Kettle cookery

5 meals you can
make in a kettle

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We know how it is.
Whether you are shooting, editing, or just in meetings with deadlines
looming, lunch ends up being something you grab on the go. And that
means it is usually crap. Either a hasty sandwich or something from
whatever fast food joint happens to be closest.

Not good.

But equally, when you
do not have the time, or the kitchen to do anything more, how do you
get a decent, healthy lunch on the go?

Well, here is our quick
roundup of 5 healthy, filling lunches you can make with only a
kettle....

1) Spaghetti aglio
e olio

Preparation

This is a traditional
Italian snack (albiet made in a non-traditional way). You will be
amazed at how good this tastes and how well it fills you up.

In a small pot, mix up
a desert spoon of olive oil, a crushed garlic clove, a pinch of dried
chilli flakes and about a tablespoon of parmesan shavings, salt and
pepper. You can create as much of this at a time as you like, and
keep it until you need it.

Cooking

In a bowl, place a
handful of dried spaghetti (you will probably have to break it in half
to get it in the bowl – which is normally a crime, but needs must).
Boil the kettle and pour about 1 ½ pints of boiling water onto the
spaghetti.

By the time the water
has cooled, the spaghetti will be cooked. Drain it, and pour over
some more boiling water to re-heat it. Drain this away and mix in
your prepared pot of oil, garlic parmesan and chilli.

Try adding segments of
tomato, anchovies, prawns, capers, olives or whatever else you fancy.
As long as it does not need cooking, bung it in.

2) Salmon Teriyaki

A simple, but very
tasty Japanese favourite. Ready in 10 minutes.

Preparation

mix equal quantities of
honey, whole grain mustard and soy sauce.

Cut up a salmon fillet
into bite sized pieces, and place in a bowl with dried noodles. Pour
boiling water over the mixture and leave until the noodles are soft
and the salmon is cooked. Drain, and mix in a spoonful of the sauce.

3) Winter soup

Preparation

At home, bung a couple
of potatoes in a pan with water, and any other root veg you like
(carrots, parsnips, squash, celeriac, etc.). Add salt, pepper and a
few dried herbs. Cook until everything is soft and most of the water
is gone, then mash roughly.

You can make as much as
you like and freeze it in plastic bowls with lids (half fill each
bowl)

Cooking.

When you need a quick
lunch, just take a bowl out of the freezer. By lunch time it will be
defrosted and all you have to do is fill the bowl with boiling
water to heat the soup.

Take along a bread roll
and you have got a hearty meal.

4) Moroccan
Couscous

Couscous is designed
for the kettle. It cooks in 5 minutes if you cover it in boiling
water.

Preparation

Slice and fry an onion.
Add to half a tin of chickpeas, a teaspoon of cumin and coriander,
salt, pepper, a sprinkling of raisins and if you like it spicy, a
spoon of harissa. Add 1/3 tin of chopped tomatoes, and about 5
tablespoonfulls of dried couscous.

Seal into a pot.

Cooking.

Pour in enough boiling
water to cover the mixture. In 5 minutes, the couscous will have
absorbed the water, and will be ready to eat.

In fact, couscous works
with pretty much anything – as long as there is a bit of flavour.
Try a spoonful of pesto instead of the spices. Try adding some
peppers, or mushrooms.

5) Boiled egg and
soldiers

preparation:

none

cooking

Place the egg in a
string bag (the kind you get when you buy tangerines). Fill the
kettle and hang the bag inside it so the top of the bag is trapped in
the kettles lid and the egg is suspended in the water.

Boil the kettle for 3-5
minutes depending on how solid you like your egg.

Butter a slice of bread
and cut it into soldiers.

Cannot find an egg cup?
- Use the egg box.

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