The Lockdown Larder Homemade Tinned Tomato Soup

Remember the taste of the very popular branded canned soup from your childhood…well this is a close second!

Serves: 4

Prep: 5mins

Cook: 25mins

Ingredients: 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (drained weight 240g), 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, vegetable stock made with 300ml of boiling water, 2 tbsps of cream cheese, 1 tbsp of tomato puree and a little oil for frying.

Method:

1. Chop the onion and garlic and soften in a little oil for a few minutes

2. Add the tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil and then keep on a low simmer for 20mins

3. After 20mins add the cream cheese and puree and cook for a few minutes more until melted

4. Blitz in a food processor

5. Slurp and enjoy!

 

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The Lockdown Larder – Friday Night Freezer Rice with Cheeky Chorizo

Want a tasty treat this evening without having to make an unnecessary visit to the supermarket? Then try this…my Friday Night Freezer Rice with Cheeky Chorizo, something that can be enjoyed by all the family! 

Please note that this dish can easily be made to suit a vegan or veggie diet by omitting the chorizo and using veggie stock. 

Serves: 4

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 20mins

Ingredients: Thumb sized piece of chorizo, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of rice (long grain, basmati or risotto will work), three cups of frozen veg of your choice, I used sweetcorn, peas and butternut squash, 1 stock cube like chicken or vegetable, 2 tsp of harissa paste if you have, if not 1 tsp of tomato puree and 1 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp of dried oregano or dried thyme, a little oil for frying, jarred black olives and lemon slices to serve if you have.

Method:

1. Cut the chorizo, onion and garlic into small pieces and fry in a lidded pan with a little oil for a few minutes, until the onion is softened and has taken on some of the colour from the chorizo
2. Add your rice and give it a good stir, so that it is coated in all of the juices from the onion mix
3. Make up 1 stock cube with two cups of boiling water, (same cup you used to measure the rice)
4. Pour the stock into the pan and give it a good stir
5. Add you frozen veg and tomato puree or harissa paste with the dried herbs
6. Give another good stir, bring to the boil and then simmer lid on for 10mins
7. After 10mins the rice should be al dente, but if you prefer it softer, add 1/2 a cup of water and cook for a further 5mins lid on
8. Serve with a few olives and fresh lemon slices if you have
9. Dig in!

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The Lockdown Larder Frozen Berry and Banana Smoothie

Good Morning All! 

There’s no reason you can’t still have your morning smoothie during lockdown with this easy recipe.

Serves: 1 (for more just double the quantities)

Prep: 2 mins
Cook: 0 mins

Ingredients: 1/2 Frozen or fresh banana, handful of frozen berries like raspberries, cup of milk of your choice

Method:

1. Blitz all ingredients in a food processor
2. Drink and feel virtuous!

Remember Bananas can make excellent basis for smoothies especially when frozen, my tip would be to cut up ripe bananas and freeze in a freezable container and just add to smoothies and milkshakes when needed. 

 

The Lockdown Larder – Chocolate Flapjacks

Fancy making a batch of these yummy treats with what you already have in? Then try these chocolate flapjacks as porridge oats aren’t just for breakfast and also uses up any bits of chocolate you have left at home! 

Makes: 12

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15mins plus cooling time.

Ingredients: 225g of oats, 125g butter, 125g of brown or white sugar, 2 – 3 tbsps. of honey, on any type of syrup that you have, 40g/50g of any left over chocolate you have in the house white, dark or milk!

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 180F
2. Put the sugar and butter into a pan and melt over a medium heat
3. Turn off the heat and stir in the oats and honey or syrup
4. Pour into a lined baking tray (roughly 18×28 cms)
5. Cook in the oven for 15 mins
6.  Allow to completely cool, then melt your chocolate on the hob or in the microwave for about a minute and drizzle all over your flapjack
7. Allow the chocolate to cool then cut into 12 pieces
8.  Enjoy!

The Lockdown Larder

As we live through these uncertain times, I wanted to help those of you in lockdown, staying at home and self-isolating to find easy and nutritious ways to keep cooking without having to make a trip to the supermarket or local shop until it’s really necessary or spend hours week on week in an online shopping queue.

Last year I set myself a task of creating new dishes from around the world for 52 weeks. Through this experience I gained a huge insight to the different ingredients and types of cooking used throughout the world especially in countries that do not have access to the abundance of ingredients that many of us have in the Western world.  My family and I have been on lockdown for two weeks so far and I am already finding that I am able to use the information gathered last year to better prepare for cooking within limits.

So as of now I will re-share some of my old recipes and create new ones, some of The Lockdown Larder Recipes are already there waiting for you, just click on the pink link, focussing on making the most of what you already have in your store cupboard, freezers and other staples that hopefully you will have at home. For some of the recipes created so far using mostly store cupboard and freezer ingredients, please click on.

I have also put together a list of products and ingredients you might want to add to your next shop. You may notice that this does not include that many fresh products as these need replenishing more often.

This is not a definitive list and should be used only as a guide to help you prepare for the weeks ahead…So here goes:

Fresh Produce 

Bread (to then be frozen and used as needed)
Cream cheese
Cheeses like parmesan and strong cheddar
Butter or spread
Eggs
Bananas (can be peeled, frozen and added to smoothies)
Lemons/Limes
Potatoes
Garlic
Onions

Freezer 

Frozen fruits like berries
Frozen veg like peas and butternut squash (great for tagines)
Chicken
Quorn
Mince
Fish
Fish fingers (of course!)

 

Store Cupboard  

Porridge Oats (can also be used to make flapjacks)
Long life milk/Oat milk or alternatives
Pasta any type
Rice any type
Noodles
Coconut milk
Baked beans
Other various types of beans
Lentils (dried goes further than canned)
Tinned tomatoes
Flour self-raising, bread flour (can be used as pizza bases)
Sugar
Baking Powder
Tomato puree
Passata
Sweetcorn
Jelly cubes
Stock cubes
Dried herbs and spices
Honey or syrup
Harissa
Pesto
Curry paste
Olive oil/Sun flower oil
Vinegar
Mayonnaise
Jam
Peanut butter
Tinned Tuna
Mustards like wholegrain and Dijon
Sweet chilli sauce
Soy Sauce

Some little extras 

Chorizo
Pancetta
Chocolate
Olives
Dried fruits
Nuts to add crunch, for baking and stir fries.

 

STAY SAFE, STAY HOME

Good luck x