Most of the time when working late, I usually slap together some kind of "dinner" with leftovers, pre-packaged foods and/or (rarely) take-out. It involves maybe one pan and usually the microwave. Sometimes I don't even use a plate. It tastes fine and I'm usually satiated, hunger-wise, but it's not really satisfying.
And that's because I crave the act of cooking. I want to peel, chop, saute, steam, broil, bake. So even though it was nearly 9 pm when I left the office, I went to the market for some inspiration because I couldn't bear to do another mediocre pasta dish of noodles and tomato sauce with whatever I had in my fridge (only scallions) mixed in. I mean, I don't mind eating spaghetti and plain marinara--sometimes the simplicity of it is what I crave--but this night, I needed more.
I bought: mushrooms, a yellow squash and a small eggplant. I already had at home: shallots, crushed and diced tomatoes, parsley and pasta.
I sauteed the veggies then dumped in a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes and a 14 oz can of diced. These stewed together along with my seasonings of salt and pepper, dried basil, chopped parsley, sugar and a little pat of butter at the end.
I think the eggplant was the star here. I wish I had used more of it, actually.
Was this the best meal I've ever tasted? No. But even though it was late and I had a mound of dishes to wash, I somehow felt at peace.
I've been eating the leftovers all week for lunch and I haven't gotten tired of it which is a sign, for me, of a good meal.
No comments:
Post a Comment