Despite the hardship that many are enduring as the result of the economic meltdown, much good is emerging at grass roots level. Many are rediscovering the joy of thrift and self sufficiency. At a recent Grow-your-own-vegetable lecture organised by Cork Free Choice Consumer Group and given by organic growers Caroline Robinson and Rupert Hugh-Jones, at the Crawford Gallery in Cork, over fifty people had to be turned away. There was standing room only, people were packed in like sardines anxious to learn or relearn how to grow food in their town and country gardens.
In Waterford a very successful food producer’s network has been established by young journalist Michael Kelly and Donal Lehane. This group meets once a month in the Waterford City library to learn and share what used to be known as home making skills; how to grow vegetables and fruit, how to keep a few chickens and even a couple of weanling pigs. They are planning to operate on a meithil system, where members share plants and seeds and the bounty they grow. A recent meeting in the the City Library; was jam packed and the atmosphere warm and neighbourly.
It’s a similar situation in many places around the country, gardening courses are over subscribed in many places. Once again everyone reports that there seems to be a deep craving for knowledge.
The Irish Beekeeping Association are also holding free Beginners Beekeeping courses all around the country at present check www.irishbeekeeping.ie for details.
Minister for Food Trevor Sergeant is also doing his bit to spread the word, last year much to the amusement of some of his colleagues he organised to send a potato pack to every school in Ireland so 120,000 children could learn the magic of growing potatoes.
The initiative was a resounding success, warmly welcomed not just by pupils but by the teachers and parents many of whom responded to their children’s excitement by growing a few drills of potatoes at home.
This year the Minister has extended the scheme, schools will have the opportunity to grow not just the humble spud but cabbage, lettuce, scallion and strawberry crops. Each participating class will create a scrapbook (growing diary) documenting the growth, maintenance and progress of their crops and all additional farming activities the pupils participate in. A national prize-giving ceremony will award over €10,000 in educational funds to the winning schools. Every school gets a complete kit including a DVD completely free. The aim of this educational challenge is to provide school children with an understanding of the importance of farming, promote the benefits and increase consumption of local Irish produce. Each child will be provided with an ‘Incredible Edibles’ recipe and nutritional book and encouraged to prepare meals and snacks with their parents. This aspect of the programme has been developed in conjunction with Paula Mee.
So even if you only have a balcony or a window box and a few pots you can grow some food, a few herbs, some cut and come salad leaves, scallions… It’s not rocket science, just fork up the soil, run your finger along to make an indentation, drop in the seeds, cover and don’t forget to water.
Friends and neighbours in towns and estates could each agree to grow 3 or 4 packets of vegetable seeds and then share rather than having a huge glut of one crop.
From the cook’s point of view, it is a joy to have truly fresh organic produce to pick and share at a whim. Growing your own vegetables gives one a much greater appreciation of food and the time and energy that goes into producing it. It also engenders a respect for the farmers and growers who look after the crops for months on end to feed and nourish us.
When you and your family grow your own, everyone treats it with respect and we are much less likely to over cook it in the kitchen. Even if it’s only a cabbage or a few spuds, eating it feels like a celebration and it truly is.
From this time of the year to the end of April is called the ‘hungry gap’ many of the winter vegetables are coming to an end and the summer bounty is still far off or still in a seed packet. Nonetheless there’s still lots to enjoy.

Warm Salad of Jerusalem Artichokes with Hazelnut Oil Dressing

Serves 4

White turnips or Kohl Rabi are also delicious cooked and served in exactly the same way.

12 ozs (340g) Jerusalem Artichokes, very carefully peeled to a smooth shape

salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 oz (15g) hazelnuts, toasted and sliced

a few leaves oakleaf lettuce

Garnish

sprigs of chervil

Hazelnut Oil Dressing

3 tablesp hazelnut oil or

1 1/2 tablesp hazelnut oil and

1 1/2 tablesp sunflower oil

1 1/2 tablesp white wine vinegar

1 teasp. Dijon mustard

salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar to taste

Slice the artichoke about 1/2 inch thick. Bring 4 fl ozs (110ml) water and  oz butter to the boil in a heavy saucepan and add in the sliced artichokes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Put a lid on the saucepan and cook gently until they are almost cooked. Turn off the heat and allow to sit in the covered saucepan until they are almost tender. The maddening thing about artichokes is that they cook unevenly so it will be necessary to test them with a skewer at regular intervals; they usually take at least 15 minutes.

While the artichokes are cooking, prepare the Hazelnut dressing by mixing all the ingredients together. Slice the hazelnuts and reserve for garnish.When the artichokes are cooked carefully remove from the saucepan, making sure not to break them up.

Place on a flat dish in a single layer.  Spoon over the hazelnut dressing and toss while still warm. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.

To assemble the salad.
Divide the sliced artichokes between 4 plates. Put a little circle of lettuce around the vegetables and sprinkle some of the dressing over the lettuce. Garnish with the toasted hazelnuts and chervil sprigs. This salad is best when the artichokes are eaten while still warm.

