Such excitement here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School a few weeks ago…a Pop-Up Dinner. On every term, the students choose the theme and plan the entire event from start to finish. A brilliant learning experience for them and quite the eye-opener to understand just how much work goes into pulling off a big event from start to finish. The theme this time was NEW NOSTALGIA – CUMHA NUA, the proceeds go to several charities, including Acquired Brain Injury Ireland.
Weeks of fun, thought, planning, haggling and recipe testing go into the menu that reflects the beautiful seasonal produce from the farm, gardens and local area.
All kinds of hidden talents emerge. They have a free hand to plot and plan, set the scene, decorate the dining room, pick and arrange the flowers, make the cocktails…
The student’s spent days making cheery, bright paper chains and there were yards and yards of gorgeous bunting made by Pam’s Mum.
Others with floristry skills, picked the flowers, made stunning arrangements and arranged a river of beautiful blossoms along the centre of the long tables. They collected green moss from the stone boundary walls which they wrapped around moulded chicken wire. These beautiful ergonomically shaped sculptures were then paced running down the centre of the tables and decorated with flowers, herbs, strawberries and vegetables, all picked on the farm just hours before the dinner.
The work was carefully divided. Several greeted the guests and welcomed them to the gaily decorated galvanise Pavilion with a selection of cocktails.
Silly Goose – apricot cheong, fresh gooseberry juice, lemon verbena ice soda was designed to commemorate a recently hatched gosling who now careers around with the ducks and thinks it’s a duck…!
Blushing BASILMALOE Fizz – strawberry and basil syrup, pomegranate and lime kefir.
And finally CAVA BRUT NATURE, with the option to add apricot cheong or strawberry basil to the bubbles.
Another creative team wandered around with a tantalising selection of cânapés.
Broad Bean Filo Tartlet with Ricotta and Herb Mayo.
Smoked White Fish on Seed Crackers with Pickled New Season Beetroot.
Little Ballymaloe Irish Cheddar Cheese Croquettes were topped with Ballymaloe Tomato Relish, this traditional Ballymaloe cânapé is always a favourite despite they many other creative concoctions.
And finally, Beef Tartare on Homemade Crisps, Cured Egg Yolk and Truffle Oil.
The carefully designed menu was drawn and painstakingly watercoloured by hand.
For weeks, one of our avid breadmaking students experimented with Fougasse bread shaped like fish. She added caramelised onions to add to the homemade butter made from the cream of our little herd of Jersey cows.
Seaweed Focaccia made with dried seaweed from Shanagarry Strand was also served with toasted kombu oil, how exotic does that sound! One of the students designed bandana-style scarves that all the kitchen and front of house teams wore on their heads around their necks.
Guests were a mélange of proud parents and friends of the students from all over the globe and our local community, many of whom come to every Pop-Up Dinner.
Once settled at the long tables, guests tucked into the starter which was a 100 Acre Farm Salad, hand-picked seasonal organic greens, with St. Tola’s goat cheese, honey and bee pollen, the description speaks for itself.
To clear the palette, Elderflower Sorbet, fresh tasting and delicious before Roast Loin of Lamb stuffed with Walnut Parsley Pesto on Butter Bean Mash and there were Roast Aubergines and Charred Courgettes from the greenhouses.
The dessert was simply called Jam on Toast, a strawberry and gooseberry jam filled puff pastry sandwich with toasted brioche ice cream.
Guests were urged to leave space for the petits fours, beautifully served in the Garden Room after dinner.
As if that wasn’t enough, guests each left with a goodie bag of homemade butter and gooseberry jam!
So proud of our students who put such an effort and lots of fun into creating a seasonal feast that reflected the fresh produce from the farm, gardens and local area in mid-summer.
Thank you to the students for sharing the recipes.

100 Acre Farm Salad 

Serves 1 as a starter salad 

Ingredients

1 round of goat’s cheese (25-30g approx.)

1 nectarine

2 radishes

a selection of leaves of lettuce and salad leaves, watercress, tat soi…

½ carrot

a pinch of bee pollen 

10g slivered almonds 

1 nasturtium flower

Dressing

extra virgin olive oil 

white balsamic vinegar 

honey 

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 

Method

Segment the nectarines and quarter the radishes with the stems still on.

Rinse the greens but keeps the leaves whole.

Use a peeler to ribbon the carrots. 

To make the dressing.

In a jar, mix the oil, vinegar, honey, sea salt and pepper and shake to mix, set aside. 

To Serve

Create a bed of the greens on your serving plate, place the goat cheese and nectarines beside the leaves. Arrange the radish and carrot ribbons on top of the salad leaves. Drizzle the dressing over and top, sprinkle with bee pollen, slivered almonds and nasturtium flower. Serve immediately.

Roast Loin of Lamb Stuffed with Walnut and Parsley Pesto on Butter Bean Mash with Charred Courgette and Roast Aubergine

Serves 4 approx.

Ingredients

lamb loin, 8 chops

freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves of garlic

Walnut and Parsley Pesto

4 tsp walnuts

4 tsp hazelnuts

1 tin Ortiz anchovies (oil and fish)

10 sprigs of parsley, stem and leaves

handful of green carrot tops

3 cloves of garlic

extra virgin olive oil (to loosen the thick paste)

30g Parmesan

Butter Bean Mash (see recipe)

Charred Courgettes (see recipe)

Roast Aubergines (see recipe)

Garnish

fresh mint leaves

Method

Add all pesto ingredients except the Parmesan to a blender and blend to a loose mix with still some texture from the nuts. Fold in the Parmesan and taste. It should be quite punchy; the garlic flavour will mellow in cooking.

To prepare lamb loin, trim the outer fat layer to no more than ½cm. Lay fat side down on a board. Season with freshly ground black pepper then spread the pesto evenly over the meat. Begin rolling so the fat layer will be on the outside. Tie using a butchers knot in five or six positions along the roast and one going the full length of the roast.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.

Heat a rectangular grill pan over medium high heat. Brown the meat on all sides. Transfer to a roasting tin/baking dish with the 3 cloves of garlic. The sides of the roasting tin/baking dish at least 2.5cm high and cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 140°C/Gas Mark 1 and continue to cook for a further 25-35 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 63-67°C using a meat thermometer.

Allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving into 1cm rounds for serving. Transfer the pan juices to a jug to separate the fat (remove the fat from the top), reduce the jus in a pan to intensify the flavour adding a little chicken stock, keep the jus hot until ready to serve. 

To Serve

Spoon some butter bean mash on the centre of the plate, top with the charred courgette, roast aubergine with tahini yoghurt and sliced lamb. Drizzle with the jus and garnish with some fresh mint leaves.

Butter Bean Mash

Serves 6

Ingredients

400g soaked butter beans (150g dried and soaked)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

hot water to loosen

Method

Soak the butter beans overnight. Remove the skins either before boiling or after. Boil in half water and half chicken stock until soft but not grainy. Drain and add to a food processor along with the olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whizz to a smooth runny purée adding hot water to loosen. Adjust the seasoning to taste – it should be well seasoned.

Charred Courgettes

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 small yellow/green courgette

extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat a grill-pan.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2

Cut the courgettes in half lengthways, toss in olive oil. Season with sea salt and freshly pepper then place cut side down on a hot grill-pan. Turn over halfway and finish cooking in the oven for 15-20 minutes. There should still be a little bite (al dente). Serve one courgette half per plate.

Roast Aubergine

1 slice per plate served with lamb (or 3 slices per plate for a vegetarian option)

Ingredients

1 aubergine

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Onion and Flaked Almond Topping

½ onion

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed

1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and slightly crushed

1 tbsp flaked almonds

pinch of sea salt

To Serve

Tahini Yoghurt (see recipe)

1 tbsp pomegranate seeds

lime zest

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7 (fan).

Cut the top and bottom off the aubergine. Then slice into 2cm thick rounds. Toss in 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sea salt and 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Place on parchment lined baking tray and cook in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until dark golden brown.

While the aubergine is cooking, make the onion and flaked almond topping.

Cut the onion in half then into thin half-moon strips. Put 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in cast iron pan, allow to heat then add the onion, cooking over a medium heat for 8 minutes until soft and dark golden brown. Add the cumin/coriander seed mix, the almonds and a pinch of sea salt, cook for two minutes until the almonds get a golden colour.

To serve, place the aubergine on a plate, top with tahini yoghurt, the onion and almond mix and finally the pomegranate seeds and lime zest.

Tahini Yoghurt

Ingredients

200g yoghurt

2 tbsp tahini

juice of ½ lemon or lime

freshly ground black pepper

Method

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix together, adjust the seasoning to taste.

