to the present “situation”. Though hoarding and panic buying seem to have plateaued in Manhattan, items whose lack of availability continue to perplex me are large bottles of soy sauce (one of my friends pointed out that there was probably disruption to the supply chain) and lentils, unavailable anywhere, though all other beans have been restocked.
Still, it is officially spring, and L. and I have spotted daffodils and hyacinths on our daily walks and are enjoying the end of the plum blossoms, the beginning of the tulip tree flowers, and binge watching The Great British Menu (not to be confused with the Bake-Off) online. There are 15 seasons, so we will be entertained, if not for the duration, for a while to come.
Sorry it is such a long read this week and that I had so much to say! Eat well. Stay safe.
Sunday [“Raid” Meal; fridge, freezer and pantry item dinner]
Mixed Salad
Chinese Fried Rice
Monday [Wildcard; a more complex or fiddly dish than usual to test my culinary skills]
Mesclun Salad
Grilled Sausages
Vegetable Couscous with Dried Lemon
Tuesday [Pasta]
Green Salad
Wednesday [L.'s choice of an item I have made in the past]
Mixed Salad
Thursday [Fish]
Spinach Salad with Warm Honey-Mustard Dressing
Friday [Vegetarian]
Mixed Salad
Saturday ["Picnic" Dinner; something that is easy to assemble and easy to eat in front of a movie]
Bacon Cheese Patty Melts
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