A not quite quick after-work supper for three

I was working today from 10:00am til 5:00pm, and taking the bus, arrived home around 6:00 o'clock. I had planned a dinner of grilled chicken breasts, wilted spinach and tinned pulses with dressing, which I thought would be a quick, simple and effort free dinner. How wrong I was!

115. Chicken with Lemon/Oil/Garlic (Fast Food)
116. Thick Miso Dressing for Beans (Low Fat)
117. Warm Spinach with Lemon (Dinner)

First problem - the chicken breasts weren't defrosted. Acutally, this was the only problem. But it screwed everything else up. I'd asked my mum to take them out of the freezer during the day, but come dinner time they were still rock solid. Waah! So I started defrosted them in the microwave, which took a fucking age. I did them in 10 minute bursts, and even after 30 minutes, they were starting to go dry and white on the edges, whilst remaining solid within. By this stage, I was getting closer and closer to tears. (Dramatic, yes. But I was tired dammit, tired!!) It took a lot of gentle prodding and pulling and pushing and microwaving to get them defrosted and unfolded and ready for the grill.

Anyway, when I finally got them turned in their oil lemon and garlic marinade, and onto the grill, I started on the side dishes. Seeing as the spinach needs to be at room temperature, I did it first. The spinach recipe comes from the Dinner chapter, and is the suggested accompaniment for a Fillet of Beef with Red Wine, Anchovies, Garlic and Thyme. It's just wilted in a pan with some butter and oil, and sprinkled with lemon or sumac (I chose sumac) before serving. Fantastic stuff.

For the thick miso dressing for beans, you mix together some miso paste, rice vinegar and sesame oil and then stir it through your beans of choice. I used a tin each of chick peas, borlotti beans and cannellini beans, and warmed them in a wok with the dressing.

So, in the end, dinner was on the table by about 7:30 and tears were averted.

Miso dressing

Spinach in the background, beans in the foreground

Chicken with lemon/oil/garlic













The chicken is plain, but tasty. Spinach is always a winner, especially with sour flavourings. And the beans, the beans!! Miso (fermented soy bean paste) is such a wonderful way to add flavour without adding fat. It's definitely being repeated.

Dad: Wow, we'll be farting tonight.

Er, thanks Dad!