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Chef

Greenwich Pantry

Themes

Making in multiple steps (fatigue)

Freezing advice

Summary

In this recipe, we’ll show you how you can make beef stew on the hob or in a slow cooker. We’ll also include information about a vegetarian alternative.

Cost to make

Below are the prices for the main recipe and the alternatives. The first value is how much you would spend if you had to buy everything. The second is how much you would spend based only on the amount you used.

£13.82 / £8.85 Diced beef (800g)
£7.94 / £2.97 Mushrooms sliced and frozen (1kg)

All prices based on Aldi website taken on 6 December.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped

• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 3 carrots, halved and cut into chunks (get estimated volume for buying frozen or tinned)

• 2 bay leaves

• ½ pack thyme

• 2 tbsp tomato purée

• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2 beef stock cubes or stock pots (question about salt levels: Try some tomato paste with a small pinch of LoSalt or drizzle of low sodium soy sauce. You’ll need to taste it to find the levels that are right for you.)

  • Or veggie stock cubes

• 900g beef for braising such as skirt

  • Vegetarian alternative: mushrooms

• ½ small bunch of parsley, chopped

Methods / Notes

Chop onions, celery and carrots.

Take a break here if you need.

Using a frying pan, fry the onion and celery in 1 tbsp oil over a low heat until they start to soften – about 5 mins.

Add the carrots, bay and thyme, and fry for 2 mins.

Stir in the purée and Worcestershire sauce.

Tip all of this into your slow cooker or a large pot.

If you need to take a break, this is a good point to do it.

Add 600ml boiling water and stir.

Crumble over the stock cubes or add the stock pots and stir, then season with pepper (don’t add salt as the stock may be salty).

Wipe out the frying pan and fry the beef (or mushroom or soya) in the remaining oil in batches until it is well browned.

Add batch into the slow cooker or pan.

Slow cooker: Cook on low for 8-10 hrs, or on high for 4 hrs.

Hob: Cook on low for ??? hours.

Stir in the parsley and season again to taste.

Serve with mash or just some bread.

If you want to freeze it, make sure you let it cool before freezing.

Chef

Greenwich Pantry

Themes

Advice on freezing

One-handed chopping

Swallowing difficulties

Summary

In this recipe, we’re going to make a vegan-friendly soup that can be made in a big batch and then frozen to eat later. We’ll also have some tips on changing the consistency for anyone with swallowing difficulties.

Cost to make

Below are the prices for the main recipe and the alternatives. The first value is how much you would spend if you had to buy everything. The second is how much you would spend based only on the amount you used.

£5.57 / £2.10

All prices based on Aldi website taken on 6 December.

Ingredients

• 85g dried red lentils

• 2 carrots, quartered lengthways then diced (get estimated volume for buying frozen or tinned)

• 3 sticks celery, sliced

• 2 small leeks, sliced

• 2 tbsp tomato purée

• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder (question about salt levels)

• 1 heaped tsp ground coriander

Methods / Notes

Chop your carrots, celery and leeks.

You can set these aside and take a break if you need.

Rinse your lentils until the water runs clear.

Tip all the ingredients into a large pan.

Pour over 1½ litres boiling water, then stir well.

Cover and leave to simmer for 30 mins until the vegetables and lentils are tender.

If you want to thicken it, remove between one third and one-half of the soup and blend this. Then stir it back into the rest.

Ladle into bowls and eat straightaway. Or you can ladle into small containers and leave to cool, freezing once it has cooled.

Chef

Greenwich Pantry

Themes

Cooking in a slow cooker or pan

Batch cooking for freezing

Summary

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to make a simple tomato sauce that you can freeze and use whenever you want.

Cost to make

Below are the prices for the main recipe and the alternatives. The first value is how much you would spend if you had to buy everything. The second is how much you would spend based only on the amount you used.

£8.27 / £1.38

All prices based on Aldi website taken on 6 December.

Ingredients

• 1 brown onion

• 4 cloves garlic

• 2 tins chopped tomatoes

• 1 (142g) tin/tube tomato puree

• 1 tbsp dried basil

• 1.5 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 4 tbsp butter

• 1 tsp salt (or to taste) (question about salt levels)

Methods / Notes

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Place both in a 3 quart or larger slow cooker or a large saucepan.

Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and butter to the slow cooker. Stir everything together well.

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.

If you’re cooking on the hob, place a lid on and cook for…..stirring occasionally.

After cooking, give it a good stir, then add salt to taste. Start with just ½ tsp of salt.

Use the sauce immediately, refrigerate, or freeze for later.

Chef

Greenwich Pantry

Themes

Tips to make in an air fryer

No fat

Summary

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to make perfect roast potatoes in either an air fryer or just in the oven.

Cost to make

Below are the prices for the main recipe and the alternatives. The first value is how much you would spend if you had to buy everything. The second is how much you would spend based only on the amount you used.

£6.51 / £0.54

All prices based on Aldi website taken on 6 December.

Below are the prices for the main recipe and the alternatives. The first value is how much you would spend if you had to buy everything. The second is how much you would spend based only on the amount you used.

£6.51 / £0.71

All prices based on Aldi website taken on 6 December.

