CategorySaturday Letter

Doesn’t that book title fill you with warm expectation and joy. Thoughts of coming home weary and stressed to the smell of freshly made bread or a bubbly stew to lift your spirits. Orla Drumgoole is a proud Irish mammy who loves to cook and bake and feed her family and her many friends. Food is her love language, and she will know that the way to everyone’s heart is through their tummies. Since she started to share her home cooked recipes for comforting bakes and home cooked recipes on Instagram in February 2021, she has gathered a devoted fanbase. Orla has a particular gift for making things simple, inspiring even her most intrepid followers to ‘have a go’ at home themselves. Orla is particularly famous for her many riffs on traybakes, scones and bread, many of which have made her into a viral sensation. It’s not just baking though, lots of easy dinner ideas – twelve ways with chicken, eight ways with beef, six ways with pork…Orla loves feeding people. She herself comes from a large family so lots of family get-togethers – I particularly love the chapter entitled ‘The Gathering’ with not just lots of suggestions for delicious dishes to feed a crowd but practical tips of how to plan ahead, delegate, make space for long table dinners, zhuzh up the garage…. Lots of recipes for bites, buffets, starters and the all-important desserts. Check out The Irish Mammy Cooks Cookbook published by Gill Books – you’ll understand why Orla has such a following.

*All recipes from The Irish Mammy Cooks Cookbook by Orla Drumgoole, published by Gill Books

Marriage-Maker Peanut Pork 

‘There’s a story behind this recipe. When Paddy and I were dating, we had a row and he was leaving for good. As he was about to go, I told him that, as I had dinner made, he was welcome to eat it before he left. He asked what it was. Peanut pork. He did not hesitate – down he sat, and the rest, as they say, is history. There you have it. 

This is a marriage maker! It is basically a satay, and the inspiration came from an Australian Good Housekeeping magazine recipe about 30 years ago. We still eat this every couple of weeks.’ 

Serves 6 

Ingredients

1 tbsp rapeseed oil 

2 large onions, cut into small dice 

8 celery sticks, cut into small dice 

3 cloves garlic, grated 

1 tbsp vegetable bouillon 

salt and pepper, to taste 

1kg pork fillet or loin chops with visible fat removed, cut into bite-sized pieces 

150g peanut butter 

50g honey 

4 tbsp mild curry powder 

2 red peppers, cut into small dice 

100ml cream (optional) 

Method

Heat the oil in the pot then add the onion and celery and fry off for 10 minutes. Add the garlic 8 minutes in so it doesn’t burn. 

Add the bouillon, salt and pepper and enough water to cover the vegetables. 

Add the pork, then cook on a low simmer for 10 minutes or until the meat looks almost cooked. 

Add the peanut butter, honey and curry powder and leave to cook on a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the base. Add the peppers. You might need to add a little more water if the sauce becomes too thick. 

Add the cream, if using, and allow to heat again to just below simmer point before serving with noodles or rice. This also freezes perfectly. 

Parmesan-Crusted Chicken 

‘This is a tasty cheesy chicken and lovely served over some savoury rice, in a burger bun with fries, or with pasta and some of my veg-loaded sauce.

These can be cooked in the oven or an air fryer, but I like them best from the oven. Take your time when dipping the chicken to ensure a full coating of each layer.’ 

Serves 6 

Ingredients

6 chicken fillets 

50g cornflour, seasoned well 

with salt and pepper 

100g breadcrumbs 

3 eggs 

60g grated Parmesan 

spray oil 

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Line an oven tray with parchment paper. 

I usually bash my chicken fillets to tenderise them. Place the fillets between two pieces of parchment paper and bash it with a rolling pin. For 6 breasts, tenderise in two batches. 

Place the seasoned cornflour and the breadcrumbs on two separate large plates. 

Mix the egg and Parmesan together well in a shallow bowl. 

To assemble, dip each fillet in cornflour, then the egg mix, followed by the breadcrumbs. Spray the parchment paper with oil, then lay the chicken down and spray on top. Cook for 25-30 minutes and serve how you like (see recipe introduction). This can also be cooked in the air fryer at 180°C for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through. 

These can be frozen after cooking and cooling. 

Savoury Rice 

‘This is a cheeky little number that is surprisingly tasty and filling. It’s perfect for those days when you are too tired to make a hearty meal and want something on the table in 20 minutes. Feel free to change the vegetables used here and to add extras if you fancy. Some chickpeas thrown in for the last few minutes would be tasty.’ 

Serves 6 

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil 

1 large onion, diced finely 

3 carrots, diced finely 

2 cloves garlic 

400g easy cook rice 

1 tsp vegetable bouillon 

1 tsp turmeric 

1 tsp ground coriander 

1 tsp ground cumin 

1 tsp smoked paprika 

150g petit pois 

salt and pepper 

juice of ½ a lime 

Method

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and carrots, then grate in the garlic. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes over a medium heat. 

Add the rice and dry fry until it turns glassy and starts to almost take a bit of colour. Add the bouillon and spices and fry for 1 more minute. 

Now add boiling water, not enough to cover the rice, but enough to stop it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook on a medium heat, allowing the mix to bubble. 

When the water is almost gone, add some more water again, as before. This needs to be stirred often while cooking, so stay nearby. Once you can see that the rice is cooked, or it tastes done, add the peas and turn down the heat. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste and the lime juice. 

Serve on its own, or with more vegetables. 

Apple and Custard Traybake 

We’ve just had the first of the new seasons’ rhubarb from the garden – also delicious in this recipe.

‘This is easily the most popular video I ever posted on Instagram. It is nostalgia in a mouthful. We grew up on Bird’s Custard. It was dolloped onto every dessert we ate: tart, semolina, trifle, sponge. By the power of the world wide web, you can now source this delight all over the world. 

The idea for this bake actually woke me in the middle of the night, and I had to try it. So far it has been watched by 5 million people and saved by 70,000 – so it’s a keeper for sure. We serve it warm with – you’ve guessed it – dollops of custard, but it is equally lovely cold as a slice with a cup of tea. This can also be made with four mashed bananas or 300g finely sliced rhubarb in place of the apple.’ 

Serves 15-20 

Ingredients

3 large cooking apples, peeled and sliced – about 400g 

2 tbsp caster sugar 

200g self-raising flour 

80g Bird’s Custard Powder 

120g icing sugar 

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tbsp vanilla extract 

5 eggs 

200g very soft butter 

Method

Place the sliced apples, caster sugar and 1 tablespoon of water in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, till the apples have softened but still have a bit of bite to them. (If you don’t have cooking apples, you can use sharp eating apples instead – Granny Smith or Pink Lady would be good – just leave out the sugar.) Leave to cool completely. 

Preheat your oven to 160°C fan.

Line a 25 x 35cm tray with parchment paper. 

Add the flour, custard powder, icing sugar and baking powder to a large mixing bowl and stir. Then add the apple, vanilla, eggs and butter. Use a wooden spoon or a fork and mix thoroughly so there are no lumps.  

Pour into a parchment-lined tray and bake for about 30 minutes. Stick a skewer in and if it comes out clean, you will know it’s done.  

Best enjoyed warm with custard, but equally lovely on its own. 

Here comes Saint Patrick’s Day, traditionally, it was a day to take a break from Lenten fasting, an opportunity to celebrate, maybe even have a drink or two or three!
How many of you in the midst of these crazy times, even remember the excitement and the buildup to the feast day of our legendary patron saint  who drove all the snakes out of Ireland and showed us the meaning of the Trinity using the little tree leaved shamrock that he found growing at his feet.
Originally, children used to make their own Saint Patrick’s Day badges and rosettes to wear on coat lapels and hats going to the morning mass. Later we could buy shiny green and gold badges with harps and shamrocks in our local village shops.
Speaking of which, if you have time to pop into the National Museum in Dublin, you’ll find several examples of the charming little badges, handmade from little scraps of coloured paper and wisps of material. On another subject, I bet there was a mixture of relief and apprehension in diplomatic circles when the invite eventually arrived for the Taoiseach to join the unpredictable Mr. Trump on Saint Patrick’s Day in the White House. I’ve always loved the idea of our prime minister presenting a bowl of shamrock to the President of the United States – wonder who thought of that brilliant idea originally and who has the responsibility of transporting it, so it arrives fresh and perky in Washington. Does it come all the way from Ireland? Many times, I’ve actually bought a little pot of Shamrock in the US where I spent many a Saint Patrick’s Day, happily promoting Ireland and teaching nostalgic Irish and their friends how to make an authentic Irish soda bread.
Much depends on these Saint Patrick’s Day meetings, a coveted opportunity to remind countries around the world, (over 50 this year) of Ireland’s attributes, to promote trade, connect and celebrate with the global Irish diaspora.
This year, Saint Patrick’s Day marks 100 YEARS OF IRELAND IN THE WORLD, a whole century of our country’s engagement as an active member of the international promotion of democracy, peace and security. No doubt Micheál will work his charm once again in promoting Ireland as a great place to invest and trade with, to live, visit, work and study in. We’ve got 14 nationalities here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School at present, we’ll encourage them all to go foraging for shamrock on Tuesday next and to wear a splash of green. Then we’ll tuck into a feast of corned beef and cabbage and the first rhubarb tart of the year and of course some soda bread and our favourite Spotted Dog which for the purpose of this column has been renamed St Patrick’s Day Soda Bread. Do please have a go, it’s super easy, and you can’t imagine how delicious it is cut into thick slices, slathered with butter and a cup of, you know whose tea! Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day Soda Bread

Soda breads are the traditional breads of our country. Making a loaf of soda bread is a simple life skill that everyone should know.  A loaf or a tray of scones will be made in minutes and out of the oven before you find your car keys to drive to the shop!

Soda bread only takes a few minutes to make and 30-40 minutes to bake. It is certainly another of our ‘great convertibles’. We have a lot of fun experimenting with different variations from teeny weenies to crusty loaves and deep-pan pizza.  The possibilities are endless for the hitherto humble soda bread.

