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IT’S SAFE TO say we’re not all as confident in the kitchen as Jamie Oliver. So, when it comes to hosting the next dinner party or Sunday brunch, a feeling of dread can set in.
On the one hand we want to make something that not only looks but tastes seriously impressive. On the other… it can be difficult to know where to start.
There are some simple things you can do to ensure a stress free cooking experience, like preparing ingredients in advance and serving food sharing style. And of course, don’t ever be afraid to delegate (we’ve all got that one friend who can whip up a cake out of nowhere!).
But to help you along, we’ve rounded up 10 great tasting recipes that will seriously impress your guests, and look like you’ve spent hours in the kitchen. We’ll say nothing…
If you haven’t yet made a whole roasted cauliflower, it’s time to change that! Cauliflower is great for absorbing flavours and, cooked in the oven, transforms into a moreish alternative to a roast chicken.
In a bowl, make a spice paste by mixing together paprika, cumin, crushed garlic, lemon zest and olive oil. Trim the outer cauliflower leaves, then baste the cauliflower in the spice paste, season well, and place in a roasting tin.
Cover with tinfoil and bake for one hour, then remove the tinfoil, baste the cauliflower with any excess liquids, and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes. Serve with cous cous and greens.
This vibrant pink risotto is seriously insta-worthy! This recipe requires 500g of cooked beetroot, so you can either bake raw beetroot in the oven for about 80 minutes, or buy it pre cooked.
Heat some vegetable stock in a saucepan and, while this is heating, place just over half of the beetroot in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add a few spoonfuls of stock to the beetroot so that it isn’t too dry.
Once blitzed, place the pureed beetroot into the pot of stock and stir. Heat some butter in another pot and add finely chopped shallots and crushed garlic. Soften for a few minutes, then add in a spoonful of the risotto rice and a dash of white wine. Next, add in some more rice and stock, and stir until absorbed, then continue this process until all of the rice has been used and it’s cooked.
Finally, stir through a knob of butter and the remaining diced beetroot. Serve straight away topped with crumbled feta.
Summertime allows us to get creative with salads, and combinations of sweet and savoury flavours work deliciously together.
Boil some green beans for about two minutes until al dente, then drain, rinse with cold water and set aside. Make the dressing by mixing together olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar and the juice of a quarter of an orange. Fry some sliced halloumi on a griddle pan for about a minute on each side, until golden. Tip the cooled green beans along with some rocket into a salad bowl, toss through the dressing, and top with sliced peach and halloumi.
If you’ve guests staying over, why not impress them with a flavour packed shakshuka for brunch?
Heat some oil in an ovenproof pan, and fry sliced peppers, garlic, onion and chorizo (optional) for about five minutes. Add in some paprika and cumin, and fry for another minute, then pour over a tin of chopped tomatoes and some tomato puree. Stir to combine, then simmer for 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Make four wells in the mixture and crack an egg into each one. Allow to simmer for another 2 minutes, then pop into a hot oven for 5-10 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs cooked. Sprinkle over some crumbled goats cheese and coriander, and serve sharing style with lots of fresh bread.
The joy with tacos is that you can get really inventive with toppings, and make them as simple or loaded as you like! To start off with, toss some fresh prawns in olive oil, lemon zest, seasoning and cajun spice, and fry in a pan for a few minutes until they turn pink.
Spoon into warmed corn tortillas or taco shells, and top with shredded iceberg lettuce and homemade guacamole and a squeeze of lime. If you want to load them up with even more toppings, some corn salsa and pickled red onion would be delicious!
Miso aubergine is one of the simplest meals to make, and is ideal for entertaining veggie guests. To make the marinade, mix together 1 tbsp miso paste, soy sauce, grated ginger, crushed garlic and a dash of sesame oil.
Cut an aubergine in half lengthways, score it diagonally, and spread the paste all over the flesh. Allow to marinade for 30 minutes if possible, which will allow for the flavours to deepen. Bake in a hot oven for 25-30 minutes until the aubergine is cooked through, then serve with some fresh green salad and steamed jasmine rice.
Buddha bowls are a bit of an Instagram sensation at the moment – you just need to search the hashtag for some seriously beautiful bowls. If you’ve got some friends coming for a last minute lunch, this is a great dish to whip up, since it can be made with a variety of vegetables, protein, grains and some sliced avocado.
Why not try a Mexican inspired mixture of grilled chicken, quinoa, grated carrot, corn salsa, roasted sweet potato and sliced avocado. Top with some chilli-lime dressing for a lunch bursting with flavour and colour.
This one will earn you serious brownie points with whoever is lucky enough to try it! Beat some eggs together with a dash of milk and soak slices of brioche bread in this mixture until they are thoroughly coated.
In a nonstick pan, melt some butter and fry the bread for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden. Pop the slices on a baking tray in a warm oven while you make the caramelised bananas. Add sliced bananas to a pan with a little butter and fry for about a minute, until golden.
