"Christmas dinner on the barbecue might just have to become a new tradition."

Family food on a budget

There’s a stressful time of the month when the gap between what you’ve got in the bank account and what you need is getting wider and wider. That’s the point at which you realise that a full weekly shop has zero hope of actually happening and yet you’ve still got to feed your family and make the books balance.

This is a feeling that I’m very familiar with and one that many more families than ever before are going to experience in the months ahead.

I call it the squeaky time because that’s the sound I make when I realise the cash flow is getting in the way of all my financial aspirations. Okay, I admit, cash flow gets in the way of my financial aspirations every day but cash flow getting in the way of paying bills has collapsed many a business, never mind a household.

The day my husband and I moved into our first home together my mother-in-law arrived with a 10kg bag of spuds and a giant tray of eggs. I will always remember that because times are tight when you start out on your own and that gift fed us royally for more than a week. She says that you’ll never go hungry when there’s a bag of spuds and tray of eggs to hand and it’s so true.

My fallback when there’s not enough money in the budget to allow for a full shop is that bag of potatoes and eggs because I will always find something to cook with them and they are a budget-friendly purchase with plenty of carbohydrates and protein.

Times might not be difficult for everybody at the moment but I do recommend keeping some other items in the press that you can go to if you don’t have the money to go to the shops. These include a bag of pasta, some rice, 2 tins of beans (baked or otherwise), and a bag of frozen peas or mixed vegetables. Believe it or not, once you add in the potatoes and eggs you should be able to make enough meals for 3 dinners, if not more by keeping these ingredients to hand.

This week’s meal on a budget has been bought in Lidl and while I generally allow that people have oil at home it has 200ml of olive oil so I’ve factored in buying a full bottle into the pricing. The cost for the family Tortilla is 66c per portion for 4 people. This allows for plenty of wiggle room to add a tin of baked beans or a salad on the side if you choose.

I first learned how to cook this many years ago from Spanish housemates and adored it from the first time I watched them cook tortilla. They always served this dish with a green salad on the side and mayonnaise for the Tortilla, not the salad! My kids love slices in their lunchboxes cold or warm Tortilla when they get home from school with a portion of baked beans on the side. It’s not complicated food but I know they will eat it and that’s half the battle.

Spanish Tortilla recipe by:Caitriona Redmond  The perfect main meal, supper, and lunchbox dish. Servings 4 Preparation Time 20 mins Cooking Time 40 mins Total Time 60 mins Course Main Cuisine Spanish Ingredients 1 white onion, chopped 200ml olive oil (not extra virgin, it's a waste) 6 medium waxy potatoes (roosters are a good variety), chopped 6 medium eggs Salt & Pepper Equipment: Chopping board Sharp Knife Ovenproof frying pan (watch your handles!) Large slotted spoon Vegetable peeler Large Pyrex (or similar heatproof) bowl Small heatproof bowl Method Pour all the olive oil into the frying pan and place the pan on a low-medium heat. Add the onion and gently fry. Do not let it get any colour. This stage will take about 5 minutes. If you see the onion colouring at all, lower the heat a little. The oil should bubble gently. Once the onions are soft, strain the onions from the oil into a large bowl and set to one side. Add the chopped potatoes to the oil. Gently fry the potatoes in the same way, do not let them colour at all, this will take about 10 minutes. Once the potatoes are soft, remove them from the oil using the slotted spoon and put them into the bowl with the onions. Crack the 4 eggs directly on top of the hot onions and potatoes. Stir loosely, don't worry if you don't combine the whites with the yolks, just make sure that the egg coats every piece of onion and potato. Season well with salt and pepper. Pour 3/4 of the remaining oil in the pan into your heatproof bowl and leave to one side to cool to use another time. Pour the egg mixture back into the pan on a low heat and cook gently for 7 minutes, until you see the egg mixture is beginning to cook through. Then, put your grill on medium and put the frying pan under the grill until the omelette is brown on top. Set your omelette to one side to cool completely before serving with a fresh salad. Food Waste Tip: This recipe uses quite a bit of olive oil but you don’t actually eat it, strain the oil once cool through a muslin cloth into a bottle with a lid for using another day.

The perfect main meal, supper, and lunchbox dish.

200ml olive oil (not extra virgin, it's a waste)

6 medium waxy potatoes (roosters are a good variety), chopped

Ovenproof frying pan (watch your handles!)

