It’s a working week; a long working week, as it happens. There have been many meetings for Pia and many deadlines for me. On average, we have been coming home around seven in the evening so far (bear in mind that’s like midnight by Swedish standards). But, that’s how it goes sometimes. And sometimes (all too often, it seems) the fridge is empty on a working week night.
Many years ago I made myself a promise: I shall never eat boring, run-of-the-mill quick-fix food. Obviously, that was before I had kids and a proper job, and there have been some days when a tin of soup is about as exotic as it gets.
A few weeks ago I introduced the concept of luxury Monday: a full-blown bells-and-whistles family dinner to beat the Monday blues. This week we missed it, because of work. So tonight, this week’s halfway mark, I decided to make amends. The 9-5 would not beat us.
But of course, it did. Pia was at work till 7, and I got home at 6.30. The kids were hungry and I was tired. But, my avid readers, I can tell you that I pulled it off. In a stroke of luck and with a gritty reserve usually reserved for Hollywood heroes I chanced upon a packet of fresh Swedish chorizo from a local farm (I know, not a great start to a Hollywood blockbuster, but please, keep watching).
To that I added some flat bread, salad, cucumber and haloumi cheese. By this time I was on full random shopping mode, but an idea was beginning to form. Fade out.
Scene 2: at home. In the fridge I found some Greek yoghurt, crème fraiche, a half-eaten lump of fennel, one Granny Smith apple, two tomatoes andsome salad leaves. Now we’re talking a major-movie of a Wednesday dinner.
What I did was simple: fire up the grill and throw on the chorizo and haloumi; make a simple tzatziki, a fennel, apple and crème fraiche salad, chop the tomatoes and blend them with the salad. Warm the flat breads and hey presto: a pick-and mix buffet of fresh, healthy, simple good food.
Burn baby burn. Quick and simple
The result of my quick thinking
I managed to set the table, light some candles and put the food on the table two minutes before Pia came home. The kids got their dinner; the boy got the girl. Fade to black.
Who says romance is dead on a Wednesday
It’s a wrap (a chorizo wrap).