During this spell of gorgeous weather, we’ve been feasting on huge salads. The garden is bursting with beautiful produce, there are scarcely enough meal slots to enjoy and celebrate it all and the work of the heroic gardeners who sowed the seeds many months ago.
Apart from a great big green salad, our other staple is a bowl of unctuous potato salad flecked with green scallion tops and parsley. For those of you who think that potato salad is always dull, let me share the secrets of a truly morish and surprising delicious potato salad
Myrtle Allen, my late mother-in-law whom I spent many years learning from and cooking side-by-side  with in the kitchens of Ballymaloe House, was very pernickety about small details which very often made the difference between something tasting utterly delicious rather than ‘just OK’.
In the case of potato salad, the variety of potato was very important. Unlike many, she preferred as I do a floury rather than waxy potato, maybe Home Guard or Golden Wonders. Cook them in boiling, well salted water in their jackets.
If you haven’t got some good mayo, remember it takes less than five minutes to make even by hand, even faster in a food processor but you’ll need to start with four egg yolks rather than just two, otherwise the blades won’t be able to pick it up. It’s always worth making more mayonnaise than you think you’ll need? It keeps for ages in your fridge, maybe four or five weeks or more, unlike what you might think.
Some French dressing will take just a few more minutes more. Take a tablespoon (three parts extra-virgin olive oil to one part wine vinegar works really well). I use Mani, Greek olive oil made from the Koroniki olive and love Forum white wine vinegar) but use whatever really good extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar you can lay hands on, It’s really worth investing in good ingredients, the quality will make all the difference to your dressing and you don’t need to use very much. I like to grate in a clove of garlic, a generous pinch of flaky sea salt and lots of freshly ground pepper. Finally, add a little finely chopped parsley and chives. Sometimes I add a little honey but not if I’m using it for a potato salad. Good feisty dressings are essential for tasty salads.
So, here’s the SECRET of a delicious potato salad…
While the potatoes are still warm, quickly peel and cut into chunky cubes. Season well with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Whisk the French dressing to re-emulsify, toss well so the potato cubes are nicely coated. Already you’ll have a delicious potato salad, but I love a little mayonnaise also. Thin the mayonnaise with a little water if necessary to achieve a coating consistency. Add in lots of chopped spring onions or scallions and parsley, fold through the potato salad. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary, it should be a revelation. Just before serving, sprinkle with some more chopped spring onions and coarsely snipped parsley. So delicious on its own or as a side with grilled lamb chops, a seared steak, some crispy chicken with one or several additions, smoked fish, chorizo or crispy bacon.
Everyone loves a brilliant potato salad, but if you make it with cold, soapy potatoes and you’ll wonder why it’s so dull.
To compose an enticing salad. One needs to think, not just colour – peppers, radishes…but texture, flavour and mouthfeel also.
Perhaps, have a base of crunchy salad leaves and maybe some beans, lentils or chickpeas, lots of fresh herbs. Maybe, incorporate sweet, sour, salty and bitter flavours to tantalise the taste buds. Play with Asian flavours, soy sauce, nam pla (fish sauce), sweet chilli sauce, gochujang, Moroccan flavours, zaatar, gutsy spices, rose petals…
I love salads with a little light coating of mayo but also those like carrot, cabbage and apple, just with a honey and wine vinegar dressing. This is a brilliant one to get your children to help with, they love the clean flavour, just grate some fresh crunchy carrots and apple on the coarsest part of a box grater, some finely shredded summer cabbage, maybe a few plump sultanas, some chopped fresh mint, then toss in some honey and vinegar dressing. Taste and check the honey and vinegar proportion and tweak if necessary.
Also good to remember the seasons. Lots of juicy nectarines, peaches and cherries at the moment. I’m loving the combination of slivered raw beetroot and fresh raspberry at present and raw zucchini (courgette) salad with extra-virgin olive oil, finely grated lemon zest and slivers of Parmesan. Also love a torn burrata with a coarse purée of peas and fresh mint leaves.
Maybe scatter some edible flowers and flower petals over the top, dill or fennel flowers have an intoxicating aroma and flavour, a surprising little pop of anise flavour in your salad. We love bright orange marigold petals, and the flowers of sage, chives, thyme and rosemary. They really add a pop of colour and unexpected excitement to your salad, have fun experimenting and enjoy every moment of the sunny days….

Sarah’s Salad of Nectarines, Green Beans, Almonds and Feta

The appeal of this salad from its contrasting flavours and textures. Make this in midsummer, when the nectarines are ripened by the sun and the green beans are still tender. It is best served on a wide plate, rather than piled into a deep bowl.

Serves 2 for lunch or 4 as a side salad

Ingredients

350-400g trimmed green beans

3-4 tbsp simple vinaigrette

60g whole almonds, toasted until golden and halved lengthways

75g feta, crumbled

2 ripe and fragrant nectarines

fennel blossoms, tender fennel fronds or green anise (optional)

good-quality oil, for drizzling

salt and pepper

Method

Start by cooking the green beans. Bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil and add a few pinches of salt. Fill a bowl with cold water and set aside. Drop the trimmed green beans into the boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes until the green beans begin to soften but still have a snap. Later in the season, when the beans are bigger, cook for 3-4 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the cold water to stop them cooking, then lay on a clean tea towel to dry.

Place the green beans into a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette, add two-thirds of the almonds and half the feta, then gently fold a couple of times to combine, taking care not to smear the feta into the beans. Stone and slice the nectarines into wedges and gently fold into the salad. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary, then transfer to a wide serving plate. Finish with the rest of the feta and almonds, a drizzle of good oil and pepper. Scatter fennel blossoms over the top (if using) and serve.

Variations

Duck Salad: Add strips of warm duck breast to the salad.

Other Fruits – swap the nectarines for peaches or plums or add slices of ripe sweet fits to the salad.

Other Cheeses – swap the feta for ricotta salata or a creamy goat’s cheese.

Simple Vinaigrette

Makes about 200ml

Ingredients

1 small shallot, finely diced

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove

2 tsp Dijon mustard

150ml extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Method

Place the diced shallots into a small bowl with the red wine vinegar, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Leave the shallots to soften for 10-15 minutes. Pound the garlic in a mortar (or it can be smashed on a cutting board using the side of a knife), then transfer the garlic to a bowl with the mustard and macerated shallots. Whisk everything together, then gradually whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Adjust with salt and pepper. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

*Recipe from Fruitful by Sarah Johnson published by Kyle Books

Carpaccio of Zucchini with Slivers of Parmesan and Crispy Capers

There are masses of crisp zucchini at present, this simple dish depends totally on the quality of your ingredients, use the very best extra virgin olive oil you can afford, small crisp zucchini, and a sweet nutty Parmesan.

This salad needs to be served immediately after the zucchini are dressed.

Serves 6

Ingredients

675g freshly picked yellow and green zucchini, not more than 12.5cm in length

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

freshly squeezed lemon juice

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

225g rocket leaves, gently washed and dried

110-175g Parmesan, (Parmigiano Reggiano) in the piece, sliced into slivers

zucchini flowers (optional)

2 tbsp capers (optional)

Method

First, make the crispy capers.

Carefully heat oil in a pan (or use a deep-fry), toss in the capers, they will crackle and open out in crispy flowers.  Drain on kitchen paper.

Trim the ends off the zucchini and slice at an angle or lengthways into 3mm thick slices. Place the sliced zucchini in a large bowl.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Season with Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Mix gently with your fingers, taste and correct the seasoning.  You may need a little more oil and lemon juice.

Lay the rocket leaves in a single layer on a large flat serving dish or on individual serving places.  Scatter on the zucchini, again in a single layer.  Finish the salads with a few shavings of Parmesan, capers if using and zucchini blossoms over the top. Serve immediately.

Spiced Miso Beef Salad

This is one of many delicious recipes from Donna Hay’s Sunshine, Lemon and Sea Salt cookbook published by Fourth Estate.

A good beef salad has it all: salty-sour punch, freshness and plenty of crunch. I’ve added sugar snaps and radishes for an extra burst of sunshine.

Serves 4

Ingredients

600g beef eye fillet, trimmed

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp white miso paste

1 tsp light soy sauce

2 tsp finely grated ginger

Sugar Snap Salad

120g mixed salad leaves

150g sugar snap peas, trimmed, blanched and halved

2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced

4 red or watermelon radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced

Spiced Miso Dressing

80ml lime juice

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 ½ tsp sesame oil

1 ½ tbsp white miso paste

1 ½ tbsp firmly packed brown sugar

½ tsp shichimi togarashi

To Serve

Sliced long green chilli and extra shichimi togarashi

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Ma4k 6

Brush the beef with 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Combine the miso, remaining sesame oil, soy and ginger.

Heat an ovenproof non-stick frying pan over high heat. Sear the beef for 2-3 minutes on all sides, until evenly browned. Remove the pan from the heat and brush the beef with the miso mixture. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes. Allow the beef to cool slightly, then thinly slice.

While the beef is cooking, make the sugar snap salad. Combine the salad leaves, sugar snap peas, cucumber and radish.

To make the spiced miso dressing, combine the lime juice, soy, sesame oil, miso paste, sugar and togarashi.

Place the sugar snap salad on a serving platter and drizzle with the dressing. Top with the beef and serve sprinkled with chilli and extra togarashi.

An extra treat this week for the 12 Week Certificate Course students, guest Chef Tom Hayes of Almost Anywhere, enchanted the group by passing on a variety of the techniques and dishes that have shaped his career.
It was all the more interesting for them because Tom’s is an alumni who sat in those exact chairs in the Demonstration Room in 2021.
Always fascinating to hear how the alumni use the skills they learn here to earn their living, could be as a chef, restaurateur, cookery  writer,  caterer, product developer, TV cook…
Tom shared his story. After the course he went on to work at the famous River Café in London, then onto Copenhagen where he spent several months at Surt and Øens Have, who also have an urban farm in the city.
In 2024, he returned to Ireland to found Mowgli now Almost Anywhere which alludes to the fact that he will pop up almost anywhere around the globe to create unique food experience centred on seasonal ingredients, local products and thoughtful hospitality…. from Liguria to Burgundy in the French countryside, Utah in the US. Cooking over fire on the cliffs at Ballyandreen or in the woods at Inish Beg in West Cork. He’s off to North Wales next.

Menu

Garden Vegetables with Champagne Sauce

Flatbreads with Boyne Valley Bán and Mint

Cavatelli with Courgettes and Parmesan

Braised Rabbit and Borlotti on Toast

Bouillabaisse

Strawberry and Rhubarb Cobbler with Crème Anglaise

He served young artichokes from the garden with a Champagne sauce followed by flatbreads with Boyne Valley Bán cheese and fresh mint.
There was also a feisty Bouillabaisse made from fresh fish and shellfish from the boats in Ballycotton.
He whipped up a fresh pasta dough in minutes and showed the students how to make curly cavatelli on a cavatelli board or a ridged butter bat. These were served with chilli and basil courgettes and a sprinkling of Parmesan. The main course was Braised Rabbit and Borlotti Beans on Toast followed by a dessert of a strawberry and rhubarb cobbler with crème anglaise – divine!
Tom, originally from Cavan who played football for his county, eventually chose professional cooking after he had completed a commerce degree and a masters in Food business from UCD‘s Smurfit School of Economics.
After a few years on the stove in top kitchens, he decided to become a roaming chef. He hosted all manner of exciting culinary events from intimate pop-up dinners, Farm to table suppers, feasts in castles, long table dinners in barns and greenhouses. Some are private events, others are open to the public, always collaborating with local producers, all fun, seasonal and delicious.
Follow his escapades on @almostanywhere_ on Instagram
Meanwhile, here’s a taste of some of Tom’s delicious dishes which he kindly shared.

Tom Hayes’s Garden Vegetables with Champagne Sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 head of garlic, broken into unpeeled cloves

250ml champagne or dry sparkling wine

100g anchovies

250g cubed butter

Maldon sea salt

1 lemon

Garden Vegetables

750g garden vegetables (whatever is in season at the time, courgettes, asparagus, chard, broad beans etc)

Method

Meanwhile, add the garlic cloves to a saucepan with your champagne. Reduce the wine to around 100ml.

