Midweek Meals: Five quick and comfy main-course meals for a rainy day

'Tis mucky out — get stuck into easy-to-make, cosy meals like curries, noodle bowls and Corkonian tripe and onions

Comfy, cosy food for a miserable day

Tripe and onions, with drisheen

recipe by:Farmgate

The Farmgate Cafe at the English Market, Cork has been serving traditional tripe and drisheen for over 30 years.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Cork

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450g) tripe

• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• Cold milk (full fat!) - sufficient to cover

• Thyme

• Bay leaf

• Irish (English) Mustard – to taste

• Corn flour or roux

• Parsley – chopped

• Drisheen – optional

Method

1. Put the tripe into a saucepan, cover with water and a lid, then bring to the boil then simmer for around 1 hour (approx.).

2. Discard the liquor in the pot, add the sliced onion and cover with cold milk, bay leaf and thyme.

3. Simmer gently for 1 hour approx. until the tripe is tender.

4. At this stage remove thyme, bay leaf etc, season with salt and pepper and mustard. 

5. To thicken the sauce, use either some corn flour, or roux. If using cornflour, approximately a dessert spoon, made into a paste with some water, add to pot, and stir.

6. Serve with a knob of butter and some chopped curly parsley, and either some buttered white soda bread, or steamed jacket potatoes on the side.

7. With drisheen

8. We add drisheen at the end to our tripe and onions.

9. Peel and slice drisheen, as much or a little as you want, add it to the tripe, and heat through before serving. Sprinkle with generous amount of chopped curly parsley and a knob of butter.

Red lentil soup and wholewheat buttermilk scones

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

A hearty, delicious red lentil soup, paired with my wholewheat buttermilk scones.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• Red Lentil Soup

• 200g red lentils

• 1 large onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2-3 cm fresh ginger root

• 1 carrot

• 2 stalks celery

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp chilli flakes

• 2 tins chopped tomatoes

• 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

• Good grind of black pepper

• Juice of half a lemon

• Handful fresh coriander

• Wholewheat Buttermilk Scones

• 225g wholewheat flour

• 225g plain white flour Handful of wheatgerm (optional)

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 350ml buttermilk

• A sprinkle of sesame seeds

Method

1. Rinse the red lentils in a sieve under cold running water for a few minutes, and then pop them into a bowl of fresh water. Let the lentils soak while you get started on the rest of the soup ingredients.

2. Peel and finely chop the onion, the garlic, and the ginger. Wash the celery, peel the carrots, then finely chop both into small dice. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a high heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger. Sautee for three to four minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened. Add the carrot, the celery and cook for another few minutes.

3. Next, add the cumin and the chilli flakes, stir the spices into the vegetables and cook for another minute.

4. Drain the red lentils and pop them in the pan along with two tins of chopped tomatoes and the stock. Add the salt and a generous grind of black pepper and bring the pan to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and let it bubble away gently for thirty minutes.

5. While the soup is simmering, make the scones. Preheat your oven to 190 Celsius. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir to combine well; you will end up with quite a sticky dough. Turn it out onto a well-floured surface and sprinkle a little more flour over the top. Shape the dough into a rough rectangular shape, about 2.5cm thick.

6. Use a knife to cut the dough in half across the longest edge, and then into quarters. Now cut into thirds along the shortest edge to make twelve scones. Do not separate the scones. Instead, you will bake them in a batch which will give them a lovely soft, fluffy texture.

7. Transfer the batch of scones onto a non-stick or lined baking tray. Lightly whisk the egg with one tablespoon of cold water to make an egg wash and use a pastry brush to apply the wash to the top and sides of the batch of scones. Finally, sprinkle them with some sesame seeds.

8. Pop the tray into the oven and bake for fifteen to seventeen minutes. The scones are done when they are firm to the touch and lightly golden brown on top. Check them after fifteen minutes, leaving them in the oven for the full seventeen minutes if needed.

9. When baked, remove the tray for the oven, and allow the scones to cool a little on a wire rack. When they are cool enough to handle, break them apart by hand.

10. By now your soup should be cooked. To give it a lovely creamy finish, blitz half of the soup in a food processor until it is smooth and add it back to the saucepan. This will give you the perfect texture for this soup; lovely and creamy but a little chunky and hearty. Stir in the juice of half a lemon and a handful of chopped coriander. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required.

