Menu plan – 19 October 2021

Good morning from wet and grey Copenhagen where I’ve been down at the sea for my usual skinnydip seaswim (sea temperature has now fallen to 10c/50f). Keep warm out there! Tuesday is “Plan and Play” in Flyland Land and I’m doing a spot of planning (deskwork) and have been in touch with a friend to organise some “play” for next week. We all need something to look forward to! Tuesday is also the time I plan our weekly menu. Here’s what we’ll be eating this week at Casa Copenhagen!

Best start to the day…a skinnydip seaswim!

Instant Pot Risotto – easier than standing stirring risotto on the stove! I fry up an onion and some garlic, add about 300 grammes of Arborio rice and 850 mls of hot stock. (Sometimes I add a half cup of white wine and 750 mls of stock.) Cook on high pressure for 6 minutes, allow to stand for a couple of minutes and then do a quick pressure release. At that point I stir in fresh herbs and any ingredients which just need to be warmed through: spinach, sliced sugar snap peas, asparagus, fresh/frozen peas, leftover cooked chicken or ham, fried bacon. Serve with plenty of parmesan cheese! This week we’ll be having a wild mushroom risotto (we can buy bags of frozen mixed wild mushrooms at the supermarket, which are great to have on hand)
we’re going to the cinema this week (probably to see “The Royal Game”, hubby and daughter enjoyed reading the novella by Stefan Zweig) and might grab a bite to eat in the city beforehand or afterwards
an old favourite – Murgh Makhani – Indian butter chicken with rice which is so soothing on these dark, grey days! We use this recipe, easy and fast and eat with basmati rice and hot naan bread
small steaks with homemade French fries (sweet potato ones for me), béarnaise sauce, fried onions and mushrooms
Vitello Tonnato (a “takeaway” from the delicatessen at our supermarket: cold sliced veal topped with a creamy tuna sauce and capers, sounds weird but works well) with fries and salad

I made Australian meat pie a couple of weeks ago (recipe is here, just be warned that it is rather salty so I would reduce the number of stock cubes next time) and hubby and I ate half of it. I froze the other half – so we will be having that reheated with potatoes, broccoli and pickled beetroot
dining at our daughter’s flat for the very first time – woo hoo! She has invited us over for homemade lasagne and homemade brownies
as was the case before both of our kids moved out into their own flats, one day of the week for us is usually leftovers, a frittata/quiche made with any veggies which need using up, risotto or Danish smørrebrød (rye bread open sandwiches with various toppings) or the very occasional takeaway
we still have cooking apples on the tree in our garden and I feel a cake coming on! Here’s a simple and tasty one which I’ve been making for over 10 years…

Remember to K.I.S.S. – Keep it simple, Sweetie! And don’t leave the kitchen until you’re Evening Routine is done. Perhaps you can add a little seasonal hygge to keep you motivated”