30 Minute Recipes for When the Nights Draw in
With the nights getting longer and the clocks reverting to back GMT, it’s time to start thinking of some easy, hearty recipes to help deal with both the cold and the dark. Use darker evenings as an excuse to try out some new dishes that won’t eat into your time, but will always be tasty and filling.
Colourful and cheery winter salads
Just because it’s dark outside, it doesn’t mean that you can’t prepare some easy, tasty meals to invigorate your spirits. Winter salads are colourful, easy to make and sure to make you feel good, too.
Prepare the salad with an accompaniment of meat or eggs, or simply follow this idea from Jamie Oliver that uses the grated leaves of both red and green cabbage, combined with anchovies, garlic, salad dressing and seeds. Add some McCain potato wedges to enhance this vibrant and tasty dish.
Soup glorious soup
Nothing says comfort more than a scrumptious homemade soup, particularly in Autumn. They’re surprisingly easy to make too, with diced parsnip and cooking apples forming the basis of a quick and easy soup.
Fry the two main ingredients and add a dash of coriander before finishing with either vegetable or chicken stock. Whizz together and return to the pan to heat, adding some creme fraiche for sharpness and additional taste. A crispy baguette always works well as an accompaniment with soup and helps to make this dish even more filling.
Quick and easy sausage casserole
Most casseroles demand lengthy sessions in the pot, but a sausage casserole is easy to make and can be prepared and eaten in around thirty minutes. Grab some chorizo, fry with onions and garlic and add some tinned tomatoes to the pot. You may even add a can of Heinz Baked Beans to make this dish even more wholesome.
Season the pot well. Top up the casserole with some red wine and stock before covering to cook in a medium oven for about 30 minutes. Remove the lid for the last 10 minutes to reduce excess liquid and serve with potato wedges.
Stir fry vegetables and noodles
Make use of your long-forgotten wok this season as they’re indispensable for super fast recipes. Either chop up courgettes, cabbage, carrots, and any other vegetables you have lying around, or cheat a little cheat and buy a bag of ready chopped veg from your supermarket. Add some vegetable or olive oil to your wok and quickly make a light omelette before removing from the pan.
Next add ginger, garlic and spring onion to the wok. Stir at a high heat and add the prepared vegetables along with some hoisin sauce, soy sauce and bean sprouts. Finally add the reserved omelette to the mix as well as some ready cooked noodles – you’ll have a really tasty dish cooked kin super fast time. Add nuts and seeds for extra crunch, while thinly sliced strips of chicken, pork or beef are all great for adding flavour.
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