Thursday dinner

Six in a series of seven dinners.

Monkey usually has soccer practice on Tuesdays, but this week the weather on Tuesday appeared to be auditioning for a part in an upcoming production of Noah's Ark, so soccer was postponed to Thursday.

On Thursday at 5.30, while thinking vague thoughts of dinner, I called B to remind him to come home in time to bring Monkey to soccer. Usually on soccer days I feed the kids beforehand, but B and I eat quickly as soon as they come home, around 7.00. Yesterday B said he'd only eaten lunch about 20 minutes earlier (I know, crazy scientists) and would probably just graze later. So I reformulated my plans and pulled a single-serving something out of the freezer.

I try to use something I've previously frozen once a week or so, so that a week A's leftovers become something new and exciting by week C, or whenever. Every time I make something that produces more than four portions, I usually freeze the rest, because I object to having the same meal three times in a row. I had a single portion of red lentil vegetable curry floating around (metaphorically speaking; my freezer contents do not defy gravity), so I defrosted that and made couscous.

I love couscous because it's even quicker than my regular 10-minute go-to carbs of basmati rice or short pasta, and you don't even have to turn on a burner. Put a quarter cup per person of dry couscous  in a bowl and cover it with the same amount of hot water. Cover it and leave it alone for five minutes. Fluff with a fork and it's good to go.

This curry is quite time consuming, but it makes a ton of servings - ten at my last count - so one evening's cooking does a lot of freezer meals. It all turns mostly to a lovely mush in the freezer, but I'm still very partial to it. It's flavourful and aromatic without being too spicy, and because it's meatless, it's light and hearty at the same time.

I'll reproduce the recipe here as I got it, but I always leave out the cabbage and use the peas. I got it from a friend, but I believe it's a Madhur Jaffrey recipe.

------------------------------

Red lentil coconut curry

1 large onion (minced)
in large soup pot saute in coconut butter or 1 tbs oil over medium high heat until transparent but not browned

then add:
1 tbs garlic (mince)
1 tbs ginger (minced)
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp each ground tumeric, ground cumin, pepper
1/3 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2-3 bay leaves
add and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook and stir constantly for 3 minutes, do not let spices and onion brown.

13.5 oz can coconut milk
1/4 cup soy or tamari sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
add and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, stirring often. While this is happening, cook lentils, below.

2 cups dried red lentils (rinsed) 
5 cups water
in saucepan cook for 15 minutes. Add, with liquid to soup pot.

1 medium head cauliflower (cut into 1 1/2 inch florets)
1 large sweet potato ( peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks)
1/4 head cabbage (cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1-2 cups peas (optional)

add to soup pot and cook over medium heat just until tender. If using peas, add at the end of the cooking time. Serve over brown rice with toppings of (optional) indian chutneys and pickles, fresh diced pears, roasted sunflower seeds, plain yogurt.

--------------------

I do recommend making the brown rice - you'll have time, and its more substantial texture really complements the curry. I find the beauty of this is that if I want to make it, I only have to pick up a head of cauliflower and a sweet potato, and everything else can come from the store cupboard. And if I never get around to making it, I'm not left with anything bizarre on my hands, because I can easily use them up in a simpler way - roast cauliflower, sweet potato fries...