Archive2016

Tamil Nadu in South India particularly the Chettinad area is a ‘road much less travelled’ than many of the trendier tourist destinations like Goa, Rajasthan and Kerala but intriguing, particularly for those who have a penchant for temples, architecture and of course food. I’m interested in all three but I have to say one can easily get ‘templed out’ in many parts of India.  Chettinad is particularly fascinating from the architecture perspective.

In the 1990’s,  pioneering lady Meenakshi Meyyappan from one of the most prominent Chettinar family was the first person to open one of her houses as a delightful heritage hotel. Just 4 simple rooms at first and a welcome as though one was a guest of the family. She served the fresh food of the Chettinad homes where everything was not just prepared and cooked ‘from scratch’ but grown in the gardens or produced on the family farm.

Since my last visit in 2011 the Bangala has expanded to 21 rooms, there’s a swimming pool and a cookery school where Meenaskshi chefs can pass on the secrets of the much requested Bangala recipes.  Freshly squeezed juices, watermelon or pineapple or dosa or breakfast with idli and sambar, rice…if that all seems too challenging there were of course masala omelettes and pancakes but for me lunch was the most exacting meal of the day, a wide variety of dishes served on a  banana leaf in the traditional way. Rice of course, then both a fish and meat dish, several vegetarian curry and stews fritters, a raita, several chutneys and a poppadums. The selection was different every day, cutlery is provided but one is encouraged to eat with one’s hands in the elegant Indian way. Dinner is a multi-ethnic affair with a mixture of Asian and Anglo Indian dishes but I don’t go to India for bread and butter pudding or crème caramel, no matter how delicious…..

The Bangala is heart of Karaikudi so one can comfortably wander around the colourful vegetable and fruit market and bazaar and the antique area, best in the early morning or evening when the temperature has dropped to the mid-twenties. The hardware and household utensil shops are also intriguing and I love the simple little tea shops where people congregate in the evenings to have a glass of a chai and a snack. I had some delicious plantain fritters  cooked in a lentil batter with a fresh coconut chutney served a square of banana leaf – for just 50 rupees.

Not everyone’s idea of ‘chilling out’ but I love to attend cooking classes when I’m on holidays to vamp up on the local food culture and ingredients and learn a few new dishes to pass on to my readers and students.

Here’s some of what I learned from Karuppiali, Chef at The Bangala, the ingredients are easy to find and techniques familiar to those who have already discovered the magic of spices.

 

Hot Tips

Green Saffron Pops Up in Paris

Arun Kapil from Green Saffron in Midleton is hosting a three week Green Saffron Pop UP in Paris from April 26^th to May 14^th 2016 in Alcazar restaurant in St Germain des Près.. Arun has created a spicy menu to entice the French people to enjoy spicier food and drinks.

Tel:  021 463 7960 or www.greensaffron.com

 

Don’t forget to place an order for Spring Lamb from your butcher for Easter Sunday lunch – it’s a special treat so not available everywhere

 

Check out the Examiner website for the Ballymaloe Hot Cross Bun recipe

 

Date for the Diary

Pop-Ups Everywhere!

Michelle Darmody from The Cake Café in Dublin is hosting a Pop Up Café in The Projects Arts Centre in Temple Bar in Dublin in an effort to highlight the fact that asylum seekers living in direct provision are not able to cook for themselves. Don’t miss the two day Pop Up restaurant, on 5^th and 6^th April 2016 from 12pm-3pm where the menu will be devised and cooked by those in direct provision. Proceeds will go to the Refugee Council of Ireland

Tickets €15.00. Booking Essential. Phone Michelle Darmody 087 938 4455 for more details.

Good Things Cafe

Carmel Somers’s many fans will be delighted to hear that Good Things at Dillon’s Corner in Skibbereen is now up and running. Carmel is a beautiful cook who uses fresh, seasonal, organic ingredients to create delicious food for her growing number of devotees. For reservations Tel: 028 51948 or www.thegoodthingscafe.com

 

Recipes

Potato Karuvattu Poriyal

Don’t let this unprouncable title or long list of ingredients put you off trying this recipe – it was totally delicious.

Serves 4

 

Wet Paste

1½ teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 fresh green chillies

â…“ cup grated coconut

400 g (14 oz) potatoes, peeled, cut into wedges like potato chips

2 teaspoons salt

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon urad dal, hulled split

½ teaspoon fennel seeds

50g (4 oz) onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon garlic paste

½ heaping teaspoon ginger paste

10 curry leaves

1½ teaspoons red chilli powder, mild

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

¾ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, chopped

 

Grind cumin seeds, fennel seeds, green chillies and coconut in a blender with some water to make a wet paste. Set aside.

Pour enough water into a saucepan to cover the potatoes and bring to a boil over a medium heat. Slide in the potatoes and 2 teaspoons of salt. Let them boil, covered, till fork tender, 7-10 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Add oil to a wok over a medium –high heat. When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, slide in the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the urad dal and stir. Add the fennel seeds and onion, and sauté for 1 minute.

Add garlic and ginger followed by curry leaves, chilli powder and turmeric. Stir before adding the reserved wet paste. Continue to stir constantly.

