- 5 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00our main event Philadelphia is the one cooks reach for you've got a friend in
00:04Philly they say the dinner table is the heart of the home but what they forget
00:10to mention is the absolute chaos it takes to get there navigating the small
00:16daily hurdles the inevitable chaos and the everyday victories are what make
00:20family life such an adventure
00:23welcome to the fish between the fridge and the fork where the chaos battles
00:30calm and pasta waits for no one and I literally would eat that directly from
00:36the pan this is not a cooking show about perfection this is real-time cooking where
00:43every minute matters and every dinner served is a small trial so let's get
00:49cook this week it's all about meals that go the distance big flavor pots batchable
01:01beauties and dishes that taste even better the next day you know the kind cook
01:05once eat twice and maybe even freeze a portion for later that is the kind of
01:09kitchen magic we all need some weeks first off a slow-cooked style gnocchi and
01:15la margou that's rich rustic and totally weekend worthy but we're doing it fast
01:19enough for midweek look at that a mountain of pure comfort and then we're
01:25traveling to North Africa for a magic chicken tagine in a flash all those warm
01:29spices and sweet notes ready in under an hour and the flavors only improve with
01:33time just like an Irish stew it's always better the day after and finally the
01:38ultimate crowd pleaser sticky beef and broccoli forever sweet salty sticky and
01:43totally addicted so let's stock the fridge fill the freezer and batch it like a
01:48boss
01:54there is nothing like coming home and knowing that dinner is already done and
01:59this recipe batch cooks perfectly you can have one that you eat straight away and
02:04one that you can stick in the freezer and it starts off in a pan with some
02:08lamb mince little drop of oil into the pan as it comes up to temperature now
02:12minced meat is my go-to I have it as a staple ingredient in my kitchen at all
02:17times in this case I have lamb mince there's a lovely run of fat through here
02:21and it's gonna cook really nicely until it becomes gnarly the whole point of this
02:25recipe is to get the results of a ragu but in half the time but it begins in
02:30the pan nicely browned off now the trick to frying off mince is to ensure that you
02:36break it up as soon as it goes in and then once it's nicely broken up leave it to
02:40sit it will sweat a little bit but you want to get rid of that moisture and when
02:44you've gotten rid of that liquid that's when you'll get browning but a season it
02:48with a little salt and pepper and while that's frying off onion finely chopped here
02:53and typically I would take the meat out after it's browned but in this case I'm
02:57gonna slice the onion up very nice and finely and it should cook off nicely in
03:01that meat back and a good way of knowing that your meat is ready to be moved is
03:06when that sizzle starts to increase it means that there's less moisture in there so even
03:11if you start moving it in the pan you'll see those nice gnarly brown bits and if you've
03:16got them you've got flavour so keep it moving and only because I now know I have those lovely
03:21brown bits I'm gonna pop my onions straight in give that a little mix through I'm gonna
03:27take my time at this point turn down the heat ever so slightly now while that's cooking
03:33time to get the pasta water on a quarter fill on the pot with some cold water and
03:38then I'm just gonna top this up with a freshly boiled kettle now the real beauty of this
03:44recipe is that it uses store-bought gnocchi one of my favourite little
03:48ingredients that cooks in no time at all it also freezes really well so it's ideal
03:53for batch cooking there's great things going on in the pan right now so I'm
03:56gonna add to that by just picking in some fresh oregano the fresh oregano has this
04:03almost citrusy fragrance and then the dried one is this more kind of intense
04:08flavour you get from it I have a little bit of butter we're gonna add in here
04:11I'm gonna push the meat aside melt that down and add to this some chilli flakes
04:17little pinch goes in let's grab up some garlic just a clove will do the job and
04:23grate this straight into that melting water I'm doing this with the skin on
04:27because this might plain grater is so fine that it almost grates the clove
04:32itself leaving the skin behind tap that in the water is foaming with chilli and
04:38garlic and the smell is phenomenal now tomato puree so in amongst that butter
04:44it's just starting to turn kind of golden brown we want to hit it with the
04:47tomato puree before it does and just introduce this and start stirring in
04:51that lamb
04:55so cook that out it's now ready for some tomato passata another great
05:00ingredient because it is a smooth tomato sauce essentially all the work's been
05:05done for you we don't have to reduce this down too much and it's a great cheat
05:10ingredient to get simple results really quickly so mix that through dried oregano
05:16a generous pinch go more than you think you need turn down the heat give that
05:22a mix through and we're just gonna let it blip away now these are essential they
