Freezer feasts

For many working folks, weekends are a good time to catch up on household chores or simply unwind after a long week. But smart cooks know that weekends are also a great opportunity to get a jump on the week ahead by preparing meals in advance and storing them in the freezer. After all, what could be more welcome than coming home to a delicious frozen meal that can be thawed and on the table in a matter of minutes?

We’ve come up with six basic recipes, ranging from Chinese flavoured chicken dumplings to a sensational braised pork, all of which can be made ahead of time and frozen. The beauty of these dishes is their versatility; each is frozen in two separate quantities that can then be used to create other dishes. For example, our Lamb and Red Wine Stew recipe makes a hearty one-pot meal that can be split into two batches and frozen separately. Thaw one batch to make a traditional stew with dumplings one night and save the other batch for a lamb pie using frozen pastry.

For each recipe, we’ve provided one basic recipe, one dish that uses half of the original recipe, plus a serving suggestion for a different meal you can create out of the remaining half of the basic recipe. Feel free to dream up your own variations and you’ll never run out of ideas for a quick weeknight supper.

Recipes in this article:

• MOROCCAN MEATBALLS (BASIC RECIPE)
• TOMATO, MEATBALL AND RICE STEW
• BRAISED PORK WITH ORANGE AND APRICOTS (BASIC RECIPE)
• CHICKEN DUMPLINGS WITH BOK CHOY
• BRAISED PORK WITH ALMOND MINT COUSCOUS
• CHICKEN DUMPLINGS (BASIC RECIPE)
• LAMB AND RED WINE STEW (BASIC RECIPE)
• LAMB AND RED WINE STEW WITH CHEESE DUMPLINGS
• CURRIED VEGETABLE FRITTATA
• CREAMY LEMON CHICKEN PASTA
• CURRIED VEGETABLES AND CHICKPEAS (BASIC RECIPE)
• BACON, SHERRY AND CHICKEN STEW (BASIC RECIPE)

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