When the oil has separated from the masala and the mixtures looks cooked, sprinkle with salt and then add the drained pototaes, mixing well. Sauté for 2-4 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate all the carmaelized bits of masala. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

 

From The Bangala Table Flavours and Recipes from Chettinad, Sumeet Nair, Meenakshi Meyyappan with Jill Donenfeld

 

Brussel Sprouts Masala Poriyal

Most of our international guests at The Bangala enjoy this masala poriyal. They are familiar with Brussel sprouts and like the masala presentation.

 

250 g (9 oz) brussel sprouts, cut in quarters if large

½ teaspoon salt

50 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) vegetable oil

100g (3½ oz) onion, peeled and finely chopped

½ teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon garlic paste

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoons red chilli powder, mild preferably made from goondu milagai

½ cup fresh tomato puree

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, chopped

 

Pour 2 cups of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Slide in the brussel sprouts and ½ teaspoon salt and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, till tender. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Add oil to a large wok over a high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, slide in the onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Follow by adding the ginger and garlic paste, turmeric and chilli powder. Stir once and add tomato puree and ½ teaspoon salt. Continue to cook, reducing the heat to low, stirring and scraping to ensure that nothing sticks to the bottom.

When the oil separates from the masala, add the drained Brussel sprouts to incorporate. Stir for 1-2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the wok. Remove from the heat, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

 

The Bangala Table Flavours and Recipes from Chettinad, Sumeet Nair, Meenakshi Neyyappan with Jill Donenfeld

 

Raisin and Cashew Nut Pulao

An aromatic pulao with flavours of whole spices, dry fruit and coconut milk. This is serves as‘main rice’ for dinner at The Bangala. Cooking the rice in coconut milk instead of just water adds depth and a lovely, flavourful creaminess to this dish.

Serves 4

 

300 g (11 oz/1½ cups) basmati rice

125 ml (4 fl oz/ ½ cup) vegetable oil

3 green cardamom pods

Once 3- inch piece cinnamon, broken in half

13 cloves

3 fresh green chillies slit at the base

60 g (2½ oz) onion, peeled and finely chopped

10 unsalted cashew nuts, broken

1½ tablespoons raisins

1½ teaspoons sea salt or to taste

350 ml (12 fl oz/1½ cups) thin coconut milk

¾ cup thick coconut milk

 

Place rice in a bowl and wash under running water, gently stirring and mixing the rice with your hands, draining each time the bowl fills up. Do this 2 or 3 times, till the water runs clear; then let soak in fresh water, covered for at least 30 minutes. Drain.

Pour oil into a large saucepan over high heat. When hot, add cardamom and cinnamon. Once the cardamoms have plumped up nicely, about 30 seconds add cloves and green chillies and stir. Next, slide onion into the pan and sauté till translucent, about 1 minute, before adding the cashew nuts and raisins.

Pour in 1½ cups water, salt and the thin coconut milk, mix to incorporate and cover to let simmer for 2 minutes before turning the heat to high. Add rice, stir and wait for it to come to the boil before reducing the heat. Let it cook, covered for about 10 minutes before adding the thick coconut milk. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed. Grains should be separate and not too soft. Check seasoning. serve hot.

 

The Bangala Table Flavours and Recipes from Chettinad, Sumeet Nair, Meenakshi Neyyappan with Jill Donenfeld

 

As the whole world (it seems) gears up to celebrate St Patrick’s Day – have a good root through your cupboards and pick out your very best ‘greenery’ to don on Thursday next. Let’s all have fun and get into the emerald vibe. The Irish diaspora from New York to Shanghai are in high spirits, Tourism Ireland recently announced this year’s additions to the Global Greening initiative where famous sites and monuments throughout the world are illuminated in green to mark our National Holiday. It’s a totally brilliant initiative to focus the whole world’s attention on Ireland.

This year the 7 World Trade Centre at Ground Zero in New York, the famous Big Wheel on Place de la Concorde in Paris, the City Hall in Tel Aviv and Munich’s Hofbräuhaus and the Amazon Theatre Opera House in the midst of the Amazon Rain Forest are among the newest sites to join the Sydney Opera House, the Colosseum in Rome, the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, the Empire State Building in New York and Auckland’s Sky Tower……Here in Dublin, disability rights campaigner Joanne O Riordan from Millstreet has been chosen as Grand Marshall of the St Patrick’s Day Parade, at 19 years old, she’ll be the youngest ever to lead the celebrations.

Well, back to the kitchen, to plan a feast. For me, St Patrick’s Day is all about Bacon and Cabbage and Parsley Sauce with a big bowl of champ and a generous lump of Irish butter melting into the centre – the ultimate comfort food. Despite the atrocious weather we’ve been having our rhubarb is growing enthusiastically, so it’ll be a juicy rhubarb tart for pud with lots of soft brown sugar and Jersey cream. But if you’d rather ring the changes how about St Patrick’s Day Bacon and Cabbage Pot Stickers with soy dipping sauce.

This is just one of the tempting recipes in Imen McDonnell new book Farmette Cookbook which documents her recipes and adventures on an Irish farm.

Imen will be very familiar to the Irish Farmers Journal readers for whom she’s written a food and lifestyle column for many years. She’s also a contributing editor to Condé Nast Traveller and Irish Country Magazine. In a former life, she spent her days working in Los Angeles, happily going about her business in a successful broadcast media career. Then fate intervened, she met a dashing Irish farmer in Minneapolis and fell instantly in love. In short order, Imen found herself leaving behind her career, her country, her family and friends, to start a life from scratch on a centuries-old family dairy farm in County Limerick. When she’s not cooking, writing, weeding or photographing, you’ll find her in the farmyard with her husband and son, milking cows, feeding calves and chickens, or loving up their two donkeys and amusing Airedale terrier, Teddy. Imen highlights farmhouse skills such as butter and cheese making and the use of local, wholesome ingredients. Here are a few of Imen’s modern Irish recipes for you to enjoy from The Farmette Cookbook published by Roost Books.

