Caitríona Redmond: My low-cost charred vegetable salad is a new take on an old reliable
Get the best out of your kitchen staples with Caitríona Redmond's charred veg salad.
No matter which meal kit service I’ve used I have come away with one massive benefit: The injection of cooking inspiration and reinvigoration of my menu.
My experiences of meal kit services have varied wildly from huge success to mediocre. The boys have adored some kits and taken to them like a duck to water.
All I had to do was hover in supervision in the kitchen and they dished up beautiful meals. Then there was the service that famously sent me 2 medium potatoes for my meal set for a family of four.
Thankfully I had additional ingredients on hand to bulk up my stock. The less said about that experience the better.
When I’m busy I tend to stick to the old reliable meals; the ones that I know the kids will eat and I can repurpose as leftovers.
On a budget, I’m wary of dishes that might not be used completely or could go to waste. That’s where a meal kit has made a huge difference to my meal rotations.
Let’s not forget the mental load of cooking for a family 52 weeks of the year. It’s a lot for my brain to handle at the best of times, and I love cooking. A short break is as good as a holiday for my meal plan.
I log onto the ordering portal and pick out the meals including the ingredients I know both the child with sensory issues and the picky one will eat. No point in selecting an option that won’t be eaten.
I deliberately choose meals that might have flavours that differ from my norms at home.
Once the meal arrives, the kids are involved in opening, storing, preparing, and cooking the dish together.
They become more invested that way and are more likely to dine with gusto than turn up their noses.
An exciting mystery box of ingredients and a meal that they are excited to prepare and eat is worth its weight in gold for me.
Each kit arrives with small portions of ingredients, herbs, and spices. Nothing goes to waste; if the family doesn’t like what has been cooked then I don’t have surplus ingredients languishing in the store cupboards for months on end.
If the dinner is a success, I can add the ingredients into the trolley the next time I’m at the shops.
On weeks where I know we are going to be active, or I, myself, might not get much time in the kitchen, ordering a kit for a couple of days takes the pressure off for me.
Opening the fridge and cooking from what is already portioned out is a dream compared to forking out at least double the amount compared to a takeaway.
That last minute decision would be prohibitively expensive on a regular basis, never mind not as healthy as cooking a meal from stratch (even if it is slightly prepared).
Take my word for it. A meal kit might be the solution to your meal planning woes.
I will always advocate for cooking from scratch. For me, there is no comparision between homecooked food and shop-bought meals. That said, for time-pinched parents and money savvy home cooks there are some convenience meals that will both save you the time taken to cook, plus the cost of the raw ingredients.
A family tray of lasagne bought in the supermarket will save a household at least one hour of cooking. That’s time that the head cook gets back to work on something else. Plus, that lasagne will cost several euro less than the price of buying each ingredient separately. Pop the tray into the oven and once cooked, serve it with your sides of choice and enjoy the break from food preparation.
Homemade chicken goujons are a delight but take time to make for a hungry family, plus can generate quite the mess. High quality shop-bought goujons take the stress and mess out of the kitchen. Likewise, pizza, which is wonderful fun to make at home but a chilled par-baked base is a great option for those who still want to eat homemade style pizza. Saving time and money in the kitchen is a winning combination.
Charred Vegetable Salad
This dish is the kind of food I love to serve over the Summer; using the best of seasonal ingredients from the allotment, boosted with a herby vinegrette and toasted seeds. I like to serve mine with some fresh burrata on top and crackers to one side.
Servings
4Preparation Time
15 minsCooking Time
35 minsTotal Time
50 minsCourse
SideIngredients
4-5 medium tomatoes, cut in half
1 medium aubergine, sliced into rounds
2 red peppers, cut into chunks
1 whole bulb of garlic, sliced in half lengthways
2 medium courgettes, sliced into rounds
2 red onions, peeled and cut into quarters
Optional:
Garlic scapes
2 tbsp olive oil
Large pinch sea salt
For the vinaigrette:
4 tbsp white wine vinegar or vin cotto
2 tbsp olive oil
Large pinch of sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 large handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 large handful tarragon, roughly chopped
1 small frond fennel, roughly chopped
Zest of 1 lemon or orange
Method
Preheat a griddle pan or a barbecue on a medium heat. Coat all the prepared fruits and vegetables with a light coating of olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt. Turn the heat on the pan or barbecue to low and cook the vegetables until they are tender with clear char marks. You achieve this by not moving the vegetables around on the griddle or barbecue and turning only once. Next, add the fruit (tomatoes and peppers) these will take a shorter amount of time to cook and are extremely tender so don’t require much heat.
When cooked, add the vegetables to a large serving bowl. Whisk the vinegar and olive oil together in a separate bowl until combined, add seasoning and whisk again. Gently stir through the parsley, tarragon, and fennel, then grate on top the rind of 1 lemon or orange. This dressing also works very well with seafood and chicken.
Spoon the dressing over the charred vegetables, stir and serve, piled high on plates with a protein of your choice and crusty bread on the side.
