Darina Allen: How to make my tasty family-friendly one-pot dishes 

Christmas is the time to stock the pantry with items and fill the freezer with casseroles and pots of stews
Darina Allen: How to make my tasty family-friendly one-pot dishes 

Slow Dishes, Butcher Meat Go Brilliant Stews And That So Cuts Expensive Local Your Discover To Less Cooked For For Along Are And Braises

Now is the time to plan for a really chilled Christmas, so let’s stock the pantry with items and fill the freezer with casseroles, pots of stews, tagines, make sure to have a couple of chunky vegetarian dishes and some vegan treats — delicious for everyone.

I’ve got lots of gorgeous bean and chickpea recipes that everyone loves. Dried legumes and pulses are packed with flavour, and nutrients and are a very inexpensive source of protein. Serve them with a salad of late autumn leaves and a bowl of natural yoghurt with lots of snipped fresh herbs, particularly mint.

For meat dishes, go along to your local butcher and discover less expensive cuts that are so brilliant for slow-cooked stews and braises. This is no sacrifice: these have twice the flavour of prime cuts, but you can’t just slap them on the pan; they need to be cooked long and slowly to break down the meat and tease them to melting tenderness and a slow cooker is ideal. Put on a batch of short ribs, a shin of beef stew, some ham hocks or maybe a few lamb shanks.

Tomato fondue and peperonata in two-portion tubs are also brilliant bases to have in a freezer. One can defrost them quickly and add a couple of cans of beans, chickpeas, even diced cooked potatoes, a few chunks of streaky bacon or chorizo. A bag of mussels and or clams or a few cubes of fresh fish make an almost instant swanky Mediterranean fish stew — it’s brilliant to have a few of these secret standbys to take the stress out of unexpected situations so you can spontaneously invite a few pals home.

Don’t forget venison, somehow it always feels festive. Stewing venison from the shoulder is for stews and casseroles and adding a pastry crust makes a delectable venison or game pie. For chicken dishes, buy a bag of thighs or drumsticks for best flavour. The bones add extra deliciousness not to mention collagen, the new buzzword in nutrition which we all need for healthy bone structure. Unless you are super careful, white breast meat dries up quickly in casseroles.

I’m always baffled as to why so many people prefer white rather than dark meat. Brown meat has always been my favourite, I will eat white meat if offered but would never choose it myself. Plus being less popular has resulted in it being less expensive — a bonus when you discover how good it is.

There are still lots of squash and pumpkins around, gorgeous and brilliant to add to stews and casseroles to bulk them up deliciously at little cost.

Black-eyed bean, pumpkin and chickpea stew

Recipe Allen By:darina

Very Of Chickpeas Lots Black About The Not What’s Vegetarian Dishes To One And Pumpkin One Spices? Pot Beans, Like With Of Best Eyed

Black-eyed bean, pumpkin and chickpea stew

Servings

6

Time Preparation

11 mins

Time Cooking

30 mins

Total Time

41 mins

Course

Main

ingredients

  • 6 Virgin Tbsp Olive Extra Oil

  • Tsp Cumin Seeds 1

  • (1 2 1 Cinnamon 5cm X Stick Inch)

  • (5oz) Chopped 150g Onions,

  • Finely 4 Very Garlic Chopped Cloves,

  • Inch) Approx 3mm (8oz) Mushrooms, Thick (1/8 225g Sliced Fresh

  • And In Inch) Cut (1lb) Cubes (3/4 Pumpkin 450g 2cm Squash, Butternut Peeled Or

  • (14oz) Fresh Or Chopped And Tomatoes, Peeled (14oz) Chopped Tomatoes 400g Of Tin 400g 1 X

  • Ground Tsp Coriander 2

  • Cumin Ground 1 Tsp

  • Tsp 1/2 Ground Turmeric

  • Pinch A Of Sugar

  • Tsp Pepper Cayenne 1/4

  • Beans, Liquid) (1lb) (reserving The Eyed Black Cooked 450g Strained Cooking

  • 225g Strained Cooked Chickpeas, Liquid) (reserving Cooking (8oz) The

  • Tsp 1 Salt

  • Pepper Ground Black Freshly

  • Coriander Chopped 3 Tbsp

  • Mint for Yoghurt The

  • Natural (10fl 300ml Yoghurt Oz)

