Broccoli Rice Gratin; Escalator Etiquette; The Weekly Menu Recipe
Bemoaning the lack of escalator etiquette....
Or how to loose the skin on the back of your heels.
The store that I shop at when we go to Andorra is huge, the size of at least a few football fields. There are moving walkways, rather than escalators going between the 3 floors so that you can easily take your trolley with you; the front wheels on the trolley lock into slots on the walkways as you push them on so they don't wander off on their own.
My first stop is on the first floor (second floor for the Americans in the group) where I stock up on a year's worth of Listerine (6 liter's), shampoo and cream rinse (5 bottles each) hand lotion (6 bottles) and whatever other bits appeal at the moment.
Why do I do this? I can't get Listerine in France and the rest is all much cheaper.... I digress.
Now, because I no longer live in Andorra, I put these items in my trolley like I would in France, lining them all up neatly in the 'back' of the trolley, at the end nearest the handle.
Naturally, the first thing that happens when I push my trolley onto the walkway to go down to the lower level is everything goes crashing to the front.
Naturally, the second thing that happens is all of the locals turn to stare at me thinking 'Stupid Tourist' (in Catalan).
People come in buses to shop at this store from all over northern Spain and southwestern France. They buy cases of gin or wine or whiskey or sugar or coffee or chocolate or olive oil as well as Cuban cigars, T.V.'s and perfume.
It's busy.
It's crowded.
It's cheek by jowl everywhere.
It's inevitable that there is a little old couple in front of me on the walkway, without a trolley, simply rubbernecking.
It's inevitable that they will take one step off of the walkway and come to a dead stop as they discuss what to do next.
Did I mention that the front trolley wheels lock on the walkways? That means as soon as they get free, the very heavy trolley with a poorly distributed load lurches down the rest of the little incline....
I'm not going to explain further - use your imagination.....
Then imagine how easy this is to make.... It's basically a dump, stir and bake dish. The rice gets surprisingly fluffy - no clue why....
- Broccoli Rice Gratin
- 1/2 cup (3oz, 90gr) quick-cooking brown rice
- 1 cup (8oz 240gr) chicken stock
- 1/2 medium head broccoli, app 5oz (150gr) trimmed
- 1/2 medium onion
- 1/2 cup (4oz, 120gr) ricotta
- 1/2 tsp marjoram
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/3 cup shredded cheese
Chop onion. Trim broccoli and cut into small florets, with some stem. Mix rice, onion, stock, herbs and ricotta. Put the rice mixture into a baking dish. Arrange the broccoli over the rice, pressing it down firmly. Cover and bake, 400F (200C) for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake 5 minutes longer. Serve.
In
addition to this, for the weekly menu for January 15 we have Shrimp in Pesto, Chicken Divan, Mini Meat Loaves, Chicken and Ricotta Enchiladas, Cauliflower Gruyere Soup....
and get the menu, complete recipes with meal preparation instruction,
and shopping list each Thursday. First two weeks FREE. (Reverse
seasons available for Australia, and others in the Southern Hemisphere).
For more recipes visit my internet cook book: Easy Gourmet Dinners.