Dinner's ready! - frozen meals ready to serve - Recipe

Sunset, Oct, 1999 by Elaine Johnson, Sara Schneider

Devote a weekend to simmering and sauteing, and fill the freezer with a month's worth of easy meals

* If only we had a month of Sundays, cooking would be easy. It's all those Wednesdays and Thursdays that are a bear. Come 6 o'clock, there are no aromatic sauces simmering on the stove, no meats braising their way to tenderness - just the temptation to order takeout for your family to spoon out of cardboard at will.

Are daily home-cooked meals, thoughtfully planned and calmly executed, still possible? Dinners that rejuvenate tired bones and cement family relationships? Cooking instructor and cookbook author Stephanie Stephens of San Leandro, California, has developed a method to achieve them in the face of hectic schedules.

Once a month this mother of four devotes a block of time to cooking enough dinner fare for at least 20 weeknights, then loading it all in an average-size refrigerator freezer. Each day she pulls out one entree to reheat and serve with a salad or fresh vegetable - the effect is as if she'd been cooking all afternoon.

Inspired by Stephens's concept, we've organized 11 entrees - from old family favorites to innovative international combinations - into three categories. One set shares a pan of lively tomato sauce. Another starts with a huge batch of sauteed onions and garlic. The third is a group of meats packed in simple seasonings. Each recipe makes enough for two main dishes (except a leg of lamb, which is geared for a crowd or tasty leftovers) to be thawed, one at a time, for a total of 21 entrees for family meals. All also make fine company fare; just serve both portions.

To save time, the basic preparation tasks for all the dishes in each category are consolidated, and you can do most of a month's food shopping at once (plus quick stops, as needed, for dairy products and fresh produce).

Comprehensive shopping also saves money. You can buy in warehouse-store volume and take advantage of bulk bargains. The tab for all the dishes in this story came to about $250 - much less than a month's worth of weeknight takeout.

The cooking schedule itself is flexible. Prepare all the foods in two consecutive days (see "Game Plan" strategy one, page 138), or tackle one section a day as time permits (strategy two). Either way, use the tips to organize and assemble supplies and time. Refer to the advice on page 144 for freezing and thawing foods.

Why cook all day and have nothing to eat? Spare one dish from the freezer and enjoy it for dinner. One batch of the long-baked lamb shanks is a most satisfying reward - and proof that even your Wednesday night meals are going to be special this month.

Grandma's Tomato Sauce

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 3/4 hours

NOTES: If making sauce up to 3 days ahead, cool, cover, and chill.

MAKES: About 4 quarts

2 cans (28 oz. each) crushed tomatoes with bash and oregano

5 cans (6 oz. each) tomato paste

3 cups chopped Roma tomatoes (about 1 1/4 lb.)

1 1/2 cups dry red wine

1 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dried basil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

5 dried bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon pepper

Salt

1. In an 8- to 10-quart pan, combine 3 cups water, canned tomatoes with their liquid, tomato paste, Roma tomatoes, wine, onion, basil, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and pepper.

2. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often; reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 4 quarts, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

3. Remove bay leaves and add salt to taste. Use hot or cool.

Per cup: 81 cal., 6.7% (5.4 cal.) from fat; 3.4 g protein; 0.6 g fat (0.1 g sat.); 17 g carbo (3.8 g fiber); 605 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Chicken Cacciatore

ASSEMBLY TIME: About 1 1/4 hours

REHEAT TIME: 1 to 1 1/4 hours

NOTES: Thaw overnight (see page 144) or bake directly from the freezer, allowing about 1 1/2 hours. Serve with hot cooked wide noodles and shredded parmesan cheese.

MAKES: 2 main dishes, 4 servings each

16 chicken thighs (4 1/2 to 5 lb. total), skinned and fat-trimmed

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 pound mushrooms, rinsed, drained, and quartered

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 quart Grandma's tomato sauce (page 136)

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup salt-cured olives, pitted

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

2. Pour 1 tablespoon oil into a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1/2 the chicken and brown well, 6 to 8 minutes total. As thighs are browned, transfer to a foil pan (8 to 9 in. square). Add 1 more tablespoon oil to frying pan and repeat to brown remaining chicken. Transfer to another foil pan (8 to 9 in. square).

3. To frying pan, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the onions, mushrooms, garlic, oregano, and parsley. Stir often over medium-high heat until vegetables are limp, 12 to 15 minutes.

4. Stir in tomato sauce and wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often; reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes to blend flavors.