The Week UK - 28.03.2020

(Nandana) #1
39

28 March 2020 THE WEEK

Food & Drink

LEISURE

Eating well in the corona-crisis

Alloverthe country, restaurants and
caféshave closed. Thesandwichshops
andcoffeechainsthatfeedtheworkforce
have drawndowntheir shutters.Andwith
supermarketshelves strippedassoonas
theyarefilled,millionsofpeople –
manyof whomdon’tusuallycook–are
wonderingwhat theyaregoingto eatfor
thenextfewweeks.Thegoodnews forthe
non-cooksisthatnoone needsacookery
book intheonlineage;and therearealso
websitesandapps thatwillsuggestrecipes
basedon theingredientsyou alreadyhave.
Supercook(supercook.com)isoneofthe
best-knownofthese.


Judgingbythestateofthesupermarkets,
manyBritonsareplanningto live offpasta
alpomodoroforthenext three months,
saidFelicityCloakein TheGuardian.
“Deliciousasthatis,stock your cupboards
with alittlemore thought, and you will
thankyourselflater,lockdownornot.”
Pasta, ofcourse,isyour friend,butdon’t
forgetthemanythingsyou cando with
rice.There’sno need tofretabouthaving
theright variety: basmati isnotusualin
arisotto, forinstance,but youcanuse it.
Thenlook forcouscous,polenta, noodles
andbulgarwheat (whichmaybeingreater
supplyintheshops).


Inlastweek’spanic,there wasarushon
tinnedfood,saidSimoneRoberts inthe
Birmingham Mail,fromkidneybeansand
peachslicestotunaandmackerel.All
theseareuseful tohave, butfreshproduce
islikelyto remaininplentifulsupply–so


youcanbuythatand,if youdon’t use
it,freezeit.Bananasgoingblackcan be
peeledand frozen,for use laterin banana
bread orsmoothies.Or usethe vegand
fruittomakeasmoothienow,andfreeze
it intolollies oricecubes.Ofcourse,if
freshproduceisrunninglow,youmight
findfrozen fruit orveg;andinsteadoftins,
try largebags ofdriedlentils,peasand
beans–foundat Asiansupermarkets –to
boilat home(dofollowtheinstructions).
They’re cheaperandeasierto store.

Beansareastorecupboardessential,said
AlyWalanskyinForbes. They areagreat
sourceofprotein,fibreandpotassium,and
cannellini beans,forinstance, are notonly
versatile,they arealsocomfortin gand
delicious.Butremember toconsider how

you’ll add flavourtoyourdishes. You
mightwant someolives,in atinor jar;
maybesome anchovies(for aputtanesca);
coconut milkforcurries; sesameseeds,
dried mushrooms,sundriedtoma toes and
nuts–whichcan beaddedtoanythingor
used asasnack.Makesure youhaveoils
(olive, sesameetc.)condiments (soysauce,
Marmite,fishsauce ,miso, ketchup,
mayo),aswellas arange ofspices(cumin,
coriander,chilliflakes),pickles(capers,
jalapenos) and,ofcourse, driedherbs,said
DaleBerningSawainThe Guardian.Now
–amongotherdishes–you areallsetfora
pilaf:getsomecookedrice,putit inapan
withadrizzle ofoil,sautée itbrisklywith
somefinelychoppedveg–or tinnedfish,
curedmeatorslicedleftovers.Thenadd
yourchosencondiment andasplashof
water,coverit,and steam fortenminutes.

Ifyouhaven’troomtofreezebread,make
your own,saidtheDailyMail.Flatbreads
areveryeasy(getsomebakingsoda);as is
asimpleloaf, madefrom instant dried
yeast, salt,flour andwater; some recipes
don’tevenrequire kneading.(Pinchofyum.
comhasone: MiracleNoKneadBread.
It’sextremely simple, butdoes requirea
longrisetime.) Thetempta tion willbeto
gorge ontoast andbiscuits, butdried
apricotsmakeforahealthiersnack.
Finally,trynotto look onthe cookingas
achore, saidMeganMcCluskeyinTime,
but asaproductiveuseofnew-foundtime,
acalmingdistractionfromaworldof
worry,and perhapsafunthingtodo with
boredchildrentoo.

Restaurants are closed; get your apron on


  • If you haven’t gotagoodsupply of stay-fresh
    containers in which to keep vegetables and
    leftovers, now might be the time to restock
    your tupperware. At least if we’re in lockdown,
    when either the lids or bottoms mysteriously
    disappear from the cupboard, you’ll know they
    are somewhere in the house.

  • If you addapinch of salt to milk, it should last
    up toaweek longer. But you can also freeze milk;
    it may not haveavery good consistency when it
    comes out, but it should be fine to use. Put it into
    the freezer sealed, and defrost it in the fridge
    before use.

  • Some harder cheeses can be frozen, including
    cheddar (either in blocks or grated). But cheeses
    like parmesan last for ages in the fridge, especially if unopened.
    Look at the sell-by date on your supermarket parmesan: it might
    be in late June. Butter freezes too, for up to four months.

  • Cooked eggs lastafew days in the fridge; raw ones keep much
    longer–and you can also freeze raw eggs, but not in their shells.
    Try cracking them intoamuffin tray.

  • Potatoeslast best when stored inacardboard box or bag, in a
    cool, dark place. If it’s cooler than room temperature, they might
    last two months. If not, it’ll be more like two weeks. If they get


sprouts but otherwise look OK, you can still use
them, once you’ve cut the bits off.


  • Awhole clove of garlic will last up to six months.
    Unpeeled individual cloves start to go off in a
    couple of weeks; peeled, they will lastafew days
    in the fridge. Onions keep for weeks in the summer
    and months in the winter.

    • Dried pasta lasts up toayear, and is best stored
      in aglass jar inacool, dark place. Flour, though, is
      best used up within eight months (and it should
      also be kept inacool, dark place).Uncooked rice
      lasts years if it is white, but only six or so months
      if it’s brown.



  • Meat stores very well inafreezer; but so does
    seafood. Some prawns will addabit of interes tto
    abasic rice or noodle meal.

  • Popcorn isagreat sourceoffibre ,and children love it. You
    could sprinkle some parmesan on top instead of salt, or add
    chopped dried fruit as an alternative to sugar. If you have frozen
    fruit such as raspberries, children may have fun turning them
    into milkshakes and smoothies.

  • For salads, don’t forget bean salads and variations on niçoise
    in which you can use store cupboard ingredients such as hard-
    boiled eggs, black olives and tinned tuna.


How to store your ingredients and other tips

As suggested by the Daily Mail, CNN and Forbes
Free download pdf