Midweek meals: Five winter warmers you can cook in an hour or less

These comforting family recipes are perfect for longer evenings

Delicious dinners to warm bellies this winter

Warming Soup

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

A perfect bowl for winter lunches

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 35 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

• 1 tsp harissa paste (I use Le Phar Du Cap Bon which I get in SuperValu)

• 100g pearl barley or dried soup mixture

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into rough chunks

• 1 small turnip (or half a large one), peeled and chopped into chunks

• 300ml hot water

• To serve:

• 1 handful of fresh greens such as spinach, sliced kale, or finely sliced dark green cabbage

• Fresh lemon juice

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan on a medium heat on the hob.

2. Add the onion and stir for 1 minute, next add the garlic and stir again. Cook for 4 minutes.

3. Squeeze in the harissa paste and step away from the saucepan so you don’t inhale the steam – otherwise you’ll get a lungful of spicy steam & make your eyes water!

4. Pour in the pearl barley and stir so that the barley is coated with the paste and begins to toast a little in the heat of the saucepan.

5. Add the chopped carrot and turnip, then pour the water on top of the vegetables and pearl barley.

6. Bring the saucepan to a simmer, then cover and simmer the contents of the saucepan for 20-30 minutes.

7. Once the vegetables are still slightly firm (not mushy!) the soup is cooked.

8. To serve the warming soup, spoon a large ladle of soup into a big bowl, then stir in the fresh greens immediately into the hot liquid so that they wilt a little bit.

9. Squeeze lemon juice on top and eat straight away. As there is pearl barley in the mixture there should be no need to add bread to the dish, although it is nice to dunk if you have some.

 

Beef and carrot hotpot

recipe by:Neven Maguire

Comfort in a bowl, this stew is easy and delicious

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 25g (1oz) plain flour

• 300g (11oz) stewing steak pieces

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1 large onion, roughly chopped

• 4 carrots, roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 600ml (1 pint) beef or chicken stock (from a cube is fine)

• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 500g (1lb 2oz) baby new potatoes, halved

• 5g (¼oz) fresh flat-leaf parsley

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Put the flour in a bowl and season, then add the beef pieces and toss until evenly coated. Heat a flameproof casserole or heavy-based pan over a medium to high heat. Add the oil, then add the beef and quickly sear it on all sides until golden brown.

2. Add the onion and carrots to the casserole, stirring to coat. Sauté for a couple of minutes, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon.

3. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1–2 minutes, then add the stock and Worcestershire sauce. Add the baby potatoes, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, until meltingly tender but still holding their shape.

4. Strip the leaves from the parsley and roughly chop. Ladle the beef and carrot hot pot into bowls and scatter over the parsley to serve.
   
   'Learn to Cook with Neven' by Neven Maguire is published by Gill Books, priced €22.99.

 

Rosemary Roast Chicken

recipe by:Jamie Oliver

A hearty homemade meal for long evenings

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 55 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 1kg (2 1/4lbs) mixed chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin on, bone in

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 3 leeks

• 3 sprigs of rosemary

• 250ml (9fl oz) nice cider

• 1 x 400g (14oz) tin of butter beans

• 30g (1 1/4oz) Stilton cheese

• 3 tbsp full-fat crème fraîche

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚/Gas Mark 4.

2. Put the chicken into a large cold shallow casserole pan and place on a high heat. Fry for 10 minutes, or until golden all over, turning regularly, while you peel and finely slice the garlic, and wash, trim and very finely slice the leeks.

3. Pick and roughly chop the rosemary leaves, then add to the pan with the garlic and leeks, season with sea salt and black pepper, mix well and cook for a couple of minutes to soften slightly.

4. Make sure the chicken is skin side up, then pour in the cider, half drain and add the beans, and roast for 45 minutes or until the chicken pulls easily away from the bone.

5. Move the pan to a medium-high heat on the hob. Bomb in the little nuggets of Stilton and add the crème fraîche. Mix well, simmer for just a few minutes, then you’re ready to serve.

 

Ballymaloe shepherd’s pie

recipe by:Darina Allen

This classic family supper is simple yet richly flavoured with herbs - a hearty, comforting favourite

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 15 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 25g butter

• 110g onion, chopped

• 25g flour

• 450ml stock and leftover gravy

• 1 tsp tomato purée

• 1 tbsp mushroom ketchup (optional)

• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

• 1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped

• salt

• pepper

• 450g minced cooked lamb

• 900g cooked mashed potatoes

• 50g Cheddar, grated

• Garlic butter (optional)

Method

1. Melt the butter, add the onion, cover with a round of greased paper and cook over a slow heat for 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook until brown.

2. Add the stock, bring to the boil.  Add the tomato purée, mushroom ketchup, chopped parsley, thyme leaves, salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add the meat to the sauce, bring to the boil. Taste and correct seasoning.

4. Put in a pie dish, cover with the mashed potatoes, and score with a fork.  Sprinkle over the cheese and dot with garlic butter.

5. Reheat in a moderate oven at 180ºC for about 30 minutes until hot and bubbling. Garnish with parsley and serve with extra garlic butter melting into the potatoes.

 

Chicken and chickpea curry

Make this recipe vegetarian by leaving out the chicken altogether, and adding an extra tin of beans or chickpeas

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 50 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 6 bone-in chicken legs (thigh and drumstick), skin on

• 2 large onions, diced

• 4 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1½ tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• 2 tsp ground coriander

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp ground turmeric

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 470ml chicken stock

• 150g baby spinach

• sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• To serve:

• 60g Greek yoghurt

• 60g flat-leaf parsley, chopped

• brown rice (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.

2. Place an ovenproof casserole dish or a large saucepan over a medium heat and warm for 30 seconds. Pour in the olive oil. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces for about five minutes until they are golden brown on all sides. Then transfer to a plate.

3. Add the onions to the casserole, adding more olive oil if necessary. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes until the onions are soft and golden brown.

4. Stir in the garlic, ginger and spices, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant. Add the chickpeas and the chicken stock. Return the chicken pieces and their juices to the casserole. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven to cook for 45–55 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

5. Remove the casserole from the oven and place over a low heat, then stir in the spinach which should only take a minute to wilt. Transfer the curry to a large, deep platter, serve with a dollop of Greek yoghurt, some flat-leaf parsley and rice, if you wish.
   From Clodagh’s Midweek Kitchen by Clodagh McKenna, published by Kyle Books