Nadiya Hussain
TIME TO EAT
Delicious meals for busy lives
Photography by Chris Terry
CONTENTS
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
BREAKFAST
LUNCH
DINNER
DESSERTS
BASICS
INDEX
THANKS
About the Author
After winning 2015’s Great British Bake Off, Nadiya Hussain has gone on to capture the hearts of the nation. A columnist for The Times and a regular reporter for The One Show, Nadiya has also presented two of her own BBC cookery series to great acclaim with Nadiya’s British Food Adventure reaching over 3 million viewers. Her next cookery series will air on BBC2 in summer 2019, accompanied by her brand new TV tie-in cookbook.
Born in Luton to British Bangladeshi parents, Nadiya now lives in Milton Keynes with her husband, Abdal, and their three children.
Her previous cookery titles include Nadiya’s Kitchen, Nadiya’s British Food Adventure and Nadiya’s Family Favourites.
DEDICATION:
To the time-poor amongst us. We rush, we scramble and we get by. In doing so, we live. Rushed and frayed around the edges, still we go on. We smile. We frown. Unsteady yet firm. ‘I have no time’ we say in haste.
Don’t we?
We have it, no matter how swift and meaningless it feels. We have it! We have time, it is ours! However long or short, it is ours to take.
Let’s rush, but sometimes let’s just stop. To Abdal, Musa, Dawud and Maryam.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
This book is unique and special because it introduces you to my world, my way of cooking, which can become your world and your way of cooking. It will help you become a time-smart cook without even really realizing it. I’m so excited to share all this with you. There are recipes that show you how to batch cook and how to use – and really appreciate – the space in your freezer. You can spin leftovers into whole new meals and make beautiful food that can be put together in very little time.
I don’t want to appear condescending, I really don’t. Or look like I know what I’m doing. But I kind of do! Not because I’m an expert, but because I know what it’s like to have just one head and one pair of hands. We are all human. Cluttered minds, to-do lists that never seem to get smaller, stuff to do and still only four limbs. We can only get to our destination as quickly as our legs can carry us. We can only prepare the family dinners that are needed with the two hands we have and whatever time is left at the end of that day. Yet life seems to treat us like we are octopuses, with eight limbs to juggle the laundry, the cheers, wiping down surfaces, tying laces, shovelling in food, typing, swiping, clicking.
I haven’t got it all figured out. I still don’t know how to do the YMCA and knead bread at the same time. It’s a work-in-progress, but I will do it! I’m not saying my way is the best way. But it’s pretty good. This is the way I have been cooking for a decade and it really does work. All you need is a willingness to change how you cook a little, and to make a little freezer space. It’s definitely not foolproof. It takes time and a little extra thinking, but ultimately when I cook like this, what happens is I get my cooking fill, I get to be creative and cook delicious food. I get to cook in advance. By spending just a little more time in the kitchen (and by little I mean not that much more), it means I’m cooking extra, freezing and saving for the week ahead. By the time I have done this for a few weeks, I find myself with a whole week free to do other things. Like have a bath, do some work knowing dinner is sorted, simply enjoy putting one foot in front of the other without worrying about the speed at which my feet are moving. Leaving me happy to be human and less envious of our eight-legged sea creature. I don’t want to be the octopus, I want to cook him, eat him, freeze him and enjoy him again the following week without breaking a sweat, without thinking.
This book has over 100 delicious recipes for you to choose from. Some take a little less time and others take a little more time, but there’ll be a reason for it – you’ll be creating a second meal to keep in the freezer, or you’ll be using a component of the meal you are making to spin into something completely different tomorrow that won’t require any preparation. Some are perfect for when you have no time to spare and others for when you have plenty of time. The difference with these recipes is that you have options. You can use frozen onions or fresh. You can use fresh veg or canned. You can make one recipe now and know that you have dinner in the freezer ready for the weeks ahead. You can make more sauce than you need for that dessert now and make a hot chocolate later.
