get your freeze on

As you may have noticed, I’ve been having trouble keeping up at the moment, as evidenced by my almost month-long absence from the site. With work, husband’s work, budgetary concerns, and other matters, my creative spark seems to have eluded me.

But that might not be it. Instead, my creative spark eludes me after I get off of the bus at 6:30pm every weekday. What I had imagined cooking when I made my shopping list the week before just sounds like a chore. I’m too tired.

I imagine I’m not the only one to whom this happens. But after a month of it, I’m bored with not cooking, either. So what do I do?

After getting some good advice and having a spare Saturday afternoon, I finally come to a good solution: make it ahead, and freeze it.

Now of course this isn’t always a good option. Freezing pasta would just be silly. (Or at least I think it would be.) But sauces, soups and curries – now that’s a whole other story. So a couple of Saturdays ago, I concocted a lovely aubergine and red lentil curry, but didn’t have it until just this past Saturday, after a long day out. Whilst we paraded around London, our little curry sat at home, defrosting, waiting for us to come home and love it.

Love it we did, too. It was gorgeous! I think that week in the freezer did wonders for it.

So for the time being, I’m on the lookout for great meals I can make and freeze ahead of time. Any ideas? Try this one while you ponder.

Aubergine and red lentil curry
(serves 2 medium-sized portion or 1 large, 1 small portion)

1 aubergine, sliced lengthways
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tin of water
100 g carrots, julienned
1 large onion, quartered
2 tbsp groundnut oil
75g red lentils, dried
50 g creamed coconut
3 tbsp lime juice
3 spring onions
1 chilli, seeds removed
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp fennel seeds, ground
1 tsp cayenne

150 g wholegrain rice
3 tbsp fat-free natural yogurt (optional)
2 tbsp lime pickle (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Spray a foil-lined roasting tin with a couple sprays of olive oil. Salt the halves of aubergine and place face-down on the tin. Roast for 45 minutes.

In a food processor, chop up the spring onions, lime juice, chilli, and garlic.

To prepare the curry, heat the spices in a large pot over med-high heat. Add the onion and stir to coat the onion with the spices. Add the oil and saute for about 3 minutes. Then add in half of the food-processed mixture.

Add the chopped tomatoes in slowly, so that the tomatoes bubble over the high heat. Add the water too. Once it’s all in, mix and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the red lentils as per the packet instructions (Generally, this just involves bringing to a boil and reducing to a simmer for about 25 minutes.)

When the lentils are ready, drain them. Add the coconut to the food processed mixture, and chop/combine again. Then add this mixture to the red lentils. Set this to the side.

When the aubergines are ready, remove from the oven and use a fork to scrap out the flesh. Chop up if necessary, and then add to the curry. Then add in the coconut lentil mixture and stir through. Check the seasoning, and add any as required.

If you’re freezing for later, stop here, allow the curry to cool, and then transfer to a freezable container.

When eating, just bring back to a simmer and allow to heat through. Serve with rice, with bits of yogurt and lime pickle on the side. (To ensure that everyone’s properly full, consider serving naan bread as an extra.)

Calories: 1 small serving (1/3 of the curry, 50g rice (dry weight), 1 tbsp yogurt and 1 tbsp lime pickle): 680

Let me tell you, this made my Saturday night. I ate happily, knowing I’d created a fabulous, wholesome meal, but barely had to lift a finger.