05:28will make the difference and you won't even notice they're in there some
05:31anchovies an ingredient that might sound like a tiny fish but in fact is an
05:37umami bomb that we're gonna pop in here and get really great salty flavor in
05:42with that lamb if you've ever seen roast lamb with anchovies there's a good
05:46reason why it's that wonderful rich flavor that the anchovies give without
05:51adding a fishy flavor at all I know you probably are sitting there going not adding
05:57anchovies in but you won't even notice they literally melt into that sauce and
06:02they just give it pure flavor just look at that a really simple
06:05flavorful sauce that is pretty much there I mean I would cook it down a little
06:11more if I have time but it is full of flavor already my water has come up to
06:15the boil I'm going to generously season with plenty of sea salt in there and then
06:19the gnocchi the star of the show goes straight in and this will cook off
06:23literally in two to three minutes the moment it starts rising to the top you
06:28know it's good to go and we're just going to transfer it from pot to pan and
06:32serve it up time for a clean down
06:41the work is done and this will sit happily in the sauce but I'm going to fold it
06:46through and get all that gnocchi beautifully coated in that rich ragu if
06:53you have the time grate in some carrots fold in some spinach if you fancy but the
06:58bowl of this a little bit of cheese dinner is served it's such a handy store
07:04covered ingredient gnocchi little potato dumplings that can be coated in a whole
07:10host of different things look at that a mountain of pure comfort the last touch a
07:17tiny bit of parmesan because I can't help us little drizzle of some extra virgin
07:24olive oil absolutely beautiful the kind of bowl you just want to eat with a
07:32spoon let's give it a go
07:36tender gnocchi in that rich lamb meat sauce and the best part of it all the
07:43rest of this is going into the freezer for another day and that's how you batch
07:47it like a boss
07:58I absolutely love Moroccan food and I was lucky enough to visit recently and
08:04honestly I always just come back so inspired and this chicken tagine while it
08:09might not be totally traditional is packed with all the flavors that I loved
08:13over there and it comes together in no time at all
08:20now typically when I make this chicken tagine I do it with chicken thighs with
08:26the bone in and the skin on but in this case I have diced chicken thighs that have
08:31the bone out and the skin off because I want them to cook really speedily in all
08:36these fabulous flavors so chicken thighs in strips I'm gonna pop them straight into
08:41a bowl and now it's time to spice these babies up so a little bit of oil and if
08:48you have the time marinade for as long as possible in these spices now coriander
08:53I've got some cumin for that really deep earthy flavor a little bit of turmeric for
09:00that fabulous color it imparts to this I have some smoked paprika I'm gonna go
09:06fairly heavy on that and then it's just a case of giving it a good mix up oh last
09:12thing good generous bit of seasoning give that a little mix through and now you
09:18have beautiful spiced chicken ready for the pan into a pan with plenty of oil and
09:23let's get that fried off the moment that spice hits the hot oil get this great
09:29sizzle and those spices really come alive it actually needs just a touch more oil
09:35and as that cooks away I'm gonna make my couscous now couscous is one of those
09:41ingredients that is so handy to have in the store cupboard you literally take a jar
09:46of it top it up with some boiling water from a freshly boiled kettle and give it a
09:54stir through with a little seasoning the couscous is now going to absorb that water
09:59and soak it all up until it becomes nice and fluffy and trap in the heat with a
10:04lid over the top I'm gonna check on my chicken it's got a nice bit of browning
10:10action on this I'm not looking to cook the chicken through here I'm just looking
10:13for a bit of color on the outside and then we can move things along with the
10:17onions now let's get chopping and the beauty of this recipe is that it batch
10:26cooks absolutely beautifully in fact it's one of those dishes that really
10:30improves with flavor just like an Irish stew always better the day after right
10:35looking good the onions go in let's give it a mix through I have some serious
10:40flavor building in this pan now and it immediately transports you to somewhere
10:45like Morocco where those spices are so prevalent in so many of the foods
10:57wrap it mix it or simply spread it Philadelphia the one cooks reach for you've
11:03got a friend in Philly wrap it mix it or simply spread it Philadelphia the one cooks
11:08reach for you've got a friend in Philly while my chicken and onions cook off
11:14with the spices it's time to start bringing that couscous to life so I have
11:18some flaked almonds into a little frying pan like this you don't need any oil
11:23here because the almonds have quite a lot of oil in them and they're gonna
11:27slowly ooze out as we fry these off one of the worst crimes I commit in the
11:32kitchen is burning my nuts a nightmare you got to keep your eye on the ball my
11:38onions are really nicely cooking down now if it starts to catch a little bit on
