Guess it was bound to happen at some stage, but cabbage, the humble crucifer is definitely having a moment on the US food scene. I’ve recently come back from a few hectic days around the Saint Patrick’s Day period in New York. I did several events to help promote Ireland and spread the news about the revolution on the Irish food scene. Despite my best efforts, many who haven’t actually been to Ireland still think we live on corned beef and cabbage, but those who have visited tell me, usually in incredulous tones about how surprised they are to find such good food from the gastro pubs to Michelin starred high-end restaurants, definitely a positive development.
While I was in the New York area, I was anxious to taste as many delicious meals as I could manage to fit in, all in the way of research!
So what’s trending stateside? Well, virtually every restaurant had cabbage on the menu in one or several different forms…Food and Wine Magazine has several articles on it, The New York Times recently devoted an entire page to cabbage, “The darling of the culinary crowd”.
When you think about it, this long overlooked and overcooked vegetable ticks all the boxes. Plentiful and cheap, it keeps well, has a long shelf life and is loaded with nutrients. Super versatile cabbage can be served in a myriad of ways, cooked or uncooked, hot or cold, fermented and pickled. Kimchi and sauerkraut and their gut friendly reputation has certainly helped in no small way to spread the word.
Apparently China grows the most, Russia eats the most per capita.
Cabbage allows the chef to be super creative – roast, chargrilled, boiled, stir fried, deep fried…Suddenly chefs are praising its versatility, taste and texture plus it’s good for the bottom line during these challenging times.
I’m loving this renaissance. For as long as I can remember, cabbage was considered one of the most unglamorous vegetables in the vegetable firmament – now it’s one of the hippest items across the US.

Cabbage is super cool; wouldn’t that just amuse our Grannies!
And it’s good news for the farmers too. There are three major types of cabbage, green, red and Savoy with its textured curly leaves but there’s also Napa cabbage, pointy nosed caraflex and flattened ‘tendersweets’ with their loosely packed crisp, thin leaves – all are part of the brassica, oleracea family. Cabbage is related to broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts, so unsurprisingly it’s high in vitamins, has numerous health benefits and considerable anti-inflammatory properties. Cabbage has been part of the world’s cooking history, not least our own here in Ireland forever.
Now chefs are using it in and on everything from tacos to pizza toppings, chargrilling wedges in wood burning ovens, mixing it with luxurious ingredients, basting in butter and exotic spices, sprinkling with gochujang and on and on.
Here are three recipes you might like to try.

A Spring Chicken in a Pot

If asparagus is in season, slice 4-6 trimmed spears at an angle and add them to the pot 4-5 minutes before the end of the cooking time for extra deliciousness in this spring pot. Florets of Romanesco in season are another of my top additions to this dish.

Serves 6

6 large organic, free-range chicken thighs or drumsticks

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, roughly chopped

450ml homemade chicken stock

12 small new potatoes

a sprig of thyme

1 Hispi or spring cabbage, finely sliced

150g peas, podded weight

1 tbsp chopped tarragon

4 spring onions, sliced

2 tbsp coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4–5 tbsp double cream or crème fraîche (optional)

Season the chicken pieces well with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a 4.2 litre heavy casserole over a high-ish heat, add the chicken and brown them lightly on all sides.

Stir in the onions, then add the well-flavoured stock, potatoes and a nice sprig of thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the thyme sprig, add the cabbage and simmer gently for a further 5-6 minutes, uncovered. Add the peas and tarragon and cook for another couple of minutes. Stir in half of the spring onions and parsley, saving the rest to scatter over the top. Season to taste, add the cream or crème fraîche (if using) and serve.

Charred Cabbage with Smoked Paprika, Parsley and Toasted Hazelnuts

Charred cabbage is a revelation, who knew that cooking cabbage in this way could taste so delicious and lift this humble vegetable into a whole new cheffy world. Lots of sauces and dressings work well with charred cabbage but I love this combination.  I love this with smoked paprika and hazelnuts. Serve as a side or as a separate course.

Serves 4-6

½ – 1 medium cabbage

1 tbsp light olive oil or a neutral oil

110g butter

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2-3 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

125g toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

Trim the cabbage. Cut into four or six wedges depending on the size.

Heat a cast iron pan, add a little oil, swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Lay the cabbage wedges cut side down on the pan, cook on a medium heat for 5 minutes or until well seared on one side. Flip over onto the other and continue to cook until both surfaces are well charred. Add butter to the pan. When the butter melts and becomes pale ‘noisette’, spoon all over the cabbage several times. Sprinkle with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and continue to baste regularly until tender.  Test with a cake skewer or the tip of a knife close to the stalk to make sure it’s tender through.

Add the smoked paprika and some of the chopped parsley to the butter and baste again. Transfer to a serving platter or individual serving plates. Scatter some coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts and the remaining parsley over the top and serve immediately. 

Cabbage, Parsnip and Cabbage with Mustard Seed

Try this Keralan cabbage recipe, deliciously perked up with a little chilli spice and lots of freshly chopped parsley.

Serves 6

3 tbsp sunflower oil

1 tbsp black mustard seeds

1 chilli, seeded and chopped

225g carrots, coarsely grated

225g parsnip, coarsely grated

225g cabbage, finely shredded against the grain

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

2 tbsp freshly chopped mint

salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Heat the oil in a sauté pan and add the mustard seeds. They will start to pop almost instantly. Add the chopped chilli and stir and cook for a minute or so. Add the carrots, parsnips and cabbage. Toss over a medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes, then add the parsley and mint and toss again. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a little sugar. Add the lemon juice, taste and correct seasoning. Serve immediately.

 I’ve been in and out of the country like a yo-yo for the past few weeks, India, New York, London…
The weather here in Ireland has been mostly shocking but every time I flew home, I was thrilled. First by the daffodils, blooming their hearts out, willing us to cheer up after the long Winter and more recently little spears of chives, sweet cicely and salad burnet bravely popping up in the herb garden, how wonderful is the miracle of nature, Spring is here at last and now its Easter.

My flock of hens hate the wind and rain but in response to the warmer weather they are laying with a vengeance so lots of eggs for the children to paint and enjoy for Easter. Try my newest sesame fried egg recipe, inspired by my trip to New York.

Newborn lambs are bleating in the fields around us, delighted to be out in the sunshine at last. Traditionally, lamb is the meat of choice for Easter, you’ve heard the term spring lamb which now refers to lamb 3 to 6 months old but genuine spring lamb, 6-10 weeks, is now extremely difficult to come by and certainly must be ordered well ahead of Easter but so worth the effort. It’s incredibly tender and succulent and more expensive but a really special treat.
Nowadays, the term lamb is bandied around with gay abandon and can refer to meat from an animal 6-12 months old. I love lamb but am finding it more and more difficult to find lamb that is grass fed and not finished on concentrates.

But in fairness to the farmers, the weather has been a huge challenge this spring, but hopefully one of my favourite local butchers has sourced a young lamb for me.

I’ll roast it gently and eat it with the first of the fresh mint.  This is the value of supporting your local butcher who really knows the source of their meat and the farmers who rear and care for the animals.

The supermarket shelves are piled high with Easter eggs and bunnies for just a few euros, many of them made from doubtful chocolate but how about buying just one beautiful Easter egg made by an artisan chocolatier as a treat for yourself. You can nibble slowly and enjoy it over the next couple of days or even weeks.

There are many award-winning chocolate makers around the country:

KoKo of Kinsale, Bean and Goose in Wexford, Lorge Chocolatier in Kenmare, Hazel Mountain Chocolate in the Burren, Wilde Irish Chocolates in Clare, Nooo Chocolate in Mayo, Grá’s Chocolate in Galway… but there are many others.

Too late now to make a Simnel cake or a batch of hot cross buns (see my Examiner column 27th March 2021 on Easter Baking) but join me and make my favourite field rhubarb pie.

I’m going to enjoy it with both custard and Jersey cream.

Happy Easter everyone.

Sesame Fried Eggs

My favourite new fried eggs – an inspiration from my recent New York trip.

Serves 1

1 fresh egg

1 generous dessertspoon white sesame seeds

10g butter

freshly ground black pepper and sea salt

a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper or hot chilli sauce (optional)

coriander or flat parsley

Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, sprinkle the sesame seeds into the centre.  Crack an egg on top, cook for a couple of minutes until the base is setting and the sesame seeds are toasty.  Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Flip the egg over, cook for a further minute or two.

Slide onto a warm plate, sprinkle with a few flakes of sea salt, Aleppo pepper to taste and some coriander or flat parsley.

Enjoy with crusty bread.

Lamb Roast with Thyme and Garlic

Spike your leg of lamb with little tufts of thyme and tiny slivers of garlic – delicious hot, warm or at room temperature on a buffet. Loin of lamb, shoulder or rump may also be cooked in the same manner.

Serves 8-10

1 x 2.7-3.2kg leg of lamb

4-5 cloves of garlic

little sprigs of thyme

salt and freshly ground pepper

Gravy

600ml stock, preferably homemade lamb stock

Roux (optional)

Choose a good leg of lamb with a thin layer of fat.  Ask the butcher to trim the knuckle and remove the aitch bone for ease of carving later.

With the point of a sharp knife or skewer, make deep holes all over the lamb, about 2.5cm apart. It is a good idea not to do this on the underside of the joint, in case somebody insists on eating their lamb unflavoured. Divide the thyme sprigs into tufts of three or four leaves together.

Peel the garlic cloves and cut them into little spikes about the same size as a matchstick broken into three. Stick a spike of garlic into each hole with a tuft of thyme. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or two if you have time.   Alternatively cook immediately.

Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.

Sprinkle the joint with salt and freshly ground pepper and put it into a roasting tin in the oven. Reduce the heat to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 after 20 minutes. Cook 1 hour approx. more for rare lamb, 1 1/2 hours if it is to be well done. Remove the joint to a serving dish and allow it to rest while you make the gravy.