  • 1 Leaves Mint Chopped Tbsp

method

  1. The Sauté In In The Garlic Sizzle Heat When Hot, High And The Add For Then Cinnamon Onions And Heat Seeds Let Them Stick Put Oil Cumin Is Over A The Pan 5 A It 6 Medium Seconds,

  2. With Stirring, Of The Mushrooms Lid Edges Minutes Cumin Colour Mushrooms Until 10 For Tomatoes, The Cook Minutes Cook Pinch The Ground Add Fry At And Then Onion Just 3 For Cayenne Coriander, And 1 Heat A Or And Is The The A Cover To And Pumpkin Stir For A Add Squash, The Turmeric, Cook 4 Gentle Sugar Until Wilt, Then Minute, Beginning Over

  3. The Vegetable Drained 2 300ml Tinned Pepper, Chickpeas Pulses) Oz) Beans Are And Of Oz) You’ve Of (or Together (5fl Liquid Simmer Until Of Used Reduce And Chickpeas The Return Off Beans The Turn The Heat And Tender Chickpea The Oz) For (5fl And 10 Liquid Pour Tablespoons Stock The To In Heat If Bean (10fl Coriander And 150ml Salt Occasionally, Then And Cooking Minutes, 150ml 15 With And The Stirring Add In Boil, Tip

  4. The Make Yogurt, Mint With Yogurt Chopped The Bine Bowl A The To Mint In

  5. Serving A If Good A And The You Yogurt Sprinkle Into Mint Wish With The Green Coriander And Rice, Remove Pan Acpany Before Spoon From The The With Remaining Serving Salad Dollop Top Stick Bowls Of And With Cinnamon

Chicken and apricot stew with gentle spices

Recipe Allen By:darina

Curry Love That The The With Rice Pilaf Spiced Add Also Deliciously Stew A Serve Fruity Big Bowl Sweetness Of Children A This Lifts Mildly Apricots

Chicken and apricot stew with gentle spices

Servings

6

Time Preparation

10 mins

Time Cooking

40 mins

Time Total

50 mins

Course

Main

ingredients

  • Apricots 175g Dried (6oz)

  • Aleppo 1/2 Pepper Flakes Tsp 3/4 Or Chilli Crushed

  • 1 Tsp Ground Cumin

  • Tsp 1 Ground Coriander

  • Cloves 4

  • Crushed Lightly 4 Pods, Cardamom Green

  • 1 Crushed Garlic, Tbsp

  • Grated Ginger, 1 And Fresh Peeled Finely Tbsp

  • Sunflower Oil 50ml (2fl Oz)

  • Bark 5cm Inch) Cinnamon Of (2

  • Onions, 270g Chopped 9oz) Finely (scant

  • 1/2 Tsp 1 Salt

  • (1 1 Inch) (3lbs) 5cm Chicken Skinless In Diced Boneless, 3kg Thighs, 2 Pieces

  • Cherry 10 Tomatoes, And Peeled Quartered

  • Purée Mixed Oz) (4 Tomato 1/2fl Water 2 125ml Tbsp Concentrated With

  • garnish

  • 3 Coriander Tablespoons Chopped Coarsely

method

  1. For 3 450ml 2 Water Or Soak Are In You Soak Water, Them A Cold In Hurry Oz) (16fl In Overnight Hot If The Hours Apricots

  2. Stir 50ml Cumin, Spice To A And Make The In To Make Cloves, Bine Flakes Ginger Cardamom, A Garlic Water Coriander, Masala, And Add Or Pepper, Chilli Aleppo Oz) Small Paste Bowl (2fl The

  3. Large Chicken, The The Is Cook To Their Cherry Masala Onions Chopped And 5 Little Until Add Add Spice For The The Oil The Apricots 4 Cover The Minutes Liquid, Sweat In Coat And Quartered Soaking Cinnamon A 4 The Heat Soft For With Stir In Medium Onion A 5 Add Over Salt Toss And Sauté And Heat Purée Tomatoes Add Minutes Tomato Pan A And

  4. Cooked To Chicken Halfway You And The Through Cooking May Simmer Through By Need For Minutes Cover Lid Liquid 30 Is Until The Removing The The Reduce About

