Quick And Easy Supper Plan

When my children and their friends were young and played in each others houses quite randomly, I never knew very far in advance how many to expect at mealtimes.  It was quite normal for another two or three or four to join us at the table without much prior warning or even to have none at all and as a busy working woman, albeit from home, I had as little free time as everyone else.  Being firmly of the opinion that home cooked food is best whenever possible, and certainly for growing bodies, and wanting to be able to be spontaneously hospitable without spending too much money, a plan was clearly needed. 

I therefore got into the habit of making very large quantities of certain basics which I would freeze in portions, say enough for two or four in a tub, and stack my freezer with a week's supply – enough to feed a couple of dozen children.  This gave me a great advantage when faced with the unplanned arrivals and allowed me to agree to the request with peace of mind and the knowledge that I would not have to take everyone out for pizza.

Very young children are notorious for not liking some vegetables, or even any vegetables at all, at least mine were, while they will happily wolf down pasta and potato (which for some reason doesn't count as a vegetable) with meat sauce - as long as there are no lumps.  Once I had taken this on board the rest was easy and one of my basics was born - mince.  Now I know this does not sound very appetizing but wait…

The first thing to do is to make sure that the meat does not have too much fat in it and that it is minced finely.  Then for every two pounds of meat allow an onion, red or Spanish are kinder to the eyes, a carrot or two depending on the size, some finely chopped spinach (you can buy this frozen – use about four spheres) and a medium tin of whole plum tomatoes or a jar of plain passata.  If you want to you can add other vegetables as well.

Proceed in the normal way – chop and sweat the onion, add and fry the meat, grate the carrot and put in the spinach and tomatoes together with two tomato tins of water.  Season lightly and cook gently for at least four hours.  This sounds like a long time but it is crucial.  Stir the pot from time to time, quite vigorously to break up the vegetables, and don't let it boil dry or the mixture will stick to the bottom and burn.

It is ready when you have a thick homogenous mass.  Allow it to cool, check the seasoning and then distribute amongst your portion-size tubs and freeze.  You can make as much of this as you have room to store or will fit into your biggest pan.

With this as a starting point you have at least four fairly instant meal possibilities - spaghetti Bolognese, shepherds pie, lasagne and chilli con carne - which can be put together really quickly.  With the addition of a little garlic and red wine for the pasta and spices, vinegar, sugar and beans for the chilli, you can have a totally different taste in minutes, and it's not just children who like it!