How long should I cook it?
How long should you cook certain foods? Well, this is your basic guide to cooking basic items.
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Just a small add also in defrosting always make sure that everything you eat is fully defrosted before you start to heat it up. Don't risk it with a few pieces of ice still on the bottom, and definitely don't try and aid to the defrost by adding extra time in the microwave. This increases the likelihood of food poisoning and loss or alteration of taste.
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There is no such thing as sticking it in the microwave to warm up the last bit. I would hate for you to get food upset or poisoning.
Winter-warmer chicken soup
I adore making my own soup, and I have been cooking this one on the hob for a long time. It is my way of using up root vegtables I have left over in the fridge and provides me with the perfect winter comfort you need on cold rainy days. This came about after watching a creator making soup for one of her Shabbos meals and I loved it and adapted it to fit my likes.
I know a lot of people make soup in a slow cooker and we do have a tomato soup recipe using that (click become a member to find that recipe), but this one I make on the hob. There are actually several versions of this recipe and all are below here for you to try. All different ways to use up the end of stock veg from the fridge. No wasting food here!
Please note: do not use frozen chicken in the recipe. If you have bought or frozen chicken to use in this recipe, allow 24 hours before cooking to completely defrost.
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What you need for all versions of the recipe
1kg pack of Chicken wings
1 Swede
3 Carrots
2 Parsnips
Handful of basil
2 litre saucepan
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All ingredients from scratch
1. Leave the chicken on the bone for the cooking element in this recipe, it gives it more flavour.
2. Cut all vegetables into 1cm cubes, throw everything in a deep saucepan and cover completely with cold water.
3. Put on a high heat and bring to a boil.
4. Turn down the heat so the water is simmering and let it simmer on the stove for 3 hours. Make sure you cover the pot with a lid, but the pot must be steaming all 3 hours even when you lift the lid up.
5. When the timer is done, allow to cool and debone the chicken wings.
6. Portion into sections and put in the freezer.
7. Only reheat each portion once.
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Using leftovers
1. Chop vegetables into large chunks or if already left over from large pieces leave them in a leftover state.
2. Bring water to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer. When water is simmering place it carefully in the water along with the pre-cooked, unfrozen chicken in any form. (must be precooked, no food poisoning here!)
3. Let all elements simmer in the saucepan for about an hour to cook all the way through.
4. This should be eaten all in one go as it is a first reheat. You can allow it to cool, place it in the fridge and eat it cold at a later date. To avoid food poising do not reheat twice.
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With most of the things in the recipe, you can switch some of the root vegetables just make sure they are not soft root vegetables like potatoes which will lose their structural integrity after long hours of cooking.
Spaghetti sauce three ways
Day 1: Spaghetti Bolognese
Making spaghetti bolognese. It sounds scarier than it actually is, but there is nothing you should be afraid of.
What you need for this recipe
Large frying pan and small pasta pot
20g spaghetti per person
1/2 onion and 1/2 garlic
Olive oil (or your alternative)
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
20g mince per person (or vegan alternative)
1 tbsb cream cheese (or vegan alternative)
1 tbsp tomato paste
20g of frozen vegtables
Handful of basil
Pinch of salt
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Half-fill a pan of water, turn the heat to high, and add spaghetti. Bring to a boil, turn the pan down to medium heat, and let cook for 10 mins. It should be done around the same time as the sauce.
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Add a little oil (less than a teaspoon) to a warm frying pan. It can be non-stick or conventional.
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Turn the temperature of the pan up high. Add half an onion in a pan with some garlic.
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When the onion is brown, add mince (or vegan mince) to the pan.
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When the mince is brown, lower the temperature of the pan and drain off excess oil with a spoon into a glass jar. (See Household for why)
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Add one tin of chopped tomatoes, one tablespoon of cream cheese (or vegan alternative), and one tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir together in the frying pan to combine with the mince.
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When the liquid has reached boiling, turn down the heat to medium heat and leave to simmer. This will burn off any excess water and make a creamy sauce.
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After five minutes add frozen vegetables to the frying pan. Add a pinch of salt and a sprinkle of basil. Mix to combine and then continue to leave on medium heat to simmer.
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When the sauce is at the thickness you like, turn off the heat and combine in a bowl with the cooked spaghetti.
Day 2. Burritos.
The recipe is really easy and possibly the most delicious variation. It is a put all in a wrap and cover in cheese. You can eat these hot or cold, but we prefer hot!
What you need for this recipe
Tortilla wraps
Tomato mince sauce from yesterday
Cheese (or vegan alternative)
1/2 Bell pepper per person
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Turn oven on to 200 degrees Celsius
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Fill each wrap with some tomato sauce and mince. Add sliced bell pepper and cheese and roll into a cylinder shape.
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Place in an oven dish and cover with cheese.
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Cook for 15 mins until heated all the way through.
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Remove from oven and portion up with condiment of your choice.
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Day 3. Homemade Tomato soup.
This is the perfect Monday night recipe. If you wanted to add something extra, a couple of sun-dried tomatoes strained added to the liquidiser gives a nice edge.
What you need for this recipe
Sauce from last night's dinner
Seasonings you may want to add
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Liquidise (or not if you want to eat the vegetables whole) and eat the sauce as tomato soup.
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Add the amount of soup you want to a blender and liquidise. Add extra water if you need to.
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Put liquid in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on full power for 2 mins.
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Toast a slice of bread and butter it.
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After 2 mins of the soup in the microwave test to see if heated all the way through and enjoy! (but don't burn yourself by taking a big sip straight away.
As with most things we make here, don't forget you can freeze anything you don’t think you will use but it will keep in the fridge for a good four days after initial cooking.
Left-overs Pasta Casserole
Using up leftovers is one of the things we are really passionate about sharing.
There are always extra things in the fridge at the end of the week and this week I
decided to make it all into a pasta casserole.
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The items left over this week were a cooked chicken breast, broccoli, and pasta
which I combined with soft cheese to make a lovely easy meal. I also would have
added boiled red pepper and green beans if I had any leftover.
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Boil the pasta and add broccoli at the same time. Only fill the saucepan half full and
this will save on power and cooking time. Drain the water and add in the cooked
chicken right at the end. Leave all of the ingredients in the pan and spoon in two
teaspoons of the soft cheese, mix well. Put in an oven-proof bowl and put in the oven until golden.
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When fully cooked, cover in a small layer of cheese, mix, and serve.
