Midweek Meals: Five fantastic family-friendly dinners to try over the midterm break

These comforting meals will go down a treat, especially on duller days

From slow cooking to stewing and a quick pasta dish — there is something to suit everyone.

Pasta & Meatballs

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

A simple, delicious and cost-effective meal

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 25 mins

Total Time

 40 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Italian

Ingredients

• 360g Meatballs

• 2 onions, chopped

• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced

• 1 tin chopped tomatoes

• 1 tin chickpeas

• 300g dried pasta

Method

1. Preheat your (fan) oven to 180°C. Put the meatballs into an oven-proof dish and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

2. In the meantime, put a large saucepan on medium heat. Pour in vegetable oil, then add the onion and cook until it begins to turn pale and soften, add the chopped and sliced carrots then stir.

3. Pour in the tinned tomatoes, add a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper, and then allow the sauce to come to a simmer. Cover and leave simmering while the meatballs continue to cook.

4. Once the meatballs have cooked, carefully spoon them into the sauce that is still bubbling. Pour in the drained chickpeas and stir.

5. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Once cooked, serve the pasta and meatballs.

Salt and Chilli Chicken

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

You could also make a beautiful version of this with king prawns. Just swap the chicken for raw king prawns and cook as per the method below.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 400g skinless boneless chicken thighs

• 2-3 cm fresh ginger

• 3 cloves garlic

• 30ml rice wine or sherry

• 150g cornflour

• 2 tbsp sea salt

• 1 tbsp ground white pepper

• 2 tbsp chilli powder

• 1 litre sunflower oil

• 1 onion

• 1 red chilli

• Optional chilli and tomato sauce:

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 cm fresh ginger root

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 red chilli

• 2 tomatoes

• 2 tsp honey

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• juice of half a lemon

Method

1. To begin, trim the chicken thighs to remove any excess fat. To do this, just lay the thighs out on a chopping bord and use the edge of a sharp knife to scrape away any white fat. Discard that and cut the thighs into thin strips, about one centimetre wide is perfect.

2. Peel and grate the ginger root and the garlic. Add those to a bowl big enough to hold all the chicken, add the rice wine and the meat. Stir well to combine and set aside for twenty to thirty minutes to marinate.

3. While the meat is marinating, start on the sauce if you want to have that with the chicken. Peel and grate the ginger and garlic. Wash the red chilli and remove the seeds and pith before chopping it finely. Wash and grate the tomatoes using the coarse surface of a box grater, discarding the skins.

4. Heat the sesame oil in a small saucepan over a high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute or two, stirring regularly until the garlic and ginger lose their raw smell, taking care not to burn the garlic or it will become bitter. Add the chopped red chilli and cook for another minute until it softens slightly. Next add the tomatoes. Turn up the heat to bring the pan to a soft boil, then reduce to a simmer, add the soy sauce and the honey, and cover the pan and cook for fifteen minutes.

5. Finally, add the lemon juice and cook the sauce for another five minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more soy sauce, honey, or lemon juice to suit your own taste. When the sauce is done, remove it from the heat and set aside until you are ready to serve.

6. In a wide bowl, combine the cornflour, sea salt, white pepper, and chilli powder. Stir well to ensure they are thoroughly combined. If you prefer you can use plain flour instead of cornflour, but I find that cornflour gives a gorgeous crispy crunchy texture to the chicken. Potato or tapioca flour also work well if you happen to have either of those in your cupboards.

7. Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan until it reaches 180 Celsius. Working in batches, take some of the marinated chicken and dredge it through the flour and spice mixture. I cook this recipe in three batches, so start with a third of the meat, and toss that in the flour to coat it well. Shake off any excess flour and then carefully lower the chicken into the hot oil. Fry for just one minute before removing it from the oil using a slotted spoon and allow it to drain on some kitchen towel or a wire rack placed over a roasting tray.

8. Repeat with the final two batches of chicken. Take care to ensure that the oil returns to 180 Celsius between batches. If the oil is cooler than that, you will not get a lovely crispy coating on the chicken, and it may not cook through properly. Frying the chicken twice is what gives you a beautifully crispy finish.

9. Once all the chicken has had its first fry, bring the oil back to 180 Celsius. There is no need to fry in batches for the second fry, you can put all the chicken back in the pan at the same time and fry it for one more minute. When it is done, let it drain again on kitchen towel for a few minutes.

10. Peel and slice the onion and thinly slice the red chilli. Stir fry both together in a little sesame oil until the onion is soft and sweet, just a few minutes will do it. Serve the chicken on a big plate with the stir-fried onion and chillies mixed through. Scatter some fresh red chilli and a few leaves of fresh coriander over the top and serve.