Pass this through a sieve to remove the garlic. Add the anchovies to the champagne and dissolve them into the liquid on a low heat. Use a hand blender to assist you, ensuring the anchovies are completely broken down. Next, on a low heat, whisk in the butter a few pieces at a time. Season with salt and lemon juice to taste.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil.

Next, blanch the vegetables in the salted water for 1 minute until it holds a slight resistance to touch. Drain and season immediately.

To Serve

Place the vegetables unceremoniously on top of a pool of champagne sauce.

Tom Hayes’s Braised Rabbit and Borlotti on Toast

Ingredients

1 whole rabbit

50ml olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

100g pancetta lardons

1 head of fennel, cut into wedges

500ml dry white wine

1 whole chilli

1 head of garlic

2 lemons, zested

1 small bunch bay leaves

1 bunch thyme

1 bunch of rosemary

1 bunch sage

500g dried borlotti beans, soaked overnight in cold water and then drained (or fresh if it is the season!)

To Serve

1 loaf of sourdough

100g lardo thinly sliced

Method

Begin by jointing the rabbit.

Add the olive oil to your pan. Season the rabbit with salt and pepper. On a high heat, colour each piece of the rabbit, remove these and place them in a casserole dish. Next, add the pancetta lardons and fennel. Colour the vegetables and add them to the casserole dish. Deglaze the pan with the wine and add all of this along with the chilli, garlic, lemon zest, herbs and borlotti to the casserole dish.

You can top this up with a bit of water to ensure the beans are well covered. Cover the dish with a cartouche and a lid. Place in a pre-heated 180°C/Gas Mark 4 oven for 2 hours, until the rabbit easily comes from the bone and the beans retain no bite. Season to taste.

Keep the shoulders and legs of the rabbit on the bone. You can pick the meat from the rest of the carcass and toss through the beans.

To serve, warm two slices of sourdough under the grill of your oven. Pour over the beans with some of the liquor. Place a rabbit leg on top along with two slices of lardo.

Tom Hayes’s Strawberry and Rhubarb Cobbler with Crème Anglaise

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

For the cobbler topping

500g plain flour

350g cubed cold butter

100g caster sugar

250g buttermilk

1kg strawberries

500g rhubarb

200g sugar

egg wash and Demerara sugar for coating

To Serve

crème anglaise

Method

First make the cobbler topping.

Combine the flour and butter in a bowl and rub together until it resembles breadcrumbs. At this stage add the sugar and mix through. Add the buttermilk and mix until it combines to become a dough. Place in the fridge to keep chilled.

Chop the rhubarb into pieces 2.5-5cm in size and toss through the sugar. Place in a baking tray or lasagne dish 31cm x 23cm wide. Using a spoon or an ice-cream scoop, shape chunks of the buttermilk dough into semi-spherical structures to rest on top of the filling. Cover the entire tray like this.

Egg wash the crust and sprinkle some Demerara sugar over the top.

Bake at 170°C/Gas Mark 3 degrees for 30 minutes until golden. Check that the rhubarb is tender and fully cooked.

Serve the entire tray to your guests with a dollop of crème anglaise in the centre.

Crème Anglaise (Custard Sauce)

This basic sauce is usually flavoured with vanilla but can be made with any number of other ingredients, such as lemon or orange rind or mint.  It is used in many recipes including ice-cream, though in that case the proportion of sugar is much higher than usual because unsweetened cream is added during the freezing. 

Ingredients

600ml milk

vanilla pod or other alternative flavouring

6 egg yolks

50g sugar

Method

Bring the milk almost to the boil with the vanilla pod.  In a Pyrex bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and light.  Whisk in the hot milk in a slow and steady stream.  Replace in a clean saucepan and cook over very low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens slightly.  Your finger should leave a clear trail when drawn across the back of the spoon – the temperature should achieve 82°C on a thermometer.

Remove from the heat at once and strain.  Cool, cover tightly and chill.  The custard can be kept for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. 

Note: The mixture is replaced in a clean saucepan to avoid the mixture catching on the bottom of the pan).

Every now and then I get a longing for pasta, it’s really my comfort food and it reminds me of Marcella Hazan, the doyenne of Italian food who first introduced me to two wonderful ‘pasta making’ nonnas at Café Diane in Bologna. They taught me how to make homemade pasta, plump tortellini and cappelletti and explained how in Italy, different sauces suit different shapes. To paraphrase, oil based sauces are best with thin strands of pasta, while heavier meat based sauces are good with wide ribbons. Tubes and twisty shapes hold chunky sauces inside and in the crevices. The nonnas showed me how to make beautiful silky pasta that cooks in 30 seconds and melts in your mouth.

Marcella explained how bought pasta was best for some recipes, but to be aware that the quality varies enormously. Her advice was to buy an Italian brand of pasta made with durum semolina. De Cecco is probably the most widely available in our shops – good value for the price…look out for Voiello too.

Rustichella d’Abruzzo, a fourth generation business is also worth seeking out, the surface is rougher, all the better to hold the sauce. It’s so fun to make your own homemade pasta, I gave a detailed recipe in last week’s column. Children also love to help but for the many who are ‘time poor’, what’s not to like about making a delicious sauce while some bought pasta cooks.

Summer produce is now jumping out of the ground in the gardens and greenhouse. We’ve got lots of Genovese basil to make homemade pesto. You can’t believe how easy it is. Store in small spotlessly clean glass, jars and don’t forget to cover it with a layer of EVOO to exclude the air. Basil pesto can keep for 8-10 months but is most delicious when freshly made.

In Summer, I love to add freshly picked and podded peas, broad beans, young courgettes or French beans to Fettuccini Alfredo, completely irresistible (having said that, best frozen peas work well also!).

Just tasted the first ripe home-grown tomato yesterday evening, a joy but the flavour will be even more delicious in a few weeks’ time. Tomatoes need sun to intensify the flavour. So many favourite pasta dishes are based on tomato. Good quality tinned are great but I really like to use and make the most of fresh tomatoes in summer. Use the ripest ones for maximum flavour, then you’ll need to do so little to make them taste just great.

Gluten-free pasta is now widely available and there are tons of different, exciting shapes to experiment with. There are several one pot pasta dishes in my One Pot Feeds All book. But my classic go to book for Italian food, not just pasta is Marcella Hazan, Classic Italian Cooking, there’s also Chez Panisse Pasta, Pizza and Calzone, Tim Siadatan’s, Padella, iconic pasta at home – (recipes from my favourite pasta restaurant in London, beside Borough Market).

There are just a few but here are three. There are masses more, because pasta is probably our favourite comfort food. So many truly delicious recipes are literally made in minutes. Better still one can do riffs on many basic recipes. Follow with a delicious salad of summer leaves and herbs. Enjoy!

One-Pot Pasta with Tomato and Chorizo

For those of you who are conditioned to cook pasta in a huge pot of boiling salted water, the idea of cooking pasta in the sauce in just one pot may be quite a stretch to consider attempting but do try it. The starch from the pasta thickens the sauce and the pasta absorbs the flavours deliciously, it’s a revelation and you’ll have such fun experimenting. For some reason I still feel slightly guilty, but less washing up helps to salve my conscience. You’ll need considerably more liquid than in normal pasta sauce because the pasta will absorb much of the liquid.

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

½ – 1 red chilli, chopped

900g very ripe tomatoes, peeled, in summer or 2 1/2 x 400g tins of tomatoes in winter

zest of 1 organic lemon

1-2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, depending on the strength of flavour (chop just before you use)

225g chorizo, peeled and diced

850ml homemade chicken or vegetable stock

175ml double cream

300-350g fettuccine or spaghetti

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

30g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a generous pinch of sugar, to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a 6-litre stainless-steel saucepan. Add the onions and garlic, toss until coated, cover and sweat over a gentle heat until soft but not coloured. Add the chilli. It is vital for the success of this dish that the onions are completely soft before the tomatoes are added.

Slice the fresh or tinned tomatoes and add to the onions with all the juices and the lemon zest. Season with salt, pepper and sugar (tinned tomatoes need lots of sugar because of their high acidity). Add the rosemary. Cook, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes, or until the tomato softens. Cook fresh tomatoes for a shorter time to preserve the lively fresh flavour. 

Add the chorizo, stock and cream. Bring back to the boil, add the pasta, stir gently to separate the strands and prevent sticking. Return to the boil, cover and simmer for 4 minutes and leave to sit in the tightly covered saucepan for a further 4-5 minutes, or until just al dente. When you add the dried pasta, it will seem too much but hold your nerve, it will soften within a minute or two and cook deliciously in the sauce.

Season to taste, sprinkle with lots of chopped parsley and grated Parmesan. Serve.

Fettuccine Alfredo

*Recipe adapted from “The Classic Italian Cookbook” by Marcella Hazan

Marcella Hazan told me that there actually was an Alfredo, in whose Roman restaurant this lovely dish became famous.  Alfredo has a gold fork and spoon with which he gave a final toss to each serving of fettuccine before it was sent to the table.  Despite its southern origin, this dish has now become a fixture of those Italian restaurants abroad specialising in northern cuisine.  Although it is astonishingly simple, it’s not often that one finds it done well.  Marcella’s essential requirements were homemade – better still, handmade – pasta cooked very firm, and good-quality fresh double cream although she definitely wouldn’t approve, best quality fettuccini would also be good but not as exquisite as handmade pasta!

Serves 5-6

Ingredients

Pasta Dough

300g “00” flour

25g semolina flour

pinch of salt

1 large egg and 3-4 large egg yolks, preferably free range

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp cold water

225ml double cream

45g butter

65g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and freshly ground pepper (4-6 twists of the mill)

a very tiny grating of nutmeg

Method

First make the pasta.

Sieve the flour into a bowl and add the salt. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs (no need to whisk the eggs), oil and water. Mix into a dough with your hand. The pasta should just come together but shouldn’t stick to your hand – if it does add a little more flour.  (If it is too dry, add a little extra egg white being careful not to add too much.)  Knead for 10 minutes until it becomes elastic. It should be quite pliable, wrap in parchment paper and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough in half and roll out one piece at a time into a very thin sheet, keeping the other piece covered. You ought to be able to read the print on a matchbox through the pasta.  A pasta machine or long thin rolling pin is a great advantage, but you can manage perfectly well with an ordinary domestic rolling pin. 

Cut into strips, 3mm wide.

Choose a heavy low-sided saucepan that can later hold all the cooked fettuccine comfortably.  Put in 150ml of the cream and all the butter and simmer over medium heat for less than a minute, until the butter and cream have thickened.  Turn off the heat.