Gravy

Spoon the fat off the roasting tin. Pour the stock into the cooking juices remaining in the tin. Boil for a few minutes, stirring and scraping the pan well, to dissolve the caramelised meat juices (I find a small whisk ideal for this). Thicken with a very little roux if you like.

Taste and add salt and freshly ground pepper if necessary. Strain and serve the gravy separately in a gravy boat. Serve with lots of crusty roast potatoes and apple and mint jelly on the side.

Apple and Mint Jelly

Easy to make, fresh tasting and delicious made with some fresh mint, serve with roast Spring lamb.

Makes 2.7-3kg

2.7kg crab apples or Bramley cooking apples

2.7 litres water

2 unwaxed lemons

sugar

Wash the apples and cut into quarters, do not remove either peel or core. Windfalls may be used, but make sure to cut out the bruised parts. Put the apples into a large saucepan with the water and the thinly pared rind of the lemons, cook until reduced to a pulp, approx. 45 minutes.

Turn the pulp into a jelly bag* and allow to drip until all the juice has been extracted – usually overnight.  Measure the juice into a preserving pan and allow 425g sugar to each 600ml of juice*. 

Warm the sugar in a low oven.

*We use 350g of sugar, but if you wish to keep the jelly for 9 months or more, it may be preferable to use 425g (to each 600ml).

Squeeze the lemons, strain the juice and add to the preserving pan. Bring to the boil and add the warm sugar. Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Increase the heat and boil rapidly uncovered without stirring for about 8-10 minutes.  Add 4-6 large sprigs of fresh mint to the apples while they are stewing and add 4-8 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh mint to the jelly just before it is potted.  

Test, skim and pot immediately.

New Season Garden Rhubarb Pie

This gem of a recipe was passed on to me by my mother who was famous for her pies – it’s a real keeper. The pastry is made by the creaming method so people who are convinced that they suffer from ‘hot hands’ don’t have to worry about rubbing in the butter. This pastry can be made a day before, cover and keep in the fridge.

Serves 8-12

Pastry

225g soft butter

50g caster sugar

2 eggs, preferably free range

350g white flour, preferably unbleached

Filling

900g sliced red rhubarb (about 1cm thick) (not forced) 

370g sugar

egg wash-made with one beaten egg and a dash of milk

caster sugar for sprinkling

To Serve

softly whipped cream

Barbados sugar

1 x tin, 18cm x 30.5cm x 2.5cm deep

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

First make the pastry.

Cream the butter and sugar together by hand or in a food mixer (no need to over cream). Add the eggs one by one and beat for several minutes. Reduce speed and mix in the flour slowly. Turn out onto a piece of floured greaseproof paper, flatten into a round wrap and chill. This pastry needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours otherwise it is difficult to handle.

To make the tart

Roll out the pastry 3mm thick approx. and use about two-thirds of it to line a suitable tin. Place the sliced rhubarb into the tart, sprinkle with sugar. Cover with a lid of pastry, seal edges, decorate with pastry leaves, egg wash and bake in the preheated oven until the apples are tender, approx. 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When cooked cut into squares, sprinkle lightly with caster sugar and serve with softly whipped cream and Barbados sugar.

Ever heard of The Batch Lady, aka Suzanne Mulholland? I certainly hadn’t until a cookbook of the same name landed on my desk last week. Yet another cookbook I thought…What could possibly be different this time?
Well for a start, batch cooking is definitely ‘of the moment’ at a time when many of us are stretched to the limit struggling to keep all the balls in the air in the midst of super busy lives.
This book has some great tips and new practical ideas for both sweet and savoury dishes to simplify everyday meals. Tempting isn’t it.
In the intro, Suzanne promises that “Every recipe in this book can be made in advance, with no cooking involved until the night you want to eat it. You will have minimal washing up; minimal thought needs to go into it and yet you get maximum results night after night. “
Also, in the first few lines of the intro, Suzanne drops an unexpected bombshell…I don’t like cooking! I thought that sounds a bit odd for a cookbook author, but then she qualifies it by saying (well not every night anyway).
In this book, (her fifth), she shares the secrets of how she has organised her life, so she herself can eat well and put a home-cooked meal on the table for her family and friends.
She makes best use of her air fryer, slow cooker, pressure cooker, oven and of course the freezer.
There’s a chapter on cooking from frozen, how to choose your cooking methods, a basic tool kit, and The Batch Lady Larder – it’s definitely impressive.
Also a very interesting choice of recipes, most of which take no more than five minutes to prepare and can be cooked there and then or popped into the freezer and retrieved for an easy meal whenever you fancy.
This girl Suzanne, whom I’m ashamed to say I had never heard of before, is changing how we cook from scratch, convincing those without time, confidence or inclination to still have a delicious, healthy home-cooked meal whenever they want.
‘The Batch Lady, Grab and Cook’ published by Ebury Press.
Here are three recipes to whet your appetite.

Creamy Sausage and Cannellini Bean One-Pot

I love an easy sausage one-pot, and this one ticks all the boxes. This recipe uses cannellini beans; but they can easily be swapped for chickpeas or butter beans if you prefer.

Tip: you can make this vegetarian with veggie sausages, a vegetarian Parmesan substitute and a vegetable stock cube. 

Serves 4 

Preparation: 5 minutes 

115g frozen diced onions

2 tsp frozen chopped garlic 

350g frozen mixed chopped peppers 

1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1 tsp dried oregano 

200g cream cheese 

60g grated Parmesan 

1 chicken stock cube, crumbled 

8 pork sausages

To Cook

1 tbsp olive oil 

500ml (2 cups) boiling water 

*If making ahead to freeze.

Put the onions, garlic, peppers, cannellini beans, smoked paprika, oregano, cream cheese, Parmesan and crumbled stick cube into a large freezer bag, mix together and freeze flat.

Keep the sausages in their packet, or put in a smaller freezer bag, and freeze alongside the bag of sauce. 

Cooking Options from frozen.

1. Hob 

Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost. Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a large casserole dish and place on a medium heat.  Add the pork sausages and brown them all over.  Add the contents of the freezer bag, stir well, then pour over the boiling water.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. 

• Slow Cooker 

Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost.  Turn the slow cooker to the sauté setting and add a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the pork sausages and brown them all over.  Add the contents of the freezer bag, stir well, then pour over the boiling water.  Pop the lid on and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. 

• Pressure Cooker 

Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost.  Turn the pressure cooker to sauté and add a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the pork sausages and brown them all over.  Once browned, add the contents of the freezer bag and pour over the boiling water.  Give it a good mix, then seal the lid and cook for 9 minutes.  Once cooked, allow the steam to quickly release. 

If cooking now. 

1. Hob 

Put a tablespoon of olive oil into a large casserole dish and place on a medium heat.  Add the pork sausages and brown them all over, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Pour over the boiling water and stir well.  Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.  

• Slow Cooker 

Turn the slow cooker to the sauté setting and add a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the pork sausages and brown all over.  Once browned, add the rest of the ingredients.  Pour over the boiling water and stir well.  Pop the lid on and cook for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. 

• Pressure Cooker 

Turn the pressure cooker to sauté and add a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the pork sausages and brown them all over, then add the rest of the ingredients.  Pour over the boiling water, give it a good mix, then seal the lid and cook for 9 minutes.  Once cooked, allow the steam to quickly release. 

Satay Chicken Curry

This is one of my favourite curries! The mild coconut peanut sauce is so delicious, and it’s the perfect balance of sweet and savoury. If you’re a peanut lingered this one’s for you!

Serves 4

Preparation: 5 minutes 

650g skinless and boneless chicken thighs

350g frozen mixed sliced peppers

3 tsp frozen chopped garlic 

3 tsp frozen chopped ginger 

1 onion, finely sliced 

3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter 

1 tbsp mild curry powder 

1 tbsp runny honey 

2 tbsp soy sauce 

juice of 1 lime 

1 tbsp frozen chopped coriander 

1 chicken stock cube, crumbled 

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk 

* If making ahead to freeze. 

Put all the ingredients into a large freezer bag, mix well, then freeze flat. 

Cooking Options from frozen.

1. Hob 

Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost, then pour into a large saucepan or casserole dish. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Pop the lid on the pan and cook for 45-50 minutes, stirring often. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks. 

• Slow Cooker 

Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost, then pour into the slow cooker. Pop the lid on and cook for 4 hours on high, or 8 hours on low. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks. 

• Pressure Cooker 

Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost, then pour into the pressure cooker.  Seal the lid and cook for 16 minutes on high pressure, then allow it to naturally release. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks. 

If cooking now.

1. Hob 

Put all the ingredients into a large saucepan or casserole dish and mix. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, pop the lid on and cook for 45-50 minutes, stirring often. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks. 

• Slow Cooker 

Put all the ingredients into the slow cooker and mix. Pop the lid on and cook for 4 hours on high, or 8 hours on low. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks. 

• Pressure Cooker 

Put all the ingredients into the pressure cooker and mix.  Seal the lid and cook for 16 minutes on high pressure, then allow it to naturally release. Once cooked, shred the chicken using two forks. 

To Serve 

Serve with fluffy rice, fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime. 

Hot Chocolate Pots 

These hot chocolate pots are so decadent and are totally delicious. Split them open and you get hot chocolate spread encased in sponge – so yummy. They are amazing to have in the freezer for when the sweet craving strikes. You will need four metal or ceramic ramekins. 

Makes 4

Preparation: 10 minutes 

140g butter, at room temperature, plus 1 tsp to grease the ramekins 

140g caster sugar 

2 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

110g plain flour 

30g cocoa powder 

4 heaped tsp chocolate spread 

* If making ahead to freeze.