11. Serve this delicious soup in warm bowls with the freshly baked buttermilk scones on the side.

Pinch of Nom’s air fryer chicken tikka masala

recipe by:Pinch of Nom

Air fryers make recreating your favourite takeaway at home so much easier.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 50 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 5 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Indian

Ingredients

• For the spice mix:

• 1tsp ground paprika

• 1tsp ground coriander

• 1tsp ground cumin

• 2tsp garam masala

• 1tsp garlic granules

• ½tsp mild chilli powder

• For the chicken tikka:

• 50g fat-free Greek yoghurt

• 1tbsp fresh lemon juice

• A few drops of red food colouring (optional)

• 500g skinless chicken breast, cut into evenly sized 2.5cm cubes

• For the sauce:

• 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, peeled

• 3cm piece of root ginger, peeled

• 1 red chilli, deseeded (or leave the seeds in for extra spice)

• Low-calorie cooking spray

• 1tsp salt

• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• 500ml plant-based coconut drink

• Juice of ½ lemon

• 1tbsp mango chutney

• 50g fat-free Greek yoghurt

• A good handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

• To accompany:

• 125g cooked basmati rice

Method

1. Combine the spices for the spice mix in a small bowl.

2. In a large non-metallic bowl, make the chicken tikka by mixing together the Greek yoghurt with one tablespoon of the spice mix. Add the lemon juice and a few drops of red food colouring, if using. Stir well and add the diced chicken, mixing until all the pieces are well coated in the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least two hours, or you can leave overnight if you wish.

3. To make the sauce, place the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli in a food processor or blender, and blitz to a paste.

4. Set a non-stick pan over a medium to low heat. Spray well with low-calorie cooking spray. When hot, add the blended paste and the salt, and gently fry for 10 minutes, until it is dry and a golden colour.

5. Add the remaining spice mix to the paste, and cook for a minute or two until fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes and coconut drink and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

6. About five minutes before the end of the cooking time, spray your air fryer basket with low-calorie cooking spray and add the marinated chicken. Spritz the top with low-calorie cooking spray and air-fry for eight to 10 minutes at 200°C, turning halfway through. You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your air fryer.

7. While the chicken tikka cooks, remove the sauce from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and mango chutney, and using a stick blender, carefully blitz until smooth. Stir in the yoghurt and chopped coriander. Add the cooked chicken pieces and stir to coat, then serve with basmati rice.

Money-saving pimped packet ramen recipe

recipe by:Shivi Ramoutar - Cook Clever

You can easily customise this meal to your suit your preferences.

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 7 mins

Total Time

 12 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the base:

• 2tbsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 spring onion (white bulb discarded), snipped

• 1tsp garlic purée

• 2 mugs of boiling water

• 2 packets of ramen noodles (or any other instant noodles)

• OR

• 300g ready cooked noodles and 1 chicken stock cube, crumbled

• OR

• 300g ready cooked noodles and 2 sachets of miso soup mix

• For the protein (choose from):

• 1 mug of frozen, fresh or cooked chicken strips

• 1 mug of frozen, fresh or cooked seafood

• 1 mug of frozen or fresh gyoza dumplings

• ½ block of firm tofu, broken into smaller pieces

• For the veg:

• 250g packet of pak choi, leaves separated

• ½ mug of frozen vegetables

• Toppers (choose as many as you like):

• Soft-boiled egg halves

• Drizzles of chilli oil

• 1tbsp sesame seeds

• Fresh coriander sprigs

• Fresh chillies

• Kimchi

• Drizzles of Sriracha

Method

1. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat and cook the spring onion and garlic purée for a couple minutes, stirring often until aromatic.

2. Add the boiling water, along with the dried noodles and their flavour sachets, or the cooked noodles with the crumbled stock cube or the miso soup sachets. Stir together and cook for a minute or two until the liquid is mostly absorbed.

3. Add your chosen protein and the veg and cook until the protein is just cooked through, about five minutes or so. If you are using fresh chicken or seafood it will take less time. If using tofu, add in the last few minutes so it doesn’t disintegrate.

4. Serve into bowls and go crazy with the toppers.

Money-saving chilli con carne

recipe by:Mitch Lane - Feed Your Family For Under A Fiver

This speedy meal for four uses storecupboard ingredients.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 50 mins

Total Time

 55 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1tsp vegetable or olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 2 green chillies, finely chopped, plus 1 to serve

• 500g minced beef

• 41g packet of chilli con carne seasoning

• 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• 130g tin kidney beans, drained

• 300ml beef stock (made with a stock cube)

• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Put a pan on a medium heat and add the oil and the onion and soften for three to four minutes. Add the garlic and chillies and continue to cook for a further two minutes. If you’re not keen on a lot of spice just use one chilli and remove the seeds.

2. Add the mince and break it up with the back of a spoon, ensuring that there’s no big lumps. Cook the meat until it’s nice and brown. Be generous with the salt and pepper and then add the chilli con carne seasoning. Mix well.

3. Add the tomatoes and kidney beans and stir. Then pour in the beef stock and simmer for 30 minutes. The simmering is very important (it’s like a fine wine that gets better with age).

4. Serve with sliced chilli.