Hot Tips

Organic Horticulture: Vegetable Garden Preparation

The Ballymaloe Cookery School Head Gardner Susan Turner will teach a day long course and provide you with the necessary skills to how to grow your own delicious and nutritious vegetables. Susan will cover site layout and design, soil preparation, compost making and crop rotations, dealing with weeds & pests in organic horticulture, raised beds, year round sowing plan and sowing methods, polytunnel and glasshouse crops….coffee on arrival and a delicious light lunch included. Monday March 14^th 9.30am-5pm www.cookingisfun.ie for more information

Slow Food Galway

are planning an exciting breadmaking demo with Jeremy Zanni from Les Petites Douceurs in Galway. It will be held on Cait Curran’s organic farm in Moycullen, near Spiddal on Sunday March 13^th at 11.30am. Tickets €5.00. Contact Kate O’Malley for further details and directions 087 9312333

 

Imen McDonnell’s St Patrick’s Day Bacon and Cabbage Pot Stickers with Soy Dipping Sauce

Makes 20 medium-size dumplings

 

For the wrappers

2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ cup (120 ml) boiling water

½ cup (120 ml) cold water

 

For the filling

3/4 cup (300 g) cabbage, roughly chopped

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot

3 tablespoons finely chopped kale

â…“ lb (150 g) shredded boiled ham (or Irish bacon)

â…› teaspoon ground white pepper (or freshly ground black pepper)

½ tablespoon soy sauce

½ tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

 

For the slurry

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ cup (120 ml) water

Sunflower oil, for frying

 

For the dipping sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

½ cup (115 g) scallions, chopped

¼ cup (60 ml) brown rice vinegar

¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce

 

First make the wrappers. In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt.

Gradually stir in the boiling water until the mixture is mealy. Gradually add the cold water, and stir until  the mixture comes together into a dough.

Knead the dough on a floured surface, adding more flour as necessary, until the dough  becomes smooth.

Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rest while you make the filling.

Next make the filling. Put the cabbage in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Pulse the ginger, kale, ham, pepper, soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil in a food processor to mix well. Set aside.

Squeeze the water out of the cabbage and into the sink. Place the dry cabbage in a dry bowl and add the ham mixture. Fold together with your hands.

To make the dumplings. Roll out the dumpling dough into a circle and cut out wrappers  with 2-inch round cookie cutters. Set aside.

Mix together the cornstarch and water for the slurry in a small bowl. Take one dumpling wrapper, and spoon about 1 tablespoon of the ham mixture into the middle.

Dip one finger into the slurry, and paint the edges of the dumpling wrapper. Fold the bottom side of the wrapper over the filling and press into a half-moon shape.

Place on a baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and repeat with the rest of dumplings. Make sure the dumplings do not touch each other on the sheet.

When all the dumplings are assembled, you can cook immediately or cover with plastic  wrap and refrigerate for up to several hours. To cook, half-fill a large pot with water and bring to boil. Gently slide in one-third of the dumplings. When the water returns to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer gently for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon, and repeat with remaining dumplings.

Coat the bottom of a frying pan with the sunflower oil and place over medium heat until hot. Fry dumplings until they are golden on each side.

 

Make the dipping sauce:

Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan until it smokes. Add the  scallions, then the brown rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. Mix well, then take off the heat and pour into a bowl for dipping.

Scullery Notes: Salting and squeezing the water out of the cabbage is essential. It prevents your dumplings from being waterlogged and soggy

 

Imen McDonnell’s Boxty

Serves 4

 

6 medium potatoes

¼ cup (38 g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon butter (or sunflower oil)

Fresh herbs, chopped, for garnish

 

Peel the potatoes. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place over a large mixing bowl. Using a box grater, grate the potatoes into the colander. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth together and squeeze the liquid from the potatoes into the bowl. Put the dry grated potato in another bowl and discard the liquid.

Add the flour and salt to the grated potato and mix gently. Melt the butter in a heavy iron pan, and pour in the potato mixture to make an even layer, about ¾ to 1 inch thick. Cook over medium heat until nicely brown on one side, about 15 minutes; flip the whole boxty cake and cook on the other side  for another 15 minutes, or until brown. It’s much better to cook the boxty slowly than too fast. It should be crisp and golden on the outside and cooked through on the inside.

Remove from the heat, cut into quarters, garnish with herbs  and serve with crème fraîche, apple sauce, or just on its own.

Imen McDonnell’s Sweet Caraway Seed Cake

Serves about 8

 

¾ cup (175 g) butter, softened

1½ cups (175 g) superfine or granulated sugar

3 large eggs

About 1 tablespoon milk or water

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ cups (225 g) all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon fresh caraway seeds

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the base of a 7-inch springform pan with parchment paper; set aside.

Cream the butter in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Whisk the eggs, milk or water, and vanilla together, and gradually add to the creamed butter and sugar.

Fold in the flour in batches; mix the baking powder in with the last addition of the flour.