1. Grease all four ramekins with the teaspoon of butter and set aside. 
2. Put the butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and whisk until light and fluffy. 
3. Add the eggs, vanilla, flour and cocoa powder, and whisk again until you have a lump-free batter.
4. Half-fill each ramekin with the batter. 
5. Spoon 1 heaped teaspoon of chocolate spread into the centre of each ramekin, then cover with the rest of the batter. 
6. Wrap each ramekin with cling film and tin foil, and place in the freezer. 

Cooking Options from frozen.

1. Oven 

Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3. Unwrap the ramekins and cook the frozen puddings for 25 minutes. Either run a knife carefully down the side of each and tip out onto a plate or serve as they are in the ramekins. 

• Air Fryer 

Preheat the air fryer to 160°C. Unwrap the ramekins and cook the frozen puddings in the air fryer for 20 minutes. Either run a knife carefully down the side of each and tip out onto a plate or serve as they are in the ramekins. 

If cooking now.

Follow the method in the ‘making ahead to freeze’ section up until the end of step 5.

1. Oven 

Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3. Cook the puddings for 19 minutes. Either run a knife carefully down the side of each and tip out onto a plate or serve as they are in the ramekins. 

• Air Fryer 

Preheat the air fryer to 160°C. Cook the puddings in the air fryer for 15 minutes. Either run a knife carefully down the side of each and tip out onto a plate or serve as they are in the ramekins. 

To Serve

Serve with a dusting of icing sugar and some ice cream or double cream 

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, I hope you are celebrating…

I just love traditions, any excuse to add a little extra sparkle and fun and to enter into the spirit of the occasion. Sounds naff but we love to illuminate Ballymaloe House and the Cookery School in luminous green light in tandem with Tourism Ireland’s recent Global Greening initiative. Iconic buildings around the world were highlighted in what had been a very successful ploy to focus the world’s attention on Ireland. Buildings lit up green include the Opera House in Sydney; Empire State Building in New York; Niagara Falls in Canada; Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brazil, Prince’s Palace in Monaco, London Eye….
We’ll encourage the cookery students to pull out their green ribbons and glad rags, dress up and have fun.

As you know, Saint Patrick is reputed to have banished reptiles from Ireland so if we can find our felt snakes wherever they were carefully put away from last year we’ll set up a treasure snake hunt down by the pond garden. I know, I know…but it’s a bit of gas and silly fun for all ages.

Do you have a few special Saint Patrick’s Day dishes that you like to rustle up to serve to family and friends gathered around the kitchen table. I just love bacon and cabbage and parsley sauce. Of course, corned beef and cabbage is the emigrant’s favourite in America and very tasty it is too with some real Colman’s mustard mixed from the powder.
Many local butchers still make a batch of corned beef for Saint Patrick’s Day. We serve it at the Cookery School to our multi-ethnic students, but it has to be said that for many of our Irish students, it’s their very first taste of corned beef and they love it! Cook it with lots of chunky carrots and quartered cabbages and a big jug of parsley sauce and don’t forget plenty of floury potatoes and butter!
We also love to make a couple of spotted dogs to serve freshly baked and still warm slathered with butter for tea – totally irresistible. Remember, I’m on a mission to get everyone making some bread. Soda bread is the quickest and easiest and spotted dog, speckled with dried fruit is just a variation on the white soda bread. This recipe is from ‘The New Ballymaloe Bread Book’ published by Gill Books just before Christmas and I have to say it has been responsible for taking the mystery out of bread making for so many people which is definitely the object of the exercise. Now that the squishy commercial bread and faux sourdough have become so ubiquitous and seem to be unquestionably linked to the phenomenal rise in intolerances, it’s time to turn on the oven!.
Our field rhubarb is growing apace. For me, there has to be a rhubarb tart or rhubarb pie on Saint Patrick’s Day with lots of custard and a big dollop of whipped cream for a real celebration.

Once again, Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Cork has a long tradition of corning beef – in fact, corned beef was a huge Cork export for much of the seventeenth century, and during the Napoleonic wars, Cork supplied the British army with corned beef. The skill of corning beef is still known, and some family butchers still keep a brine barrel, but the reality of Celtic-Tiger Ireland is that eating corned beef has gone out of favour. So even the butchers that know how to corn beef often don’t, because there is so little demand for it. It’s totally ironic that Americans seem to think that we still live on corned beef and cabbage, whereas many Irish people haven’t had it in years. Our local butcher Michael Cuddigan showed Mrs. Allen and her chefs how to corn beef before he retired, and they serve it in Ballymaloe for Sunday lunch. Now that we are passing on this skill to you, corned beef is something you don’t even have to ask your butcher for – you can just make your own. 

Serves 6-8

1.8kg corned silverside of beef

3 large carrots, cut into large chunks

6-8 small onions

1 teaspoon dry English mustard

large sprig fresh thyme and some parsley stalks, tied together

1 cabbage

salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the corned beef into a saucepan with the carrot, onions, mustard and the herbs. Cover gently in cold water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Discard the outer leaves of the cabbage, cut in quarters and add to the pot. Cook for a further 1-2 hours or until the meat and vegetables are soft and tender.

Serve the corned beef cut into slices surrounded by the vegetables. Serve lots of floury potatoes and freshly made mustard as an accompaniment.

Spotted Dog

Taken from ‘The New Ballymaloe Bread Book’ by Darina Allen, published by Gill Books

In some parts of the country, spotted dog is also called railway cake – ‘a currant for every station’ as the saying goes.   In my case though, it would be ‘a sultana for every station’. I prefer them for their more luscious flavour. This bread has always been a favourite with our children, freshly made on Sunday mornings for our picnics on the cliffs at Ballyandreen or relished with lashings of butter, jam and steaming mugs of drinking chocolate after a winter walk on Shanagarry strand. Perfect for Saint Patrick’s Day.

Makes 1 round loaf

450g plain flour, preferably unbleached

1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

110g plump sultanas

1 dessertspoon sugar

1 level teaspoon salt

1 egg

350ml buttermilk (approx.)

Preheat your oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7.

Sieve the flour and bicarb into a large mixing bowl, then add the fruit, sugar and salt. Mix the ingredients well by lifting them up above the bowl and letting them fall loosely back into the bowl through your fingers. This adds more air and therefore more lightness to the finished bread.

Now make a well in the centre of the flour. Break the egg into the bottom of the measuring jug, whisking to break it up, then add the buttermilk up to the 400ml level, so that the egg makes up part of the total liquid measurement. Pour most of this milk and egg mixture into the flour.

With your fingers open and stiff, mix in a full circular movement, drawing in the flour from the sides of the bowl. Add more milk and egg mixture if necessary.

The dough should be nice and soft, but not too wet and sticky.

With spotted dog, as with all soda breads, mix as quickly and as gently as possible to keep the dough light and airy but avoid over-mixing. When it comes together – a matter of seconds – turn it out onto a well-floured work surface. Wash and dry your hands.

With floured hands, roll the dough lightly for a few seconds, just enough to tidy it up. Pat the dough into a round and press gently with the fingers to about 6cm high.

Transfer the dough onto a baking tray dusted lightly with flour. Mark the top with a deep cross and prick each of the dough triangles with your knife to let the pesky fairies out.

Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and bake for a further 35 minutes, until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

Cut into thick slices and spread lavishly with Irish butter and jam.

Spotted Dog is also really good eaten with slices of Cheddar cheese.

Rhubarb and Custard Tart with Pistachios

Rhubarb and custard are a combo made in heaven. This tart has a carefully arranged lattice of rhubarb on top but if you can’t be ‘faffed’ arranging the rhubarb meticulously, just scatter it into the tart base – it’ll still taste delicious.

Serves 10-12 

Pastry 

225g plain flour 

pinch of salt 

175g soft butter

1 dessertspoon icing sugar 

a little beaten egg or egg yolk and water to bind 

Filling 

600g or a little more rhubarb, cut into small pieces 

1-2 tablespoons caster sugar 

2 large or 3 small eggs 

3 tablespoons caster sugar  

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

300ml cream 

Garnish

45g coarsely chopped pistachio nuts (optional)

To Serve

softly whipped cream

1 x 30.5cm tart tin or 2 x 18cm tart tins 

Make the shortcrust pastry.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour and then rub in with your fingertips. 

Keep everything as cool as possible; if the fat is allowed to melt, the finished pastry may be tough. When the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, stop.   Add the icing sugar.

Whisk the egg or egg yolk and add some water. Using a fork to stir, add just enough liquid to bring the pastry together, then discard the fork and collect it into a ball with your hands, this way you can judge more accurately if you need a few more drops of liquid. Although rather damp pastry is easier to handle and roll out, the resulting crust can be tough and may well shrink out of shape as the water evaporates in the oven. The drier and more difficult-to-handle pastry will give a crisper, shorter crust.

Wrap in parchment paper and leave to relax in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using.  It will keep for a week in the fridge and also freezes well.

Line a tart tin (or tins), with a removable base and chill for 10 minutes.   Line with paper and fill with dried beans and bake blind in a moderate oven 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 15-20 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, paint the tart with a little egg wash and return to the oven for 3 or 4 minutes.   

Arrange the cut rhubarb evenly or in a chevron pattern on the base of the tart shell.  Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons caster sugar.  

Whisk the eggs well, with the 3 tablespoons sugar and vanilla extract, add the cream. Strain this mixture over the rhubarb and cook in the preheated oven for 35 minutes until the custard is set and the rhubarb is fully cooked.

Scatter with coarsely chopped pistachios.  Serve warm with a bowl of softly whipped cream. 

