The Working Lunch #29
Peach & mozzarella salad; bulgar wheat salad; fridge-raid fried eggs; and a bhaji butty. It's your weekly reminder to show your lunch break some love.
Hello,
How’s your week looking so far?
Mine’s packed with early starts to make the most of quiet work time before the teenager gets up and starts blasting out 90’s hip hop, eating all the food and asking for a lift somewhere or money for something…
Let’s get on with this week’s lunches while I still have some food left in the cupboard.
p.s. You won’t want to miss recipe 4 if you’re a fan of a big sandwich.
p.p.s. do you like my little Moka pot doodle? I got it on Inkypix4u, a new site where you can buy doodley clip-arty bits and bobs for your blogs, newsletters, and general content creation. Go look!
Summery salad…
Peach & mozzarella salad
Five minutes is literally all you need to assemble this fabulous fresh salad.
A few handfuls of leaves from a bag of spinach, watercress and rocket. Half a ball of mozzarella torn into pieces, and slices of fresh flat peaches.
Pumpkin seeds for some necessary crunch and texture are scattered throughout the peppery salad.
A simple dressing of 3:1 cold-pressed rapeseed oil to balsamic vinegar, sweetened with a touch of floral honey. Shake in a jam jar to thoroughly blend together.
Crusty baton to serve, because, although this salad is delicious, it needs a bit of bread to go with or I’ll be waning by mid-afternoon.
Make ahead…
Bulgar wheat salad
I had every intention of making tabbouleh but didn’t have nearly enough parsley and mint in the garden. Having failed to buy either in the supermarket — a shortage on mint as everyone must be drinking mojitos or Pimms in the heat — this not-quite-tabbouleh is still good nonetheless.
Cooked and cooled bulgar wheat & quinoa
Fresh chopped tomatoes
Spring onion, finely sliced
Dried mint
Fresh coriander & a very small amount of parsley
Lemon zest and juice
Cold-pressed rapeseed oil
It made salad for days. We had it for lunch with little cubes of cooked halloumi and a drizzle of balsamic fig glaze.
If you want to make a proper version of tabbouleh, this one with halloumi and a tahini dressing on Mob looks good.
Want more make-ahead salad ideas? Try this couscous with feta & mint.
Rustle up…
Fridge-raid fried eggs
This was supposed to be TWL day off this week. The spare day where I use up leftover salad and do a little fridge raid as we had things open that needed eating.
But with one last lonely tortilla wrap lurking in the pack, an open pack of chorizo, and tomatoes surplus from the previous night’s salad, it seemed a no-brainer. And, I think, solid enough to share with you.
Finely sliced chorizo, halved baby plum tomatoes, and sliced piquillo peppers, all cooked in a little oil.
Two eggs cracked in to mingle as they cook and soak up the lovely paprika-infused oil.
Shred in some greens (I’ve used some baby chard, spinach would be good).
Toast the tortilla wrap in a dry pan until it blisters slightly.
Plate up the wrap topped with the eggs and other bits. A generous glug of hot sauce over the top.
I’ll have salad for dinner again then! 😊
Like eggs? Why not rustle up huevos rancheros?
Just a sandwich…
Bhaji butty
Onion bhaji in a sandwich?
It might still sound a bit of a faff, but it honestly doesn’t take long at all. And it’s so worth the effort.
If you’ve never made onion bhajis before, give it a go. They are so much better than the ones you can buy from the supermarket. Obviously, if you can’t be bothered with making the bhaji, go with the pre-made ones. They’ll still be cracking if you heat them up.
For the bhaji (makes 4 roll-sized bhajis):
60g gram flour (chickpea flour)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
Salt
Water
One medium onion, finely sliced
Oil for frying
For the sandwich:
Good white bread roll - soft, chewy and substantial.
Mango chutney
Lettuce
Natural yoghurt
Fresh coriander
Pickled red onion
Combine the spices with the four and add enough water to make a thick batter.
Mix in the sliced onion.
Fry in batches until crisp. Drain excess oil on kitchen paper and season the bhajis.
Split the rolls and spread on some mango chutney, then layer in the lettuce & coriander with the bhaji and a spoonful of yoghurt. If you want chilli in there, knock yourself out.
Demand that everyone falls silent while you take a quiet moment with your sandwich.
Simple swaps: If you’ve not got pickled red onion, a squeeze of lemon would give it some acidity.
If you’re not feeling the lunchtime love with this week’s selection, don’t forget that you can tuck into the archives at any time.
Why only four meals?
I know, most people work 5 days a week, I do too. But it’s nice to wing it one day a week. It’s amazing what you can rustle up out of what you have.
See you next week, lunch buddies.
Yummm bhaji!