Sometimes, putting together a big hearty pot is the best way to cater for a large group, particularly hungry sports fans, writes DOMINI KEMP

AFTER ALL THE delicate talk of entertaining in last week’s column, I feel a bit of a hypocrite now suggesting you make a big pot of something to feed the masses. But that’s the only thing I could do for a hungry bunch of revellers who were not the type to take a shine to anything too delicate. I also had a bunch of kids to feed and didn’t want to make something too spicy or rich. So I ended up with a good recipe that was a hybrid of two older recipes, which cut down on the spices, used lamb instead of oxtail, and went down very well. Do try to make this the day before and reheat it the next day as it makes life a whole lot easier.

The other thing I’ve decided is that no longer will I offer up nice grazing snacks for the entire day. I basically spent the whole day sweating over a hot stove while people roared and shouted at the TV so much that I thought we’d been victorious in the match. Children, acting as waiters for the angry mob, kept bringing back empty plates and saying, “they want more”.

I silently cursed all of them and as the day went on, my curses ceased to remain silent. I couldn’t believe it: I had actually gone to the trouble of making the main course the day before, and yet managed to do nothing but cook on the day of the match, simply because I felt guilty about only offering up dry roasted peanuts and lots of crisps. Well no more. From now on, it’ll be packs of KP peanuts and maybe a bit of guacamole and some tortilla chips. But nothing else.

The cauliflower salad is inspired by a Thomas (French Laundry) Keller recipe from his book, Ad Hoc. It’s nice and casual, but one of those books where most of the ingredients consist of certain vinaigrettes or spice mixes, all of which are another recipe on another page.

I am just too lazy for that and don’t want to have to make three different rubs, marinades or vinaigrettes, which then form part of the ingredients of the main dish. So I left out a bunch of steps and was entirely happy with the result.

Roasting cauliflower is a great way to make it very more-ish. Dousing it in olive oil and curry powder, and mixing it with a bunch of bitter and sweet ingredients makes it a perfect salad to serve on a day that needs bulk catering.

I intended roasting some spuds with a spice mix from the Co Cork company Green Saffron, but because I had run out, I tried to recreate my own, which was reasonably successful. A good teaspoon or two of turmeric, black mustard seeds, celery seeds and salt and pepper was a cheap imitation of the real thing (which contains curry leaves that really give it a special punch). They are pricey mixes, but they really do make a fantastically flavoured meal out of humble ingredients, which makes them worth every penny. But in an emergency, you can definitely make your own spice version.

For dessert, the eldest nipper made some brownies from Nigella’s latest book. These “everyday brownies” were great – although we did tweak a few bits, namely the amount of chocolate added, as well as the addition of some instant coffee and reducing the oven temperature. They are gooey and delicious and are great to cook over half term, as the methodology is very manageable, no matter how novice the chef.

SIX NATIONS STEW

This fed eight adults, one teenager, three children and provided enough leftovers for three dinners the next day. To be safe, I would say it feeds 12 adults.

3kg diced lamb

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

6 red onions, finely sliced

3 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

1 big piece ginger, peeled and grated

1 head garlic, peeled and sliced

Good squeeze harissa (optional)

1.5 litres stock

4 tins tomatoes

4 bay leaves

400g stoned prunes

50ml soy sauce

50ml maple syrup

In a large frying pan, fry the lamb in batches in olive oil, season well and set them aside. In another heavy-based saucepan (or two – I had to use two as I didn’t have one big enough), sweat the onions in some olive oil until they are soft. Add the five-spice powder, ginger, garlic and harissa to the onions and mix well. Cook out for another few minutes.

When the lamb is all done, add to the saucepan, mix well and deglaze the frying pan with some stock and pour it into the saucepan. Add the tinned tomatoes and bay leaves along with the rest of the stock.

Mix well and bring up to the boil, then simmer for about an hour and a half. I kept the lid on, but after about an hour, removed it so that it could reduce and thicken up. Stir occasionally and then add the prunes, soy sauce and maple syrup. Cook for another 20 minutes and then cool slightly and taste. Adjust the seasoning as necessary. This tastes really great the next day.

ROAST CAULIFLOWER SALAD

Serves 12 (but is a garnish rather than as a main contender).

2 heads cauliflower

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 tsp mild curry powder

2 red onions, peeled and sliced

50ml red wine vinegar

100g golden raisins

2 tins chickpeas

1 bunch chives, finely chopped

2-3 heads chicory, sliced

100g black olives, stoned (optional)

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees/gas mark five. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Plonk them in a roasting tin. Pour a good glug or three of olive oil over them. Sprinkle with seasoning and the curry powder. Scoop them around so they get evenly coated in the spiced olive oil and are well seasoned.

Roast for about 20 minutes, until they are tender and starting to brown – this may take longer. Then taste them and make sure they are well seasoned.

Marinate the red onions in the red wine vinegar along with the raisins. Season well. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

When you are ready to serve, mix all the ingredients together: the cauliflower with the red onions and the chives. Mix well and add the chicory and the olives. Taste and add some more olive oil and seasoning if necessary.

NIGELLA’S EVERYDAY BROWNIES

150g butter

300g light brown muscovado sugar

1 tsp coffee granules

75g cocoa

150g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

4 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g good milk chocolate, cut into chunks

Line a 25cm square cake tin with parchment paper. Heat an oven to 180 degrees/gas mark four. Gently heat the butter and sugar together until the butter melts and the sugar starts to dissolve. Add the coffee granules. Sieve together the cocoa, flour and bicarbonate of soda. Add this in stages to the melted butter and mix well. It will become like soft cement. Add the eggs and vanilla. It will become thick and glossy. None of the above methodology requires any finesse. Just get on with it. At this stage though, your tin needs to be ready to go.

Add the chocolate chunks. Give them a cursory mix and then pour the mixture straight into the tin and bake for 25 minutes, after which it will have puffed up slightly, but will be gooey and wobbly and the skewer won’t come out clean, which Nigella says is the whole point. Leave them to cool slightly and serve with a strong coffee or ice cream.