AS we fly through life from one end of the day to the other, we seem to scramble and often forget the pleasures that give us most comfort. Food, company and a little down time to relax are probably the things that we sacrifice most during the urgent rat race of the modern world.
Considering that all three are fuel for the mind, body and soul, do you think that your car would work without, petrol, diesel or oil? Metaphorically speaking, if it was a green eco car working on electricity, then maybe, but they are few and far between.
Nonetheless, there’s always fast food. But don’t get me started on headless, wingless chickens or burger meat that lacks both meat and flavour. Everything has its place and we are all partial to the odd treat, but don’t let them be the entirety of your diet. How about some real fast food? – the food that we can cook with the genuine love and care that it deserves as well as getting the most from tastes and flavour combinations and all in pretty decent time too.
Honest fast food I say. Well, here’s a few to try that lack that Styrofoam packaging taboo.
Slow roasted vine tomatoes
UK based chef and food writer, Valentine Warner, is running a series on BBC at the moment and in it, “What to eat now”, he most recently visited a woman who was growing some 50 plus varieties of tomato. Who’d have thought that the humble fruit had so many variations aside from the half dozen that are familiar to the average market or food store shopper.
Slow roasting a whole host of these little beauties will give you a serious taste sensation and all with very little effort.
Arrange some tomatoes, cut side up on a roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil, sea salt, chopped garlic, shallots, fresh thyme and cracked black pepper.
Gentle roast for an hour and while you might not agree that it is fast food, once it is done, you can serve them with bruschetta, in salads, with fish and pasta. Store in a container in the fridge and you have the base for several dishes over a number of days.
Poached eggs with asparagus spears
This is posh and simple all at once but having it as a brunch type dish with some really good coffee and you have an excellent fast food dish. Simply, poach two eggs and cook some asparagus spears either on the grill or in boiling salted water.
Place the asparagus on some toasted sourdough and top with the poached eggs and drizzle with a little olive oil, cracked pepper and maybe even a few Parmesan shavings.
Is this the best garlic bread ever…?
It’s only a snack but when I first tried this, it was a snack that became so much more. In a blender, blitz some butter, a shallot, two cloves of garlic, some parsley and chives and a tablespoon or more of mascarpone cheese. Spread this on a thick slice of your favourite doorstop bread and pop in a preheated oven until golden brown.
Pan fried crab cakes
Sweat a chopped shallot in a little butter and add a minced jalapeño pepper until soft. Add a packet of good quality crab meat. 300g or so and add some chopped fresh dill and enough of a well-beaten egg white so it holds together, then a little cornflour so it stiffens.
Season with sea salt, form into a thick patty, roll in breadcrumbs, and fry in a little hot olive oil. Have with a green salad and the garlic bread maybe?
Mozzarella and roast pepper penne pasta
This really couldn’t get any simpler with regards ingredients and what to do. Roast two or three peppers, and as soon as they are nice and wrinkly, skin them, and then pull out the seed cavity. If some seeds or charred skin remain it is OK. There is no need to be too exact with this rustic dish.
Chop the peppers to a pulp with garlic, anchovies, capers and a small bunch of basil. Roughly dice a ball of very good buffalo mozzarella. Boil three handfuls of penne or fusilli pasta until just done. Toss the drained pasta with the pepper mix and the cheese. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.
Buttered summer vegetables
The French, and in particular one famous chef that comes to mind would be Raymond Blanc, have always championed the modesty of vegetables and the seasonality of your choices.
To accentuate the flavour, try using a medium-sized, flat sauté pan with just half a cup of water, a knob of butter and a pinch of salt to cook your vegetables.
Let the vegetables half poach and half steam on full boil in this shallow pan and thus maximise the flavour.
To serve, add some freshly chopped herbs and pour over the cooking juices. Perfect for carrots, asparagus, beans, leeks, cabbage or peas.