In my first few weeks of cooking like this, I found I was busy cooking one week, cooking more than I needed, stocking my freezer and giving myself a week free of cooking, but safe in the knowledge that my family were eating home-cooked food. But after a few months I found I had food stocked up for weeks, so much so that I had to stop cooking for a while just to empty the freezer out. After six months, I was ready for every situation. Cake to take to a party? I had one in the freezer! Late home one night? It didn’t matter because dinner just needed to be taken out and heated from frozen. Unexpected guests? I always had something to whip up fast. Late night? There was always something in the back of the fridge for when we got the munchies. If you want to test the theory, turn up at mine and I will have something for you – but I won’t be slaving or panicking over a hot hob and a noisy oven.
I HAVE A FEW RULES I ALWAYS TELL MYSELF:
1
DON’T THROW ANYTHING AWAY
As long as it’s not poisonous, you can probably do something with it.
2
CANNED, FROZEN AND DRY ARE NOT BAD WORDS
They save time and money. They keep for a long time and save on waste.
3
THE FREEZER IS MY FRIEND
I always have one drawer totally empty, having just that little bit of space means you have room to think on your feet.
4
EVERY DISH IS TWO DISHES
I always make a little bit more than I need in the hope of turning one meal into two, without having to cook it twice.
5
EVERYTHING IS AN INGREDIENT
You can make something out of anything.
6
THE MICROWAVE CAN SAVE
It saves time and saves on the gas bill. It’s quick and really very handy.
Throughout this book you will find lots of recipes where there appears to be just one recipe, but secretly there are two. It could be a double–up recipe or a recipe where you make a little more than you need, so you can make an entirely different dish as well. Don’t be afraid if a recipe indicates it serves six if there are only two of you needing dinner tonight – you will most likely be able to freeze the leftovers, saving you cooking time later in the week. You’ll find a short ‘Basics’ section at the back of the book, too, which contains staple recipes you might like to make yourself, if you have time, though the main recipes will just as happily work with the shop–bought version.
I can’t promise everything, but what I can give you are delicious recipes that everyone can enjoy. What I can promise is a little insight into the way my mind works. This way of cooking has allowed me to free up time, and I reckon if you give it a go it can do the same for you. By the time you have gone through this book you will have mastered the art of cooking, eating, feeding and doing it all over again, without actually doing it!
Key
Each recipe shows an ‘active’ time as well as a total time, where relevant, to show you where you can be saving even more time (for example, a 2-hour recipe that actually only requires 30 minutes of my time – before the oven does the rest of the work for me – means there’s at least an hour to spend on other things).
You will also spot some ingredients listed in green. These are where there are components of the recipe that can be doubled up or halved, and spun into a completely different dish. Just follow the instructions on each recipe. As you go through the book, you’ll see the following symbols to help you plan your cooking time:
can be made ahead recipe is freezable double batch
USING YOUR FREEZER
My freezer is my absolute saviour when it comes to preparing meals for my family. It took me a few years to work it out, but now I would not be without it. It not only means I can have stacks of meals in there, all ready to go, but I’ll often have ingredients stashed away in there too, which saves any last minute trips to the shop when I’ve already whacked the oven on and the hobs are going! So, when my husband asks me, ‘What do you want for your birthday?’ before I can respond, he always says, ‘Don’t say a freezer’! I would have another if I had the room, but I don’t! So I make do with the one I have.
You’ll see from many of the recipes in this book that I like to prepare a double batch so I can freeze half of it. I often do this at the weekend, when I have a little more time and I’m always SO grateful for it when we’re halfway through our busy weeks, trying to balance everyone’s timetables and it feels like there’s just no time left in the day for preparing a meal. If I can save on preparation time, it makes life so much easier in the long run. Plus a full freezer is better for your energy bills – there is more cold air to circulate around a half-empty freezer, so keeping it nice and full is time AND energy efficient! And that is also pretty ace!