To make a Spotted Dog, add 110g of dried fruit (sultanas or raisins), 1 egg and 1 dessertspoon of sugar to the basic recipe.

Makes 1 round loaf

Ingredients

450g plain white flour

1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 level tsp salt

350-400ml sour milk or buttermilk (the quantity depends on the thickness of the milk)

Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8.

*Soda bread is best cooked in a conventional oven rather than a fan or convection oven.

Method

Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour most of the milk in at once. Using one hand with the fingers stiff and outstretched, mix in a full circular movement from the centre to the outside of the bowl, gradually drawing in the flour from the sides.  Add a little more milk if necessary – shop bought buttermilk is thinner than farm-fresh, so you will need less rather than more. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. The trick with all soda breads is not to overmix the dough – mix the dough as quickly and as gently as possible, keeping it really light and airy.  When it all comes together, a matter of seconds – turn it out onto a well-floured work surface. 

WASH AND DRY YOUR HANDS, then dust them with flour.

Tidy up the dough and flip it over gently.  Pat into a round, about 4cm deep.  Gather some of the excess flour from the worktop and sprinkle it on the centre of the baking tray.  With a sharp knife, cut a deep cross on top and prick the four corners with the tip of your knife to let the fairies out, otherwise they will jinx your bread!

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200°C/Gas Mark 6 and bake for 30 minutes more, until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread – if it’s fully cooked, it will sound hollow.

Allow to cook on a wire rack.

Fadge or Potato Bread

In Ulster, people are passionate about fadge or potato bread.  It can be cooked on a griddle, in a frying pan or in the oven. A little leftover mashed potato can be, and often was, added to soda bread.

Serves 8

Ingredients

900g unpeeled ‘old’ potatoes e.g. Golden Wonders or Kerr’s Pinks

1 egg, beaten

25-50g butter, diced

40g plain flour

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

creamy milk

bacon fat, clarified butter of olive oil for frying

Method

Bake or boil the potatoes in their jackets until soft, then pull off the skins and mash right away.   Add the beaten egg, butter and flour.  Season with lots of salt and freshly ground black pepper, adding a few drops of creamy milk if the mixture is too stiff. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Tip out onto a floured surface and shape into an 18cm round that’s 2.5cm thick, then cut into eight wedges. Dip in seasoned flour.

Heat some bacon fat, melted clarified butter or olive oil in a cast iron or griddle pan on a gentle heat. Add the wedges to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the fadge is crusty and golden on one side. Flip it over and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes more, until crusty and golden.

Alternatively, arrange the wedges on a baking tray and bake in an oven preheated to 180˚C/Gas Mark 4 for 15-20 minutes. 

Serve with an Ulster fry or just on its own on hot plates with a blob of butter melting on top.

Variation

Once again, one can do lots of riffs on potato bread.  Add chopped chives, wild garlic, thyme leaves, seaweed…

Bacon and Cabbage  

Without question Ireland’s national dish – less widely known abroad, but much more widely eaten, particularly in rural Ireland, than the legendary Irish stew.  *Nowadays, bacon is far less salty than it was in the 1970’s & 1980’s so it may not need to be blanched before cooking, just rub your finger along the surface and taste!

Serves 12-15

Ingredients

1.8-2.25kg loin or shoulder or streaky bacon with a nice covering of fat

1 head of cabbage: savoy, greyhound or spring cabbage, depending on the time of year

butter

white pepper

To Serve

Parsley Sauce (see recipe)

Method

If the bacon is too salty, cover in cold water and bring slowly to the boil (uncovered), white froth will rise to the top.  Pour off the water. Cover with hot water and simmer until nearly cooked through, allowing at least 20 minutes per 450g.

Meanwhile, remove the outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters, discarding the centre core. Cut each quarter into thin strips across the grain. About 30 minutes before the bacon is cooked, add the cabbage. Continue to cook until the cabbage is soft and tender, and the bacon is fully cooked through. Remove the bacon to a hot plate and strain the water off the cabbage. Return the cabbage to the pan with a lump of butter, season with white pepper. Serve with the bacon and, traditionally, boiled potatoes and lots of Parsley Sauce (see recipe).

Fresh Parsley Sauce

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

4 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (retain the stalks)

600ml fresh whole milk

30-45g roux (equal quantities of plain flour and butter, cooked together for 2 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally)

salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Put the parsley stalks into a saucepan with the cold milk, bring slowly to the boil, then remove the stalks. Whisk the roux into the boiling milk until thickened and add lots and lots of chopped fresh parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Simmer for 5-10 minutes on a very low heat, then taste and correct the seasoning before serving.

For me, when I’m on holiday, one of the greatest luxuries is to be able to sit and relax and not to have to rush after breakfast. I’m in Ahilya Fort located 2 1/2 hours by car from Indore in India.
Breakfast is outdoors on the Mandap, the upper terrace overlooking the sacred Narmada River, next to the ‘Pug Hotel’ where four chubby pugs soak up adoration from the passing guests.
My breakfast at home – it’s a cup of coffee, a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice (my daily shot of vitamin C) and then on with the business of the day.
Here, it’s bliss being able to linger over breakfast…the only decision I’ve got to make is what to choose from the menu.
I’ll definitely have chai masala, a milky spiced tea, with just one lump of sugar, maybe a piece of ripe papaya and a squeeze of fresh lime. A bowl of homemade buffalo curd (natural yoghurt) with a drizzle of wild  honey plus the suggestion of a crunchy homemade muesli made with puffed and flaked rice to scatter over the yoghurt with sliced locally grown bananas.
Will it be some spicy Maheshwari scrambled eggs, with a dice of fresh turmeric and coriander leaves sprinkled over the top and maybe a crisp rasher on the side or perhaps a herb omelette made with farm eggs, freshly grated cheese, and a fistful of fresh herbs from the garden.
Maybe I’ll have some fresh bam, an eel type fish from downstream on the river Narmada, fried with lots of green chilli, spices and more fresh turmeric from our host’s organic farm.
And then there’s a daily special.
Could be south Indian dosa with sambhar or coconut, tomato, tamarind and green chutneys. Maybe Appam with isthew or maybe chole or aloo puri, or a variety of parathas.
Such difficult decisions to make in the morning and of course I want to have the recipe for each and every one.
There is also the option of a traditional Irish breakfast with a little bowl of super sweet baked beans but why would you want that when there are so many Indian options to try.
Today, I’ll share three recipes which Ahilya Fort generously shared with me. All are easy to make at home. Try to find really fresh organic free range eggs, maybe you have listened to my constant nagging to have a few hens of your own in a coop in your backyard to eat up the food scraps and reward you with beautiful eggs for your Maheshwari scrambled eggs.

Maheshwari Scrambled Eggs 

Thank you to the chefs at Ahilya Fort for sharing the recipe for this delicious Indian riff on scrambled eggs. 

Serves 1 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped 

2 tsp chopped red onion (20g)

3 tsp chopped tomato, 5mm dice (50g)

1 tsp cumin seeds, dry roasted and roughly chopped

½ tsp ground turmeric 

2 eggs, organic if possible

½ tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

1 tbsp finely grated cheese, could be mature Cheddar and Parmesan (20g)

finely diced fresh turmeric (2-3g)

2 tsp coarsely chopped fresh coriander 

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the garlic, onion and tomato and stir and fry. Add the cumin and turmeric (both dry) and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion softens.

Whisk the eggs, add the onion and tomato mixture. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Film the base of the pan with the olive oil. Stir and cook the egg mixture for 15-20 seconds.  Sprinkle on the grated cheese, cook for a further 15- 20 seconds, the texture should be soft. Spoon onto a warm plate. Sprinkle with diced fresh turmeric and fresh coriander.

Serve immediately with flat bread or toast.  

Ahilya Fort Muesli

Serve with yoghurt and sliced banana or sprinkle on stewed

apple for a crunchy topping.

Serves 20

60g approx. rice flakes (poha)

70g puffed rice (parmal)

100g oatmeal

60g approx. corn flakes

110g frozen coconut or slice thinly if fresh

50g almonds, halved

50g cashews, halved

40g or more sesame seeds

150-300g honey

1 ½ tbsp of ghee or clarified butter

80g raisin or sultanas

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.

Mix the rice flakes, puffed rice, oatmeal, corn flakes together, add the coconut, halved nuts and seeds.

Heat the honey and ghee or oil in a small saucepan.

Pour over the dry ingredients, toss well to coat.

Spread on baking trays.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, stirring regularly until crisp. Remove from the oven. Add the sultanas or raisins, they will plump up in the warmth. Allow to cool on the trays. Store in an airtight jar.

Ahilya Fort Herb and Cheese Omelette

The freshly laid eggs come directly from the Hens on the Organic farm and the herbs from the garden…

Serves 1

2 fresh farm eggs
salt and freshly cracked pepper
2 tbsp of coarsely chopped herbs, chives or green part of spring onions, thyme, parsley, marjoram
15g butter
25-50g freshly grated cheese, maybe, Cheddar, Gruyere and Parmesan or a mixture

Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper, add the coarsely chopped herbs.

Melt the butter in a medium to hot pan, when the butter is sizzling and melted, pour in the egg mixture. Tilt the pan to spread evenly. Allow to cook on the base for a minute or so, sprinkle some grated cheese over the surface and allow to cook for another minute or so. Fold in half to make a semi-circle, flip over so it colours slightly on both sides.

Slide onto a warm plate and serve alone or with fresh chutneys of your choice, perhaps a green chutney, coconut and tomato.

