Sick Day: Seven quick but nourishing dinners to make when you are not feeling well

It could be a cold or it could be Covid - if you're feeling sick the last thing you'll want to do is cook dinner. Here are seven fast meal ideas that are packed with nutrients

When you are sick, food should be nourishing but not labour intensive.

Tomato and red lentil soup

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

Quick, easy, nutritious and delicious - this might be the perfect soup

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 1 tsp olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 4 celery sticks, sliced into 1 cm pieces

• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 cm rounds

• 1 litre vegetable stock

• 100g dried split red lentils

• 2 bay leaves (or a bouquet garni)

• 500ml passata

• salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a low heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the celery and carrots, and cook, covered, for another 5 minutes. Add a splash of water if the pan gets dry.

2. Add the stock, lentils and bay leaves. Stir well and increase the heat to medium. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

3. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the passata. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the passata is heated through. Season to taste. Ladle the soup into warmed serving bowls.

David Tanis’s Pasta Cacio e Pepe

This delicious version of Cacio e Pepe, one of my all-time favourite pasta dishes comes from one of my all-time favourite cooks David Tanis

Servings

2

Cooking Time

 12 mins

Total Time

 12 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 225g linguine

• 2 tbsp butter

• ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper

• 175g pecorino 

Method

1. Cook the linguine extra al dente (this is crucial) in well-salted water.

2. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the black pepper.

3. Drain the pasta and add to the pan, along with 110ml (4fl oz) of pasta water and a good pinch of salt. Stir constantly, keeping the liquid at a rapid simmer; the pasta will begin to wilt in the sauce and absorb liquid. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

4. Turn off the heat,add the grated pecorino, and stir until the pasta is coated with the creamy sauce. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Enjoy immediately...

Red lentil dahl

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

This recipe will be deliciously rich the following day as the flavours come out even more so try to make enough for a few meals!

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Indian

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• ½ onion, finely diced

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, grated

• 1 medium red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

• 3 tsp cumin

• 1 tbsp medium curry powder

• 200g red lentils washed and drained

• juice of 2 limes

• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes

• 500ml boiling water

• bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

1. In a large pot melt the coconut oil. Add the vegetables and sweat off gently on a low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the dried spices and cook for roughly another 2 minutes.

2. Stir in your lentils, lime juice and chopped tomatoes. Add the water and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer for another 15- 20 minutes, adding more water if necessary.

3. Serve topped with heaps of fresh coriander and a good dollop of natural yoghurt!

Mushroom and courgette orzo 'risotto'

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

We love this dish as a dinner in the midweek and eat the leftovers for lunch the following day

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 2 shallots, sliced thinly

• 1 courgette, halved lengthways and sliced thinly

• 300g mixed mushrooms

• juice of half a lemon 

• handful of basil leaves 

• sea salt

• pepper 

• 50g butter

• olive oil

• 150g orzo

• For the pesto:

• 175g walnuts 

• 1 clove of garlic

• handful of fresh basil 

• 100g Parmesan, grated 

• 6 tbsp of olive oil

• sea salt 

Method

1. Make the pesto by putting all the ingredients in a food processor and blitzing until smooth.

2. Cook the orzo in boiling salted water until al dente, drain and set aside.

3. Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the shallot along with 50g butter and cook until golden and soft. Next, add the courgette and cook for another five minutes.

4. Add the mushrooms to the pan along with a little sea salt and black pepper. Fry for another five minutes and then take off the heat. Stir in the juice of half a lemon. Stir through the basil and walnut pesto along with the orzo and serve garnished with lots of fresh basil.

Colcannon

recipe by:Darina Allen

For the simplest of dishes, pair colcannon with a fried or poached egg

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Side

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 450g kale or Savoy or spring cabbage

• 1.35kg ‘old’ potatoes, eg, Golden Wonders or Kerrs Pink

• 250ml boiling milk approx

• 30g scallion or spring onion, optional

• salt

• freshly ground pepper

• 55g butter

Method

1. Scrub the potatoes, put them in a saucepan of cold water, add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil.

2. When the potatoes are about half-cooked — 15 minutes approx for ‘old’ potatoes — strain off two-thirds of the water, replace the lid on the saucepan, put onto a gentle heat and allow the potatoes to steam until they are cooked.

3. Remove the dark outer leaves from the cabbage. Wash the rest and cut into quarters, remove the core and cut finely across the grain.

4. Cook in a little boiling salted water or bacon-cooking water until soft.

5. Drain and season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a little butter.

6. If using kale, remove the central rib. Cook the kale in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender.

7. This may take 8-10 minutes, depending on the type and maturity of the kale.

8. Curly kale is sweetest after it has been mellowed by a few night frosts.

9. When the potatoes are just cooked, put the milk and the finely chopped scallions into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

10. Pull the peel off the potatoes and discard, mash quickly while they are still warm and beat in enough boiling milk to make a fluffy purée. (If you have a large quantity, put the potatoes in the bowl of a food mixer and beat with the spade.)

11. Then stir in the cooked cabbage and taste for seasoning. For perfection, serve immediately in a hot dish with a lump of butter melting in the centre. Colcannon may be prepared ahead up to this point and reheated later in a moderate oven 180°C, for 20-25 minutes.

12. Cover while reheating so it doesn’t get too crusty on top.

Linguine puttanesca

If you aren’t a fan of anchovies, I get it. Neither am I usually, but I love them in this sauce. If you’re not convinced, then just add an extra tablespoon of capers instead

Servings

2

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 10 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 200g (7oz) linguine

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 200g (7oz) canned cherry tomatoes

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 4 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped

• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes

• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

• 12 black olives, pitted and chopped

• a handful of basil leaves

• sea salt and freshly ground black

• pepper

Method

1. Cook the linguine in a large pan of salted boiling water for 9 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Drain and reserve half a cup of the pasta cooking water.

2. While the pasta is cooking, place a frying pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the tomatoes and a pinch of salt and cook over a high heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring often.

3. Stir in the garlic, anchovies and chilli flakes. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the capers and olives and cook for a further minute. Add the cooked linguine and reserved pasta cooking water to the sauce and stir well.

4. Divide the linguine puttanesca between two bowls, season with pepper and tear over the basil leaves just before serving.
   
   In Minutes by Clodagh McKenna is published by Octopus Publishing and is out now. 

Minestrone soup

Nothing hits the spot quite like a hearty bowl of thick, chunky vegetable soup

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Starter

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• olive oil

• 100g bacon, chopped (optional)

• 2 onions, sliced

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 potatoes, cubed

• ½ cauliflower in florets

• ¼ drumhead or hard cabbage, sliced

• 2 tbsp tomato purée

• 2 courgettes, sliced into sticks

• 2 carrots, sliced

• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

• 2 tins of chopped tomatoes

• 3 celery sticks, peeled to remove stringy bits and cut into batons

• 400g tin white beans (cannellini)

• basil, to garnish

• Parmesan, to garnish

• 2l chicken or vegetable stock

Method

1. Put the oil in a deep saucepan and warm up over a moderate heat.

2. Cook bacon, if using, then add onions and garlic until softened.

3. Next add the cabbage, cauliflower, celery, carrots and potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, add the tomato purèe and cook for 2-3 minutes.

4. Now add the tomatoes, the beans and stock. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

5. Add the peas, green beans and cooked pasta. Warm them through. Put a portion into a deep bowl and sprinkle with chopped basil. Serve with a side of parmesan.
   This recipe is from Nick Price, author of The Accidental Chef, published by Booklink