Large Pyrex (or similar heatproof) bowl

Pour all the olive oil into the frying pan and place the pan on a low-medium heat. Add the onion and gently fry. Do not let it get any colour. This stage will take about 5 minutes. If you see the onion colouring at all, lower the heat a little. The oil should bubble gently.

Once the onions are soft, strain the onions from the oil into a large bowl and set to one side. Add the chopped potatoes to the oil. Gently fry the potatoes in the same way, do not let them colour at all, this will take about 10 minutes.

Once the potatoes are soft, remove them from the oil using the slotted spoon and put them into the bowl with the onions. Crack the 4 eggs directly on top of the hot onions and potatoes.

Stir loosely, don't worry if you don't combine the whites with the yolks, just make sure that the egg coats every piece of onion and potato. Season well with salt and pepper.

Pour 3/4 of the remaining oil in the pan into your heatproof bowl and leave to one side to cool to use another time.

Pour the egg mixture back into the pan on a low heat and cook gently for 7 minutes, until you see the egg mixture is beginning to cook through.

Then, put your grill on medium and put the frying pan under the grill until the omelette is brown on top.

Set your omelette to one side to cool completely before serving with a fresh salad.

Food Waste Tip: This recipe uses quite a bit of olive oil but you don’t actually eat it, strain the oil once cool through a muslin cloth into a bottle with a lid for using another day.

Don’t throw away the potato peels – you will use these to make your own homemade chips, making this week’s recipes very low on food waste.

Potato Peel Crisps recipe by:Caitriona Redmond  Potato skin is fine to eat - it contains dietary fibre and providing you've scrubbed your skins clean of dirt before peeling, there is no reason why you shouldn't cook with them. Servings 4 Preparation Time 10 mins Cooking Time 20 mins Total Time 30 mins Course Main Cuisine European Ingredients Washed potato peels 1 tbsp cooking oil Salt & Pepper Method Preheat your (fan) oven to 180°C. After peeling your potatoes, soak the leftover peel in a little cold water until you're ready to cook with them. This removes some of the starch and keeps them from blackening. Once the oven has reached temperature, drain the potato peels and pat dry. Take a large roasting tin, and combine all the ingredients together so that the peels are coated in the oil and seasoning mixture. Don't be limited by salt and pepper mind you. Feel free to experiment with any seasoning you prefer. Roast the peels in the oven for between 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. This recipe works well in the air fryer. Cook at 170°C for 15 minutes. Stir halfway through to make sure the peels crisp evenly. Add a further 3 minutes to the cooking time if you like your crisps extra crunchy.

Potato skin is fine to eat - it contains dietary fibre and providing you've scrubbed your skins clean of dirt before peeling, there is no reason why you shouldn't cook with them.

Preheat your (fan) oven to 180°C.

After peeling your potatoes, soak the leftover peel in a little cold water until you're ready to cook with them. This removes some of the starch and keeps them from blackening.

Once the oven has reached temperature, drain the potato peels and pat dry. Take a large roasting tin, and combine all the ingredients together so that the peels are coated in the oil and seasoning mixture.

Don't be limited by salt and pepper mind you. Feel free to experiment with any seasoning you prefer.

Roast the peels in the oven for between 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

This recipe works well in the air fryer. Cook at 170°C for 15 minutes. Stir halfway through to make sure the peels crisp evenly. Add a further 3 minutes to the cooking time if you like your crisps extra crunchy.

For the first time ever SuperValu has come up tops on the shopping basket survey. As I always say, there is value to be found everywhere and not just in the discount supermarkets. This week they have an extra-large chicken on special for €5, making it cheaper than a large chicken in other shops.

Turnips and cabbages are back on special across many Irish supermarkets, for example, they are both 49c in Lidl this week. I chop turnip up small and add to the potato pot when I’m making mash for a more peppery mash and an additional hidden vegetable. A handy tip when you’ve got fussy eaters.

The mix and match 3-for-€10 on meat and fish items in Dunnes Stores is back. My top picks would be the prawns, salmon, and hake which can be frozen until you want to cook on another day.

With all this talk about whether or not the electricity will be in short supply this Winter I know that many people are concerned about cooking dinner in the evenings. If power is turned off at peak times, which to those of us who cook is invariably dinnertime, it’s a cause for stress now.

If you have got a barbecue, they tend to get used in the Summer only but they are perfect for cooking on all year round. So before you put the cover on for the Winter, make sure it’s scrubbed and the grease tray is cleaned. Check you’ve enough coals, wood, or gas to keep you going and you have an alternative way to cook if the power goes.

Christmas dinner on the barbecue might just have to become a new tradition.

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