The Daily Dinner Dilemma

Solutions for the Daily Dilemma that is Dinner - Friday Food Chat with Kath

Sometimes (or everyday) we need to make dinner, and thoughts of baking cake have to be set aside for a moment.

At times I don’t mind making dinner, then there are others where the daily reoccurrence of it has me wanting to do anything but that (except I still want to eat dinner…).

Here are some recipes I have found make the daily dinner dilemma a little easier. For me, it makes it easier when I know the effort and metal load of doing it all, results in something I actually really want to eat (which is especially true for point 5, I’m not suggesting risotto is a reasonable option to be making most nights!).

1. Alison Roman’s Little Eggplant Parm - this is a great recipe, that I daresay it is even better than a traditional eggplant parmigiana recipe (no frying the eggplant!). The sauce on its own is great with pasta as well, and can be made in advance if you need to break up the steps. It’s also great for leftovers (always a win in my book).

2. Lately I have been making a simple baked salmon, with salt and pepper sprinkled over each portion, drizzled with garlic oil, then some quince or date syrup. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius until cooked, and serve with rice sprinkled with more date or quince syrup, more garlic oil, some toasted flaked or slivered almonds, pomegranate arils and chipped herbs such as mint or parsley (if you have Ottolenghi’s book Simple the baked rice on page 171 is what inspires my rice for this).

3. This recipe for Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Anchovies which I shared with my paid subscribers recently is also a great dinner dilemma saviour. I know I will be making it more and more now tomato season is almost upon us and I will also be using whatever pasta I have, not just spaghetti!

4. I often have homemade sausage rolls in the freezer, like these ones, for the evenings where making something from scratch is just too much. When I make sausage rolls like the ones linked, I double the recipe (so there’s enough to freeze for another time) and also add some finely chopped carrot and celery to up the veg and then serve with a nice relish.

5. For days when I feel I can make a bit more effort, I really enjoy eating risotto, so I go through the long process of making it purely because I love the end result so much. I have been making this base risotto recipe since I was a teenager, and add whatever we have to it. I often pack it with herbs, sun dried tomatoes, roasted capsicums from a jar, and some prosciutto or bacon for extra flavour. A bit of hot smoked salmon or trout is also great flavour wise instead of prosciutto or bacon. This recipe is a basic one, but you can cook down finely chopped vegetables in the oil at the beginning before adding the rice such as onion, carrot, celery or fennel (I often choose two of these). Don’t forget to add a parmesan rind to the risotto while the stock is absorbing!

Images of produce taken at one of the Local is Lovely food photography and styling workshops back in 2016 (how is it possible it was that long ago!).

Check out more recipes over on the paid version of this newsletter feat. A Ginger Sponge Cake, Salmon Herbed Pikelets and A Caramel Ginger Pudding. See the whole archive here and sign up to support my work and get it all straight to your inbox or Substack feed!

---

Kaffir Lime & Coconut Poached Chicken with Noodles

Delving back into my blog archives I came across this recipe I had almost forgotten about! A great option for a tasty dinner, that will feed 4-6. You can buy kaffir lime leaves at the supermarket or green grocer, but if you can’t find kaffir limes just use regular ones.

If you enjoy these newsletters and want more baking, food and cookbook chat, I invite you to join me over on my paid newsletter Extra Food Chat with Kath today.

Paid subscribers get to share in my Heirloom Recipe Series were I am baking my way through my Grandma’s handwritten recipes and are immersed in more cookbook chat so you can more easily decide which cookbooks to add to your collection next.

Upgrade now by clicking the upgrade button below, to join a little community of food and cookbook lovers, and have a bit more food chat in your life.