Is Polly A Convert?

Funnily enough, having clicked through to the link I published in my last post I am feeling quite blue at the moment. The fact that I enjoy almost blue steak is beside the point, and yet in a converse sort of way, it is very much to the point.

Meat is the ultimate convenience food, it really is. Let's face it folks, those of us who eat the stuff just throw it in the oven, grill or a pan on the top of the stove and that's it pretty much done. Some of us do indulge in making it different by adding all kinds of marinades which alter the flavour and in some instances tenderize the meat.

Herbs and spices add to the flavour and are beneficial in terms of aiding digestion of the tough fibres. By and large though, it's easier to eat meat than to not eat meat.

Yesterday evening LB & I were busy. Busy? I'll say, rush home from school at three, via the local shoppe, knock up a quick meal, eat it, complete homework and dash out the door to be at a meeting for five. After that it was run down to BJK's, collect BB and head into town for our Scout meeting. Phew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

So what did we eat? Very simply, the great British stand by of chop & chips! Oh yes, let's not forget the fried onion and the pear for dessert - no, not combined, we had the onion with the main course! Knock down a quick cup of water and we were ready for action. While all this was 'cooking' I dashed down to the bathroom and grabbed a quick shower, LB raised the chip basket and turned everything off, just in time for me to serve it all up piping hot and feeling refreshed! Now that is what I call convenient!

For this evening, however, I'll have something quite different. Lentil Dahl and a Vegetable Curry based on the lovely Jamie Oliver's recipe, containing coconut milk and all. My tummy's rumbling at the mere thought of it, cos it is gorgeous. Now I could be really good and make it a Vegan version, but the fact is that I love the flavour that the use of Dairy Ghee (unsalted clarified butter) adds to both dishes.

That and the addition of some really special Basmati Rice purchased at our local Spice Shop and it will be true perfection. Mind you, that will entail a trip into town to purchase more rice, as the pot is running low and my Curry Leaves have seen better days.

If you click on the link or the picture you will magically be transported to Fanatic Flavours and a lovely recipe for the afore mentioned Dahl. This is proof positive that vegetarianism isn't all baked beans and boring pulses - in fact it is anything but!

Try it out and let me know how you get on...

Polly

Convenience Costs Polly

As a result of our decision to skip up and down a rather large mountain in Co Mayo, it was decided that something relatively quick and easy, with a high protein/calorie content would be served up for dinner last Saturday night. After all, those energy depleted mountaineers would need something good to fill them up.




The Scouts were running around on the back lawn of The Atlantic Adventure Centre like headless chickens, chasing the ball as though they'd never mounted Croagh Patrick while the adults of the party complained about their aching limbs. I envy the boys enthusiasm for life and wish that I possessed even a tenth of their energy!

As we had travelled by train, we'd travelled relatively lightly. Our arrival in Westport heralded scouts, equipment, leaders, but thankfully no tents and was well past closing time at the local shops. Our Leader had wisely chosen to bring a few essential supplies in her rucsac.

Saturday night menu consisted of nearly 1kg of minced/ground beef, 1 kg spaghetti (dry) and two jars of Dolmio's finest Taste of Sorrento ragout sauce, complete with cherry tomatoes, basil and pesto. For sixteen persons this provided a very acceptable first course, which was followed by a staple of oven chips and chicken goujons.

Personally I stuck to the spaghetti, which despite having been produced from a jar was very acceptable. In fact, to my surprise, it was quite delectable.

Admittedly, I did simmer the made up beef ragout on the stove for rather longer than the recommended 20 minutes, but I don't imagine that this made a huge difference. The end result was sixteen empty plates...

This week I did look up the price of these Dolmio jars and was horrified to discover that my suspicions regarding thecost were correct. At an exhortitent €2.80 per jar, I could have fed a biblical five thousand for the same amount of money!

Take a 1 kg net of Tesco's cooking onions costing a mere €1.79 and I'd probably use three of them + two 400g cans of Tesco Value Chopped Tomatoes @ €0.90 + a pinch of mixed herbs where a whole 18g pot of Tesco Value Mixed Herbs costs 32c (cost impossible to assess due to tiny quantities used) , Schwartz Bay Leaves Refill 6g €1.35 /20ish & I'd probably use 2, plus a teaspoon of Tesco Olive Oil costing €7.35/litre.

As the meat and the spagetti part of the above dish is a common factor, I am not going to include them in this cost comparison. However 2 x €2.80 = €5.60 - €1.34 = €4.26 difference in the cost of Polly's Spagetti Bolognaise and Dolmio's Spagetti Bolognaise with a taste of Sorrento!

If cooked correctly this dish is rich enough to be flavoursome and filling without the addition of expensive ingredients such as parmesan cheese and pinenuts. Made my way it does take a little longer, regarding the preparation of the ingredients, but in terms of convenience I'd say that there is very little to choose from between the two.

Personally I'd always prefer to carry a few fresh vegetables and/or cans to glass jars purely for safety reasons and a plastic bag with a few herbs makes very little difference to anything bar the flavour of the resulting meal. I honestly believe that it is a case of swings and roundabouts in relation to convenience foods and flavour, but this example does just go to prove that the cost of convenience is indeed high!

Anyway, regardless of its origins this is one of my favourite meals and I'm now beginning to feel a little hungry, so at the late time of *@!€* I shall go and dress myself, make some dinner for us all and then head off to Scouts!

Ciao!

Polly Pierce