Sunday, January 22, 2006
Canteen Rant
I was really going to write about my newly found insights into Mongolian cooking today, but something much more urgent is drawing my attention away from that subject: My emerging longing for springtime. I know it is only January, but I have had enough of the winter, of darkness, rain, wind and miserable faces. And I've had more than enough of feeling tired all the time. I leave home in the dark every morning and cycle to work in the dark - an unpleasant 30 minutes in smelly traffic, surrounded by people who either don't care if they hit me or who make a sport of trying. But believe me, it is still 10 times better than taking public transport in Dublin! Anyway, I spend the whole day in one of these office buildings where you completely lose track of time and space because every time the sun comes out, the blinds are drawn so we can see our computer screens and every time someone opens the window, the heating automatically turns itself up too. I should really make a point of going outside for lunch as some of my colleagues do. The problem with that is that I really get hungry by 1 o'clock and the three establishments that serve food in our business park thoroughly exploit their quasi-monopoly by charging ridiculous amounts of money for mediocre food. Our canteen on the other hand charges average amounts for very bad food. Most days you have a choice of meat with either red or white muck over the top and either overcooked rice or mushy pasta. They don't seem to be aware of such wonderful things as salt and pepper, let alone herbs and spices. In all fairness, they also offer mediocre sandwiches and half decent salads, but the prices are relatively high and entirely unpredictable. It seems like each cashier has a different system and each customer is judged differently. Oh well, this problem rarely concerns me, as, needless to say, I bring my own food and reheat it in the microwave. Not the best solution, but definitely better than the rest! In fact, yesterday lunch turned out to be quite nice. I had some saffron cream sauce left over from a fish supper, which I decided to turn into a quick sauce and toss with some pasta - always a good one for microwaving, provided you have used durum wheat pasta that will not fall apart when it's reheated. So, to anyone who needs a quick tasty lunch (or even dinner), I recommend the following:onion, finely chopped
garlic, sliced or chopped (depending on your preferences)
a selection of vegetables that need to go (mushrooms are an old favourite because their flavour is so easily enhanced with a few crushed dried porcinis and a pinch of ground caraway seeds; spinach, ruccola, shredded Brussel sprouts, bok choi or watercress are nice colourful additions that don't take long to cook; tomatoes (sun-dried or fresh), red peppers and blanched broccoli are also nice, just make sure not to overcook them (you don't really want a sauce); finally, if you are desperate and have nothing left in the fridge, some canned sweetcorn or frozen peas can come in handy)
any meat or fish you fancy or need to use up, just make sure it goes with the veg (greens love a bit of smoked salmon, corn and bacon also mix well)
as much cooked pasta as you want
freshly grated parmesan, parmesan style cheddar, crumbly blue cheese or old gouda
butter or olive oil for frying
herbs and spices to match your selection (chopped rosemary and thyme are almost always a hit as are basil, oregano and bay leaves; tomatoes like a pinch of paprika or chilli; mushrooms go good with ground caraway, spinach with nutmeg and a more Asian mix is good with ginger)
Salt and pepper to taste or a crumbled stock cube (oxos are great here)
Fry the onions in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until golden. If you prefer your dish to be mildly garlicky or are using garlic slices, add the garlic now. Fry for another minute. Then add the herbs and spices followed by the mushrooms and/or meat/fish (though not cooked prawns, smoked salmon or cooked meat). Once this mixture is cooked down, add any other vegetables (except tomatoes). Fry to desired texture. If you like a stronger garlic flavour, add the garlic now. Then add the pasta. Heat through. Finally, add the tomatoes, cooked meat and cheese and season with salt and pepper or the stock cube. If the dish is too sticky, add a bit of butter, olive oil or cream. Serve with more grated parmesan and freshly ground pepper.
Christine at 12:23 am
