From mince to muffins, how to make four delicious and healthy meals that can be frozen
IF you’ve suddenly got a family of hungry mouths to feed at least three times a day, it’s likely you are relying on your freezer more than ever.
New book The Ice Kitchen, by Shivi Ramoutar is full of delicious recipes that can all be frozen as soon as they’ve been cooked so you can cook once, eat twice.
Shivi says: “We are all time-strapped, wallet-wary and mindful of what we consume, while wanting to enjoy exciting, flavoursome home-made meals at the drop of a hat."
“Basically we want it all. And you know what? We can have it all.
“Freezers are the perfect tool for reducing monumental food waste and making it easier to meal plan.”
Here, Natasha Harding chooses four recipes from the book that are n-ice and easy.
Mince base
(Use in meals of your choice to serve four. Try it in cottage pie or bolognese, for example)
YOU NEED:
- 2 large glugs of oil
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, finely diced
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 1 large green pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- handful of mushrooms, torn or chopped
- 1.5kg beef mince (or try pork, lamb, turkey or a mix)
METHOD: Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onions, carrots, celery and pepper, stirring regularly until softened for about ten minutes.
Add garlic, stir continuously until the aroma hits you after about 20 seconds or so.
Add mushrooms and stir until wilted, then add the beef and brown all over, stirring often.
Season with salt and pepper.
FREEZE
Leave to cool then divide into servings of four.
Put into labelled resealable freezer bags.
If using in bolognese, chilli or cottage pie the mince can be cooked from frozen in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat with the lid on, breaking up the beef as it defrosts.
Ice cream sandwiches
Makes eight bars (or 16 smaller squares)
YOU NEED:
- 100g butter
- 100g caster sugar
- 1 egg – beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 100g plain flour
- 3 heaped tbsp cocoa
- 2 x 500ml tubs ice cream – softened (cookies and cream, vanilla, or chocolate work well)
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas mark 6 then grease and line a 30 x 22cm baking tin with baking parchment.
Cream the butter and sugar together until soft and fluffy, then whisk in the egg, vanilla and salt.
Sift in the flour and cocoa and fold in until evenly combined.
Spread the batter into the lined tin and bake for about ten minutes until just dry and starting to pull away from the edges of the tin.
Leave to cool in the tin.
Cut the biscuit in half, lengthways.
Spread the softened ice cream as evenly as you can over a half of the biscuit.
Top with the remaining half, flat side down.
FREEZE
Carefully wrap the whole sandwich well in cling film, then put into the freezer for a few hours to firm up.
Once firm, slice into eight bars (or 16 squares) with a sharp knife dipped in hot water, then individually double-wrap each one first in baking parchment or greaseproof paper, then tightly with foil.
Label and return to the freezer.
FREEZER TO TABLE
Defrost the ice cream sandwiches for about five minutes at room temperature, until it has softened a little, then eat immediately.
Zap-n-go morning muffins
Makes 12 muffins (4 now, 8 for later)
YOU NEED:
- 7 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
- 2 eggs
- 5 tbsp natural yoghurt
- 6-9 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 200g wholemeal (or plain) flou
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 10 tbsp rolled porridge oats (about 100g) – plus extra for sprinkling
- 15 tbsp (about 200g) berries (frozen or fresh)
- Handful of seeds (such as pumpkin, sunflower, poppy)
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
In a jug, whisk together the butter, eggs, yoghurt, honey and vanilla extract.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt with the rolled oats.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Finally fold in the berries.
Divide batter between the 12 muffin cases and top with a few oats and seeds on each.
Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Pop paper-cased muffins out of the tin to cool on a wire rack
FREEZE
Cool the muffins completely before putting into a labelled resealable freezer bag.
FREEZER TO TABLE
Put a muffin in the microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until softened, and warmed through (check at 20sec intervals), or bake in an oven preheated to 200C/180 fan/Gas Mark 6 for five minutes until hot.
Loaded potato skins
Makes 16 (eight now, eight for later)
YOU NEED:
- 8 large baking potatoes
- oil for rubbing
- 200g grated Cheddar cheese
- 150g soured cream
- 4 spring onions – finely chopped
- 8 rashers of streaky bacon – fried until crisp and then crumbled
- 4 tsp American mustard
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6.
Rub potatoes in oil, place on a baking tray and bake for about 50 minutes to one hour until crisp, but fluffy on inside.
Allow the potatoes to cool, then slice in half lengthways and carefully scoop out the innards, popping them into a bowl, leaving a 1cm layer of potato in the skins.
Add the Cheddar to the bowl of potato (reserving a good handful for topping), plus the soured cream, onions, bacon (reserving a little for topping) and the mustard.
Mix together, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spoon the mixture back into the skins, then sprinkle over the reserved Cheddar and bacon.
Return skins to the baking tray and bake in the oven for another 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling on top, then serve.
FREEZE
Cool completely, then place them on a tray, cover with cling film and put into the freezer to flash-freeze.
As soon as they are frozen solid, place in a resealable freezer bag.
FREEZER TO TABLE
Put on to a baking tray, cover with foil and bake in an oven preheated to 200C/180 fan/gas 6 for 40- 45 minutes.
TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED
FREEZING, THE ICE KITCHEN WAY
FOOD must be cool before being put into the freezer.
Putting warm food into the freezer will increase the temperature of the freezer and can cause food that’s already there to start defrosting.
To cool something quickly, create an ice bath by putting the hot food into a bowl then put this bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice and cold water.
STORAGE MUST BE AIRTIGHT
This prevents freezer burn and keeps moisture in to avoid dried-out food.
Reusable bags are great for making the most of small spaces.
Foil is also great for certain foods, such as chicken drumsticks.
Double wrapping is also an option, first in cling film then in foil – and you should definitely do this for baked goods that could dry out.
FREEZE FLAT WHERE POSSIBLE
Pop the meal into a reseal- able bag and remove any excess air before sealing.
Then spread the food out as flat as possible when the sealed bag is laid flat.
One additional benefit is the food freezes more quickly, helping to maintain quality.
IT IS ALL ABOUT FREEZER FILLING
Write clearly what the meal is, the date you freeze it and any freezer-to-table guidelines on defrost/reheating.
CLEVER PORTIONING/SERVING SIZES
If you’re already in the kitchen you might as well add a few minutes to your prep time to double or even triple the recipe.
Ice-cube trays are gold dust for portioning sauces, butters and dressings, as well as sorting ingredients such as wine, citrus juices and stocks.
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
FROZEN MEALS SHOULD BE USED BEFORE 6 MONTHS
While frozen food can be kept indefinitely, over time taste and texture will be altered, so the rule of thumb is that it should be eaten within six months.
Make sure you date things clearly.
To be energy- efficient, your freezer needs to be regularly defrosted to get rid of ice build-up.
- Recipes from The Ice Kitchen, by Shivi Ramoutar, Photographs: Andrew Burton (Harper Collins, £16.99)
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