Hidden health: Five ways to get more iron into your diet

Packed with iron-rich foods like dried fruit and liver, these dishes are a simple and delicious was to up your iron intake 

Hidden health: Iron-rich foods

Liver with mushrooms, bacon and mash

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

The perfect supper for meat-lovers, mushrooms and grainy mustard enhance the salty flavours of rashers and fried liver

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 40g butter

• dash of rapeseed oil

• 2 shallots, sliced

• 4 streaky smoked rashers, chopped

• 80g mushrooms, sliced

• 550g calves liver, trimmed

• 1 tsp whole grain mustard

• 1 tbsp brandy

• 2 tbsp cream

Method

1. Put the potatoes on to boil in lightly salted water and drain when cooked. Mash the potatoes with the milk and spring onion. Taste and season. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Melt the butter in the pan until it is hot and add the oil. Sauté the shallots until they have softened then add the rashers and mushrooms.

3. Stir fry until they are both cooked through. Scoop out of the pan and set aside.

4. In the same pan fry the pieces of liver, just over a minute on each side should do. They are best when brown on the outside but pink in the centre.

5. Remove the liver from the pan and add the rashers back. Add the brandy, mustard and cream, taste and season.

6. Serve the liver beside the mash and pour the sauce from the pan over the meat.

 

Perry Street's chickpea burgers

Ready in minutes and full of flavour, these veggie burgers are a great way of introducing one meat-free day to the weekly menu

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 8 mins

Total Time

 18 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 400g chickpeas can, drained

• Zest of 1 lime, plus juice of ½ lemon

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• Small bunch coriander, chopped

• 1 egg

• 100g grated carrot

• 1 medium red onion, ½ diced, ½ sliced

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• To serve:

• 4 small whole-wheat buns

• 1 large tomato, sliced

• ½ cucumber

• Chilli sauce

• Natural yoghurt or crème fraiche

Method

1. In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas, lime zest, juice, cumin, half the coriander, the egg and some seasoning.

2. Scrape into a bowl and mix with 80g of the grated carrot and the diced onions.

3. Form four burgers and press the remaining grated carrots onto both sides and chill for at least 10 minutes.

4. Heat the oil in a frying pan until hot.

5. Fry the burgers for four minutes each side, keeping the heat on medium so they don’t burn.

6. To serve, slice buns and fill with a tomato slice, a burger, a few red onion slices, cucumber slices, a dollop of chilli sauce and the remaining coriander.

 

Summer steak salad

recipe by:Darina Allen

Deliciously fresh salad with avocado, cheese and vivid cherry tomatoes compliment tender strips of steak for a hearty, summery dish

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 20 mins

Course

 Starter

Ingredients

• 700-900g sirloin or fillet steak (at least 4.5cm thick)

• 1 red onion, pickled

• 8-10 sweet ripe cherry tomatoes

• 2 firm but ripe avocados

• 1 Romaine or 3 Little Gem lettuces

• extra virgin olive oil

• rocket and watercress sprigs

• 12 scallions or spring onions

• 110-175g mild blue cheese (Gorgonzola, Crozier Blue or St. Agur)

• Caesar dressing

Method

1. Season the steak generously on both sides with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for at least an hour. Make the pickle red onions as per the recipe below.

2. Cut the Romaine into sixths lengthwise or the Little Gem into quarters. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half around the equator. Season with salt, pepper, sugar, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.

3. Preheat a barbecue or a pan-grill on a high heat. Pat the steak dry with kitchen paper. Drizzle the steak with extra virgin olive oil. Sear the meat well on both sides and along the fat. Reduce the temperature and cook until medium rare. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest while you sear the Romaine or Little Gem on all sides. Clean the grill first, then drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Sear the lettuce chunks on a high heat until nicely charred on all sides. Transfer to a serving plate. Scatter with rocket and watercress sprigs.

4. Toss the spring onions in a little extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and sear on the heat.

5. Cut the steak into 5mm thick slices across the grain. Scatter over the salad with the tomatoes, pickled red onions, avocado wedges, and crumbled blue cheese. Finely chop with charred spring onions and scatter over the salad along with some flaky sea salt and a few grinds of freshly cracked pepper. Serve with Caesar dressing and tuck in immediately while the steak is still warm.

 

Dried fruit slices

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

These energy bars are packed with goodness and are ideal for an afternoon snack or a lunchbox treat

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Baking

Cuisine

 American

Ingredients

• 110g butter

• 3 tbsp honey

• 50g light muscovado sugar

• 200g porridge oats

• 50g hazelnuts, lightly toasted and chopped

• 50g pumpkin seeds

• 50g sunflower seeds

• 50g sesame seeds

• 50g dried cranberries

• 50g dried apricots, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a 7 by 10-inch tin with parchment.

2. Gently melt the butter, honey and sugar over a low heat.

3. Stir the oats into the saucepan and coat them in the mixture.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the nuts, seeds and dried fruit.

5. Scoop the mixture into a prepared tin and flatten it down very well.

6. Bake for 20 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and place a sheet of parchment over the bake, press it down again to flatten it, return it to the oven for about ten minutes leaving the parchment on top. It should be light brown in colour when baked.

8. Allow to cool in the tin then slice into bars with a sharp knife.

 

Easy slow cooker lamb shanks

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

This is a really easy way to cook lamb that is tender and delicious every time

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 6 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 6 hours 5 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 4 lamb shanks —you can get these from your butcher

• 4 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 onion, roughly chopped

• 2 carrots, roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 500ml passata

• Handful rosemary, fresh is ideal but dried works well too

• Handful thyme, fresh is ideal but dried works well too

• 250ml water

• Pinch of salt and pepper

Method

1. Place the lamb shanks, garlic and vegetables in the slow cooker or alternatively, a large casserole dish.

2. Mix the tomato paste, passata, herbs and water in a jug and pour over the shanks.

3. Ensure the lamb shanks are fully covered by the mixture, if not add more water.

4. If using a slow cooker set it to a high setting and cook for six hours.

5. If using a casserole dish then preheat the oven to 140°C and cook for six hours.

6. Place the cooked shanks onto warmed serving plates and enjoy with sides of your choice.