Carrot Soup with Wild Garlic Cream

Winter carrots are still good and wild garlic is just coming into season, if you can find it why not add some to this soup. Carrot soup is also delicious on it’s own.

Serves 6 approx.

560g (1¼ lbs) unwashed organic carrots, scrubbed, peeled and chopped into ¼ inch (5mm) dice
40g (1½ ozs) butter
115g (4ozs) onion, chopped into ¼ inch (5mm) dice
130g (5ozs) potatoes, chopped into ¼ inch (5mm) dice
Salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar
1.2L (2 pints) homemade chicken stock
65ml (2½ fl ozs) creamy milk, (optional)
a fistful of wild garlic leaves roughly chopped
Wild Garlic Cream

3-4 tablesp softly whipped cream
1 – 2 tablesp wild garlic leaves, chopped
1 tablesp freshly chopped parsley
wild garlic flowers

Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan, when it foams add the chopped vegetables. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar. Cover with a butter paper and a tight fitting lid. Allow to sweat gently on a low heat for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened slightly. Remove the lid. Add the stock, increase the heat and boil until the vegetables are soft. Pour into a liquidiser, add a fistful of wild garlic leaves and puree until smooth, (you may need to do this in two batches). Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a little creamy milk if necessary. Fold the chopped wild garlic leaves and parsley into the softly whipped cream. Garnish with a blob of wild garlic cream, garnish with a few wild garlic flowers and serve.

Vegetable Stew with Fresh Spices and Banana and Yoghurt Raita

Serves 6
This spicy stew tastes even better the day after you make it.  Vary the vegetables depending on what you have to hand.

4-8 carrots
2 large parsnips or white turnips
4 oz (110 g) button mushrooms
4 oz (110 g) cauliflower
3-4 potatoes
2 X 6 inch (15 cm) courgettes, green or golden
2 stalks broccoli
2 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
10 whole cloves
3 inch (7.5 cm) piece of cinnamon bark
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 oz (30 g) fresh ginger root
4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
4-5 tablespoons approx. olive oil or clarified butter
2 onions, sliced into rings
3 cups coconut milk
1 teaspoon sea salt
juice of 1 lemon

Garnish
Flat parsley or coriander leaves
2 1/2 oz (70 g) roasted almonds or cashew nuts

Accompaniment
Banana and Yoghurt Raita (see recipe)

First prepare the vegetables.  Peel or scrape the carrots and cut them into pieces 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) long approx.  If the pieces are very chunky cut them into quarters.  Peel and quarter the parsnips, cut out the core and cut into pieces similar to the carrots.  Quarter the mushrooms.  Break the cauliflower and broccoli into florets.  Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) cubes.

Grind all the whole spices in a spice grinder, add the turmeric and cayenne.  Chop the garlic and ginger and make into a paste either in a pestle and mortar or food processor.
Heat the olive oil or clarified butter in a wide saucepan, add the onion, garlic and ginger, cook over a medium heat until the onion has turned golden brown (6-8 minutes approx.), lower the heat, add the spices and sugar and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the carrots, parsnips, coconut milk, lemon juice and sea salt, increase the heat, cover and bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the potatoes and cook until tender.

Meanwhile blanch the cauliflower and broccoli in boiling salted water, remove when almost cooked but still crisp, refresh in cold water, drain and keep aside.  Boil the courgettes for 5-6 minutes.

Fry the mushroom quarters in a hot pan in a little olive oil or clarified butter, season with salt and pepper and keep aside.  When the potatoes are cooked add the mushrooms, broccoli, thickly sliced courgettes and cauliflower to the stew, cover, allow to bubble up for a minute, taste and correct seasoning.  It often needs more salt at this point to enhance the flavour.

Garnish with flat parsley or coriander leaves and roasted almonds or cashew nuts.  Serve immediately with Ballymaloe Tomato Relish and Banana and Yoghurt Raita (see recipe).  Poppodums are also a nice accompaniment.

Banana and Yogurt Raita (see Fool Proof Food)
Potato and Parsnip Mash

This mash is particularly delicious with game, a haunch of venison or pheasant it’s also good for rack of lamb or with a steak.

Serves 8 approx.

1¼kg (2½ lbs) parsnips
450g (1 lb) ‘old’ potatoes, e.g. Golden Wonders or Kerrs Pinks
300-350ml (10-12 fl ozs) approx. creamy milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
55g (2ozs½ stick) approx. butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Scrub the potatoes, put them into a saucepan of cold water, add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil. When the potatoes are about half cooked, (15 minutes approx. for ‘old’ potatoes), strain off two-thirds of the water, replace the lid on the saucepan, put onto a gentle heat and allow the potatoes to steam until they are cooked.
Peel the parsnips, and cut into chunks, cook in boiled salted water until tender. Drain and mash, keep warm.
When the potatoes are just cooked, put on the milk and bring to the boil.  Pull the peel off the potatoes, mash quickly while they are still warm and beat in enough boiling milk to make a fluffy mash. (If you have a large quantity, put the potatoes in the bowl of a food mixer and beat with the spade.) Then add in the mashed parsnip with the butter. Taste for seasoning.  Serve immediately or reheat later.  Potato and parsnip mash will reheat in a moderate oven 180ºC/350ºF/regulo 4, for 20-25 minutes approx.
Serve in a hot dish with a scattering of parsley on top or if you like piled high with parsnip crisps.

