Even though temperatures are still in the low to mid-twenties here during the day (and yet we all have a stinking cold - don't ask me how), the menu at the Bean's nursery has changed to "autumn/winter". I try to plan our meals around what I'm likely to find at our local market and what is lingering in my fridge and cupboard, but most of all I plan around the Bean's lunches.
As menus go, it's not bad. Reasonably well-balanced and very definitely liked by him. Very definitely Italian, of course:
Monday
primo: pasta with ricotta
secondo: spinach omelette, vegetable side
Tuesday
primo: vegetable soup with mini-pasta
secondo: turkey meatballs, vegetable side
Wednesday
primo: semolina gnocchi
secondo: cheese, vegetable side
Thursday
primo: lasagna
secondo: vegetable side
Friday
primo: pea soup with mini-pasta
secondo: plaice, vegetable side
As menus go, it's not bad. Reasonably well-balanced and very definitely liked by him. Very definitely Italian, of course:
Monday
primo: pasta with ricotta
secondo: spinach omelette, vegetable side
Tuesday
primo: vegetable soup with mini-pasta
secondo: turkey meatballs, vegetable side
Wednesday
primo: semolina gnocchi
secondo: cheese, vegetable side
Thursday
primo: lasagna
secondo: vegetable side
Friday
primo: pea soup with mini-pasta
secondo: plaice, vegetable side
When I'm planning our evening meals I try to avoid doubling up on anything. I also know that on the days he's had soup as a primo he is likely to be desperate for carbs by dinner time, but on pasta or risotto lunch days he'll only pick. We don't eat much meat on weekdays because he'll have had plenty of it already. Finally, I try to include at least 2 non-Italian dishes a week. Partly because Mr P&P and I like all sorts of cuisines, and partly because I'm determined to teach His Beanness that there is more to life than pasta. Shocking, I know.
In any case, this week our evening meals are becoming a little more autumnal too:
In any case, this week our evening meals are becoming a little more autumnal too:
fish fingers with couscous salad
porcini mushroom risotto
chicken & coriander noodle soup
spiced cauliflower soup with bread
beef, vegetable & pearl barley stew
lemon & herb pasta with courgette, tuna & mozzarella
feta, beetroot & pumpkin seed quiche
porcini mushroom risotto
chicken & coriander noodle soup
spiced cauliflower soup with bread
beef, vegetable & pearl barley stew
lemon & herb pasta with courgette, tuna & mozzarella
feta, beetroot & pumpkin seed quiche
Incidentally, I found out that you can indeed freeze porcini mushrooms, and very effectively at that. You just clean and slice them, then freeze them raw. To use, chuck straight into the dish you're making. They'll still taste fab, and they'll probably have cost about half the price of store-bought dried or frozen ones (depending on whether you can get fresh ones, of course!). Hoo-ray.