This week, three of my favourite ways with chicken thighs and an excuse to encourage all diehard white meat lovers to try brown meat, my own personal favourite.
Of course, I’ll eat white meat when I’m served it, but I would never voluntarily choose. Drumsticks and thighs are so much more flavourful than breast meat, but you won’t believe me until you actually taste the difference.
Did you know that chicken breast outsells chicken thighs by about 50% – recent data shows that chicken breast remains the most popular meat in Ireland.  However, apparently sales trends are shifting, with chicken thighs gaining popularity because of their flavour, versatility and excellent value. Since early 2025, sales of chicken thighs have grown by 15.9% over chicken breast. Poultry meat accounts for 45% of all meat consumed in Ireland. White meat can so easily be dry, although brining it in salty water for just 30-40 minutes can make a huge difference to both the texture and flavour.
I really do love chicken but only eat it maybe once a week.
Childhood memories of the plump, flavoursome chickens that Mummy reared on kitchen food scraps has made me pretty dissatisfied with the majority of chicken, most of which is intensely produced in conditions that certainly raise welfare issues.
From egg to slaughter in 28-30 days as opposed to free-range organic birds that walk freely outdoors for 80-100 days, scratching in the grass which keeps them happy and healthy. A bird reared this way obviously costs immensely more to rear than factory produced birds. The feed and hence the retail price must be €20 plus depending on the size. Difficult to countenance when one can buy an ‘orphan chicken’ for as little as €3.79 or €5.89 for an Irish free-range chicken. These organic chickens are scarce; I buy from just a few organic and free-range producers. They sometimes don’t have enough birds to supply the demand in the Ballymaloe Cookery School Farm Shop also. As a growing number of people search for nourishing wholesome healthy food, it’s vital that the food regulations are proportionate to the risk involved, to support rather than discourage the small poultry producers who are prepared and still have the skill to rear farmhouse birds. They need encouragement rather than unnecessary impediments put in their way and mandatory clear and honest labelling. 
Do I hear you saying, it’s all very fine for her, the perception may be that I can afford it.  Well, let me tell you I can afford what seems like a luxury because I only buy whole chickens, complete with giblets. I can get seven delicious meals from one plump chicken, using every single scrap, including the carcass and giblets plus the feet for stock.
1.  The crispy skin is super delicious.
2. Chicken breasts.
3. Chicken tenders.
4. Chicken drumsticks.
5. Chicken thighs.
6. Carcass and neck, giblets and feet when I get them. One supplier told me that he wished every chicken had four feet, such is the demand for chicken feet for their high collagen content and the flavour they impart to the stock.
7. Chicken liver, loaded with vitamins A and B12 makes the most delicious chicken liver pâté which Myrtle showed me how to make years ago when I first came to Ballymaloe and we have been enjoying it ever since.
8. Chicken hearts and gizzards for kebabs or a Salade des Gésiers, so beloved in French bistros.
A chicken thigh makes a perfect portion, it can be cooked whole, simply roasted with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Can be bone in or out, with or without the skin, it’s not in the least bit difficult to remove the bone, (crack it with the back of a chopping knife and add to the stock pot). The thigh can then be stuffed with whatever you fancy – a slick of pesto, some mozzarella, wrapped in pancetta.
Dice into chunks, simmer gently, add some freshly chopped fresh herbs or spices,  a splash of stock and cream to make a delicious sauce.
The skin peels off really easily, sprinkle it with flaky sea salt and crispy up in the oven at 120°C/Gas Mark ½ for 25-30 minutes.
So delicious that everyone will argue over it – use it to garnish your dish or just nibble.
For simple supper, just brush the chicken thighs with extra virgin olive oil, then lots of finely chopped fresh thyme or rosemary. Season generously with flaky sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Add a generous dusting of smoked paprika or a few chilli flakes if you fancy. Pop into the oven on a roasting tray, maybe add a few wedges but here are three chicken thigh recipes that will become firm favourites.

Ottolenghi’s Roast Chicken Thighs with Saffron, Hazelnuts and Honey

The cooking time will vary according to the size of the chicken thighs; this has become a great favourite for supper parties. If you are doing half the recipe, choose an oven-proof dish or tray just large enough to accommodate the chicken in a single layer.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

8 large organic or free-range chicken thighs

2 onions, roughly chopped

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

a generous pinch of saffron strands

juice of 1 lemon

4 tbsp cold water

2 tsp coarse sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

100g unskinned hazelnuts

70g honey

1-2 tbsp rosewater depending on strength of rosewater

2 spring onions, sliced at an angle

sprigs of coriander

Method

Mix the chicken pieces with the onions, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, lemon juice and water in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. 

Spread the hazelnuts out on an oven tray and roast for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.  Chop roughly and set aside.

Reduce the temperature to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Transfer the chicken and marinade to a roasting tray just large enough to accommodate everything comfortably.  Arrange the chicken pieces skin side up and put the tray in the oven for about 35 minutes or until nearly cooked. * (see note at end of recipe).

While the chicken is roasting, mix the honey, rosewater and nuts together to make a rough paste.  Remove the chicken from the oven, spoon a generous amount of nut paste on to each piece and spread it to cover.  Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the nuts are golden brown.

Transfer the chicken, the juices and toasted nuts to a serving dish and garnish with the sliced spring onions and coriander leaves.

*The organic chickens we use are larger; the thighs weigh about 185g and take approximately 1 ¼ – 1 ½ hours to cook.

One-Dish Roast Chicken Supper with Thyme and Rosemary

Another lip-smackingly delicious dish that family and friends love me to cook for them. A whole roasting tray of crispy chicken, bacon and potatoes, perfumed with rosemary and thyme leaves. For a feistier flavour, substitute one-third to half the bacon for diced chorizo. Halve the quantities below for a smaller serving.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

500g streaky bacon lardons

2kg free-range, organic chicken thighs (drumsticks and wings can also be included)

2-3 tbsp thyme leaves

1-2 tbsp chopped rosemary

1.1kg (about 10 large) potatoes

250g onions, sliced

60-110ml hot chicken stock

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Serve

green salad or tomato fondue or piperonata

1 roasting tin – 37 x 31cm or 2 small tins – 30 x 20cm

Method

Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8.

Heat the olive oil in a roasting tin, add the bacon and toss over a high heat until it is beginning to colour.  Remove to a plate with a perforated spoon.

Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Put into a large bowl and scatter with most of the thyme leaves and chopped rosemary, reserving some for the potatoes. (I sometimes add a sprinkling of chilli flakes or smoked paprika – it gets a brilliant reaction). Toss well.

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1cm thick chips. Dry and season well with salt, pepper and the reserved herbs. Add to the bowl with chicken. Drizzle with the bacon fat and olive oil from the pan and toss once again.

Scatter the onions and bacon over the base of the roasting tin(s). Arrange the chicken and potatoes haphazardly on top, making sure that the potatoes are popping up. Drizzle with a little more olive oil.

Roast for 45 minutes–1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through (the juices should be running clear if pricked with a knife) and the chips are crispy at the edges. (Organic chicken pieces are larger, so cooking time can be up to 1 ¼ hours.)   Add the chicken stock at the end if the dish needs a little more juice.

Serve from the tin, family style, with a good green salad and vegetables of your choice, such as tomato fondue or piperonata if you wish.

Sticky Chinese Chicken Thighs

A perfect recipe to celebrate the Chinese New Year from February 17^th – March 3^rd 2026.

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in

4 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tbsp honey

½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder

thumb-sized knob of ginger, grated

2 garlic cloves, grated

bunch spring onions, chopped

50g cashew nuts, toasted or sesame seeds

To Serve

plain boiled rice

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.

Arrange the chicken thighs in a large roasting tin and slash the skin 2-3 times on each thigh. 

Mix together the hoisin sauce, sesame oil, honey, five-spice powder, ginger, garlic and some salt and pepper.  Pour over the chicken and toss to coat – allow to marinate for 2 hours, or overnight if you have time.

Roast in the preheated oven, skin-side up for 35 minutes, basting as least once during cooking.  Sprinkle with toasted cashew nuts or sesame seeds and spring onions. 

Serve with rice.

Even though pizzas and burgers vie for top spot on our menus, they are often referred to disparagingly because of the quality.
Nonetheless, we all know they can be super nutritious and delicious, when homemade with really flavourful ingredients.
Today, I’ll concentrate on burgers, two yummy meat burgers and one irresistible fish burger.
So what’s the secret of a delectable meat burger?
Well, it all starts with the quality and freshness of the meat. Buy a piece of well hung chuck or chump or flank from your local butcher, smile sweetly and ask for it to be minced there and then. The secret of delicious succulent burgers is the proportion of juicy fat to lean, aim for at least 20% better still 25% – this proportion will ensure that the burgers remain moist in cooking without being greasy or crumbling apart.
A high percentage of lean meat results in dry, dull burgers, despite popular perception and our well-orchestrated fear of fat.
Myrtle Allen always liked to add a little finely chopped sweated onion for extra sweetness but one can just mince top quality meat from a well reared animal, and season judiciously, this too results in an irresistible burger. Add various peppers, chilli, smoked paprika, pul biber, Aleppo pepper for extra excitement!
But the accompaniments are also key to the finished dish.
It can of course be naked or bunless but let’s face it most burger buns are gross and can ruin an otherwise delicious burger, we make an easy recipe given to me years ago by one of my students, Evie Lanitis.
I’m sure you’re rolling your eyes and thinking where does she think I’d get the time to make burger buns?
Well, how about making time to make a batch of your own, it can be quite therapeutic at a weekend and if you have kids they love to watch and help with shaping the buns.
One batch will make 24-30 buns, depending on size, they freeze perfectly and defrost quickly, particularly if they have been split horizontally before freezing.
Mix and season the mince but before you shape the burger, fry off a little morsel on a pan, taste and correct the seasoning.
Burgers have come a long way since they were invented, we’re not sure by whom…
Smash burgers with crisp, lacy, deeply golden brown edges are all the rage, and there are numerous variations on the original. The smashing maximises the Maillard reaction enhancing the rich and complex flavours that define an exceptional burger.
Try this pork burger too, once again, the fat content is crucially important to the succulence.
No point in even bothering if you can’t source pork from a well-reared pig. It will cost more, but the end result will hopefully be memorable rather than dull and boring.
I like to serve pork burgers with a piquant chimichurri sauce, but even a Bramley apple sauce will cut the richness deliciously, a few frozen damsons that I found in my freezer would be good too, but even the original will do the job deliciously. And now, how about a fish burger with minted peas and tartare sauce. Once again, the fish must be super fresh. You can’t imagine how delicious it will be. Try this version from Julius Roberts book whose recipes I featured in a recent column, and you seemed to love them.
Let me know how you enjoy these.

