Caitríona Redmond: Cooking the books — and my recipe for chicken traybake

Caitriona Redmond's chicken tray bake.

I love the turn of phrase ‘cooking the books’. It’s a phrase used to describe accounting methods that make a company look more financially well-off than it is. I wouldn’t say I have been cooking the finances this week; more like examining our expenses with a giant magnifying glass.

The halfway point in the year is a great time to look at your household spending. I’ve been saving my till receipts from shopping trips, and they tell quite the tale. I used to pop the paper receipts into an envelope and review it every few months when it started bulging to a splitting point. Nowadays, many supermarkets give me a virtual receipt, and I don’t take a paper slip home. The envelope no longer threatens to overflow, so there’s less of a visual reminder to check my spending.

While it might not sound very thrilling, it's a good idea to audit the household finances regularly. It’s how I realised I had been buying too much jam, despite having plenty of frozen berries to work with along with jam sugar in the cupboard. I’ve included a recipe for a seasonal strawberry jam this week below, it is paired with gin, and the botanical elements complement the beautiful fruit. There’s nothing wrong with buying jam; I’d rather use what I have in my stores.

I can see where I’ve made spur-of-the-moment purchases. Bread from the corner shop is always more expensive than from the supermarket. If I match the receipts with my diary, I can see instances where I had to run to the shop at the last minute to get more sliced pan. We were eating more bread than usual. Go figure; it was the school holidays! Now I know I need to add more bread to the shopping list and budget for at least the next nine weeks.

There’s been a couple of charges for plastic bags on my receipts. I should know better, and I am kicking myself. I’ve already added some foldup, lightweight bags to my handbag so I don’t get caught out with that again. Those bag charges can really, really add up. Not buying bags could cover the cost of the extra bread.

It’s no surprise that I spend less when I do an online shop with delivery, even after allowing for the delivery cost. The other occasion where I pay less occurs when I go shopping solo. Husbands and children do not a cheap shopping trip make. I should get that embroidered onto my shopping bags.

Finally, I can see where I have been caught in a shopping rut. My spending limit is tight, so I tend to buy the same products week in and week out. It’s handy from a budgeting point of view; I jazz up meals with a decent spice and herb rack, but it is getting tired.

As Irish produce comes into its own in the weeks ahead, I’ll buy more of what is in season and hopefully add some more pzazz to my family meals. At the halfway point of the year, it’s time for a welcome refresh.

This week I also have a recipe for strawberry jam with gin 

Home Economics:

Counting Beans

Black beans are a staple in this house, and I keep dried beans in my stores. Per cooked weight, dried beans are the best value compared to buying tins. Even if I buy a tin of beans, there is a variation of prices for the same thing in the supermarkets today. At the time of writing, a 400g tin may be as low as 79c in Tesco Ireland or as high as €1.70 for 400g of organic black beans in SuperValu. 500g of dried black beans in Tesco costs €2.75 and can yield as much as ten tins of cooked beans. You can see where the savings add up.

Start preparing dried black beans by soaking 1 cup of beans in 3 cups of cold water overnight. You will be surprised at how much water they will soak up! After soaking overnight, strain away the water and use six parts water to immerse the soaked beans in either a pressure cooker or a saucepan. For the pressure cooker, I set the cooker to high, seal the lid, and cook the beans for 30 minutes. If simmering in a saucepan, gently simmer for about 60 minutes or until tender. You will know that the beans are tender if they hold their structure but yield under pressure, and the inside has a soft texture.

When dried beans have been cooked, rinsed, and stored in clean water in a tub or jar, they will keep for several days in the fridge. You can take out what you need and then return the jar to the refrigerator for another day. Beans are a super flavour carrier and pair well with most sauces. If you have some pulses that are overcooked or squishy, you can mash them into a bean burger or make hummus.

Simple Chicken Traybake

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

Eating healthily when you’re short on time is difficult, so I have devised this recipe. It only takes 18 minutes to cook in the oven, tastes even nicer the second day for your lunch, and is packed full of colourful vegetables.

Servings

3

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 9 mins

Total Time

 29 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• Spray oil

• 1 red pepper, chopped

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

• ¼ head of broccoli, chopped

• 7 scallions, chopped

• Cherry tomatoes on the vine (leave them on the vine)

• 1 pack of mini chicken fillets

• 100g breadcrumbs

• 1 generous handful of parsley

• 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme

• 2 scallions

• 20ml olive oil

• Salt & pepper

Method

1. Preheat a fan oven to 180oC and line a baking tray with non-stick baking parchment. Spray the parchment a few times with some spray oil.

2. Arrange the vegetables in separate sections on the baking tray, leaving space in the centre. Put the mini chicken fillets in the centre of the tray.

3. Using a blender, combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, and the two additional scallions with the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Pulse in a blender/food processor until the breadcrumbs turn green.

4. Spoon the breadcrumb mixture over the vegetables and chicken on the baking tray.

5. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then serve immediately for a quick dinner.

6. Alternatively, leave to cool before portioning into boxes for lunch the following day.

Strawberry Jam with Gin

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

The botanicals used to make gin are perfect for combining with strawberry jam. As jam is boiled for over 5 minutes, the alcohol content is evaporated, and the botanical notes boost the flavours. Makes 1.5 litres.

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 44 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 14 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• 1kg fresh strawberries

• 2 lemons

• 50ml gin

• 10g freshly ground black pepper

• 800g jam sugar

Method

1. First, take four clean jam jars, remove the lids and place them on a sturdy baking tray. Pop them into a cold oven and heat them to 120oCelsius. This will sterilise the jars.

2. Next, wash and remove the stalks from the strawberries. Pour them all into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Using a vegetable masher, mash down about three-quarters of the strawberries. Leave the rest whole. Squeeze in the juice of 2 lemons; this will balance the sweet flavour of the jam. Finally, stir well with the sugar, gin, and black pepper.

3. Set the saucepan on a medium heat and bring the contents to a simmer. Stir regularly so the bottom of the saucepan doesn’t stick. Once it bubbles, turn it on high and boil for 5 minutes. Set your stopwatch! After 5 minutes, remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes before decanting into your sterilised jam jars.

4. Once the jam is cool, top it with a wax paper circle, then a round of cellophane and seal with an elastic band. You can get all these things in a jam set in any supermarket.

5. Notes about 'jam sugar': Jam sugar contains extra pectin and may contain some palm oil, designed to assist a jam in the setting. However, if you prefer not to use palm oil in your jam, wash and peel 3 cooking apples. Place the peel in the saucepan when making the jam and remove from the saucepan before filling the jars. The quantity of granulated sugar remains the same. The apple peel is a natural source of pectin.