With confinement we are at home all day, but despite that we don't always have all the time in the world to cook (hello, telecommuting). Even if we did, optimizing the energy - both electric and gas and our own - that we use in doing so is always a good idea. With these four preparations, plus what we have in the fridge, we can prepare three dishes for four people. Taking into account that we are living complicated days in which going down to buy a trifle is ruled out, we try to give formulas that can be adapted to what we have at home. If you have absolutely nothing of what we propose, perhaps it is time to go down to make the purchase: make the list well, get organized and do it with all the recommended security measures. Let's cook!
Chickpeas in three ways
Soak a kilo of chickpeas - of the variety you have, if it could be that they are from the year - for about 12 hours. Separate a third of the soaked chickpeas and mix them with two generous handfuls of parsley leaves, an onion, one or two cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and, if you have or want, fresh coriander and its ground seed. Crush everything well with a mixer, adding half a glass of water (a little more if it is too hard, there are also versions that add more water and lengthen with a little breadcrumbs). It only remains to form balls and fry them in a saucepan with sunflower oil: we can take them with homemade pita bread and tomato, lettuce and cucumber salad, with a tahini or sesame sauce crushed with lemon or with a yogurt sauce also with lemon juice , minced garlic, a little oil and, if we have in the pot, some mint leaves or parsley.
Prepare a saucepan in a pot that will serve as the base for the stewed chickpeas, with a generous amount of onion, carrot, green or red pepper, squash or the vegetables you have on hand, as well as some whole and unpeeled garlic cloves (and red paprika of the variety you prefer). Add about 1.5 liters of water and, when it boils, also the drained chickpeas; cook for as long as the chickpeas are tender but not falling apart. Sorry but it is impossible to give an exact or approximate time, it depends on the hardness of the water, the variety of chickpea and how old it is: if you have to add water because the cooking is very long, it is boiling or at least it is very hot.
When they are ready, separate the chickpeas half, drain them well and prepare a fritatta with them. Sauté a bell pepper, onion and zucchini cut into cubes (adding two thirds of the reserved chickpeas at the end, turning the vegetables a few minutes for a couple of minutes). If you want to add one or two rolled garlic cloves, do it halfway through the stir fry so they don't burn. You can change these vegetables for the ones you have at home: spinach, peas, Swiss chard or those remains of aubergine or roasted pumpkin that have been in a taper orbiting the fridge for two days. Check the salt point and add your favorite herbs and spices: oregano, curry, basil, paprika or the combination that never fails you. Crush the chickpeas that you have reserved and mix them with six eggs and a little salt, mix everything well and set the mixture in a pan over medium heat.
You can eat the chickpea stew just as you like, so it will be very good. If you think the broth is lacking, grab a couple of tablespoons of the stew, mash them and return them to the pot. If you add one or two cans of sardines crumbled in oil or pickled and let it boil for three more minutes you will get a totally different stew; leftover chicken, minced meat, chorizo sprinkles or any tasty protein around the fridge will be welcome. Does a piece of cheese run dry? Grate it over the chickpeas and enjoy the strings. Is there a handful of spinach left in the bag? To the mess.
Pickled Mackerel
Whoever says mackerel says sardines, bonito, greaves or any blue fish, although we can also pickle mushrooms, poultry and even recover a cut of veal that we have left behind. Although the classic method includes flour and frying the fish previously, a couple of years ago I decided to try what happens if you skip this step and the answer turned out to be that absolutely nothing (and the fish is much more mellow, yes, you have to have a little care when removing it from the container).
Arrange a dozen headless, gut-free serving ration mackerels in a saucepan, saucepan, or coconut ; You can put them in two layers if they do not fit in one, but try to get all of them more or less the same height. In another saucepan or a frying pan with an oil bottom, fry four peeled and cut onions, six sliced carrots and a head of garlic with the teeth cut in half lengthwise with a little salt. It is time to peek into the cupboard and fruit bowl: we can add mustard seeds, fennel, pepper, star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, orange peel, lime or lemon (and many other things). We let seeds and spices catch heat in the pan to increase its flavor and we finish the pickle making crucial decisions.
What level of acidity do we want? If we go, a proportion of 50% apple cider vinegar -or white wine, even more powerful- and 50% oil. Less acidity? We can increase the proportion of oil or lower the vinegar with water or white wine. We cover the mackerels with the mixture -and their corresponding vegetables and spices- and let it boil over low heat for about 15 minutes from the start.
When it is at room temperature, we take the marinade to the fridge and wait a minimum of 12 hours - ideally, 24 - before eating it. The first day we can eat it in salad, with potatoes and the fresh or roasted vegetables that we prefer and using the same marinade as vinaigrette (which we can also use to flavor a mayonnaise). A good toast or a sandwich with mackerel and slices of avocado, cucumber, tomato, a can of piquillo peppers or a handful of arugula or fresh spinach will make us a dinner, and the last portion crumbled, with a tomato cut into cubes will turn into a tasty pasta sauce.
Chicken, pumpkin, carrots, potatoes and bell pepper
We will make the most of the oven while roasting a chopped chicken to prepare two more dishes at the same time. Why chopped up? For a matter of space: we will need the two trays, and if we do it whole they will not fit. Turn the oven to 180 degrees and put the chicken cut into eight pieces on a tray - here you have ideas to make it Peruvian, Greek and with an Indian touch, you can use the same marinades with the chopped chicken - in a dish on four potatoes new and an onion cut into sheets, and cover with aluminum foil.
Add two peppers, a violin squash cut in half, an onion, two potatoes and four carrots to the bottom tray. After 45 minutes, remove the foil from the chicken, remove the carrots and bake an additional 30 to 45 minutes, until it looks golden and crisp. The vegetables will take more or less the same, although it won't hurt to check the potato after an hour.
When removing the chicken from the oven, we let it rest for five minutes and eat. With the meat of the pumpkin, the carrots, the two peeled potatoes and the onion we will prepare a cream of vegetables; We chop them and cook about 10 minutes with water or broth, spice to taste and give creaminess with evaporated milk, avocado, yogurt, liquid cream or whatever we have. With the roasted pepper, a jar of legumes and a yogurt or a little tahini, herbs and spices, a spread that you can spread on vegetable sticks, put on toast or sandwiches.
A tomato sauce for three dishes
You still haven't made El Comidista Confinado's tomato sauce? Prepare two kilos at once following our simple recipe - surely take a few more minutes, depending on how liquid the tomato you use is - and get ready to get the most out of it. Meanwhile, poach an onion and a couple of garlic cloves in another saucepan. When it is ready, separate a third and add it to the casserole with the onion and garlic; Add about 250 g of minced meat - it could be chicken, beef, turkey or pork, to taste, even textured soybeans - and stir until cooked. Add a couple of cans of beans or white beans and a splash of water, spices to taste and, if you want, hot chili or paprika: you will have a chili with sui generis meat the sea of apanado.
In a wide casserole or frying pan, make a few layers of potato, eggplant and zucchini slices -with a little salt- and tomato sauce, seasoned with Provencal herbs (or a little basil, oregano or whatever we have). Cover and cook over medium-slow heat for half an hour, or until the vegetables are tender: it is time to look at what cheese we have to top off the vegetable cake.
And the tomato that remains in the pot? If we add 1.2 l of broth -or water with a little salt, the tomato already gives it enough flavor- and some noodles, chickpeas and carrot cubes, we will get a rich tomato soup. If we crack eggs for the last three minutes, we will have a most comforting dinner.
