What (In Heaven's Name) Shall I Make For Dinner?

What do you make for dinner when you have nothing in the freezer but five very tired pita rounds and a package of lamb stew meat? You improvise, that's what. You search around in the vegetable drawer for a zucchini, an onion, some garlic, and (thank heavens!) a nice, ripe heirloom tomato.

You scrape the fuzzy mold off the top of your container of creme fraiche, you get out the jar of lemon mayonnaise, and you give a silent prayer of thanks for half of a pint of Caesar salad that came with your last pizza delivery. Looks like dinner to me.

My Beloved got busy warming the pitas while I sliced the onion, garlic, zucchini and tomato, and cut the lamb into bite-size pieces. I had two pans going, one on high to brown the meat, and one on medium to cook first the onion in olive oil with fresh thyme from the pots outside the front door, then adding the zucchini and, last, the garlic. 

When both pans were ready, we brought them to the table, smeared the inside of the pita pockets with lemon mayo and a tad of creme fraiche (I didn't have feta cheese or Greek yogurt), then piled in the meat, veggies, and fresh tomato slices. The meat juices melded with the mayo and tomato water to make a nifty little sauce. It was messy as all get out and nearly as good. The juices ran over our hands and dripped down onto our plates. We each needed several napkins. The thyme gave that extra herbal push that most dishes need and our hunger did the rest. The salad was really just a sop to our consciences, but it did provide a little crisp counterpoint.

Next time you are faced with Empty Fridge Syndrome, remind yourself that you really do have a full meal in there - it's just not immediately obvious.