Basic Beef Burgers

The secret of really good beef burgers is the quality of the mince, it doesn’t need to be an expensive cut, but it is essential to use the freshly minced beef. A small percentage of fat in the mince will make the burgers sweet and juicy – between 20-25 per cent.  One or two tbsp of Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 tsp of chili flakes, 1-2 tbsp of sambal oelek, 2 tbsp of fish sauce, 1-2 tsp of ground cumin or coriander can be added according to your taste, but the recipe below gives a delicious basic burger.

Serves 4

Ingredients

15g butter or extra virgin olive oil

75g onion, finely chopped (optional)

450g freshly minced beef – flank, chump or shin would be perfect

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil

To Serve (optional)

burger or brioche buns

lettuce

sliced ripe tomatoes

sliced red onion

crispy bacon

avocado slices or a dollop of Guacamole (see recipe)

fried onions

roast or piquillo peppers

kimchi, pickled slaw or pickles

homemade spicy mayo or spicy tomato sauce,

barbecue sauce, hot sauce, bacon jam or relish of your choice

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan, toss in the onions, if using, cover and sweat over a low heat for 5-6 minutes until soft but not coloured.  Set aside to get cold. 

Meanwhile, mix the beef mince with the herbs and season with salt and pepper.  Then add the cooled onions and mix well.  Fry off a tiny bit of the mixture in the pan to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. 

With wet hands, shape the mixture into four burgers, or more depending on the size you require.  Chill until needed.

Cook to your taste in a little oil in a medium-hot frying or griddle pan, turning once.  For rare, cook for 2 minutes each side, for medium 3 minutes and for well-done 4 minutes.  If you’re cooking the burgers in batches, make sure to wash and dry the pan between batches.  Burgers can plump up in the centre while being cooked; to avoid this, make an indentation in the centre of each raw burger with your thumb.  Serve with any of the serving suggestions listed in the recipe.

Rory O’Connell’s Grilled Pork Burger with Fennel and Pistachios served with Apple and Plum or Damson Sauce

Thank you, Rory, for sharing this recipe.

These burgers are sweet and delicious. Belly or shoulder of pork is best here as you are generally guaranteed a decent amount of fat from those two cuts, and fat is essential for a good burger. If the meat you are using is too lean the burgers will be dry, hard and lacking in flavour. The other crucial point to remember for any kind of minced meat dish is that the mince needs to be really fresh, so minced on the same day you are going to cook and eat them. Minced meat deteriorates faster than any other prepared meat, hence freshness is paramount. Aromatic roast fennel seeds work beautifully here as they do with almost any cut of pork and the pistachio nuts add their own magical flavour and texture. I serve these with various different dishes. A plain mashed potato is good as is the courgette and marjoram mash. They also sit happily with a tomato stew or sauce. A Bramley apple sauce or the version with plums is also good here.  Cook these burgers fully, this is not the time for a rare burger!

Serves 6 as a main course

Ingredients

700g minced streaky or shoulder of pork

2 cloves of garlic crushed

1-2 chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

2 tsp of fennel seeds, roasted and ground

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

40g pistachio nuts, shells removed and coarsely chopped

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Mix all of the above ingredients together. Fry a teaspoon of the mixture to check seasoning. Adjust as necessary. Form the mixture into burgers, either 4 large or 8 small, and chill until ready to cook. Heat a heavy grill pan until quite hot. Grease the burgers lightly with olive oil and place on the hot grill to cook.  Allow to become golden brown on one side before turning. Control the heat carefully and cook the burgers, turning occasionally until fully cooked through. This takes about 15 minutes, and the burgers will feel firm to the touch.

Serve the burgers on hot plates with Bramley Apple and Plum Sauce and a vegetable of choice.

Bramley Apple and Plum or Damson Sauce

Ingredients

450g Bramley apples

4 plums or damsons

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp water

Method

Peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut each quarter in half. Place in a small saucepan with the sugar and water. Quarter the plums and remove the stones and add to the apples. Cover the saucepan with a tight fitting lid and cook on a very low heat. The apples and plums will collapse to a frothy fluff. Allow to cool a little and then if you wish, lift the skins off the pieces of plum – it is not essential to do this. Stir well to mix the apples and the plums and taste and if necessary, add another pinch of sugar.

Crispy Fish Baps with Minted Peas and Tartare Sauce

*Recipe adapted from The Farm Table by Julius Roberts, published by Ebury Press

Dover or lemon sole work best, but if using a slightly thicker fish, turn the frying heat to 170°C and let the breadcrumbs brown a little more slowly, by which point the fish should be cooked within. Seek out buns that are so fluffy, your fingers leave an impression, keep the tartare sauce quite chunky and fill them to the brim with sweet buttery peas.

Serves 4

Ingredients

400g frozen peas

40g butter

1 unwaxed lemon

a bunch of fresh mint leaves, picked and finely chopped

150g plain flour

2 eggs

150g panko breadcrumbs

4 fillets of white fish

enough sunflower for shallow frying

4 baps

Tartare Sauce

250g natural yoghurt or homemade mayo or use half and half

80g cornichons, coarsely chopped

50g capers, coarsely chopped

1 shallot, finely diced

a bunch of fresh dill (20g) finely chopped (tarragon, chervil may also be used)

Method

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and pop in the peas and cook for 4 minutes approx., then drain. Return the peas to the pan and add the butter. Remove from the heat, crush the peas with a potato masher, grate in the zest of the lemon and stir in the mint. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add lemon juice before serving.

Next make the tartare sauce.

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, taste adding more cornichons, lemon or herbs or yoghurt to mellow it out – be careful that it’s not overly acidic.

Take three plates or shallow bowls for the flour, egg and panko breadcrumbs. Season the flour with a good pinch of salt and whisk the eggs together.

Take one piece of fish, coat each fillet with flour, shaking off any excess, transfer it to the egg, turn to coat each side. Allow any excess to drip off, then transfer to the panko and turn a few times until well-coated. Transfer to a parchment lined tray and repeat with the remaining fillets.

Pour some sunflower oil into a wide high-sided frying pan and place on a medium heat (it should come 7.5cm up the side of the frying pan approx.). The frying temperature should be between 170-180°C, use a thermometer if you have one or test with a little pinch of panko which should sizzle as soon as it hits the hot oil and turn golden.

Gently place the fillets in the oil – best to cook in batches so as to not overload the frying pan which will reduce the internal cooking temperature. Fry until the first side is golden, then gently flip to cook the other side (a couple of minutes). If using a thicker piece of fish, cook at a lower temperature initially, then turn up to brown the panko towards the end. Remove from the oil, transfer to a tray lined with kitchen paper to soak up the excess oil, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt and a grind of freshly ground black pepper.

As the fish is frying, split the baps and lightly toast or grill.

Spoon a generous amount of tartare sauce on the base of each bap, top with the crispy fish, spoon over the peas and finish with another layer of tartare and the top of the bag. Eat immediately.

In these days of so much doom and gloom particularly among the farming sector. I’m so encouraged to meet so many young people who are leaving the cities to go back to the country to live on the land, not just here but in the UK and US also. A recent poll in The Journal found that 53% of Irish people would also prefer to live in the country.

Many long to buy a patch of land, and a little house, often even one in dire need of renovation. One such example is Julius Roberts, I’ve never met him, but I certainly want to. He’s one of the many who are leaving the cities to take back a modicum of control over their own lives. They are on a mission to grow their own food and reconnect with the natural world

Julius spent most of his childhood in the countryside exploring the woods, hunting rabbits and building bonfires!

Initially, he was scared to make the leap. For almost a year he’d been working in ‘Noble Rot’, a well-known London restaurant and wine bar. He loved the camaraderie and the excitement but the long hours, lack of sleep and stress didn’t seem sustainable to him. He loved learning and was intrigued by his head chef’s constant search for new produce, the very best ingredients and day boat fish from Cornwall. And the forager who always found the best wild mushrooms, the vegetable growers who sowed seeds and tilled the land. He envied the cheery ‘tanned and healthy’ looking growers who delivered seasonal vegetables – crunchy kale, juicy tomatoes, thorny artichokes, blue skinned pumpkins and the farmer who proudly delivered the lambs he’d reared on organic pasture. All looked so vibrant and healthy from an outdoor life while he spent his days in a windowless kitchen.

He was scared to take the plunge, but after much encouragement, he packed a bag and set off with his dog Loki in tow. He moved into his parents cottage in Suffolk and started private catering to make ends meet with the ultimate goal of turning their home into a smallholding…

Quite the challenge, he’d moved in the depths of winter with a fist full of dreams and one might say, a pocket full of pence. The ground was frozen solid, too hard to dig and too cold to even sow seeds. There were many discoveries, chickens don’t like the cold either and lay far fewer eggs in winter.

He’d heard that pigs were a joy, so he started to search online and as luck would have it, met a lady who kept Mangalitsa rare breed pigs. Those gorgeous hairy pigs, famous for their dark marbled meat and particularly good for curing.

Eventually, four squeaky piglets arrived and after much fuss settled into the pen, Julius had scrambled together in the woods. They snuffled through the fallen leaves, dug deep into the rich soil and gorged on acorns. And so began a long and joyful journey.

Chickens, a few goats, a small flock of sheep and lots of vegetables growing plus an endless string of hard knocks, mistakes and joyful learning followed and so it continues.

Somehow in the midst of it all, Julius wrote a book, continued to cook and experiment with his homegrown produce. The rest is history.

His book ‘The Farm Table’ is a joy, not just for the many delicious seasonable recipes, but for his tingling prose, published by Ebury Press in 2023, but I’ve only just discovered it.