This week, an ode to turmeric, I’ve become somewhat obsessed by the Golden Spice as turmeric is referred to in India and other Southeast Asian countries.
The vibrant orange spice comes in both fresh and powder form, has a myriad of culinary and medicinal uses and is an essential component in many religious ceremonies and rituals.
Turmeric gives curry powders and many mustards their distinctive colour. It’s also used as a preservative.
Recently, I’ve been digging deeper into the growing body of research relating to its health giving properties.
Turmeric has been revered in India for over 4,000 years and is a mainstay of the Ayurveda as well as traditional Chinese medicine.
Its health benefits are being extensively studied by scientists. Turmeric may be one of the most potent anti-inflammatory compounds known to humanity. Preliminary evidence suggests that it reduces the risk of just about every major chronic condition.
How about that?
Turmeric is a member of the ginger family, the culinary and medicinal part of the plant is the rhizome that grows underground.  Think ginger root but skinnier and bright orange inside with a slightly bitter, pungent taste.  In India, the fresh leaves are used to wrap fresh fish before cooking

You can grow it yourself, but fresh turmeric is widely available nowadays, maybe not in your local Circle K but at good supermarkets, health food shops and some Farmers Markets (see seasonal journal).
Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric acts as an antioxidant and appears to have powerful disease fighting properties.
A 2021 Meta-analysis found curcumin effective in reducing inflammation and lessening pain in rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. Research also indicates that turmeric protects against several gastrointestinal diseases and acid reflux. It offers great promise in treating Type 2 diabetes. Helps lower blood sugar, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood and last, but not least a growing body of research indicates that curcumin inhibits cellular growth in several cancers.
I am not a medic, but all of that is certainly enough to convince me that adding a little turmeric to my diet particularly in fresh organic form could be a good idea.

Turmeric powder is even more accessible, but a word of caution, turmeric spice from Bangladesh and India sometimes contains lead chromate which enhances the spices appearance making it a more vibrant shade of orangey yellow. Lead is a dangerous poison and there is no safe level. So once again, I stress buy organic when you can.
A final thought worth knowing.
When we add black pepper to dishes that include turmeric, our systems can absorb up to 20 times more curcumin. While curcumin isn’t very water soluble, eating it with good fat or in combination with coconut milk, vegetable oil or ghee as in traditional Indian dishes also enhances the absorption.
A few of my favourite recipes to tempt you to get started…

Parsnip Gratin with Turmeric and Cumin

A super way to enjoy your parsnips in this golden, lightly spiced gratin.  We particularly enjoy it with a haunch of venison or roast goose.  The cooking time can be speeded up by heating the cream and spices before adding to the gratin.

Serves 6-8

1.1kg parsnips

800g potato

flaky salt and freshly ground pepper

10g butter for greasing dish

600ml cream

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp toasted and ground cumin

¼ tsp of cayenne

75g freshly grated Parmesan

20.5cm x 31cm ovenproof gratin dish

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.

Scrub the parsnips and potatoes. Peel, top and tail the parsnips and halve across the middle, cut into 7.5cm lengths. Peel the potatoes. Using a mandolin with a guard, slice the parsnips and potato into 5mm slices.

Butter the gratin dish, arrange a layer of parsnips on the base, lightly season. Add a layer of potato followed by another layer of parsnip, then another layer of potato, finishing with a layer of parsnip.  Season lightly between each layer otherwise the gratin will be bland.

Whisk together the cream, turmeric, cumin and cayenne in a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Pour the cream mixture over the top and sprinkle with the freshly grated Parmesan. Put the gratin into the preheated oven and bake uncovered for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes when the gratin is well coloured, lay a sheet of parchment paper loosely on top to prevent further browning if needed.

Bake for another 30 minutes until fully cooked. Check with a skewer, there should be no resistance from the vegetables.

Serve as a vegetable or a supper dish with a salad of organic leaves.

Rory O’Connell’s Chicken with Red Lentils, Turmeric, Chilli and Coriander

This flavoursome dish can be prepared ahead of time and gently reheated when needed. I use the brown meat from chicken legs, but white meat from the breasts can also be used with the cooking time reduced to allow for the quicker cooking white meat.

Serve with boiled basmati rice and a green vegetable such as peas, beans, spinach or sprouting broccoli. I serve a bowl of natural un-sweetened yoghurt with a little mint chopped through and a chutney such as tomato or apple.

Crisp mini poppadums complete the picture.

Serves 6

250g red split lentils

75g finely chopped onion

1 hot green chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced

2 tsp of cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 level tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

1.5 litres water

1.35kg skinned chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs)

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp whole cumin seeds

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp lemon juice or to taste

¼ tsp garam masala

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Placed the lentils, onion, chilli, ground cumin, turmeric, half of the ginger and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Place a lid on top, very slightly ajar, and cook at a bare simmer for 45 minutes. Add the chicken and a good pinch of salt and return to a simmer. Cover as before and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Keep an eye on what is happening in the saucepan as it may be necessary to stir with a flat-bottomed wooden spoon every now and then.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan and when hot add the cumin seeds. They will sizzle straight away so be ready to add the remaining ginger and garlic. Cook until the garlic turns golden brown. Add the cayenne and swirl to mix and immediately add the contents of the frying pan to the chicken and lentils.

Now add the lemon juice and garam masala, stir and cook at a simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning. Scatter the coriander over the dish just before serving.

Eloise and Annabel’s Magic Turmeric Sauce

This gem of a recipe was given to me by Annabel Partridge and Eloise Schwerdt.

Serve with roasted vegetables, beetroot, aubergine, paneer, tofu, quail or beef, monkfish or mackerel.

It may well become your favourite standby sauce.

Serves 20

200g ripe cherry tomatoes (16 approx.)

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 cloves of garlic

250g crème fraiche

1 ½ tsp turmeric

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1-2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp chopped dill

1 tbsp chopped mint

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5.

Put the tomatoes in a low sided roasting tin, season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with the red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Toss gently to coat and roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until soft and slightly caramelised.

Toast the coriander and cumin seeds together in a pan over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until they begin to smell spicy. Pound the toasted spices in a pestle and mortar.  Remove half from the pestle and mortar.  Add a couple of cloves of garlic and some salt to the toasted seeds remaining in the pestle and mortar. Pound half the cooled roasted tomatoes, add the garlic, pound again then add the crème fraîche or yoghurt and the turmeric.  Add the extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon or two of Dijon mustard and the honey.  Add the chopped dill and mint.  Stir the rest of the tomatoes and juices, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Taste and adjust the balance of flavours to your taste (you may need to add the remainder of the spices).

Keralan Pan Grilled Fish with Turmeric and Freshly Cracked Pepper

In Kerala in south India, the spanking fresh fish is often wrapped in fresh turmeric leaves and barbecued or just grilled simply after the fillet has been dipped in flour seasoned with salt, turmeric and freshly cracked black pepper. The latter helps the body to absorb more of the curcumin from the turmeric.

Almost any fish works in this recipe – John Dory, mackerel, grey sea mullet, cod, sea bass, haddock, brill, turbot – provided it is absolutely fresh.

Serves 6 

6 x 175g pieces of very fresh fish fillets, skinned.

75g plain white flour

1 tsp ground turmeric 

½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper 

¼ tsp freshly ground sea salt

50g soft butter

Garnish

lemon segments

sprigs of flat parsley or fresh coriander

Heat the pan grill. Dry the fish fillets well. Mix the flour, turmeric, freshly cracked pepper and salt well together on a plate.

Just before cooking but not earlier, dip the fish fillets in the seasoned flour. Pat the floured fillets between the palms of your hands to shake off the excess, then spread a little soft butter evenly over the entire surface of one side, as though you were buttering a slice of bread rather meanly.

When the pan grill is hot but not smoking, place the fish fillet’s butter side down on the grill; the fish should sizzle as soon as it touches the pan. Reduce the heat slightly and allow to cook for 4 or 5 minutes (time depends on the thickness of the fish). Turn over and cook on the other side until slightly crisp and golden.

Serve on hot plates with a segment of lemon and a little fresh herb garnish. 

Tip

Be sure to wash and dry the grill-pan between batches. 

A lovely American friend from Chicago came to visit recently, bringing lots of new recipes to share with all of us. Her name is Mary Jo McMillin whom I’ve written about in previous columns. She absolutely loves to cook for her family, friends including the members of her local church and community.
Although she is now in her 80s, she continues to test recipes and experiment throughout the seasons.
She’s been coming to Ballymaloe for over 40 years. Originally, she had a much loved restaurant in the University town of Oxford, Ohio called Mary Jo’s Cuisine. Her little bistro stood as a beacon for food of exceptional quality and artistry, devotees drove from as far away as New York and Boston to eat her delicious seasonal food.

In 2007, much to the consternation of her loyal guests, she decided to hang up her restaurant pots and pans and published a cookbook of the same name generously sharing over 200 of her patrons favourite recipes.
While Mary Jo is with us here, she wanders through the Winter gardens and greenhouses, foraging and picking little salad leaves, winter roots, kale and edible greens, and cooks delicious, gutsy dishes for all of us to enjoy. She’s a thrifty cook and succulent stews, cooked gently and slowly in the cooling heat of the bread oven after the sourdough loaves have baked are one of her specialties.
She weaves her way in and out through the school kitchens and joins the students for lunch, sharing tips and stories from her life in food.
Food unites everyone, of all ages, all nationalities, all cultures…
This week, I’ll keep my introduction short so I can share several of Mary Jo’s recipes with you all.

Rhubarb and Lamb Koresh

Koresh is the generic name for stews in Persian cuisine. There are many variations on the theme. I was intrigued by this delicious version with the addition of new season’s rhubarb – Mary Jo used lamb neck, a very succulent and inexpensive cut of meat but you could substitute pork or beef.

Serves 3

1 tbsp olive oil

450g lamb shoulder or lean neck slices (pork shoulder or beef chuck may be substituted for the lamb)

1 tbsp olive oil

225g onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, sliced

a few slices red chilli or a pinch of chilli flakes

2 tsp grated fresh ginger (or ½ tsp powdered ginger)

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp turmeric

1 tbsp chopped preserved lemon

handful of chopped mint (or parsley)

225ml water

salt and pepper to taste

225g rhubarb stalks, cut into 1cm dice

1-2 tsp brown sugar (optional)

To Serve

steamed Basmati rice

natural yoghurt

chopped mint

Trim the lamb of excess fat and cut into 2.5cm chunks (or cook on the bone and remove the bone when the meat is tender).

