Wow…where did the week go?! Our days have been very busy, despite the lower-key summer around here. In Ireland, as in the rest of Europe, people really disappear for the summer. They take a few weeks off, visit family, take a trip, and just generally relax. Another benefit of getting several weeks of vacation each year!
This week, the post is more about what worked, and what did not.
Saturday – We did barbeque chicken with sauteed spinach and mushrooms, and fresh corn on the cob. Fresh corn is hard to find here. Usually it is sold “pre-boiled” at the store, in this vacuum sealed packaging. I found fresh corn for about €1/ear ($1.30 – try not to be appalled at the price) at the local Polish store, so we enjoyed a rare treat here.
Sunday – Grilled Halloumi (a type of cheese) skewers with zucchini, red pepper, eggplant, and red pepper, with bulgur salad on the side. Halloumi is a firm cheese that can be grilled, or cooked in a saute pan. The kids have really liked this in the past, but this meal was a total dud this time around. “I don’t like that. Ewww. What else are we having?…” Just in case you readers out there assume that my kids eat everything we serve. 😉 On a positive note, Isaac decided he likes zucchini now.
Monday – Meatless Monday! We made a new pasta dish, Pasta with yogurt, peas, and chile. It is adapted from another Ottolenghi cookbook, Jerusalem. This was a big hit with the kids, and I liked that the pasta sauce was made from yogurt – less effort and less fat too.
Tuesday – Homemade soft tacos with rice and beans. Since the Tex-Mex selection in Ireland is so lackluster, we make our own taco seasoning, Spanish rice, black beans, and salsa. Making everything from scratch definitely takes more time than it would in the US, where great store-bought Tex-Mex ingredients can be found. I used to make homemade tortillas, but the roti flatbread I can buy at the Middle Eastern shop is a great substitute.
Wednesday – Carrot Soup and Cheddar Souffle. Ok, it was really warm, and I decided I didn’t want soup. There are plenty of soup-worthy days in Ireland, but yesterday was not one of them. We made breakfast tacos with the leftover tortillas, beans, and salsa. Just add scrambled eggs!
Thursday – TBD. Thawing a pound of “turkey mince” (ground turkey) as we speak. Since writing the above, we made turkey burgers, sauteed the leftover Halloumi cheese, and served it with homemade burger buns, tomato and bell pepper salad, and mixed veggies (peas, carrots, corn and green beans.) Not bad for a meal intended to use up the “bits and bobs” of leftover ingredients in the refrigerator! Oh, and the kids are back to liking Halloumi again. Sigh.
Friday – Pepperoni pizza, or maybe something more interesting, depending on what arrives in the CSA box!