Bring 8 pints of water to the boil.  Add 1 tablespoon of salt, then drop in the fettuccine and cover the pot until the water returns to the boil.  If the fettuccine is fresh, they will be done in a few seconds after the water returns to the boil.  If dry, it will take a little longer.  (Cook the fettuccine even firmer than usual because it will be cooked more in the pan.)  Drain immediately, save a little pasta cooking water and transfer to the pan containing the butter and cream.

Turn on the heat under the pan to low, and toss the fettuccine, coating them with sauce.  Add the rest of the cream, all the grated cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Toss briefly until the cream has thickened and the fettuccine is well coated.  It should be a loose texture, add a drop more cooking water if necessary.  Check seasoning.  Serve immediately from the pan, with an extra bowl of grated cheese.

Some riffs on the recipe

Fettuccine with Broad Beans

Follow the master recipe, adding 450g of lightly cooked and shelled broad beans or 225g freshly cooked peas with the hot drained fettuccine.

Fettuccine with Smoked Salmon and Parsley

Follow the master recipe, adding 50-110g smoked salmon, cut into cubes, and 2 tbsp approximately of chopped fresh parsley. Omit the Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Fettuccine with Roasted Pumpkin and Rocket Leaves

Follow the master recipe, adding 225g of roasted pumpkin, 16-24 rocket leaves (depending on size) and a few toasted pine kernels with the hot drained fettuccine.

Fettuccine with Red Pepper and Rocket

Follow the master recipe, adding some strips of roasted red pepper and a few rocket leaves with the hot drained fettuccine.

Fettuccine with Courgettes and Zucchini Blossoms

Follow the master recipe, adding 450g of sautéed courgettes with the hot drained fettuccine. Garnish with torn zucchini blossoms.

Fettuccine with Asparagus and Chervil

15-20 spears of asparagus, base trimmed if tough

1 tbsp chopped chervil

Skin each spear of asparagus and cut into 3 or 4 pieces.

Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and add to the sauced pasta with the chervil. Serve immediately.

Pasta with Basil Pesto 

Homemade Pesto takes minutes to make and tastes a million times better than most of what you buy.  The problem is getting enough basil.  If you have difficulty, use parsley, a mixture of parsley and mint or parsley and coriander – different but still delicious.

Italian pine kernels are the original nuts used in Ligurian pesto however cashew nuts or peeled almonds also work very well.  

Serve with pasta, goat cheese, tomato and mozzarella.

Serves 4-6

Serve 75-100g of dried pasta or 100-130g of fresh homemade pasta per person

Ingredients

400g dried pasta

Basil Pesto

110g fresh basil leaves

175-225ml extra virgin olive oil

25g fresh pine kernels (taste when you buy to make sure they are not rancid)

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano is best) 

salt to taste

Method

Whizz the basil with the olive oil, pine kernels and garlic in a food processor or pound in a pestle and mortar.  Remove to a bowl and fold in the finely grated Parmesan cheese. Taste and season.  

*Pesto keeps for weeks, covered with a layer of olive oil in a jar in the fridge. It also freezes well but for best results don’t add the grated Parmesan until it has defrosted. Freeze in small jars for convenience.

To Serve

Cook the pasta and drain immediately once cooked.  Mix 3 tablespoons of Basil Pesto with the pasta and a little pasta water. Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and serve immediately.

Compliments keep pouring in for the Ballymaloe Festival of Food a few weeks ago, the biggest and best so far! Tickets gave people access to all cookery demos, the Kerrygold Main Stage, Cook the Books Stage, Drinks Theatre and tastings, Scoop and A Yarn, the Garden Marquee, the Ballymaloe House Walled Garden, Food Producers Market, walks and talks…

Bosco was there, he and I had the best fun so watch this space!

The Change We Must Theatre, had stimulating challenging talks all weekend on food farming and the environment.

I was on several panels – ‘It All Starts with The Soil’.

‘The Definition of Food – How processed food is changing the way we eat and why we should stop’.

I dashed between the various venues and wandered in and out of the Big Shed where over 80 producers sold their wares, Graham Herterich was there with his barmbracks and now legendary Mikado biscuits. Bosco loved them too!

Gillian Hegarty spoke about the Kids Food Revolution in Clonakilty.

Lots of preserves, beautiful honeys, Ummera smoked food, Cratloe Hill’s Sheep milk cheese, WASI from Clare, Barrie Quinn from Portnoo was there with his soap and inspirational talks.

For The Irish Breakfast session in the Change We Must Theatre, everything came from Darren Allen’s Farm around Ballymaloe House. The bacon was cured by local butcher Frank Murphy from Midleton and sausages from the meat of the free-range pigs. The free-range eggs were also from Darren’s hens. The relish, from you know, where and the 48 hours naturally fermented sourdough bread from the Ballymaloe Cookery School Bread Shed. People loved being able to taste a plate of breakfast, all of which came from ‘This Place’.

So many highlights, but I will focus on the guest chefs Sami Tamimi, the Palestinian chef, friend and collaborator of Ottolenghi cooked broad bean falafel and this delicious plum dish with crunchy pistachios which I will certainly continue to make, one of many good things from his new book ‘Boustany – A celebration of vegetables from my Palestine’.

I introduced Helen Goh’s cookery demonstration where she cooked a sensational Matilda Cake with layers of sponge and meringue piled high with summer fruit and cream. That recipe is also in her latest book ‘Baking and the Meaning of Life’.

Super charismatic, Tommi Miers, a Ballymaloe Cookery School alumni cooked a lunch at Ballymaloe House and did a cookery demonstration of yummy Mexican dishes from ‘Mexican Table’, her latest book, her eighth cookbook.

The Honey’s, Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer were there, they too have a new book ‘Daily’ which I’ve been cooking lots from, I really love their style of food. Check out their restaurants located on Lamb’s Conduit Street, Great Portland Street and Store Street next time you are popping over to London.

James Henry came from celebrated La Doyenné near Paris in France to cook for another sold out dinner at Ballymaloe House as did Ed Wilson from Brawn in London and also Robbie McCauley from the Michelin starred Homestead Cottage in Co. Clare – What a weekend! 

So frustrating to only have space to mention a fraction of the action, there was so much more including all kinds of riveting talks and tastings of both wine, spirits and alcohol free drinks, even Aronia berry wine at the Drinks Theatre curated by Caroline Hennessy with contributions from Colm McCan and his wonderful friends in the world of wine and Oh, the Cocktails Workshop by Ciarán Shannon of Boatyard Distillery and Andy Ferreria of Paladar and Cask.  

The hilarious Tracie Daly hosted various cookery demonstrations at the Cook the Books Stage – Tamsin and Scarlett were on the main stage cooking up a storm once again.

As they say ‘that’s it’ for this week but organisers Bree Allen and Evanna Lyons tell me early bird tickets are already available for next year. Hope to see you there!

Sami Tamimi’s Sumac Roast Plums with Cardamom Cream and Pistachio

Barquq bil Sumac w al Creama

This recipe transformed simple plums into a feast, a real keeper…

Serves 4

Ingredients

8 plums (366g)

3 cardamom pods

1 tsp sumac

3 tbsp runny honey

zest of ½ orange

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp water

300ml double cream

3 tsp honey

¼ tsp ground cardamom

For the candied pistachios

45g caster sugar

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsp water

salt

70g pistachios

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.

Method

Halve and stone the plums, then place cut side up in a roasting tin or ovenproof dish in which they can lie snugly in a single layer.

Crack the cardamom pods, then tip the seeds into a pestle and mortar and grind them to a fine powder. Mix with the sumac, honey, orange zest, lemon juice and water, then drizzle this mixture over the fruit. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the plums are almost collapsing.

Meanwhile, make the candied pistachios. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and have it ready next to the stove. Put the sugar, cinnamon, water and ⅛ teaspoon of salt into a large sauté pan, on a medium heat. Cook until the sugar has almost dissolved, stirring occasionally. Add the

pistachios and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally (to avoid the nuts browning too much), until all the liquid has evaporated and you can see crystallization forming on the nuts. Tip the nuts on to the lined tray and quickly spread them out to separate them. Leave to cool completely.

Place the cream, honey and ground cardamom in the bowl of a free-standing mixer, with a whisk attachment in place, and whip the cream on a medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until soft peaks form.

When ready to serve, divide the fruit and whipped cream between four plates and add a generous scattering of the candied pistachios.

Ryan O’Sullivan’s Ravioli with Ricotta and Salsa Verde

If this makes more than you need, you can simply do half this recipe….

Serves 12-18 people

Ingredients

Homemade Pasta

OO flour 400g

durum flour (fine) 520g

salt 12g

egg yolk 650g

water 15g

Ricotta Filling

1kg of quality dry ricotta (drained overnight if wet)

250g shredded fontina (or something similar)

220g Parmesan (or good Irish aged hard cheese)

120g egg yolks

12g fine sea salt

5g black pepper

freshly grated nutmeg

fresh chives, very fine sliced

pinch of fresh oregano

zest of 1 lemon

Salsa Verde

1 bunch of coriander

1 bunch of parsley

1 bunch of basil

250ml olive oil

3 limes zest and juice

20g capers

6 anchovies

50g golden raisins or something similar

salt and pepper to taste.

Method

To make the pasta.

Sieve the flours into a bowl and add the salt. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs (no need to whisk the eggs) and water. Mix into a dough with your hand. The pasta should just come together but shouldn’t stick to your hand – if it does, add a little more flour.  (If it is too dry, add a little extra egg, being careful not to add too much.)  Knead for 10 minutes until it becomes elastic. It should be quite pliable, wrap in parchment paper and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough in half and roll out one piece at a time into a very thin sheet, keeping the other piece covered. You ought to be able to read the print on a matchbox through the pasta.  A pasta machine or long thin rolling pin is a great advantage, but you can manage perfectly well with an ordinary domestic rolling pin. 

To roll in a pasta machine.

Half the dough, keep the remainder covered while you work with the other.

Roll the dough through the pasta machine Number 10 setting with the rollers furthest apart.  Fold it like a book ensuring no overlap and put through Number 10 setting 5-6 times until very smooth (this is further kneading; it will depend on how much kneading was done by hand).

