New things – french and japanese food

It’s week 3 of our CSMA Club #NewThings challenge (you can also see week 1 and week 2), and this time it’s all about trying a new food.  CSMA Club have some tips about saving money on food as well, although in this instance we went our own way.

I’m not that adventurous with food, and the OH is even less so.  I did have an aim to cook one new meal a week, but that’s not happening to that frequency anymore.  Now I only have around 30 minutes to get food on the table after getting in from work, so it’s whatever is quick and easy to cook from scratch (and that the OH will eat).

Thankfully N is more open to trying new things, and he gets a lot of variety and new flavours (some of them a little odd in my view – not things I’d eat) at nursery.  So I wasn’t sure what we’d do this week for the challenge.

Eat French

I decided we’d try a new recipe from a book I was sent Pocket Money Cookery. This has a few recipes using everyday ingredients, for children to make healthy recipes.  N helps out a bit (usually eating more off the chopping board, than helping) when I cook, but he does tend to get quite bored easily.  The recipe I chose was Catto, or Broken French Dinner.  Basically a dish of crushed cooked potatoes, egg separated then whisked, cooked pancetta, basil, chives, mozzarella pieces and topped with breadcrumbs.

I have to say it worked pretty well (although I might have left it in the oven a bit long).  We had it as a side dish rather than as the main it’s meant to be, so I halved the recipe.  I’m glad I did as it is really filling.  N hoovered it up unsurprisingly, as he loves anything potato oriented.  I wasn’t too sure of this one.  It was a little too eggy tasting rather than potatoe-y tasting.  I like eggs, but it didn’t taste right having these so prominent.  It also meant the OH would turn his nose up as he’s not really an egg fan.  Oops.

The first french start of the recipe week was a bit hit and miss.  The second half of the week I decided it was time for N and I to try sushi.

Eat Japanese

Now, I’m really not a fish fan.  I love tuna, swordfish and sea bass.  All the meaty fish.  I’ll eat salmon and cod but wouldn’t choose them.  N on the otherhand, loves fish.  He’ll eat mackerel, sardines, loves salmon (even in the combinations that his day nursery serve it up in – pie, plait, risotto, fish pie etc), scampi and more.  Sushi was going to be ambitious.  I do like the japanese food I’ve had in a restaurant, but never tried sushi.

In the end (as I wasn’t making it) I was limited by what was available in the shop as a ‘lunch’ option.  I’d thought we’d try vegetarian but there wasn’t any, and I didn’t want prawns or a huge pack.  So we ended up with duck sushi.  Odd or what?!  And probably purists would scorn.

As soon as the pack was brought out, N was trying to open it and see what was inside.  Of course, to a 3 year old sushi looks exciting as it’s the right size for little hands.  I had to explain what it was and how he could have the soy sauce as a dipper.  Thankfully it was soy in the pack and not wasabi.  That would have put him off for life as he hates horseradish sauce.

We both chose a piece.  I erred on the safe side and opted for a small piece.  N decided on the largest piece in the pack.  And took a bite…

I can say we both tried.  I at least ate my bit, but he wouldn’t take another bite.  I can’t say I’ll be trying it out of choice again.  N probably would because he rarely remembers what he likes and dislikes unless he’s been offered it several times.

So, this week’s challenge is complete, although not particularly successful.

Do you try lots of new foods?  Are you a sushi fan?

Disclosure: We are taking part in the CSMA Club New Things blogger challenge.  All words are my own.
I received a copy of Pocket Book Cookery for review.