There's no need to resort to ready-made dinners - even if you are worn out and in a rush, writes Domini Kemp.
BY THE TIME this article appears, I will probably be just recovering from a nervous breakdown. For one week every year, we decamp to Kildare, where we set up a temporary restaurant to cater for the country's horse racing folk during the Goffs Million Bloodstock Sale.
The first year we did it, it was so cold that three of our staff - also known as "sunshine nationals" because of their great teeth, tans and sunny outlook on life - nearly croaked it before the week was over. It's pure hard slog, but we love every minute of it, especially the background hum of the auctioneer's voice from the main sales ring, which we can just about hear over the hot stoves.
It is an amazingly iconic rumble of sound, which gently echoes over the loudspeakers with an undercurrent of capitalism. Each sum that is voiced equates to another jump in value for some four-legged friend. The auctioneers rip through the catalogue of yearlings for sale, efficiently saying adieu to one horse, as another enters the ring. Thousands of euros are dispatched and these stunning thoroughbreds march off to their new homes. It is heady stuff indeed.
Before the staff go for a wander on their breaks, I like to sit them down in a chair with a large, blunt object nearby. My friendly chat usually starts off with something like this: "I am delighted you are going on your lunch. I want you to enjoy your break and wander around, enjoying the sights and sounds of this very exciting bloodstock sales. Take a look into the main sales ring and absorb the atmosphere. Look around and think what gorgeous horses and what an exciting industry to be involved in. Watch the auction and see if you can decipher who has actually purchased a horse, because the buyers' movements are very subtle. But do this standing very still. Because if you make any gesture with your hands or arms and unintentionally end up buying a horse for €250,000, then I'm afraid . . . " At that point, I trail off and glance over at the blunt object.
After a really hard week like this, I understand why people resort to takeaways and ready-made dinners. They are just so tempting when you are worn out from work. I chucked out our microwave a long time ago, and to be honest, that eliminates the desire to buy anything that will be ready after a three-minute waltz. What I am looking for is the kind of food I can eat with a spoon, the only optional accompaniments being a hunk of bread and a glass of red. A Do Not Disturb sign may be hung around my neck, but that is a dress code I inflict upon myself for the sake of my family.
We managed to come away from another good year at Goffs . . . and without any impulse buys that would be a little trickier to return than an ill-fitting pair of skinny jeans.
Chickpea, sweet potato and chorizo stew
Few knobs butter
3-4 sweet potatoes, sliced into 2cm thick pieces
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and pepper
Splash olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1-2 chorizo sausage, roughly chopped
Good squeeze tomato puree 1 tin chopped tomatoes
Pinch sugar
2 tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
100g baby spinach
Handful coriander
Feeds four. Heat the butter in a large frying pan. Fry the sweet potatoes on each side until starting to caramelise. Add about 500ml water and the honey. Season well and cook over a medium heat until the potatoes are starting to get tender (about 20 minutes). You may have to add more water if it cooks off too quickly, but when they're done, most of the water should be cooked off. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and fry the onion along with the cumin and coriander seed for a few minutes. Add the chorizo and let it cook and start to brown at the edges for a good five minutes. Add the tomato purée, tinned tomatoes, the sugar and the chickpeas. Cook out for another 5-10 minutes, then add the spinach and stir so that the spinach wilts. Add the sweet potatoes and any juices left in the pan, carefully mix so that the potatoes don't break up. Serve in bowls along with good bread and fresh coriander leaves.
Quickie goat's cheese and bacon salad
Serves two. Quick and satisfying; works best with small rounds or logs of goat's cheese as the big logs can be too loose, when you grill them.
2 tablespoons olive oil
100g streaky bacon, diced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 thick slices of goats cheese
100g mixed leaves
2 tablespoons honey
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon until crisp. Add the vinegar which should also help de-glaze the pan. Set aside. Turn your grill up as high as it can go. Arrange the salad leaves onto two plates. Put the goat's cheese on a non-stick baking tray. Drizzle with the honey and grill until golden and bubbling. Spoon the bacon and warm vinaigrette onto the salad and top with a slice of goat's cheese. Serve warm. If you can only get the big logs of goat's cheese, then you can grill them on top of a piece of good bread which will stop them turning into a goat's cheese puddle!