Jamie Oliver, and the 'C' word

 Did anyone watch the Jamie Oliver £1 Wonders cookery programme on Channel 4 a couple of nights ago?  It was a one-off I think, not a series.  I've always liked JO but find his loud cheery laddishness a bit wearing - I mean, he must be nearly 50 now.  He also uses some odd words to describe his meals, repeating them over and over till it gets boring, frankly - e.g., several times he said the things he'd made were 'joyful' - I do quite like cooking, although not so much nowadays, it's more of a necessary chore now, but I certainly wouldn't describe a dish as joyful.  And he kept saying the finished dishes were 'optimistic' - eh?

Despite all that, I did like the look of several of his dishes, he had some good ideas.  I don't think they're quite as cheap as he makes out, and some of the herbs and spices he used he didn't include in the costings, assuming that we'd all have them in our larders.  Well, not everybody will, people on the breadline are unlikely to have well stocked cupboards.  And someone who is a millionaire is going to find it difficult to really understand what normal people are going through nowadays (Rishi Sunak, e.g.!!  As a multi millionaire, I mean, not a normal person!).  BUT.....Jamie is enthusiastic, doesn't talk down to people and he does really try to help, he has good intentions.

Anyway, he made a dish he called Scruffy Veg Lasagne - basically a really quick and easy way of making a veggie lasagne with all the elements of it cooked in the same pan, a shallow wide one.  The dried lasagne sheets he simply broke into large pieces and added them to the veggie sauce, stirring them around and simmering on the hob until they'd softened.  He then liberally sprinkled the top with coarsely cut breadcrumbs (a couple of slices of bread he chopped up) and grated cheese and finished it off in the oven - which he was at great pains to say he'd already got on to cook another dish, a chicken & veg traybake I think.  The idea was you could eat the chicken traybake that day and either freeze or fridge the lasagne, to be portioned up and reheated in the microwave on subsequent days.

I made the lasagne yesterday, I adapted it a bit to use ingredients I had in substitution for things I didn't have.  It was nice, husband enjoyed it as well.  The only thing I would say is that I thought the lasagne sheets, albeit broken up, were just a bit of a gimmick....I will definitely make it again, but will use normal pasta shapes next time.

All the recipes are on his website, or I guess the programme will be on catch-up TV and I assume there will be links to it on the Channel 4 website.

Rambler - yes husband drives me mad, no of course he didn't clean up properly and yes I redid it!

Brenda - yes I do read Weaver's blog and, like you and so many others, am worried that she hasn't posted anything for over a week.  I hope we find out soon.

Now it's November, is anyone feeling Christmassy?  I'm not.....having bought a tree (an artificial one) for the first time ever last year and put up quite a few decorations, this year I won't be bothering - I'm just not feeling it.  At all.  I don't know what husband wants for his Christmas lunch, haven't yet asked him.....it won't be turkey though, he might prefer beef I should think.  No idea what I shall have - frankly, cheese on toast would do me!  (I actually love cheese on toast).  I'm going to do an online shop to be delivered the week before Christmas, there's no way I'm battling the hordes in the supermarket, I'll get it done in the next day or 2 before slots get taken.  I can't really think that far in advance what I'll need, but if I just order staples that we generally have, then I can always add to it nearer the time.