France, Fish and Finding-new-ways-with-parsnips

The Week

 

Eiffel Tower

The week started with a trip to France. Flying, but not quite a flying visit. Time for 2 dinners and 1 lunch, and a quick stroll to the Eiffel Tower. The food was okay, perhaps not the best choice of restaurants to highlight Paris's culinary leadership. The restaurant on the second night was the better venue, and they managed to pull a vegetarian option out of the bag for a colleague. My meal of mushroom and gnocchi, veal steak on the bone, and stuffed brie definitely surpassed his carrot mousse for started and assiette of vegetables (carrots again). An M&S microwave curry for the weary traveller, a particularly weary traveller with no quick meals of his own in the freezer. Note to self, don't bother with M&S microwave curries again.

Friday - Or Fishday

For the past few years I have tried various methods of getting fresh (or freshly frozen) fish. There is no fishmonger where I live, or where I work. Prior to the arrival of Waitrose there was no decent fish counter, but even after the arrival I don't really use them. For a while I tried coming home via Ashbourne, but changing jobs to one where I have to work on Friday PM put an end to that idea - not that it was very effective.

 

Mussels, simply with cider and parsely

Usually I rely on Ocado, and we have the fish on Saturday when it's less likely to be missing from the delivery. But as someone who grew up on the seaside, the offering from Ocado just doesn't excite me - and monkfish has been out of stock for over  year. So occasionally in the last few years I've tried online fishmongers. The 'send me a random box of fish' idea is great if you get what you want, and less good when it contains a few kilos of shellfish that need eating straight away or lots of oily fish my wife won't eat. 

Nevertheless, I tried it again with a different company and got sea trout, salmon, scallops and mussels. All into the freezer, except 2 salmon for my son and I to eat Saturday, and the mussels which I valiantly dispatched in a single sitting (yes it was a a whole kilo, no I haven't been put off them, yes I agree with hindsight it was a large portion). My wife cooked herself lamb, no fan of shellfish.

Saturday

A cake is required, we still have a few kilos of Christmas cake - but it won't last until Easter if we keep eating it. A slightly hiccough in the Riverford veg box delivery has given us a glut of parsnips. Although we all eat them, none of us a overly enthusiastic about them. The excess of one root is offset by the absence of another, unnoticed until a few steps into making a carrot cake I found no carrots in the cupboard (or did I not find any carrots, either way, zero carrot). The improvised parsnip cake deserves its own post, and shall receive one.

 

Salmon, leek risotto, and chard

Saturday night, and time to ensure the whole family gets a dose of fish. Salmon as stated, plaice for my wife and a fish-finger for the 16 month-old fusspot of a daughter. All, bar the fish finger, served with a leek risotto, charred chard (stir fried in the oil from the salmon steaks), and a cheese and leek sauce.

Despite the relative success of the fishbox, I decided it's still not for me. I love the randomness, and I eat almost all seafood, but my family doesn't and that makes it difficult. Then there is the lack of surprise - salmon, trout, scallops and mussels are all available from Ocado. I cancelled the fishbox that night. The hunt for a cost effective way to get a good seafood selection continues.

Sunday

Up early, bread maker on for dough, second portion of onions soup (see last week's post) defrosting. Day 2 of attempting to be Super Dad - successfully feeding the fussy daughter 3 times a day. I mostly succeeded until she through her Sunday teatime selection on the floor.

A simpler roast today, 3 pork chops, only cabbage, cauliflower and carrots (I bought some after the aborted carrot cake). Some leftover Yorkshire pudding from the freezer. Roast spuds and honey-roast-parsnips (now half way through the mound). Gravy made from stock cube. Pudding an apple and blackberry (both ex-freezer) with a thick crumble. Made some apple scones too - bad recipe - not to be repeated.