Weekend Catch Up

Goodness, I didn't realise it had been so long since I had posted. As usual in Oxford, it's a little bit nuts and I have sooo much to do. All the time. So, a quick round up, combined with some details about actual cooking I managed to do over the weekend!

Friday night I was at the Oxford Jewish Society. Friday night is the start of the Jewish Sabbath, and it's welcomed in with a traditional meal, as well as prayers over candles, bread and wine. I will, I promise, write a longer post about this at some point. We had a very traditional meal: chicken soup, containing noodles, chicken, carrots and kneidlach (matza ball dumplings) along with challah (bread thats plaited and contains egg), homous and egg mayo. Then roast chicken, potatoes, risotto and salad (ok, the last two are less traditional). Dessert was kosher cakes cut into heart shapes with fruit. All in all, a very nice evening.

Saturday seems like such a long time ago, I can't even remember what I had for lunch! For dinner, however, I decided to make my favourite quick dish: couscous salad with saute'd veg, chickpeas and harrissa dressing:

I always make my couscous with stock as well as water, and then I added some sumac before mixing everything else in.

I saute'd red onion, red pepper, leeks and mushrooms (really the only things I could get from Tescos on a Saturday night, but actually quite a good combination) in a pan, and mixed them through.

Normally I make my own harrissa dressing using spices (cumin, corriander, paprika), garlic, tomato puree and olive oil, but as I was in a rush and going out, therefore not wanting anything too spicy, I used a stir-through jar. Disappointing, the homemade is, of course, better.

But still it was good, shame my party was rubbish!

Sunday I thought was going to be spent entirely in the theatre, but I had a reprieve, so I went to JSoc bagel brunch, for bagels with egg mayo, and smoked salmon and cream cheese. It was really good - lots of smoked salmon.

I then made another of my favourite dinners, as I had time, not being in the theatre: Juliette-style fish pie. Just as I was finishing, I realised that I had forgotten to take a photo of it! But you'll have to take my word for it: it looked & tasted great!

I had bought some reduced smoked haddock during the week, and frozen it, so I defrosted a piece and poached it in some milk. Just quickly, for a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, I made some mashed sweet potato, and cooked some sliced leeks and whole cherry tomatos in the oven. And I defrosted some spinach.

I combined it all: spinach (with some butter) and leeks on the bottom, then fish, mixed with some horseradish, then tomatoes, then mash. Lovely!