Now do a rough roll to shape the dough to the appropriate size required for your pasta shape.  Roll the dough through the machine from Number 10–3 setting until you reach the desired thickness.  Try not to use too much flour while putting the dough through the machine, if the dough is getting sticky, just a dusting of flour on the pasta should suffice.  You can do a ‘patch test’ and only take a little of the pasta dough when you think you have nearly reached the required thickness and test for the final ½ setting in the rollers to see which setting you are happiest with.

To roll by hand.

Divide the dough in half. Dust each piece of dough with flour before you roll each time.  Roll out one piece at a time into a very thin sheet, keeping the other piece covered with a tea towel. You ought to be able to read the print on a matchbox through the pasta.  A long thin rolling pin is a great advantage, but you can manage perfectly well with an ordinary domestic rolling pin.

To make the ricotta filling

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

To make the ravioli

Cut the sheet of pasta into pieces, 30.5cm in length and 15cm wide approximately. Approximately 4cm from the top of the pasta, place a teaspoon of filling along the top half of each sheet of pasta allowing 2.5cm intervals between each ravioli. Fold the bottom half over the top half and seal around the filling of each ravioli with your fingers. This is important to remove any air bubbles. Using a serrated pasta cutter cut around each ravioli. Each ravioli should be 7.5cm square approximately. Transfer to a tray sprinkled heavily with semolina flour.

To cook; poach the ravioli in a large saucepan of boiling water (4.8 litres water to 1 tablespoon salt) for 1 ½ – 3 minutes depending on how thin the pasta is, or until almost tender – al dente.

To make the salsa verde.

Chop the herbs and mix with the other ingredients. Taste and correct seasoning, if necessary, adding a few drops of lemon juice to freshen the taste. Store in a covered container in the fridge or freeze.

To serve

Heat a little of the salsa verde with a little of the pasta water, toss the ravioli then drizzle a little fresh salsa verde on top. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Honey & Co’s Peanut Butter Mousse with Salted Peanuts and Chocolate Sauce

Everyone loved this super easy mousse, what’s not to like about the peanut and chocolate combo.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the mousse

40g butter

40g muscovado or dark brown sugar

80g smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp honey

250ml double (heavy) cream

a small handful of roasted salted peanuts, to serve

For the chocolate sauce (makes 150g)

50ml double cream

50 dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped

1 heaped tsp peanut butter

1 heaped tsp honey

50ml water

Method

Slowly melt the butter with the sugar, peanut butter and honey in a low-sided saucepan on a low heat until they combine to form a thick paste, stirring occasionally so the mixture doesn’t stick. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and cool.

Mix in the double cream by hand with a balloon whisk or handheld blender until you reach a lovely thick ribbon consistency (the whisk should leave a trail of the mixture on the surface before sinking in).

Divide the mousse between four glasses and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Shortly before you want to serve, place all the sauce ingredients in a small pan on a low heat. Stir all the time until the chocolate has melted and everything has combined to make a smooth sauce. Pour into a small jug.

Allow everyone to top their own mousse with warm sauce and salty peanuts.

*Recipe adapted from Honey & Co. Daily by Itamar Srulovich & Sarit Packer published by Quadrille

On our way to Co. Clare for the Slow Food Festival in Lisdoonvarna, we veered off the road to visit Tory Hill Farm near Croom. I’ve been following and admiring the work of Hannah Quin Mulligan, her mother and grandmother on Instagram for ages, three generations of powerful women farmers working together. Tory Hill is a small organic dairy farm with 12 cows, 9 Jersey that are milked once a day. The raw milk is sold in glass bottles from refrigerated containers in her Farm Shop on Friday and Saturday mornings from 11am to 3pm, but the milk sometimes runs out even earlier.
When we arrived a little before 11.30am, the carpark was already full and there was a constant queue of people. Funnily, mostly young men, many Gen Z’s, (could there be a Erling Haaland effect who believes that raw milk and real food are the key to his goal scoring) but also families with children, excited to see the cows happily grazing in the rich pasture.
A joy to see people going out of their way to source raw milk for the flavour and nutrient value and so good for the gut biome.
So difficult for small dairy farmers to make a decent living nowadays but Hannah can charge €4 litre for her beautiful organic milk. She also sells butter, buttermilk, milk kefir, homemade ice cream and preserves, pork and beef from the Farm and handmade soap made from the tallow. The Farm shop also stocks fresh sourdough from the local bakery and there are a few tables out in the gravelled whitewashed courtyard where one can enjoy a convivial chat over coffee and brownies and/or a glass of raw milk.
Pink Clematis Montaña was spilling over the wall, the sun was shining.
A half an hour further on we found Power‘s Butchers in Clarecastle where Cassie and Nick McCarthy from Lúnasa Farm sell the organic beef and pork from their farm. Every scrap from nose to tail was utilised, rich broth from the bones, charcuterie, tallow from fat and for soap making.
It’s so heartening to see the growing number of small farmers selling directly to the public from the Farm gate or Farm shop.
Close by near Kilfenora, there’s Inagh, the home of the fresh St. Tola Goat Cheese for Siobhán Ní Ghairbhith and her team have been making several award-winning goats milk cheeses since 1999.
The 21st Slow Food Festival organised by Birgitta Hedin-Curtin, Michael Gleeson and their team in conjunction with Burren Beo, The Burren Ecotourism Network, Byron and Cliffs of Moger Geopark, was a terrific success and provided me with a delicious taste of County Clare and boy, is there a lot going on in County Clare.
We couldn’t leave the area without another visit to Moy Hill Organic Farm, always inspirational and Hugo‘s Artisan Bakery in Lahinch for some of the very best sourdough bread and viennoiserie in the country. Wow, how fortunate are the locals in that area to have access to this food and so much more.
We also swung by the Ailwee Caves not just for the spectacular caves but for the delicious Gouda type cheese they make. Particularly love the cumin flavoured Gouda and the two year-old mature cheese which we made a special detour to collect before our return from Gregans Castle who kindly shared this recipe that was part of our starter course with us.

Gregans Castle Miso Cup, Beetroot, Apple and Smoked Eel

Thank you to Gregans Castle for sharing this delicious recipe – one of the amuse-bouche on the menu.

Serves 8 approx. as a canapé

Ingredients

Pickled Dice

300g cider vinegar

200g sugar

100g water

1 granny smith apple, peeled and finely diced

1 medium red beetroot, peeled and finely diced

Method

1. First make the pickle liquid. Bring the vinegar, sugar and water to the boil, remove from the heat.

2. Pour half of the hot pickle liquid over the apple dice, leave overnight if possible.

3. In a small pot, add the other half and the beetroot dice. Bring to a low simmer and cook the dice until al dente, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Ingredients

Beetroot/Apple Purée

2 granny smith apple, peeled, and finely grated

2 red beetroot, also peeled and finely grated

sugar, 10% weight of the combine weight of the apple and beetroot

salt and apple cider vinegar to season

Method

1. Add the sugar to a pot that will comfortably hold everything. On a medium heat allow the sugar to turn to a dark caramel.

2. Add the apple, the sugar may solidify in clumps, but as the apples release their liquid and heat, these will dissolve back into the mixture.

3. After a few moments add the beetroot and mix well.

4. Lightly cover with tinfoil and leave on a low-medium heat until nearly all the liquid is dissolved and the beetroot is cooked and soft.

5. Blend on high speed until smooth, season with salt and vinegar.

Ingredients

Cup Mixture

Pickled Apple and Beetroot Dice

Caramel/Apple Purée

Lough Neagh smoked eel, diced

Method

1. In a bowl, add equal quantities of the apple/beetroot dice and diced eel.

2. Add the puree and mix through, you are not looking for a loose mixture, the puree should merely bind the elements together.

Ingredients

Miso Cream

1 litre cream

60g white miso

Method

1. Add the cream and miso to a pot, bring gently to the boil and reduce. (Too much heat will cause it to boil over).

2. Reduce until it is almost reduced by half. It should have almost a custard-like thickness. Season with salt and fresh miso if needed. Pass through a fine sieve.

3. If you have a whipped cream siphon, fill with the mixture and charge it with one gas canister.

4. If not, reduce it slightly less, and when serving aerate it with a hand blender and spoon over. Either way keep the mixture warm, but not boiling hot, for serving.

To Serve

Place a spoonful of the apple/eel/beetroot mix in the bottom of a small bowl or cup.

Pour over the miso cream, either by siphon or spooned over.

In the restaurant we finish it with a dusting of beetroot powder, and a few drops of oil infused with roasted eel trim.

Gouda Cheese Croquettes

We used Aillwee Caves Gouda but one could use an aged Cheddar.

Makes 25-30, depending on size

Ingredients

450ml milk

few slices of carrot and onion

1 small bay leaf

sprig of thyme

4 parsley stalks

200g roux (see recipe) (made with equal quantities of flour and butter (110g of each). Melt the butter and cook the flour in it for 2 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally).

2 egg yolks, preferably free range

225g grated mature Gouda, Aillwee Caves or Coolea Gouda

a pinch of cayenne

½ tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp freshly chopped chives (optional)

salt and freshly ground pepper

seasoned white flour, preferably unbleached

beaten egg

fine dried white breadcrumbs

Accompaniment

Ballymaloe Country Relish

Method

Put the cold milk into a saucepan with the carrot, onion and herbs, bring slowly to the boil, simmer for 3-4 minutes, turn off the heat and allow to infuse for about 10 minutes if you have enough time.  Strain the flavourings, rinse them and add to a stock if you have one on the go.  Bring the milk back to the boil, whisk in the roux bit by bit; it will get very thick but persevere.  (The roux always seems like a lot too much, but you need it all so don’t decide to use less).

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Cook for 1-2 minutes on a gentle heat, then remove from the heat, stir in the egg yolks, cheese, pinch of cayenne, mustard and optional chives.  Taste and correct the seasoning.  Spread out on a wide plate to cool.

When the mixture is cold or at least cool enough to handle, shape into balls about the size of a golf ball or 25g (1oz) approx.  Roll first in seasoned flour, then in beaten

egg and then in fine breadcrumbs.  Chill until firm but bring back to room temperature before cooking otherwise they may burst.  Just before serving, heat a deep fryer to 170°C/325°F and cook the croquettes until crisp and golden.  Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with a green salad and perhaps some Ballymaloe Country Relish.

Note: The cooked cheese croquettes can be kept warm in an oven for up to 30 minutes. They can also be frozen and reheated in an oven.

Pastéis de Nata (Portuguese Custard Tarts)

Pasteis de Nata, the famous Portuguese custard tarts. This is not the recipe for Hugo’s gorgeous tarts but it’s also delicious.

