How to prevent ‘hangry’ in the household
SERVES: 4
COOKING TIME: 2.5hrs
DIFFICULTY: easy
IDEAL FOR: family meals, winter warmers, crowd pleasers
BUDGET: £
It’s was busy week…
Leave old job. Start new job. Move out of the London flat.
And organise a teenager for his first ever solo trip to Switzerland (with best friend in tow).
Oh, and I need to feed the family!
My easiest win to stop everyone from getting ‘hangry’** is a simple dish. It doesn’t need much work but packs a mighty punch in the flavour department. Better still, it keeps the wolves at the door, so to speak. It’s a nourishing stove top dish a la bacon, bangers and stew.
(**’Hangry’: “An amalgam of hungry and angry. When you are so hungry that your lack of food causes you to become angry, frustrated or both.” Urban Dictionary definition)
Teenagers. You forget the constant struggle of being a teenager until you’re around one again. I’m sure a lot of you will recognise a bit of this; you never quite know what you’re going to get from day-to-day.
Is it the sweet, family-engaging, loquacious child who picks their clothes up off the floor – puts them neatly back in their drawers, hangs their bathroom towel back on rail – not the floor. And empty’s the dishwasher – quietly – without being asked…?
Or…
Is it the one who rocks on up to the kitchen, large white headphones over their ears – a look reminiscent of Princess Leia (that joke never really flies) – hoodie up and over to reveal only a mouth and nose, glued to whatever’s so ‘important’ on their phone.
And who may offer us a grunt as a hello?
That’s why this dish rocks
Its good hearty food that’s great or supper. Or for lunch.
In this instance it’s the perfect thing to feed The Teenager and prevent family ‘hangry’. What’s more, it gives us plenty of time to pack for his exciting solo adventure to Switzerland.
I’ve adapted this recipe from Gizzi Erskine’s book Slow: Food Worth Taking Time Over (ref. below). I’ve cut a few corners to make it an even faster meal to whip up when you’re busy. But I haven’t compromised on flavour or having that nice sit-down meal with the family.
PS. we got the sweet, loquacious teenager on this weekend, what a delight.
How do you tame your hungry family? Any tips for me would be amazing!… get in touch today
Bacon, Bangers and Beans
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 3 sprigs thyme
- pinch of dried chilli
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 tomatoes
- 300 ml white wine
- 700 ml chicken stock
- 300 g cannellini beans (tin)
- 4 Any sausages you like but Toulouse are nice
- 5 rashers smoked streaky bacon
- parsley
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. In a medium flameproof casserole, heat two tablespoons of the oil and add the onions. Sweat the onions over a medium heat for 15 minutes then add the garlic, chilli and herbs and cook for a couple more minutes.
- Add your tomatoes (squish them a bit so they are a bit smoother) and add to the onions and garlic. Reduce down then add the wine. Let this bubble away for a couple of minutes and then add the stock. Cook slowly for an hour, give a little blitz (or don't), and then add in the beans.
- Now brown your sausages. Fry them till they're a good colour on all sides (approx 10 mins of cooking).
- Transfer the sausages to the casserole dish then brown your bacon.
- Add the bacon to the rest of the stew. Season well with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and put it in the oven for an hour and 30 minutes. After this time remove the lid and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit.
- Finally, stir through the lemon juice and parsley. Make sure you season.And serve to your hungry (not 'hangry') family!
Reference:
