Caitriona Redmond: When a treat’s too dear, why not make it at home?

In our house, we have a saying that everything will pass. I wonder how long we will have to wait this time?

This week’s recipe includes Irish apples which are in season and wonderfully tart and sweet all at once.

There I was standing in the supermarket last week, comparing the price of own-brand items to their big-name competitor with my phone in my hand. This time around it was mashed potato in the chiller cabinet and the supermarket brand was not cheaper. Yes, you can make mashed potatoes at home for cheaper than a tray from the fridge but this convenience option has its place. It’s cheaper than a takeaway meal, quicker to prepare for dinner and it also doesn’t require an oven or hob to heat up. Pre-prepared mashed potato is also helpful for people with dexterity and mobility issues.

A woman walked beside me and bent to pick up the own-brand mashed potato. I couldn’t help myself and told her that the alternative was cheaper, and so sparked a conversation that has stuck with me since.

“The carrot cake that I like has gone from €3.50 to €5.50 in the past couple of weeks. And, I know I can make it myself for cheaper but sometimes it’s nice just to have a piece of cake that I didn’t have to bake. It was the one thing, just for me, that I added to my basket every week and now I can’t anymore, it’s too expensive on my pension. It was a small thing that gave me comfort.” Her comment about small things that give comfort has really stuck with me since.

In our house, we have a saying that everything will pass. You can apply it to a myriad of situations and if a difficult time hasn’t passed you wait longer. I wonder how long we will have to wait this time?

All of this chat about cake put ‘the goo’ on me for (gave me a hankering for) you’ve guessed, carrot cake. This week’s recipe includes Irish apples which are in season and wonderfully tart and sweet all at once. I’ve omitted butter because the price is on the high side at the moment meaning I’m leaving it out of a lot of recipes. 

The second recipe this week is a way to use up leftover mash. I’ve mentioned before that I prepare and cook double quantities when I make the main meal. Meaning that I only cook a meal from scratch every second day. It’s a myth that dinner every day has to be unique and leftovers are a real treat in my house.

Carrot and apple loaf

If like me, you sometimes like to stealthily sneak extra fruit and vegetables into your diet then this loaf will be right up your street.

Servings

10

Preparation Time

 25 mins

Cooking Time

 55 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 20 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 180g wholemeal flour

• 100g plain flour

• 100g caster sugar

• pinch of salt

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 2 apples, peeled and grated

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and grated

• 3 medium eggs

• 100ml sunflower oil

• 125ml milk

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190°C (180°C fan oven). Line a 2lb loaf tin with non-stick baking paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, grated apples, and grated carrots. Stir well so that the dry ingredients coat the grated apples and carrots.

3. In a jug mix together the eggs, sunflower oil, and milk until they are combined. Pour the wet ingredients from the jug into the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir well. The mixture will be quite wet and runny. Pour the resulting batter mixture into the lined loaf tin.

4. Bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes. Test to see if the loaf is cooked by inserting a skewer into the deepest part of the loaf, if it comes out clean then the loaf is cooked. If not, return to the oven for a further 10 minutes and check again. Repeat until it’s cooked through.

5. Allow to cool completely before slicing. I normally get about 20 slices from this loaf.

Bubble and Squeak

A brilliant way to use up leftovers.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 7 mins

Total Time

 17 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sunflower/rapeseed oil

• 1 small knob of butter for flavour

• leftover mashed potatoes

• 4 fresh eggs

• 2 large handfuls of fresh tomatoes

• salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Take a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan and place it on medium heat. Pour in the sunflower oil and once warm, add the knob of butter. If the frying pan smokes, it is too hot.

2. Shape the leftover mash into patties using your hands. Gently slide the patties into the butter/oil mixture and leave to sizzle until they begin to caramelise on the bottom. This should take about 7 minutes or so.

3. Crack the eggs into the spaces in the frying pan around the patties and keep the pan on heat until the white of the egg is cooked through, but the yolk is still runny.

4. Remove the frying pan from the heat and place it on a heat-proof mat in the middle of the table, Chop fresh tomatoes into the centre and allow the family to help themselves to what they like (with a little bit of help for the smaller family members).

Using a toaster is more energy efficient than toasting bread under the grill.

Money Saving Tip 

Until recently, I doubled up using the grill on my oven for making toast. It turns out that it’s quite the energy drain to use the grill for toasting bread, particularly when the grill takes some time to heat up. While I really didn’t want to add another appliance to my small counter space, I invested in a small toaster which has ended up saving me a lot of money and time.

If you’re looking for more money-saving advice check out my feature this week on 50 ways to save money.

Lidl have a slow cooker on special offer this week.

Special Offers 

If you’re looking to pick up an energy-efficient slow cooker on a budget, Lidl has a 3.5L slow cooker on sale today only for €17.99. You will not find a slow cooker cheaper elsewhere and I have used this brand for many years without any trouble. There is very little difference in the quality of slow cookers at this price bracket. A 3.5L slow cooker should fit a whole small chicken and cook soups/stews for a family of 4 with ease, while consuming much less energy than a conventional oven.

Tesco’s clubcard prices this week include many of the “Old El Paso” range with discounts of over 50% on items like the fajita and burrito dinner kits reduced to €2.50 each. Meal kits like this can often be a great vehicle for introducing new flavours and vegetables into the diet. Particularly when you serve up the fillings buffet style in the middle of the family table.