It is time to get organised in the kitchen. While having spices, beans and pasta to hand is always a good idea, cooking is going to be far from your mind if you are feeling lousy. Instead of stockpiling toilet roll and biscuits, fill your freezer with these 10 simple dishes to see you through a bad week.
Tamarind and spinach dal
Dal is very forgiving, says Meera Sodha, as it is “impossible to overcook”. For speed, she recommends red lentil (or masoor) dal, split mung dal and – in this recipe – toor dal (or split pigeon peas). It is simple to make; if you can’t find fresh curry leaves, leave them out.
Prep time: 45 min
Tomato sauce
As our Little Miss Perfect Felicity Cloake so wisely says, tomato sauce is “infinitely useful … and the ready-made version is outrageously overpriced”. This easy and versatile sauce is good enough that it needs no further adornment – although we wouldn’t begrudge a blanket of parmesan.
Prep time: 1 hr
Mushroom tray-bake ragu
Yotam Ottolenghi’s list of ingredients is long, but this couldn’t be simpler to make. To save on prep time, he suggests pulsing the first six ingredients in a food processor. Serve over pasta, polenta, rice or any vegetable mash.
Prep time: 2 hr
Caramel chocolate freezer cookies
Treats are important – and there is no denying the healing power of a freshly baked cookie. Tamal Ray’s caramel chocolate (or ginger and orange) ones are worth chilling now. A small amount of prep is needed to make the handy roll of batter, which you then freeze and slice rounds off to bake as needed (scoop of ice-cream optional).
Prep time: 20 min
Smoked haddock, pea and leek cakes
Fishcakes are ideal for freezing, so stock up on Jane Baxter’s version. Store in a plastic box, with greaseproof paper separating the layers. When defrosting, be sure to lay out each cake on its own, so they don’t go soggy. If you are gluten-free, coat them with polenta instead of breadcrumbs.
Prep time: 1 hr
Carrot burger
Add a little California sunshine to your freezer with Anna Jones’s favourite veggie burger, made with roast carrots, tofu and smoked paprika. Once cooled, the uncooked burgers can be wrapped and frozen for up to four months. Serve with an avocado salsa and a quick radish pickle, if you are feeling up to it.
Prep time: 1 hr 30 min
Ricotta, courgette and spinach dumplings
If you are feeding a family, make like Thomasina Miers, whose children love these little and light dumplings. Play around with the herbs and spices, says Miers: “Cinnamon and mint, or chervil and dill, are both great combinations.”
Prep time: 50 min
Chicken soup
No freezer should be without a proper cockle-warming soup, and you don’t get more satisfying or sustaining than chicken. Don’t be put off by the long cooking time of Cloake’s perfect recipe: your future self will thank you.
Prep time: 2 hr 40 min
Instant frozen berry ice-cream
Anna Jones’s quick-as-a-flash recipe has just four ingredients (creme fraiche, mixed frozen berries, honey and vanilla extract) and the quantities can easily be doubled or trebled. If you are vegan, use oat creme fraiche.
Prep time: 5 min
Butternut squash and black bean chilli
Comforting, filling and made mostly of pantry ingredients, Miers’ vegetarian chilli can be dressed up with guacamole, rice and soured cream. For something meatier, try Felicity Cloake’s perfect chilli con carne or Nigel Slater’s classic and comforting shepherd’s pie.
Prep time: 1 hr 20 min
