Should I aim for perfection, or should I aim to keep my blood pressure at its regular level? My blood pressure under normal circumstances is 120/80 and I am very pleased with this, since our National Health Service has found fault with my weight. At last week’s annual weigh in I was told I had to lose 7 kg. I calmly explained (calmly, in order to not raise my blood pressure) that I am fit, healthy and happy, so there is no way I want to give myself grief trying to lose 7 kg.
There is a rack of beef short ribs and a shoulder of lamb (from my butcher the Ginger Pig) sitting in my fridge for this weekend’s dinners with friends. Each piece weighs 2.6 kg. I look at the meat and try to work out how I can lose all that flesh from my body plus another 40%, in order to hit the ideal weight for my height.
In the end I tell myself that I must have very heavy bones. Since I need a strong skeleton to move about, and to support my muscles and organs, I will have to ignore the nurse’s kindly advice.
I did, though, think through how I could cook a delicious but lower-fat meal for this week’s lunch with the ladies from my church group. Fatless would be pointless, so I only cut out what I could get away with.
MENU
Pan-fried Pork and Vegetable Dumplings (store bought)
Baked Chicken with Miso
Spring Mango Salad
Steamed Basmati Rice
Lemon Drizzle Cake with Berries and Ice Cream
The original recipe for the Miso Chicken is here. I halved the recipe and used 1 kg skinless and boneless chicken thighs, cut into smaller pieces. This was marinaded for 20 minutes, then cooked in a Le Creuset pot in the oven at 190 C/ 170 C fan for 40 minutes. After removing the cooked chicken pieces, the remaining sauce was reduced over a medium heat on the hob. The thickened sauce was poured over the chicken. The garnishing was simply sliced spring onions and store-bought deep-fried shallots.
The Spring Cabbage Salad has its origins here. This version consisted of shredded: green (unripe) mango, red cabbage, savoy cabbage, mint, coriander and 1 tablespoon kaffir lime leaves. The dressing was: juice from 1 lemon and 1 lime (heated in a pot and reduced to 2 tablespoons), 1 tablespoon each of rice vinegar, maple syrup, soya sauce and toasted sesame oil. It was topped with chopped toasted cashew nuts and toasted sesame seeds.
When I want a foolproof dessert I always make my Lemon Drizzle Cake. This time I made it in a Bundt pan but should have adjusted the temperature down a notch, 150 C fan is about right. Bundt pans conduct heat extremely well and the effect is that the cake batter can overheat and cause the cake to dome. Faced with an imperfect cake, I simply served it in a bowl to hide the dome. It is a bit like wearing a loose tunic dress to hide the 7 kg extra bulge you are told you need to shed.
By the time I got to making the dessert, I rationalised that my friends don’t have to lose weight. I added peach liqueur to the berries, and served the cake with some mango and raspberry ice cream.
All in, it was a very convivial and satisfying lunch, full of good chatter and happy moments. Next up, a Korean-inspired dinner and a Lamb Roast over the weekend. Thinking about it, trying to lose weight is a hopeless cause.