IN NEED OF some mealtime inspiration? Each week, we’ll be asking a home cook about the dishes they’ve been whipping up of late, from simple suppers to family-friendly Sunday roasts.
This week, Limerick-based Helena O’Brien took us through some of her recent favourite plates, and shares tips on everything from low-carb dinners to cooking for kids.
We’ve taken a look back at what Helena (and her 11-year-old son!) have been cooking recently. Follow her on Instagram @helenaobrien81.
1. The perfect poached egg: Breakfast is hands down my favourite meal of the day! I’ve always loved putting effort into my breakfasts. I almost always have a cooked breakfast. I’ve mastered poaching the perfect egg, which took years of different methods, but I’ve finally settled on Julia Child’s method.
My most recent fav is a little unorthodox but my own recipe. Wholemeal toast with good quality peanut butter, poached eggs, shoots and Chiu chow chili oil. It’s a flavour bomb!”
2. Sous-vide Sunday roast: I’ve always loved cooking and my earliest memory was making ’4 4 6 2′ buns with my mum. By the time I was 10 I was making bolognese and curries. When I hit my 20s I embraced the world of social media and suddenly met lots of like minded people who loved to cook and that inspired me further.
I’ve adopted some ‘cheffy’ techniques down through the years, and I’ve befriended many chefs who are always happy to give advice. I love to sous-vide our Sunday roast and this year I plan to use the sous-vide method to cook our Christmas turkey!
3. Low-carb lunch: I sometimes like to opt for a low carb option. I always have little gem lettuce in the fridge. It keeps really well and is a perfect vehicle for lettuce boats which I enjoy for lunch on occasion. I always have cooked shredded chicken in the fridge, and add various flavours to this.
My favorite is a chicken satay whereby I mix peanut butter with soy sauce, garlic, ginger and sriracha. It’s so delicious – I mix it through chicken then top with sliced spring onion or maybe some crushed peanuts. Something I never tire of!
4. Batch-cooked beauties: I batch cook a lot, my freezer is jammed with chili con carne, bolognese, curry without chicken (I don’t like cooked chicken frozen) tagines, soups and stews. When I’m in a hurry it’s easy to thaw these in a jiffy and throw in some courgetti, rice and pasta.
Batch cooking is essential in our house and I’ve been doing it years. I actually would struggle to make a bolognese that’s not using 2kg of minced beef!
5. Cooking with kids: Answers on a postcard if someone has the answer to this! My eldest TJ is a great grubber and always has been. My youngest two, Hughie and Lucy not so much! I often give them mushrooms to chop with a blunt knife when I’m cooking and getting them involved seems to awaken their interest in food.
I’ll be shocked if TJ (11) doesn’t become a chef, he’s always critiquing my food, talking about texture, colour, balance of flavours. I find it very amusing but obviously I’m very proud of his food intelligence. He’s a great little cook and has such passion and flair for it. Hopefully the two smallies will follow suit in time!
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