I have never been one to plan the week's meals, working out in advance what I will be eating on a given day. My cooking tends to be a more spontaneous affair, driven more by shopping, energy (or lack of) and whim than any sort of plan. Yes, I do the bulk of my vegetable shopping at the weekend market, but I generally buy what looks good and then decide what to do with it, rather than going out with a shopping list.
During the week, eating is all too often about a last-minute dash to the shops. Even then, Itend to buy ingredients to cook with rather than something readymade. No matter how knackered I am at the end of the working day, I still want to make something more or less from scratch.
This week, it seems as if almost every meal has been assembled in a way that has been more about shopping than hands-on cooking. There was the stir-fry of chorizo and broccoli that took longer to shop for than it took on the stove; the avocado and smoked-salmon frittata that was a one-pan wonder; the miso noodle soup with yet more broccoli and a plate of pappardelle that included a food processor "pesto" of rocket leaves, garlic, pine kernels, olive oil, parmesan and a squeeze of lemon. The ingredients for these all deli-bought at the last minute.
The fact that I am off on holiday in a day or two has meant a desire not to collect any leftovers in the fridge. Idon't want to do a guilt-ridden fridge-chuck before Igo or come home to some unrecognisable titbit in a fur coat. So no big pots of bean-laden stew (hardly pre-flight food surely), no luscious curries that will improve for aday or two in the fridge and no bits of roast chicken waiting to be turned into a sauce for pasta.
But a deli-inspired supper can run away with the purse, so I usually try to pad things out a bit – some new potatoes helped to balance the cost of gorgeous, but rather dear, marinated artichokes in last night's soft, thick tortilla. I think of a Spanish-inspired tortilla as a cheap and cheerful lunchbox filler, often made thicker with slices of potato, roasted red peppers, olives and basil. It is also one of the few welcome resting places for the sundried tomato.
A six-egg tortilla will feed four. They are traditionally served warm, so a 10-minute rest before cutting into wide slices is appropriate and gives time to knock up a salad to go alongside. A fennel or celeriac salad and a plate of fat-marbled salami is my favourite accompaniment to a tender, parsley-flecked tortilla. The fennel gets a fine slicing and adousing with lemon oil and black pepper; the celeriac receives a trip through the shredder, a stir-through with parsley and a dash of grated horseradish. Either way, something crunchy to balance the thick, cushion-soft artichoke omelette and a few thin slices of protein is a quick and tidy supper. There could equally have been some thin slices of pink ham with a thick edge of snow-white fat, some folds of smoked salmon or awodge of smoked mackerel instead of the salami.
Pudding was baked bananas with a creamy side order of butterscotch-flavoured mascarpone. Bananas are far from my favourite fruit and usually end up in a cake or perhaps an ice cream, but as a last-minute pudding they can be baked until the insides soften for what is probably the most effortless end to ameal.
I will leave you for the next two weeks in the very capable hands of the lovely Jeremy Lee, who has been cooking his wonderful food at the Design Museum's Blueprint Café for almost two decades.
ARTICHOKE AND ROSEMARY TORTILLA
Other tortilla-friendly possibilities are grilled green or red peppers and slim slices of chorizo. Marinated artichokes are often sold loose at deli counters, but are also available in jars.
Serves 4 as a light main course
new potatoes 150g
butter a thin slice
olive oil 1 tbsp
rosemary 2 or 3 stalks
onion 1, medium sized
marinated artichokes 350g
parsley leaves from 3 or 4 stems
eggs 6
DIRECTIONS
Cut the potatoes into thick coins. Warm the butter and oil in a frying pan, add the sliced potatoes and leave to cook over a low to moderate heat for 15-20 minutes or so until the potatoes have softened and coloured nicely. Keep an eye on them, tossing them from time to time so they colour evenly.
Pick the rosemary needles from their stalks, chop them up roughly and then stir into the potatoes. Peel the onion, slice it into fine rings, then add to the softening potatoes. Leave the mixture to cook for 10 minutes or so.
Drain the artichokes, slice each one in half, and add to the cooked potatoes and onion. Season generously. Remove the parsley leaves from their stems, roughly chop and stir into the artichokes and onion, still over the heat. Warm an overhead grill.
Crack the eggs into a bowl and briefly whisk with a fork. Pour into the pan, stir once or twice to mix the eggs with all the cooked ingredients then leave to cook for 10 minutes or so until the egg is partially set. The mixture should quiver in the middle when you shake the pan.
Slide the pan under the grill and leave for 3 or 4 minutes until the surface is golden and lightly firm. Leave the tortilla for a few minutes to settle, covered with a lid if you wish, then loosen it round the edges with a palette knife and slide on to a warm plate or chopping board. Slice into six and serve.
BAKED BANANAS, MUSCOVADO MASCARPONE CREAM
By bringing in vanilla and brown sugar, this simple dessert takes on a luxurious quality.
Serves 4
bananas 8 small to medium
double cream 150ml (or a small pot)
mascarpone 200g
vanilla extract a few drops
light muscovado sugar 2 tsp
DIRECTIONS
Set the oven at 200C/gas mark 6. Cut aslit along the length of each banana to stop them "exploding" in the oven. Place the fruit on a baking sheet or in a roasting tin, then bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until the skins have blackened and the inside of the banana has started to bubble up out of its skin. Meanwhile, put the cream in a small bowl and beat until it starts to thicken and will sit in soft folds. Fold in the mascarpone, a couple of drops of vanilla extract and the brown sugar, taking great care not to over-mix. You want it to fall softly from the spoon. Remove the baked bananas from the oven when they are soft, split open the skin, add a dollop of the sweetened muscovado cream scooping out the hot, silky flesh from its skin with a teaspoon.