Braised Cavolo Nero
Black Tuscan Kale

This is one of the most robust of the kale family.

Serves 4-6 depending on size

4 heads cavolo nero
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
extra virgin olive oil
bruschetta or polenta

Remove the stems from the cavolo nero leaves.  Blanch in a large pot of boiling well-salted water for 3-5 minutes.  Be careful not to overcook.  Drain well.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add the garlic and fry gently.  When it begins to colour add the well-drained cavolo nero, season generously with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil.
Serve on its own or as a topping for bruschetta or polenta.

Gratin of Leeks and Ham

Serves 6 – 8

6 – 8 leeks
1 oz (25g) butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 – 8 slices cooked ham
1 pint (600ml) béchamel sauce (see recipe)
4 ozs (110g) grated cheese, eg. Cheddar or a mixture of Gruyere, Parmesan and Cheddar
1 teasp Dijon mustard

Top and tail and wash the leeks. Put an inch of water in a wide pan, add a little butter, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and cook on a gentle heat for 6 – 8 minutes depending on size. The tip of a knife should go through easily. Drain the leeks. Wrap each leek in a slice of cooked ham and arrange in a single layer in an oven proof gratin dish. First make the béchamel sauce (see recipe), add the grated cheese and the Dijon mustard, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, taste and correct the seasoning.
Coat with leeks with béchamel sauce, sprinkle the top with and ounce of grated cheddar cheese. Pre heat the oven to 230C 450 f Gas 8. Reheat the gratin for 10 to 20 minutes or until hot and bubbling and golden on top.

Bechamel Sauce

½ pint (300ml) milk
A few slices of carrot
a few slices of onion
a sprig of thyme
a small sprig of parsley
3 black peppercorns
1½ ozs (45g) roux (see below)
salt and freshly ground pepper

This is a marvellous quick way of making Béchamel Sauce if you already have roux made. Put the cold milk into a saucepan with the carrot, onion, peppercorns, thyme and parsley. Bring to the boil, simmer for 4-5 minutes, and remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain out the vegetables, bring the milk back to the boil and thicken with roux to a light coating consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.

Roux

4 ozs (110g) butter
4 ozs (110g) flour

Melt the butter and cook the flour in it for 2 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Use as required. Roux can be stored in a cool place and used as required or it can be made up on the spot if preferred. It will keep at least a fortnight in a refrigerator.
Fool Proof Food

Banana and Yogurt Raita

Delicious served with either these meatballs or with the mild madras curry, surprisingly it keeps for days in the fridge and we’ve also enjoyed it as a pudding.

2 heaped tablesp. (2 ozs 55g approx.) raisins or sultanas
1 oz (30g) blanched slivered almonds
7 fl ozs (200ml) best quality natural yogurt
3½ fl ozs (90ml/) cream or 3½ fl ozs (90ml) sour cream
1 tablesp pure Irish honey
3 firm ripe bananas
pinch of salt
4-6 cardamom pods

Pour boiling water over the raisins or sultanas, leave for 10 minutes, toast the almonds. Mix the yogurt with the cream, add the honey, taste and add more if needed. Add the raisins and almonds, remove the seeds from the cardamom pods, crush in a pestle and mortar, slice the banana, season with a pinch of salt and add to the yogurt. Turn into a serving bowl and chill for an hour if possible.
Serve with curries and spicy dishes.

Hot Tips

Wild Garlic

Wild Garlic is coming into season so gather this delicious wild herb from shady places along the banks of streams and in undisturbed mossy woodland. There are two types of wild garlic, Allium ursinum, and Allium triquetrum, the kind of wild garlic known as snowbells, which look like white bluebells and usually grow along the sides of country lanes.
Wild garlic lasts a few days when gathered into a bouquet and placed in water.  It’s easily over-used, so be sparse. Wild garlic butter melts deliciously over a steak or a spring lamb chop. The chopped leaves are delicious in broths and pasta sauces.

Barry’s Nurseries

Transform your lawn into a productive vegetable garden. Learn how to grow your own vegetables on a four week evening course starting Wednesday 1st April 7pm – 9pm. Demonstration and hands on; sowing planting and soil preparation. Barry’s Nurseries, Inch, Killeagh – Tel: +353 86 814 1133
Thrifty Tip

To avoid leftovers, try not to cook too much. Freeze or refrigerate any leftovers to use at a later meal, rather than dumping. Feed meat scraps to pets: compost vegetable scraps in a rodent proof compost system; put suitable leftovers such as bread, crackers etc on the bird table or keep a few hens.

