The Brexit Cupboard: Recipe Edition

[PerverseConverse]

Hi everyone,

I'm really pleased that so many of us are forward planning/purchasing as a buffer in the event of No Deal and thought it would be good to share recipes we can make with our store cupboard essentials. Recipes that are based on long life or shelf stable items that can have fresh or frozen ingredients added as available.

Here's my basic pasta sauce recipe:

I tin chopped tomatoes or carton/jar passata
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 teaspoon garlic purée (or to taste)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar

You can add chilli flakes or paste to spice it up and red wine to make it richer.

For extra nutrition roast some peppers and courgettes and onions and add at the end. Simply blend together with a hand blender. It's the only way I can get my children to eat veg with pasta.

I use alone or add quorn mince (we are veggie) and too with plenty of grated cheddar. It's a cheap, quick and easy meal.

I’ve been making my own cheese from a kit. Brought Online. Milk should be ok, but Interesting cheeses more difficult, so I’ve made halloumi and mozzarella so far. Also making my own kefir as if eating less fresh food I want a healthy gut.

Vegetable biryani

Serves 4

Ingredients for the curry paste:
200g onions
3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
Spices for toasting: 3 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Ingredients for the vegetable biryani:
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
300g defrosted cauliflower florets
300g diced defrosted sweet potato
300g defrosted slice onion
1 litre hot vegetable stock
4 tablespoons medium curry paste (see above)
1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed (black or white)
500g basmati rice
150g frozen peas
1 lemon, juice only
Handful of cashews or peanuts
chopped coriander to serve if you have it

Method

If you’re feeling lazy you can buy a jar of curry paste, or alternatively you can make your own by toasting the spices in a dry pan, shaking them until they are going golden and start to smell delicious. Crush these until powdered.

Then peel the garlic and ginger and add all the rest of the ingredients, including the toasted spices, in a blender and whizz together. This is your curry paste.

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Pour the oil into a large roasting tin and put in the oven for a couple of minutes to heat through.

Add all the vegetables, except the peas, to the tin, stirring to coat them in the hot oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake for about 10 minutes until just beginning to brown.

While the vegetables are roasting, stir together the stock, curry paste, chilli, turmeric and mustard seeds.

Scatter the rice and frozen peas with the cooked vegetables in the tin, stir, then pour over the stock mixture.

Lower the oven to 190°C. Then cover the dish tightly with foil and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice and season with a little salt, then scatter over the coriander and nuts. Serve with a bowl of plain yogurt or raita.

To see the cooking video of this visit my FoodologistGirl youtube channel

I can recommend adding finely chopped frozen broccoli to to earlier macaroni cheese recipe. I don't really like broccoli but happy to eat it like this.

Any good chick pea recipes please? We are all veggie but never used them before. Fussy eaters and don't like spicy stuff. Thanks

My dd dislikes chickpeas after a rogue attempt on my part a few years ago (not prepping related ) to make some spicy fried up ones for her as an alternative snack to really nice stuff like crisps and chocolate .
My intention would be either hummus , falafel or shove in a pasta sauce where meat would normally go.
I used to sprout chick peas years ago when I was an impoverished student. Again, dd would probably disavow these despite being yummy.

Falafel with dried chickpeas, onion if you have them stored in the garage/ fridge, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander, fresh coriander or parsley, if you grow it, or frozen? Garlic, chick pea flour, whizz up in blender, but not too smooth, fry in oil. There are recipes on the internet.

Tagine style store cupboard meal. Tinned tomatoes, chickpeas, peas, turmeric, cumin etc spices, served with falafel,

Hummus?

Chickpea cobbler. Soften onions, add turnips and other root veg. Then tinned tomatoes and chickpeas. Season with black pepper and parsley. Maybe add a bit of stock. Cook 20 min on hob, then transfer to oven dish and add topping of sugar free scones (flour, baking powder, salt, oil , water). Bake about 30 min. Google will give a more exact recipe.

Hi everyone, I'm hoping posters might be able to share some lentil recipes with me please? I make lentil soup and lentil dahl (both with red lentils) but that's the extent of my culinary expertise with legumes
Something casserole like maybe with potatoes in it, or to serve with rice. Kids aren't fans of spicy so I feel limited there.

I make lentil bolognaise and lentil chilli, just replace meat with lentils. You add the lentils with the chopped tomatoes and extra water.

Lentil shepherd's pie -something like this thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/vegetable-and-lentil-cottage-pie

If you want to try butter beans - something like this www.thevegspace.co.uk/recipe-quick-easy-tomato-and-herb-gigantes-beans/

There are better versions of thr recipe with dried beans and fresh tomatoes.

I add canned fish to canned tomatoes for pasta/rice, also chopped veg like others. I have to devide that between two pans though to take account of likes/dislikes of veg and pescy peppers giving me indigestion.

Does anyone have a recipe based on lentils, sweet potatoes and carrots that isn't curry like please? I might just stick everything in a pan and see what happens

Ok, in the absence of a recipe I've thrown together a sautéd onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger, tomato purée, mashed sweet potato, red lentils, carrots, bay leaves and veggie stock. The kids don't like spicy stuff/curry so not sure what to add to it to give more flavour? Any ideas?

killowen.ie/gluten-free-brown-bread-recipe/

I made this very simple bread earlier. I divided it between a 2lb tin and a 1lb tin though. I can't see it cooking through otherwise. I had it in a 160 fan oven. The recipe says 180 but didn't say fan or otherwise. Took an hour and ten. Anyway, it's so simple provided you can get yoghurt.

A teaspoon or so of marmite can add a nice flavour to red lentils. Not sure how it mixes with spices though.

I'm trying out Brexit Bolognese tonight and hoping the kids eat it.

1 red pepper (can use frozen) and a large handful of frozen courgette roasted in olive oil, garlic purée, salt and pepper.

1 Tin chopped tomatoes
1 generous squirt of tomato purée
Dried basil
1 dessert spoon sugar
Salt and pepper

Once veg are roasted, Chuck in a pan with the tomatoes etc and simmer. Cool
Slightly then blend.

Soak a teacup sized amount of dried TVP in a pint of stock. Add to the tomato sauce.

Serve with spaghetti or whatever pasta you have. Add grated cheese if you like too.

I wanted to make a lasagne but middle one would heave and make a fuss so bigness it is.

I'll be back later to let you know how it went down.

We've made flapjacks today too. 4 ingredients and all brexit staples.

We should be thinking of Christmas brexit recipes too although by Christmas things may have settled a little

Thanks @Bercows

It was really nice! They ate it without complaint and the eldest said she really liked it so it's a win. Middle dc is fussy and not keen on any sauce with pasta and only likes carrots and cauliflower and cucumber so I'm very glad I've got some veg into her. The TVP is ok but next time I'd soak it longer and use a stronger stock to give more flavour.
I'll be adding frozen courgettes to my shopping list and will freeze some more red peppers.

I have become addicted to red pepper hummus. Does anyone have a recipe please? I never used to like hummus at all but the red pepper version is a big hit especially with a freshly baked baguette. I don't think I've bought chick peas since 1992 but it looks like I'm going to need a crate full should obtaining hummus be a problem!

Olive couscous.

Couscous, 3 dried apricots per person cut into pieces( 1 portion) 30g sultanas per person in bottom of bowl
Add couscous
Turmeric, cumin shaken on top of couscous to taste.

Add hot water to cover couscous, stir. Leave for five minutes. Add quartered olives, about 12-14 per person.

It could be improved with a shake of salt, or some garlic paste/granules?

Was thinking of adding chickpeas but have lost them under the holiday unpacking.

For hummous I use sesame seeds blitzed with water, and tinned chickpeas.

I make mine with cooked red onion, garlic and lemon juice added.

Occasionally I will add Turmeric powder, cumin, some whole tinned chickpeas and sultanas.

Are we seriously doing this to ourselves. Its like we re on a war footing.
Like my dgs says we should press reset button.

The September Tesco free magazine has some store cupboard recipes that someone might like to try.

They have 3 using baked beans, a one pan egg dinner, a sausage and bean stew and bean burgers.

There is also a segment on batch cooking with ideas for using up the veg. All freezer friendly.

For those of you with picky eaters there’s also an article on 3 ways to use fish fingers!