Cooking for Two : Most cookbooks offer recipes that serve from four to six people, but members of a small household need not despair. You can feed two people without endless leftovers (or high cost) by repackaging and freezing.

It’s a paradox. Almost half the households in this country are now inhabited by only one or two persons, yet most recipes are meant to feed four to six. Particularly those recipes that have been family favorites for years. So what do you do? Eat out a lot? Wear a path to your favorite takeout deli? Completely give up home cooking and turn the kitchen into a walk-in closet?

Whether you are just starting out on your own or cooking for two because the fledglings have left the nest, those who like to cook but live in small households spend a lot of time being frustrated. It’s not all that easy to find recipes designed to serve just one or two. And reducing larger quantity recipes to smaller amounts is not quite as simple a project as it seems. The result too often is endless leftovers, appalling waste and a growing hate for the kitchen.

To these frustrations, add the fact that you never seem to be able to buy what you want in small quantities.

Others seem able to cope with the problem, so where are you going wrong?

Relax. You are neither ineffectual nor inefficient. You just need to shift gears a bit and learn to revise and renew your recipe collection.

In the first place, just because you’re cooking for two doesn’t mean you have to buy for two. If you spot a good-looking pot roast that would obviously feed an army, don’t hesitate for one moment. Buy it. Then plan to turn it into a whole collection of meals. Merle Ellis, who writes “The Butcher” column for The Times, is a master at turning a large piece of meat that will serve eight amply at one sitting into an appetizing series of meals for two. Not similar meals, mind you. He turns a single purchase into a variety of meals that in no way resemble each other. (On Page 12 you’ll find some of his suggestions as to how to do this.)

From a single four-pound pot roast, Ellis recommends you plan on one meal for two people of breakfast steaks, one based on a quick stir-fry, one of small dinner steaks and one of beef kebabs or stew. In addition, he freezes the bones and scraps to combine with other beef trimmings for a rich soup or stock. Not bad for a single pot roast, right? Particularly when one realizes that doing the cutting up oneself means monetary savings enough to make one feel exceedingly virtuous.

The way to handle this type of menu planning is as simple as the shopping. Allow time to cut your purchase into meal-size portions as soon as you get it home. Decide at that point on the various menus. You don’t have to put them into any particular schedule. Just package them with specific recipes in mind to be prepared when the whim strikes.

It’s also not a bad idea to make a list of what you are freezing and tape it to the refrigerator. That way you can tell at a glance exactly what’s there, and who knows what sort of inspiration that can provide. It makes no difference whether you are buying poultry, pork, lamb or any other type of meat. Buy what looks good and repackage it to suit your situation.

Many markets feature good buys on what they call “family packs” of chicken parts, pork chops and other meat items. Again, the easy way to take advantage of such bargains is to break up the packages the moment you get them home and repackage them in amounts suitable for serving two. After all, if the kids or friends drop by, it’s just as easy to thaw two or more packages as it is to thaw one.

Packaging food in meal-size portions for two before it’s cooked is only one way to win this challenging battle. Some recipes, usually family favorites, simply don’t lend themselves to small quantity cookery. Soups, casseroles that call for numerous ingredients, even pies--both meat-based main dishes and desserts--just don’t taste the same when you try reducing the recipes. The seasonings and other ingredients balance perfectly in larger quantities but there is something lacking when you try to cut down.

In these cases plan to freeze the excess in meal-size portions after they are cooked. Then work them into your menus over the next month or two. Just think of all the menu planning and preparation time you will save.

A favorite recipe in my household is a simple old-fashioned chicken and biscuits casserole. It’s one of those that just isn’t the same when reduced in quantity and the original recipe serves six to eight. And, since mine is one of the increasingly common two-person households, we long ago had to make up our minds to give up on the dish unless we had guests, or to figure a way to enjoy it without dining on it night after night. Once again the freezer was our solution.

A Simple Recipe

The recipe is a simple one that calls for a chicken to be stewed with an onion, carrots and celery. When it’s tender, the meat is removed from the bones and returned to the broth. Just before serving, the mixture is heated to boiling, biscuits are dropped on top and the casserole is put into the oven just long enough for the biscuits to bake. It’s a simple recipe that is comfort food; the sort that is perfect for a chilly night.

Since we didn’t want to quit serving this casserole except on special occasions, we found an easy way to reduce the quantity. We still stew the chicken the same way, but after it’s cooked and boned, we reserve enough for that evening’s meal and freeze the rest for the future. We make only as many biscuits as we will need for the smaller casserole and thoroughly enjoy a meal that has all the flavor of a large casserole without the prospect of never-ending leftovers.

Revamping your planning and purchasing processes takes time. And that is something that’s hard to come by these days. It’s easy to settle for packaged dinners and other takeout foods, but even the best of them can become boring after a while. Why not clear some space in the freezer and do your own thing for a change?