India keeps calling me back. Few places on earth offer the diversity of travel experiences that this intriguing country delivers – a lifetime is not long enough to know it. In the space of less than an hour one can witness hand pulled rickshaws, camel carts and ceremonial elephants, oxen ploughing the fields with bells tinkling from their gaily painted horns, side by side with brand new tractors. All manner of enterprise and activity, roadside barbers lather their customer’s chins, cross legged tailors, chapatti makers, a myriad of food stalls, sweetmeat makers, spice wallahs, blacksmiths sharpening sickles to harvest the mustard crop – all alongside glitzy malls. Nowadays, the poorest stallholder is likely to have a mobile phone. Even though economic growth has slowed considerably, much is changing.
Cows nonchalantly roam the streets in the certainty that no one will harm them
Tuc tucs, cars, cycle rickshaws, goods carriers (as lorries are called), all slow down to avoid them. Cows are sacred and revered. In the country side women in beautiful saris still work on the roads and in the brickworks, carrying heavy loads on their heads with seemingly effortless ease. For casual observers this is extraordinary but there is an order and a logic that we simply don’t understand and are best to accept as part of the experience of India. Everywhere one goes, people have a ready smile.
This time we spent a few days in Ponticherry a French Colonial town in South East India. Like Chowpatty Beach in Mumbai, it really comes to life in the early evening. A wander along the promenade before sunset is an unforgettable experience. Food stalls selling sand roasted nuts – pani puri, bell puri, samosas, ice-cream…  Kids pedalling candy floss, bubbles pipes, balloons, squeaky toys and several brass bands belting out Indian rhythms alongside the huge statue of Ghandi on the march.
I had several delicious meals, in a restaurant called Sangan, the chefs kindly shared this recipe for their homemade kiwi ice cream with me.

Rajastan in the North West is possibly the most colourful part of India. This time we avoided the tourist magnets Jodhpur and Jaipur – beautiful as they are – and ventured out into the wild and beautiful country side to stay in a couple of the Rajput families houses. Many of these noble families have restored their castles and forts in recent years to entice the growing number of tourists. We loved Castle Bijaipur about 40 kilometres from Chittorgarh. www.castlebijaipur.com The family still live there and warmly welcome the guests. The food cooked by family retainers was quite unlike the standard hotel food; secret recipes handed down through the generations. For those who like to ride there were wonderful Marwari horses and a tented camp overlooking Pangarh Fort and Lotus Lake to relax in.
Closer to Nimaj we found another place I long to return to – called Chhattar Sagar, http://www.mahoutuk.com/chhatra.htm three grandsons of Thakur Chhatra Singh a powerful nobleman run superb tented accommodation overlooking the dam which was built in 1890 to create a large water reservoir. The vision and generosity of their great grandfather changed the dry scrub into prime agricultural land, thus providing a livelihood for the local farmers who had hitherto struggled to survive on the parched desert.
It’s also a bird lover’s paradise – over 200 birds have been recorded many in significant numbers – antelopes and blue bull, amble through the savannah below the tents. The family organise wonderful tours of the local village and farms and the food was superb, I looked forward to every meal and when I expressed an interest in learning how some of the dishes were cooked, Harsh’s wife, dressed in a beautiful embroidered sari gave me and several other guests cooking classes before dinner. The tamarind aubergine and tomato chutney recipes are from Chhattra Sagar.

Finally we returned to Udaipur to possibly my favourite hotel in the world, the Lake Palace – which was built in 1743 by Maharana Jagat Singh and was the original summer retreat of the Maharanas – is in the centre of Lake Pichola. One gets there by boat and feels like a princess when greeted by a bearer carrying a parasol to provide shade from the midday sun. Fresh limeade, marigold garlands and the perfume of jasmine scent the air. In the morning and at sunset a resident flautist plays haunting Indian music on the flute. It’s a gentle magical place. Although breakfast is delicious overall the food is not great and rarely reflects the season or the produce of the local region. Nevertheless I love it there and Udaipur offers many other restaurant options. In the old town, I chanced upon a little cooking school run by Sushma Soni and spent a very informative few hours learning more about Indian food. Sushma cooked some easy to replicate dishes.
Paneer

2 litres milk
1 teaspn vinegar or lemon juice
150 – 200g (5 – 7 oz)

Boil 2 litres of milk when first boil comes, add 1 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice and 150 – 200g (5 – 7oz) of yoghurt and stir it well, it will curdle almost immediately. Pour the mixture through a muslin lined strainer, until all the water drains out, and then put a weight over and leave it for 2 hours.

In India they use whey to make chapati dough or boil lentils for dhal

Punjabi Butter Paneer Masala

Serves 3 – 6 depending on how many dishes are served.

