Caitríona Redmond: spreading out the work around the home

Leftovers pie: a classic favourite

I had let myself slip into a rut of being the go-to person for planning meals and doing the shopping. It’s the nature of being based from home all the time but equally, I’m not the only person to benefit from home-cooked meals. Last week I decided it was time to start sharing the load.

Parents are very used to mental loads and the cost of living crisis has added plenty of weight to that load. We naturally want to protect our children from the difficulties of living on a tight budget and do our best to insulate them from how hard it really is.

Getting your children on board with financial and responsibility changes within the home is all about how you frame it. I consider myself a marketing expert when it comes to cajoling the boys to help out. In general, I sell the chores as an opportunity to win rewards such as a set amount of time on their games console or free play time outdoors with no interruptions. Big household tasks earn a trip somewhere such as the National History Museum which is always a major hit.

My mental block was getting the kids on board with helping me with my self-assigned chores. I had gotten into the habit of taking a full day at the weekends to batch cook meals and snacks for the following week. It’s not an easy task to cook up 5 main meals along with lunchbox items like sausage rolls, soups, and muffins. It does make my working week so much easier but weekends are precious and I felt like I was working a 6-day week.

The epiphany happened when I explained to the family that because they all benefitted from the lovely food during the week it was only fair that they rowed in and helped with the batch cooking day. For 3 hours we chopped, cooked, chatted, and listened to music together. We wove a dance around one another in the tiny kitchen and my long solo cooking endeavours came to an end.

I love cooking (obviously!) but the family coming together to create a bountiful week of food brought cooking to the next level of enjoyment. Plus, after only 3 hours the work was done and we all had plenty of time to read, make lego, and catch up on the latest episode of a favourite series on TV.

So the next time you feel like you are overwhelmed by the kitchen along with everything else maybe get the rest of your team on board. It might help lighten the load a little bit.

Braised Beef With Seasonal Veg

The homely flavours come thanks to the veg that all comes from local producers. It doesn’t get more Irish than this.

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 4 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 4 hours 30 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Western

Ingredients

• 3 onions, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1kg housekeepers cut of beef (note remove any string or elastic before cooking)

• 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks

• 1/2 small turnip (or swede) peeled and chopped

• 1 litre of vegetable stock (use hot water and 1 vegetable stock cube)

• 1 heaped tbsp cornflour

• For Serving Mashed potatoes (make enough for 2 meals)

Method

1. For the braised flavour you will need to sear the onions and the beef. So first grab your casserole dish, put it on a high heat and fry the onions in a teaspoon of vegetable oil until they turn brown/charred. Remove the onions from the dish and put them on a plate.

2. With the dish still on high, sear all sides of the beef so that it’s dark brown. Add the onions back to the dish, the rest of the vegetables, and then the stock. Cover the casserole dish and reduce the heat so that the stock is on a slow simmer. Cook for 3-4 hours.

3. Note the stock should reach a maximum of halfway up the piece of beef, it should not be covered in the stock.

4. Adapted for the slow cooker: Fry the onions and then the beef in a frying pan before putting them into your slow cooker. Add the chopped vegetables, stock, put the lid on top and cook on high for 5-6 hours.

5. Before serving, remove the beef from the dish/slow cooker. Remember you have to keep half for your second dish tomorrow so it may be easier to cut it in half and cover now before serving dinner.

6. In a small cup mix 1 heaped tablespoon of cornflour with a splash of cold water until you get a loose paste. With the vegetables and the stock still on the heat, quickly stir this paste into the mixture. It should thicken the mixture to a gravy instantly. Once again, half of this mixture is to be reserved for your second meal.

7. Serve the beef with the vegetables in gravy with mash on the side. I like to serve mine with some fresh buttered cabbage, savoy is best if it’s in season.

Leftovers Cottage Pie

I’ll keep it simple, because my recipes have to take little time in the kitchen.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Side

Cuisine

 Western

Ingredients

• Leftover braised beef

• Leftover gravy

• Mashed potato

• 100g frozen peas

• 100g frozen sweetcorn

• 100g grated cheese of your choice

Method

1. Shred the remaining beef from the previous meal and stir it into the leftover gravy.

2. Preheat your fan oven to 150°C.

3. Spoon the gravy and beef mixture into a large baking dish. Top with the frozen vegetables.

4. Spoon the leftover mashed potatoes on top of the vegetables and gravy mixture. Sprinkle grated cheese on top of the mashed potatoes.

5. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes, until all the food is warmed through and serve immediately.

6. If you want to, this meal is also perfect for freezing so once assembled, cover well and put straight into the freezer where it will keep for up to 1 month. Ensure it is completely defrosted before cooking in the oven.

An egg, poached: the latest subject of price hikes

Grocery Basket Notes 

When I did my price check this week I discovered has been an increase of 31c in the cost of 6 medium free-range eggs from Tesco. 

That’s quite a rise in the price of half a dozen eggs from a standard €1.59 to €1.90 for the small carton. This is something I am monitoring and there is obviously a slight chance it’s a keying error on the part of the supermarket. More next week.

Special Offers 

Dunnes Stores want us all to get baking this week and have a range of offers on all their baking ingredients including dried fruits and nuts. Considering the value to be had on items like sultanas and raisins I recommend stocking up on your bits for both the Christmas Cake and Puddings. I know I said Christmas before the end of September but us thrifty folk like to plan and save well in advance!

This week’s recipes are designed for a large cut of beef which will make enough for 2 meals. SuperValu have reduced their Housekeepers Cut from €11.99/kg to €8.03/kg for this week only providing you buy it from the butcher counter and not off the shelves. A full kilo is enough for 3 meals for a family of 4 so if you afford to size up then it’s worth it for making 3 dinners at once.

Money Saving Tips

Frozen chopped vegetables are the time-poor cook’s friend. The variety varies from supermarket to supermarket, plus they are in strong demand lately because they can be cheaper than buying fresh vegetables and keep for longer, reducing food waste.

While we would all be familiar with sweet corn, peas, carrots, broccoli, and vegetable mix the real value is in the soft vegetables frozen fresh.

My top picks would be sliced peppers, onions, and mushrooms which can be thrown in stir fries and sauces with ease. However, you can also buy peeled and chopped swede (turnip), butternut squash, and spinach.

Don’t underestimate the value of your own time, which you will gain back by not having to clean, prepare, and chop your vegetables every now and again. Of course, vegetables prepared this way also have an essential purpose for those with dexterity issues etc.