Gently mix in the caraway seeds. Pour into the prepared cake pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean. Remove it from the oven, and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Cool completely before slicing.

 

Imen McDonnell’s Farmer’s Sunday Cake

Makes 2 loaves

 

¾ cup (170 g) butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan

6¼ cups (800 g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup (200 g) superfine sugar

1 cup (150 g) golden raisins

1 cup (150 g) dried currants

2 tablespoons glacé cherries

½ cup walnuts

2 tablespoons candied citrus peel, finely chopped

Grated zest of ½ lemon

2 eggs, beaten

2½ to 3 cups (600 to 720 ml) buttermilk

 

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Lightly grease two 9-inch loaf pans; set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and sugar in a large bowl, and mix well. Rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add the raisins, currants, cherries, walnuts, candied citrus peel,  and lemon zest. Mix well.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in the eggs and 2½ cups (600 ml) of the buttermilk. Stir into the flour mixture, working in a spiral motion from the middle toward the sides of the bowl, and adding a bit more buttermilk if necessary to make a moist but cohesive batter. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the loaf pans and bake for 15 minutes

Reduce the temperature to 400°F (200°C) and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn the loaves out and cover with tea towels until ready to serve.

This cake will keep for up to a week in an airtight container or bread box.

London, just a little hop from any of our airports in Ireland has been one of the hottest food destinations in the world for over a decade now.

There are many multi starred establishments but also lots of small and teeny weeny restaurants run by passionate young chefs and cooks who are creating links with farmers and food producers and turning out edgy modern British as well as multi ethnic food.

I get regular requests from readers for my ‘London List’ so here are some of my current favourites.

Bao started in a little timber shack at Netil Market in Hackney from 12 O’ clock on Saturday mornings.  They serve a Chinese steamed bun with pulled pork and the veggie bao, filled with a fried daikon cake not dissimilar from a hash brown.  Chicken bits, crispybreaded morsels of juicy chicken with a hot sauce. An eager queue starts to form by 11.30; Bao are still in the market but have now moved into ‘bricks and mortar’. Like many cool London restaurants, they don’t take bookings so once again there’s a queue across the road from the restaurant – Bao is hot and deservedly so, the steamed buns are like fluffy tender pillows stuffed with the tastiest pork.

Raw Duck in Richmond Road is another of my favourites, lots of concrete and metal windows there, long wooden communal tables with random pots of herbs and flowers down along the middle, a tempting list of natural wines, drinking vinegars and shrubs.

The menu is made up of lots of little plates of carefully chosen combinations, I had brunch there recently and loved the coconut porridge with a blob of persimmon jam in the centre and chopped cashew nuts sprinkled on top. That was so good as was the avocado, poached eggs, bacon, coriander and chilli on sourdough toast. Lots of little plates of ferments and pickles, kefir, brownies….

The Smoking Goat in Denmark Street, in the midst of the ‘guitar district’ does barbequed wood ember food with strong Thai influences. I loved the scallop roasted in their shells over charcoal with chilli, coriander and lime and the barbeque smoked lamb ribs with nahm jiim jaew and the cornish mullet with pomelo salad. Rare breed meats and day boat fish from small production farmers and fishermen. They’re not big on puds and they don’t serve coffee….

Cooking over fire, a strong trend at present, Kitty Fishers’ Wood Grill  in Shepherd Market is also worth checking out . A widely travelled friend loved the escalop beef from an 11 year old Galician dairy cow, how about that for a rarity.

Lyles the tea building in High Street Shoreditch – where it’s all happening is a must for your London list, you’ll definitely need to book ahead for dinner but it’s slightly easier to get in for lunch, more clean and simple lines a semi open kitchen and a cool cocktail bar. James Lowe and John Ogner offer a beautiful selection of small plates; I particularly loved the smoked eel, beetroot and horseradish.

The beets were sweet and earthy still warm from the oven, the smoked eel also gently heated, horseradish cream cold and a seemingly simple combo made magical by superb ingredients and contrasting temperatures. Don’t miss the pumpkin ice cream with whey caramel and meringue.

The Portland is my top tip for a Michelin starred experience. It’s pulling in lots of plaudits for simple accomplished food, great ingredients and superb service.

Finally if you haven’t already had the Honey & Co experience – you will make lots of new friends, now this is quite a squash. Everyone is super excited to have bagged a table in this darling little restaurant owned and run by Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer where the Middle Eastern food is instantly appealing and the cakes and puddings are the stuff of dreams.

Finally Violet Cakes in East London is another of my favourites, a tiny café and cake shop on Wilton Way, here are some recipes to make at home. Just one more hot tip, it’s worth going to the airport early to grab something to eat at Leon in Terminal 2….well done Allegra McEvedy who said one couldn’t get decent food in an airport!

 

Avocado, House Smoked Bacon, Poached egg, Coriander and Chilli on Sourdough

Serves 1 for lunch

 

2 organic eggs

2 slices smoked streaky bacon

1 slice of natural sourdough bread

extra virgin olive oil

1 ripe avocado

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 to ¼ fresh red chilli, sliced

3 coriander sprigs

First poach the eggs. Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Reduce the heat, swirl the water, crack the egg into a tiny bowl and slip the egg gently into the whirlpool in the centre. This avoids getting the tips of your fingers burned as you drop the egg into the water. The water should not boil again but bubble very gently just below boiling point. Cook for about 3–4 minutes, until the white is set and the yolk is still soft and runny.

