Much as I love the idea of cooking over the weekends, it very rarely ever translates into a reality.
My typical week goes something like this- I start the week dreaming of having the luxury of sleeping in over the weekend, rolling out of bed and into the kitchen where I spend a couple of hours chopping and stirring before sitting down to a nice, relaxing lunch. All sounds really good and optimistic right?
As the week progresses, I find my energy level sapping so much so that by the time the weekend actually arrives, that dream becomes a very distant, hazy dream that takes a backseat of my other pressing priorities like sleeping and hitting the books for my looming examination that I’m nowhere near prepared for. Before I even realize it, the weekend has flown by and it’s back to work.
Reality, pfft, what a killjoy.
But last week, oh I knew last week was gonna be different from the moment I laid eyes on this site (thanks to the magical wizard that is Google and seriously, have you seen the daylight robbery prices the local butcheries are charging for the tiniest of quails?). I knew come hell or high water, I was gonna be cooking that weekend.
So last weekend found GT and I in the kitchen.
Within an hour- most of it roasting time- we had ourselves rosemary (fresh from the garden!) and garlic marinated roast quails (with the pan deglazed with white wine to make a sauce), crisp roast potatoes and a salad of sorts (basil, carrots, cucumber, lettuce and cherry tomatoes, tossed in a light vinaigrette) ready for lunch.
It really wasn’t much and certainly didn’t require much effort but with the clean, simple flavours and my sweetheart for company, it sure made for a really nice weekend lunch.
And hell, it really did feel good to be back cooking in the kitchen.
Next up? I’ve got my eye on that Japanese cookbook that has been by my bedside forever.
Fresh rosemary sounds like a delight! What else have you got growing in your garden?
These quails look perfectly roasted. What a great way to welcome the weekend
Comment by ovenhaven — October 31, 2009 @ 11:27 am
Hey Zhul. Yeah I do love having an abundance of rosemary. Thanks to my dad and his very green thumbs, we also have chili padis, basil, pandan and papayas. Oh and fingers crossed, we’ll have some parsley and corriander soon
Comment by thecoffeesnob — November 1, 2009 @ 2:20 pm
that site sure sells a lot of animals!! I wish I had someone cook for me such gourmet meals..
Comment by happygrub — November 5, 2009 @ 1:43 pm
oooh…all we have is kaffir lime leaves! love those potatoes – can I move in with you during the weekends?? ;p hehe. By the way, how do you keep the meat from drying out in the oven?
Comment by nino — November 6, 2009 @ 9:00 am
Hey Farhan
I know! I’m so pleased I discovered the site though the shop itself is kind of in the middle of nowhere. Anyway it’s so far from gourmet but I would gladly cook for you if I could 
You sure can, nino. I could love the company
Anyway I usually marinate my roast in a mixture of olive oil and herbs before roasting and keep basting it with olive oil as it bakes if it seems like it’s dying out. Hope that helps! 
Comment by thecoffeesnob — November 8, 2009 @ 10:25 pm