Tuesday 27 May 2014

What's in my lunchbox? Don't follow the recipe


I'd say today's lunch perfectly illustrates a point made a food writer some years ago. I think it was Matthew Fort writing in The Guardian who said if you miss an ingredients or do something differently in a recipe it probably won't be a disaster. It might turn out differently to how you expected but it'll probably be edible.
Mind Body Green has a delightful recipe for a tuna style sandwich filling. This isn't it.
I glanced at the recipe yesterday afternoon, and then relaxed when I saw that the seeds and nuts did not need soaking overnight. It would have been helpful if I had then soaked them in hot water. And if I'd had a red onion to hand and some mayonnaise. And if I hadn't decided that adding the celery to the blender was a really good idea.
But I improvised, add some dried onions, a bit of leek, some kelp powder, plenty of seasoning. And it's turned out fine. I haven't eaten Tuna for several decades so I have no idea if this is anything like it. Probably not but it made for a perfectly pleasing lunch with some cracked black pepper Ryvita, and some roasted Broccolli.
I'll give the proper recipe a go at some point. I rather like using sunflower seeds and almonds as a change from soy and peanuts. It important both for the novelty/variety, and because it broadens the cooking experience.
To read:
Dark Satanic Mills by Marcus Sedgwick, Julian Sedgwick, John Higgins, and Marc Olivent.
I do like a nice graphic novel, and this once was excellent. It wasn't nice at all. The dark pages, filled with a barely recognisable London, told a tale of oppression and violence. It was frighteningly believable. A reminder of the need for tolerance and understanding.

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