Makes 24

Ingredients

1 large egg

2 egg yolks

115g golden caster sugar

2 tbsp cornflour

400ml whole milk

2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

a sprinkling of ground cinnamon (optional)

900g puff pastry

Lightly grease 2 x 12 muffin tins.

Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8.

Method

Put the egg, yolks, sugar and cornflour in a saucepan and whisk, gradually add the milk and whisk until smooth.

Cook on a medium heat and stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil, continue to cook for 2 minutes.  Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the vanilla extract and cinnamon if using.

Transfer to a Pyrex bowl, allow to cool.  Cover with parchment paper to prevent a skin from forming – prick here and there to allow steam to escape.

Roll the chilled puff pastry into a 3mm thick sheet, stamp out 7.5cm discs.  Press into the muffin tins.

Spoon a generous dessertspoon of the cool custard into each pastry case. Bake in the preheated oven for 16-20 minutes or golden on top and slightly charred.  Allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack.  Eat warm or at room temperature.

Foraging, building resilience.
I certainly hope my greatest fears are not realised but with the way events in the Middle East are shaping up, I continue to urge everyone to build up resilience and work on enhancing practical life skills, sounds like Doomsday stuff but if we look on the positive side, it can be a delicious and fun adventure too.
Yesterday, I went for another wander through the fields and along the wild hedgerows to do a bit of foraging . The May bush or Hawthorn is still in bloom, a profusion of white flowers and still tender leaves. Bet you didn’t know that you can scatter them into your green salad, turns out that they are hugely beneficial for our cardiovascular system. Check out the research.
Young nettles are at their most delicious now too, pick them with gloves and cook like spinach and add a bit of garlic. Add to mashed potato for Nettle champ, use for a topping for pizza with goat cheese as Alice Waters does at Chez Panisse – the heat of the pizza oven removes the sting and makes the nettles deliciously crispy. Add to pasta with lots of cream and a generous grating of Parmesan or just make a big pot of nettle soup.
Nettles are super nutritious. Our grandparents were well aware of their medical properties,” Eat three feeds of nettles during the month of May” to cleanse the blood and top up iron levels after the long winter months. They were often referred to as a ‘spring tonic’ or ‘internal spring cleaning’. Loaded with vitamins, minerals, scarce trace elements and apparently brilliant to ease arthritis and creaky joints.
Terrific, particularly at this time of year when our immune systems could do with a boost.
Along the seashore, sea spinach is at its best. It’s more robust than garden spinach but, oh, how delicious.
One can cook it just like annual or perennial spinach, but it will take a little longer. Anoint it with lots of butter or extra-virgin olive oil and a generous grating of fresh nutmeg. Here’s a recipe for sea spinach soup, a gem that can also be adapted for nettles or watercress.
There are lots of fresh cleavers too, nicknamed (sticky Willie). Just cover with boiling water to make an infusion to sip, it acts as a natural detox, helps to flush out the kidneys and urinary tract. Fresh dandelion leaves are also a powerful diuretic, nibble one leaf a day, great if you have a urinary infection.
So many wild foods particularly greens are at their very best at present, young ground elder leaves have a particularly appealing flavour. Little sprigs
of young growth are great in salads and will also liven up a restaurant menu.
By the way, also good added to soup, mashed potatoes etc., just like nettles or chopped into a quiche.
Try this Foragers Quiche, it’ll probably taste different every time you make it, depending on your mix of young wild things.
But back to a more sober note. Buy a really good Foraging Book and learn about the myriads of edible wild foods around us, free for the gathering.
Enjoy foraging on land and seashore whenever you can. Very soon, where others may just see a profusion of weeds, you’ll see a nourishing and delicious dinner… Wild foods still have their full complement of vitamins and minerals and trace elements unlike much of fresh foods on our shelves. Teach your children also how to recognise edible food in the wild. A walk in the countryside or by the seashore will never be the same again. Enjoy.

Sea Spinach and Rosemary Soup

The trick with these green soups is not to add the greens until the last minute, otherwise they will overcook, and the soup will lose its fresh taste and bright green colour. For a simple spinach soup, omit the rosemary and add a little freshly grated nutmeg with the seasoning.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

50g butter

110g onion, peeled and chopped

150g potatoes, peeled and chopped

600ml homemade chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

425-600ml creamy milk (1/4 cream and 3/4 milk)

salt and freshly ground pepper

225-350g sea spinach, destalked and chopped

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped (optional)

Garnish

2 tbsp whipped cream (optional)

sprig of rosemary or rosemary flowers

Method

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. When it foams add the onions and potatoes and turn them until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 10 minutes.

Add the boiling stock and milk, bring back to the boil and simmer until the potatoes and onions are fully cooked. Add the sea spinach and boil with the lid off for about 3-5 minutes, until the sea spinach is tender. Do not overcook or the soup will lose its fresh green colour.  Add the chopped rosemary if using. Liquidise and taste. 

Serve in warm bowls garnished with a blob of whipped cream and a sprig of rosemary. If you have a pretty rosemary bush in bloom, sprinkle a few flowers over the top for extra pzazz.

Useful Tip

If you need to reheat a green soup, do so at the last minute. If it sits in a bain-marie or hostess trolley it will lose its lively colour. Use mustard greens or a proportion of mustard greens, red Russian kale is also delicious.

Accompaniments: crusty bread or Cheddar cheese scones.

Foragers Quiche

This tart incorporates many of my favourite wild foods from early spring with the first of the spring onions of the season. Feel free to vary the greens depending on season and availability, the flavour will be a surprise every time.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Pastry

225g flour

a pinch of salt

110g butter

1 egg, beaten

Filling

150g young nettles or a mixture of nettles and sea spinach

25g butter

25g spring onions

10g watercress or wild garlic leaves in season (allium ursinum)

flaky sea salt and fresh ground pepper

3 organic eggs

100ml milk

250ml crème fraîche

grated zest from one organic lemon

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

25g chives

50g grated Parmesan

50g grated Gruyère

pinch of cayenne

1 x 23cm quiche tin

Method

First make the shortcrust pastry. 

Sieve the flour and salt into a large bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour and then rub in with your fingertips. Keep everything as cool as possible; if the fat is allowed to melt, the finished pastry may be tough. When the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, stop.

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

Flatten into a round, wrap the pastry in parchment paper and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will make the pastry much less elastic and easier to roll.

Next, line the tart tin with the pastry. Chill and rest. Line with parchment paper, fill with beans and, in a preheated moderate oven 180°C/Gas Mark 4, blind bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool.

Meanwhile, blanch the nettles in boiling, salted water for a minute. Drain and refresh under cold water, drain again and chop. Destalk and chop the sea spinach if using and add to the nettles.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over a gentle heat. Add the spring onions and sweat for 4 or 5 minutes. Add the watercress or wild garlic and well-drained nettles or sea spinach (if using). Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to mix and remove from the heat.

Whisk the egg in a bowl with the milk and crème fraîche. Add the finely grated lemon zest, thyme leaves, chives and grated cheese. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and a little cayenne.

Add the greens. Taste and correct the seasoning. (I find it really worthwhile to cook off a spoonful of the mixture in a frying pan to check the seasoning.)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Pour or spoon into the tart shell and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the tart is set and slightly gold. Remove from the tin. Cool on a wire rack and serve warm or at room temperature with a little grating of Parmesan on top.

Nettle Champ

Nettles have been valued in Ireland since ancient times not only as a food, but also as a purifier of the blood. The belief is still strong particularly among older people in the country that one should have at least three dinners of nettles in April and May to clear the blood and keep away the ‘rheumatics’ for the coming year. Remember to use gloves to pick up stinging nettles.

Serves

Ingredients

675g old potatoes, e.g. Golden Wonders

25-30g chopped nettle (50g starting weight before destalking)

300ml milk

25-50g butter

salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Scrub the potatoes and cook in boiling salted water until tender.

Meanwhile, chop the young nettle tops and cook in the milk for approx. 20 minutes.

As soon as the potatoes are cooked, drain and peel immediately while they are still hot. Mash until soft and free of lumps. Pour in the boiling milk, add the nettles and a good lump of butter, beat until soft and creamy. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serve hot with a lump of butter melting into the centre.

The fresh peas are ready to harvest. They are my special excitement for this week. They are crazily romping up the bamboo teepee in the greenhouse.
Have you ever had the opportunity to pluck peas straight off the vine, Magic…
I’ve always taken this for granted but now realise that many have never seen peas in anything but a plastic bag in the freezer.
Never had the joy of opening a pea pod and popping the sweet juicy peas straight into ones mouth.
Eating freshly picked peas directly from the pod is one of life’s greatest pleasures.

No idea how to open a pea pod? You’re not the only one, I’ve seen folks go at them with a knife and fork!
I love to put a bowl of freshly picked peas on the table for guests to eat raw and open themselves, you can’t imagine the thrill and excitement. For some, it’s a joyful trip down memory lane, for others it’s a new adventure, a new mind blowing discovery.
We sow the first crop with the students at the end of January. They take over four months to grow and be ripe enough to harvest so they don’t get to eat them, but the summer students have the pleasure. There’s still time to sow another batch, they should be ready to harvest by the end of August
One can start to pick them as soon as the pods begin to form at the ‘mange tout’ stage. Enjoy warm or plunge them into cold water to add to salads.

Cook fresh peas in boiling salted water, drain, taste and don’t hesitate to add a generous pinch of sugar if necessary, particularly if they are not freshly picked, the fresher they are, the sweeter the taste. And of course, a blob of butter or a generous glug of extra-virgin olive oil for extra deliciousness.

Once again children are intrigued that peas come from the garden not from a packet on the freezer aisle in the supermarket. We look forward all year to seeing our grandchildren running up and down the rows of peas with their friends, carefully picking so they don’t damage the vine. We have so many favourite pea recipes, and several delicious pea soups.

This pea and coriander soup can be served hot or chilled in the summer. It also freezes as well and it’s super quick to make.

Top Tip.

You can actually use best quality frozen peas if you haven’t got fresh ones.
Peas chargrilled in the pod are also delicious. One can do the same with broad beans in their pods. Madhur Jaffrey shared this recipe for green peas and coconut with us, delicious on its own, but we love it served with a butterflied leg of lamb as she did.

For a special treat, try this lobster recipe, a legacy from my lovely friend Skye Gyngell who passed away earlier this year. A much loved beautiful generous cook whom we all miss so much but she lives on in her recipes.

