The Working Lunch #20
Plant-based kebab pittas; spinach tart; fresh pasta; and a good ol' cheese roll. It’s your weekly reminder to show your lunch break some love.
Morning! (or it should’ve been morning — I had a scheduling failure on Substack. My fault entirely.)
I was writing this while looking forward to a very rare lunch with some clients today.
Imagine my delight when I looked at the agenda for the day’s meeting and saw 90 minutes scheduled for a lunch together. You can’t replicate that on Zoom. I’m here for the food and the chats!
Anyway, that’s enough about me. What did you have planned for lunch today?
Just a sandwich…
Plant-based pitta
5 minutes is all it took to rustle up these kebab-style pitta bread.
Chopped onion, peppers, Vivera Plant Greek-style Kebab, a couple of toasted pittas, shredded cabbage and a few olives on the side. Some garlic sauce would’ve been good, but I had to make do with a blob of mayo instead.
Make ahead…
Spinach tart
Is it cheating if I simply include leftovers from last night’s dinner? No upcycling, no improvising, no recreating? Simply serving up leftovers fridge-cold with a fresh bit of salad?
Well, I’m going with it. When I made it the night before, I had every intention of having it for lunch the next day. It’s delicious cold, it’s no extra effort, and lunch is ready in a flash.
All-butter shortcrust pastry case, filled with slow-cooked Spanish onions, wilted spinach with garlic and fresh oregano, crumbled Greek salad cheese (fake feta), and eggs for a spanakopita-inspired tart.
Simple swaps: To make it quicker, you could use shop-bought filo or puff pastry for the base to cut out the pastry making and ditch the onions for a few spoonfuls of caramelised onion chutney instead.
Rustle up…
Pasta with fresh tomatoes
Fresh fusilli cooks in four minutes. In that time, all I needed to do was chop up a handful of ripe cherry tomatoes, a few green olives, and some sprigs of fresh basil.
Drain the pasta. While it’s still hot, toss it with oil, salt & pepper, and the tomato mix (is it sauce? no, not really). A scant grating of cheese to finish — I’ve used Grana Padana (as it’s cheaper than Parmesan).
It’s not quite a pasta salad as it’s still warm, but the raw tomatoes keep it fresh and light and lunchy.
Just a sandwich…
A good ol’ cheese roll (for Shaun*)
I doubt anyone will read a section on a plain cheese roll, but here goes…
Basic and simple foods are favourites for a reason. They’re tried and tested. They’re easy. They’re comforting. There’s no need to mess with good food.
Good cheese + good bread = good sandwich. Simple.
We’ll all have different opinions about what good bread is or what cheese to choose to create the best version of this.
I’ve gone for a mature cheddar. The type that hits you round the chops with a sharp smack at the back of the gums. The type that refuses to conform into neat uniform slices, and instead crumbles onto the chopping board in protest, demanding to be picked up and nibbled while you’re mid-sandwich-making.
A sandwich can only ever be as good as its bread.
The rolls are bakery batch, soft yet chewy. The inside texture is so pillowy soft that the butter spreads into clumps between ripped bread, but you don’t mind.
Crisps are optional. As is Branston. I didn’t feel the need for adding pickle on this occasion, but you do you.
* Shaun is my husband, who very occasionally likes to have a little grumble about the food choices, and if I’m going to be picky, he sometimes also grumbles just a lil’ bit about taking photos before we can eat anything. “Can’t we just have a cheese sandwich?” He said one day last week. So we did.
Let me know what you’re having for lunch. Find me on Twitter or tag me on Instagram (@the.working.lunch).
Why only four meals?
I know most people work 5 days a week, I do too. It’s nice to wing it one day a week—pop out for a sandwich, use up some leftovers, meet some clients for a real working lunch…but never ever skip your lunch break.
See you next week, lunch buddies.
Incredible ideas this week! I love the power of a good fresh tomato, and the tart looks mouth-wateringly good! I've been eating lasagne for lunch a couple days this week, as I made a huuuuge batch - always tastes better the next day! Also, my boyfriend also has a grumble every now and then re: taking photos of the food. He says "it's gonna get colddddd".. so I feel you there!