Quick, simple suppers

There are times wen storecupboard suppers, on the table in minutes, are called for

I RECENTLY SPENT A day working with two busy career women who remained resolutely focused on their job, until they realised they were going to be home a bit late that evening. As the hour fast approached to finish work, a palpable scurry and flurry of worry and pressure could be felt. When reality dawned that all of us were going to be home later than anticipated, they started to fret about the fact that they had nothing organised for dinner at home.

That age-old question bubbled up to gnaw at their conscience – what to cook for dinner? They both turned to me and said: “I bet you don’t have that problem and can always whip up something gorgeous.”

As I rolled around the place laughing, I had to set them straight. You see, when cooking at home I try to follow some simple midweek rules: not too much meat, lots of vegetables, stick to seasonal and not outrageously expensive. It seems straightforward, until you try and insist that dishes have to be creative and different each night.

I explained to the women that at home, I’m pretty boring about what I cook, unless I have a recipe to test, or I have a real urge (and the time) to cook something fancier.

Our midweek repertoire usually consists of any of the following: an egg frittata of some description, or possibly baked spuds with guacamole or some hummus. A shepherd’s pie with loads of frozen peas is always popular, and whole-wheat pasta with loads of garlic, olive oil and Parmesan is quick, easy and the ingredients can always be relied upon to be in situ.

If I’m feeling flush, a lovely roast chicken will do on one night, and if it’s cold and miserable, I’ll do a big lentil soup of some description and serve it with bread and cheese. As long as there are plenty of vegetables or salads, everybody’s a winner.

Both women looked suitably relieved when I listed off some of our basic suppers. I think they both felt guilty that what they cook at home could be construed as boring. For some reason, people can put themselves under enormous pressure to cook something different for dinner every night when there’s no need. It’s fantastic that they’re cooking something home-made in the first place, so they should be patting themselves on the back rather than beating their culinary brows.

Recipes such as the smashed cannellini beans below are my idea of a perfect midweek supper. And I know that if you’re cooking for men, there’s often the Irish male reaction that a dinner ain’t a dinner unless it features meat. In answer to that, this could be served with some smoked fish, which is the best kind of ready-meal if you’re obliged to serve up some protein.

Peachie’s potato salad

Another delicious recipe from my sister. Except for the herbs, you’re more than likely to have all the ingredients at home. Serves four as a side dish.

750g new potatoes

125ml olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp sugar

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

Salt and pepper

Bunch of parsley, roughly chopped

Bunch of dill, roughly chopped

Bunch of spring onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp capers, chopped

Cover the potatoes in cold water, bring to the boil and cook them until tender, then drain and roughly chop. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, sugar and garlic, then season well. Add the herbs, spring onions and capers to the vinaigrette and then pour it on to the warm potatoes. Allow them to cool to room temperature and then serve.

Smashed cannellini beans

Serves one to two

1 tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Splash of olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 pack green beans (approx 160g)

Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan or deep frying pan. Very thinly slice the garlic and sweat it in the olive oil until it is just about to start colouring. Rinse the green beans well and add them to the pan while still a bit wet. The pan should sizzle and roar. Turn up the heat and toss the beans around. Add a few more splashes of water if the beans seem too dry, as you’re trying to steam/saute them. After a minute or two, season with salt and pepper and chuck in the cannellini beans. Stir well, allowing these beans to smash so that they become like a lumpy, creamy sauce. Serve straight away.

dkemp@irishtimes.com See also itsa.ie

DOMINI RECOMMENDS:

Even though I am no longer a fully fledged vegetarian, one of the best places to go for a healthy, but hearty, delicious lunch is the vegetarian restaurant Cornucopia, on Dublin’s Wicklow Street. It has a home-made charm that’s hard to beat. If you can’t get there, take a look at the ‘Cornucopia at Home’ cook book (€39, from Cork University Press)