*Recipes have been adapted from The Farm Table by Julius Roberts, published by Ebury Press

Egg Curry with Coconut Sambal and Flatbread

A comforting and warming dish inspired by the egg curries of Sri Lanka and southern India.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Curry Paste

3 cloves of garlic

4-6cm approx. of fresh ginger

1 tbsp coconut oil

5 green cardamom pods

½ stick of cinnamon

2 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp mustard seeds

Curry Base

1 large brown onion

2 bird’s-eye green chillies (remove the seeds if you don’t like it too spicy!)

1 tbsp coconut oil

10 fresh curry leaves

1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes

1 x 400ml tin of coconut milk

8 eggs

Coconut Sambal

100g desiccated coconut (use freshly grated coconut if available)

1 small brown onion

30g fresh coriander

1 green chilli (optional)

juice of 1 lime

salt and a sprinkle of sugar

To Serve

warm flatbreads

Method

For the curry paste, smash and peel the garlic, then peel and roughly chop the ginger. Heat the coconut oil in a small pan. Once warm, add the spices, garlic, and ginger and fry on a medium heat for a minute or two until fragrant, make sure they don’t burn. Transfer to a food processor with a splash of water and blitz to a fine paste. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside. 

For the curry base, finely slice the onion and cut the chillies into thirds on the diagonal. Heat the coconut oil in a heavy-based pan and once warm, add the curry leaves and chillies. Fry briefly until they sizzle and release their fragrance, then add the onion with a decent pinch of salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the onion begins to caramelise at the edges. Lift 4 tomatoes from the tin and crush them into the pan (don’t be tempted to add the entire tin as the tomato flavour will dominate). Add the curry paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the coconut milk and cook for 15 minutes, until the flavours have melted and the sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

While the curry is coming together, get a large pan of water on a rolling boil and add the eggs. Set a timer for 7 minutes (for a medium soft-boiled egg with jammy yolks). When they’re ready, remove and plunge into cold water. Peel off the shells and add the eggs to the curry sauce. 

To make the sambal, pour the coconut into a bowl and grate in the onion. Pour a few splashes of water over the coconut and stir together, adding more until it loses its dryness. Finely chop the coriander and chilli, if using, and stir through the coconut, being careful with the chilli at first. Taste and season generously with lime, sugar and salt until you’re happy. Add more green chilli bit by bit to find the right level of spice for you.

Serve the curry in bowls, with warm flatbreads and a generous amount of the coconut sambal.

Deep Green Pasta

This one pot dish is delicious and made in minutes.  This sauce is equally delicious dolloped into a risotto at the end of cooking, slathered on toast with eggs, or even stirred into a salad dressing.

Serves 4

Ingredients

250g cavolo nero (destalked weight), chopped coarsely

2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled

200g spinach

400g rigatoni (penne may also be used)

100ml olive oil

1 unwashed lemon

ricotta, Parmesan or pecorino, for serving (optional)

Method

Get a large pan of water on to a rolling boil and season well with salt, enough that you can actually taste it. Add the cavolo nero along with the garlic cloves and simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add the spinach, and when it has wilted (1 minutes approx.), keeping the pot of water at a rolling boil, lift the greens and garlic into a colander. Run the greens under a cold tap and allow them to drain (press out the excess water). Put the pasta into the pan of water. 

When the greens are drained, transfer to a high-speed blender, pour in the olive oil, grate in the zest of the lemon, and blitz into a very smooth purée, adding a splash of the cooking water to loosen it if need be (75ml approx.). Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Cook the pasta until al dente, then take a mug and collect a full cup of the starchy water before straining the pasta. Pour the pasta back into the hot pan and add a few big dollops of the sauce – be generous. Add a good splash of the pasta water (100ml approx.) and mix well, beating it around the pan to form a thick sauce that envelops the pasta in a deep green blanket. Serve immediately, with a squeeze of lemon, some ricotta, Parmesan or pecorino, if you like, and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Pear and Walnut Upside-Down Cake

This cake is juicy, moist, and wonderfully light, but not too sweet. This cake lasts a good few days, especially if you keep it covered. Just gently warm any leftover slices in a low 140 °C fan oven (Gas Mark 1) before eating. 

Serves 8

Ingredients

Caramelised Pear Topping

5-6 ripe pears

50g butter

80g soft brown butter

juice of 1 ½ lemons (100ml approx.)

Cake

200g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

seeds from 5 cardamom pods

3 cloves

100g walnuts

200g self-raising flour

4 tsp baking powder

5g sea salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

100g sour cream

To Serve

crème fraiche

1 x 23cm round cake tin, lined with parchment paper

Start by peeling the pears, then cut them into quarters lengthwise and remove the cores with a sharp knife. Place a wide frying pan on a medium heat and add the butter. When it begins to melt, add the pears, cut side down, then sprinkle the soft brown sugar over the top and gently move the pan, using the weight of the pears to mix the sugar into the butter. Squeeze over the lemon juice and allow to cook down for 8-10 minutes, until the pears have softened but still holding shape and the butter and sugar have become an amber-coloured caramel. Remove the pears and arrange cut side up, fat side out in the lined cake tin (you may not need all of them). Leave the caramel bubbling on a low heat to reduce further until it reaches a thick consistency, then pour over the pears (3-4 tbsp of caramel approx.).

Preheat the oven to 180 °C fan (Gas Mark 4).

For the cake. Place the softened butter in a large bowl of a food processor using the whisk attachment and add the sugar. Whisk until the butter is pale and fluffy, scraping down the sides a few times to make sure it’s evenly incorporated. With the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is thoroughly mixed before adding the next, or the butter may split.

Grind the cardamom seeds and cloves in a pestle and mortar and pop into a bowl. Bash the walnuts in a pestle and mortar or crush them in a folded tea towel, using a rolling pin. You want to keep a chunky texture. Mix the flour with the baking powder to ensure its evenly distributed. Sift, then add to the butter with the salt, cinnamon, ground spices and walnuts. Mix these dry ingredients into the batter, then stir through the sour cream. Spread the cake batter over the pears and lightly even out the top. 

Place the cake in the middle of the oven for up to an hour, until the cake is set. After around 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 160 °C fan (Gas Mark 3) to make sure the top doesn’t get too dark. Keep an eye, but don’t open the door, or you risk the cake deflating. After about 50 minutes, give the cake a gentle shake – if the middle is at all wobbly, it’s not cooked yet. To test, insert a skewer into the middle, and when it comes out clean, it’s ready.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 15 minutes, then place a chopping board gently on the top of the cake. Flip the cake and board, then remove the tin, and you should have a beautifully risen cake with juicy caramelised pears on top. Serve warm with crème fraîche.

Food and farming are my great loves so when I travel, I link up with carefully chosen farmers and food producers and eat out a lot – all in the way of research!

The ORFC, Oxford Real Farming Conference at the beginning of January was a particularly inspirational few days with over 2,000 delegates and 150 plus events in nine venues throughout Oxford.
But this is a food column so I’ll concentrate on the restaurants that have inspired and delighted me lately.

On a recent visit to London, my most enjoyable meal of many, was at The Yellow Bittern on Caledonian Road. A tiny restaurant where Hugh Corcoran and his partner, Frances Armstrong-Jones,  run one of my very favourite eateries, on their own terms,  so they too can have a life!
 Open Monday to Friday, just for lunch, one sitting a day at 1pm. Closed on  Saturday and Sunday,  not open for dinner – cash only….
A set menu of delicious seasonal food and real provenance.
Freshly baked wheaten bread with homemade butter. (Hugh then uses the leftover buttermilk for the soda bread).
A set price lunch, £50, half a dozen delicious Galway oysters and/or a cheese trolley of Irish Farmers cheese in perfect condition, including a beautiful crusty wheel of Mike Thompson’s Young Buck from Hugh’s hometown Belfast, an optional extra.
First, there was a big bowl of deeply comforting chicken broth, followed by a brown and white crab meat with homemade mayo and a simple salad – pitch perfect, unpretentious and delicious.

By coincidence, the fishmonger who supplied the spanking fresh crab was sitting at the next table tucking into one of Hugh‘s legendary pies. This time, it’s beef shin, topped with a flaky rough puff pastry lid, and accompanied by a bowl of meltingly tender Cavallo Nero.
Pudding was a home-made profiterole, oozing crème patisserie and smothered in dark chocolate sauce.

My criteria for a good restaurant, even if I’ve had an enjoyable meal. Do I want to return? Often the answer is more like…Been there, done that, don’t need to do again but it’s a resounding YES to the Yellow Bittern and also to Assassination Custard, perhaps, my favourite lunch place in Dublin.
A similar vibe in many ways, it’s even tinier than The Yellow Bittern,  just three tables, two tables for two and one round table that will sit six at a slight squeeze. This can be a sharing table, so fun to make new friends.
The menu of small plates, maybe 10-12 choices, is written in Ken‘s (by his own admission) almost illegible handwriting and I always seem to want to order absolutely everything.

I recently took my friend who hadn’t been before and we literally ate our way through the menu, sharing small plates…
Taralli with Cannonata
Aubergine with Pul Biber

Pickled Mussels with Curry Leaf Aioli on strips of Grilled Focaccia
Crown Prince Pumpkin with Garlic and Agrodolce
Bitters and Guanciale
Wilted Greens on Panisse
Pumpkin with Guindillas Chillies, and shavings of Parmesan
Blood Orange and Red Onion Salad with EVOO and Sea Salt
Vitello Tonnato with Veal from Broughgammon Farm in Co. Antrim.
Potatoes Stuffed with Wild Mushrooms from the Mushroom Butcher on 90 South Circular Road in Portobello.
Friselle Bread with Giardiniera and Labneh
Blood Orange and Olive Oil Cake with Softly Whipped Cream
I had some cream left over so I put a dollop on my mocha coffee. I’d forgotten how totally delicious, icy cold cream is on hot coffee.
When I look back at my photos, I was astonished to see that we shared 12 dishes. At the end I was pleasingly sated but absolutely not over full.
When I read back over my text I realise that I am effusive  in my praise for these two restaurants but I’d like to stress that I have no connection with either and do not accept free meals even if offered, but it’s so thrilling to get real food made from superb, fresh seasonal ingredients.