11:42the bottom don't be scared of that a tiny touch of water straight to the pan just
11:48to scrape off any of those bits before they start to blacken so we're in the
11:54moment we've got to check on the nuts my nuts are looking fantastic but keep your
12:00eye on them now while that chicken cooks out it's time to start adding some flavor
12:04first up tomato puree it's gonna add sweetness it's gonna add vibrancy and if
12:09you cook it out before you add any other ingredients you give it moment to shine
12:14and take on the flavors that are already there and add to them to to this a
12:18little bit of stock and nearly did it ah I burnt me nuts this is what happens when
12:27you're in real time recipes right we're starting again and unfortunately there's
12:31no way of saving them if you burn your nuts you gotta keep going this time I'm
12:36really gonna keep an eye on them okay our sauce is coming together time to add in
12:41more flavor a little bit of lemon I'm just gonna take the whole peel and pop it
12:45straight in there the lemon is gonna add this nice fragrance gotta check the nuts
12:50no no I nearly did it again no okay I don't trust them I'm taking it off I've
12:56got some olives going in I have some dried fruit and typically when I make my
13:01other tazine I soak this beforehand but it doesn't need it stick them straight in
13:05if they're nice and soft and let that liquid rehydrate them now we are cooking
13:12we've got good stuff going on in here cinnamon stick this is a good moment just to
13:17build on that flavor that's already there I'm gonna add a clove or two of garlic
13:21just grated straight into that mixture just that last hit that hum of garlic in
13:25here will be tickling the taste buds get that in and give it a mix we're pretty
13:33much there let that bubble away for a moment while we finish the couscous use a
13:38fork to fluff it up then finely chop some flat-leaf parsley and get it in there
13:43tear in some mint and coriander leaves go in with a few pomegranate seeds and then
13:47a really generous squeeze of lemon juice and it's just gonna cut through
13:51that rich tazine I've already seasoned this so I'm not gonna add any more salt
13:56here but I do have my nuts which are going straight in lovely flaked almonds
14:00here and really it is worth toasting them because the flavor just amplifies I'm
14:05gonna fold these through now this is good to go couscous is ready tazine needs one
14:11final addition and that is a tin of chickpeas you don't have to add these but
14:15they're a great way to bulk out a dish like this all I'm gonna do is drain the
14:20chickpeas are actually cooked so they only need to be added very much at the
14:24last moment I don't want to overcook them and I'm just draining and then rinsing a
14:29little bit with water to get rid of any of that starchy liquid that then gets
14:34directly added into our tazine give it a little mix up and like I said those
14:39chickpeas are already cooked so we're just warming them through they're a
14:43fantastic store cupboard ingredient full of protein great fiber and very
14:49inexpensive too right let's give it a taste just to see that we're on the right
14:54track
14:58mmm lovely kind of interesting in the sense that it's not overly spicy it's spiced
15:06but it's not that really sharp heat that we're getting we don't have chili in
15:10there and for me that's pretty much good to go but I do like the idea of adding
15:14sweetness in there so a bit more pomegranate seeds go in and now we have
15:19that soft fruit the apricots in there as well as the pomegranates these lovely
15:23little jewels which as you bite through that sauce you're gonna get that hit of
15:28that sort of tart sweet pomegranate juice the lovely velvety sweetness of the
15:34apricots right time to serve a little bit that couscous and again this is a
15:41fantastic one to batch cook because your couscous will keep in the fridge and the
15:45chicken freezes really well on top of that couscous have that beautiful tagine I
15:52want to get just about everything in here let's tuck in a little bit of
15:58chicken a little bit of couscous oh you've got such lovely spice you've got
16:04lovely sweetness in our house a chicken tagine is one of those celebrations
16:10Sunday meals but this version is a speedy take on the classic it puts it smack
16:15bang on your midweek menu and gives you something that you can batch cook and nail
16:20for your next dinner time
16:36some nights you just want something that's bold sticky and seriously
16:40satisfying and that's where this dish comes in crispy beef tender broccoli and a
16:45glossy sauce it's everything you want in a bowl and takes no time at all
16:55now when it comes to stir fries there is no better cut of meat than bavette steak it
17:01has a little bit of fat and it has a little bit of sinew but that cooks off
17:04really quickly and if you cut it nice and thinly it works beautifully in a stir fry
17:09like this if you can't get your hands on this something like a flank steak will do
17:13but you're looking for something that's gonna cook really fast I'm just taking a
17:16nice fine slice on this and you can see as I cut through here there's a lovely
17:22marbling of fat and when it breaks down it leaves you with tender pieces of meat
17:28so to this bowl I've got a splash of some soy sauce for some saltiness a little bit of oyster sauce for
