With Christmas drawing closer now is the time to make good use of your freezer, and cook off some standby meals for the festive season that can just be taken out as and when required, defrosted and heated through.
This year most of us are watching our household budgets, although I have also found, when talking to people generally, , that the majority are stoically determined that "this will be the best Christmas ever".
Now is the time to get started on your Christmas freeze-away dishes as it will enable you to make good use of all the offers like BOGOF and specials available in the shops and supermarkets.
Spicy cottage pie
Ingredients for four to six
Two tbsp olive oil, a medium onion, two cloves garlic, 450g lean minced beef, 300ml red wine, 400g tin chopped tomatoes, 400 tin kidney beans in chilli sauce (available in most supermarkets), 600g sweet potatoes, 450g potatoes, 25g butter, 3tbsp milk
Method
Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel and roughly chop the sweet potatoes and potatoes.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add the sweet potatoes and potatoes and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well, add the butter and milk together with a good seasoning of freshly ground black pepper and mash well until smooth and creamy in texture.
Meanwhile peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and sauté off the onion and garlic until the onions are soft and transparent. Add the minced beef, stirring to break and cook over a high heat until the mince is browned all over.
Add the wine, lower the heat and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 20 minutes, then add the beans and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes and transfer to an ovenproof dish. Top with the mash using a fork to make texture.
If you want to eat now rather than freeze, bake in a preheated oven at 190C (375F, gas mark 5) for 30 minutes.
If you want to freeze then allow the pie to completely cool, cover the dish with foil and then clingfilm all around the dish and freeze.
To use defrost in the refrigerator overnight, and cook in a preheated oven at 190C (375F, gas mark 5) for 35 to 40 minutes.
Sausage and Lentil Stew
Ingredients for four to six
One tbsp olive oil, 125g pack diced pancetta (or bacon lardons), 12 good quality pork sausages, two medium onions, four cloves garlic, two medium carrots, a level tsp dried rosemary, 300g Puy lentils, 900ml hot chicken stock, 1tbsp white wine vinegar, 400g passata, two tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Method
Peel and roughly chop the onions and garlic. Peel and dice the carrots. Heat the oil in a large fireproof casserole and add the pancetta and sausages and cook for ten minutes, turning them until nicely browned. Once browned remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the onions, carrot and garlic to the casserole and cook, stirring, for about four minutes or until the onions are soft and transparent.
Return the sausages to the casserole and add the rosemary, lentils, stock, vinegar and passata, seasoning well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, bring to the boil and then lower the heat, cover the dish and allow to simmer away for 45 to 50 minutes, stirring from time-to-time until the lentils are tender.
To eat now, spoon straight from the pan and accompany with some warm crusty bread and a mixed green leaf salad.
To freeze, remove from the heat, and allow to cool completely before transferring to a suitable freezer container.
To use, allow to defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then allow the casserole to come up to room temperature before putting into a preheated oven at 190C (375F, gas mark five) for 45 minutes or until hot through.
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