Get ahead
Cook once, eat all week: a column full of recipes for the busy home cook. Each week, we feature a main ingredient you can prepare in bulk, followed by four ideas for transforming that ingredient into easy, inspired meals that can be eaten throughout the week.
One box of mangoes, four different recipe ideas
Get ahead: Buy a box of new-season alphonso mangoes and transform them as they ripen into a fish curry, a sweet and sour salad, a comforting pudding and a heady lassi
One batch of braised buckwheat, four recipe ideas
Get ahead: A pot of braised buckwheat adds a wholesome, hearty bite to four different dishes: a fiery mint adjica salad; a lamb spring supper; savoury shrimp cakes; and a peppery plaice with sorrel
One brown crab, four different recipe ideas
Get ahead: A single, seasonal brown crab – meat, shell and all – can provide varied eating all week with this aromatic Thai curry, spring slaw, spiced toast and fragrant filled pasta dish with a twist ...
One batch of minced pork, four recipe ideas
Get ahead: Add a grating of ginger to a mound of pork mince and fire up these four meals: barbecued skewers with a peanut dressing; a courgette noodle and meatball miso broth; a sweet chilli banh-mi and crispy pork noodles
One batch of roasted rhubarb, four different recipe ideas
Get ahead: A bright-pink batch of roasted rhubarb adds an acidic twang to four recipes: moreish teatime muffins, a succulent joint of pork, a silky parfait and a deconstructed open sandwich
One shoulder of roast lamb, four recipe ideas
Get ahead: A spiced, slow-cooked shoulder of roast lamb is the showstopper here. Turn any leftovers into a comforting pasanda curry, stuffed flatbreads with pickled veg, or rich gnocchi spezzatino
One batch of charred leeks, four recipe ideas
Get ahead: A single batch of cheap leeks will lend sweetness to your supper. Try them in this Cypriot-style filo pie, a roasted hake dish, an eggy bake or a mean, green bowl of pasta
One batch of pickled turnips; four recipe ideas
Get ahead: A surprisingly versatile batch of pickled turnips adds bite to fluffy falafel pittas and a crisp salad, steals the show as a dip for kofte kebabs, and is the perfect foil for lamb bacon with lentils
One batch of prunes, four different recipes
Get Ahead: There’s nothing regular about prunes. Taste their plum role in a sizzling pork supper, a shallot tarte tatin, star anise chocolate brownies and a munchy muesli.
One batch of polenta, four recipe ideas
Get ahead: If you think polenta is akin to Dickensian gruel, then you are missing out on one of life’s greatest comfort foods. Make a large pot and any of these four dishes
Four dishes from a batch of Seville orange marmalade
Get ahead: Make the most of the short Seville orange season by producing pots of amber marmalade then working them into a decadent breakfast, a tangy salad, a rich stew and a gorgeous ice-cream
Four recipes from one batch of cooked butter beans
Get ahead: Turn a couple of bags of dried butter beans into a warm salad, a fragrant curry, a creamy soup and a pale pâté
One batch of pearl barley, four nourishing dishes
Get ahead: A heap of pearl barley gives a nutty, chewy boost to a comforting vegetable broth, a satisfying sausage stew, a filling salad and a creamy Asian dessert
One batch of chicken stock, four delicious dishes
Get ahead: A good chicken stock can form the basis of an endless list of soothing dishes including braised root vegetables, hearty goulash, soft polenta and, of course, good, old-fashioned chicken soup
One batch of amaretti, four different meals
Get ahead: The most moreish of Italian treats, amaretti biscuits are often lingering around after the festivities. If you’re stumped for ideas for how to use them up, try this surprising quartet of ravioli, chicken salad, plum crumble and orange yoghurt pots
One batch of glazed ham, four different recipes
Get ahead: A flavourful glazed ham deserves pride of place on your festive menu. Roast an enormous joint and gradually turn it into a spicy nasi goreng, restorative eggs benedict, and a decadent toastie
Roast turkey recipes: one bird, four classic Christmas dishes
Get Ahead: Christmas wouldn’t be complete without a whole roast turkey. This failsafe recipe (and a thrifty trio of ideas for leftovers) comes from the nation’s bestselling Christmas cookery writer, Josceline Dimbleby
One batch of mashed swede, four different recipes
Get ahead: Winter coaxes this subtle root out of hiding and on to our plates; but don’t stop at plain ol’ mashed swede. Transform it into a shepherd’s pie, a festive Finnish side, bite‑size beignets and a beautiful weeknight bowlful
One batch of preserved lemons, four different recipes
Get ahead: A homemade jar of preserved lemons can inject a shot of citrus into a nutty cauliflower pasta dish, salty cod cheeks, zingy slow-cooked lamb and a pesto that goes with almost anything
One batch of steamed potatoes makes four different recipes
Get ahead: A single batch of steamed potatoes is the foundation of four cheap, filling, mouthwatering meals; a bright Indian supper, humble homity pie, irresistible Italianate gnocchi, and a hearty Alpine tartiflette
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