Ever heard of The Batch Lady, aka Suzanne Mulholland? I
certainly hadn’t until a cookbook of the same name landed on my desk last week.
Yet another cookbook I thought…What could possibly be different this time?
Well for a
start, batch cooking is definitely ‘of the moment’ at a time when many of us
are stretched to the limit struggling to keep all the balls in the air in the
midst of super busy lives.
This book
has some great tips and new practical ideas for both sweet and savoury dishes
to simplify everyday meals. Tempting isn’t it.
In the
intro, Suzanne promises that “Every recipe in this book can be made in advance,
with no cooking involved until the night you want to eat it. You will have
minimal washing up; minimal thought needs to go into it and yet you get maximum
results night after night. “
Also, in
the first few lines of the intro, Suzanne drops an unexpected bombshell…I don’t
like cooking! I thought that sounds a bit odd for a cookbook author, but
then she qualifies it by saying (well not every night anyway).
In this
book, (her fifth), she shares the secrets of how she has organised her life, so
she herself can eat well and put a home-cooked meal on the table for her family
and friends.
She makes
best use of her air fryer, slow cooker, pressure cooker, oven and of course the
freezer.
There’s a
chapter on cooking from frozen, how to choose your cooking methods, a basic
tool kit, and The Batch Lady Larder – it’s definitely impressive.
Also a very
interesting choice of recipes, most of which take no more than five minutes to
prepare and can be cooked there and then or popped into the freezer and
retrieved for an easy meal whenever you fancy.
This girl
Suzanne, whom I’m ashamed to say I had never heard of before, is changing how
we cook from scratch, convincing those without time, confidence or inclination
to still have a delicious, healthy home-cooked meal whenever they want.
‘The
Batch Lady, Grab and Cook’ published by Ebury Press.
Here are
three recipes to whet your appetite.
Creamy Sausage and Cannellini Bean One-Pot
I love an easy sausage one-pot, and this one ticks all the boxes. This recipe uses cannellini beans; but they can easily be swapped for chickpeas or butter beans if you prefer.
Tip: you can make this vegetarian with veggie sausages, a vegetarian Parmesan substitute and a vegetable stock cube.
Serves 4
Preparation: 5 minutes
115g frozen diced onions
2 tsp frozen chopped garlic
350g frozen mixed chopped peppers
1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
200g cream cheese
60g grated Parmesan
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
8 pork sausages
To Cook
1 tbsp olive oil
500ml (2 cups) boiling water
*If making ahead to freeze.
Put the onions, garlic, peppers, cannellini beans, smoked paprika, oregano, cream cheese, Parmesan and crumbled stick cube into a large freezer bag, mix together and freeze flat.
Keep the sausages in their packet, or put in a smaller freezer bag, and freeze alongside the bag of sauce.
Cooking Options from frozen.
- Hob
Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost. Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a large casserole dish and place on a medium heat. Add the pork sausages and brown them all over. Add the contents of the freezer bag, stir well, then pour over the boiling water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Slow Cooker
Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost. Turn the slow cooker to the sauté setting and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the pork sausages and brown them all over. Add the contents of the freezer bag, stir well, then pour over the boiling water. Pop the lid on and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- Pressure Cooker
Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost. Turn the pressure cooker to sauté and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the pork sausages and brown them all over. Once browned, add the contents of the freezer bag and pour over the boiling water. Give it a good mix, then seal the lid and cook for 9 minutes. Once cooked, allow the steam to quickly release.
If cooking now.
- Hob
Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a large casserole dish and place on a medium heat. Add the pork sausages and brown them all over, then add the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the boiling water and stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Slow Cooker
Turn the slow cooker to the sauté setting and add a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the pork sausages and brown all over. Once browned, add the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the boiling water and stir well. Pop the lid on and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- Pressure Cooker
Turn the pressure cooker to sauté and add a tablespoon of olive
oil. Add the pork sausages and brown them all over, then add the rest of
the ingredients. Pour over the boiling water, give it a good mix, then
seal the lid and cook for 9 minutes. Once cooked, allow the steam to
quickly release.
Satay Chicken Curry
This is one of my favourite curries! The mild coconut peanut sauce is so delicious, and it’s the perfect balance of sweet and savoury. If you’re a peanut lingered this one’s for you!
Serves 4
Preparation: 5 minutes
650g skinless and boneless chicken thighs
350g frozen mixed sliced peppers
3 tsp frozen chopped garlic
3 tsp frozen chopped ginger
1 onion, finely sliced
3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp mild curry powder
1 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp frozen chopped coriander
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk
* If making ahead to freeze.
Put all the ingredients into a large freezer bag, mix well, then freeze flat.
Cooking Options from frozen.
- Hob
Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost, then pour into a large saucepan or casserole dish. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Pop the lid on the pan and cook for 45-50 minutes, stirring often. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks.
- Slow Cooker
Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost, then pour into the slow cooker. Pop the lid on and cook for 4 hours on high, or 8 hours on low. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks.
- Pressure Cooker
Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost, then pour into the
pressure cooker. Seal the lid and cook for 16 minutes on high pressure,
then allow it to naturally release. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two
forks.
If cooking now.
- Hob
Put all the ingredients into a large saucepan or casserole dish and mix. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, pop the lid on and cook for 45-50 minutes, stirring often. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks.
- Slow Cooker
Put all the ingredients into the slow cooker and mix. Pop the lid on and cook for 4 hours on high, or 8 hours on low. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks.
- Pressure Cooker
Put all the ingredients into the pressure cooker and mix. Seal the lid and cook for 16 minutes on high pressure, then allow it to naturally release. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks.
To Serve
Serve with fluffy rice, fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime.
Hot Chocolate Pots
These hot chocolate pots are so decadent and are totally delicious. Split them open and you get hot chocolate spread encased in sponge – so yummy. They are amazing to have in the freezer for when the sweet craving strikes. You will need four metal or ceramic ramekins.
Makes 4
Preparation: 10 minutes
140g butter, at room temperature, plus 1 tsp to grease the ramekins
140g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
110g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
4 heaped tsp chocolate spread
* If making ahead to freeze.
- Grease all four ramekins with the teaspoon of butter and set aside.
- Put the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and whisk until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, vanilla, flour and cocoa powder, and whisk again until you have a lump-free batter.
- Half-fill each ramekin with the batter.
- Spoon 1 heaped teaspoon of chocolate spread into the centre of each ramekin, then cover with the rest of the batter.
- Wrap each ramekin with cling film and tin foil, and place in the freezer.
Cooking Options from frozen.
- Oven
Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3. Unwrap the ramekins and cook the frozen puddings for 25 minutes. Either run a knife carefully down the side of each and tip out onto a plate or serve as they are in the ramekins.
- Air Fryer
Preheat the air fryer to 160°C. Unwrap the ramekins and cook the frozen puddings in the air fryer for 20 minutes. Either run a knife carefully down the side of each and tip out onto a plate or serve as they are in the ramekins.
If cooking now.
Follow the method in the ‘making ahead to freeze’ section up until the end of step 5.
- Oven
Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3. Cook the puddings for 19 minutes. Either run a knife carefully down the side of each and tip out onto a plate or serve as they are in the ramekins.
- Air Fryer
Preheat the air fryer to 160°C. Cook the puddings in the air fryer for 15 minutes. Either run a knife carefully down the side of each and tip out onto a plate or serve as they are in the ramekins.
To Serve
Serve with a dusting of icing sugar and some ice cream or double cream
