Thursday 23 February 2012

it's the fishmonger's fault

MrsM is strolling across campus
with her friend from Physics.
They admire the fishmonger,
white booted and stripy aproned,
cheerful among his display of crabs,
monkfish and fresh sardines.

MrsM's friend from Physics
says nonchalantly
"We are having fresh octopus for supper...
it is an old Slovenian recipe:
you parboil potatoes and then fry them
in some seasoned olive oil
and wilt some greens
before flash frying the octopus."


MrsM thinks guiltily about the chicken pie
that is lurking in the fridge
and hears a voice that sounds like hers
say casually (and untruthfully)
"Sounds absolutely fabulous...
we are having wild mountain goat
from Greece slow roasted
on a bed of aubergine and peppers.
It's one of our favourite midweek meals."

22 comments:

  1. too funny...

    I had left overs from a restaurant last night, if that is any consolation :)

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  2. I think it absolutely had to be said. Bravo!

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  3. Good Lord, I love this.
    I could say that we had a reduction of pinto beans. They were delicious. The roasted squash and spinach was also delicious. Forget that we have had them for the last few days.
    I may have to come up with something new for tomorrow. One can only stretch beans and squash for so many days before we all look deprived and scurvioush. (i know, not a word.)

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  4. p.s.I truly want to see a bed of aubergine. Oh, the loveliness of color.

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  5. I think I would rather Chicken Pie any day. We had Cottage Pie and peas last night, n Not a bed of peas, just peas. Tonight it will be sausages on a pillow of batter baked pudding. Otherwise known as Toad in the Hole.

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  6. could have been worse you could have said "uurgh octopus, tastes like fishy elastic bands".......

    which is probably what I would have said, before remembering that you are supposed to filter your thoughts before you speak them.

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  7. I was out last night. In my absence, the family dined on ham and ham alone. It seemed very Dickensonian, though I received assurances that they used knives AND forks to dine with.

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  8. Pasta and a jar for us. A smart Carluccio's jar but a jar none the less.

    Oh the shame!

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  9. Pasta for us too. I can gain brownie points as the sauce was homemade, but lose them again as the meatballs weren't. Oh you fibber. It made me laugh though.

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  10. I'm impressed that you were able to concot such a delightful meal off the top of your head - it sounds rather delicious and terribly exotic!

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  11. I had Miso soup out of a sachet ...
    First day of Lent here, can't even THINK about good food.

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  12. Thank you, my day has been made and it's not yet 9.30 :)

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  13. Roast chicken and sweet potato curry with slow cooked rice. The 10 yo was underimpressed and ended up with a Spanish omlette bc I couldn't face the argument. Oh the shame.

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  14. It is such a temptation to trump a show-off, well done for thinking so quickly.

    I do like a nice bit of spinach but far prefer the frozen (for cost and freshness) cooked with onion, chilli and feta. Oh, and a grating of nutmeg). I just have to think of a posh name for it.

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  15. Oh, MrsM, that was a good one! i would have been struck dumb.

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  16. Yes, too funny! I am sure that the very idea of flash frying octopus would never occur to me! And thinking up a bed of aubergine in such a moment was sheer genius! After 40 years of marriage, I cannot come up with a new idea for dinner if I have all week! Bravo to you!

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  17. That was quick thinking, Alice - we had ledtovers, or as an old friend used to say 'rechauffe' (sorry blogger refuses to put the accent on the e).

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  18. Although I can totally understand that 'voice' talking all about the exciting wild beast feast -- personally I think the chicken pie would be my choice!

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  19. Sauteed vegetables over pasta here, but it was actually really good! (Better than a mountain goat, maybe.)

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  20. That photograph is scary.

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  21. Oh Alice, my daughter is doing the cutest new bride thing! Come Sunday evening they take their dinner trays to the entertainment room. Sundays in her young household is always reserved for British food...while savoring every second of Downton Abbey. Pies, Pasties, Toads in the Hole, she is ever so resourceful. Baked potatoes smothered with baked beans are a real treat for them. She, having spent her junior year in London and her new husband, having spent a year after college outside London on a sheep farm are English at heart. She had told me, nine minutes into season one of Downton Abbey the lady of the house is served breakfast in bed on Herend China, that's my girl! XO ps I bet your pie is the best!

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  22. Love it! Thanks for making my day :-)

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