Cooking in:The S solution - soup, salad, stew - is a failsafe way to feed friends today, especially if you choose your colours carefully
It seemed like a good idea for St Patrick's weekend: invite a few friends over, give them some food, keep it all relaxed. But when the day came we couldn't quite remember whom we had asked or how many children they all had. The doorbell kept ringing, and as the house filled I tried to keep on top of the maths.
At times like this a roast can sound like a good idea, but unless you have a team of carvers to hand out the food it can be a devil dishing everything out. Time to rely on the classics: Irish stew for nostalgia, a chicken casserole for ease, beef Bourguinon for indulgence. You can ladle all of these out in minutes, with mash to the side and salad to follow.
What if you're invited to somebody else's house and asked to bring a dish? Time for the S solution: soup, salad or stew. The colour theme is fun to play with: our flag is extremely food-friendly.
Recipes serve four - scale up accordingly
SQUASH SOUP
1 butternut squash
1 stick celery
2 leeks
1 potato
1 tbsp butter
generous pinch saffron strands
600ml light chicken stock
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon
4 tsp double cream
Peel, trim and chop the vegetables. Combine in a casserole with the butter and colour over a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Add the saffron, season with salt and pepper and continue cooking for three minutes. Add the chicken stock, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are just soft. Check seasoning, cool and liquidise. Combine the parsley, garlic and lemon zest, to sprinkle over the soup when you serve it. Top with some cream to create the Irish flag in a bowl.
BITTER-LEAF SALAD WITH GOAT'S CHEESE AND TOASTED PINE NUTS
1 tbsp each Dijon mustard and good mayonnaise
4 tbsp olive oil
dash of Tabasco
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 heads chicory, leaves separated
1 head radicchio, trimmed, cored and sliced
2 handfuls lamb's lettuce
2 tbsp each pine nuts and finely chopped chives
150g goat's cheese, crumbled
In a bowl combine the mustard and mayonnaise and whisk in the olive oil. Season with a splash of Tabasco and the vinegar. Toss the leaves in the dressing and season generously. Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan until just coloured. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool. Crumble the cheese over the salad, sprinkle with the pine nuts and scatter with the chives.
BEEF STEW
1kg stewing beef, cut into 5cm pieces
seasoned flour
4 tbsp olive oil
4 streaky bacon rashers, chopped
1 onion, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, sliced
sprig rosemary, finely chopped
sprig thyme
glass brandy
½ bottle red wine
bunch parsley, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
200g pitted black olives
Preheat the oven to 140 degrees/gas one. Dust the beef with the flour and fry in the oil in a pot until well coloured. Add the bacon, onion, carrots, rosemary and thyme and saute gently for five minutes. Return the meat and pour in the brandy. Set it alight, let the flames die down, then add the wine. Stir in the parsley, bay leaves and garlic, season and add enough water to almost cover the meat. Cover with greaseproof paper, put the lid on and cook in the oven for three hours. Remove, allow to cool slightly and check seasoning. Remove the meat and vegetables and reduce the sauce by half. Return the meat, add the olives and check the seasoning again. Heat gently and serve.