50g (2 oz) butter
200g (7oz) paneer
4 medium onions chopped
1 teasp chopped green chilli
½ teasp grated ginger
4 – 6 large tomatoes, peeled and pureed
6 almonds 6 cashew nuts (grind with coconut powder)
2 tablsp desiccated coconut
2 cups milk
½ teasp turmeric powder
½ teasp red chilli powder
½ teasp garam masala
salt according to taste
2 tablsp double cream

Cut the paneer into 1 inch cubes, grind chopped ginger, onions and green chilli together and fry it with butter in a kadhi (wok) until light brown, add all the spices, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt according to taste.
Cook for 3 -4 minutes. Add the tomato puree, cook for a further 5 minutes, now add the double cream and crushed nuts.  Put the almonds, cashews and coconut into the grinder and puree, roast on medium heat until the butter and masala separates approximately 3 – 4 minutes. Now add the paneer pieces and add approximately two small cups of milk, cover for 5 minutes, add a pinch of garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves (methi).
Imli Baingan (Tamarind Aubergine)

Serves 6 – 8

1kg (2 ¼ lb) small aubergines cut in half, cut larger aubergines into 1 ½ inch chunks deep fried
4 onions finely chopped
5 -6 cloves garlic chopped
3 tbsp oil
3 – 5 whole red chillies
3 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt (to taste)

Heat the oil; add whole red chillies immediately followed by the onions. Fry over a medium heat until soft, add the garlic – careful it doesn’t burn. Add the tamarind paste, brown sugar, red chilli powder and salt. Stir and cook for a minute and then add the fried aubergine, toss gently and simmer for 4 or 5 minutes. Taste to correct seasoning. Serve hot.

Tomato Chutney

Serves 6 approximately as an accompaniment to curries or roast meats.

12 large ripe tomatoes chopped
2 green chillies deseeded and cut into long pieces
4 – 6 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
1 ½ teasp grated ginger
¼ teasp black mustard seeds
¼ teasp kiraita (nigella seeds)
¼ teasp fennel seeds
3 tabsp oil
2 teasp sugar
1 teasp red chilli powder
½ teasp salt

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the black mustard seeds, kiraita and fennel seeds, stir and fry for a few seconds then add the chopped garlic. Stir once or twice more and add the tomatoes. On a high heat add the ginger paste and the red chilli powder, cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the chutney thickens and reduces, add the sugar and cook until little droplets of oil rise to the top. Finally add the salt and the green chillies, stir, taste and correct the seasoning if necessary and serve hot.
Chapatis

Makes about 16

Chapatis in varying sizes and thickness are eaten all over North India. If you cannot find chapati flour use sieved wholemeal. Salt is optional.
The dough should be quite soft.  The amount of water you need will vary with the type of flour and the general humidity in the air.  Use extra flour to roll out easily.
In India Chapatis are traditionally cooked on a tava, a slightly concave, circular, cast iron plate, which is heated slowly before the first chapatti is slapped on to it.  This preheating prevents the chapatti from becoming hard and brittle.  Use a heavy cast iron pan if you haven’t got a tava.

250g (9oz) sieved chapati flour or wholemeal (weigh after sieving)
170ml (6oz) water
¼ teaspoon salt, optional

Put the sieved flour in a bowl. Add the water, slowly mixing as you do so, to form a soft dough.  Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until smooth.  Put the dough in a bowl.  Cover with cling film and leave to rest for half an hour.
If you are fortunate enough to have an Indian tava, slowly heat over a medium-low flame, alternatively use a cast iron frying pan.  When it is very hot, turn the heat to low.
Knead the dough again and form into a roll, divide in roughly 16 parts.  It should be fairly sticky, so use a little flour when handling it.
Flour your work surface, take one part of dough and roll into a ball. Press down on the ball to flatten. Roll out into a 14cm (5 ½ inch) round.  Pat off the excess of flour and then slap it on to the hot tava or frying pan.  Let it cook on low heat for about a minute.  Turn the chapati over (use your hands or a pair of tongs). Cook for about 30 seconds on the second side. Take the pan off the stove and put the chapatti directly on top of the low flame.  It should puff up in seconds. This takes courage but be brave its worth it, they deflate again in a few seconds.

Yellow Dhal Mewari Dahl Tadka

Serves 4 – 6

225g (8oz) any kind of lentil, yellow, green or white (or beans) soaked in hot water, (water to cover add ½ litre of water), for at least 1 hour

2 finely chopped onions
4 cloves garlic chopped
¼ teasp turmeric powder
¼ teasp red chilli powder
salt according to taste
¼ teasp garam masala (hot spices)
4 – 6 medium sized tomatoes chopped
½  litre (17fl oz) milk
1 ½ teasp chopped ginger or paste

Rinse the dhal 2 or 3 times

Boil the soaked lentils dhal with milk in a pressure cooker for 20 – 25 minutes or about an hour in an ordinary pan until lentils are soft. If you want it creamy and rich use milk, otherwise you use water.
Melt 3 – 4 tbls sunflower oil or ghee in a heavy saucepan, add the onions and cook on a medium heat until pale golden brown. Add the grated ginger and garlic, add spices and cook until the masala and the ghee separates 4 -5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and boil again. Now add the dhal, bring back to the boil and sprinkle some fresh coriander and a pinch of garam masala. It should be quite liquid. Cover for 2 – 3 minutes and then serve.
Garlic and ginger paste is an essential basic in Indian cooking. The garlic is usually ground first in an oval shaped pestle and mortar and then the ginger is added, then both are ground to a paste together. This mixture will last for 2 – 3 days in a fridge.
You can use this sauce for macaroni, spaghetti or for chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, vegetables or mutton.