Heat the olive oil or rendered lamb fat in a heavy enamelled cast iron braising pot and brown the lamb evenly. Remove, pour out any browned fat, add another 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sweat the onion to soften. Add the garlic, chili and ginger. Cook briefly and add the cinnamon, allspice, turmeric, preserved lemon and mint. Return the lamb to the aromatic base, add about 225ml of water, season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1 ½ – 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Remove any bones or chunks of fat.

Add the rhubarb and continue to cook until the rhubarb pulps into the sauce. Taste and add a little brown sugar if the sauce seems too tart. Simmer to combine the flavours, 15-20 minutes approx.  

To Serve

Serve with steamed Basmati rice, a dollop of plain yogurt and some chopped fresh mint.

Tapioca Pudding

I’d forgotten all about tapioca – a total blast from the past! I remember we used to disparagingly call it ‘frog spawn’…Mary Jo reintroduced us to tapioca and I couldn’t believe how delicate and delicious it was – a super easy dessert for a couple of cents.

If you can’t get quick cook tapioca, blitz the dry tapioca grains in a blender or Thermomix until smooth.

Serves 4-6  

1 egg separated

5 tbsp sugar (70g)

pinch of salt

3 tbsp quick cooking tapioca (33g)

450ml whole milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix the 4 tablespoons of sugar, egg yolk, salt, tapioca and milk in a small saucepan.

Beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of sugar until stiff and set aside.

Bring to a full boil, stirring. Remove from the heat and fold in the beaten egg white and vanilla extract. Pour into a bowl or ladle into individual glasses. 

Delicious served with a berry purée and softly whipped cream.

Date and Walnut Meringues

These little does were super delicious with a dollop of softly whipped cream.

Makes 4-6 dozen depending on size

110ml egg whites

¼ tsp white wine vinegar

200g caster sugar

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

50g chopped walnuts

50g chopped dates (Deglet or Medjool)

Make the meringue.

In a food mixer, whisk the egg whites until they are foaming, add the vinegar.  Whisk to a light froth and begin adding the sugar one heaped tablespoon at a time.  Continue beating until stiff peaks form at the base of the whisk and the sugar has dissolved.  Beat in the vanilla extract and fold in the dates and walnuts.

Preheat the oven to 110°C/Gas Mark ¼.

Drop teaspoons of the meringue mixture on baking parchment lined trays and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes approx. or until the meringues easily lift off the parchment – turn off the oven and allow to cool. Store in an airtight tin. The meringues will develop a marshmallow-like centre.

Rolled Baklava

These delicious Greek pastry treats keep in a covered container for weeks on end, that’s if you can resist…

175g walnuts finely ground (use a food processor)

3 tbsp caster sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

175g filo pastry sheets (6-7 sheets approx.)

110g butter, melted

2 tbsp olive oil

Syrup

175g granulated sugar

175ml water

1 tsp crushed cardamom pods (optional)

cinnamon stick

strip lemon rind

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp rosewater (optional)

1 x 20.5cm square tin

1 wooden dowel or long chopstick

First prepare the syrup.

Boil the sugar and water with the cardamom, cinnamon stick and lemon rind to form a thick syrup.

Add the lemon juice, honey and rosewater if using. Set aside to cool.

NOTE: for absorption, cool syrup must be poured over the hot pastry.

Mix the ground walnuts with the caster sugar and the ground cinnamon.

Melt the butter with the olive oil. Butter the tin.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.

On a clean counter or marble slab, brush one sheet of filo with melted butter. Place one-sixth of the walnut mixture in a row 2.5cm from the buttered edge of the shorter end of the filo sheet. Place the dowel next to the nuts. Roll up the pastry like a Swiss roll keeping the dowel inside. When rolled, scrunch the pastry into a ruffled shape. Remove the dowel and place the scrunched roll in the buttered tin. Repeat with the remaining filo. Once all the rolls are in the baking dish, brush with butter, cut through them at 2.5cm intervals. (It’s important to cut the baklava before baking).

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes; reduce the heat to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and continue baking for 20 minutes or until golden on all sides. Remove from the oven, pour the cool syrup over the hot pastry, and listen to the syrup sing as it is absorbed.

Allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

A recent encounter with antibiotics has set me thinking about the very best way to replenish my gut biome with oodles of good microbes after a course of essential antibiotics. In their quest to kill off all the pathogenic bacteria, many of the beneficial as well as the harmful microbes are extinguished, that’s just the way it is.
From a growing body of research, we all know just how important it is to maintain a healthy gut biome and not just for physical, but also for our mental health.
Good bacteria don’t just facilitate digestion but also help to keep harmful bacteria in check so it’s vital to be proactive and rebuild the gut biome as soon as possible. It’s worth knowing that it can take several weeks, even months to restore gut health after a course of antibiotics.
So how best to go about it? For me as a non-medic there are just two P words to remember – probiotics and pre-biotics.
PROBIOTICS are foods, (or supplements) containing live microorganisms, principally, lactobacillus, and bifidobacterium (healthy bacteria) and saccharomyces boulardi (a type of yeast). Probiotics have a beneficial influence on the immune system.
PREBIOTICS
Prebiotics come from high fibre foods, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans. They provide nourishment for good bacteria in the gut, help to restore gut flora and slow down the growth of harmful bacteria.
Fermented foods like yoghurt, natural cheese, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha and particularly milk kefir are also brilliant to restore a healthy gut biome.
Make your own for extra complexity, see how easy it is to make your own ferments and yoghurt, but do use organic ingredients when possible.
I’m a big fan of BONE BROTH, it’s all about collagen to strengthen the gut lining. It also helps to rebuild the intestinal barrier, repair connective tissue and the intestinal wall, particularly relevant for those with diverticulitis. Apparently 65% of people over 60 have the condition though some are not bothered by it.
Lots of rest, keep stress to the minimum and get as much really good sleep as you possibly can.
So here’s my not altogether comprehensive list of nourishing foods to put the pep back into our step…
Probiotics like pure natural organic yoghurt, raw milk kefir and raw milk from a small organic dairy herd (your choice). Fermented products mentioned above plus miso, real cheese, fresh fish, avocados, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, the highest inulin content of any vegetable, a superstar for building back diversity in the gut, Winter greens and turmeric, bananas – lots there to keep you sated.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and delicious Spring…

Roast Jerusalem Artichokes (Slices)

Jerusalem artichokes are superstars for reintroducing beneficial bacteria into the gut. They have the highest insulin content of any vegetable; Jerusalem Artichoke soup is delicious (see column 9^th December ‘sleepwalking in a food security crisis) but this is a totally brilliant way to cook Jerusalem artichokes. Great as a vegetable accompaniment of course, but also super delicious in warm salads, starters or with any meat particularly goose, duck, pheasant…

Serves 4 to 6

450g Jerusalem artichokes, well-scrubbed

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

a few rosemary or thyme sprigs, optional

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7.

Slice the well-scrubbed artichokes into 7mm rounds or lengthwise. Toss the Jerusalem artichokes with the extra virgin olive oil.  Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Arrange in a single layer on silicone paper on a roasting tin.  Roast for 10 minutes or until golden on one side then flip over and cook on the other side until nicely caramelised.   Test with the tip of a knife – they should be tender.  One could sprinkle with a little thyme or rosemary, but they are perfectly delicious without any further embellishment. Season with freshly ground pepper and serve.

Homemade Yoghurt

It is so simple to make your own yoghurt – the higher the quality the milk, the better the end result will be.

We use organic Jersey milk and ingredients where possible.

600ml fresh milk

2-3 tsp live natural yoghurt

Heat the milk to 90°C in a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Allow to cool to 42°C.  Gently whisk in the yogurt. Leave in the saucepan or pour into a deep terracotta bowl, cover and put into a warm draught-free place until set.  This usually takes about 14 hours.  The cooler the temperature, the longer the yogurt will take to set, but too high a temperature (over 50°C) will kill the bacillus and the yogurt will not form, 43-44°C is the ideal temperature. 

Yoghurt can be set in a warm airing cupboard or boiler room, a vacuum flask with a wide neck or an insulated ice bucket

To keep the yoghurt warm, an earthenware pot with a lid, wrapped up in a warm blanket, put close to a radiator will also do the job.  The simple aim is to provide steady even warmth to allow the bacillus to grow.  Remember to keep back 2 tablespoons of your bowl of yoghurt as the starter of the next lot.

Ayran

On a trip to Turkey, I came across Ayran – a drinking yoghurt which is not only brilliantly healthy but becomes addictive.  It’s almost a national drink in Turkey and is an excellent way to build up a healthy gut flora.

Simply dilute best quality natural yoghurt with cold iced water, approximately one third water to yoghurt depending on quality and thickness of the original, it should have a frothy top – it’s best to whisk in the water. 

Penny’s Kombucha from the Ballymaloe Fermentation Shed

Kombucha is a fermented drink made from sweet tea.  It is said to have many health benefits when consumed regularly. It’s super easy to make, don’t be intimidated by unfamiliar terms like scoby.

Link in with your local fermentation hub to source a scoby and kombucha to get going – there are various active groups on Facebook and Instagram.

The following websites are also worth checking out:

www.allaboutkombucha.ie

www.kefirgrains.ie

750ml boiling water

2 tsp loose leaf tea or 2 tea bags (green, white or black – organic is best)

150g organic caster sugar

1.25 litres dechlorinated water

250ml Kombucha

1 Kombucha SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast)

Equipment – 3 litre Kilner jar or large Pyrex bowl or similar. Measuring jug

*Don’t use a metal container when brewing kombucha

Pour the cold water into the Kilner jar.