Pea, Chilli and Coriander Soup

This utterly delicious soup has a perky zing with the addition of fresh chilli.

Serves 6 approximately

Ingredients

900ml homemade chicken stock

450g peas (good quality frozen are fine)

50g butter (or use 2 tbsp of sunflower oil)

150g onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

2 tbsp approx. chopped fresh coriander

salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

Garnish

softly whipped cream

fresh coriander leaves

Method

Bring the chicken stock to the boil.

Melt the butter on a gentle heat add the onion, garlic and chilli.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sweat for 3-4 minutes.  Cover with the hot stock. Bring to the boil with the lid off, add the peas and cook for 3-4 minutes approximately or until the peas are just tender.  Add the coriander and liquidise.  Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of sugar, which enhances the flavour even further.  Serve with a swirl of softly whipped cream and a few fresh coriander leaves sprinkled over the top.

Note – Serving Suggestion

Pea Soup

To serve, put a few fresh peas and pea shoots into a wide soup bowl.  Put the soup in a jug – each guest pours soup into the bowl themselves.

Variation

Pea and Bacon Soup

Add a few tiny crispy lardons of bacon to the peas.

Chilled Pea and Coriander Soup

This soup is also good chilled but be particularly careful not to overcook.  The texture should be smooth and silky, the consistency should be thin so add a little more stock if necessary.

N.B. cold soups should be served in small, chilled bowls. 

Skye Gyngell’s Lobster with Peas, Fennel and Verjus Dressing

A gorgeous combination from lovely Skye, a special treat. We remember her so fondly.

Serves 2 as a main course and 4 as a starter

Ingredients

2 very fresh live lobsters (each weighing approximately 500g

1 fennel bulb

the juice of ½ lemon

a handful of peas

mild tasting extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a small handful of any lovely young lettuce leaves, washed and patted dry

1 medium bunch of chervil, leaves only

1 small bunch of purple basil, leaves only

For the Dressing

1 small organic free-range egg yolk

3/4 tsp honey

1 tbsp verjus

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

a pinch of salt

100ml mild tasting extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tbsp crème fraîche

Method

Start by making the dressing.

Place the egg yolk, honey, verjus, mustard and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Very slowly drizzle and whisk continously until emulsified. It is exactly the same process as for making mayonnaise.  Once the oil is incorporated, you will have a thick emulsified sauce.  Add the crème fraîche and stir well to combine. The dressing should just drop from a spoon – if it is a little too thick simply add a tablespoon or so of water (at room temp). taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Set aside while you cook the lobster.

Place a large pot of well-salted water on to boil.  It should be almost as salty as the sea. When it has reached a rolling boil, drop in the lobsters and cook for 8 minutes exactly (this is important as overcooked lobster meat is not good!).  Remove with a pair of tongs and set aside until cool enough to handle.

To remove the meat from the shell first twist off the claws and tap the thickest part of these with a rolling pin to crack them open.  Gently remove the claw shell leaving the flesh intact if possible and reserve.  Now lay the body on its back on a board and using a very sharp large knife cut through the middle of the soft underbelly to slice the tail meat in half lengthways. You should then be able to remove the outer shell easily (it’s a bit like taking off a coat). Season the flesh with a squeeze of lemon juice and a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Remove the tough outer leaves of the fennel bulb, then cut in half lengthways, and slice as finely as possible.  Squeeze over a little lemon juice to prevent discolouration.

Pod the peas. Place on a pot of water to boil. Season generously with salt.  Once the water has boiled add the peas and cook for approximately 2 minutes, drain and drizzle with a little olive oil.

To assemble the dish.

Place the peas and fennel in a bowl and dress with a little extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper.  Toss together lightly with your fingers to dress the vegetables.  Add the lobster meat, lettuce leaves, chervil and basil and toss once more. 

Arrange prettily on a plate and spoon some verjus dressing over the top. Serve the excess dressing in a bowl on the side. Serve at once.

Green Peas with Coconut and Coriander

Madhur Jaffrey shared this recipe with us when she taught a class here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in 2001. Delicious on its own or as a side with a roast shoulder of lamb or pork.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

3 tbsp vegetable oil

a generous pinch of ground asafoetida (optional)

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

15 fresh curry leaves

285g shelled fresh or defrosted frozen peas

1-2 fresh green chillies, finely chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp caster sugar

1/4 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

75g freshly grated coconut

3 tbsp very finely chopped fresh coriander

Method

Put the oil in a large frying pan and set over medium-high heat.  When hot, put in the asafoetida and, a second later, the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.  As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop – a matter of seconds – put in the curry leaves.  Stir for a second, then put in the peas, chillies, salt, sugar, turmeric, ground cumin and ground coriander.  Stir for 1 minute or until the peas turn bright green.  Add 4 tablespoons of water and bring to the boil.  Turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 5 minutes, or until the peas are tender.  Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the coconut and fresh coriander.  Stir, boiling away any extra water.  Serve.

We’re almost out of the ‘hungry gap’, that’s the six or eight weeks between mid-March and early June, depending on the year.
The gap happens when the weather begins to warm up and the overwintered vegetables start to ‘bolt’ (go to seed) but the spring plantings aren’t yet mature enough to eat.
Historically, this was a time of genuine scarcity and often hunger, but today, most people in their busy lives are totally unaware of a ‘hungry gap’, because the supermarket shelves are packed with produce year-round.
At present, between 80 and 85% of the fruit and vegetables on the shop shelves in this country are imported including significant quantities of crops that can easily be locally grown such as potatoes, onions and carrots even lettuce. In the region of 70% of organic vegetables bought by Irish consumers are also imported, while at the same time, Ireland is a major food exporter – how crazy is that!
It’s certainly worth reminding ourselves in the present global situation, that this high reliance on food imports makes Ireland extremely vulnerable to shocks.
There are now less than 70 commercial Irish vegetable growers as opposed to 600 in the year 2,000. A disastrous drop, make no mistake about it, this is a crisis…Recently, a large vegetable grower from County Kilkenny who supplied 12% of carrots for the Irish market went into liquidation. As long as the cheap food policy introduced by the government in 2006 which allows ‘below cost’ selling exists, this situation will continue.
There is unquestionably a cost of living crisis but how irresponsible is it to sacrifice one sector for another, particularly the sector that we rely on to feed and nourish us.
At this stage, we all seem to think that cheap food is our right but how dare we expect the very people who feed us to produce food below an economic level. Cheap food is a myth; the cost is simply too high in health terms and socio-economic terms. Apart from the unfairness, it’s incredibly shortsighted, we are all losers in the end. This is an issue that affects all of us. We need to make our voices heard and demand that the government brings in supports for the Irish horticultural sector as a matter of urgency.
Meanwhile, back to the end of the ‘hungry gap’. For those of us who grow some of our own produce, this is a hugely exciting time of the year. We’ve already enjoyed the outdoor seakale and are still harvesting asparagus. We have dug and given thanks for the first of the new potatoes which were sown in early January and grown without any chemicals or sprays in our greenhouse. The brilliant purple sprouting broccoli has also sustained us for the past few weeks. Beets are already golf ball size and so sweet and delicious. The first of the mangetout peas are ready to eat.
Yesterday evening, we had a delicious feast of broad bean tops which we picked off the plants to discourage black flies from munching them. One can of course enjoy them raw in salads but we cooked them in plenty of boiling salted water, tossed them with a big dollop of butter and a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. You can’t imagine how delicious they were. We served them as a side with a little spring lamb, but they’re also so good tossed with pasta or included in a frittata.
Love this pasta dish with asparagus and peas, but of course one can do many riffs on this recipe with sprouting broccoli, mangetout, beet greens, or broad bean tops.
Sorry to sound like a broken record, but I can’t help urging you all, yet again to think about growing a little of your own food, even if it’s only a seed tray of salad leaves on your windowsill, you can snip it over and over…hence the name ‘Cut and Come’. You’ll enjoy the magic of sowing a seed, wait for it to germinate and eventually grow into tender flavourful leaves to fill your salad bowl. You won’t want to waste a scrap, and it’ll be chemical-free as opposed to the majority of non-organic salad leaves…

Pasta with Asparagus and Peas

A perfect spring pasta dish, made in minutes. Also delicious with the first broad beans or zucchini in summer. If you don’t have fresh peas, use the best quality frozen peas.

Serves 4

Ingredients

250g asparagus

200g tagliatelle

200g peas

5g fresh mint leaves

10g fresh parsley leaves

300ml rich cream (not single)

30g butter

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

75g Parmesan (keep 25g for grating before serving)

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

lemon zest

Method

Bring two saucepans of water to the boil. Salt the large pan generously, the smaller one slightly less.

Trim the asparagus ends. Cut the spears into short lengths (about 3cm) at an angle.

When the water in the large pan is boiling, add the pasta and let it cook for 8-9 minutes or until al dente.

Add the asparagus to the smaller pan and let it cook for 5-6 minutes until almost tender, then remove with a slotted spoon, set aside. Bring the water back to the boil and tip in the peas, 2-3 minutes should be enough.

Finely chop the mint and parsley.

Drain the peas and add to the asparagus.

Drain the pasta lightly. Pour the cream back into the saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce by half. Add the butter and olive oil, tip back in the pasta, add the peas and asparagus and herbs. Stir in the Parmesan, season generously with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and serve in shallow bowls. Serve immediately. with a little grating of lemon zest and Parmesan.

Roast Beetroot with Ardsallagh Goat Cheese and Balsamic Dressing and Wild Garlic Flowers

Serves 4

Ingredients

6-12 baby beetroot, a mixture of red, golden and Chioggia would be wonderful

rocket and beetroot leaves

extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

175g goat cheese – Ardsallagh or St. Tola

Maldon Sea Salt

freshly cracked pepper

tiny beet greens or wild garlic leaves and flowers if available

a few walnut halves (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8

Roast the beetroot in the preheated oven until soft and cooked through – 30 minutes to an hour depending on size.

To Serve

Rub off the skins of the beetroot, keep whole or cut into quarters.  Toss in extra virgin olive oil.

Scatter a few rocket and tiny beetroot leaves on each serving plate.  Arrange a selection of warm beetroot on top.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and Balsamic vinegar.  Put a dessert spoonful of goat cheese beside the beetroot.  Sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Garnish with tiny beet greens or wild garlic flowers and a few walnuts if using. Serve.

