More treasure for the chest … freezer

Are you with me so far? I should probably be asking are you still interested!

Next up, more elements for you to make and freeze – not necessarily quickly – but you'll be really pleased with the results when you can assemble delicious home-made meals – fast.

Who doesn't love a curry – everyone needs a curry sauce in their culinary library – here's mine:

Chip Shop Curry Sauce

50g unsalted butter

2 large onions, finely sliced and chopped

1 tsp of ginger paste

4 roasted garlic cloves

3 tbsp mild curry powder

3 tbsp malt vinegar

½ tsp star anise powder

500ml of the slow cooked star anise chicken stock

2 tbsp slaked cornflour

2 tbsp lemon juice

160ml coconut cream

Using a large saucepan melt the butter and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Fry gently until soft – about 15 minutes, make sure there's no colour. Add the curry powder, star anise powder and vinegar, fry for another minute. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer gently for 25 minutes, stir occasionally, you don't want it to stick.

Add two tbsp of water to the cornflour, mix and pour into the sauce. Simmer for another 5 minutes, stir until you've got a silky, thickened sauce. Blitz with a hand blender until smooth, add the lemon juice.

You will get approximately 630g of thick curry sauce - I'd divide in half - 315g into two boxes and deposit in the treasure chest!

The sauce freezes well and I'd suggest you might want to do so in portions you know will suit you best. Remember, you can always take out more than one box, infinitely better than wasting part of a larger one.

Defrost the sauce in the fridge, then tip into a medium saucepan and warm it through. If you want to loosen the thickness but enrich the sauce add 160ml of coconut cream and stir until thoroughly absorbed.

It's difficult to get the right balance of “heat” and “spice” in a curry sauce and inevitably you can't please everyone. Chip shop curry is not as strong as traditional curries. To give you an idea of “heat” and “spice” I'd say it's not as hot and spicy as a rendang and not as mild as a korma, so middle for diddle, suitable for everyone.

Clearly this curry sauce takes time – I can only say that it's definitely worth the effort!

By the way, you don't have to use the anise chicken stock, ordinary chicken stock is fine or vegetable stock if you want a veggie version.

Next … what to do with a lump of leftover roast beef

Fast food suppers – then there's gammon!

If you don't fancy slow cooking a whole chicken or would like another idea – slow cook a gammon joint, smoked or not - to your own taste.

I always slow cook gammon in vegetable stock. Seal your joint – carefully in a drop of rapeseed oil and transfer to your slow cooker. Bring your stock to the boil and then pour over the gammon. You'll need enough stock to cover two thirds of the gammon. As a guide a 1.6kg/3lb 8oz joint – boneless and rolled – slow cooked for four hours will give you 6-8 portions, you can cook it for longer if you want to achieve “pulled pork”.

Gammon is perfect for the slow cooker and it's versatile. Use as an alternative to go with Squeak, Champ or Colcannon. Beetroot would make a great side – relish or roasted – check out the Beetroot label for recipes.

Leftovers or deliberates – the same applies as with any meat or poultry buy as large a joint or bird as you can afford. You don't have to rush to transform the gammon (or anything else you're slow cooking for that matter) if you're pushed for time then, as an example, freeze your leftover gammon – in lumps. If you slice the gammon and then freeze it will dry out. Defrost in the fridge then slice or cube to suit. If you have a large lump then cut in half – wrap, bag and freeze. Oh and don't forget the stock too.

If you've been following the multitasking principles, lets take a moment and review the contents of your freezer to date. You've cooked a roast – whilst you were at it you've filled your oven with fish and potatoes and used your slow cooker. You've slow cooked a chicken and have bags of meat – probably mixed – anise stock and vegetable stock ready for sauces and/or soups and/or a joint of gammon too.

Don't forget to shop smart – check out the deals.

You've made the most of your time, saved money on your electricity/gas bill, saved money on your grocery bill and your freezer is snug with real food – ready to complete your own “ready” meals. If you play your cards right and cook this way, you'll have at least one week each month where all you need to do is pull ready cooked food from your freezer.

More treasure …

Fish Mornay Fotos

you can never have enough cheese

in a sauce!

the flaked fish – be gentle

the fish and sauce folded together -

I repeat, be gentle

before the oven

after the oven

yum!

If you don't need four servings then freeze what you don't need for a rainy day – you'll be glad you did.

Then there's another idea ...

Fast Fish Mornay – the method plus hints and tips

When you're ready to assemble, preheat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

You can use foil trays – 24x24cms to serve 4 or smaller if you want individual servings, otherwise a square casserole.

Open up your foiled fish and tip it into a large mixing bowl. Break the fish into chunks, gently, then season with black pepper. If you're using cooked, peeled prawns, now is the time to add them. There will be jelly from the cooked fish – discard or include – it's all flavour and will combine with the sauce you've made. If you've not used any smoked fish then you may want to add a sprinkle of salt. Add your Mornay sauce and fold to mix, gently.