The following recipes will provide some interesting and appetizing meals for two. Some are quantity recipes meant to be frozen in meal-size portions; others are designed to serve two with no extra bother. Give them a try and you’ll find two can eat at home every bit as well as four or six or more. BEEF PAPRIKASH FOR TWO

3/4 pound beef sirloin

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons butter or margarine

2 cups beef stock

2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

Salt, pepper

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup sour cream

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Cooked noodles for two

Chill beef until very firm but not frozen. Slice in thin strips about 3 inches long. Brown in 1 tablespoon oil in heavy skillet. Remove beef from skillet and set aside.

Pour off excess fat. Saute onion and garlic in same skillet in remaining 1 tablespoon oil and butter until tender, but not browned. Return beef to pan and add beef stock, paprika and mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When beef is tender, stir flour into sour cream and add to beef mixture. Bring to boil and cook, stirring, until thickened. Stir in lemon juice. Serve at once over hot noodles. Makes 2 servings. HAWAIIAN SALMON BAKE

1 (3-inch-wide) center cut piece salmon

Coarse salt

1 bunch dill

1 small onion, thinly sliced

Open salmon and lay as flat as possible on 12- to 14-inch sheet of foil. Sprinkle inside of salmon lightly with coarse salt.

Remove feathery tops from dill stems and scatter tops generously over bottom half of fish. Cover with sliced onion.

Close salmon, pressing lightly, and fold foil around it, sealing well. Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 30 minutes or until salmon tests done with fork. To serve, place on warm serving plate and pour any juices in foil packet over. Makes 2 servings. LEMONY CHICKEN THIGHS

2 large or 4 small boned chicken thighs

Salt, pepper

1 large carrot

1 large stalk celery

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 cup lemon juice

Sprinkle chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Cut carrot and celery into strips about 1/4 inch thick and 4 to 5 inches long. Drop vegetable strips into small amount of boiling water and boil about 2 minutes. Drain well and arrange several strips in center of each boned thigh.

Wrap chicken around strips and place, seam side down, in greased small shallow baking pan. Melt butter in small pan and stir in lemon juice. Brush chicken with butter mixture and bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Baste chicken occasionally with butter mixture during baking period. Makes 2 servings. DEVILED CRAB MEAT CASSEROLES

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons bottled steak sauce

3/4 cup milk

1 (6 1/2-ounce) can crab meat

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

Minced parsley

Melt butter. Mix 1 tablespoon butter with crumbs and set aside. Place remaining 2 tablespoons butter in small skillet and stir in flour, salt, pepper and steak sauce. Add milk. Cook and stir over low heat until thickened.

Add crab meat, lemon juice and parsley. Turn into 2 individual casseroles. Sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs. Bake at 375 to 400 degrees 10 to 15 minutes or until top is browned. Makes 2 servings. BROCCOLI FRITTATA

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion

2 teaspoons butter

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained

1/2 small clove garlic, crushed

1 cup cooked rice

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup milk

Salt, pepper

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Saute onion in butter until tender but not brown. Stir in broccoli, garlic, rice and Parmesan. Combine eggs and milk. Add to rice mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn into well-buttered shallow 1-quart casserole. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 25 minutes or until set. Makes 2 servings. APRICOT HAM

1 (3/4-pound) thick slice fully cooked ham

1/4 cup apricot nectar

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 banana

Place ham in lightly greased shallow baking dish. Mix apricot nectar, lemon juice, brown sugar and mustard. Spread over ham and bake at 350 degrees 30 minutes. Peel banana and slice in half lengthwise, then crosswise. Arrange banana over ham and bake 5 minutes longer. Makes 2 servings. CURRIED LAMB PLATTER

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice

2 sirloin lamb steaks, 1 inch thick

1 small cucumber, cut in half crosswise and lengthwise

1 large tomato, halved

Salt, pepper

1 tablespoon minced parsley

Combine butter, curry powder and 5-spice in small saucepan and stir over low heat until butter melts. Place lamb steaks and cucumber on broiler rack and brush both with curry butter.

Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat source 8 minutes. Turn lamb, brush with curry butter and broil 8 minutes longer or to desired degree of doneness. Remove cucumber when done to desired degree.

Brush tomato halves with curry butter and broil during last 5 minutes. Season lamb and vegetables to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange lamb, cucumber and tomato halves on platter. Garnish tomato halves with parsley. Makes 2 servings. JIFFY MEATBALL SKILLET

1/2 pound ground beef

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup bread crumbs

Dash dry mustard

1 tablespoon oil

1/3 cup green pepper strips

1 small onion, quartered

1/4 cup sliced water chestnuts

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Dash ground ginger

1 1/2 cups hot cooked rice

Combine beef, egg, crumbs and mustard. Shape into 10 to 12 meatballs. Heat oil in skillet. Add meatballs, green pepper and onion. Cook until meatballs are browned.

Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Pour off fat. Add water chestnuts, soy sauce and ginger. Heat through, stirring occasionally. Serve at once over hot rice. Makes 2 to 3 servings.