Asparagus, Wild Garlic, Rocket and Broad Bean Tops Frittata

This is an example of how we incorporate seasonal ingredients into a frittata.  Asparagus is an extra treat here; you can use any asparagus, but I tend to use the thin, weedy, but still delicious spears in frittata and to add to scrambled eggs.

Serves 6

Ingredients

225g asparagus

8 organic eggs

50g Parmesan or Pecorino or a mixture, freshly grated

2-3 tbsp roughly chopped wild garlic, rocket leaves, broad bean shoots or a combination

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

110g fresh Ardsallagh or St. Tola goat’s Cheese

To Serve

salad leaves, wild garlic and rocket

a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Garnish

wild garlic flowers (optional)

non-stick frying pan – 19cm bottom, 23cm top rim

Method

Bring about 2.5cm of water to the boil in an oval casserole.  Break off the tough ends of the asparagus, add 1 teaspoon of salt and blanch for 2-3 minutes until al dente.  Drain. Slice the spears at an angle, keeping 4cm at the top intact. Save for later.

Whisk the eggs together into a bowl.  Add the blanched asparagus, except the tops, most of the Parmesan and the chopped wild garlic, rocket leaves and/or broad bean shoots.  Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the egg mixture and reduce the heat to the bare minimum – use a heat diffuser mat if necessary. Drop little blobs of the goat’s cheese evenly around the surface of the frittata.  Arrange the asparagus tops into the frittata and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.  Continue to cook over a gentle heat for about 15 minutes until just set. 

Alternatively, after an initial 4 or 5 minutes on the hob you can transfer the pan to an oven (this is my preferred option), preheated to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 for 10-15 minutes until just set.

Pop under a grill for a few minutes but make sure it is at least 12.5cm from the element.  It should be set and slightly golden.

Turn out onto a warm plate, cut into wedges and serve immediately with a salad of organic leaves, including wild garlic and rocket.  Grate some fresh Parmesan over the top just before serving. Garnish with wild garlic flowers, if available.

I’m loving València, my very first visit. The main purpose of this particular trip is to visit the Todolí Citrus Foundation (more later), about an hour outside the city on Saturday next, but I’ve decided to add on a few days to explore València and the surrounding area.
What a city, one of the oldest in Spain, it was founded by the Romans in 138 BC and has over 2,100 years of exciting history, heavily influenced by Islamic and Christian rule.
The 15th century, was the Golden Age, a period of intense economic and artistic splendour, the beautiful Silk Exchange, dates back to then, Longa de la Seda – a must visit as is the awe inspiring futuristic City of Arts and Sciences designed by Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela.
València is one of the largest and best preserved historic centres in Europe, a maze of narrow, leafy cobblestone streets with hidden plazas and stunningly beautiful architectural masterpieces with huge entrances and courtyards. Our hotel, The Cato, in the old town is built on the remains of the Roman walls.
The beautiful València Cathedral, a mix of Gothic, Romanesque and Basque styles is just around the corner, one of over 40 prominent churches in the city, many built after the Christian conquest on the sites of former mosques.
When you’ve got your fill of culture, don’t miss the Mercat Central, one of the largest fresh produce markets in Europe, covering over 8,000 square ft and housing 400 plus stalls. The magnificent central dome floods the interior with natural light.   It’s a masterpiece of València modernism, completed in 1928.
There are an estimated 17 municipal markets in València. I managed to visit three and also loved the Ruzafa Market, particularly good for high-quality organic produce. Loved eating in the little market café where the stallholders have a hearty breakfast, many start with a glass of red wine, a little plate of olives, a pickled chilli and roasted peanuts, Pan con Tomate, grilled bread, crushed tomato and slivers of jamon.
The Rojas Clemente Market is much smaller but super chic, stalls also piled high with fresh produce, artisan cheeses, cured meats, butcher shops as ever selling every part of the animal from snout to tail, dry aged beef and cattle hooves, all ready to be transformed into hearty Spanish dishes.
The Fish market has a mesmerising catch of really fresh fish, octopus, cuttlefish, squid, round and flat fish, sardines, tuna, gurnard, huge red prawns, langoustines, tiger shrimps, scallops, oysters, cañaillas (sea snails, purple or spiny dye-murex).
We searched for Rossmore native oysters from Cork Harbour which the Spaniards prize highly. Many stalls open oysters, scallops, sea urchins and razor clams to eat on the spot with a glass of white wine or fino.
The Spaniards love to buy already roasted vegetables at the market, several stalls sell thick slices of pumpkin roasted in a wood burning oven with roasted seeds in the centre, roast onions, sweet potatoes, artichokes, apples, and pears, all ready to take home to enjoy. I longed to be able to chat to the stallholders to get a deeper understanding of the ingredients but my Spanish is dismal although I can read a menu in virtually every language!
Be SURE to buy some produce at the markets, don’t just take photos.
Bacalao, salt cod in its many iterations, is also a perennial favourite, as is bottarga (cured mullet roe).
I bought some and also little shreds of bacalao called bolsitas ingles to scatter over salads, some crispy cod skin (piel de bacalao) and cortezas (a Spanish snack made from pork rind). Not a scrap of the fish is wasted, not even the bones which are used to add body and soul to stocks, soups and many dishes.
We drove out through the national park to El Palmar to see the rice paddies. València is the paella capital of Spain, so many versions, some with a mixture of meat and shellfish, others with game e.g. rabbit, chicken and artichoke which we greatly enjoyed at Ca Pepico in Meliana. The rice paddies are empty at this time of the year but one can still take a boat trip through the rivers, dunes and lakes.
We found a traditional bakery called Horno Heladeria that also served the famous rice drink, horchata and fartons, the long, sweet breadsticks to use as dips. They also sold several local pastries including coca de pasas y nueceswhich I have since made at home, it looks like a flat plop but tastes delicious.
They are also a few examples of the traditional whitewashed barracas, steep thatched reed straw houses in the area of El Palmar.
We ate lots of delicious things in many Valèncian cafés, tapas bars and restaurants and my new obsession is sepia (cuttlefish). Look out for it in the English Market or at the Ballycotton Seafood. Love it dipped in a tempura batter or drizzled with aioli. Here’s the recipe for the coca de pasas y nueces which wins no prizes for elegance but tastes delicious. Also, a recipe for Pan al Tomate, my favourite Spanish breakfast and super easy to make while you’re still half-awake in the morning.

Pan con Tomate (Spanish-Style Grilled Bread with Tomatoes)

The first of the new seasons Valèncian tomatoes were piled up in the markets – pan con tomate is at its very best when tomatoes are super ripe and intensely flavoured at the end of Summer.

Serves 1

Ingredients

2 slices of best quality white bread, sliced 1cm thick

1 garlic clove, cut in half

2 medium, very ripe tomatoes (1 tomato per slice of bread) or 1 large Spanish heirloom tomato

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spanish extra virgin olive oil

slivers of jamón (Spanish cured ham) (optional)

Method

Toast the bread. Rub with the cut half clove of garlic while still warm.

Grate the tomato down to its skin on the large side of an old-fashioned box grater. Season with flaky sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of the best extra virgin olive oil you can find. Spread on the warm bread. Delicious as it is but even better with a few slivers of jamón on top.

Eat immediately.

Paella

In Spain one can buy a gas ring specially for cooking paella for a picnic, how wonderful would that be? This is just one of the myriads of paella recipes – great for a party.

Serves 10-12

Ingredients

6 tbsp approximately of extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

1 large green pepper, cut into 1cm cubes

1 large red pepper, cut into 1cm cubes

8 cloves garlic, sliced

1 free-range organic chicken, jointed and cut into smallish pieces

225g organic streaky pork, cut into cubes

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tsp saffron

1kg paella rice (calasparra or acquerello) approximately (generous ½ cup per person)

1.8 – 2.4 litres homemade chicken stock (use more if needed)

1 chorizo sausage, sliced

450g frozen peas

450g mussels in shells

12 prawns in shells

Garnish

4 very ripe tomatoes

flat parsley sprigs and coarsely chopped chives

paella pan, 46cm approximately

Method

Put lots of olive oil in the paella pan.  Add the pork and cook for a few minutes until the fat begins to run. Add the garlic, onions and peppers.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the chicken.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Then add the sliced chorizo.

Sauté for 15 minutes, soak a teaspoon of saffron in a cup of warm chicken stock and stir around. Add to the pan. Add the rice. Add stock to almost cover, stir to blend and then don’t stir again unless absolutely necessary. Add the peas.

Bring to the boil and simmer really gently for about 20 minutes until the meat is cooked.  About 5 minutes from the end of cooking, add the mussels and the prawns in their shells. Continue to cook until the mussels open and the prawns are cooked.  Stand over it and move the ingredients around a little. Bring the paella pan to the table. Scatter with lots of flat parsley sprigs and some freshly chopped tomato and chives. Serve immediately directly from the pan. The crispy rice bits on the bottom of the pan are the best!

Fantastic to serve lots of people.

coca de pasas y nueces

A specialty of València, not sure what the Horno Heladeria recipe is but we tried this version and another without brandy and spice and they were both delicious – enjoy with a glass of sherry or a cup of tea….

Makes 4

Ingredients

80g milk

80g water

25g fresh yeast

30g honey

2 eggs

35g sunflower oil

500g strong white flour

100-150g granulated sugar

zest of 1 orange

pinch of salt

1 tsp mixed spice (optional)

100g raisins

50g brandy

75g fresh walnuts, chopped

walnut halves for the top of dough

Method

Soak the raisins in the brandy overnight

Next day, in a saucepan, gently warm the milk, water and honey. Transfer to a Pyrex jug and add the fresh yeast. Allow to sponge for 3-4 minutes until it appears active.  

Whisk the eggs and oil in a separate bowl.

Add all the dry ingredients except the raisins, brandy and walnuts to a bowl.

Once the yeast is ready, mix all the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients to make a dough. Knead for 10 minutes, then add in the raisins, brandy and walnuts and knead gently to combine. Pop into a clean bowl, cover and allow to rise in your kitchen until the dough has doubled in size.

‘Knock back’ and divide into four portions (260-270g balls), allow to rest for 4-5 minutes.  Shape into 15cm rounds x 1 1/2 cm thick approx. Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. (In Spain, the coca’s are baked on a disc of rice paper). Allow to prove for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3.

When ready to bake, brush lightly with egg wash. Arrange 6-8 walnut halves on top, slightly pushed into the dough and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes approx. until pale golden and slightly crunchy. Cool on a wire rack.