Instead of serving the sashimi with wasabi and soy (which is simple and excellent), experiment with lime / lemon juice, with or without added soy, poured over, and chopped garlic, chilies, and capers in any combination.
None of the salad ingredients except the mango / papaya are critical – you can experiment with deleting, replacing, or supplementing them with other vegetables, nuts, etcetera. Chicken (note higher internal temperature target1), or other meat or seafood, can replace the duck.
AUTUMN WEDNESDAY:
Mushroom Minestrone; Chocolates
This is a “light” meal, though obviously any meal can be made heavier by cooking and eating more of it. The quantity specified is intended to satisfy two adults and the Standardized Meal System allows the amount to be precisely tuned. But it is insufficient for four persons.
The mushroom minestrone was scheduled when Rosie arrived home with her boss, Judas, and colleague, Stefan, as unexpected guests (unexpected because I had not checked my text messages in the preceding 57 minutes – checking for communications more often than hourly is a serious distraction).
My initial thought was that an inadequate meal would discourage such behavior in future. Also, Rosie constantly complains about Judas and Stefan, so it seemed there was no need to give them an undeserved high-quality meal.
As often happens, my judgment of the personal dynamics and / or appropriate response was incorrect. Rosie indicated to me that she would like me to “ramp it up” and “show them what we can do.” It seemed that I was being asked to weaponize food – again.
The subject had previously been discussed in relation to regular guest nights. It is conventional to cook more elaborate meals when guests are invited, but Rosie had sought to dissuade me from doing so, observing that our guests were intimidated by the complexity of the dishes, which they would feel obliged to match if they invited us to their homes in return.
She said, “Becca’s afraid to have us for dinner because you’re such a good cook.” Obviously, it is flattering to have one’s expertise recognized. And if Becca is an incompetent cook, eating at her home could be unpleasant or unsafe, as well as (demonstrably) anxiety-provoking for Becca. Dining at other people’s homes is always stressful: the typically excessive number of guests, the host distracted and agitated by attempting a too-complex meal, the awkward and time-wasting protocols for leaving.
“Becca says she’ll have to buy us dinner at a restaurant instead,” said Rosie.
Perfect outcome. Hence, retention of the elaborate-food-for-guests principle. And the Standardized Meal System allows for the complexity (and heaviness) of any meal to be increased at short notice. With minimal effort, I can add mixed antipasto (olives, preserved goods, salumi); cheese and nuts; and fresh fruit (or, since it was autumn, affogato – ice-cream with an espresso coffee1 and a shot of amaretto) and chocolates (already specified for Autumn Wednesday) with Pedro Ximenes sherry, all from Common Resources.
In this case, I included all of these, plus a further course, employing my general solution to any problem which renders the scheduled main course nonviable (e.g. inability to shop or a fault in a critical ingredient). The key element of the emergency-food solution is pasta, supplemented with other Common Resources.
Example pasta flavorings include:
Oil, garlic and chili
Parmesan cheese and butter
Anchovies (simple but surprisingly good)
Puttanesca (except in summer, when it is Monday’s meal)
Pizzaiola (in winter, if this option is selected, it is then necessary to eat at a restaurant on Friday or have the same meal twice)
I decided on spaghetti puttanesca (possibly subconsciously hoping that Judas had high blood pressure), omitting the tomatoes due to lack of tomatoes, and serving it as a main course after the soup.
Meanwhile, I delegated Rosie to make negronis to dull our guests’ critical faculties and to assist me in dealing with the change to routine. If I had not had an expert cocktail maker available, I would have served good-quality red vermouth on ice with a curl of orange zest.
Except for the (now widely accepted) practice of serving pasta as a main course rather than before it, I had created a reasonably authentic Italian meal. Due to the pasta, it was necessary to open a bottle (technically, two bottles) of red wine. Judas and Stefan were highly impressed, and it was probable that their sleep was disturbed by the combination of alcohol, coffee, and salt.
