Kitabı oku: «BISH BASH BOSH!», sayfa 2

Plan your meals.

Meal prepping is becoming increasingly common. It involves planning and cooking a few meals in advance, which saves you loads of time during the week. Some people like to cook enough food for the entire week, but we prefer to keep things as fresh as possible, so we prepare just a couple of days’ worth in advance.

We love meal planning and prepping for a number of reasons:

 It gets rid of the annoying ‘what’s for dinner?’ question, reducing the risk of you making unhealthy choices because you’re hungry on the way home..

 It helps keep food costs down and reduces waste because all your food is accounted for – and it stops you buying expensive convenience food and ready meals!.

 You can take full control of your mealtimes and ensure you’re eating healthy, nutritious food..

In this book there are lots of great recipes that can be prepped entirely ahead, such as the salads, curries and pasta dishes, plus plenty more where you can prepare sauces and sides in advance, leaving you only the main meal to make on the day.

Enjoy the freedom from wondering what you are going to eat, make better choices, feel awesome and eat low-cost, high-flavour and nutritious food.

BISH, BASH, BOSH!

Here’s how to meal prep for a week, in three easy steps:

1 Plan your week.Think about your week ahead and decide which meals you’d like to make. Make a note of the recipes you’ve chosen and the days and times you plan to eat them.Next, carefully read the recipes you want to cook and identify the areas you can prep for. Some recipes can be part-cooked – for example our pasta sauce – and you can also make dips, roast veggies, cook grains and make some dishes all the way to the end so that they can just be reheated on the day.Plan your prep. We prefer to cook just a couple of days’ worth of food in advance, but you might like to prep for more days, or even a whole week. Make a note on your meal planner of what you need to prep for each dish – and don’t forget to work out how many people you’re cooking for each day and adjust the quantities in your recipes accordingly. Then make a shopping list of all your ingredients.Decide which days you’ll be cooking on. We find it easier to get our ingredients online so that we can get everything delivered on the day we prep our meals.

2 Think about how to store your food.Get some airtight containers with tight-fitting lids to store your food in (we prefer glass over plastic) and make sure you have a bag that will fit the containers if you’re taking them to work. It’s also a good idea to clear some space in your fridge.

3 Cook your food.Now you’re ready to actually prep your food! Afterwards, store it in airtight containers in the fridge (make sure to let hot items cool to room temperature before you chill them). Don’t forget to label them if you think you might forget what’s in each one.On the day, finish off the dish or reheat it – and don’t forget to take your lunch with you to work!

Check out for a two-day meal plan of delicious recipes.

One-Tray Pasanda.

With this wonderful, Anna Jones-inspired recipe you can have a gorgeous, creamy curry on the table in minutes. Or serve it alongside some of our other curries, such as the jalfrezi or our tikka masala. If you are cooking a few, get this one in the oven first then lower the heat as you finish off the others. Remove from the oven and stir through the yoghurt.

SERVES 4.

 1 head cauliflower (about 500g).

 500g carrots.

 2 tbsp vegetable oil.

 a big pinch of salt.

 a big pinch of black pepper.

 1 tsp chilli flakes.

 1 x 400ml tin full-fat coconut milk.

 50g ground almonds.

 2cm piece fresh ginger.

 2 garlic cloves.

 1 tsp ground turmeric.

 1 tsp ground cumin.

 1 tsp garam masala.

 ½ tsp chilli powder, optional.

 200g green beans.

 250g coconut yoghurt.

 30g flaked almonds.

 20g fresh coriander.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Roasting tin. Grater.

First prep and cook the veg. Trim the cauliflower and break it into 3cm florets. If your cauliflower has a lot of good-looking leaves, reserve them to add to the dish near the end. Trim the carrots and cut them into 3cm chunks. Spread the vegetables over a roasting tin and drizzle with the oil. Season with big pinches of salt, pepper and the chilli flakes. Toss to coat the vegetables with the oil and spices. Put the tin in the oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour the coconut milk into a mixing bowl. Add the ground almonds and stir. Peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon then finely grate it. Peel and grate the garlic. Add the ginger, garlic, turmeric, cumin, garam masala and chilli powder, if using, to the bowl. Stir everything together until it’s really well mixed.

