Even more lazy

As you already know I am a big fan of batch cooking and freezing. Which is ready meals but just home cooked and delicious.

My new thing is now heating it all in a pan including the pasta (I sold my seldom used microwave earlier in the year). Short pasta like orzo or this other really short tube stuff I got from the Polish shop works really well.

When heating the sauce (the one shown is quorn bolognaise) add a little water and also the pasta and give a good stir. Cook with the lid on. And watch out for orzo as it sticks a bit.

Comforting pasta

Not sure if it is the massive cleaning frenzy today or the weather but am feeling achey and rubbish.
On the planner tonight we were going to have pasta anyway and this is nice and comforting.

What you need
- a garlic clove peeled and crushed
- knob of butter (ideally unsalted or use oil)
- a couple of chopped rashers of unsmoked Bacon
- some broccoli florette in smallish pieces 
- some green beans
- handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half
- small tub of single cream
- Match stick size parmesan fine fly grated
- pasta for 1 1/2

What to do
1. Put the pan on to cook the pasta
2. In the same pan cook the veg (not tomatoes) for 4 min
3. Fry the garlic in a frying pan with the butter for a couple of mins then add the Bacon and fry until brown. Then turn off the heat
4. When the pasta and veg have cooked strain
5. Turn the frying pan back in and add the cream, slowly heating so it doesn't curdle.
6. When hot add the grated cheese and stir until melted and add a twist of pepper
7. Add the veg, pasta and tomatoes and give it all a good stir through.
8. Serve and eat!

1/2 is going through a slow eating phase at the moment. Last night she took 40 mins to eat and tonight it was 35!!

Vegetarian feast at Taoist temple

As you have already realised I am a big fan of meat and in fact spent Friday night at at Afghan meat restaurant and Saturday night at a Korean bibimbap.

So was refreshing this morning when I was finally invited to a Taoist temple with my mother for a proper vegetarian feast. (She has been going for years and years to worship and eat but I have never been invited).

I am not going to comment on Tasoism as I only received a load of literature (in English) today. But I can say you need a strong core for all the kneeling and bowing. And vegetarian food was delicious. Lots of mock meat (flour based i believe) as well as green vegetables, aubergine and mushroom. It was pretty amazing. 

Meat and 2 veg

I forget how quick a meat and veg dish can be. Not the biggest mash fan but 1/2 wanted mash and the potatoes needed eating. The green beans too.
And lamb. We love lamb!

Tripe!

1/2 and I went to the Chinese supermarket (Wing Yip in North London) for some Chinese new year provisions and had lunch at the lovely and quite reasonably priced cafe (Reindeer cafe... no idea why it is called that.)

As usual we shared a bowl of noodles (rice noodles with duck). I went for a plate of tripe to. Which I adore and so need to make one of these days.