Make the tea with 750ml of boiling water in a teapot or bowl. Let this sit for a few minutes to infuse.  Add the caster sugar and stir to dissolve. Strain the sweet tea into the cold water in the jar. 

The temperature of the sweetened tea should now be tepid and you should have just over 2 litres of liquid.

Add 250ml of Kombucha and the Scoby.

Cover the jar or bowl with a clean cloth tied around with string or an elastic band. Don’t be tempted to put a lid on it because the Kombucha Scoby needs air to thrive.

Put in a warmish place for 10-14 days. It should be out of direct sunlight and somewhere it won’t have to be moved.  Taste after 10 days and decide if it’s to your liking and if not, leave a little longer – the taste you are looking for is a pleasing balance between sweet and sour.

Bottling

Lift off the Scoby (which looks like a jelly) and put it in a bowl with 250ml of your just brewed Kombucha and cover this with a plate or bowl while you bottle the rest.

Pour the brewed Kombucha into bottles through a funnel (makes 2 x 1 litre bottles), or into another large Kilner jar. You can then store this in the fridge and enjoy as it is, or you can do a second ferment to add flavour and extra nutritional benefits!

Second Fermentation

To each bottle you can add a handful of any of the following:

• fresh or frozen (defrosted) raspberries.
• fresh or frozen (defrosted) strawberries and 1 tsp raw cacao
• ½ apple and a small beetroot chopped
• 1 ripe peach sliced

Let this sit for 24-48 hours at room temperature with a lid on and then strain out the fruit (or vegetables) and bottle. Store in the fridge and enjoy. Delicious!

A tempting wedding invitation gave us the excuse we needed to spend a very enjoyable interlude in Mexico recently.

Over a year ago, two of our lovely middle aged friends, upped sticks and moved lock, stock and barrel from the UK and Denmark to Mexico City, now considered to be one of the coolest places to live anywhere in the world, there and Margate on the south coast of England….

Richard is a baker of some considerable renown.

Having started the now world famous Mecca of sourdough, Tartine in San Francisco with Chad Robertson, he was later invited by René Redzepi of Noma to Copenhagen where he established his own Hart Bageri in Frederiksberg. Plans are currently underway to establish yet another artisan bakery to introduce his deeply flavourful natural sourdoughs and viennoiserie to the eager expat hipsters in the leafy La Condesa and Roma area of Mexico City.

His paramour, Henrietta Lovell, aka The Rare Tea Lady plans to run her exquisite, rare tea business sourced from tiny tea gardens around the world from Mexico City and the original headquarters in London.

The wedding in a beautiful venue called Salón Barcelona was further embellished with brightly coloured pinatas. The bride wore a flowing hand printed silk dress in shades of whisper pink with a pale yellow ruff on the hem and carried a bouquet of heritage wheat tied with a pink velvet bow. This was carried all the way from Italy by the farmer, who grows the wheat for Richard’s slowly fermented sourdough loaves. How romantic was that?

Flamboyantly dressed friends travelled from all over the world to celebrate the joyous occasion. Tea cocktails laced with mescal and tequila flowed, Mexican street food, quesadillas, tacos, elotes, esquites, tamales were served at intervals throughout the evening. Live music and dance and a selection of refreshing ice creams, homemade in small batches from ripe mangoes, sapote, and other seasonal fruits, what a fun party.

But Mexico City has so much more. It’s a really hot food city with some of the very best food I’ve eaten anywhere and markets to make you swoon. Before I start to wax lyrical about the food. I must mention that Mexico City has more museums than any other city in the world apart from London. The National Museum of Anthropology located within Chapultepec Park is not to be missed and I would also say that Museo de Arte Popular and Museo de Arte Contempóraneo also be on your absolutely ‘must see’ list. Both are in the Centro Historico, so pop your head into the awe inspiring Catedral Metropolitana. Make time, if possible, to see Diego Rivera’s Mural Museum and if you can make it to the Mescal and Tequila Museum, do so. Museo Frida Kahlo needs to be booked months ahead but it’s sooooo worth it.

There are many beautiful markets but at least try to get to the Flower Market and the huge Mercado San Juan just a few steps southwest of the historic centre. There’s a wonderful communal eating area where paper thin slices of beef cecina are flashed over charcoal barbecues then eaten with black beans, avocado and a selection of fiery and mild salsas. Visit the butchery areas where not a scrap of meat or bone or intestines is wasted but continue to wander on until you find the exotic meat stalls selling indigenous delicies, a mesmerising selection armadillo, crocodile, iguana, turtle, snake, skunk, wild boar, deer and buffalo, even lion and tiger…Apart from Mexican, traditional foods, there are excruciatingly expensive exotic imports like the finest caviar, Iberico ham and Parmigiana Reggiano.

Most intriguing of all is the area where they sell the staple of the pre-Hispanic diet, a vast selection of insects – crickets, grasshoppers, ants, spiders, tarantulas, grubs, maguey cactus worms, scorpions, can now be found not just in markets and street stalls but also on virtually every high-end restaurant menu.

They are super high in protein, the Aztecs, Mixtecs and other civilisations flourished for millennia on a diet rich in crickets, grubs, grasshoppers and other edible invertebrates. They have been rediscovered and mark my word; they will be coming our way soon.
A favourite way to eat crunchy chapulines in Oaxaca is on tacos with a dollop of guacamole, a sprinkling of finely diced white onion, crumbled queso fresco, chopped coriander and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Insects, worms and ant eggs are frequently added to omelettes or sprinkled over frittatas and snacks. I greatly enjoyed an ant egg omelette at Cardenal in Mexico City, they are crunchy like popcorn!

They are already being farmed by ‘sustainable entrepreneurs’ and the UN describe them as a ‘promising source of sustainable protein’

I simply didn’t have enough meal slots to get to every restaurant, café, bakery, taqueria, and fonda that I wanted to visit in Mexico City but here is a list of a few that I particularly loved.

Rosetta, owned by the celebrated Mexican woman chef Elena Reygades who spoke at Food on the Edge in 2023, is ranked 49^th in the world’s top 50 restaurants, I would put her much higher on the list, the food was memorably delicious.

Panderia, her café/bakery is also superb as is Lardo where we returned a second time – don’t miss the guava pastries and superb brunch dishes.

Máximo, owned by Chef Eduardo Garcia and his wife Gabrielle is also superb and ranked 28^th in the world’s top 50 restaurants.

El Cardenale, for breakfast, has several branches in Mexico City, all really good but my favourite is in the Hilton Hotel in Alameda, close to the Centro Historico. I loved everything but particularly enjoyed the escamole (crunchy ant eggs) omelette and of course dipping the soft squishy conchas in their hot chocolate.

Expendio de Maiz in Roma is a very cool, very basic café where they have no menu, but keep on bringing food until you’re feeling deliciously satiated.

Mendl and Maque are two other breakfast spots in the La Condesa area. There’s so much more, but I’ve run out of space…

Burrata with Kumquats and EVO

This simple combination served at Lardo in Mexico City was super delicious with flat bread straight from the oven – kumquats are at their very best just now.  The poached fruit will keep in the fridge for weeks and is also delicious with ice cream, pancetta, roast pork, duck…a leaf or two of rocket embellishes this even further.

Serves 1 as a substantial starter or a small plate

1 burrata (cut in half if too large)

Poached Kumquats

235g kumquats

200ml water

110g sugar

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

First poach the kumquats.

Slice the kumquats thinly into four or five round slices depending on size.  Remove the seeds.  Put the kumquats into a saucepan with the water and sugar and let them cook very gently, covered, for half an hour or until tender when pierced with a knife.  Time may vary depending on the batch of citrus. 

Cool and store until needed.

To Serve

Place a ball of burrata on a plate, slice almost in half perpendicularly.  Spoon a generous tablespoon of poached kumquats into the centre so it spills out on either side.  Season with freshly cracked pepper, a sprinkle of sea salt then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Serve immediately with flatbread 

Fried Eggs on a Hoya Santa Leaf

Hoya santa, Piper auritum. Pronounced hah SAN -tah is a leafy herb in the piperaceae (pepper) family.
It is sometimes referred to as the pepper leaf or sacred pepper and has large floppy heart shaped leaves with a velvety texture. The plant grows to a metre tall and can be grown in a greenhouse here in Ireland. Hoya Santa leaves have a peppery, herbaceous flavour and are also used to wrap fish, meat, cheese and sometimes as the wrapping for tamales

A beautiful breakfast for one.

1 fresh hoya santa leaf
a dash of oil
1 freshly laid egg
flaky sea salt

Accompaniment:
queso fresco
black beans (see recipe)

Heat a griddle or an iron frying pan. Turn the leaf over and over on the hot pan for a few seconds. Remove, drizzle a little oil over the base of the pan, lay the leaf on top. Crack an egg onto the leaf, put a cover on the pan.  Allow to cook until the albumin is set, but the yolk is still runny.

Slide onto a warm plate, egg upwards. Sprinkle with a few grains of flaky sea salt and serve with a little piece of queso fresco to crumble over the top and a side of black beans.
Enjoy the most delicious breakfast.

Frijoles de Olla – Mexican Beans

Beans cooked simply like this and the Frijoles Refritos (refried beans) that are made from them are virtually a staple in Mexico, served at almost every meal including breakfast.  In Mexico, the markets are often divided into two sections, the regular stalls serving all manner of things and the eating side where people eat simply and cheaply at large tables covered in colourful oil cloth.  Hundreds of people eat these beans every day in simple market ‘fondas’ with some coarse salt, some hot green chillies and a stack of tortillas and maybe a few small pieces of creamy cheese melting over them.  They keep well and taste even better the next day or the day after.

Serves 6-8 depending on how they are served

450g dried or canned black beans or red kidney or pinto beans

1-2 tbsp good quality lard or butter

1 small onion, chopped

1 tsp salt approx. (may take more depending on the beans)

1-2 sprigs of epazote (optional)

The day before.  

