Top 10 Cook's Cheat Ingredients

As I’ve already mentioned, September was a really hectic month. I was really rather busy and the sad consequence was a complete lack of time for my tiny kitchen based culinary exploits.

Obviously, we did eat during those 30 days and not every night was spent in a restaurant or with a takeaway menu in our hands. I did of course cook… it’s just that I wasn’t too adventurous and I certainly didn’t feel the things I made were really that “blog-worthy.” After all, they were often based on convenience ingredients that I hadn’t actually made.

Well having had a bit of a think about that, I have come to the conclusion that whilst my individual recipes really aren’t worthy of my readers time (often a cursory glance to the cooking instructions on the jar would suffice), it might be worth sharing my favourite Cheat Ingredients, after all if it's good enough for Delia Smith...

So here you’ll find a run-down of my go-to quick foodie fixes on nights when dinner isn’t going to make itself but I can’t be bothered to make it either.

These are all regular fixtures in my Store Cupboard and in fact I've recently written an article for My Baby Radio with a master list of Kitchen Cupboard Essentials, I'd love to know what you have as a go to in your pantry too...

Top 10 Cook’s Cheat Ingredients

1. A good curry paste: Now, there are the good, the bad and the downright bland when it comes to curry pastes. Personally, I would always go for a paste over a sauce that way you can have a control over the level of flavour you get, there's also less of an issue with added sugars etc. The Pataks Madras is a great all-rounder. Do watch out if you are going for a Thai curry paste, plenty of them have fish sauce in them so aren't suitable for veggies.

2. Grilled red peppers: These are amazing, someone else has done all the hard work grilling and skinning the peppers for you and what you're left withis the ideal addition to salads, pastas, pizzas, sandwiches... this list goes on. I swear by the Freshona ones from Lidl, they have a slight piquancy that gives a pleasant tang to what ever you're eating. Team them with another quick ingredient, sun-dried tomatoes, in this tasty Lentil and Chickpea Shepherds Pie

3. Harissa paste: It may be fairly obvious from reading this blog that I am a fan of a bit of spice, particulalry anything of a North African persuasion. Well, this Moroccan condiment is added in adundance to so many things. A quick pasta salad with yoghurt, harissa and red pesto is a firm fave at the moment or add it to a tin of lentil soup, delish! It gave my recently made salsa a lovely zing.

4. Meringue nests: Rarely will you find my cupboard without a box of meringue nest lurking at the back, whether crushed into cream and mixed with fruit or topped with them, they are a fab base for a dessert that takes the stress out of entertaining.

5. Khobez breads: I know that I bang on about these a fair bit but they really are so lovely, they are wonderfully chewy and make a fantastic base for a quick supper or lunch. Filled with grated beetroot, coriander and feta or as a base for a swift "pizza." I get fresh ones from a local shop but they've also just started stocking them at Tesco, dubbed Moroccan Flatbreads and are a fantastic base for a quick and easy Lahmacun.

6. Frozen herbs: When you aren't spending a huge amount of time in the kitchen it's all too easy for your fresh herbs to turn into a dark green / blackish mush at the bottom of the fridge drawer. The answer, frozen herbs! No hassle chopping and they last so much longer. Waitrose has got plenty of options in their freezer compartment.

7. Amaretti biscuits: Crumbled over peach halves, perhaps with some pecans or walnuts then popped in the oven. Top with cream and you have a seriously tasty dessert.

8. Frozen ginger and garlic cubes: Cofresh ginger and garlic cubes are amazing, especially if you're cooking something that requires a large amount of either of them. I made a chilli for 100 people at my Dad's birthday and these cubes were just fantastic. I'll be honest, I use the ginger ones more than I do the fresh stuff.

9. Jarred antipasti: It's back to Lidl for these, their antipasti options are really delicious. The grilled aubergines and the mushrooms are both fantastic additions to a salad. They are also so much cheaper than the alternatives without a compromise on the taste.

10. Sos mix: I reckon we need to start a campaign to get this back in the shops. Just add water and you've got the making of a tasty veggie sausage. But add a chopped apple and some curry powder then encase them in ready rolled puff (that ought to be cheat #11) and you've got a serious treat that really didn't take much effort. Since you can't get it online, I buy mine from Alternative Stores. I also add it to stuffing mix on a sunday for a veggie sausage meat stuffing.

What's you're favourite cheat's ingredient? Is there anything that you really don't feel should be out of stock on your list of Kitchen Cupboard Essentials?

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