April 2025

Whole chicken comes in units of one. Affordable, and really nice roasted à la beer can. Feeds a family.

Problem comes when your family have all buggered off* and there’s just the two of you and the cats who in this case actually don’t eat chicken***.

And then the weather in Fish Hoek turned all cold and foggy and conducive to soup.

So… in a small pot (because there are only two of you, remember) boil about a litre of light stock if you have it (I didn’t****, this was a last-moment decision) or water + chicken stock powder. Add a double handful of whatever pasta is available (tagliatelle or shells would probably be best, I had penne), when it’s getting toothy add your leftover chicken (in this case a breast and a half) in bits. Mix 1/3 to 1/2 of a packet of mushroom soup powder with water to form a paste, stir that in, call it supper.

You can zhuzh it up with parsley or chives or spring onions or Worcestershire sauce if you feel the need.

(I found the inspiration here).

* Technical term**
** Someone said reading Pratchett as a kid completely ruined footnotes for them, because they assumed that footnotes had to be humorous.
*** Hills FTW.
**** I mean, of course I had. In the freezer. Frozen solid.

Assuming you have too much red curry and tamarind paste, this recipe is good.

I used drumsticks and thighs (2 ea), deboned towards the end of the cook.

Three tablespoons red curry paste is a bit excessive, as is a tablespoon of fish sauce (too salty). Add less, adjust up later if you feel the need.

This started off as Harissa beef and crispy potatoes* in a way reminiscent of Theseus’s ship.

Mince, potatoes, onions, check. But then I realised I also had carrots and butternut and then, minutes before the stores close, I realised I had no harissa paste.

So I scratched around the far back end of the ‘fridge, found some gochujang, harissa, tamarind, red curry paste, green curry paste, tahini… no harissa.

So I Made A Plan.

Black pot, some oil, start heating it up.

Add one large potato cubed, one large red onion sliced into 8, one large carrot diced, about as much cubed butternut as potato, salt, pepper, maybe some herbs. Fry that for maybe 20 minutes.

Crank the oven to 180 grill only, stick the black pot in there when it’s warm enough.

Meanwhile heat some more oil in a pan, fry 300-ish grams of mince, add 2 teaspoons gochujang and 1 teaspoon hoisin, add a tin of tomatoes, rinse the tin with water. Simmer that until it looks good, by now the veggies should be great.

Cover the veg with the mince, grill for another five minutes, allow to rest for maybe 15, add feta if you’re that way inclined, serve.

Now I have to find something to do with the tamarind, curry pastes, tahini…

* Which I make often (with baby potatoes normally — and it works well with game mince)