The negroni should be made according to the International Bartenders Association recipe: equal quantities of gin, good-quality sweet vermouth, and Campari. (The vermouth and Campari should be stored in the fridge, and the gin in the freezer with the glasses.) Stir over ice, and serve with the ice and a slice of orange. It is fashionable to serve a negroni with a single large ice cube – this will not dilute the drink as much but will be less effective in maintaining coldness, and coldness is critical.
COMMON RESOURCES
10 g dried porcini (or alternative interesting) mushrooms
1 clove garlic
500 ml chicken stock (from Sunday)
1 can cannellini beans, 400 g
1 bay leaf
Parmesan cheese, for grating over soup
RECIPE-SPECIFIC INGREDIENTS
25 g prosciutto (optional1)
180 g fresh interesting mushrooms (conventional mushrooms are acceptable)
1 leek
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (measured after chopping; optional)
200 g zucchini
EQUIPMENT
Enameled cast-iron pot
Ladle for serving
Bowl
Jar
Grater
PROCESS
Time: 50 minutes, including 30 minutes unallocated time.
Put dried mushrooms in jar and add hot water (not boiling) to original level of mushrooms (some mushrooms will float). Shake jar (with lid on) to ensure soaking.
Cut prosciutto into 2 cm squares.
Chop mushrooms into 1 1/2 cm cubes – this is very approximate; if you have small mushrooms, leave them whole.
Cut leek (stop when you reach the tough leaves) and zucchini into 1 cm discs.
Cut garlic into tiny pieces (30 seconds chopping).
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in pot at maximum temperature.
Add prosciutto to pot and cook until crisp (2 minutes).
Reduce heat to 70% of maximum.
Add fresh mushrooms to pot and cook for 4 minutes (stir with wooden spoon after 2 minutes).
Add leek, zucchini, and garlic to oil, and cook for 10 minutes.
While the vegetables cook, drain liquid from cannellini beans (discard liquid).
Add stock (you can preheat in microwave to speed process), dried mushrooms with the soaking water, cannellini beans, and bay leaf to pot. Put lid on.
Simmer for 30 minutes (no intervention required beyond monitoring simmer; if diners are not ready, it can be left to simmer until they are – assuming same evening).
Chop parsley. Put grater, parmesan cheese, and parsley on table. Remove bay leaf from pot.
Serve soup.
Chocolates.
AUTUMN THURSDAY:
Rice-paper Rolls; Stir-fried Vegetables
I consider the most important factor in the success of a relationship (life partnership, friendship, possibly parenting) to be the initiation, planning, and execution of joint projects. Humans are cooperative animals, and cooperation is intrinsically satisfying. Identifying interesting projects relies on a mutual understanding of capabilities, needs, and ambitions – a process which requires and promotes empathy1.
The planning of joint projects is the perfect conversation topic – and you are unlikely to be accused of monologuing, since the other person is a “stakeholder.” Carrying out the projects may be less exciting and important to the relationship than the planning, but it promotes interaction and fulfills one of the obvious goals of a relationship: spending time together.
Joint proje
cts need to be supported by a policy of tolerance and forgiveness. Errors are inevitable in tackling challenging projects (including the ongoing project of the relationship itself).
I consider this vital information, but I am accustomed to being atypical, so it may not apply to you. Nevertheless, I suggest you reflect on it, and on what you can do to improve your personal implementation of it, while preparing rice-paper rolls and stir-fried vegetables.
COMMON RESOURCES: RICE-PAPER ROLLS
4 rice-paper-roll wrappers
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 lime
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 birds-eye or alternative preferred chili, fresh or reconstituted (optional)
RECIPE-SPECIFIC INGREDIENTS: RICE-PAPER ROLLS
Leftover duck and Thai salad
1 tsp chopped spring onion
COMMON RESOURCES: STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 cm cube of fresh ginger (with experience, you may decide to increase this)
2 birds-eye or alternative preferred chili, fresh or reconstituted (optional)
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 small carrots, cut into matchstick-sized pieces
RECIPE-SPECIFIC INGREDIENTS: STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES
100 g baby sweet corn
6 spring onions
1 red pepper
100 g mushrooms
1 bunch broccolini or 200 g broccoli or 200 g snow peas or 1 medium zucchini
EQUIPMENT
Jar for mixing
Lemon squeezer
Bowl
Bowl for dipping sauce
Wok
Dish for soaking rice-paper-roll wrappers
PROCESS
Time: 28 minutes.
