TASTE:Budgets are tight, but stomachs need filling – so break out that stash of cupboard stalwarts for these warming recipes

FOR SOME REASON, the past few weeks have been a bit ropey in the kitchen at home. Maybe because the news has all been so grim. There seems to be a feeling of lock down. A fear of spending, a fear of saving.

As a result, I’ve been resentful of having to go to the shops to get basic provisions. This siege mentality means that we’ve had to delve into the hidden rations of all things tinned in the cupboards, and dinners have become more sombre. Maybe it’s the reluctant build-up to Christmas and trying to temper the tsunami of consumerism that retailers will try to force upon us. With these feelings in mind, I’ve been cooking some mid-week suppers that are cheap to prepare, nutritious and tasty.

Mushrooms are one of those vegetables that I never feel guilty about buying in the winter (whereas red peppers and asparagus do make me feel guilty). They are cheap, nutritious and suit hearty dishes.

This white bean and mushroom gratin is a great example of what you can do cheaply and quickly with no meat, no fuss and yes, even though there’s a bit of cream, it makes it a very healthy meal. Spinach and Swiss chard, in the other recipe on this page, also fall into the good-for-you-in-winter boat.

White bean and mushroom gratin

Serves 2

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

30g butter

Splash of white wine

150ml cream

2-4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

400g mushrooms, any variety you fancy

Salt and pepper

1 tin haricot or cannellini beans

parsley

lemon juice

Parmesan or other hard cheese, grated

Fry the onion in half the butter until it is golden brown. Add the wine, cream and garlic. Turn up the heat and simmer until the mixture has reduced slightly. This will take about five minutes of stirring and simmering in total. Meanwhile, fry the mushrooms in the rest of the butter over a high heat and add even more garlic if you fancy it. Season the mushrooms well. Try and get some good colour on the mushrooms as this will help them take on more flavour. Add the cream infusion.

Drain and rinse the beans with water from a boiled kettle. When well drained, add them to the mushrooms. Mix well, heat thoroughly, check the seasoning and add the parsley, and the lemon juice if you need to sharpen it up. Plenty of black pepper wouldn’t go amiss. Pour into a gratin dish. Grate some Parmesan over the top and grill for a few minutes until it is golden brown. Serve with some crusty bread and a salad.

Sauteed spinach, Swiss chard with pine nuts, raisins and curry

The iron overload you get with dark green leafy vegetables gives you a burst of nutrition that seems so fortifying. This spinach dish was uber tasty and to make a proper dinner out of it, I chucked in about four eggs at the end, which enriched it and meant we had one bowl of complete goodness for dinner. However, feel free to ditch the eggs and serve it as a tasty side dish.

Use whatever combination of big-leaf spinach and Swiss chard you fancy. I used two whopping handfuls to serve two people. Remove stalks that are very “stalky”. But this is a big, rough, rustic dish, so there is no need to trim too much.

2 whopping handfuls of spinach and or Swiss chard

Good splash of olive oil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

3 tbsp pine nuts

Handful of raisins

1 tsp mild curry powder

Salt and pepper

4 eggs, beaten (optional)

The spinach and Swiss chard can be so unmanageable that it’s easier to give them a quick dunk in boiling water to tame them. So wash it well, remove any stalks that you think are too big, and roughly chop the leaves. Stuff them into a saucepan of boiling salted water. Push them under and you will see them collapse quite quickly. Drain, give it a rinse and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the garlic. Don’t let it burn, but do get it to the stage where you get that really garlicky smell. At this stage, add the pine nuts, raisins and curry powder. This will help toast the pine nuts, but watch out as they do burn very quickly. Keep them moving about with a wooden spoon. Season really well and then add the spinach. Mix well, turn up the heat and sauté.

Check the seasoning and if you like, add the eggs and mix well. They will scramble and you need to really mix well so they cook and are dispersed thoroughly. Season and serve. A knob of butter would also be delicious added to the spinach to enrich it, but I was being good.

See also itsa.ie

DOMINI RECOMMENDS: One Family, supporting one-parent families, is holding a bash next Thursday, in the RHA on Ely Place in Dublin 2, to raise funds. There will be party-food cooking demonstrations, grub from Fallon Byrne, wines from Edward Dillon Co, in the beautiful surroundings of the RHA, and all for €45. For tickets, telephone Adrian on 01-6629212 or email aokeeffe@onefamily.ie