After 15 minutes, take the tin out of the oven and pour the coconut paste and green beans over the vegetables. Put the tray back in the oven for 20 minutes, until the cauliflower pieces have started to blacken at the edges. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add any reserved leaves, if using.

Remove the tin from the oven and stir through the coconut yoghurt. Season to taste and add more chilli powder if you like a hotter curry. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and fresh coriander and serve.

Turbo Tortilla.

This is our take on the classic Spanish omelette. It’s a great way to use up leftover cooked veggies, so feel free to use whatever you have – just aim for about 400g in total. If you want to up the protein content, replace 100g of the veg with crumbled firm tofu.

SERVES 4.

 200g waxy new potatoes, such as Jersey Royals.

 100g Tenderstem broccoli.

 100g asparagus.

 1 red pepper.

 100g cherry tomatoes.

 1 medium red onion.

 1 garlic clove.

 1 fresh red chilli.

 3 tbsp olive oil.

 175g gram flour.

 1 tbsp salt.

 175ml water.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Large saucepan. Large baking tray. Large frying pan. Medium frying pan.

Wash and thinly slice the potatoes and put them into the saucepan. Fill the pan with cold, salted water and place over a high heat. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the rest of your veg. Trim the broccoli and asparagus and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Cut the pepper in half, cut out the stem and seeds and chop into bite-sized chunks. Spread the broccoli, asparagus, pepper and tomatoes evenly over the baking tray. Put the tray in the oven to cook the veggies for 20 minutes.

Peel and thinly slice the red onion and garlic. Rip the stem from the chilli, cut it in half lengthways, remove the seeds and finely chop. Put the large frying pan over a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onions and sweat, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for a further 3–4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Sift the gram flour and salt into a large bowl. Gradually add the water, whisking constantly until you have a smooth batter (you may not need to use all the water). Tip all the cooked vegetables into the batter and stir to cover.

To cook the tortilla, put the medium frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Pour in the batter with all the vegetables and cook for about 20–25 minutes, until the edges are golden and crispy.

Gently loosen the edges with a spatula or spoon and remove from the pan, cut it into slices and serve immediately. We love to serve this with a little rocket on the side.

Super-Speedy Spaghetti.

If you’re looking for a really quick and easy spaghetti dish, then look no further! Everything goes into the same pot and the water the pasta cooks in then becomes the sauce. It’s saucier than a typical pasta, but it’s quick, easy, delicious and we love it!

SERVES 4.

 1 small red onion.

 2 garlic cloves.

 75ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling.

 1 tsp salt.

 400g cherry tomatoes.

 ½ tsp chilli flakes.

 2 tbsp red wine (or red wine vinegar).

 1 litre boiling water.

 400g spaghetti.

 a handful of black olives (we like Kalamata).

 black pepper.

 20g fresh basil leaves.

Large saucepan with a lid on a medium heat. Kettle boiled. Fine grater or Microplane.

First make the tomato sauce. Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Peel and grate the garlic. Pour the olive oil into the saucepan. Add the sliced onion and salt and fry for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic to the pan, stir it in and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir them around for 2 minutes, until the skins start to split. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes and pour in the wine, stirring to coat the tomatoes.

Pour the boiling water into the pan. Add the spaghetti, let it soften and then move it around with tongs in the pan until it’s well submerged. Put the lid on the pan, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Take off the lid and cook at a rolling boil for 10–12 minutes, moving the pasta in the water fairly often to ensure it cooks evenly (it’s easiest to do this with tongs)

When most of the starchy water has been absorbed by the pasta, taste to make sure it’s cooked to your liking. Quickly slice the olives and stir them through the pasta.