Cover the beans generously with cold water and soak overnight.   Alternatively, if you are in a hurry, bring the beans to the boil for 3 or 4 minutes, then take off the heat and leave aside for an hour or so.

Either way – drain the beans, cover with fresh water, about 1.4 litres, add the lard or butter and onion but not the salt.  Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 1-2 hours depending on the beans – about 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time add the salt and the sprig of epazote if you have it.  Keep an eye on the beans while they cook, they should always be covered with liquid, if you see the beans peeping through cover with boiling water by about 1cm.  When they are cooked the beans should be completely soft and the liquid slightly thickish and soupy (reserve the cooking liquid if making Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans). 

Frijoles Refritos – Refried Beans

Refried beans with their thick coarse texture accompany numerous snacks including Mexican scrambled eggs.

50-75g best quality pork lard or butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped

225g Frijoles de Olla (see previous recipe)

Heat the lard or butter in a heavy frying pan, cook the onion until soft and brown, increase the heat and add about a third of the beans and their broth to the pan and cook over a high heat mashing them as you stir with a wooden spoon, or you could even use a potato masher, gradually add the rest of the beans little by little until you have a thick coarse purée.  Taste and season with salt if necessary.   Although this sounds as though it might be a lengthy business, it only takes about 8 or 9 minutes.  The beans are ready when the thick purée begins to dry out and sizzle at the edges.

Frijoles Refritos keep well and may be reheated many times.

Rare Tea Company Earl Grey Martini

A traditional Earl Grey blended with pure bergamot oil from the ancient orchards of Calabria. This is a classic British tea made to exacting standards. A clean and exceptionally bright infusion with exhilarating citrus notes. 

Infuse 15g of Earl Grey in 1 litre of gin for 3-5 minutes.

Strain and stir over ice to serve.

Rare Tea Company Jasmine Silver Tip Martini

Jasmine Silver Tip tea is not flavoured but carefully scented over six consecutive nights with fresh Jasmine flowers. Once the preserve of the Chinese Imperial family. A deep and heady aroma with a light and gentle flavour.

Infuse 25g of Jasmine in 1 litre of gin for 15 minutes.

Strain and stir over ice to serve. A delicious cocktail…

Wow, it’s February already, and the January blues have lifted at last. Was it my imagination or did that just whizz by in a blur of lashing rain, gales, a rainbow of weather warnings and dreary grey skies… I remember an occasional bright sunny day when I had a rush of blood to the head and wanted to fill a flask with some hot sausages to nibble with a mug of steaming broth after a walk across the bog or along the coast at Ballyandreen…
Saint Bridget’s Day has also come and gone with some memorable, joyous celebrations. At last we are celebrating our female patron saint with gusto.
Next up, Saint Valentine’s Day, yet another excuse to dream up lot’s of little surprise treats and you know it doesn’t have to be something extravagant, could be an especially loving gesture, a favourite roast dinner with all the bells and whistles or just hide a few normally forbidden homemade cookies under the pillow…
If you do manage to snag a table in your favourite restaurant, don’t forget to send a big hug to the cooks and a big thank you to all the team who have given their Valentine’s Day so you can have fun.
Apart from all of that, I’ve been poking around in my fridge and pantry and I’m on a mission to use up as many half used  packets of this and that, to make a whole host of super nutritious and delicious Kitchen Suppers…Set yourself a challenge, you may be  amazed by how many good things you can make without ever making a trip to the shops.
Beans, chickpeas and lentils, inexpensive and packed with protein, create endless possibilities, perk them up with some of those spices and wisendy chillies or chilli flakes… While you are at it, make a double batch so you can freeze some for another meal
No house should be without a bottle of fish sauce (nam pla). It’s an incredible flavour enhancer for soups, stews, stir fries…  gives you so much bang for your buck. Squid Brand is good, soy sauce too of course.
Black rice vinegar from China and a jar of doubanjaing was put to good use in the super tasty chicken noodle soup, you’ll find these ingredients in a good Asian shop or substitute as suggested….
I found some boudoir biscuits in a packet and thought, I know exactly what to do with those, I’ll make a tiramisu which means ‘pick me up’. just the thing to cheer us up in February. I love the mixture of rum and sherry, but you could play around with other booze if you don’t have those to hand, The biscuits were a bit stale, but it doesn’t matter for tiramisu because they’re soaked in the boozy coffee anyway…and who doesn’t love tiramisu….
Lay the table, pop a few little flowers or even some foliage into a little pot.  I’m loving the snowdrops, primroses, violets and the first of the crocus at present. How about a couple of candles….  Suddenly your kitchen supper will be transformed.

For me, every meal is a special occasion, a celebration of the work of the farmers and growers who toil to produce the ingredients, and the cooks and chefs who transform the produce into magical meals. Enjoy every bite and the satisfaction of using up all those forgotten ingredients in your kitchen cupboards and pray for peace and plenty for all in our times….

Chicken Noodle Soup

Oh my goodness, this soup is so comforting and delicious just what’s needed to chase away the winter blues on a cold and blustery evening, pretty much a meal in a bowl. I used up some chicken thighs from the freezer and lots of odds and ends of noodles from my pantry. I also found some black rice vinegar that I brought back from Chengdu in China a couple of years ago. It’s called Chinkiang vinegar and it’s really worth knowing about, it’s got fantastic deep flavour and is a fraction of the price of good balsamic vinegar. Seek it out in good Asian shops, many now stock it.
You could also use as I did, a little doubanjiang instead of the chilli oil, it’s made from fermented soybeans with hot chilli peppers and is the quintessential taste of China…I love it.

Serves 6

1 .5kg of chicken thighs (use free-range and organic for best flavour)
3 Irish garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 x 7.5cm piece of ginger (75g approx.), peeled and finely chopped
1 large bunch of scallions, about 225g, thinly sliced
4 tsp of pure salt, (sounds a lot but you’ll need it…)
lots of freshly ground pepper
2.4 litres of water or light chicken stock

225g noodles, could be curly or Ramen style noodles or even tagliatelle
250g carrot

Topping
50ml Chinese black rice vinegar
50ml soy sauce
½ – 2 tbsp of toasted sesame oil
Doubanjiang or chilli oil to taste

Put the chicken thighs into a deep saucepan with the garlic, ginger and the white part of the scallions. Add salt and pepper. Cover with water, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the chicken is tender and fully cooked through, 35-40 minutes approx. depending on the type of chicken you use (could be less if it is an intensively reared chicken).

Meanwhile, whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and as much doubanjiang or chilli oil as you fancy together in a little bowl. Keep aside until later to top the soup.

When the chicken is tender, remove from the pot, add the noodles and carrot julienne to the broth and cook until the noodles are al dente.

Meanwhile, tear the skin off the thighs and remove the meat from the bones. Cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces.
When the noodles are cooked, return the chicken to the pot of hot broth. Stir gently, taste, and tweak the seasoning if necessary.

Divide the hot broth between 6 or 8 bowls, scatter each with sliced green scallions and spoon a generous tablespoon of perky oil over the top. Serve the remainder separately in case anyone wants a little more. Eat with a spoon and chopsticks.

Note
I added the chicken skin to a stock pot, cracked the thigh bones with the back of my chopping knife and added them too for extra flavour and collagen. Otherwise add them to your ‘Stock Bits’ box in the freezer for another time.

Smoky Chana Dahl

A particularly delicious recipe for orange lentils with a haunting smoky flavour from the ancient dhungar technique. There are hundreds of recipes for dahls, maybe even thousands. Many Indians eat a version of dahl every day, delicious, comforting, nourishing food and brilliant for a kitchen supper with friends. Serve with a bowl of fluffy Basmati rice.

Serves 4-6

200g chana dahl – orange lentils     
600ml water
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp pure salt

Masala
4 cloves of garlic
4cm piece of fresh ginger (25g approx.), peeled
1 green chilli, deseeded

1 tbsp oil
1 tsp of cumin seeds
3 whole cloves
2 green cardamom
a few scraps of cinnamon stick
1 medium red onion, chopped (75g approx.)
250g ripe tomatoes, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

1 tsp Kasuri Methi, dried fenugreek leaves

¼ tsp of garam masala

½ tsp of coriander powder
2 tbsp of chopped coriander

175ml approx. water

Tarka – The Spicy Topping
1 tbsp ghee or oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 whole dried red chilli cut into a few pieces

For the Dungar
1 lump of charcoal
2 tsp ghee

1 clove, optional

Wash and drain the dahl, put into a heavy saucepan with the water, turmeric and salt. Stir, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, chop the cloves of garlic, ginger and chilli roughly, transfer to a pestle mortar and pound to a coarse texture, keep aside.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy saucepan or casserole, add the cumin seeds, whole cloves, barely crushed cardamom pods, a few scraps of cinnamon, Stir over the heat for a few seconds. Add the chopped red onion, continue to stir and cook for 3-4 mins then add the garlic/ginger/chilli mixture for another 2-3 mins until the raw smell evaporates.
Add the chopped tomatoes.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover, continue to cook over a gentle heat for 7-8 mins until soft and melting.
Now it’s time to add the rest of the spices – red chili powder, dried fenugreek, garam masala, coriander powder and fresh coriander. Stir and cook for a few seconds then add the cooked chana dahl and 175ml water or more if you would like it looser. Cover and simmer gently for 5-6 mins. Taste and tweak the seasoning if necessary

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, make the tarka to spoon over the dahl. Heat a tablespoon of oil in the small saucepan, add the chopped garlic and chilli, stir and cook for a couple of minutes. When the garlic just begins to colour, spoon over the hot dahl for extra flavour. Serve immediately with basmati rice or for a really special smoky version, heat a piece of charcoal over a gas flame until glowing, meanwhile keep the dahl hot and covered. Sit a little stainless steel bowl on top of the dahl. With a tongs, drop the coal into the bowl, spoon a couple of teaspoons of ghee or oil and a crushed garlic clove (optional) on top, it will start to smoke instantly so cover the saucepan and allow the dahl to absorb the smoky aroma, 3-5 mins should be ample time – super delicious, a traditional Rajasthani nomad technique called the dhungar method.