Aloo Gobi (Potato with Cauliflower)

(No onions no garlic)
1 flower of cauliflower with little tiny florets (1/2 kg)
4 large or 4 medium size potatoes, diced ½ inch
4 tabsp cooking oil
1/3 teasp fennel seeds
¼ teasp mustard seeds
10-15 seeds of fenugreek
handful of fresh or frozen peas
¼ teasp garam masala
½ – 2 teasp chopped green chilli
2 tomatoes finely chopped
½ teasp chopped ginger
salt according to taste

Heat the oil in a pan, add all seeds when they start to pop after about a minute add the turmeric, potatoes, cauliflower, peas, garam masla and mix well. Cover for 10 minutes on a medium heat until they are soft, stir after 8 to 10 minutes then add the chopped tomatoes, ginger, chopped green chilli. Mix well, cover and leave for a few minutes. Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve hot.

Kiwi Fruit Ice Cream from Satsanga Restaurant in Ponticherry

Makes 8 – 10

1kg (2 ¼ lb) kiwi fruit – about 10
1/3 of 2kg (675g) icing sugar
1 litre double cream
3 – 4 kiwi fruit (garnish)
fresh mint leaves

Peel the kiwi fruit thinly and cut into four, puree the fruit in a blender, chill in a fridge.
Meanwhile whisk the cream stiffly, add the icing sugar and mix well. Fold evenly into the chilled kiwi puree and turn into an ice cream maker and churn until frozen. Alternatively pour into a plastic box cover and freeze.
Serve on chilled plates alone or with a wedge or two of kiwi and some fresh mint leaves.

Fool Proof Food

Sweet Lassi

50ml (2fl oz) best quality natural yoghurt
175ml (6fl oz) ice and water
1/2- 1 tabsp caster sugar
1/8–1/4 teasp rose water or kewra
rose petals, optional
Whizz all the ingredients including the ice in a blender. Pour into chilled glasses and serve immediately.  Scatter with rose petals.

Hot Tips

Steak sandwiches for lunch at Mahon Point Farmers Market

Gar Granville from Cobh serves steak sandwiches from his stall at Mahon Point Farmers Market every Thursday. These are truly delicious – beef that has been hung for four weeks, slathered with freshly picked horseradish sauce and homemade mayonnaise served on an Ockham bap, hot out of the oven from the bakery in Ballycotton that morning for €6:50 www.mahonpointfarmersmarket.com

Vegetable Growing Workshop

Two hour hands on workshop on growing vegetables will be held every Saturday afternoon at 2:00pm, beginning 10th March. Course content; soil preparation, sowing, planting – potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, parsnips, peas and beans. Cost €25.00 per week. Barrie’s Nurseries +353 86 814 1133 www.barrysgardencentre.ie
Sarah Raven comes to Ireland

Sarah Raven, www.sarahraven.com well known writer, cook, broadcaster and teacher, is the expert on all things to grow, cut and eat from your garden. She will be teaching two one day gardening classes in April at the Ballymaloe Cookery School. ‘The Cutting Garden’ Thursday 16th April 9:30am to 5:00pm ‘Year Round Vegetables’, Friday 17th April 9:30am to 5:00pm. Booking essential 021 4646 785.

In this gloomy economic climate as one multinational after another announces staggering losses, guess what company has not merely survived but is reporting a staggering increase in business – McDonald’s. The fast food chain started in 1966 by Ronald McDonald has announced plans to open even more outlets this year.

Despite the lambasting McDonalds have had in recent years with best selling books like Fast Food Nation and films like Supersize me, McDonalds has taken stock, picked itself up, dusted itself down and not only survived but prevailed in a way that is the envy not only of other restaurants but many food chains not least Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts whose business it is now affecting with it’s new McCafes express coffee drinks.
The strategic management team at McDonalds heeded well to the criticism, they listened to and observed their customers, they introduced salads, wraps, carefully tweaked the menu but never lost sight of their core product. In this economical crisis they promote their menu outside featuring low cost food. Inside they promote their happy meal combos. Why? Because the French fries and soft drinks make more profit – they are the high margin items. The same basic business principal operates in a supermarket. Low margin commodity items such as milk are far from the entrance where the high margin more profitable sweeties are piled high close to the cash register. Much to annoyance of parents with young children with lots of pester power. McDonalds must be admired for their achievement but with every success comes responsibility. Now that so many are depending on McDonald’s to feel their families in these desperate times, the meal must be truly formulated to nourish as well as fill.
McDonalds doesn’t pretend to be haute cuisine. The public are well and truly voting with their feet. The McDonalds formula of consistency and value is a resounding success. The four factors for their success are speed, accuracy of order system, cleanliness and temperature. Most people like their food hot not lukewarm but too hot either.
Taste is not necessarily a big issue, McDonalds customers have a pretty broad range of acceptability galling though it may be for all the whole foodies.
The concept is brilliant and its performance during these challenging economic times is truly proof of the pudding.