The vegetables came from McNally’s Farm, the food heroes of every good chef in Dublin.

Everything was made from scratch and cooked and served just before we ate each dish.

Once again, all the breads, taralli, friselle focaccia were all house made and still warm.

Deceptively simple, highly skilled, perfectly judged food, seemingly effortlessly cooked by Ken and Gwen, who have a rare skill for combining and highlighting flavours and creating contrasting textures.

No B/S, no green washing – a breath of fresh air, rare enough in these days of twiddles and bows and skid marks on plates.
Book ahead for both places but it’s always worth contacting on the day, just in case of a cancellation.

While you’re there, pick up a little jar of the legendary piccalilli.

And while you are at Yellow Bittern, check out Oisin Davies book shop located downstairs – another hidden treasure trove.

Yellow Bittern’s Crab with Homemade Mayonnaise and Winter Leaves

So simple, so perfect.

Serves 4 approx.

Ingredients

1 cooked brown crab (see recipe)

homemade mayonnaise

a little salad of seasonal leaves

Salad Dressing

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

salt

Method

Remove the claws from the crab. Crack the claws and extract every scrap of white meat. Put into a bowl.

Hold the crab with the underside uppermost and lever out the centre portion – I do this by catching the little lip of the projecting centre shell against the edge of the table and pressing down firmly. The Dead Man’s Fingers (lungs) usually come out with this central piece but check in case some are left in the body. If so, remove and discard them.

Press your thumb down over the light shell just behind the eyes so that the shell cracks slightly, and then the sac which is underneath can be removed easily and discarded. Everything else inside the body of the crab is edible.

Scoop out the brown meat from the shell and put into a separate bowl. Taste each and tweak the seasoning if necessary.

To make the salad dressing, whisk all ingredients together just before the salad is to be eaten.

To Serve

Put a generous dollop of white and brown crab meat side by side on the plate with some homemade mayonnaise and a generous pinch full of dressed leaves and maybe a segment of lemon.

Simple and utterly delicious when each of the elements are fresh and lovely.

How to cook crab

All types of crab are best cooked in seawater.  Alternatively, cook in well-salted freshwater.  For common crab, put the crab into a deep saucepan, cover with cold or barely lukewarm water, using 175g of salt to every 2.3 litres of water.  This may sound like an incredible amount of salt but try it: the crab will taste deliciously sweet.

Cover the saucepan, bring to the boil and then simmer from there on, allowing 15 minutes for the first 450g, and 10 minutes for the second and third (I’ve never come across a crab bigger than that!).  We usually pour off two-thirds of the water halfway through cooking and then cover and steam the crab for the remainder of the time.  As soon as it is cooked, remove it from the saucepan and allow to get cold.

Assassination Custard’s Bitters and Guanciale

The sugar/vinegar mixture will be more than enough for this salad and the Pumpkin Agrodolce.  

Serves 4

Ingredients

250ml apple cider vinegar

250ml distilled vinegar

250g of granulated sugar 

400g of salad leaves (a combination of):

red endive 

Belgian endive 

chicory

radicchio (optional)

100g guanciale 

2 tbsp of olive oil 

4 tbsp of sugar/vinegar mixture 

Method

Heat the vinegars in a saucepan. Add the sugar to dissolve. Cool and bottle if not using straight away. 

Break the endive into its natural strips. Cut and discard the ends. The radicchio and chicory can be chopped into similar sizes. Pop them in a bowl.

Chop the guanciale into small pieces. Fry in the pan with the olive oil until crispy. The smoke is normal but watch it. Take the pan off the heat. Remove the guanciale with a slotted spoon and keep in a warm place.

Add about 4 tablespoons of the sugar/vinegar mixture into the pan off the heat. You want to emulsify the fat and sugar/vinegar. Gently reheat the pan and whisk the fat and sugar mixture. Be careful. It might spit a bit. As soon as it starts to bubble, pour over the leaves. Throw in half the guanciale. Toss everything together. Divide between 2 large plates (for sharing) or 4 small ones. Eat while warm. 

Assassination Custard’s Pumpkin Agrodolce 

This recipe is time-consuming but worth the effort. It keeps in the fridge for about a week or so, if it lasts that long!

Ingredients

1 whole small-medium Crown Prince pumpkin vinegar/sugar mixture with added water (see Bitters and Guanciale recipe). 

3 garlic cloves, chopped

extra virgin olive oil 

sea salt 

Serves 20

Method

Very carefully cut the pumpkin in half. Then even more carefully, flesh side down, slice the pumpkin in ½cm thin or whatever feels comfortable and not dangerous.

Using a griddle, pan-grill the pumpkin slices until cooked and a little charred. Approx. 2-3 minutes per side. As the pan gets hotter it will take less time. Tumble the slices into a container and pour over enough of the sugar/vinegar mixture (with a little added water) to cover the pumpkin. Add some extra virgin olive oil. Put a lid on the container and leave overnight in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving. We add a little chopped garlic just before serving. Don’t forget to spoon over some dressing and oil. Finish with sea salt. The marinade could be used again (for this recipe) or other dressings. 

At present the streets of Seville and many Spanish towns and villages are lined with beautiful orange trees with shiny green leaves and tantalizingly ripe bitter oranges – all perfect for marmalade making. One wonders why the Spaniards don’t pick them but wait for this, the Spanish don’t love marmalade and are very confused and bemused by our love for this bitter preserve.

Spain exports most of its Seville and Malaga oranges to the UK and Ireland for marmalade lovers like me. The season is short, from mid-December to the end of February so if you want to make your very own favourite marmalade, you’ll need to dash to the shops to secure your supply. Buy more than you need, if at all possible,

just throw them into the freezer whole (they freeze brilliantly) so you can make whole orange marmalade at any time of the year.

Marmalade is an intensely personal taste, some like it fresh tasting, others prefer bittersweet.

Seville Orange Marmalade is the real deal, the classic, made famous by our beloved Paddington Bear. You can do lots of riffs on it by adding whiskey, treacle or ginger…It’s stronger, tangier than preserves made with other citrus. Nonetheless, I also make properly delicious marmalade with grapefruit, Amalfi lemons… blood oranges are also in season now, bergamot and clementines, mandarins, tangerines and of course kumquats, the baby of the citrus fruit family which makes one of the most delicious preserves of all. I love to serve it with a pan-grilled duck breast or a burrata and rocket salad.

Most, though not all marmalades are made over a two day period. Juice and squeeze the oranges (buy organic if at all possible), Seville oranges tend to be unwaxed but give the others a good scrub first to remove the food-grade wax, pesticide residues, dust and bacteria acquired during the transportation process on the rind. Slice the orange peel thickly or thinner, depending on your preference. Collect the pips and scoop out into a muslin bag with the membrane (essential for pectin). Leave to steep with the peel in the water and juice overnight. Next day, cook for ages until the peel is tender, heat the sugar but be careful not to add until the peel is really soft and the liquid has reduced to between one-third and half of its original volume. If the sugar is added too early, it has a hardening effect on the peel, resulting in a chewy texture which no amount of boiling will soften it… So disappointing, after all your hard work. I know it doesn’t ‘float everyone’s boat’ but I love slicing the peel by hand, I make it into a Zen like practice, brew a cup of coffee, turn on a little soothing music, pop onto a highchair and enjoy the process. Of course, one could just put into a blender but for me, the result is sludgy and much less appealing. It’s your choice, it will depend on your preference and of course time.

If you really are a marmalade nerd, think about entering a pot into the Marmalade Awards before February 3^rd check out www.dalemain.com

For those who love a really fresh tasting marmalade and/or if you are short of time, try this No Cook Marmalade, made in minutes, store it in the fridge and it’ll keep for at least 3 weeks.

There are lots more marmalade recipes in my Forgotten Skills and Ballymaloe Cookery Course cookbooks published by Kyle Books.

Old-Fashioned Seville Orange Marmalade

A brilliant recipe for a traditional Seville orange marmalade.

Makes approx. 3.2kg

Ingredients

900g of Seville oranges, organic if possible

2.3 litres water

1 organic lemon

1.45kg granulated sugar

Method

Wash the fruit, cut in half and squeeze out the juice. Remove the membrane with a spoon, put with the pips and tie them in a piece of muslin. Slice the peel finely or coarsely, depending on how you like your marmalade. Put the peel, orange and lemon juice, bag of pips and water into a non-reactive bowl or deep saucepan overnight.

Next day, bring everything to the boil in a deep saucepan. Cover and simmer gently four about 1 1/2 hours until the peel is really soft. Then cook uncovered until the liquid is reduced to between one third to half of the original volume (30 minutes approx.). Squeeze all the liquid from the bag of pips and remove it.

Add the warmed sugar and stir until all the sugar has been dissolved. Increase the heat and bring to a full rolling boil rapidly until setting point is reached 5-10 minutes approx. Test for a set, either with a sugar thermometer (it should register 104°C, or with a saucer. Put a little marmalade on a cold saucer and cool for a few minutes. If it wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it’s done.

Allow marmalade to sit in the saucepan for 15 minutes before bottling to prevent the peel from floating.   Pot into hot sterilized jars. Cover immediately and store in a cool dry dark place.

N.B. The peel must be absolutely soft before the sugar is added, otherwise when the sugar is added it will toughen the peel and no amount of boiling will soften it.

Variations

Whiskey Marmalade

Add 6 tbsp of whiskey to the cooking marmalade just before potting and boil for 1-2 minutes.

Treacle Marmalade

Add 175ml of treacle to the marmalade just before setting point has been reached. Bring back to the boil and cook for 4-5 minutes or until setting point is reached.

Ginger Marmalade

Add 175-225g peeled, finely chopped fresh ginger to once the recipe.  You may like to substitute Demerara sugar for a fuller flavour and darker colour.

