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Irish Times
21-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Two fast and easy midweek dinners that don't scrimp on flavour
This week I'm returning to my tried, tested and trusted recipes, ones that never fail to impress. Our house is like many around the country: busy, sometimes messy and full of constantly hungry people. As such, midweek dinners need to be quick, fulfilling and not cost the earth to put together. A well-stocked pantry and fridge is key to nailing this brief, using ingredients that are high in flavour and seasoning without breaking the bank. I'm also a divil for having the freezer stocked with garlic bread, a must for mopping up the sauce of this week's dishes. Both of these recipes are pasta-based and designed to live in a bowl. This means they can be swimming in sauce, which is where all the good stuff lives anyway. The first dish uses bucatini pasta, a thicker version of spaghetti (which will also work just fine). The sauce, which can be brought together in just 12 minutes, is made from cooking out a fennel bulb in olive oil and fennel seeds. While that's happening and as the pasta cooks, we make a simple pesto of capers, Parmesan and pine nuts. This is high in seasoning and, when added to the pasta sauce, immediately raises the flavour bar. Capers are definitely an ingredient to add to the pantry list. READ MORE Sausage, courgette and rosemary rigatoni. Photograph: Harry Weir The second dish turns to the humble sausage. Here, I'm using an Italian-style sausage with lovely savoury herbs and the perfect amount of seasoning. Cooking it off in oil and getting some colour stuck to the base of the pan is where the magic happens. Don't be afraid to let it get hot. [ Two Italian wines from Tesco to drink with pasta Opens in new window ] Rosemary brings another layer of Italian flair. Courgette has never been a vegetable that has floated my boat, but wilted down in pasta sauce and Parmesan, I'm anyone's. I've just ribboned them instead of using a peeler for ease of cleaning and speed. These dishes are quick, filling and full of flavour, because hectic lives still deserve delicious food. Recipe: Bucatini with fennel, capers and pine nuts Recipe: Sausage, courgette and rosemary rigatoni
Irish Times
14-06-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Summer strawberries: Two desserts that celebrate the defining fruit of the season
This week the focus is on strawberries. Those beautiful, red bundles of sweetness that define the Irish summer. There are thousands of varieties of strawberries, which have been cultivated since the 1700s. Today, global production exceeds 10 million tonnes of fruit per year. In the restaurant where I worked , strawberries were used from June through to August, with the gariguette variety proving popular. On rare occasions, we were able to source wild (or Alpine) strawberries. These tiny specimens command a high price for their floral and complex flavour profile, which reminds you why strawberries are descended from the rose family. Being wild produce, they are hard to find and should used sparingly. Anything we couldn't serve fresh was blended into a purée or ice cream; it would be a brave chef that would waste a single piece. [ The story behind roadside strawberry stands – one of the heralds of Irish summer Opens in new window ] The more common strawberries are still a force to be reckoned with. This week, I'm serving them fresh and cooked to showcase their versatility. While fresh strawberries are best served at room temperature for the next few weeks, they can be preserved to enjoy all year round. This is where jams, syrups, sorbets, juices and vinegars come into play. Mark Moriarty's strawberry pavlova with honey cream. Photograph: Harry Weir One thing that always gets me is why people insist on using strawberries all year round. We have an abundance of great Irish producers of berries, with a different variety for each season. With that in mind, these recipes are designed for strawberries now, but can be adapted to showcase raspberries later in the summer and blackberries in the autumn. READ MORE First up is a simple pavlova with honey cream and fresh strawberries. The meringue should be crisp on the outside and slightly chewy in the middle. The honey cream is a versatile recipe that adds a layer of complexity to this simple dish. The bees that produce the honey have likely pollinated the strawberry plants as well, so it's a homage to their hard work and effort. Eve's pudding with strawberries. Photograph: Harry Weir The second recipe is a comforting classic that I first discovered on my home-economics book many years ago. Eve's pudding involves baking a light sponge mix on top of a fruit compote. This is then served with whipped cream, ice cream or custard. The oldest recipes call for cooking apples as the filling, but I've added strawberries coated in some jam. This is a very simple dessert that can be thrown together last minute and will put a smile on even the hardiest of faces. Recipe: Strawberry pavlova with honey cream Recipe: Eve's pudding with strawberries
Irish Times
17-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Get your bold flavours fast with these two simple Asian dishes
This week's column focuses on speed, turning to some Chinese takeaway classics to showcase how to produce quick and delicious dining in record time. 'Chow mein' covers a wider description of regional Chinese dishes that involves stir-frying noodles in spices and seasoning with a variety of meats, seafood or in today's case: vegetables. This is the sort of dish that leans heavily on the store cupboard for rapid-fire flavours. It was also a staff food favourite where I worked for a period. It certainly ticks all the relevant boxes: quick, cheap, nutritious, delicious. I've been fortunate enough to travel throughout Asia, where a bowl of noodles on the side of the street, late at night, is one of life's great culinary joys. Spending a little extra on some local, seasonal vegetables will make the world of difference here. While I've used kale and chard leaves, you can substitute these and follow the same cooking method. The sauce uses soy, hoisin, some wine and sesame oil thickened with cornflour to pack a punch. It is a winner when you're on the go. Ten-minute chow mein with spring vegetables and peanuts. Photograph: Harry Weir The second dish is one of the world's most popular: sweet-and-sour chicken. This isn't exactly authentic, probably comprising elements from various regions of Asia. The concept is simple: fry meat, fish or vegetables in cornflour before glazing in a simple sauce made from sugar and vinegar. It's also common as a dipping sauce for lots of dishes. Many western recipes incorporate fruit such as pineapple or pear, so I've done the same here. Using up the pineapple juice is also a great way to bulk up the sauce alongside sweet chilli. Sweet and sour chicken with rice. Photograph: Harry Weir I've also added a great hack for perfectly steamed rice using a Pyrex bowl, boiling water and any traditional steamer. This is the only way I cook rice at home; it offers consistent results and avoids the need to scrape burnt rice from the bottom of your pot after a day of soaking it in the sink. Always a bonus. READ MORE While this week's recipes are simple, the aim is to make them helpful to our packed modern schedules by delivering delicious food, fast. Recipe: Sweet-and-sour chicken with steamed rice Recipe: Ten-minute chow mein with spring vegetables