Lift out the poached egg or eggs on a perforated spoon; drain.

Meanwhile fry the bacon on a hot pan until golden and slightly crisp.

Heat an iron pan grill, chargrill the sourdough on both sides.

 

To serve.

Put the chargrilled sourdough on a warm plate, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Peel, stone and quarter a ripe avocado. Chop two quarters in half, (three quarters is usually enough for one portion). Lay on the chargrilled sourdough.

Top with two freshly poached eggs and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Add a crisscross of two pieces of hot bacon. Sprinkle with thin slices of red chilli to taste.

Garnish with a few sprigs of fresh coriander and serve immediately.

 

Top Tip:

You can poach the eggs ahead of time and then reheat them briefly in boiling water. Just cook them for a minute less than usual, and then slip them into a bowl of cold water to stop them from cooking further.

To reheat the poached eggs, bring a saucepan of water to the boil, draw off the heat and slip the egg back into the water for a minute or two until hot through.

 

Coconut Milk Porridge with Quince or Persimmon Jam and Raw Cashew Nuts

 

Serves 2-4

 

35 g (1½ oz) oatflakes

400 ml (1 can) coconut milk

1/8 teaspoon salt

25 g (1 oz) sugar

 

Quince Jam

Apple and Rose Geranium Jelly

Cashew nuts, roughly chopped

 

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan. Stir, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve in a warm bowl with a generous dollop of quince jam or apple jelly and a scattering of roughly chopped cashew nuts over the top

 

Violet Coconut Macaroons

 

There is a sublime crispy gooiness to these biscuits that makes them like nothing else on earth. Warning: they are very addictive. Violet is the name of Claire’s bakery and shop on Wilton Way and her stall at Broadway Market, both in Hackney, London

 

Makes 12

3 free range egg whites

150 g (5 oz) caster sugar

Pinch of salt

2 teaspoons honey

150 g (5 oz) desiccated coconut

½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

 

 

Heat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, honey and coconut in a large pan over a medium heat.

Stir the mixture constantly until everything is dissolved and it just begins to scorch on the bottom.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Let the mixture cool completely, then use an ice cream scoop to scoop out 12 even sized macaroons, and place them on the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until golden and set. Let the macaroons cool completely before peeling off the paper.

 

Tip: The key to getting these macaroons just right is to stir the ingredients in the pan until they begin to dry out.

 

LEON Baking and Puddings by Claire Ptak and Henry Dimbleb

 

 

Claire’s Healthy Granola

You will not believe how good this tastes. It is light and clustery.

 

Makes 1.5 kg

 

500g buckwheat flakes

125g (4 1/2oz) whole almonds, skins on

50g (2oz) ground flax seeds

50g (2oz) sesame seeds

50g (2oz) pumpkin seeds

50g (2oz) amaranth

250ml (9fl oz) agave syrup

50ml (2fl oz) olive oil (not extra virgin)

100g (3 1/2oz) coconut oil

100ml (3 1/2fl oz) water

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

a grating of fresh nutmeg

a pinch of sea salt

100 g (4 oz) sultanas

50 g (2 oz) desiccated coconut

 

 

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2.

Line two baking trays or roasting tins with parchment paper.

Combine the buckwheat flakes, whole almonds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and amaranth in a large bowl and set aside.

In a saucepan, combine the agave syrup, olive oil, coconut oil and water.  Place over a medium heat and whisk constantly to melt it all together.

Remove the syrup mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla, spices and sea salt.  Pour the syrup over the dry ingredients and stir well to completely coat all the nuts and seeds.

Spread the mixture out on the lined baking trays or roasting tins and bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour.  Remove from the oven, toss well with a metal spatula and return to the oven.  Lower the temperature to 140°C/275°F/Gas Mark 1 and bake for another 35-40 minutes, until the mixture is golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before stirring in the sultanas and desiccated coconut. Store in an airtight container.

Serve with fresh dates and natural yoghurt for a naturally sweet treat.

 

LEON  Baking and Puddings by Claire Ptak and Henry Dimbleby

 

Leon Pecan Pie

A simple, rich, gluten free pecan tart that has become a firm favourite.

 

Serves 8-10

 

For the sweet pastry

150 g (5 oz) butter

100 g (3½ oz) caster sugar

1 free range egg, plus 1 yolk

270 g (9¾ oz) gluten free plain flour

 

For the filling

50 g (2 oz) butter

225 g (8 oz) golden syrup

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1 teaspoon cornflour

2 large free range eggs

200 g (7 oz) pecan nut halves

 

Cream together the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon or in a free standing electric mixture until smooth.

Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until fully incorporated. Add the flour and quickly bring it together in a ball. Wrap the pastry in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Butter a 23-25 cm (9-10 inch) fluted flan tin. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to about 3-5 mm thick and line your tart case with it. Trim the edges and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3.

Line the chilled pastry case with baking paper and fill it with baking beans to stop it shrinking while it’s being baked. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes then remove the baking beans. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes. The pastry should be a nice blond colour. Set aside to cool.

Put the butter and golden syrup into a medium saucepan over a low heat. When it becomes runny, take it off the heat and whisk in the sugar.

In a small bowl, whisk the cornflour and eggs until smooth then add to the saucepan.