Seville Whole Orange Marmalade

(made with whole oranges)

With any marmalade its vital that the original liquid has reduced by half or better still two-thirds before the sugar is added otherwise it takes ages to reach a set and both the flavour and colour will be spoiled.  A wide low-sided stainless steel saucepan is best for this recipe, say 35.5 x 40.5cm wide. If you don’t have one approx. that size cook the marmalade in two batches.

Makes 13-15 pots, depending on the size of the pot

Ingredients

2.2kg Seville or Malaga oranges (organic if possible)

5.1 litres water

3.6kg sugar

Method

Wash the oranges.  Put them in a stainless steel saucepan with the water.  Put a plate on top to keep them under the surface of the water.  Cover with the lid of the saucepan, simmer gently until soft, 2 hours approx. cool and drain, reserving the water. (If more convenient, leave overnight and continue next day.) Put your chopping board onto a large baking tray with sides so you won’t lose any juice.   Cut the oranges in half and scoop out the soft centre.  Slice the peel finely. Put the pips into a muslin bag.

Put the escaped juice, sliced oranges and the muslin bag of pips in a large wide stainless steel saucepan with the reserved marmalade liquid.  Bring to the boil, reduce by half or better still two-thirds, add the warm sugar, stir over a brisk heat until all the sugar is dissolved.  Boil fast until setting point is reached. Pot in sterilized jars and cover at once.  Store in a dark airy cupboard.

With any marmalade its vital that the original liquid has reduced by half or better still two-thirds before the sugar is added otherwise it takes ages to reach a set and both the flavour and colour will be spoiled.  A wide low-sided stainless steel saucepan is best for this recipe, say, 35.5 – 40.5cm wide.   If you don’t have one around that size, cook the marmalade in two batches.

No Cook Marmalade

Use organic fruit for this recipe.

A super delicious fresh tasting marmalade, made in minutes.

Makes 12 x 175ml jam jars

Ingredients

1.8kg approx. fruit (5 oranges, 1 lemon and 1 grapefruit)

1kg 250g granulated sugar

Method

Wash the fruit and cut into roughly 2.5-4cm chunks.

Remove the pips where possible.

Divide the fruit and sugar evenly into 3 batches.

Put one batch at a time into a Magimix, pulse and whizz. Pour into cold, sterilised jars and cover immediately. Taste, add a little more sugar if necessary.

Store in a refrigerator and enjoy as soon as possible while fresh.  

This year we grew several ‘new’ winter vegetables, For the curious, creative cook and home gardener, winter vegetables are particularly useful.
We love all the kales, romanesco, leeks, and my favourite winter tuber, Jerusalem artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus). It’s the knobbly rhizome that keeps on giving. In the US, they are referred to as sunchokes.
Every year, I wax lyrical about them, encourage you to plant some and I’m so enthusiastic that I have even offered to give a little bagful for free to get you started. The offer still stands but you’ll have to make the trip to Shanagarry to collect them as many did last year. Where you plant one in your garden this year, you’ll have 8 to 10 hidden underneath next year, how wonderful is nature? Despite their name, they are not even related to globe artichokes (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus), they’re part of the sunflower family and will have a pretty yellow flower later in the year, fantastic for large flower arrangements.
But have you heard of my relatively new find, a vegetable called oca? They are sometimes referred to as New Zealand yams, they also are a curvaceous, colourful tuber, but can be yellow, reddish pink, or purple. The variety we grew produced delicious orangey tubers.
They too, like Jerusalem artichokes are super versatile and can be boiled, roasted, fried or eaten raw. They give a delicious crunch to salads and because oca are related to oxalis, the clover like leaves are also edible, reminiscent of sorrel.
Oca has been a staple in the Andean countries for centuries, a vitamin and mineral rich superfood, second only to potatoes in importance and super easy to grow.
They have a pleasing lemony flavour when cooked and readily take on other flavours, herbs, spices and chilli.
Cardoons are another, perhaps, unusual new seasons’ vegetable native to the Mediterranean region but they grow brilliantly in my garden in East Cork. A particular favourite of the Italians. Even though they are related to globe artichokes, they are completely different, it’s the stalks we eat not the unopened flowerheads. They are grown for their edible, celery like stems and jagged, architectural silvery grey foliage which is often used as a design feature in the garden and by florists for their purple, thistle like flowers. Bees, bumblebees and other insects absolutely adore them according to Hannah Bäckmo of Hanna’s bees.
Even though they’re perennial, cardoons take a bit of looking after. We wrap the stems in brown or newspaper a few weeks before harvesting to blanch and tenderise the stems and counteract some of the bitterness.
The thick fleshy stems are super nutritious and have a slightly bitter, nutty flavour, reminiscent of globe artichokes which I absolutely relish.
They can be braised or boiled, added to gratins, tagines and hearty casseroles, stewed, deep fried as fritters, or nibbled raw.
But first cut off the ends, remove the tough outer leaves and use the vegetable peeler to shave off fibrous strings and spines from the ribs, then cut the stalk into 2.5-5cm pieces before blanching in a large pot of boiling salted water with a squirt of lemon juice or vinegar for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking, drain well, before proceeding with your chosen recipe.
Finally, there are feisty black radishes, I first came across them in Romania several years ago. They were in every market and virtually everyone’s shopping basket and the Romanians swore that they had miracle powers, protection against winter colds and flu, anti-inflammatory…
Since then, I’ve checked it out and many of their claims are indeed backed up by science. They are an excellent detox helping with liver detoxification, could be good news after Christmas – they also boost the immune system and are particularly beneficial for respiratory issues.
They grow to the size of a small turnip and have a feisty radish flavour when eaten raw but more mellow when cooked. Try this delicious recipe Rory O’Connell made for us last week.

Rory O’Connell’s Black Radish with Marjoram

Black radish is a vegetable that is not nearly as well known in this part of the world as it should be. It is only recently that I have begun to cook the brutish looking root that would not win any prizes in a vegetable beauty pageant. Previously, I have peeled, then sliced or grated the raw flesh into salads and that approach is both peppery and refreshing. The outer skin is jet black and rather rough to the touch, unpleasant to eat and needs to be heavily peeled away and discarded to the compost heap to reveal the white and crisp flesh. On top of the radish are a plume of green leaves which if still attached also have a role to play in this simple recipe.

 The cooked radish taste very similar to a white turnip or what some cooks will call a navet and it is marvellous so think about serving with lamb, chicken, pork or bacon and they would be marvellous with duck or goose or almost any game such as pheasant, wild duck and venison.

The radish is a boon to growers of winter vegetables as it is uncomplicated to grow and sits happily in the chilly soil seemingly oblivious to any kind of atrocious weather the elements throw at it.

The purported health benefits of the vegetable are too many to mention, but one curious treatment is to cut a lid off and hollow out the root to create a bowl leaving 2cm of flesh behind. Half fill with honey, replace the lid and allow to sit at room temperature overnight. The syrupy liquid that follows is regarded as being beneficial for soothing coughs and sore throats.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

25-30g butter

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

500g black radish, weighed after peeling and cut into neat 1.5cm dice

2 tbsp water

1-2 tbsp marjoram leaves chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Melt the butter and olive oil in a low-sided saucepan and allow to foam. Add in the prepared radish and season with salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables to coat them in the fat and seasoning and add 2 tablespoons of water. Place a disc of greaseproof paper on top to cover and follow with a tight fitting saucepan lid. Bring to a simmer and cook on a very gentle heat for 30 minutes approx. or until tender but still holding their shape. Do make sure to cook enough and equally do not overcook and reduce to a mush. You will need to test the vegetable with a skewer or small knife to make sure they are sufficiently cooked. If there is surplus liquid remaining in the saucepan once the vegetables are cooked, remove the lid and boil to reduce to a delicious syrupy glaze.

Stir in the chopped marjoram just before serving having tasted to ensure seasoning is correct. Serve hot in a hot serving dish.

Radish Leaves

If the leaves are still attached to the radishes, that is a great and delicious bonus. I simply remove the tough central rib, wash the leaves well and cook uncovered until tender in boiling salted water. Strain well and chop coarsely before adding to the cooked radish dish above at the same time as the marjoram.

Cardi Fritti (Cardoon Fritters)

This crispy fritter batter works brilliantly for many vegetables – courgette, aubergine….

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 bunch of cardoons (450g approx.)

1 lemon

oil for frying

coarse salt

For the batter

125g plain flour

½ tsp instant yeast

good pinch of salt

200-250ml water more or less (one could use sparkling water but, in that case, use the batter immediately)

To cook the cardoons

1 tsp salt

600ml water

1 dsp of plain flour

To Serve

flaky sea salt

lemon wedges

flat parsley

Aioli (optional)

Method

Sieve the flour, yeast and salt together in a mixing bowl. Whisk in enough water to make a smooth, pourable batter. Cover the bowl and allow to rest in your warm kitchen for at least two hours.

Use a paring knife or peeler to trim the cardoons stalks of their leaves and prickly bits along the edges. Use a peeler to remove any stringy and discoloured bits.

After you finish trimming each stalk, cut it into 7.5cm lengths approx. (or whatever size you like) and immediately pop into a large bowl of cold water with juice of a freshly squeezed lemon or vinegar otherwise, it may discolour.

Add the salt to cold water in a saucepan, whisk in the flour. Bring to the boil, simmer the cardoons until the pieces are just tender. They should have a trace of a “bite” to them and have lost their bitterness, 5-20 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the thickness and whether it is early or late in the season.

Drain the cardoons and place on a tray lined with kitchen paper until ready to eat.

To serve, heat enough extra virgin olive oil in a pan to come at least 3cm from the bottom. The oil should be very hot but not smoking (180°C approx.).

Dip the cardoon pieces into the batter, shake off the excess batter and fry them in the hot oil turning, when necessary, until golden brown on both sides (3-4 minutes). When they are cooked, transfer the fried cardoon pieces to a tray lined with kitchen paper.

Immediately sprinkle the fried cardoons with flaky sea salt, garnish with a little flat parsley. Serve right away, with lemon wedges or a bowl of Aioli.

