Caitríona Redmond: Meals in a hurry — including speedy pasta and slow

Pic: iStock

Time is the biggest thief of my grocery budget in this house. All of my best-laid meal plans come to nothing if I am stuck for time and have to resort to convenience food or even takeout to meet the needs of the family. This is not ideal when you are living on less.

For me, there are two types of time-sensitive meals. The first is the meal that has to slot into a window between school runs or activities, feed the whole family, and be easy to assemble and clean up.

Providing my weekly calendar whiteboard is up to date I can simply plan ahead for days like this. The slow cooker might go on in the morning or I will make sure to prepare the dinner early in the day then cook and serve in a few short minutes.

The second type is the meal that you can’t plan ahead for really. That’s the meal that you have to squeeze in around the unexpected.

Sure there might be a whole chicken to roast and a pot of spuds to simmer but with just 20 minutes to serve up a meal that just isn’t going to happen.

Eggs are always on hand for a quick protein fix. To save on energy I cook my boiled eggs in the air fryer for 8 minutes at 170°C. This took plenty of trial and error to find the right setting to cook the eggs to the liking of the family.

Everybody’s preference is different, just like air fryers. Remember that the recommended advice is now to keep our eggs in the fridge when for years it was to keep them on the counter.

Cooking eggs at room temperature is radically different to cooking them straight from the fridge in a hurry. So do bear this in mind when cooking eggs.

Armed with a well-stocked store cupboard I can be prepared for any eventuality.

One of this week's recipes is a speedy pasta dish that has no chopping or preparation involved in assembling. When my brain has been full of work all day it’s difficult to transfer over to family mode.

Having several essential ingredients in the presses and the freezer to hand for whenever I get caught out is my workaround. I will get caught out, it happens to us all, trust me.

My freezer vegetables used to comprise a small bag of peas and another of sweetcorn. There is a wealth of freezer vegetables in the supermarket that on occasion can even be cheaper to buy than fresh.

My freezer drawers now also overflow with onions, garlic, chillis, turnip, spinach, peppers, and of course cooked mashed potatoes, cooked rice, and even cooked pasta.

Of course, I have some batch-cooked meals in the freezer too but a full reheated meal doesn’t always fit our needs. I love the caring act of cooking a meal everyday where I can. Keeping the kitchen stores ready for every eventuality helps.

Home Economics: Time-Saving Devices

Place a value on your own time. More time saved in the kitchen is more time for myself. Here are my top three time-saving devices that I use every week.

Food Processor: When I write a recipe that asks for sliced onions, you may assume that I’ve peeled and sliced each onion by hand. I haven’t. I would love to have the expert knife skills of a chef but I have resigned myself to taking advantage of a food processor. It makes chopping and mixing ingredients a whizz. Think coleslaw in less than 10 minutes or finely chopped onions, carrots, and celery for a sauce in the same amount of time. Even better it easily pops into the top of the dishwasher and I can add different attachments for certain purposes.

Stick or Jug Blender: These both came as attachments to my food processor handily enough. The stick blender whizzes up soups and sauces to silky smoothness in minutes. Both the jug and the stick blender make whipping up pancake batter a cinch. No more manual whisking or juggling with a bowl.

Microwave: Do you cook in the microwave or is it simply a tool for reheating? To be fair, even as a reheating tool, the microwave saves a good deal of time in the kitchen. From the fridge to piping hot meals in a few minutes, it’s considerably better than firing up the oven or sitting a plate over a pot of simmering water. Time-saving aspect aside, the microwave will cost you less than running an oven as it’s very energy efficient. I couldn’t be without mine.

An interesting aspect of all of these devices is that they make cooking more accessible for those with mobility or physical energy difficulties.

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond

If you prefer a plant-based meal, leave out the cheese and instead sprinkle the final dish with some nutritional yeast.

Servings

Cooking Time

Total Time

Course

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil

100g frozen chopped onion

20g frozen chopped garlic

30g frozen chopped chilli

Salt and Pepper

200g dried spaghetti

50g grated parmesan cheese

Method

Take a large deep frying pan and pour the olive oil inside. Heat to a medium high heat. Boil a kettle of water.

Add the onion and garlic to the oil and allow to soften slightly. Pour 2 tbsp of hot water into the pan to stop the garlic and onions from burning. Add the chopped chilli flakes, then season well and stir. Once all the ingredients have softened, add the dried spaghetti and toss a little in the oil so that it coats the dried pasta.

Pour 2 cupfuls of hot water into the saucepan and allow the spaghetti to sink into the simmering water. The water will be absorbed into the pasta so keep on adding water every few minutes as it dissipates. After 10 minutes stop adding water and turn the pan to high so that the remaining water is absorbed or simmered off.

Once the pasta is cooked, grate in the parmesan cheese and serve.

Recipe Note: Pour in a drained tin of chickpeas just before the pasta is cooked to add protein and fibre to this meal. Stir until heated through.

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond

This is a handy slow cooker recipe for busy days. Assemble it into a salad bowl (pictured) or serve with crusty bread and steamed rice.

Servings

Preparation Time

Cooking Time

Total Time

Course

Ingredients

400g chicken thigh fillets (1 pack from the supermarket)

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground white pepper

3 tbsp frozen sliced peppers

2 tbsp frozen chopped onions

1 tsp frozen chopped garlic

1 tbsp chipotle chilli paste

100ml hot water

Method

Place all the ingredients into a slow cooker. Stir so that everything is combined. Place the cooker on high for 3 hours.

Shred with 2 forks once cooked. Serve immediately with steamed rice and salad or use to fill a wrap.

OR Allow to cool and combine with 1 tbsp mayonnaise for a sandwich filling.

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