Irish Times
10-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Irish Times
Two summer salads using outstanding ingredients that are a meal in themselves
This week we are looking at summer salads. As you can see from the photographs, the focus is on colour, flavours and seasoning. These recipes are great standalone dishes that can also double as simple side salads for a larger spread or a barbecue if the weather allows. Salads offer a world of possibility but so often we revert to the tried and tested staples. There's nothing wrong with this, of course, but there's plenty of flavour to be found beyond a bag of mixed leaves. Aside from all of this, the summer season also allows us to support as many local producers as possible. I look to the Dublin-based McNally's Family Farm or The Happy Pear farm for beautiful ingredients that bring our cooking to the next level. First up I have chosen a Middle East-inspired mezze. These are flavours I always return to when the weather is decent; it feels like really clean eating without compromising on flavour. While I'm using lamb shoulder here, this can be substituted for any grilled meat, or omitted completely. The secret is in the cooking of the couscous. READ MORE Spiced cous cous with crispy lamb shoulder and mint. Photograph: Harry weir This is a must-have store cupboard ingredient for bulking up dinners. It is cost effective, a great sponge for flavours, sauces and juices and cooks in less than five minutes. There are a few key points to cooking it properly. The ratio of liquid to grain is about two to one. Here you'll see I have also added the juices and fat from the lamb shoulder to pump up the flavour. For 400g of grain, I'll always add a teaspoon of sea salt to ensure perfect seasoning. Turmeric adds the golden colour while ras el hanout spice provides the kick. This is a great Arabic blend with its origins in north Africa. It translates as 'head of the shop' and would traditionally incorporate the best-quality ingredients available: the spice equivalent of 'catch of the day'. It commonly blends cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, chilli, pepper, dried rose petal and coriander. These work wonders alongside lamb. Pay attention to scraping the couscous with the back of a fork to achieve that really light texture. Feta cheese, pomegranate and mint leaves bring everything together. This is a salad I could eat forever. The second recipe uses another beautiful but often overlooked ingredient. Chicory or endive comes in yellow (grown in darkness) or red. Both are crisp with a bitter-sweet flavour and pair nicely with citrus and sugar. I've served them here with a really simple dressing. As such, the ingredients need to be of high quality so I'll spend a little more on olive oil and wholegrain mustard. Some crumbled goat's cheese ties everything together while the croutons add texture. I regularly have stale bread left over in the house, and this is a great way of turning it back into something useable and delicious. I've used focaccia here. Simple food is often the best. Recipe: Spiced couscous with crispy lamb shoulder and mint Recipe: Chicory salad with goat's cheese, croutons and mustard
Irish Times
26-04-2025
- Climate
- Irish Times
Mark Moriarty: Speedy dishes to celebrate seafood season
We are entering the prime period for buying and cooking fish in Ireland , so this week's focus is on simple fish dishes to complement summer menus. As the weather improves, more boats are fishing in Irish waters. The increase in supply brings prices down in comparison to the darker winter months and also leads to better quality fish being landed. Most importantly, we have Irish fish to choose from. To encourage people to add more fish to our weekly menu, I'm cooking unapologetically basic fare this week. There are a few touches, however, that will push these dishes from good eating to great eating. First up: classic fish and chips with crushed peas. We are using beautiful fresh cod in this case, but the same method will apply for hake, haddock or even brown pollock if you can source it. Pollock is growing in popularity of late due to its prevalence in Irish waters. Anyone who has spent time fishing around Ireland will be familiar with it as the sidekick to mackerel for species that will take the trusty coloured feather bait. While it doesn't compare with richer cousins such as cod when it comes to flavour, it is perfect for battering and frying and will save you some pennies. READ MORE Air frying the chips after a blanching session will produce chipper-worthy results, while the addition of baking powder to the batter offers up the signature bubbles that turn glass-like crisp when fried. I've also made a simple citrusy seasoning using dried lime leaves which you can source in most supermarkets. This adds a little restaurant touch which works wonderfully with the peas. Roasted salmon with pesto-dressed vegetables. Photograph: Harry Weir The second recipe is a perfect speedy lunch or light dinner for a warmer day. Pay attention to the key steps for cooking salmon on point. The skin should be crispy, and the centre of the fish just warmed through, especially when sourcing a quality piece of salmon fillet. Adding the salt ahead of time will draw out excess moisture, while cooking it only on the skin side will make sure it stays crisp throughout. Homemade fish and chips with citrus seasoning and crushed peas Mark Moriarty. Photograph: Harry Weir Photography I've added a very simple pesto recipe which can be made in bulk in advance and used for a variety of dishes. It's a great dressing for jazzing up seasonal vegetables and equally delicious folded through pasta or for dipping bread. Fancy food doesn't always have to be complicated, as this recipe proves. Recipe: Homemade fish and chips with citrus seasoning and crushed peas Recipe: Roasted salmon with pesto-dressed vegetables