Roast Oca

These curvaceous tubers are particularly delicious with roast duck goose or pork or added to a winter salad.

Serves 4-6 approx.

Ingredients

450g oca, washed but unpeeled (scrub well)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

lots of thyme leaves or freshly chopped rosemary

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7.

Cut the oca in half lengthwise and dry in a tea towel. Toss in just enough extra virgin olive oil to coat.

Sprinkle with lots of fresh thyme leaves or chopped rosemary.

Place on a roasting tray, cut side down. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast until nicely golden, 20 minutes approx. depending on size or until tender when pierced with a fork.

Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt and some fresh herbs over the top.

Recently, we spent a few days in the south of Spain, no it wasn’t warm and sunny, pretty much the same temperature as Ireland. Some days were wet and drizzly; others crisp with clear blue skies.

Such beautiful countryside, long legged black Ibérico pigs, roam freely through the Dehesa (woodlands) under the Cork oak trees around the town of Aracena, vultures soar through the air, wild boar and deer snuffle through the undergrowth … This is the highest town in the Sierra Morena mountains in Andalusia, spectacular walking countryside, deep in the heart of a prestigious jamón producing area.

Jamón Ibérico, the dry cured leg of pork from the long legged black Ibérico pig, (pata negra) is one of my all time, favourite foods and what I personally consider to be the very best ham in the world. It’s prized for its nutty, complex, deep, umami flavour, rich marbling and melt in the mouth texture. Its exceptional qualities are as a result of pigs genetics which allow fat to permeate the muscle and a traditional curing that lasts not just for months but for years which differentiates it from the generic Serrano ham.

It’s a specialty of Spain and Portugal, produced on the Iberian Peninsula.

There are various grades, but the very best is reared in the oak forests of Andalusia, Extremadura and Salamanca. During montanera, the final fattening phase, the pigs gorge on 6 to 8kg of acorns a day. The acorns (bellotas) contribute to the darker colour and intermuscular fat that suffuses the jamón with its sweet, nutty, flavour. It is high in oleic acid which increases good and reduces bad cholesterol. 

Most restaurants, cafés and bars and many households will hand carve slivers from a whole leg perched on a special stand in the kitchen or sideboard, a special and highly prized knife skill. 

Serrano is a generic name for all cured ham but as ever there are many different qualities.

If you decide to purchase a whole jamón, buy from a specialist butcher shop, best to be guided by a local with a deep understanding of real quality. 

Look out for the highest grade, pata negra, (black label) from the long legged Ibérico pig. Both parents will be 100% pure bred Iberian pigs. 

Next, the Ibérico de Lotta (red label) which can come from a cross breed pig, one pure bred parent but still fed on a diet of rich cork and holm oak acorns. 

Next, Cebo De Campo Ibérico – (green label), an Ibérico mix crossbreed, reared outdoors but the diet is supplemented with grains and greens.

And finally, Cebo, (white label) Ibérico mixed breed, white pigs, intensively reared and fed on grain rather than ranging freely on pasture and acorns.

Jamón is at the heart of Spanish culture, it’s got a deep, lingering flavour and unctuous texture. It’s carved meticulously into slivers and eaten simply with picos, crunchy little breadsticks and a glass of Fino sherry.

My other gastronomic excitement on this trip was saffron milkcap mushrooms. These bright orange fungi pop up under pine trees in the woodlands from December to February. There are several types in this family, but it helps to know that the saffron milkcaps exude an orange liquid turning to green when cut while the orange milkcaps have a milky white liquid. Delicious sliced and cooked in extra virgin olive oil with a few slivers of garlic and a lump of butter, pile on toast, enjoy for breakfast, add to stews…

We stayed at the lovely Finca Buenvino, close to Aracena, a beautiful ochre painted house at the top of a hill, in the midst of the Cork oak and pine forests. An enchanting place, full of laughter, delicious food, comfy sofas, tons of books, open fires, the warmest welcome and freshly picked saffron milkcap mushrooms for breakfast!

Aracena is also famous for the Gruta de las Maravillas, the largest and arguably the most impressive caves in Spain, supposedly discovered by a local boy in search of his lost pig. These caves are incredibly beautiful and skilfully illuminated… Be sure to continue to the end chamber known as the Sala los Culos, Room of the Buttocks, an extraordinary naturally sculpted cave – well worth seeing this phenomenon!

At the beginning of our Spanish adventure, we spent two nights in the ancient Medieval city of Carmona, one of Europe’s oldest walled cities, dating back over 5,000 years and just 20 minutes from Seville Airport. 

The Carthaginians are credited with building the layout of Carmona but over the years, it was captured by the Romans and the Muslims because of its strategic location and fertile lands. There are seven churches, one more beautiful than the next, an intriguing place to spend a couple of nights and not too far from Cordoba.

On our way home, we spent a night in Seville. What a gorgeous city, I long to return, so easy to get to now, there are direct flights from Cork and Dublin Airports several times a week. Don’t miss the exquisite Cathedral and La Giralda, Alcázar of Seville, Setas de Sevilla and it may sound a bit cheesy, but I absolutely loved having a carriage ride from the cathedral through Park Maria Luisa and the historical centre. Prices are fixed now so you don’t have to argue. It was the best €45 worth I’ve spent in years.

In the evening, we went to see a lively Flamenco show at La Casa del Flamenco and then onto several bustling bars to taste lots of traditional tapas. Here are recipes for some of the many I really enjoyed but don’t miss the grilled razor clams, and the other tiny clams called coquinas, pigs liver in sherry, slow cooked pigs cheek with potatoes, solomillo al whiskey, pringa, potato tortilla, Manchego with Membrillo, boquerones fritos….

A few tapa bars we enjoyed:

Bodega Santa Cruz (Rodrigo Caro 1, Seville)

El Rinconcillo, founded in 1670 (www.elrinconcillo.es)

Hijos de E.Morales (C. García de Vinuesa, 11, Casco Antiguo, 41001, Seville)

Finca Buenvino (www.fincabuenvino.com)

Finca Buenvino’s Spinach with Chickpeas

(Espinacas con garbanzos)

Chickpeas are a standard ingredient of Andalucian and Spanish cooking. When you go to the vegetable shops in Aracena you will often see the pulses soaking in a dish. They are deliciously nutty when you buy them this way or soak them yourself for 24 hours.

Spinach and chickpeas are one of the many moorish dishes left to Spain. It has many variants, sometimes tomato is introduced, or cumin or mixed spices like cloves and cinnamon and black pepper. Feel free to try this. Another variation is Spinach with raisins and pine nuts. You can also stir in some grated Manchego cheese and put the little dishes under the grill at the last moment before going to the table.

Ingredients

1 small onion, finely sliced (optional)

3 large tbsp olive oil, plus more to thicken

3 cloves of garlic roughly chopped into 3 or 4, or 1 small garlic clove, crushed

2kg spinach

500g soaked, cooked chickpeas

300ml chicken stock

2 tsp plain flour

spices to taste (cumin, pepper, cloves or pinchito spice)

2 tsp tomato purée (optional)

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Method

If using the onion, wilt it in the olive oil. Then, if using chopped garlic, stew it in the olive oil, allowing it to turn golden. If using crushed garlic, just add it to the pan. 

Throw in the spinach, stirring and wilt it down without burning (150ml of water can help at this point, to steam the spinach into submission) Add the chickpeas and half the stock. When all is warmed through, add the remaining stock.

Stir the flour in a little oil in a small bowl to make a runny paste. Take some of the liquid from the spinach and stir it into the paste, then tip back into the spinach and allow to thicken. If it’s too thick add more stock or water, you want a creamy texture.

Add the spices to taste and the tomato puree (if using). Season with salt and pepper and serve with thin slices of bread fried in olive oil.

Solomillo Al Whiskey

A specialty of many of the tapa bars in Seville, a classic, traditionally served with fried potatoes and a slice of bread to mop up the juices.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 pork fillet or tenderloin, approximately 450g, trimmed

salt and freshly ground black pepper

plain flour seasoned with salt and pepper

2-3 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and lightly smashed
175-225ml whiskey
350ml chicken stock
¼ tsp of cumin, optional
20g butter, optional
1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice

coarsely chopped parsley for garnishing.

Method
Slice the pork into medallions, approximately 7mm thick, season well with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Toss lightly in well-seasoned flour.

2-3 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and lightly smashed
175-225ml whiskey
350ml chicken stock
¼ tsp of cumin, optional
20g butter, optional
1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice

coarsely chopped parsley for garnishing.

Method
Slice the pork into medallions, approximately 7mm thick, season well with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Toss lightly in well-seasoned flour.

Heat a cast iron frying pan over a high flame. Add the olive oil, seal the medallions on both sides until nicely golden. Remove the pork to a plate.

Reduce the heat, add extra oil if required and add the smashed garlic cloves to the pan and cook for a few minutes until soft and fragrant. Increase the heat, add the whiskey, flame, stir and allow the alcohol to evaporate for a minute or two. Add the hot stock, a generous pinch of cumin and a lump of butter if using. Bubble up, simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the sauce is reduced and the garlic is tender. Add a little more stock if needed.

Add the medallions back into the sauce, cook for a minute or two until the meat is heated through, fully cooked and coated in sauce. Taste and correct the seasoning necessary.

Serve with fried potatoes and bread to mop up the delicious sauce. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Jeannie’s Oatcakes

Delicious with cheese, particularly Manchego and Membrillo or, pata negra…

Makes 15-20

Ingredients

250g rolled oats

1 tsp salt and lots of pepper

50ml olive oil

145-150ml boiling water

Method

Put the dry ingredients into a Magimix. Mix the extra virgin olive oil with boiling water and pour down the shute of the machine while still running to form a soft ball of dough.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Roll out while still warm on a floured surface. Cut into approx. 1-2mm rounds (or 2-3mm rounds if desired).

Cook in an oven 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 10-15 minutes (larger biscuits will take 15-20 minutes approx.).

Cool on a wire rack.

Store in an airtight tin or Kilner jar.