Eat the week with Iceland & harness the power of frozen!

I’ve always loved to cook. I know I’ve mentioned that a few times over the last few months but it’s the truth. I love food. I used to love baking, cooking and sharing that experience with the kids back when I had time and somewhat appreciative mouths to feed. Now, I’m all about speed cooking and, dare I say, planning.

Last weekend a new programme aired on Channel 4 called Eat the Week and it really struck a cord with me for a few reasons. One, because I’ve always maintained that planning meals is essential when you have a larger family as it saves you a fortune and you just don’t have time between work, 247 piles of laundry and the school run to cook a fancy pants meal without some thought put into it. Then finding the energy late on a Thursday after the school run while the small ones bleat at you about being hungry is about as probable as getting back into your pre-children jeans.

It’s just hard work.

Two, this programme, in conjunction with Iceland, struck a cord with me because I am THAT mum, trying (and inevitably failing) to please everyone with 6 (yes SIX!!) different palates in the house. Seriously, we range from Edith’s “won’t eat anything unless it’s chocolate or breast milk” to Adam’s “that will set my stomach off”. It’s just a nightmare. Some don’t like fish (Adam) other’s prefer red meat (Reuben) and then there is the question of spice. I like HOT food, Adam can’t eat anything that is warmer than a bowl of sour cream.

Dinner is, without a doubt, a nightmare at times, and that makes planning even harder! So, it’s a question of choosing something adaptable and then applying my own parenting hacks to it – and that is exactly what Eat The Week with Iceland Foods was all about: adaptability and planning. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, snobbery has no place in this house: we love frozen. There is an ease about frozen food, and a ton of misconceptions about it too. For example: frozen peas and fish are often a LOT fresher than the “fresh” that you by in supermarkets, so thinking that you are somehow having a mum fail because your kids are eating frozen grub is in itself a fail. I also always look at what you’re advised to do when you’re attending antenatal classes: make batches of food and freeze them to make life easier. WHY do we think that is only for the beginning of our parental journey because as far as I’m concerned that shizzle is getting harder not easier.

So back to the program, Eat the Week, who are trying to encourage you to believe in the brilliance of planning and the #PowerofFrozen, I’ve taken one of the recipes on there that I knew would be a hit with our family and I’ve applied a few of my own mum hacks to it, along with a few tips on how to make it adaptable for everyone!

TANDOORI LAMB CHOPS/COD & BIRYANI

Ingredients:

FOR THE MARINADE.

• 100ml natural yogurt
• 1 lime – zest and juice
• 2 cloves of garlic – minced (Mum hack #1: I use garlic paste. It’s quicker and it’s super easy)
• 25mm piece of ginger – grated (Mum hack #2: I use paste or pre-minced. Super easy!)
• 5g ground cumin
• 15g ground coriander
• 5g garam masala
• Pinch of paprika
• Salt
• Lamb chops or Atlantic Cod fillets from Iceland foods
• Butter and lemon juice – for grilling

Mint and coriander dip

• 3 green chillies (Mum hack #3: as Adam has a sensitive tummy, I leave these out completely, but add chilli paste for myself)
• 6 spring onions
• Large bunch of coriander
• Large bunch of mint
• 3 limes – juice
• 50ml white wine vinegar
• 50g sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 300ml natural yogurt

Biggest mum hack of all #4: You can buy a yoghurt and mint sauce for those nights when you made an oopsie and forgot to make it, or simply had a swim lesson run over or a meeting about THAT behavior letter at school. Honestly, it’s not as nice – I don’t think – but it’s quick and easy.

Biryani

• ½ onion – chopped
• Pinch of turmeric
• 15g garam masala
• 2 bay leaves
• 250g basmati rice – washed and soaked for 30 minutes then drained
• Approx. 400 – 450ml vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp. rose water
• 100g peas
• 75g cashew nuts – toasted
• 50ml veg oil

Paste

• 1 large red chilli – chopped (Mum hack #5: paste again… all about this paste really…)
• 2 cloves of garlic – crushed (Not going to class this as another hack, but I’ll direct you back to #1)
• 25mm piece of ginger – chopped or grated (Back to hack #2 for speed and ease!)

Method

1. Lamb chops or cod. – mix the yogurt and other marinade ingredients together. Add the lamb and mix well. Cover and chill for 12 hours (I do it the night before after the kids have gone to bed). Adam and Reuben much prefer the lamb, whereas the rest of the family would rather have cod. I’ve also tried this with chicken and it is just as tasty!
2. Grill under a hot grill for 8-10 minutes, turning once and basting with the lemon and butter mix.
3. Rice – make a paste of the chilli, garlic and ginger.
4. Fry the onion until soft and add the paste and cook for 5 minutes. Add the turmeric and garam masala. Cook for a further 1 minute or 2.
5. Add the rice, fry for about 3 minutes. Add just enough stock to cover and bay leaves. Season and cook for 20 – 25 minutes. Add the rose water, cashews and peas. Cook for another 3 minutes.

Cheeky mum hack #6: I have a ricer. It makes cooking rice SO easy and much quicker than ever before. On the nights that I have only 12 minutes to get dinner on the table, I add the paste, fried onions, stock and bay leaves to the rice in the ricer and then bang it in the microwave for 12 minutes whilst I grill the chops or the cod. Once it’s cooked I add in the rose water, cashew nuts and peas and stir, then cover again to absorb the flavours until I’m ready to serve. It is so much quicker and easier, plus once the rice is done, you can easily freeze it ready for another day so you can PLAN ahead.

6. Coriander and mint dip – blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Combine with the yogurt and serve a good dollop on the side with chops/cod and rice.

Enjoy!