Allen - Fast suppers and easy meals

Easy Meals Rachel Allen Over 180 delicious recipes to get
you through your busy life Contents Heather Favell I t seems like we all lead such hectic lifestyles these days. Even though I love to cook, often I just dont have the time to make complicated food. Id love to spend six hours cooking an elaborate meal, but sometimes it just isnt realistic. I think thats true for a lot of people. Our lives are so busy now it can be difficult to set aside time to cook. That said, I dont think its always the case that the more time you take over a meal the better it is.

Truly great food can often be made in minutes and only using four or five ingredients. Its not just time though; I often want fuss-free food for other reasons. Some days, for instance, I might cook a one-pot dish that bubbles away in the oven as I get on with other things. The other advantage of one-pot cooking is that with everything ready at the same time I dont have to coordinate various different side dishes. There are other times when I cant get to the shops so I need to make something using only ingredients that I already have at home. It is always so satisfying to be able to make good food using only things I can find in my cupboards, fridge or freezer, which means being able to use specific ingredients cleverly as well as knowing what things its worth stocking up on.

This book is about times like these, when you want to cook a great meal but dont want lots of complex steps either in the preparation or in the actual cooking. Thats why you'll find a chapter with recipes that use only five ingredients or fewer. Ive also included a whole chapter for when you dont feel like turning on the oven at all. The recipes are unapologetically simple and straightforward most are very quick from start to finish yet they never compromise on flavour. A hectic lifestyle doesnt have to mean reaching for a sugary snack or ordering a takeaway. Its perfectly possible to cook wholesome food without too much time or fuss.

This book shows you how to do just that make food that is quick and simple yet always delicious. PS. The oven temperatures in this book are for a conventional oven, but if I am using a fan oven then I usually reduce the temperature by 10 per cent. We all have times when we need to create a meal using only what we have in the cupboard, fridge or freezer. To prepare for those times when you cant get to the shops, its worth stocking up on basic ingredients with a long shelf-life. Tinned tomatoes and beans as well as dried pulses and pasta are perfect for such occasions.

The recipes in this chapter also include meats such as bacon and leftover roast chicken, which I often have in my fridge. My freezer is usually full of things such as minced lamb or beef and, of course, peas. I sometimes keep a few long-life and versatile luxury foods too, such as dried porcini mushrooms or artichoke hearts preserved in oil. Its not just savoury dishes that you can make with what you have on your shelves. Dry ingredients such as nuts, dried fruit and chocolate both powdered and solid make the store cupboard a treasure trove for baking and desserts. This is a rustic take on classic French onion soup.

The lentils make it substantial and nutritious as well as bringing their own unique earthy flavour. The croutons are the perfect finishing touch, though you can make the soup without them if you prefer. Serves 4 (v, if using vegetable stock) PREPARATION TIME
10 minutes COOKING TIME
1 hour 4 tbsp olive oil 6 onions (about 900g/2lb in total), peeled and finely sliced Salt and freshly ground black pepper 150g (5oz) Puy lentils 3 tsp finely chopped rosemary leaves 1 litre (1 pints) chicken or vegetable stock For the Gruyre croutons 4 slices of white bread 75g100g (33oz) Gruyre cheese, grated * Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan on a medium heat and, when nearly hot, add the onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook, uncovered, for 2530 minutes, stirring regularly and scraping the bottom of the pan to dislodge the caramelised pieces and mix them in, until the onions are a deep golden brown. * Add the lentils, rosemary and stock. * Shortly before the soup is ready, preheat the grill to high to make the croutons (if using). * Toast the bread on both sides, then cover each slice with a thick layer of grated cheese. * Toast the bread on both sides, then cover each slice with a thick layer of grated cheese.

Place back under the grill and toast until bubbling and melted. * Season the finished soup with salt and pepper to taste and divide between bowls to serve. Place a whole crouton on top of each bowl of soup and add a grinding of black pepper. (If the slices of bread are too large, you may want to cut them into squares before serving.) Rachels tip I always like to cook using extra virgin olive oil as I think it provides a divine depth of flavour. Throughout these recipes I've just called for olive oil but I recommend using extra virgin if you can, especially when used in a dressing. Artichoke hearts in a tin or jar are one of the more luxurious preserved foods.

Combined with semi-sun-dried tomatoes and preserved roasted red peppers, this is a really wonderful dish. Serves 4 PREPARATION TIME
5 minutes 125g (4oz) preserved artichoke hearts (from a jar or tin), cut into bite-sized pieces 75g (3oz) preserved roasted red peppers (from a jar or tin), cut into 2cm (in) dice 50g (2oz) semi-sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped red onion, peeled and finely chopped 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tsp red wine vinegar 2 tsp pesto Salt and freshly ground black pepper * Simply mix everything together in a big bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. The intense flavours of sun-dried tomatoes and pesto can transform a tin of tuna into something really special. You can make this 23 hours ahead store in the fridge until ready to serve. Serves 46 PREPARATION TIME
5 minutes 4 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes 2 x 400g tins of haricot beans, drained and rinsed 4 small spring onions, trimmed and sliced at an angle 120ml (4fl oz) olive oil 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 2 tbsp pesto 2 x 185g tins of tuna, drained and broken into chunks Salt and freshly ground black pepper * In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients apart from the tuna, then carefully stir in the tuna, keeping it in chunks. I generally have a few mushrooms in my fridge they are quick to cook and this is a great way of serving them.