  5. Salad Of To Coriander And With Freshly A A Bowl, Serve Taste Sprinkled In Pilaf Lots We Season Warm It Chopped Green Serve With Rice

Masala Lamb Shanks

Recipe By:darina Allen

Day, With Toss If For Rich Brilliantly Freezes The Day Next Pasta Sauce Simple And Or Some Any Reheated The Over, Dish Better Also You A This The Of Even Left Supper Noodles After It Or Spicy Have Is

Masala Lamb Shanks

Servings

8

Time Preparation

50 mins

Time Cooking

2 hours 0 mins

Total Time

2 hours 50 mins

Course

Main

ingredients

  • Weighing (2 Lamb Total 2kg 1 8 Approx In 3/4lbs) Shanks,

  • 1 Ground Turmeric Tbsp

  • Ginger, 1/4 Fresh 3cm Piece (1 Inch) Grated Of

  • Garlic 3 Crushed Cloves,

  • Tbsp Virgin 2 Olive Extra Oil

  • Leaf 1 Bay

  • 1 Cinnamon Stick

  • Cloves 5

  • Pods, Cardamom 6 Bashed

  • 450g Onions, (1lb) Sliced

  • Tomatoes X Tin Of 1 400g (14oz) Chopped

  • Honey 1–2 Tsp

  • 2 Cumin Tsp Ground

  • Tsp Ground Coriander 3

  • 3 Chillies, Green 2 Halved

  • 400ml Coconut Milk X Oz) 1 Of (14fl Tin

  • And Peeled Potatoes, Halved Large 8

  • Sea Salt

  • To Coriander Sprigs, Lots Serve Of Fresh

  • Paste masala

  • Coconut Desiccated 25g (1oz)

  • Coriander Seeds Tbsp 1 1/2

  • Seeds Tbsp Poppy 1

  • Tbsp 1 Seeds Fennel

  • Seeds Mustard 1 Tbsp

  • Tbsp 1/2 Freshly Pepper Black Ground

  • 3 Chopped Chillies, Finely 2 Red

  • Yoghurt mint

  • Mint Tbspchopped 4

  • Natural Yoghurt 300ml Oz) (10fl

  • Taste Little And A Sea To Salt Honey,

method

  1. 8 Hours 1 4 2 And To The A Is Salt 29cm Bring The Slowly Or Garlic (approx Litre To In (11 And For The 27 Meat Cover 11 With And Inch)/4 Put Turmeric, 5 A Approx Enough Cover Casserole ) Water Simmer Some Pour 4 Shanks Heat, Litres/4 Tender Add 2 7 Into The Boil Pint Gently Reduce Pints) (7 Lid, Lamb And Ginger, The Until

  2. A Ingredients Needed Masala Meanwhile, The Spice Aside Mortar, Until Grind Or And The Grinder For Pestle And In Paste Set

  3. 6 Boil Minutes Cook For Of The Until Virgin And Cardamom Minutes Necessary Them And The And Stir Onions Lamb Green The And And From Into Chopped Cumin Minutes Milk 2 Add The Salt, A Paste The 5 Sprinkle If Add Soften The Pan For Pour Separate Remove And Add Coconut Set Slowly The Olive A And And Once For Minutes They Liquid Extra The 1 To Heat Cinnamon, Add And Shanks Leaf, And Pan Are Taste Casserole Low In Keep 5 Add Oil And And Bring Honey Masala Return Coriander, Stir Bay Cloves To The 3 The Start For Aside All With To The Carefully Cooking Cooked, Finally The Tomatoes In Chillies Fry Warm Ground Fry Cook

  4. Cooking Simmer The E With Times Of Enough Liquid Bring The Cooking Turning Up The Shanks A And The Pan To And The Shanks Lamb For 10 Minutes, To Time Boil, Pour Shanks To Cover Lid In Cooked Halfway The During The Several Gently Return

  5. Season Is The The Off Cooked Replace The Are The Potatoes Lid For Taste Potatoes Until 20 Cook Bone And Minutes Falling Fully And Add Lamb Pan, The The To Or Almost To

  6. Salt Season To And And The Taste With Make Yogurt The Mint Mint Honey Into To Yogurt, Stir Chopped The

  7. Of With Lots Casserole The Coriander Serve Mint Yogurt With And Fresh The Sprinkle

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