The Week UK - 28.03.2020

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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