If you like to make great burgers and chips at home here’s how.

Buying Mince

Be really fussy – buy fresh meat that has been minced on the day. If mince is a day or two old it will taste sour and acrid. It doesn’t have to be round steak, flap or flank are fine. It sounds politically incorrect but for real flavour and succulence, mince meat should contain 20 to 25% fat.
Basic Hamburgers

The hamburger, the universal fast food, immortalized by the Americans and enjoyed by the rich and famous, the down and outs and all the rest of the world as well.
It can be a feast or a travesty simply a burger in a bun or an elaborate creation with lots of sauces and pickles.
The secret of really good hamburgers is the quality of the mince, it doesn’t need to be an expensive cut but it is essential to use the beef on the day it is minced. A very small percentage of fat in the mince will make the hamburgers sweet and juicy.

Serves 4-6

1/2 oz (15g) butter
3 ozs (75g) onion, chopped (optional)
1 lb (450g) freshly minced beef – flank, chump or shin would be perfect
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground pepper
pork caul fat, optional
extra virgin olive oil

burger buns

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan, toss in the chopped onion, cover and sweat until soft but not coloured, allow to get cold. Meanwhile, mix the mince, add the herbs. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, add the cold onions. Mix well. Fry off a tiny bit on the pan to check the seasoning, correct if necessary.  Then shape into hamburgers, 4-6 depending on the size you require. Wrap each one in caul fat if using.  Cook to your taste in a little oil on a grill pan or medium-hot pan or, turning once. I prefer to use a grill pan because I love the way it sears the burgers.

Watch Point:
If the hamburgers are to be wrapped in caul fat, wrap loosely to allow for contraction during cooking.
If the hamburgers are being cooked in batches make sure to wash and dry the pan between batches.

Useful Tip

Use good salt, Maldon or plain cooking salt and freshly ground pepper.
A little finely chopped onion is a delicious addition but it’s best to sweat it in a little butter or olive oil first otherwise raw onion will remain rawish even when the rest of the burger is cooked.
Hamburgers with Mushroom a la Crème and Crispy Bacon

Several people are doing really good bacon these nowadays. Gubbeen (028) 28231 and Caherbeg (023) 48474 have a cult following, but you may not be so familiar with Caroline Rigney from Curragh Chase near Limerick (061) 393988 and Noreen and Martin Conroy from Woodside Farm (087) 2767206 from East Cork who sell from the Farmers Market in Midleton.

Serves 6

6 homemade burgers (see recipe)
Mushroom a la Crème, (see recipe)
6 really good streaky rashers
freshly chopped parsley

Sizzling chips
Green salad and cherry tomatoes

burger buns

Cook the burgers to your taste. Meanwhile fry or grill the rashers until crisp and golden, then cut each one in half.   Heat the mushroom a la Crème.

To Serve
Put a grilled bun on each plate, spoon 2 – 3 tablespoons of Mushroom a la Creme over each.  Top each hamburger with 2 pieces of crispy bacon and a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley.

Serve with some sizzling chips and a green salad and perhaps a few cherry tomatoes.
Mushroom a la Crème

Serves 4

1/2-1 oz (15-25g) butter
3 ozs (75g) onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb (225g) mushrooms, sliced
4fl ozs (100ml) cream
freshly chopped parsley
1/2 tablespoon freshly chopped chives (optional)
a squeeze of lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper
roux

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan until it foams.  Add the chopped onions, cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 5-10 minutes or until quite soft but not coloured.  Meanwhile cook the sliced mushrooms in a little butter, in a hot frying pan in batches if necessary.  Season each batch with salt, freshly ground pepper and a tiny squeeze of lemon juice.  Add the mushrooms to the onions in the saucepan, then add the cream and allow to bubble for a few minutes.  Thicken with a little roux to a light coating consistency.  Taste and correct the seasoning, and add parsley and chives if used.

Note: Mushroom a la crème may be served as a vegetable, or as a filling for vol au vents, bouchees or pancakes or as a sauce for pasta.  It may be used as an enrichment for casseroles and stews or, by adding a little more cream or stock, may be served as a sauce with beef, lamb, chicken or veal.  A crushed clove of garlic may be added while the onions are sweating.

Mushroom a la Crème keeps well in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Debbie Shaw’s Asian Chilli Chicken Burgers with Fresh Coriander

This is a delicious and healthy alternative to beef burgers, full of fresh aromatic Asian flavours.

Makes: 4 medium sized bugers.