Tip the mixture into your tray or casserole.

Add the sliced cooked potatoes, add a knob or two of butter and ground black pepper. If you're feeling really decadent then sprinkle grated Parmesan over the top.

Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with vibrant fresh veggies, preferably steamed or, dare I say, with a coleslaw or, if feeling really Northern, mushy peas!

Back to the three negative comments about fish.

Some may say it's extravagant to use cod loin in a fish pie – they'd be right. However if you're trying to convince your family to eat fish it would be a good idea to use a fish that doesn't have any bones. Using smoked fish with non-smoked gives a far less “fishy” taste. The disguise is the delicious strong cheese sauce. Tick, tick and tick!

Oh and by the way the Dijon mustard is optional but it does give an excellent zing.

Fish Mornay Fotos coming up …

Fast Fish Mornay

Fish Mornay

Serves 4

2 large baking potatoes – stab carefully with a

paring knife, wrap in foil and bake for 1 hour at

180fan/200c/Gas 6 – already done!

Set aside to cool then slice thinly – skin on or

off – personal choice

Whilst your potatoes are baking wrap 500g of fresh

fish in foil and bake for the last 15 minutes of your

potato baking time – use a timer – already done!

Set the fish aside to cool

Your fish can be a mixture of whatever you choose – for example, mix smoked haddock or cod with salmon and prawns – it's whatever floats your boat – pardon the pun. If you're using cooked peeled prawns as part of your 500g of fish then don't add them until you're assembling your mornay.

Next up the sauce for your fish :

Mornay Sauce

Serves 4-6

40g unsalted butter

40g plain flour

600ml of milk – I use semi skimmed

150g mature Cheddar cheese

(or a combination of Cheddar and gruyere)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook gently for a minute, stirring and add the mustard – make sure you don't brown the mixture. Gradually add the milk whisking constantly and eventually bring to the boil, whisking until it's smooth and thick. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes, then add the cheese and season. I'd taste before you add salt – there's salt in the cheese – adjust accordingly. Your sauce should be a stiff consistency.

You can make the sauce ahead, fridge or freeze.

Fast Fish Mornay the method plus hints and tips next ...

More fast food ideas for suppers …

The idea here, apart from creating suppers for your working week, is to build up a stock of all sorts in your freezer, elements that you can pull together easily and hey presto, your meal for the evening.

Some elements can take longer than others but they're definitely worth the effort. I've already suggested that you bake Asian Spiced Salmon whilst you're cooking your roast dinner. Ideally the salmon gives you either a lunch during the week or morphs into a supper if you prefer.

Here's the thing – lots of people aren't that keen on fish – the three comments I hear the most – it's full of bones or it's too fishy or it's boring, no flavour.

Fish is good for us and if you want to convince yourself (and your family) you could enjoy it my theory is use the right fish and disguise it!

Instead of baking salmon whilst your oven is on, bake a mixture of fish – ready for a Fish Mornay.

Fish is expensive so you have to shop smart. I buy fish from Aldi and for this recipe I used cod loin and smoked haddock – 280g of cod loin for £3.79 and 250g of smoked haddock for £3.09 – certified and sustainable, responsibly sourced. £6.88 or £1.72 per person – you can freeze too.

If you follow the principles of baking potatoes and baking fish then you have one element to make for this recipe, the sauce and that element can be made ahead and fridged or frozen if you're ahead of the game.

See what you think …

Time for feedback …

… remember the Christmas gift with a difference - The Cheese, Potato and Onion pies for my two friends? I said then that the idea was the pies could be eaten on the day or frozen to eat later. One of my friends ate it that same evening – loved it and wants the recipe. My other friend said …

“... I forgot to say thank you for the pie – I had to freeze it, we're going to have it tomorrow.

Your pie was delicious. Thank you so much – well worth the wait for it – two very happy tummies, yum yum! A lovely gift.”

I got a huge hug and another recipe request!

Then there was the halloumi sandwich for Lucas … after the holidays he sent me an email …

“... It's so easy and better than a lot of the chain restaurants serve! Not squeaky or cold but fresh and melty with a fantastic coating – very hard not to eat the whole block. Which I did. A kinda “why have I not done this before now!” moment when you throw it into a wrap with some hot sauce and hummus and marvel in that it took next to no time to make!”

Finally, there was the “Get Well gift” of the Chicken and Mushroom Pie …

“... Yum, yum, yum that was soo delicious. Have I got the recipe? We loved it. Love you, thank you. P.s. Please forward menus!”

My work here is done and it was worth every minute.

Coming next … more elements for you to make and freeze when you have spare time, so you can assemble home-made food – fast - it's worth it!