Fill the baked pastry with the pecan halves. Pour the golden syrup mixture on top and fill it up to just below the edge of the case. Put into the oven, taking great care not to spill any liquid over the sides, as this might make it difficult to remove from the tin once it is baked.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the tart is a dark golden colour and has slightly risen in the middle. Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

Serve cold for tea or warm with vanilla ice cream

 

LEON Baking and Puddings by Claire Ptak and Henry Dimbleby

 

Hot Tips

Saturday Pizza Masterclass

Philip Dennhardt will teach an exciting half day Pizza Masterclass on Friday 11^th March 2016 from 2.30-5.00pm. Philip will take you through all the basics from choosing the right ingredients, making pizza dough, getting the best results from your oven, creating traditional and contemporary toppings….. from the classics Margherita, Pepperoni and Calzone to modern gourmet masterpieces – think shrimp with watercress and dill-mayo and homemade cottage cheese with mint, caramelized red onion and salsa verde!

www.cookingisfun.ie

Decorating Celebration Cakes

Pamela Black has been a senior tutor at the Ballymaloe Cookery School for many years now and her ultimate culinary passion is cake decoration. On Saturday March 12^th Pam will wow you with her culinary magic as she pipes, drizzles and adorns cakes into edible masterpieces. All manner of icings will be covered marzipan, buttercreams, ganaches, glaces…….

From decorating simple birthday cakes to fancy celebration cakes, formal and informal, fun and quirky, Pam is full of innovative ideas.  There will be an opportunity to taste some of the cakes. www.cookingisfun.ie

 

Pop Up Dinner

Our Winter 12 Week Certificate students are cooking a Pop-Up Dinner at the Ballymaloe Cookery School on Sunday March 13^th at 6.30pm for the East Cork Slow Food Educational Project.  An aperitif, delicious nibbles and three course dinner. The theme is masquerade/carnival, places are limited.

Tickets €50.00

Booking essential 021 4646785 or slowfoodeastcork@gmail.com

 

 

At long last I’ve discovered the secret of how to give a totally stress free dinner party. Invite house guests who love to cook and want to cook for you and lots of your friends as a thank you for their stay. Bliss!
My friend Camilla Plum from Copenhagen and her lovely daughter Asta stayed with us recently, Camilla is both a gardener and a cook, in fact a very well-known one and the author of very many successful cook books. She also presents TV programme and cooking shows both on growing and cooking food, a subject on which she is deeply knowledgeable. They live on a small farm about 35 acres called Fuglebjerggaard about an hour north of Copenhagen. It’s an oasis of chic and cool, but more importantly it is a glowing example of the variety and biodiversity that can be produced on a small acerage, with about 200 food crops, orchards, many heirloom varieties of barley for homemade beer and wheat to dry and grind for sourdough bread which is then baked in the woodburning oven.
Camilla also has about 200 sheep; she saves the wool and cures the skins to make the sheepskin rugs we remember. Sadly, nowadays sheep’s wool is worth virtually nothing in this era of synthetic fibres that can be thrown into washing machine without ill effect but Camilla sometimes uses the wool as mulch for her vegetable crops. I’m really looking forward to trying that in the garden this year. She also saves seeds of a wide variety of heirloom vegetables, over 100 types of chilli alone and keen gardeners from far and wide seek her out to find rare and super flavourful food. www.fuglebjerggaard.dk
Back to the dinner party, Camilla and Asta raided the pantry and winter garden and spent the afternoon chopping and snipping and marinating….when I arrived in from the school, tantalizing smells pervaded the house, the fire was lighting, the table was laid, the candles were lit and there was a veritable feast for all of us to enjoy…can you imagine
Blood Orange and Scallion Salad, Salmon with Chermoula, Date and Green Raisin Chutney, Neck of lamb with Fennel and Yoghurt, Roast Potato wedges with lots of bayleaves, Cherry Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Salad and a big bowl of green salad, Basmati Rice with Almonds and lots of Dill, followed by Apricots with Ginger, Avocado Cream with Dried Rose Petals, Prunes with Tea and Vanilla, Danish Red Berry Compote with Jersey Cream….
The food looked fresh and beautiful and tasted so summery in the midst of our depressing winter weather. Try some of these recipes for yourself.

Hot Tips
Creating a Soft Fruit Garden with Susan Turner
On Monday March 7th 2016, Susan Turner will teach an intensive half day course covering topics such as selecting fruit varieties, designing the fruit garden layout, looking at aspect spacing and plant training structures, creating fans, cordons and bushes with gooseberries, red currants, white currants……and much more. Coffee on arrival and light lunch included. www.cookingisfun.ie

Wine Tasting in the Grainstore at Ballymaloe
California Wines Tasting in The Grainstore at Ballymaloe House on Wednesday March 9th at 7pm. Tickets for the event are €10 and in-cludes talk, wine tasting and canapés.
Tel 021 4652531 or email colm@ballymaloe.ie
http://www.ballymaloegrainstore.com/portfolio/california-wines-less-more

Camilla’s Lamb with Fennel and Yoghurt

We use homemade Jersey yoghurt

Serves 8

7 lamb necks, each cut into 3 ‘chops’ – 3.2 kg
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 whole head of garlic, split in half horizontally
1½ tablespoon cumin seeds, slightly crushed
1½ tablespoons coriander seeds, slightly crushed
800 ml (27 fl oz) pots of homemade natural yoghurt
7 fennel bulbs, quartered
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 3 lemons
Salt