If you have neither wrapped a rice-paper roll nor seen it done, I recommend googling an instructional video. It should be simple after the first time (you should ensure you have spare wrappers on that occasion).
Squeeze the lime.
Chop the chili into tiny pieces (30 seconds).
Chop the spring onion into 1/2 cm discs to create 1 1/2 teaspoons of chopped onion.
Put the lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and fish sauce in the jar, and shake vigorously (lid on) for 10 seconds. Pour into serving bowl. Add chili and spring onion to float on top.
Chop the leftover duck and salad into 1 cm cubes where feasible. Mix together in bowl with the chili and spring onions, then divide into 4 equal portions.
Put the roll wrappers in a dish and cover with water – press them under if necessary. When pliable (2 minutes), pull one out and, on the chopping board, place a portion of the duck mix on it. Wrap according to past experience or recent tuition. Or “figure it out.”
Serve with the dipping sauce, then dismiss the other diner(s) while you prepare the stir-fried vegetables.
Peel garlic and ginger. Chop them and the chili into small pieces (30 seconds chopping each).
Prepare all remaining vegetables in advance to avoid stress. Use the baby sweet corn as your size reference (cut a 7 x 1.2 cm piece of another vegetable if you have substituted the corn with another vegetable – if the corn is longer than 8 cm, cut in half). Cut all vegetables to that size. Approximately.
Put 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in wok on heat source and set temperature to maximum.
When oil is smoking, add the spring onions, garlic, ginger, and chili; stir for 1 minute.
Reduce heat to 70%.
Add vegetables according to the timeline below and stir while they fry (hence the term “stir fry”; you don’t need to stir while you are performing the vegetable-adding task).
0: Mushrooms.
2: Carrot, capsicum, and sweet corn.
5: Green vegetable(s).
10: Hoisin and soy sauce.
Cook for a further 2 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked but not too soft.
VARIATIONS
The rice-paper rolls can be deep or shallow fried (set burner / hotplate to 75%) in cooking oil. Let them dry before cooking. Less healthy but more delicious.
Use (smaller) spring-roll wrappers and deep fry.
Add grated ginger to the rolls.
The stir-fry recipe is readily adapted to a vast number of different vegetables (though I recommend avoiding root vegetables).
You can add red meat, poultry, or seafood to the stir fry in place of one or more vegetables. I recommend giving it first place in the cooking sequence.
Buy hoisin noodles and cook according to instructions on pack. Add to wok after final vegetables and stir to mix.
Serve rice (of your preferred variety) with the stir-fried vegetables.
AUTUMN FRIDAY:
Restaurant Night or Chili con Carne
Recommended alcohol: beer.
Do not buy avocados! Discipline begins with shopping. If you have the potential to make guacamole (and to eat it with corn chips or broken taco shells), you will sabotage any possibility of eating out. Guacamole is the perfect accompaniment to chili con carne and margaritas are the logical accompaniment to guacamole. A meal of this deliciousness will be impossible to resist. Just reheat the chili con carne. Or go out.
VARIATIONS:
(Do not read unless you are definitely not going out.)
Put the chili into taco shells. Top with cheese. Heat in oven.
Make nachos: put corn chips in oven dish; top with the chili, hot sauce (optional), and cheese; heat in oven.
Buy avocados and make guacamole. Add it to nachos, above. Make margaritas. Congratulate yourself for resisting being bullied.