17:37that funky umami flavor not too much here because I don't want it to sweat when it goes in the pan
17:43and then to tenderize it and to ensure that we get a nice sort of coating on the exterior a little bit
17:49of corn flour pop that in give it all a good mix up and at this point you can leave that to sit for
17:57as long as you fancy if you could pop it into a lunch box and stick it in the fridge and it's ready
18:02to be used or do what I'm doing and cook straight through that is nicely mixed through wok goes on
18:07and the best tip to get success in this recipe is get that wok as hot as you possibly can this amount
18:14of beef I'm gonna cook in two batches so that I get nice contact with the wok and ensure I get really
18:19good color on it so while that comes up to temperature I'm gonna grab up my board and we're
18:24gonna prep some veggies I have broccoli I have garlic and some spring onions I'm just gonna break
18:29the broccoli into florets actually I can see my wok is now smoking so this is at a good point to add
18:34in a splash of oil and half of that beef now in a restaurant situation you have big wok burners lots
18:47of high heat in a home situation what happens is you add the meat the temperature comes down so don't
18:52move it around too much now while that's cooking back to the broccoli just looking for nice florets
18:58here and with the stock just give it a rough chop no sense in wasting it full of nutrition and it goes
19:07in really nicely with the florets here let's give the beef a quick turn and this is what you're after
19:12really nice deep charmer don't want to overcook it so grab this up all of that beef can go back into a
19:24bowl and rest another batch goes in a little bit more oil and the rest of that beef just spread it
19:33around the pan and then let the heat do its work now while that's happening I have some spring onions
19:39and garlic that need a bit of prep so I'm gonna fry off the white part of the onion and I'm gonna
19:43save the rest just to garnish over the top so a nice fine slice on these okay that's beef ready to
19:51rock go straight out to rest and now back in with a touch more oil not too much now because we're gonna
19:57do the veggies so in with some spring onions to begin with let's get the action going to
20:03this we've got some garlic and now as soon as that becomes nice fragrant and aromatic we're going
20:10straight in with the broccoli give it a little toss and to help this along a little splash of water
20:19and rest the water will do the work to steam the broccoli cook it all the way through and meanwhile
20:28we're going to make up a little sort of stir fry sauce into a bowl with some oyster sauce soy sauce
20:35sesame oil and a touch of honey for balance and then just give it a good mix through and now you have
20:43saltiness you've sweetness and you've got that rich nutty flavor from the sesame oil let's have a look
20:48really really nice and when dinner time rolls around you have all these stir fried vegetables I have
20:55my rice cooking in a rice cooker it all comes together really quickly go back in with the beef
21:00and any of those juices sauce goes in and just start mixing that together smells phenomenal right now
21:10just gonna add a tiny touch of some corn flour in here and that will help to thicken that sauce really
21:16quickly and that is it heat off calm in the kitchen we're gonna finish this now with some toasted sesame
21:28seeds pop them in here and we're gonna use them to garnish as well I have some of those nice spring
21:33onions added in at this point as well just stir them through all the hard work is done and now it's
21:39just a case of folding those greens in with the beef and essentially you have a beef and broccoli that
21:46is good to go at this point you could cool it pop it into a lunchbox stick it in the fridge save it for
21:51later or serve it straight up with some rice which I have in my rice cooker and this is why I love these
21:58rice cookers really handy to have the rice cooked off and kept warm right on the countertop
22:04and the perfect base for the deep luscious sauce that we've got from that beef and broccoli
22:11it's a really quick stir fry but just look at that proper pieces of beef really nice tender broccoli
22:20this is my kind of dinner right here
22:24beautiful finishing touches little sprinkle of sesame seeds over the top
22:32some of those nice spring onion greens let's tuck in
22:38a bit of that wreath only a little bit of beef
22:43sticky spicy totally satisfying the rest can go in a lunchbox for leftovers but this right now is dinner
22:56now that's how you batch it like a boss big flavor smart prep and dinner is your future self will thank you for
23:20we kicked off with that rich lamb ragu tossed through soft pillowy gnocchi
23:25then came the speedy chicken tagine spiced sweet and full of warm moroccan vibes
23:30and finally that sticky beef and broccoli crispy saucy and perfect over rice
23:36three big wins all ready for when you need the most
23:40for all the recipes from this week's show visit rte.ie forward slash food
23:45see you next time
23:46creamy dreamy
24:16irresistibly tasty whether it's the key ingredient or main event philadelphia is the one cooks reach for
24:23you've got a friend in philly
24:24you
Be the first to comment