A cooking speed for our times

For the past decade virtually every cookbook, food magazine and cookery article I picked up was concentrating on meals in minutes and assuring us we could whip up delicious food in a flash.

It is possible if you keep a well stocked larder and concentrate on prime cuts of meat and fresh fish. A fresh catch or a prime steak will be off the pan or grill in minutes. Sizzling herb butter or a little salsa and a green salad (and a spud of some sort, Ireland being Ireland) is all that’s needed to create a feast. The result of the emphasis on fast food is that many people have forgotten the virtues of slow cooking. The word slow is enough for most people’s eyes to glaze over but don’t be put off; slow cooking takes time — but not your time. In these challenging times it’s worth relearning the skills, not least because when there’s a wintery feel to the air a slow cooked stew is one of the few foods that really hits the spot. One can transform cheap cuts of meat into something fit for a king.

Root vegetables are at their best right now. They will have more flavour and keep longer if you eschew washed ones and buy them still covered with clay at your local shop or farmers’ market.