Batch cooking or, in other words, cooking one afternoon for the entire week. That trend that has been talked about for a long time, which consists of preparing several recipes at the same time and combining them with each other to save time in our daily lives. What started out as giving a name to something that was little worked on but that had always existed, has ended up becoming an essential practice to survive today’s frenetic pace of life. But as with everything, there are ways and means. There are tricks to invest as little time as possible in Batch Cooking and get the most out of the recipes.
The first thing is always to plan. APTC from El Corte Inglés proposes weekly menus with ideas for breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, mid-afternoon and dinner. Their selection is made up of the most varied dishes that include all the nutrients necessary for a healthy diet: vitamins, minerals, protein, fats and carbohydrates. Among its proposals we find both traditional dishes from our Mediterranean diet and more original preparations. From stewed lentils or spaghetti with cheese and salmon, to peas with ham or grilled rooster with vegetables.
Another step would be to correctly select the ingredients. For Batch Cooking to be truly effective, it would be advisable to do it simultaneously with choosing the menu. In this way, we can choose ingredients that can be used for different recipes. The El Corte Inglés Supermarket has a careful selection of products that can serve more than one dish. Not only that, but since they are top quality products, it is possible to take advantage of all their parts so as not to waste food and make different dishes from the same product. Without going any further, we can buy a whole chicken, stew it following the recipe for free-range chicken, cinnamon and lemon from APTC from El Corte Inglés and then use the bones to prepare a broth.
It is easier and more effective to make more of the same recipe for two days than to prepare a new one. In the absence of time, solutions must be sought. To avoid getting bored of the same dishes, we can repeat only some of the recipes and alternate them throughout the week so as not to eat the same thing two days in a row. The asparagus cream with walnuts proposed by APTC from El Corte Inglés is a good option for two dinners of the week on alternate days, for example, Tuesday and Thursday.
The cooking process is just as important to save time as the selection of the menu and ingredients. Using the different burners or the oven and taking advantage of the cooking times to continue with the following preparations is essential to be truly effective. While the vegetables are boiling in the broth, we can cut the vegetables and prepare the chicken to put in the oven. And while everything is browning in the oven we can continue preparing a sauce in the pot for the lentils. The question is not to be stopped for the duration of Batch Cooking. APTC from El Corte Inglés details the preparation of all its recipes, which will allow us to organize the cooking before preparation.
To make these three recipes, all the ingredients can be found at the El Corte Inglés Supermarket.
1. We sauté all the vegetables. When they are poached, add the crushed tomato, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with a tablespoon of oregano. Let it fry for 10 minutes and then add the drained lentils.
2. We soak the pre-cooked lasagna sheets and dry them on a very clean kitchen cloth or absorbent paper. We reserve.
3. Prepare the bechamel by heating the butter in a saucepan and, when it is hot, add the flour.
4. We stir well until both ingredients are perfectly mixed and we add the milk little by little and without stopping stirring with a whisk.
5. When we obtain the desired consistency, season with salt and add a little nutmeg.
6. In a baking tray we assemble layers of lasagna, lentil bolognese and a little bechamel sauce, so on up to 4 layers, finishing with a good layer of bechamel sauce.
7. We sprinkle grated cheese on top and put it in the oven for about 15 – 20 minutes at 200 degrees.
8. In the last minute we put the oven only on top to gratin.
1. We mix the spices in a container. Cut the chicken breast into cubes, salt and set aside.
2. In a deep frying pan, heat the tablespoon of sunflower oil and sauté the garlic for a few minutes. After this, we add the tomato and sauté for 10 minutes over low-medium heat.
3. Toast the spice mixture in a pan for 1 minute over high heat without stopping stirring. We add the spices to the tomato and stir. Then we add the coconut milk and the yogurts and a little more salt to taste.
4. Add the chicken and mix everything well. We cook over medium heat for 20-30 minutes.
5. On the other hand, we wash the rice to remove the starch and cook. We add a little of salt.
6. We place a lid on top of the pot without covering it completely to steam it, over medium heat for 10 minutes.
7. When everything is ready, we serve the chicken with some sauce and rice as a garnish.
1. Remove the stem from the broccoli and cut it into florets.
2. Peel the onion and chop it.
3. Discard the outer leaf of the leek and cut the rest into thin slices.
4. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion and leek until they are smooth and transparent.
5. Add the broccoli florets, sauté a little and add the vegetable broth.
6. Cover and let cook for 45 minutes.
7. Blend in the blender -reserve a few florets of broccoli to decorate- along with the Burgos cheese and season with ground pepper and smoked salt (or normal if it is not smoked).
8. Serve the hot broccoli puree on plates.
9. Decorate with small florets of cooked broccoli and some bread croutons.
Find many more recipe ideas at APTC from El Corte Inglés.