Tiramisu

The name means pick-me-up and not surprisingly either, considering the amount of booze! How about making it in a heart-shaped dish or dishes for St. Valentine’s Day.

Serves 8

225ml strong espresso coffee (if your freshly made coffee is not strong enough, add 1 tsp instant coffee)

4 tbsp brandy

2 tbsp Jamaica rum

75g dark chocolate

3 eggs, separated – preferably free-range

4 tbsp caster sugar

250g Mascarpone cheese

38-40 boudoir biscuits

1 dish 20.5 x 25.5cm with low sides or 8 individual heart-shaped dishes

Mix the coffee with the brandy and rum.

Roughly grate the chocolate (we do this in a food processor with the pulse button).

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until it reaches the ‘ribbon’ stage and is light and fluffy, then fold in the Mascarpone one tablespoon at a time.

Whisk the egg whites stiffly and fold gently into the cheese mixture. Now you are ready to assemble the Tiramisu.

Dip each side of the boudoir biscuits one at a time into the coffee mixture and arrange side by side in the dish. Spread half the Mascarpone mixture gently over the biscuits, sprinkle half the grated chocolate over the top, then another layer of soaked biscuits and finally the rest of the Mascarpone. Cover the whole bowl carefully and refrigerate for at least 6 hours – I usually make it the day before I use it.

Just before serving, scatter the remainder of the chocolate over the top and serve.

Tiramisu will keep for several days in a fridge but make sure it is covered, otherwise it may pick up ‘fridge’ tastes.

Rory O’Connell

My goodness, the weather has been particularly unpleasant this winter and despite the tiny little “stretch” in evening light, it feels that we are sometime away from bright spring days. Having said that, I have spotted some daffodils blooming in my garden – much too early if you ask me, and my spring bulbs in pots are bravely pushing up through the cold and damp soil. Little glimmers of hope.

However, while we await those joyous moments of spring, I feel the need for comforting and warming dishes to soothe body and soul, so I am suggesting three dishes to fulfil that need.

Lentil and Kale Soup is a hearty and robust offering which I find deeply nourishing and despite its rather rustic appearance has a really sophisticated flavour. I serve this in the “Italian style”, so thick and soupy at the same time. You can indeed loosen the consistency with a little more stock to achieve a thinner soup or at least one that is less thick, but the porridge type consistency is part of the charm. If you can manage to find a bottle of “new seasons” extra virgin olive oil, a little drizzle of that on the soup is marvellous. The “new seasons” oil is from olives pressed last autumn or early winter, so I suppose the most recent olive oil. I love the oils from Tuscany in Italy which generally have a freshness and flavour that is described as grassy. It is an ingredient that I look forward to every year and though it is expensive, a little goes a long way and the rich green oil elevates the ordinary to the very special. If you do buy a bottle, drizzle a little on a cooked grilled steak or fish, cooked fresh pasta, tender cooked cauliflower or broccoli and even over humble mashed swede turnips with a grating of Coolea or Parmesan cheese. Marvellous.

Casserole Roast Chicken with Indian Spices will also warm the cockles. The green chilli that is secreted in the pot with the bird and the spices is the heat source here. The technique for cooking the bird in a heavy casserole with a tight fitting lid is endlessly useful and can be used for other birds such as pheasant, guinea fowl and even a turkey, though that will require an extra-large pot. The beauty of preparing a bird in this way, is that once it is cooked, the juices that have been trapped in the tightly sealed casserole can simply be the sauce. In this recipe, I de-grease the cooking juices and add a little cream though that could be optional. Other than the fresh tasting green chilli, the remaining spicing here is gentle. I serve this with plain boiled rice. A crispy poppadom would be a charming addition.

The Winter Chocolate Apple Pudding to finish the meal is a personal favourite and the addition of a little mincemeat leftover from Christmas past is somehow a way of putting a little of the winter to bed or at least to good use – perhaps that is wishful thinking. This comforting dish should be served warm and ideally on hot plates with cold softly whipped cream to accompany. The combination of rich chocolate, refreshing apple and fruity mincemeat is delicious and the contrast between warm pudding and icy cold cream is a delight.

Lentil and Kale Soup

Serves 6 -8

250g green lentils

1 red chilli

1 bay leaf

3 cloves of unpeeled garlic

branch of thyme

1 onion halved

1 – 1.2 litres chicken stock

500g curly kale, weighed after the tough stalks have been removed

150ml cream

salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the lentils, chilli, bay leaf, garlic, thyme, onion and chicken stock in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook very gently until the lentils are tender. Do not allow the lentils to become overcooked and mushy but at the same time they do need to be completely cooked all the way through. I add a good pinch of salt to the cooking lentils 5 minutes before they are cooked.

Remove the bay leaf, thyme and onion and discard. Peel the skin off the chilli and discard the skin. Split it in half lengthways and remove and discard the seeds. Chop the chilli flesh finely and add back into the lentils. Press the flesh out of the cooked garlic and discard the skins. Stir the soft garlic into the lentils. Taste and correct seasoning.

Bring 3 litres of water to a boil in a large saucepan and season well with salt. Add the kale leaves and cook uncovered until completely tender. Strain off all of the water and place the leaves in a food processor. Purée briefly, add the cream and continue to puree to a smooth consistency. Taste and correct seasoning making sure to add some freshly ground black pepper. Both elements of the soup can be put aside now for reheating later.

When ready to serve the soup, Heat the lentils and kale in separate saucepans. When both mixtures are simmering, add the kale to the lentil saucepan and gently fold through. The soup can look streaky at this stage and that is the way I prefer to serve it. Ladle into hot soup bowls and drizzle each serving with olive oil. Serve immediately

Serve with new season extra virgin olive oil.

Casserole Roast Chicken with Indian Spices

Sometimes when I want a spiced chicken dish, I want a no-holds-barred, hot and aromatic experience. Other times, I am in the mood for tender and succulent slices of chicken with a lightly spiced, thin cream or juice to accompany it. This recipe is the latter.

Serves 6

1 free-range chicken, about 1.3kg

20g soft butter

1 heaped tsp coriander seeds, lightly toasted and ground

1 heaped tsp cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground

¼ tsp turmeric powder

pinch of chilli powder

2 tbsp lemon juice

4 green chillies

225ml cream

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaf

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Mix the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli powder with a pinch of salt. Mix this spice mix into half of the butter.

Heat a heavy casserole on a gentle heat. Rub the breasts of the chicken dry with some kitchen paper. Smear the remaining half of the soft butter on the breasts. Place the chicken, breast side down into the heated casserole. The butter should sizzle a bit and that tells you the casserole is hot enough. If it doesn’t sizzle, whip out the chicken immediately and allow the casserole to get hotter.  Allow the chicken breasts to become golden brown, making sure the casserole doesn’t get so hot that it actually burns the butter. This will involve a bit of manoeuvring, perhaps sitting the chicken on its side and so on. Season the coloured chicken breasts with a pinch of salt and pepper. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then smear the spiced butter all over it. Place the chicken back in the casserole, breast side up. Pop the chillies around the chicken and sprinkle over the lemon juice.  Cover with greaseproof paper and a tight fitting lid and place in the preheated oven. Cook for 90 minutes. 

Remove the casserole from the oven and check to ensure that the chicken is fully cooked.  This can be done in several ways. One way, the best in my opinion, is to insert a metal skewer in between the leg and the breast. This is the last place to cook in the chicken so it is the best place to check. Count to ten seconds. Remove the skewer and test the temperature of the skewer on the back of your hand. If it doesn’t feel so hot as to make you immediately pull the skewer away from your hand with a start, then the chicken probably is not cooked. The other way to test is to endeavour to extract a little juice from the same place, between the breast and the leg to see if it is completely clear. If it is not clear and if there is any trace of pink in the juice, then it is not cooked. If this is the case put the chicken back in the oven for a further 10 minutes and repeat the test.

Remove the cooked chicken and the chillies, which by now will be collapsed and a bit sad looking, from the casserole and keep warm in the oven with the temperature reduced to 50°C/Gas Mark 1/2. Allow the chicken at least 15 minutes to rest before carving.

Strain out all of the cooking juices into a bowl and allow it to settle for a minute or two. The butter and chicken fat will rise to the surface of the liquid. Spoon off the buttery fat, now full of the flavour of the spices, and save it for roasting vegetables. It is particularly good with parsnips or for tossing into crushed new potatoes.

Place the degreased juices back in the casserole and add the cream. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is lightly thickened. Add the chopped coriander leaves. Taste and correct seasoning. Carve the chicken neatly and serve with the sauce. The chillies should be used to garnish the dish and the heat fiends will find them delicious to eat.

Winter Chocolate Apple Pudding

This is a variation of the classic apple betty, which is a simple pudding that I love.

Serves 4

1kg Bramley apples, peeled, cored and cut into large chunks

30g butter

2 tbsp water

For the crumb layer

150g mincemeat

125g soft white breadcrumbs

75g light soft brown sugar

50g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), roughly chopped

75g butter

3 tbsp golden syrup

To serve

chilled softly whipped cream

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas Mark 5.

Put the apples in a pan and toss with the butter and water over a gentle heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the apples start to soften and are collapsing just a little at the edges but still generally keeping their shape. Tip them into a 1.5 litre baking dish.

Mix together the mincemeat, breadcrumbs, sugar and chocolate and cover the apples loosely with this topping. Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a small saucepan and pour it over the crumbs, making certain to soak them all.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, until the apple is soft, and the crumbs are golden and crisp. Allow to cool slightly, then serve in heated bowls with chilled softly whipped cream.