Mark Moriarty: Light lunch ideas that are easy on the pocket, yet packed with flavour

This week, I am focusing on light lunch ideas that are easy on the pocket, yet packed with flavour. As spring begins to ramp up, some beautiful new ingredients present themselves on the supermarket shelves. One I look forward to every year is asparagus, a quick growing stalk packed with natural sugars and a unique flavour. The season is short in Ireland, spanning from early April to the middle of May, with science extending a season that would traditionally only last a few weeks.

For some, asparagus is seen as a fancy vegetable, only to be used for special occasions or when eating out. I take a different approach. With such a short season, I use it constantly while we have it. With the abundance of supply, we can be assured these sweet stalks will be Irish, carrying little to no air miles, be in their peak condition for eating and will be at the best possible price; what is not to love? If boiling asparagus, add a pinch of sugar along with salt to your water, it alleviates any potential bitterness.

For one of this week’s recipes, I’ve taken inspiration from my guilty pleasure, the petrol station jambon. Most people assume chefs are all about the finer foods, but when it comes to feeding ourselves, you are mistaken. I don’t know why but there is something comforting about those lukewarm, cheesy, buttery parcels of joy when you are on the move. The ingredients are nothing to write home about but the satisfaction is mighty.

I am usually left with a car floor full of pastry flakes to blow my cover when my wife takes the car. In any case, this recipe uses high-quality puff pastry, Coolea cheese from Co Cork, and our seasonal asparagus to add some X factor to our petrol station staple. They can be made in bulk and even eaten cold with a salad for lunch. Dare I say, they even come out lovely from an air fryer.

Mexican chicken taquitos

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Beth O’Brien’s lemon and poppy seed shortbread biscuits

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Lemon tart

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Gnocchi with lemon, crème fraîche, peas and mint

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I also have some herb crusted mushrooms, stuffed with melting Cooleeney cheese, a wonderful cow’s milk cheese produced in the great county of Tipperary. Mushrooms are another one of those ingredients that deliver flavour far beyond their price, with this recipe taking only minutes to assemble and proving a perfect centrepiece for a late April lunch. If keeping it strictly vegetarian isn’t your thing, they are also a classy side dish for your traditional meats.

Recipe: Jambons with Coolea cheese and asparagus

Recipe: Stuffed baked Portobello mushrooms