_______
1 Obviously, I have ignored this recommendation, due to its positive effect on my mental health (self-assessed).
1 If you enjoy the Americano and decide to order it in a bar, be sure to specify Americano cocktail, or you are likely to be served a coffee.
2 Unless you use excessive absinthe for the glass-rinsing process or, in the interests of minimizing waste, use the egg white to make a Boston sour, as I do.
1 The rate of pouring should be approximately proportional to the amount of oil in the mortar.
1 Omission of the zucchini will significantly improve the impression of authenticity.
1 As noted in the discussion of Summer Saturday Lunch, the total number of deaths of living creatures is far more difficult to calculate.
1 If you don’t eat chili, I recommend a dry white wine (unless you prefer sweet wines in general). And, of course, deleting the chili.
2 Make by heating 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar until sugar dissolved. Refrigerate. Store up to one month.
1 Or specify the sherry type, e.g. oloroso sour.
1 I recommend use of the word “sharp” when specifying arrival time, and the avoidance of such ambiguous formulations as “6:30 for 7:00.” If you have French guests, it is vital to emphasize that local custom is for guests not to be “politely late.” If you are French yourself, you should expect guests from other countries to arrive at the time you specify, and therefore you should be clothed and prepared.
1 Do not rely on the picture of a duck or chicken on the meat thermometer. Correct temperatures are 52 degrees (duck) and 74 degrees (chicken).
1 Obviously, if you don’t drink coffee in the evenings, omit the coffee. Reactions to coffee vary, and you should be aware of yours, unless you have made a decision not to drink it at all.
1 Rosie considers that the prosciutto “makes the soup taste like coq au vin without the coq or the vin but not in a bad way.” This is probably true.
1 Empathy is frequently mischaracterized as arising only from intuition. In my experience, empathy can also be achieved (and often more accurately) by interrogation and discussion.
SATURDAY
Lunch
Toasted cheese
Dinner
Oysters natural
Baked fish with olives and feta
SUNDAY
Jer
usalem artichoke soup
Slow-cooked lamb shanks with celeriac mash
MONDAY
Potato and leek soup
TUESDAY
(guests)
Jerusalem artichoke soup
Gougères
Coq au vin with roasted broccoli
WEDNESDAY
Lentil stew
Chocolates
THURSDAY
Poppadums
Chicken curry
FRIDAY
(if eating at home)
Fusilli pizzaiola
WINTER SATURDAY LUNCH:
Toasted Cheese
One of the many unreasonable criticisms of the Standardized Meal System is that it is not sufficiently “healthy.” Today’s lunch, which consists largely of wheat and fat, is likely to provoke such comments. The people making the criticism are probably (a) not examining the meal in the context of the full week’s menu; (b) relying on unscientific ideas (the bread contains gluten, which is not harmful unless you have an intolerance); and (c) unable to provide evidence that their own eating regimen is better – not even able to produce a week’s summary.
People who choose to do something in an organized (or unconventional) manner are held to a higher standard than people who do not. The Standardized Meal System is not provably perfect, but it is almost certain to be healthier than most people’s semi-random and fad-influenced diets.
In fact, this meal is intended to improve mental health, as it prompts happy memories of my mother cooking cheese on toast for weekend and holiday lunches. You may wish to substitute some other meal with similar effects.
Also, any meal I cook is likely to be healthier than Dave’s Diabetic Breakfast (named because it was likely a contributor to his Type 2 diabetes), which he was eating every day. (Brush bacon with maple syrup1 and cook in oven until crisp. Fry eggs, potatoes, and optionally black pudding and mushrooms in butter. Eat with white bread and jam, and white coffee with sugar.)
COMMON RESOURCES
Generic “cheddar” cheese
RECIPE-SPECIFIC INGREDIENTS
Bread
PROCESS
Time: 10 minutes.
Activate grill. Slice 2 slices of bread (if not already sliced) – more, if the bread cross-section is small or you are hungry.
Don Tillman's Standardized Meal System Page 8
