Friday, January 23, 2009

I wanted...I bought...I made

Stir fried cabbage


Rumour has it that it's about to be very cold again. Wondering about a stewy thing for Saturday but also tempted by something fishy. Perhaps the man will have a desire - he did for ham egg and chips but what we had was ham & leek patties with beetroot and barley salad. Sunday I fancy roast chicken - I've got some cooked rice in the freezer for stuffing, and cheese sauce too so will make cauliflower cheese to go with it, leeks too perhaps for a proper roast dinner all of the above except we had sprouts not leeks. Monday I have class so the man can have laksa as soup from the freezer, Tuesday stirfry I think ma po tofu and stir fried cabbage to celebrate the Year of the Ox, Wednesday I shall have chili from the freezer after class with rice and sour cream. Thursday might do the dahl and cornfritters I didn't do this week lentils with an egg on top because, as I read on another blog recently, everything tastes better with an egg on top! Friday omelette. A movie and a burger out instead.

The market was busy early Saturday - seems like the respite post xmas is over. The Wheatsheaf is boarded up though not yet demolished like the shop that used to be next to it. Network Rail are planning some kind of carnage I think which must affect the market, hopefully not too badly. We shall see.

Started over in the Green Market for a change as I needed olive oil and thought it was best if it went into the bottom of my pink trolley - £16 from the Italian oil stall for a large tin

Then back to Ginger Pig where the woman ahead of me wanted chicken carcasses but they had none so I told her I'd just seen them at Wyndhams so off she went, having bought nothing. The butcher laughed as he thanked me for losing him custom. To make up for it I bought a whole chicken with flesh and skin as well as bones for Sunday roast and three days of lunches, some smoked bacon oysters with rice in the chicken stuffing the rest in the freezer and some minced beef half in ma po and half in the freezer for a total of £16.70

At Booths I wanted sweet onions, like they sell in every shop in SW France, had to ask one of the guys who kindly went and found some out the back for me with lovely silvery skins. I do have a plan but it hasn't happened yet - meanwhile they are fine Also bought potatoes both maincrop roasted Sunday and mashed for patties Saturday night and new part of the previously mentioned plan, carrots, leeks patties, fat little shiny brussel sprouts, cauliflower both with roast dinner, fennel still in the fridge may be salad this weekend but they had no clementines - £8.20

At Silfield I bought a ham hock - I saw them last week and fancied one, and the man declared he'd like ham and chips for dinner, so I decided I'd get a hock and make some little cakes with salad instead what a bonus this was - after simmering it with a few bits Saturday I had a litre of stock for the freezer, plus enough meat to put half in the freezer for a risotto plus half for ham and leek patties Saturday night and then I chopped the fat and half the skin very small and used it for the base of the lentils Thursday night - £2.95

At Gastronomica I bought fennel salami for Saturday sarnie £2.20

Coffee from Monmouth breakfast isn't breakfast without it - £9

Cheddar from Mull, milk, bread and sour cream from Neals Yard - £11.70

Then brownies and bread from Flour Power - £4

And lastly bananas from Elsey & Bent - who have such a big stall but I don't much like them, their produce is never as good as Booths or Turnips and there's never anyone around to help if you need it, so I rarely go there - £2.29

A grand total this week of £73.04 - a lot after last week but both oil and coffee push the total up.

Also bought tofu, parsley, mint, spring onions, onions, rocket, a tub of yoghurt, green lentils, a couple of baguettes and butter.

This time last year we were mostly eating spag bol - reasonably regular occurence! I love the stuff.

No comments: