Dinner On The Run

There’s nothing quite as daunting as opening the fridge at the end of a busy day and seeing only a handful of scraggly lettuce, leftover mashed potato, some eggs, a wedge of mouldy cheese and a dried-up lemon. However, that sense of impotence can be assuaged by the knowledge that somewhere, lurking in the cupboard, lies redemption.

When the garden has failed to deliver its promised supply of fresh flavoursome veges, and even the leftovers aren’t revampable, then the pantry needs to hold more than just oils, vinegars, spices and herbs. Tomato paste, canned tomatoes, garlic, ginger, onions and various starches like rice, lentils and pasta are some of the basics of a good ‘fall-back’ store cupboard. Another is stock, probably the greatest contributor to taste in even the simplest of meals. If you haven’t the time to prepare homemade stock, a great improvement can be made to everyday dinners by substituting Tetrapack cartons of stocks (Campbell’s, for instance) for powdered stocks. Freeze stock in ice cubes to prevent waste and allow for use anytime.

Eating well when you have a busy working lifestyle demands that you be well organised, and if you want to have good home cooking on a regular basis it really pays to plan and shop for a week’s worth of menus at a time. Determining just what to cook is always the most difficult part, but once you’ve made the choices and done the necessary shopping, you can prepare and cook a great-tasting dinner in just a few minutes.

Good food doesn’t have to be complicated and a little forward planning means you will save a lot of time on the day. Even dishes like pizza are quicker to make at home than to order in, as long as you have the dough already made. It can be a good idea to cook extra quantities of those foods that take a long time to cook – potatoes, rice, beans, etc., – and use them for meals later in the week. Add rice to meatballs, omelettes and fritters; potatoes to frittatas, salads, and use as a topping for pies and oven bakes; add beans to chillies, casseroles and soups, use in salads or purée for dips; and use pasta in layered oven bakes, as the basis of a salad or in frittatas with herbs and bacon.

Items like mayonnaise, French dressing, puréed garlic with oil, puréed fresh ginger and oil and home-made concentrated stock cubes (to freeze), can all be made in quantity, ready to use in the future If you are entertaining guests mid-week, you don’t need to cook fancy food, just set the table nicely and put together a simple first course with a yummy dessert.

I often try to base a first course around something fresh and seasonal – a wedge of sweet melon served with thin shavings of proscuitto and fresh lime or lemon, or slices of ripe, sweet tomatoes topped with fresh basil leaves, sliced fresh mozzarella or crumbled feta cheese and a drizzle of the best olive oil you can lay your hands on. Guests will always expect dessert; it is useful to have this made ahead of time. Flavour a good-quality commercial ice cream with grog-soaked fruit or nuts, or mix through a swirl of melted chocolate and some berries, and refreeze until solid to serve with a sauce or fresh fruit. Pan-fry slices of pineapple and serve with ice cream and a caramel sauce, or dunk a moistened bunch of grapes into caster sugar and freeze them. Serve on a platter with a sweet, ripe Brie cheese and dried figs.

You will find variations on these recipes and other quick menu ideas in Annabel's books:

• Roasted Fish with Lemon Caper Crumb – p.46
• Grilled Steak on Rocket Salad with Balsamic Glaze – p.104
• Pears & Almond Tarts – p.173

• Pasta with Rocket & Chilli Pesto – p.50
• Moroccan Baked Chicken – p.166
• Chilli Lime Glazed Fish – p.173
• Roast Lamb with Garlic Herb Crust – p.174

• Pasta with Salmon, Capers & Rocket – p.100
• Rosemary Grilled Tuna on Green Bean Niçoise Salad – p.110
• Syrupy Grilled Fruits – p.116

• Salt & Pepper Squid – p.65

• Lime & Coriander Flash-Roasted Fish – p.93
• Ginger Sake Roast Beef – p.122