h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I didn't have much left in the fridge last night, and Sainsbury's had closed for the night, and the only thing I had in the freezer was a steak pie I didn't particularly fancy.

I didn't fancy a takeaway, so I looked for some other odds and ends to use up.

And so it came to pass that I dined on stuffed vine leaves and elk salami.

Instead of steak pie?

Definitely - very nice it was too! Didn't feel like all that heavy pastry. And it was two minutes in the microwave for the vine leaves versus 45 in the oven for the pie...

GreyDesk claims that when a new subject line show's up on his More Postings list, he can always tell if it's something from my journal.

Funny, cos I can always tell if a subject line will lead me to his or yours

I had the elk salami lying around in the fridge after a visit to the Sweden Shop at IKEA a couple of months ago...

I thought it was going to be 2legs

Nope. Spelling's too good.

B

i thought it was going to be gd... first the pans, then the contents...

stuffed grapeleaves yum... but i've always eaten them cold...

never gone for anything at ikea except the pastries and the herring...

IKEA meatballs

That reminds me I need to go back to IKEA again.

Riotact will remember the French TV programme that used to involve an orange dinosaur and his friends eating 'Gloubi Bulgar' - this was the contents of the fridge, in one pan, heated up and consumed...

When I lived in France I had friends who would do this on a regular basis - sometimes it works, sometimes not so good.

sprout

casimir!

the actual recipe for gloubiboulga:

- ripe mashed bananas
- strawberry jam
- grated chocolate
- strong dijon mustard
- toulouse sausages, warm but raw

mix in a large bowl with a wooden spoon

to vary, you can add whipped cream or a few anchovies... enjoy!

We really need a smiley

See, it's for emergencies such as that that I always have a cupbaord full of tins of tomatoes and beans, and a tin of corned beef. you can make all sorts from them

Don't think I ever had stuffed grape leaves from a tin.
My grandmother makes excellent ones - unfortunately she lives in Brasil.

i'm of the understanding that stuffed grape leaves are one of those things that are better from a tin than freshly made... i've had them in restaurants that make their own, but put them up in jars, and if i'm not mistaken, they are supposed to get better with time...

other foodstuffs like that:

sardines, which should never be opened before the "best before" date (should read "best after"!)

cassoulet, which is a meat and bean dish from the southwest of france. there is a whole price range of canned cassoulet, the budget tins are just weenies & beans, but the best from a can is simply... the best, period.

I've got four of those stashed away from the last day trip to France we did. But the cooking instructions look a little complex - it seems to say that you've got to heat it in a bain-marie and then stick it in the oven. Is that right?

Is that what passes for complex cookery in your house, Six?

No wonder the French laugh at us.

B

By complex I meant 'pain in the arse when you're in a hurry'.

If you're having a go at my culinary expertise, I'll have you know that yesterday afternoon I made:
a butternut squash and leek soup
a huge batch of ragu alla pancetta
and
a toad in the hole with onion gravy.

And in my house, that does pass for complex cookery. My housemates mainly live off supermarket pizzas and shop-bought pasta sauces

You should tell them to buy some pasta.

B