Hi, have invited some friends for dinner Tues night & forgotten I'm working til 5pm! I'm trying to find a recipe that I can make, or mostly make, the night before that can be reheated / finished off on Tues.
Any sort of casserole such as beef bourguignon, or shepherd's pie can be made in advance with the potatoes cooked fresh on the day.
Fresh fish doesn't take long and whole salmon is good value at the moment. You can buy frozen sides from most supermarkets, which makes it super easy.
If you are a confident cook you can make beef wellington the day before and put in the oven on the day while the rest is cooking.
A cold pudding is good in the summer. Cheesecake livened up with fresh fruit and cream is always enjoyed.
Likewise a cold starter. If you do a meat main, try a fish or seafood starter. Prawn cocktail, smoked salmon.
If it is a more casual affair then spag bol or chilli is usually popular.
If you don't want to do something the night before you could always do a stirfry. You could get boneless chicken breasts and prepare them the night before. Leave them to marinate,and the flavour will have been well-absorbed and intense. You can use Basmati Rice,which only takes 10 minutes to cook and is foolproof. A great yet simple dessert would be Eton Mess...broken meringues,crushed raspberries or strawberries and whipped cream-all layered up together.
Thanks very much. That's given me something to think about! hc4361 - I originally wanted to do Beef Wellington,but didn't realise it could be made day before. Does the pastry stay ok?
A pork stir fry, made in a hot wok with ginger, balsamic vinegar,
green and red peppers, chilli, courgette, spring onion, plum tomatoes, all cooked in rape seed and sesame oil( 2 tblsp in all) and any other seasoning or spice that takes your fancy, will improve with keeping for a day. Its a very forgiving dish provided good pork loin, well diced, is used. I serve with wholegrain rice which is even easier than basmati
I'm in a lazy mood! How about phoning out for a take away. Problem solved. No cooking at all and all the time spent with your friends. But my serious answers have all been mentioned. Shepherds pie, fish pie, curry, chilli, lasagne etc etc......
Beef Stroganoff can be cooked on the night if you pre cut the onion, mushroom and steak. Just a case of frying them, adding a little paprika and soured cream and serving with rice.