400g (14oz) minced free-range organic chicken (thigh, leg, breast meat or a mixture)
50g (2oz) minced pork belly
50g (2oz) red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ to 1 hot red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 tblsp fresh lime juice
2 tblsp chopped fresh coriander (substitute basil if you prefer)
1 dessertspoon oyster sauce
1 dessertspoon soya sauce
1 dessertspoon of fish sauce
1 dessertspoon toasted sesame seed oil
1 tspn salt
1 small free range egg

Sweet Chilli Yoghurt dip. (See Fool Proof Food)

Ask your butcher to mince some chicken for you. Alternatively finely chop 400g (14oz) of de-boned and skinned chicken breast/thighs/legs by hand or pulse in a food processor (leaving some texture) Add the minced pork, onion, garlic, ginger, chilli, lime juice, coriander, oyster sauce, soya sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, beaten egg and salt. Mix well, shape into flattish burgers and chill for 1-2 hours to firm up. If using immediately, use a small whisked egg to bind the ingredients. Heat a grill pan, when smoking hot add a little extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil and brown the burger for 3 minutes on each side, then reduce the heat and cook the burger through, turning frequently. Serve with crispy lettuce, slices of vine ripened tomato and sweet chilli yoghurt dip in a lightly toasted ciabatta roll or bagel.
Rory O’Connell’s Spicy Lamb Burgers with Yoghurt, Mint Raita and Pitta Bread

Serve in warm pitta bread or mini burger buns, with salad leaves, tomato salad and fresh mint and yoghurt dressing.

Makes about 12

4 tablespoons fresh coriander chopped
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
175g (6oz) onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 kg (2¼ lb) minced lamb
2 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly ground coriander
1 free-range egg, beaten
salt and freshly ground pepper

12 pita bread

Heat the olive oil in a pan on a medium heat. Cook the onion and chilli until soft and golden. Allow to cool a little.

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, season well with salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Divide the mixture into burgers, shaping them as you wish; but it should make about 12.

Cook on a frying pan in a little extra virgin olive oil or on a baking sheet under a hot grill for 3-4 mins on each side or on a barbeque.

Serve each spicy lamb burger in a warm pitta with some fresh salad leaves, tomato salad and cucumber and mint raita.

Hamburgers with Blue Cheese, Sweet Cucumber Salad and Tomato Relish

Serves 4-6

Basic burgers (see recipe)
Little Irish Blue Cheese, eg. Cashel Blue or Chetwynd

Sweet Cucumber Salad
4 ozs (110g) approx. cucumber, thinly sliced
1 dessertspoon sugar
a good pinch of salt
1 1/3 fl ozs (31.5 ml) white wine vinegar

To Serve
Ballymaloe Country Relish* or a good homemade tomato chutney
Green salad
Freshly cooked chips (optional)
Marigold petals (Calendula Officinalis)

4-6 burger buns

First make the cucumber salad. Put the sliced cucumber into a bowl add the sugar, salt and wine vinegar and mix well. Place in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator and leave for at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile make the hamburger mixture. When shaping the hamburgers put a blob of Blue cheese into the centre of each one and seal well.  Cook the burgers to your taste.

To Serve: Split and chargrill the buns, put the base on a warm plate, put a freshly cooked blue cheese burger on top, arrange some cucumber salad on top of the burger and put a spoonful of Ballymaloe Country Relish on the side. Some sizzling chips and a little tossed green salad would also be delicious. If you happen to have a few common marigold petals sprinkle them over the top of the salad for extra posh!

* Ballymaloe Country Relish is available in shops countrywide, if unavailable in your area, contact: Yasmin Hyde, Glanmire, Co Cork, phone: (021) 4354810.
Fool Proof Food

Sweet Chilli Yoghurt Dip

Mix the following ingredients together and chill

2 tblspns Thai sweet chilli sauce
2 tblspns of organic natural yoghurt
4 tblspns homemade or bought mayonnaise
2 crushed cloves of garlic
1 tblspn chopped fresh coriander (substitute basil if you prefer)

Hot Tips

Practical Allotment Gardening Course

Ightermurragh Garden Allotments Ladysbridge, East Cork. Five week course starting
Saturday 7th March, 2009 at 11am. Planning plot, preparation of seed bed, planting early crops, sowing and pruning of fruit bushes. Grow your own fruit and vegetables, you don’t need a garden, precultivated ready to sow plots will be provided. €75.00 for five week course with reduced rates for plot holders.

Course taught by:  Michael Brenock B.Agric (Hort) and Donal Murphy B.Agric and Liam Murphy (Owner) Telephone Liam 021-4667330   Mob 086 3003810
Booking essential.

Spring Lamb at the Nautilis

The Nautilis Restaurant at Inn by the Harbour in Ballycotton have reopened after a winter break. Try their delicious new Moroccan Lamb dish made with locally sourced spring lamb. Booking essential (021) 4646 768.
Reducing your Carbon Footprint

Feidhlim Harty sets out some straightforward and very easy ways to reduce your rubbish by a surprising amount – saving you money and helping the planet with his new book ‘Get Rid of Your Bin and Save Money’
Published by Mercier Press ISBN no 978-185635-626-8
Thrifty Tip

Buy a whole chicken rather than chicken pieces. Then you can use the carcass for stock to make delicious soups and stews. Sometimes you can buy bags of giblets (necks, hearts and gizzards) very cheaply. They add greatly to the flavour of the stock. The cooked gizzards are delicious tossed in hot olive oil, served on tossed salad leaves with a few croutons, one of my favourite starter salads.