Day 69: speedy is an understatement
I have never believed in the “15-minute” supper. 15 minutes to eat it, yes, but not to make it. And I am (openly) a sceptic, of all recipes with a reference to preparation time in their title: a self-professed doubter. It’s the notion of labelling: if you introduce a time-limit then you feel pressured to have it done and dusted within that time frame and if you don’t manage that, then you have failed - therefore elevating any pre-existing anxieties already in place. Does it take into account prep time and clearing up time? What if you're a slow chopper? Or don’t have a blender, if required? However, if you call it something else, and then tell me it only takes mere moments to cook, then I will jump on board. I think this just proves my unjustified stubbornness: a flaw I hope to overcome in the kitchen and take into real-life. My (so-called) “issue”, by the way, is not that I don’t believe in the specified time used within the title (although sometimes I do wonder), but instead the fact it is used within the name itself. We all have trivial things that irk us, and that is one of mine. I, of course, cannot and would not, argue with the fact beans on toast can be prepared in under five minutes, or fresh spaghetti boiled and tossed with olive oil, parmesan and cracked black pepper and ready in a bowl in under five minutes. Even leftovers can go from fridge to piping hot within that time, and if your leftovers are preferred cold then that’s a meal ready in literally no time at all. I don’t really have a strong argument to keep ranting on further, so i’ll just end it here. But, I am fine with adjectives such speedy or quick, because that is subjective. Quick to me may well be 30 minutes, to you it may be ten.
Today’s pick, while branded ‘speedy’ (and not inclusive of a specific time frame in its name), was not chosen for the fact that it held the promise of being ready quickly, but for the inclusion of frozen seafood within its ingredients. Nigella’s Speedy Seafood Supper was our meal of choice today and it introduced a key food item that I fully intend to keep in the house from now on: mixed frozen seafood.
Nigella’s Speedy Seafood Supper
I have this horrible guilt of using pre-packaged frozen ingredients. Don’t ask me why, because I don’t know. But that’s what this cookalong is about right? Learning new ways to make life a little simpler. Whilst I know cooking isn’t the answer to everything, it’s a bloody good place to start, because, ultimately, much of life’s joys are derived from it. Certainly within my life, anyway, and if you’re here - yours probably are too.
Seafood, particularly shellfish (and squid) make up much of the joy in my life, but due to cost and availability are not something I indulge in as often as I would like. I normally wait to visit my fishmonger on a Saturday morning for a fresh supply of clams or mussels, but always veered clear of the frozen selections. And if I’m watching the pennies, I would skip the trip to the fishmonger altogether. I discovered today that a bag of frozen mixed seafood is rather delicious, particularly in Nigella’s Speedy Seafood supper, which was in fact (though we’ll not name it so) ready in under 15 minutes (prep and sides included). I didn’t wash up, so I didn’t count the time that took.
If you’ve used many bags of frozen seafood before then you’re probably thinking that this guy needs to get a life and move on. And I wouldn't hold it against you. But, I have no shame in admitting if I am not aware of something. I would never randomly buy a bag of frozen seafood, come home and then figure out what to do with it. Instead, this cookalong is introducing key ingredients and cooking styles into the house that I am learning from and adopting into my everyday life. It is lifting the veil that my anxieties have cast over my love of cooking for so long.
Flavour musings
As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing to dislike about this. It was so fast to fix up that it knocked me back: I had to keep checking the book because I thought I’d forgotten some vital step in the main process.
I used tinned cherry tomatoes, simply because I’ve developed somewhat of an obsession with them over the past year. They are a bit more expensive, but I take this into account and just use them less often - so the cheque book balances better at the end of each week. They are sweet, but sharp, and popping them one by one with the tip of the wooden spoon (or cooking utensil of your choice) is satisfyingly addictive. I added fresh tarragon, in addition to the dried, in part because I had a small bunch in the fridge (to use in Nigella’s Asparagus, Radish and New Potato Salad) but mainly because I adore it. And it still surprises me how unique and potent saffron really is; it offers so much more than just colour.
I served this with orzo, tossed through with extra virgin olive oil, a handful of chopped fresh (frozen) parsley and cracked black pepper.
I vow from this day forward to keep a stash of mixed seafood in the freezer, so I too have the resources to make Nigella’s Speedy Seafood Supper at a moment’s notice.