You might think from the number of dishes I freeze in this book that I have an industrial-sized freezer! I don’t, but I have learnt along the way that it’s all about how you organize it. I’ve included tips on how to do this in some recipes where there’s an obvious hack (for example, I like to pour batter into a freezer-proof bag which I then lay flat on a baking tray and pop in the freezer so it freezes in a thin sheet – far easier to stack and store than clumpy Tupperware when you’re short on space).
It sounds obvious, but always label whatever you’re freezing with what it is and the date you made it. It might seem quicker to put things straight in the freezer rather than hunting around for a Sharpie, but it will make your life so much easier when you can see at a glance what you have in there. And although you always think you’ll just remember what each dish is, I guarantee you will spend a considerable amount of time trying to work out what unlabelled frozen blocks of food are once a few weeks have gone by. Just don’t do what I have done and try and write on an already frozen meal – moisture and ink don’t like each other. Label first, fill second! I also always have a roll of wide masking tape in my kitchen drawers, for the Tupperware that I don’t want permanent writing on. Stick it on, label and date it and get it in the freezer. Then when you’re done with it, peel it off and it’s as good as new, ready for your next meal.
INGREDIENTS I OFTEN PREP AND FREEZE
I don’t want to give you a definitive list of things you can and can’t freeze, as this isn’t intended to be a freezer manual. So much of it is learning as you go along, but if you find something you can freeze and I don’t know about it, please tell me! Share with me on Instagram: @nadiyajhussain. We are all learning every day and I want to always be a part of that. You will find freezing instructions within each recipe, where it is relevant. But there are a few things I have learnt that it’s always handy to have a frozen stash of. It’s always a huge relief when I want to make something but have a vital ingredient missing … then realize I have a bag of it in the freezer!
GRATED CHEESE (4 months) I always have this in the freezer, just grate it straight into the ziplock bag it came in!
CHOPPED ONIONS (8–10 months) Be sure to double-bag these. They are so handy to have when I’m rushed for time, but I don’t want everything smelling of onions so I always double-bag.
MOST FRUIT AND VEG (8–10 months) that might be going to waste in your fridge. (If I think I won’t get round to using a broccoli, for example, I will cut it into florets and freeze in a freezer-proof bag.) Just not (raw) potatoes or salad.
MILK (1 month) I don’t often have milk in the freezer, but sometimes when we go away for the weekend, rather then frantically trying to use it all up I just pop it into the freezer and defrost in the fridge when I get back.
BUTTER (12 months) Often when I need to freeze butter, I mix it with a clove of crushed garlic and then I have garlic butter on hand whenever I need it, be it on steak or just to rub on to naan, it’s there. Even better on a jacket potato!
BREADCRUMBS (3 months) My breadcrumbs usually consist of the fat ends of a loaf of bread that nobody wants to eat.
EGG WHITES (12 months) Freeze these labelled so you know how many you have in each bag, and you have egg whites for meringues whenever you want (for every egg white, you will need 60g sugar, added slowly to whipping egg whites and baked at 100°C/fan 80°C for 1 ½ to 1 ¾ of an hour till they are crisp and dry).
SPICE PASTES (3 months) Store in a ziplock bag or sealed in Tupperware.
PESTO As above.
HERBS (12 months) This is really handy when you’ve bought a whole packet but only need three sprigs for your recipe, and will save you having to buy a whole new packet the next time you need it! You can freeze these as they are in a ziplock bag or zap in the microwave for a few seconds till totally dry then crush in the palm of your hands and collect in a jam jar.
BREAD (3 months) and bread dough.
CHILLIES (8–10 months) Again because you might not use the whole bag that you’ve bought. These can be grated straight into dishes from frozen.
TIPS FOR FREEZING
MANY DISHES CAN BE COOKED FROM FROZEN, and these are indicated in the recipes. Remember that raw meat should always be fully defrosted before cooking.
