I don't know about you but there comes a point in a working life where ham and cheese toasted sandwiches just don't cut it anymore. Work lunches, indeed school lunches, are the bane of my life. I get sick of the same thing, day after day, week after week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Leftovers are good, but then you find yourself eating two substantial meals in a day, you fatty boombah. And by all means, head to your favourite coffee shop for a latte and some smashed avo but think of that mortgage you could be paying.
So when I stumbled across the book Made in the Office: Tasty and hasty meals with just a kettle, toaster and microwave, by Rachel Maylor (Quatro Publishing, $19.99 on angusrobertson.com.au) I did a little happy dance.
Rather than buy a quiche from Flute Bakery on my way to work for breakfast I could now cook Easy eggs florentine. Yes it is possible to poach eggs in the microwave (see below). Rather than head over to Cafe Celestino for their salami focaccia I could cook up a Chorizo linguine. Rather than head to Maccas for a thick shake I could bake a Chocolate brownie mug cake to satisfy my sweet cravings.
Cookbooks promise it all, don't they? The key here was to put it to the test. So one day last week I treated some select colleagues to a right feast. We ate the Chorizo linguine, a Tuna butterbean salad, a Tuna Nicoise, and some Falafel and pomegranate pitta.
Sure, I spent the night before doing a bit of prep - us hard-working journos rarely take a full hour for our lunch and I wanted to keep the time we spent in the tearoom to a minimum so we could head back out in search of the truth.
But that's probably the key to getting lunches sorted anyway, isn't it? Doing some prep the night before, or in a quiet hour on a Sunday, to prepare for the week ahead.
All four meals were a treat. The fresh linguine cooked after a few moments immersed in some boiling water, the chorizo too didn't suffer from a few minutes in the microwave. The falafels could have used a bit more filling, perhaps I'd bought too big a pitta bread, but they were tasty and the pomegranate seeds a fresh hit.
The butterbean salad could have been fully prepared the night before, just add the dressing when you serve it up. Same too with the nicoise, just zap the spuds and the asparagus on the day and poach that egg.
Our tearoom here in Fyshwick is not substantial by any means. There's a kettle and a toaster and a microwave, and a sandwich press which can also be used for a variety of things beyond toasting sandwiches. There's a vast array of crockery and cutlery, most of which never get cleaned properly or put away.
I'm keen to sample some more recipes in the office here, indeed see if there are any I can adapt for the kids' lunchboxes.
A highly recommended book.
How to poach an egg in the microwave
Take a mug and fill it halfway up with cold water. Crack one egg into the water and let it sink to the bottom. Cover the mug with a plate or some plastic wrap and microwave on high for 60 seconds. If it's not cooked microwave for a further 15 seconds at a time. Scoop it out with a spoon
The Verdict: While the food was superb, if I don't say so myself, the best thing about the whole experience was actually sitting down with my colleagues to eat, and talk, and take a moment out of our busy day.
Details: Made in the Office: Tasty and hasty meals with just a kettle, toaster and microwave, by Rachel Maylor (Quatro Publishing, $19.99 on angusrobertson.com.au)