Garnish
Fresh spinach or chard
Toasted whole almonds
100 g (3½ oz) fennel fronds
Lots of fresh mint

In two roasting tins, mix the lamb chops with the chopped onion, garlic and spices. Marinate the lamb necks in the spices, lemon zest and enough olive oil to coat the meat. Sprinkle with two teaspoons of salt and cook uncovered in the preheated oven at 230°C/450°F/gas mark 8. Turn regularly to make sure the spices don’t burn. When the lamb necks are browned, approximately 30 minutes, dollop on half the yoghurt and add the quartered fennel bulbs. Mix it around until everything is coated with the yoghurt. The lamb necks can now fit into one deep roasting tin.
Put about 300 ml/10 fl oz of water in the bottom of a deep roasting tin, add the lamb and fennel. Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3.
When the meat is cooked, about 2½ to 3 hours, remove the lamb and fennel to a serving dish and keep warm. Transfer all of the remaining juices into a pan, degrease and reduce a little if necessary. The sauce should be thickish. Taste and correct seasoning. . Bit by bit, stir in the rest of the yoghurt, pour over the lamb.
Garnish the dish with toasted whole almonds, lots of fennel fronds, fresh mint and serve with fresh chard or spinach.

Chermoula

Chermoula is a wonderfully versatile fresh herb and spicy sauce from Morocco and Tunisia. There are many versions, some include saffron but we love this one which Asta and Camilla Plum cooked for us recently. It’s fantastically versatile, we also slather it over a sptachcock chicken, a shoulder of lamb or even chicken breasts. It uses both the stalks and leaves of coriander.

Makes 1¼ pints

Serves 8-10

One medium fish (2 kg/4½ lb), preferably salmon

280 g (10 oz) bunches of fresh coriander with stalks, chopped
200 ml (7 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
2 red chillies, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted
2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon caraway seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon paprika
Zest of three organic lemons
Juice of 2 lemons
Whole bulb of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt

Arrange the fish in a roasting tin, cut deep slashes on each side of the fish.
Whiz the ingredients for the chermoula to a fine paste in a food processor with 200 ml olive oil. Smother the fish in the mixture.
Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3 for about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 30 minutes or until just cooked.
Serve warm or at room temperature with green salad.

Note: The spices are toasted separately, then ground in mortar and pestle or spice grinder together

Asta’s Compote of Dried Apricots, Ginger and Cardamom

Also gorgeous with chocolate cake or ice cream.

Serves 8 – as a main dessert. If served with something else like cake, the compote will go further

350 g (12 oz) apricots
100 g (4 oz) ginger, finely sliced with peel
Thinly sliced peel of 1 lemon
110 g (4 oz) granulated sugar
275 ml (11 fl oz) sweet white wine (we use Jurançou)
5 cardamom pods
150 ml (5 fl oz) water
Juice of 1 lemon
300 ml (½ pint) water
1-2 teaspoons orange blossom water, depending on strength of orange blossom

1 mild red chilli, sliced, optional

Put the apricots in a saucepan, cover with cold water and leave to soak overnight. Next day, strain the apricots and put in a saucepan with the ginger, lemon peel, sugar, wine, cardamom and enough water to cover. Simmer gently with the saucepan lid on for at least an hour. Remove the lid and gently simmer until the liquid is reduced to a thick syrup, 5-10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and orange blossom water. Make sure you don’t break up the apricots while stirring. Garnish with sliced red chilli, if using.
Eat with chocolate cake, ice cream or just whipped cream.

Rødgrød Med Fløde, Red Berry Compote with Cream

A much loved Danish summer classic – this version is super delicious even though we made it with frozen berries.

Serves 8

375 g (13 oz) black currants
250 g (9 oz) white currants
250 g (9 oz) raspberries
375 g (13 oz) red currants
1 teaspoon cornflour
375g – 400 g (13 – 14 oz) white sugar

200 g (7 oz) whole almonds, blanched

The amount of sugar will vary between a ¼ or ½ of the weight of the berries depending on the sourness.

Put all the berries except the raspberries in a heavy bottomed saucepan with 2 cm (1 inch/30 ml) of water, on a high heat, for 3 minutes. Just before they burst, put two tablespoons of the compote into a little bowl, mix with the cornflour until there is a smooth paste. Whisk the paste back into the berries; continue to cook until the mixture thickens slightly, 1-2 minutes. When the berries burst take them off the heat and stir in the sugar and fresh raspberries.
Serve the compote warm in individual glasses or at room temperature with some Jersey cream and a scattering of whole blanched almonds.

Prunes in Tea and Vanilla

Another delicious winter dessert, a terrific stand by to keep in a kilner jar in the fridge.

Serves 8

250 g (9 oz) Agen prunes
1 litre (1¾ pints) of very strong black tea
1 vanilla pod, chopped
Zest of 2 lemons
150g -200 g (5-7 oz) palm sugar, grated

Cover the prunes with tea and allow to soak for several hours or better still overnight. Next day put everything into a saucepan and simmer uncovered for an hour or so. Make sure that the prunes are soft and tender and the liquid is reduced to thick syrup.
Serve smothered in cream.

Leftovers can be mixed with softly whipped cream to make an exquisite fool.

