Batch-cooking ideas for the fridge and freezer | Kitchen aide

How to turn that autumn bounty into soups or sauces to save for the meagre months ahead

Cook once, eat-all-week recipes are a godsend, just so long as they’re versatile. “I would definitely roast a load of tomatoes to make tomato sauce,” says Jess Elliott Dennison, author of Midweek Recipes. “There’s something so special about that fresh flavour, plus it already feels like forever until heritage tomatoes will return next summer.” Store in portions and you’ve got the starting point for multiple dinners, from pasta sauce to risotto and chickpea curry, because who wants to eat the same thing three days in a row?

Alastair Jeje, author of Socafro, employs similar tactics. He grinds scotch bonnet chillies, vinegar, salt and coriander into a sauce, then adds that to Caribbean brown stew chicken, Nigerian pepper soup (“to help clear the sinuses”) or jerk chicken curry. “You can also freeze scotch bonnets whole in a sealed bag, ready for whenever you need them.”

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