Can lazy be good?

“Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something.” Robert Heinlein

And so we come to the 'l' in simple, and the obvious - lazy. But I don't think Ottolenghi fully grasps the concept of lazy although he pays lip service to it. Besides, he's at least half done lazy with his 'make ahead' recipes and the 'pantry' concept - as manifested by Delia anyway. He tries to describe lazy, but really I reckon he has already covered it or anyway what he describes is not really, really lazy.

"Lazy cooks are off busy doing something else while the meal is making itself... There are also the one-pot or one-tray dishes, low on washing up, high on ease and big on flavour ... There are the cakes that need no baking ... There are the dishes that allow you to ... delight in the possibility of actually being lazy and returning to bed with the papers."

I don't think he truly understands what lazy means - I mean the lazy cook who is 'busy' doing something else. If you're feeling too lazy to cook you're probably feeling too lazy to do anything else. And in this book his misunderstanding shows in that, like 'pantry' there is no recipe that just fits the 'lazy category on its own. It's always combined with something else, and not always meaningfully anyway.

Lazy really means minimal effort and minimal clearing up. From start to finish, not just after a frenzy of preparation at the beginning. Yes it's alright for the food to take a long time to cook, that's just a matter of planning, but lazy should not involve any real effort at any point in the process. No preparation - or hardly any - and nothing much to do once everything is assembled. And very little washing up. A tray bake, a stew that isn't pre-fried, a pavlova (store-bought base), bread and cheese and ham, scrambled eggs, even a simple roast. That's lazy cooking.

But I guess he (or actually Tara Wigley whom he credits with the idea of 'simple'), had to do something with the 'l'. And lazy is a fair thing to choose. I just don't think he can do lazy - not like Homer Simpson.

I do think it is possible to cook really good food in a lazy manner though. Tray bakes - and to be fair to him he does mention them - are a good example, and the sausage tray bake perhaps the best of all. Just throw sausages in a tray with potatoes (unpeeled), tomatoes and anything else you have to hand, mix with oil and some herbs and garlic - no need to chop or peel - and cook in the oven till done. Super and one tray to wash. And you can do the same thing for a stew - no need to fry everything beforehand, just put in a pot with some liquid and flavouring and cook in the oven for ages.

I suspect it's harder to be lazy and do something last minute though. That's when rubbish food creeps in. When you're feeling lazy and you also don't have much time. This is when you raid the store-cupboard - pasta and pesto, pasta and a few chopped tomatoes, pasta and ..., fish baked in foil with some veggies - you could even use some frozen mixed ones, scrambled eggs and smoked salmon with salad, a toasted sandwich, a wrap ...

So what does Ottolenghi actually have to offer in the 'lazy category, when combined with just one other of his simple concepts? There are only two recipes that fit into this and only one could be described as a meal.

Shallow-fried potatoes with rosemary and sumac

I'm only putting this in to show how I don't think he understands the concept of lazy really. As the Huffington Post put it:

"Here's the thing about cooking on the stove: you have to stir things. No thanks"

Admittedly he doesn't peel the potatoes but you basically have to stand over the frying pan and stir them for half an hour. It would be easier to throw them into the oven really. The other concept here is the less than 10 ingredients thing. And that is definitely true. It's not complicated but it's not lazy, though I'm sure they are delicious.

Beef meatballs with lemon and celeriac

Meatballs - how can anyone say meatballs are lazy cooking? I just made meatballs for my family two days ago and it's a labour of love. Not something I do on a regular basis. This receipe's other simple category is 'make-ahead', and yes you can do that, but the making process is not a lazy one. You have to mix the meatball ingredients, then roll them into balls - very time-consuming and tedious and messy, and in this case you also have to prepare the celeriac. Then you have to fry the meatballs, and mix with the celeriac and various spices before cooking. Ok you can have a rest for a while but in the end you've got to get the sauce to the right consistency too. I have no idea why he calls this one lazy. There's quite a bit of washing up involved too. Which is not to say it doesn't look absolutely scrumptious. Just not lazy cooking.

However, I did find one (there's probably more) which was 'lazy' in combination with three other categories, that was pretty lazy. The only effort was in processing some marinade ingredients in a blender.

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with mint and cumin

A sort of tray bake really.

And just to prove my point here is a recipe that doesn't even have the 'lazy' designation but which to my mind fits the category. All you have to do is throw the dressing ingredients in the processor, cook some beans pour over and hey presto a tasty but simple salad.

Two bean and two lime salad.

But then like 'simple' we probably all have our own definitions of what is a 'lazy' meal. It could be as simple as bread, cheese and salami with a tomato or two for the vitamins. Or something you prepared in the morning very quickly. Or even reheated leftovers. My fridge generally has something like that lying around in it. Whichever kind of lazy you are, don't feel bad about it. Just don't do it all the time.