Recipes: Warming one-pot wonders

If anything was going to get me in the mood for stews and comfort food, it had to be the weather we’ve had this month. The rain was biblical, making any journey to or from the house a soggy chore. After years of dedication to the hands-on shopping experience, I suddenly began to see the attraction of online grocery shopping. I mean, at least you don’t have to leave the house, right?

But even if, like me, you prefer to do your shopping yourself, there are lots of other ways to make cooking less of a hassle when it’s gloomy outside and long hours at the stove are not on your agenda.

I’ve written before of the genius of stews – the fact that many of these one-pot affairs take little time to prepare and can just simmer quietly away while you get on with something else. And, what’s more, they taste even better the next day or even the day after that.

There are countless versions, of course, and many involve meat, often a less expensive cut of pork, lamb or beef that can be coaxed into falling-apart deliciousness by slow, gentle cooking. And then there are the inevitable accompaniments. Spuds are fabulous – mashed, boiled or even baked and topped with shards of cold butter. But what if you’re looking for an alternative that isn’t so heavy on the carbs, or is just a bit different?

So the task I set myself this week was to come up with a beef version of coq au vin with a companion that is just as comforting as mash, but lower on carbs and full of flavour.

My solution is what I and my assistant, Gillian, jokingly labelled cow au vin, a rustic, red-winey beef stew with more than a hint of the classic Beef Bourguignon, with mushrooms and bacon for robust flavour.

And its companion? Regular readers will know I’m a fan of mashed beans, so for this recipe, I came up with a type of colcannon made with mashed cannellini beans shot through with garlic, lots of nutrient-dense kale and, of course, plenty of butter. The key with this mash is to season it really well and not to skimp on the butter, or the kale. You will need a food mixer too – don’t even attempt to mash the beans with a standard masher.

This colcannon would also be fantastic with some good grilled sausages or even a fried egg the next evening, which is why we made (nearly) a double batch.

HISTORY ON A PLATE: INDIAN CURRY

Tonight’s History on a Plate episode on RTÉ Radio One tells the brief but fascinating story of Ireland’s first curry house and looks at the life of Sir James Emerson- Tennent, one of the Irish men who helped to run the British empire.

We finish with a look at how our palate for authentic Indian food has evolved. Original recipe This episode is built around the recipe below, from the National Library of Ireland (MS9929), for Indian curry and it was one I followed, although I used chicken pieces rather than jointing the chicken pieces myself . . .

You can use eight to 12 chicken pieces, including legs, thighs and breasts.

Poach the chicken in gently simmering water for about 30 minutes and do keep this “liquor” to use, as per below.

“Take two chickens cut them small and wash them. Cut some onions very small put them into a pan with some butter and fry them brown. Parboil the chickens and drain off the liquor. Mix two spoonfuls of curry powder with the chickens with a little salt, put them in the pan with the onions and fry them a little then add as much liquor as will cover them.

“Add also a little kayenne pepper, cream, keep the pan covered till they are sufficiently done and add the juice of a lemon. A pint of rice must be well boyled and drained quite dry and served up in a bason to eat with the above.” History on a Plate, 7.30pm, RTÉ Radio One