IN NEED OF some mealtime inspiration? Each week, we’ll be asking a home cook about the dishes they’ve been eating of late, from empty-fridge dinners to Sunday roasts.

This week, Dublin-based Victoria Antoniades took us through some of her recent favourite plates. Victoria was born on a small island in Greece, and home cooking has been part of her life from a young age.

Working in marketing by day, Victoria regularly cooks in her spare time, and documents her dishes on Instagram at @theflavourdiaries. 

So what has she been cooking and eating of late? Here’s a look back…

1. Crispy pork belly for a crowd

“I love cooking for my family and friends, sitting around the table eating, it’s my favorite way to relax. I have always linked food and cooking to the best part of my day. This crispy sweet chilli pork belly is one of my favourites to cook for a group. I make sure the pork is tender by slow cooking it with stock, Chinese wine and aromatics and then crisp up the oven before tossing it in a homemade sweet and spicy sauce. It always works out well.” 

2. Holiday pasta with black truffle

“When I go travelling, it’s mostly the food culture I am excited to explore. I recently travelled to Barga in Italy, and was so inspired by the flavours and cooking methods used. I tasted a delicious pasta dish with local black truffle, which was to die for”.

3. Homemade tomato sauce

“Finding time to cook during the week can be challenging. With midweek cooking, I think you should take all the help you can with ready-made sauces and stuff like that. At the weekends, I sometimes made extra sauce to have on hand during the week, which will liven up pasta very quickly.”

4. Asian lettuce cups and coconut rice

“This is a midweek favourite for me. It’s easy, full of flavour and never lets me down. The lettuce cups keep the dish light and gives a great crunchy texture. The lime and coconut rice only involves a few ingredients.”

5. Perfectly cooked penne

“Seasoning is so important, especially for pasta water and rice water. I season as I go. By introducing salt at different stages it changes the flavours of the food and brings the dish together. There is nothing worse than tasting a bland dish at the end of cooking and adding a whole load of salt in to rectify it when it’s too late”.

More: ‘It had about 20 cloves of garlic in it, so just enough’: 5 favourite dishes from a home cook in Kildare>