A well-stocked freezer can transform a hectic weekday. These two recipes are designed for batch cooking: a warming harissa-spiced cauliflower and baked rice dish, adapted as a meat-free alternative, and fragrant Thai-style fishcakes with lemongrass and ginger.
Both can be prepared in advance and frozen, ready for the days when cooking from scratch feels impossible.
<h3>Spicy Cauliflower and Baked Rice</h3>
Prep: 10 minutes
Marinate: 1 hour
Cook: 45 minutes
Serves: 8
200g Greek yoghurt
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
50g harissa paste
1 tbsp garlic granules
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ras el hanout
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and black pepper
2 large cauliflowers, cut into large florets
Olive oil
3 red onions, roughly chopped
2 red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced or grated
2 tbsp tomato purée
400g rice
1 x 400g tin crushed tomatoes
800ml vegetable stock
Optional: pickled red onion, crumbled feta and flat-leaf parsley
Combine the yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, harissa, garlic granules, oregano, turmeric, ras el hanout, coriander and cumin with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Add the cauliflower and coat it thoroughly in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.
Heat the oven to 200°C, or 180°C fan. Add a splash of olive oil to a large ovenproof sauté pan and place it over high heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook for two to three minutes, until lightly charred. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the tomato purée and cook for one minute. Stir in the rice and toast briefly, then pour in the crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
Arrange the marinated cauliflower over the rice and transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for around 30 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and browned and the rice has absorbed the liquid.
Serve with pickled red onion, crumbled feta and flat-leaf parsley, if desired.
To freeze, divide the cooled dish into airtight containers and store for up to three months. Reheat thoroughly until piping hot all the way through.
<h3>Thai-Style Fishcakes</h3>
Prep: 5 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Cook: 15 minutes
Serves: 8
500g skinless, boneless cod or haddock
200g raw king prawns, shelled
3 tbsp green Thai curry paste
2 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped
50g fresh ginger, peeled
4 garlic cloves
1–2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp palm sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 eggs
Up to 200g cornflour
Olive oil
Optional: sweet chilli sauce, pickled vegetables, rice noodles, Thai basil, mint and lime wedges
Place the fish, prawns, curry paste, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, palm sugar, soy sauce and eggs in a food processor. Blend until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
Transfer it to a bowl and gradually mix in enough cornflour to create a soft, slightly sticky mixture that can still be shaped.
With damp hands, divide the mixture into 16 portions of about 70g each and shape them into patties approximately 2cm thick. Arrange them on a lightly oiled tray and chill for at least one hour.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the fishcakes in batches for three to four minutes on each side, until golden and cooked through.
To freeze, arrange the uncooked fishcakes on a tray and freeze until firm, then transfer them to an airtight container. They can be stored for up to three months. Cook from frozen over medium-low heat for around five to six minutes on each side, ensuring they are piping hot in the centre before serving.
With a little preparation, both dishes turn the freezer into a genuine midweek shortcut while still delivering the bold, comforting flavours that make a home-cooked meal worth looking forward to.