Divide among bowls, drizzle with olive oil and grind over some black pepper. Garnish with the basil leaves and serve.

Tom Kha.

A gorgeously spicy coconut soup straight from the streets of Bangkok. Try switching out herbs or flavours to make use of what you’ve got in the fridge. Swap the onions for shallots, green beans for beansprouts, coriander for Thai basil… Play around and see what works, just keep the base of spices and herbs consistent.

SERVES 4.

 5cm piece fresh ginger.

 2 lemongrass stalks.

 4 eschalion (banana) shallots.

 500g mixed exotic mushrooms.

 1 red pepper.

 350g cherry tomatoes.

 5 bird’s-eye chillies.

 100g green beans.

 2 x 400ml tins full-fat coconut milk.

 7 kaffir lime leaves.

 200ml water.

 3 tbsp soy sauce.

 1 tsp coconut sugar.

 20g fresh coriander.

 2 spring onions.

 2 limes.

Large saucepan.

First prep your veg and aromatics. Peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon, then thinly slice. Peel the hard outer bark of the lemongrass, roughly chop the tender stalk into three pieces and bash with the heel of a knife. Peel and thinly slice the shallots. If they’re big, roughly chop the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces, otherwise leave them as they are.

Cut the pepper in half, cut out the stems and seeds and cut the flesh into 2.5cm chunks. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Rip the stems from the chillies or, if you prefer a spicy soup, keep the stems and spilt the chilli down the middle to expose the seeds. Cut the ends off the green beans and slice them in half.

Put the saucepan over a medium heat. Pour in half the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the ginger, lemongrass, shallots and lime leaves and stir very gently for 3–4 minutes. Pour in the remaining coconut milk and the water and simmer for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and chillies and stir gently for 3–4 minutes.

Add the green beans to the pan and stir gently for 1 minute. Add the red pepper, cherry tomatoes, soy sauce and coconut sugar and stir gently to mix everything together. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 7–8 minutes. Take the pan off the heat.

To finish the soup. Rip the leaves from the coriander and chop roughly. Halve and shred the spring onions. Cut the limes in half and squeeze the juice into the soup. Stir two-thirds of the chopped coriander leaves into the soup, reserving the rest, and simmer for 1 minute. Taste and add more soy sauce for saltiness or lime juice for sourness, if needed. Serve, garnished with the reserved coriander leaves and spring onions.

Vietnamese Sticky Tofu.

This recipe is super-quick, packed full of flavour and answers the age-old question, ‘what should I do with tofu?’ It’s a great dinner option if you don’t have much time but want something absolutely delicious. Pressing the tofu is really important here as it needs to be the right, firm texture.

SERVES 2.

 1 x 280g block firm tofu (smoked tofu works well too).

 2.5cm piece fresh ginger.

 1 garlic clove.

 1 fresh red chilli.

 4 spring onions.

 30ml lime juice (about 1½–2 limes).

 50g cornflour.

 vegetable oil, for frying.

 80g soft brown sugar.

 4 tbsp soy sauce.

 160ml coconut water.

 250g cooked basmati rice, or use 1 x 250g bag microwavable rice, to serve.

 2 heads pak choi.

 2 tbsp sesame oil.

 ¼ tsp salt.

 2 tsp sesame seeds.

Tofu press or 2 clean tea towels and a weight such as a heavy book. Fine grater or Microplane. Large frying pan. Line a plate with kitchen paper. Wok. Griddle pan.

Press the tofu using a tofu press or place it between two clean tea towels, lay it on a plate and put a weight on top. Leave for at least 30 minutes to drain and firm up before you start cooking.

Meanwhile, peel the ginger by scraping off the skin with a spoon and finely grate it. Peel and grate the garlic. Rip the stem from the chilli, cut it in half lengthways and remove the seeds if you prefer, then thinly slice. Finely chop two-thirds of the spring onions. Ribbon the remaining spring onions and keep to one side to garnish. Cut the limes in half.

