There are times when I just can’t be arsed.
To shop, to think, to cook.
Shock horror.
It might be a night when it’s just too hot, or cold, or dark or late. Or it might be a lunch time when I’m running a little behind deadline and didn’t really expect that I’d be making lunch for two. (NB, I love it when The Hungry One works from home, but it does shine a rude light onto my day time eating habits- which often merely involve an apple and a wedge of cheese).
Or it might be smack bang in the middle of Oscarsfest, when the priority is getting to Black Swan and seeing as many other nominated films as possible, rather than concocting something fabulous to eat.
On those days I throw caution and care to the wind and play a quick game of ‘chuck together’.
Wouldn’t you know it. Just like Natalie Portman’s Nina Sayers, sometimes you have to play a little fast and loose to get to the real magic.
In the fridge there’s a cold chicken breast. There’s some hummous, pita breads and some straggles of salad. There are a few stray cherry tomatoes too. There might be some garlic and some chilli too- and even some squeezy lemon juice.
Three minutes after they’ve all had a little party together in a fry pan we’re sitting down to eat.
The Hungry One takes a bite. “I thought we weren’t having anything proper for lunch?” he asks.
I didn’t think we were either.
Turns out we were wrong. This one’s a keeper.
Warm chicken chickpea pitas
This seriously takes four minutes to make, as long as you’ve got the cold cooked chicken to hand. The coriander isn’t essential, but it does add another note of complexity to what is a pretty simple combination. To really make it sing the pita needs to be crunchy to give contrast to the squish of the warm hummus and tomatoes. Don’t be shy with the chilli or salt either.
Serves 2
Shopping/foraging
1 large cooked chicken breast, cut into thin slices
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
1 handful of cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons of hummus
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
1 teaspoon of diced chilli
2 oval shaped wholemeal pitas, split and toasted
1 handful of salad leaves each
Equipment
1 frypan
Here’s how we roll
1. Toast the ground coriander in the fry pan for 30 seconds until it becomes fragrant.
2. Put the pita slices on to toast.
3. Add the sliced chicken, hummus, lemon juice, garlic and cherry tomatoes to the frypan. Stir around until the hummus is mixed into the garlic, coriander and lemon and covers the chicken and tomatoes.
4. When the chicken is warm and the tomatoes have blistered layer it over the top of the toasted pitas. Season with chopped chilli and some extra salt.
5. Serve with some salad leaves and take five minutes out to plan which film you’re off to see tonight. Blue Valentine it is then.
Oh gosh, it always amuses me when people say they can't be bothered cooking and then throw together a fabulous meal like this! I always just end up with a jar of nut butter, cereal, and/or chocolate. One of the benefits and curses of "cooking" just for me, I s'pose! 😛