Ingredients

• 1 and ½ pounds potatoes

• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder or paste (question about salt levels)

• ¾ teaspoon salt (or LoSalt or less) (question about salt levels)

• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

• Oven only: 2 tsp plain flour

• Olive oil

  • Air fryer: 2 tablespoons

  • Oven: 75ml

Methods / Notes

Air fryer

Oven

Peel and cut potatoes into pieces. The size is up to you, but if you’re cooking in an air fryer, you can go slightly smaller.

Make up your spice mix

If you need to, you can take a break now. Just cover the potatoes with water to prevent them from drying out.

Put the roasting dish in the oven with the oil in it to heat the oil.

Drop the potatoes into a large pan and pour in enough water to barely cover them.

Wait for the water to boil. As soon as the water reaches a full rolling boil, lower the heat, put your timer on and simmer the potatoes uncovered, reasonably vigorously, for 2 mins.

In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with olive oil, smoked paprika, and garlic granules, and season with salt and pepper. Make sure that the potatoes are well coated.

Sprinkle with 2 tsp flour and give another shake or two so they are evenly and thinly coated.

Place in the Air Fryer basket, and roast at 195°C for 10 minutes.

Carefully put the potatoes into the hot oil – they will sizzle as they go in – then turn and roll them around so they are coated all over.

Flip the potatoes, and roast for 10 more minutes.

Spread them in a single layer making sure they have plenty of room.

Roast the potatoes for 15 mins, then take them out of the oven and turn them over.

Roast for another 15 mins and turn them over again.

Put them back in the oven for another 10-20 mins, or however long it takes to get them really golden and crisp. The colouring will be uneven, which is what you want.

Chef

Greenwich Pantry

Themes

Making in multiple steps for fatigue

Vegetarian/vegan

Summary

In this recipe, we’re going to show you how to make a popular West African dish.

Cost to make

Below are the prices for the main recipe and the alternatives. The first value is how much you would spend if you had to buy everything. The second is how much you would spend based only on the amount you used.

£10.12 / £2.44

All prices based on Aldi website taken on 6 December.

Ingredients

• 3 cups long-grain brown rice

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (or tinned?)

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 inch ginger, chopped

• 1/2 Scotch Bonnet pepper, or 2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper

• 1/4 cup oil

• 2 teaspoons curry powder

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 vegetable bouillon (question about salt levels)

• 2 1/2 cups water, or vegetable broth if omitting bouillon

• salt, to taste

Methods / Notes

Wash the brown rice and set aside.

Rough chop the tomatoes, pepper, onion and ginger.

Feel free to take a break now if you need.

Puree tomato, bell pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, and Scotch Bonnet pepper in a blender until smooth.

If you’re worried about it being too spicy, just use less of the Scotch Bonnet pepper.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add pureed sauce from the blender, and cook for about 3 minutes while stirring.

Add curry powder, thyme, tomato paste, and vegetable bouillon, and cook for another 2 minutes while stirring.

Add rice and stir to coat it with the sauce.

Add water or vegetable broth to the pot, and salt to taste.

Bring to a full boil, then cover and reduce to low heat.

Allow the rice to cook until tender and fluffy, usually about 50 minutes. Note that brown rice will need about 45 to 50 minutes to be properly cooked.

Chef

Chris

Themes

One-handed chopping

Making in multiple steps (fatigue)

Customising flavours

Summary

In this recipe, we’ll show you how to make a vegetable traybake that you can customise to your tastes. We’ll include making it more spicy or savoury and using different protein options.

Cost to make

Below are the prices for the main recipe and the alternatives. The first value is how much you would spend if you had to buy everything. The second is how much you would spend based only on the amount you used.

£11.61 / £5.39 Fresh sausages
£12.01 / £4.90 Frozen sausages
£10.92 / £4.70 Feta
£13.51 / £7.29 Cod

All prices based on Aldi website taken on 6 December.

Ingredients

• 8 100% pork sausages (frozen is fine, but defrost first) or cod (how much?) or feta (one block cut into blocks)

• 300g baby potatoes, quartered (or tinned?)

• 400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 2 red peppers, roughly chopped

• 4 mini corn on the cob, each sliced into 3 pieces

• 1 large red onion, cut into quarters

Sauce

• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• ½ lemon, juiced

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika (or 1 tsp if you just want the smokey flavour without any of the spice)

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• If you want this spicier, you can add some chopped chilis or dried chilli flakes

Garnish (optional)

• Lemon wedges

• ½ a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Methods / Notes

Chop potatoes, peppers, corn, onion, and garlic.

Combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and spices in a small bowl, seasoning well.

Option to take a break: If you want to take a break here, cover these in a bowl and pop it in the fridge. This will keep overnight if you need, just make sure it is in a sealed container.

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.

Put the potatoes, chickpeas, peppers, corn slices and onion in a large baking tray.

Add the sausages or feta now if you’re using them. Chop the feta into squares.

If you’re using fish instead, don’t add it now. Just go with the vegetables.

Pour the oil mixture over the vegetables and toss (or stir) to coat.

Cover securely with foil and roast for 30 minutes.

Take out of the oven and uncover. If you’re using fish, add it now.

Put it back in the oven and roast for a further 30 minutes or until cooked.

You want the sausages (or fish) to be cooked through. The potatoes should be tender and everything should be nicely golden.

While that’s cooking, chop the parsley and lemon wedges.

Serve sprinkled with the parsley and lemon wedges to squeeze over