Stir through a squeeze of honey and orange juice, and toss around until the liquid has turned to a syrup, which only takes about 2 minutes. Place the toast on plates and ladle over the bananas and syrup. A few slices of streaky bacon makes this extra impressive!
This fresh and summery dish can be prepared in advance, and popped into the oven 20 minutes before you’re ready to eat.
Cut out some large squares of baking parchment and tinfoil, lay them on top of each other (with the tinfoil under the parchment), and place a piece of cod in the centre of each one.
Drizzle over a mixture of olive oil and pesto then top with some cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and a slice of lemon. Season with salt and pepper, then scrunch up the parchment and tinfoil to create parcels. Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes, and serve with roast baby potatoes and a side salad.
Creamy ricotta, salty prosciutto and sweet figs marry beautifully to create this simple dish that’s great for entertaining. It’s all about the ingredients here – so opt for a freshly baked ciabatta for the base, ripe figs and good quality prosciutto.
Slice the bread and brush it with olive oil, then toast it lightly on a griddle pan. Spread over the creamy ricotta, then top with prosciutto and sliced figs. Drizzle with some good quality aged balsamic vinegar for an extra flavour kick.
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Ah yes the Workers party associates 1985 – racketeering counterfeiting protection robberies intimidation … ah wonderful memories !
Sure your not mixing them with FF?
I remember 1985…I didn’t know it at the time – but emigration was just around the corner for me.
Thanks Eamon!
I’m amused at the second paragraph: “1985 – Fine Gael and Labour were in power. They introduced water charges and promised to reform Local Government. We’re still waiting.”
I guess that could still be on the local election posters..
I actually believed that man had scruples and would do what was right for the lower/working classes. How wrong I was.
A complete and utter sellout of the highest order. A stain on our country and a destroyer of the left. Thanks Eamonn.
@ Roland 303
Totally agree with you. Labour will be gone in next election, the party missed the opportunity to stand up for the common man. We’re facing into a continued top-down structured economy with little concern for those in need. We need a conversation in Ireland to agreed what type of society we want. Seems to me, no matter who gets into power they forget that we are human beings and not economic beings!
And what a traitor Gilmore turned out to be
He’ll have a big pay day and pension after the next election.
Him and his buddies.
“mission accomplished”……
Oh, it’d make you want to be sick!!!
LANGER
That’s just put me off my bacon sarnie.
He has certainly made 2014 a year to remember so far !
Spineless , worthless Stickie – only interested in the big fat pension – having destroyed The Labour Party !
Dick spring destroyed it the ladt time they were in government…..its no surprise how useless they are this time around aswell
“Stickie” wow, talk about living in the past. Should we continue to classify Sinn Fein as the “Provos” while we’re at it?
Gaping arsehole
Nobody in the workers party ever did a tap in their whole life
Gilmore what a joker ,the caption should read Workers I am going to line my pockets and look after my family and friends so you have being warned.
He even looked like a w@nker back then.
Was this just after he left the official RA !
It’s eamon’s way of breaking up the left wing parties and making them right wing chickens. Workers party democratic left now labour. Good job eamon way to go ruin the left.
Yes, he’s a totally laid- back individual all right!!
Just replace the ‘or’ with ‘an’ in the Workers Party ,and then 26 years later , replace the W with the letter B and make it the Bankers Party !
Where are his knitting needles?
Buried un the common mans back
He was going for reelection in 1985. So he has been in the political profession for 30+ years? And most f the rest of them the same. We need a new generation of politicians. Time for term limits to be introduced. Something like 10 years max. Get some new blood in there and chuck the dead wood. Any takers?
Have always thought the same..Lets do away with career politicians ..they have had long enough at the trough!
2 terms max with pensions pro rata might go someway to restoring trust and bring new blood and new ideas…but could the same not be said for the permanant civil service..who really run the country!
Any aspirations or ambitions to be a politician should automatically bar you from ever becoming one.
Mrs Brown hasn’t aged a bit
Laid back liar.
He is not even worth a heckle.
Little did we know then what sort of a vile turncoat this creature would turn out to be….
The last true Labour leader was Frank Cluskey, all this shower are DL, even the late Tonas McGiolla would be ashamed of how Gilmore and his lackeys have folded and Cowtowed to Enda and the Fine Gael Mafia
Mcgiolla, now that was a good msn
I prefer this one:
It’s like déjà vu!
Laid back and groovy?
Surely the heading for this article should read: Who’s the younger looking D!ckhead with the glasses?
Seeing this picture reminded me of W.B Yeat’s lines “What need you, being come to sense, / but fumble in a greasy till.” I think that just about sums it up.
Groovy !!! Hahahaaaaaaa.
Don’t make me laugh.
Knob
The new labour banner should read fcuk the workers party
Eamon Gilmore a political WH**E will jump into bed with any party
There they are fresh from making their own money,and Gilmore looking like a clown.
The funniest part of this article is the use of the word “leader” in the sub-heading. Gilmore does what he’s told by his FG bosses.
Is it Colin Hunt from the Fast Show?
Too bad he turned his back on the ethics of that party.
He certainly put Putin in his place
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