Put the cornflour in a shallow bowl. Cut the drained tofu into 8 slices and roll them evenly in the cornflour to coat.

Place the frying pan on a medium-high heat. Pour enough vegetable oil into the pan to cover the base generously. Heat until a wooden spoon dipped into the oil sizzles around the edges. Lay the tofu in the pan and fry for 5–6 minutes, turning halfway. Drain on kitchen paper.

Pour 1 tablespoon oil into the wok and place over a high heat. Add the grated ginger and garlic, the chopped spring onions and the sliced chilli. Stir-fry for 90 seconds. Sprinkle over the sugar and stir until a syrup forms. Stir in the soy sauce and coconut water. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for roughly 15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds. Squeeze in the lime juice. Reduce the heat to low.

Heat the rice or cook it following the instructions on the packet.

To cook the pak choi, put the griddle pan on a high heat. Cut the pak choi into quarters. Put it in a mixing bowl and toss with the sesame oil and salt. Lay the pak choi on the hot griddle pan, cut-side down, and cook until they get black char lines. Transfer to plates.

Place the slices of prepared tofu in the wok, one by one, and toss carefully so they’re well covered in the sticky sauce.

Divide the rice between plates. Top with the sticky tofu. Drizzle over any leftover sauce. Garnish with reserved spring onions and sesame seeds. Serve with the chargrilled pak choi.

Faux Gras.

This amazing recipe was the brainchild of Alexis Gauthier, and was shared with the world through a collaboration we did with him. Spread it on sourdough toast and serve with cornichons for the perfect starter or canapé with drinks – it tastes like proper, posh pâté! If you’re eating it straightaway, serve in ramekins, or else store in sterilised jars in the fridge for up to a week.

MAKES 4 SMALL JARS OR RAMEKINS.

 2 sprigs fresh rosemary.

 3 sprigs fresh thyme.

 7 sage leaves.

 2 tbsp olive oil.

 1 eschalion (banana) shallot.

 a pinch of salt.

 2 garlic cloves.

 18 button mushrooms.

 2 tbsp cognac.

 150g walnuts.

 400g cooked lentils (home-made or from a packet).

 2½ tbsp soy sauce.

 ½ or 1 very small cooked beetroot (about 30g).

 100g dairy-free butter.

 a few peppercorns, to garnish.

 good-quality toasted sourdough bread or baguette (or a pack of crackers), to serve.

 cornichons, to serve, optional.

4 small sterilised glass jars or ramekins. Frying pan. Food processor. Small saucepan.

To sterilise the jars and lids, wash them in hot, soapy water then fill them to the top with boiling water. Drain on a tea towel until completely dry.

Remove the leaves from the herbs by running your thumb and forefinger from the top to the base of the stems (the leaves should easily come away). Reserve a few leaves and sprigs for garnish and finely chop the rest.

Pour the oil into the frying pan over a medium heat. Peel and roughly chop the shallot and add it to the pan. Add a pinch of salt and cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent.

Peel and roughly chop the garlic and add to the pan. Cook for a further 3 minutes. Chop the mushrooms and add them to the pan. Cook, stirring continuously, for 5 minutes, until everything is well softened. Add the finely chopped herbs and the cognac.

Transfer the contents of the pan to the food processor. Chop the walnuts and add them to the processor with the cooked lentils, soy sauce and beetroot. Blitz until almost smooth. Transfer the mixture to the prepared jars or ramekins and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon.

Place the small saucepan over a low heat. Add the dairy-free butter and melt without heating it too much as it can split. Pour it over the paté to completely cover. Place a few herb leaves, sprigs and peppercorns on top and leave to cool. Seal the jars (or cover the ramekins with cling film) and refrigerate to chill.

Serve with the toasted sourdough bread or crackers and cornichons, if using.