Procrastinating. Moving. Jackfruit with mushrooms, mustard and cream.

West or southwest 4 or 5, increasing 6 or 7, perhaps gale 8 later.

Moderate or rough, but slight at first.

Fair then rain, showers later.

Good, occasionally poor.

Today was kitchen day. Started it with homemade sushi, made Vegetarian burgers, decided they might be better tomorrow and made today`s dish.

Its not that I don’t have anything else to do. Far from it. If you move, you are incredible active in the first week. And then it slows down. And then it becomes a drag. Like the ironing in your basket. Part of you knows no one else does it, but then you see your kids pulling out T-Shirts and wearing them happily and you think: Hey, maybe it will be sorted just like that. 

The problem is that you are not at ease with that decision. The boxes (which might be done in three hours) become a mountain on your conscience. You cant read with ease, not go for a walk with ease. You cant relax. So you pretend to be busy and you might be really busy, but at the end of the day there are still the boxes. 

I have about 20 boxes left which need sorting and organizing. Half of them are papers. A more mature mind would go through each paper, file it under necessary or no longer of importance and discard it.

Honestly, I doubt I will be ever mature.

But these are not the worse. The others are somehow emotional. Like the big box of gorgeous expensive dresses which still kind of fit. They are just a bit tight. Show too much of what you don’t want to show. No big deal. Not even a stone to lose, and you think: Ah well, one day I am back to my pre-menopausal figure.

You know, unless you have cancer, this wont happen. And then the question if they are nice is the last thing on your mind. But you keep onto them.

Or my three (!!!) boxes of evening dresses. Timeless, fitting, silk, stunning. If I wear one per year it was a good year. But, you know, maybe in 5 years I will go to a function and one of them will be just perfect.

Honestly, that’s pathetic.

So I look for perfectly good reasons to not do them. As in: My attic is slanted and if I work more than one hour my back hurts.

Which is true. My back starts hurting after 40 minutes.

But I could work each day for 30 minutes and the job will be done in a week.

But it is not about my back or the time, it`s that I don’t want to do it.

Hence I cook up a storm on a wonderful Sunday.

Anyway, guess I am digressing.

After having decided that the Vegetarian burgers could do with an overnight rest, I looked into my fridge and saw leftovers which needed to be used. A  few tablespoons of double cream, a big jar of yoghurt containing only 2 tablespoons of food, a quarter of a mozzarella, some mushrooms turning slightly brown at the edge. And the nagging idea I had in my mind since I cooked jackfruit the first time: Zuercher Geschnetzeltes combined with a dish I had many times: Pork loin in a mustard cream.

Jackfruit with mushrooms in a creamy mustard sauce

1 tin of green jackfruit in brine, drained and washed

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, peeled but left whole

4 mushrooms, sliced

4 tablespoons of double cream

2 tablespoons of full fat yoghurt

a quarter of a mozzarella, finely shredded

(Or substitute the last two ingredients with 3 tablespoons of crème fraiche)

1 teaspoon of French wholegrain mustard

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of butter

Half a glass of either white wine or mushroom stock

Drain and wash the brine from the jackfruit. Add the butter in a pan, add chopped shallot and the garlic and let cook on low temperature for about 5 minutes until slightly soft. Add sliced mushrooms and let them take on some colour without losing their softness. Add either white wine or mushroom stock and soften them. Reduce liquid by half. Add cream, yoghurt and mozzarella, salt and black pepper and let it bubble away for 2 minutes. Take off the heat.

In another pan fry dry the jackfruit until greyish-pink. Add both mustards, stir to combine and heat through. Be careful, it sticks easily and destroys your pan.

Remove from heat, put the other pan onto heat and add the jackfruits to the mixture.

Cook on very low for about 7-10 minutes. If it reduces to quick, add a tablespoon or two of water. Serve with either pasta, croquettes or Roesti.

Verdict:

Not joking, it was amazing. Happiness inducing food.

Okay, it was far too much. Easily serves two. I had seconds and there is still some left. Maybe even another portion. But then I had a generous amount of croquettes. And salad.

I don’t think I can blame it on the choice of my music that I felt for the first time today relaxed.

And not guilty at all.