Tuesday 25 September 2012

Leftover Lunches #1

I'm not really a recipe cook - not by a longshot.  Yes I may have many, many well-thumbed cookbooks - but they're more for food porn -lusting over the lovely glossies - and general inspiration.

A, on the other hand is a confirmed recipe cook (he can't abide Nigel Slater for his vagueness of recipe for example) and whilst he does enjoy cooking, it is very much to the letter.

I am often left therefore with a random assortment of half-used items in the fridge - think half-tins of random ingredients (artichokes/roasted peppers/exotic spice mixes) or half used vegetables etc.  This is where the inspiration for today's post has come from - and I hope for it to become an ongoing theme on my blog.

Leftover Lunches.  Pretty much what it says - I only need to cook for me at lunchtime as the Kindling and A are taken care of elsewhere - so here's today's offering:

I found - two marinated artichoke hearts, a couple of spoonfuls of creme fraiche (at the bottom of a pot!), some small strips of filo pastry and half a pack of feta.

Added to that with some store cupboard faithfuls (frozen spinach* and oregano - my most favouritist herb) and we have: Feta, artichoke and spinach parcels.



What I did: mix a small bowl of chopped defrosted spinach with the artichoke and creme fraiche, place a generous spoonful (or 2) in the middle of a cross of filo (4 strips in total 2 on top of the other) and then add some crumbed feta on top and a good sprinkle of oregano.  Fold the strips in to make parcels, then brush with olive oil and baked till golden.

*Frozen spinach as it's generally quite difficult to source fresh spinach here. No popping to the supermarket and being certain of there being a bag of baby spinach in the salad section - oh no - it's a real buy it when you see it type of thing here as you can never be sure when the fresh stuff will be next available.  

6 comments:

  1. 2 things strike me...
    frozen spinach as a 'storecupboard' item? really? doesn't it defrost?
    and you cook for 1 at lunch time? true diligence, I can barely manage to summon the enthusiasm on the rare occasion to cook for one in the evening!

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    1. I'm more likely to cook for one at lunchtime - come the evening I just CBA.... wine and a pizza then! Unless of course there are more leftovers.....

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  2. Oh fantastic - your fridge sounds like mine. The Husband now says at the end of every meal if there's anything left - "shall I throw it away now, or put in the fridge and throw it away in a week" but he doesn't seem to realise how much of it I work my way through for lunches.

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    1. It's almost a personal challenge not to throw anything away - sometimes ends up with some bizarre combinations - but I hate to waste anything.

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  3. Any blogger who uses the word favouritist deserves a comment and a follow...found you on the Mumsnet forum for this week and I love the look of these parcels...yum!

    x

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  4. Thank you! They were very tasty too (and I have another in the fridge for tomorrow!)

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