Hugo Arnold Cooking InSave money with beans and cheap cuts of meat
Recent turmoil in the financial markets . . . falling house prices . . . lack of consumer confidence. Where in the world are we heading? Is it time for macaroni cheese, that stalwart of the 1970s, beloved of week-night supper tables, family fare for so little money it hardly counts in the week's food budget? If we are trimming our sails, then it may be making a comeback. Roll on cauliflower cheese, stews and casseroles, braised cheaper cuts of meat, and root vegetables.
Neat assemblies of rocket salad and tuna fish, mizuna leaves and fillet steak are on the way out. We want comfort food that is robust and filling. My ingredients lists feature roots - parsnips, carrots and celeriac - pureed, mashed or cooked as a gratin, the butter and cream being the little luxury we all need. And greens, of course.
Serve the greens stir-fried with spices and soy, worked into mashed potato for a variation on colcannon, or steamed and served with lashing of olive oil and a generous dousing of salt and pepper.
Pasta is likely to be on my table even more this year, not with crab and chilli, or cream and pancetta, as it has been, but partnered with potatoes and lentils, as well as humble fish such as sardines. Sardines need little more than gentle sauteeing with parley and lemon to transform themselves into a delicious and full-bodied sauce.
Mackerel and herring will take centre stage as turbot and black sole head skywards in price. I am going to be using sprats and cuttlefish, the former dusted in paprika and chilli and deep-fried, the latter stewed to a melting softness with their ink sacs, some short-grain rice and chicken stock.
What about lip-smacking oxtail stew, one of my all-time favourite dishes? It must be inky black, and positively sticky. Skirt sounds tacky, far better to use the French name onglet, or butcher's cut (because he normally kept it for himself). It's a tricky piece of meat, requiring brief searing on a high heat, or long, slow braising. But is packed with flavour.
Try casseroling middle neck and scrag end of lamb with plenty of spices - paprika, cumin and coriander - for rich, delicious tagines to be soaked up with golden grains of couscous or bulgar wheat. You will need to buy these cuts of meat from a butcher.
Recipes serve four
MOROCCAN MACKEREL WITH COUSCOUS AND YOGHURT
2 garlic cloves
half tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp lightly toasted cumin seeds
pinch saffron strands
1 red chilli, trimmed and finely chopped
juice and zest of 1 lemon
olive oil
4 mackerel
1 fennel bulb
1 carrot
500ml light chicken stock
2 cups couscous
bunch spring onions, finely chopped
bunch coriander, roughly chopped
4 tbsp yoghurt
1 lemon, quartered
Crush the garlic with the paprika, cumin, saffron and chilli and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. As the mixture becomes a paste, swirl in the lemon zest and juice and a tablespoon of olive oil.
Slash the fish three times on each side, to the bone, and using your fingers work this mixture into the cuts. Set aside.
Trim the fennel and carrot and cut into five-millimetre dice. Bring the chicken stock to the boil, slide in the fennel and carrot, and cook until the vegetables are just tender, then drain and refresh them briefly in iced water.
Add two cups of the strained stock to the couscous, let it sit for two minutes and then fluff it up with a fork. Add the root vegetables to the couscous and stir in the spring onions and coriander. Season with salt and pepper.
Grill the mackerel for five minutes each side or until it is cooked. Serve the fish on top of the couscous, with a dollop of yoghurt, a little extra olive oil and a lemon quarter.
POACHED LAMB WITH HARICOT BEANS
500g haricot beans, soaked overnight
150g piece salami, cut into four or five pieces
1 litre chicken stock
1kg neck of lamb, roughly chopped
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
olive oil
1 tsp hot paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 red chilli, trimmed and finely chopped
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
Rinse the beans well and combine them with the salami and stock in a saucepan. Bring the pot to the boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 45-50 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Strain the beans and discard the salami.
Combine the beans with the meat and the remaining ingredients and 150ml of water. Season with salt and pepper and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to the boil and then lower the heat and simmer for two to two-and-a-half hours.
You need to cook this over the lowest heat possible. It must be barely simmering. Check every 30 minutes or so to ensure it doesn't dry out. If this looks likely, add a little more water.Check the seasoning at the end of the cooking time and serve the lamb with bread and salad.
SPAGHETTI AND LENTILS
An unlikely combination I know, but this is a really full-flavoured vegetarian pasta dish, ideal for these tail-end of winter evenings.
100g green lentils
olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
1 red chilli, trimmed and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
half tsp turmeric
2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
300g spaghetti
Parmesan
Soak the lentils in plenty of cold water for 15 minutes. Heat four tablespoons of olive oil and gently soften the shallots, carrot and celery for 10 minutes.
Strain the lentils and add them to the vegetables, along with the chilli and garlic. Stir so everything is well coated in the oil and then add the cumin, turmeric and rosemary. Pour over enough water to cover by at least one centimetre. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
Break the spaghetti up and add it to the lentil mixture. Bring back to the boil and simmer for two minutes. Everything should look quite soupy at this stage (if it doesn't, add another glassful of water).
Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover with a lid, remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes.The pasta will absorb most of the liquid, so you are left with a thicky, soupy texture at the end. Check the seasoning and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a generous serving of Parmesan. harnold@irish-times.ie