ALWAYS ALLOW FOOD TO COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE COVERING AND FREEZING. Putting anything that is still hot into the freezer will increase the overall temperature of your freezer … which may jeopardise all the other beautiful things you’ve already frozen.
REMEMBER TO KEEP THE FREEZER SHUT IF THERE’S A POWER CUT. Your food in there should be fine for twenty-four hours.
MAKE SURE THINGS ARE WELL WRAPPED UP. I tend to use reusable silicone freezer bags, or I freeze things straight in the dish I’d like to cook it in (such as lasagne, etc. – just make sure it’s suitable for the freezer). If using clingfilm or aluminium foil, make sure it’s really well wrapped and ideally pop in a resealable bag or a Tupperware container. This will keep your food free from freezer burn (although if you do find these little brown spots on food it’s not harmful).
I TEND TO FREEZE THINGS IN THE PORTION SIZES I KNOW I WILL NEED, which is often for all 5 of us. Try to do the same to avoid waste, as you don’t want to be defrosting more than you can use.
FOR SMALL ITEMS, such as falafel, freeze on a baking tray and then pop in a freezer bag once frozen (this will stop them freezing into one big joined-up clump!). Or just freeze them in a clump and then slam it on the worktop to separate them – that’s the fun way to do it!
THE SAFEST WAY TO DEFROST FOOD IS FOR SEVERAL HOURS IN THE FRIDGE UNTIL FULLY THAWED. If you want to speed this process up slightly, you can place the freezer bag or container in a large bowl of cold/room temperature water.
DON’T REFREEZE FOOD ONCE IT HAS THAWED unless it has been cooked thoroughly (e.g. if you defrost some mince to then make into a lasagne which you cook, you can then freeze that cooked lasagne).
IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVERS, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO FEED THE WHOLE FAMILY, I would invest in some small ovenproof single portion containers and when you have enough for a solo meal, freeze it. When it’s late at night and you don’t fancy cooking, and all you want is that meal you had last week … you can have it.
MY FREEZER HAS BEEN MY SAVIOUR IN SO MANY WAYS. I want to be that ethical person, I want to do it all, and that’s not always possible, but every time I save something from ending up in
the food bin or I reduce a tiny bit of waste, I feel better. Because really, I’m no superhero. All I want is to save money, save time and feed my family – and when I don’t waste in and amongst all of that, I feel a million times better.
Recipe List
RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE CROISSANTS
HARISSA BEAN PIZZA
PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY TRAYBAKE
AVOCADO PESTO
STICKY COCONUT RICE WITH TEMPERED PINEAPPLE
SLOW COOKER RICE
CAULIFLOWER HASH AND EGGS
MASALA PORRIDGE
READY BREAKFAST FLAVOURED PORRIDGE
PRUNEY GRANOLA BAKE
BREAKFAST TRIFLE
TATTY CAKES
SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOM TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE
FRIED BREAD WITH RASPBERRY HONEY
OLIVE AND ROSEMARY CROWN
BANOFFEE WAFFLES
SPOTTED DICK BREAD WITH HOMEMADE BUTTER
SAUSAGE AND EGG SLIDERS
EGG ROLLS
ENGLISH MUFFIN BAKE
COCOA PIKELETS WITH WHIPPED MAPLE BUTTER
PARMESAN SCONES WITH SALMON PASTE
MEATLOAF ROLL
RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE CROISSANTS
SERVES: 6 ACTIVE TIME: 10 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 25 MINUTES
Who says you can’t have cheesecake for breakfast? Wrap it in a croissant and I reckon it’s totally acceptable. These are so simple to make, and with lots of that filling left over, there’s enough to make breakfast for another day as well, so I’ve suggested you make some Creamy Raspberry Overnight Oats. If you prefer not to make those at the moment, simply halve the quantities of the ingredients in green to make your croissants.
500g ricotta (or soft full-fat cream cheese)
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