Midweek Meals: Five easy and comfy meals for gloomy days

Pies, chillies, noodles, soup - and of course, a stirfry for the vegans at the table

Feed the whole gang with this chilli con carne

Slow cooker vegetable soup

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond 

Good food doesn't have to be complicated or expensive.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 3 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 3 hours 15 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced

• 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped

• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped

• 1 half head of cauliflower, chopped

• 1.5l vegetable stock (made with a stock cube is fine)

Method

1. Slow Cooker Method: Put the onions into a covered dish and microwave for 1 minute on high. This is to take the astringency from the onions and stop the flavour from being raw and overwhelming the slow cooker soup.

2. Once finished in the microwave, empty the dish into the slow cooker. Add all the other ingredients and pour over the vegetable stock. Cover the slow cooker and turn to high. Cook on high for 3 hours, then mash a little using a potato masher. Serve immediately with fresh chopped parsley if you like a ‘chunky’ soup. If not, blitz using a hand blender before serving.

3. Hob Method: Sauté the onions in a little oil in a large saucepan until translucent. Stir in the potatoes with the onions and allow to cook a little in the oil. Add all the other ingredients and stir well. Pour in the vegetable stock. Cover the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer the ingredients until everything is tender. Turn off the hob, use a potato masher to mash the soup a little before serving, or use a stick blender for a smoother texture.

Nathan Anthony’s slow cooker steak and Guinness pie

recipe by:Nathan Anthony

This rich pie is perfect on a cold day.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 8 hours 25 mins

Total Time

 8 hours 35 mins

Course

 IEC-recipe-root

Ingredients

• 800g beef steak or rump (or 1kg brisket), chopped

• 440ml can of Guinness

• 200ml beef stock

• 1tbsp tomato purée

• 1tsp dried rosemary

• 1tsp dried thyme

• 1tsp dried oregano

• 1 bay leaf

• 1tbsp brown sugar

• 2 carrots, roughly chopped

• 1 red onion, chopped

• 1 celery stick, chopped

• 1 heaped tbsp cornflour

• 3 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry

• 1 egg, beaten, to glaze the pastry

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Tenderstem broccoli, and carrot and parsnip mash, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Throw all the ingredients, except the pastry and egg, in the slow cooker.

2. Cook on high for four hours or low for seven to eight hours. Discard the bay leaf.

3. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Top the beef filling with the puff pastry, tuck it round the pie, then brush with the beaten egg.

4. Pop the ovenproof slow-cooker pot (without the lid) into the oven for 25 minutes until golden and crisp. If your slow-cooker pot isn’t oven-safe, decant the filling into an ovenproof pot, cover with the pastry, brush with the egg and bake as above.

5. Serve with Tenderstem broccoli, and carrot and parsnip mash, if you like.

6. Tip: To get the pastry the right size, put your slow cooker lid on top of your puff pastry sheet and cut round it before adding to the slow cooker.