What I Do When I Want a Night Off Cooking

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #9b9b9b;”] A[/dropcap] few months ago I was in Sydney visiting a friend. She reminded me of something I hadn’t thought about in ages…

It was Friday afternoon. She’d just got back from picking up the kids from school.

I had spent the day in the ‘big smoke’. I’d been lunching at a great new restaurant (Firedoor), shopping, and getting checked up by my dermatologist (a good idea when you live under the hole in the ozone layer).

As we sat chatting in her lovely new kitchen, drinking jasmine tea, Amanda mentioned that Fridays were her ‘night off’ cooking. That night they were having Japanese takeaway.

I remember feeling super jealous.

First because I adore Japanese.

But second because it made me realize I don’t have a ‘night off’ as such.

Where I live, in the middle of the Australian ‘bush’, there are plenty of kangaroos and gum trees (and deadly tiger snakes), but not many restaurants. In fact none.

Anyway on the way home it got me thinking about what I do when I don’t want to cook…

My 3 Options for a ‘Night Off’ Cooking

1. Cook ahead.
This is the obvious choice right? Either make double of something another night OR make something in advance that will store and reheat well. Like my 5-Ingredients Shepherds Pie below.

2. Picnic it!
This isn’t an option I take that often but after the success of my Birthday dinner this year, I’m definitely planning on playing the ‘picnic’ card more often.

Just go to your favourite deli. Stock up on good cheese, olives, salami.. whatever. And treat yourself to some really beautiful sourdough and lashing of butter (preferably ‘Kerrygold’ from Ireland). Dinner is ready.

3. Go for something super easy.
Especially now I’m pregnant and a bit short on energy I’m finding myself going back to my ‘5-Ingredients’ basic recipes for minimal effort meals.

My two favourite go-to collections are:
i. My print book ‘5 Ingredients 10 Minutes‘ that I have as the kindle version on my phone.
ii. My eCookbook ‘The Tired & Hungry Cook’s Companion‘, also saved on my phone.

What about you?

Got any tricks for when you want a ‘night off’? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

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5-Ingredient Shepherds Pie

While traditional shepherds pie can be a bit heavy on the carbs, this almost ‘paleo’ version using cauliflower mash instead of potatoes is much lighter. But the best news is it’s still super comforting and one of those dishes the whole family will love!

enough for: 4-5
takes: 60 minutes
1 head cauliflower
1kg (2lb) minced (ground) beef or lamb
1 jar tomato passata or puree (3 cups)
6 tablespoons butter
salad leaves, to serve

1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and bring a medium pot of water to the boil.

2. Chop cauliflower into large bite sized chunks. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until cauli is really soft.

3. Drain and mix in half the butter. Then whizz using a stick blender or your food processor until smooth and creamy. You could mash with a fork but you’ll end up with a chunkier result.

4. While the cauli is cooking, heat a large frying pan on a high heat. Add beef and a little oil and cook, stirring until the beef is well browned. Add tomato passata and the remaining butter and bring to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

5. Transfer the beef mixture to an oven proof dish (mine was 22cmx28cm / 8inx11in but it doesn’t need to be exact).

6. Top with the cauli mash, I didn’t go all the way to the edges so it looked prettier and allowed my mash layer to be thicker.

7. Bake for 30 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbling.

8. Serve with salad leaves on the side.

Variations

vegetarian – replace beef with the same weight cooked french style green lentils.

dairy-free – replace butter with olive oil or coconut oil.

vegan – combine the vegetarian and dairy-free options.

do ahead – you could make the pie up until step 5. Then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze. Then to serve cook straight from the fridge (defrost first if frozen).

individual ‘pies’ – makes about 4-5 servings if you use individual dishes. They’ll need to be about 2 cups capacity each.

carb lovers / more substantial – use potato mash instead of or as well as the cauli. Or maybe serve on a bed of potato mash for those who need it. Also good with hot buttered pasta.

more veg – soften an onion, carrot, celery and some mushrooms before browning the beef. Add extra chopped raw veg to the salad leaves like carrot, snow peas and/or red bell peppers (capsicum).

Big love,
Jules x

Tags: been, butter, cauliflower, mince, salad, simple dinner, tomato