Drop off dinners: five easy-to-reheat dishes to cook for your neighbours - MW

Vegan creole rice with burnt capsicum
This rice dish makes for delicious leftovers, writes New Vegan columnist Meera Sodha. It’s made with capsicum (currently in-season and plentiful) and pantry-store staples, and has “a good, smoky flavour”.
Cook and prep: 55 minutes
How to reheat: In the microwave

Berbere lentils and tomatoes

A warm dish, inspired by Ethiopia and Eritrea from Yotam Ottolenghi, these lentils are flavored with staples like ginger and cardamom. Get it out of the kitchen early and leave some liquid in the pot before releasing, so your neighbors can bring the dish back to boil without losing texture.
Cook and prepare: 45 minutes
How to warm up: On the kitchen

Lamb and pearl barley broth

Tom Kerridge chops a pot of Scotch broth really better when it is left to sit in the fridge for an evening. Earn bonus points by picking up yogurt, capers, parsley and mint and leaving them in the door in a separate bag - perhaps they'll be fine elsewhere.

Cook and prepare: About an hour

How to warm up: On the stove or in the microwave

Zucchini, tomato and pesto gratin

May be fall, but there is still a lot of fresh zucchinis around. Make the most of them with this cake tray from Yotam Ottolenghi. It requires three baking periods, so take the first two at home, sprinkle the bread flour mixture on top, then release it so that the last 15 minutes in the oven can be completed by the person. take.

Cook and prepare: About an hour

How to warm up: Bake for 15 minutes in the oven 200C


Whiskey marmalade brioche pudding

We could all use a little extra sweetness right now – and if it’s served with a healthy slug of liquor, like Thomasina Miers’ sophisticated bread pudding, all the better. This dish needs to rest for at least 30 minutes before baking, enough time to pop round the corner and drop it off at its new home. From there, the recipient can put it in the oven and enjoy the dish fresh-baked and piping hot.

Prep and rest: One hour

How to reheat: Not so much reheating as cooking fresh, bake in a 180C oven for 35-40 minutes

Prep 30 min
Rest 30 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4-6

300g softened butter
300g brioche loaf, cut in half lengthways
6 tbsp thick-cut dark marmalade
3 eggs
60g dark brown sugar
2 tbsp whisky
275ml whole milk
75ml double cream
A few gratings nutmeg
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 small orange

1 tbsp demerara sugar

To serve
Thick double cream, or creme fraiche

Butter the cut side of the bottom half of the brioche with half the butter, then spread over five tablespoons of the marmalade. Put the other half of the loaf on top and cut it into sandwiches, then cut each sandwich into two triangles. Butter the tops of the triangles, then put them into a baking dish that comfortably fits them.

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/gas 4. Whisk the eggs and sugar, then whisk in the whisky, milk, cream and remaining marmalade. Grate in the nutmeg, lemon and orange zest. Pour the custard over the brioche sandwiches, pushing the bread down into the liquid so that it is completely covered. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Scatter the demerara sugar over the top of the pudding and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden and puffed up. Leave to cool for 10 minutes before serving with cream or creme fraiche.

And for the rest of the week
If there is any leftover pudding, cut it into small pieces and fold it into softened vanilla ice-cream, before returning it to the freezer. Leftover lemons can be squeezed to make hot lemon and ginger tea.

MW