Beef and oxtail stew

recipe by:Darina Allen

Oxtail costs very little and makes an extraordinarily rich and flavoursome winter stew, considering how cheap it is.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 45 mins

Cooking Time

 3 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 3 hours 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 whole oxtails

• 450g (1lb) shin of beef or stewing beef, cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) cubes

• 110g (4oz) streaky bacon

• 25g (1oz) beef dripping or 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 225g (8oz) finely chopped onion

• 225g (8oz) carrots, cut into 2cm (3/4 inch) cubes

• 55g (generous 2oz) chopped celery

• 1 tbsp homemade tomato purée

• 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of thyme and parsley stalks

• salt and freshly ground pepper

• 150ml (5fl oz) red wine

• 450ml (16fl oz) homemade beef stock or 600ml (1 pint) all beef stock

• 175g (6oz) mushrooms (sliced)

• 15g (generous 1/2oz) roux

• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

1. First, cut the oxtail into pieces through the natural joints – the joints are made of cartilage, so you won’t need a saw. If this seems like too much of a challenge, ask your butcher to disjoint the oxtail for you.

2. Cut the bacon into 2.5cm (1 inch) cubes.

3. Heat the dripping or olive oil in a frying pan, add the bacon and sauté for 1-2 minutes, add the vegetables, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer into a casserole.

4. Add the beef and oxtail pieces to the pan, a few at a time and continue to cook until the meat is beginning to brown. Add to the casserole. Add the wine and 150ml (5fl oz) of stock to the pan. Bring to the boil and use a whisk to dissolve the caramelised meat juices from the pan, bring to the boil.

5. Add to the casserole with the herbs, stock and tomato purée. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and cook either on top of the stove or in a preheated oven (160°C/325°F/ Gas Mark 3) very gently for 2 - 3 hours, or until the oxtail and vegetables are very tender.

6. Meanwhile, cook the sliced mushrooms in a hot frying pan in a little butter for 2 - 3 minutes. Stir into the oxtail stew and cook for about 5 minutes. Transfer the beef and oxtail to a hot serving dish and keep warm. Remove and discard the bay leaves, thyme and parsley stalks.

7. Bring the liquid back to the boil, whisk in a little roux and cook until slightly thickened. Add back in the meat and chopped parsley. Bring to the boil, taste and correct the seasoning. Serve in the hot serving dish with lots of champ.

Slow Cooker Bean Chilli

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

By cooking up a slow cooker meal I will have a pot of hot dinner on the go for when the kids eat.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 3 hours 31 mins

Total Time

 3 hours 41 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• salt and pepper

• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

• 500ml passata

• 1 tin kidney beans

• 1 tin chickpeas

• 300g broccoli, finely chopped

• 1 yellow pepper, sliced

Method

1. Place the onion, garlic, spices, seasoning, carrots, and passata into a slow cooker. Stir well.

2. Add in the beans and chickpeas and stir so that they are coated in the sauce.

3. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook at high for 3 hours.

4. After 3 hours, add the finely chopped broccoli and sliced pepper then stir well. Cook for a further 30 minutes on high. This stops the softer vegetables from getting too soggy.

5. Serve with cooked rice or crusty bread. If you have any leftovers they will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for over a month.

Chicken Piri Piri tray bake with sweet potato and vegetables

recipe by:Neven Maguire

Portuguese-style Chicken inspired by my Portuguese Food Trails.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Portuguese

Ingredients

• 4 chicken drumsticks, skin on

• 4 chicken thighs, skin on

• 1 large (or 2 medium) sweet potato, peeled & cut into chunks

• 1 red onion, peeled & root left on, cut into wedges

• 1 red pepper, cored, seeds removed and cut into chunks

• 1 yellow pepper, cored, seeds removed and cut into chunks

• 1 green pepper, cored, seeds removed and cut into chunks

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary

• sea salt

• 6-8 pieces sprouting broccoli, blanched in boiling water for 3-4 minutes

• For the Piri Piri dressing: 2-3 Roasted Red Peppers, cleaned

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika

• 2 birds eye chillies (or ½ tsp chilli powder)

• 1 clove garlic

• small bunch coriander leaves

• small bunch fresh basil leaves

• juice of ½ Lemon

• 150ml Olive Oil

• sea salt

Method

1. For The Piri Piri Dressing: In a mini chopper/blender mix all the dressing ingredients together.

2. Transfer to a bowl or Kilner jar if not using immediately.

3. To Marinade The Chicken: Cut small incisions in the flesh of the chicken drumsticks & chicken thighs.

4. Place the chicken in a shallow dish and pour over the prepared Piri Piri dressing, cover in cling film and allow to marinate for 4-5 hours or overnight if time allows.

5.  For The Tray Bake: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4).

6. On a large baking tray place the sweet potato chunks, red onion wedges and peppers. Drizzle over the olive oil and season with salt.

7. Gently place the marinated chicken drumstick & thighs on top of the vegetables and scatter the fresh rosemary around the vegetables. Season the chicken with sea salt.

8. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

9. Remove from the oven and place the sprouting broccoli around the vegetables.

10. Return the traybake to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are crispy and golden brown.