 

Camilla Plum’s Blood Orange Salad with Scallions and Pomegranate Seeds

Serves 10

10 blood oranges
3 spring onions or scallions
½ pomegranate
fresh fennel tops of 3 bulbs
lots of fresh mint leaves, some whole, some shredded
1 fennel bulb, diced

Dressing
This makes ¼ pint/5 fl oz of dressing. We used 2 fl oz.

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon Maldon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons orange blossom water, depending on the strength
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Remove the peel and pith of the oranges, slice 6 or 7 oranges thinly and seg-ment from the remainder.

To make the dressing
Mix the olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, orange blossom water and cider vinegar in a bowl.

Arrange the orange slices and segments in a big plate and drizzle the dressing over.

Cut the spring onions into 5mm (1/4 inch) slices at an angle diagonally. Sprinkle over the salad with the pomegranate seeds, fresh fennel and mint leaves and diced fennel bulb. Toss gently.

Variation
Olives, toasted almonds or coarsely chopped pistachio nuts would be a delicious addition.

Lovely Mary Jo McMillin from Chicago came to the Ballymaloe Cookery School again recently – Mary Jo has been coming to Ireland for over 30 years.  Her idea of a holiday from her restaurant in Oxford, Ohio was to come into the busy kitchen at Ballymaloe House for a couple of weeks each summer. We all had fun cooking together and learned lots and lots of good things from each other.

In 2008, Mary Jo moved from Ohio to set up a new life near her children and grandchildren in Chicago. It was back to home-cooking and the challenge of making a whole new set of friends in her retirement. What to do? Her children’s friends were all sweet but much younger so Mary Jo joined a church choir brought along some delicious food plus tempting cakes and cookies which blew them all away – had she really cooked all these delicious things herself? Immediately, they’re were requests for big gratin dishes of lasagne, stews, casseroles, apple tarts and praline cakes so within a short time Mary Jo had a new bunch of friends and a thriving catering business. Her plans for retirement were cheerfully put on hold.  Soon she was giving cooking classes in the local kitchen ware shop and that led to invitations to do private cooking classes in people’s houses. So many of the local community, no longer had cooking skills and were overjoyed to be able to learn gorgeous comforting family dishes in an informal environment. In many ways this is fast becoming a similar reality over here.

So at her recent cooking class on a frosty winter’s day here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School she charmed the audience with a range of delicious comforting dishes and a long list of cooking tips gleaned over many years.

Here are some of the favourites

Hot Tips

Cooking for Baby: Natural and Wholesome Food

Everyone wants to feed their babies nourishing and wholesome food but many young mothers are completely confused and bamboozled by endless conflicting advice.  How and when do I start to offer solids….. Many of us lack the understanding to make our own baby food but as a mother of four and grandmother of ten, Darina Allen is happy to pass on the tips and advice gleaned over years of feeding children and grandchildren totally without packets, cans or jars!

On Friday 26^th February 2016, we will cover everything – choosing the ingredients, recipes, preparation tips, menus, storage, health and nutrition ….  Not only will it save you a small fortune but it will be infinitely better for your baby.

You’ll soon discover that making your own, nourishing baby food is quick, easy and surprisingly good fun. Also, by giving your baby lots of variety you’ll ensure that as they grow up they don’t become fussy eaters.

If you need to bring a child minder with you they are very welcome to take a walk around our gardens free of charge while you are attending the course.

This course is subsidised by the Ballymaloe Cookery School to make it more attractive to young mothers as we feel very strongly that we should all be giving our children the best start in life. www.cookingisfun.ie

 

Street Food Revolution

Richard Johnson’s Street Food Revolution provides a fascinating and important read on what’s going on with British food today. Inspired by his travels and his love of street food, Richard tells the story of street vendors across the UK, serving up fresh seasonal edgy food to the locals. Published by Kyle Books

 

Cooking for a Farmers Market

With the rise of the farmer’s market in Ireland, more and more young entrepreneurs have the chance to make their mark on the food industry without having the considerable start-up costs of a ‘bricks & mortar’ premises. With this in mind, we’ve introduced an exciting two and a half day course to our calendar this year - Cooking for a Farmer’s Market Stall, 6^th-8^th April 2016. We will cover a range of easy-to-replicate recipes from zingy chutneys and pickles to rich, buttery pâtés, and decadent sweet treats, guaranteed to tempt the most discerning artisan shoppers!  www.cookingisfun.ie or follow the blog

http://www.cookingisfun.ie/items/2016/story-farmers-market-stall

 

Mary Jo’s Brunch Strata

This is an absolute gem of a recipe, a savoury bread and butter pudding which can utilise all kinds of tasty bits and pieces from your fridge in a totally delicious way. Mary Jo serves it for brunch but it would also make a delicious lunch or light supper dish with a salad  of organic leaves.

Serves 8-10

350g (12oz) good French, Italian or sourdough bread

1 jumbo onion (350g/12oz) peeled and cut in small dice

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon) butter

300g (10oz) fresh spinach wilted, drained and chopped

225-350g (8-12oz) fresh mushrooms sliced and sautéed in butter

3 red peppers roasted, peeled and cut in large dice

350-450g (12-16oz) sausage, cooked and diced or crumbled

good handful of fresh parsley, chopped

fresh or dried thyme

350g (12oz/3 cups) grated cheese (Gruyère Cheddar)

6 eggs

450ml (16fl oz/2 cups) whole milk

225ml (8fl oz/1 cup) heavy cream

salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, pinch of cayenne

 

Cut the bread into large dice, about ½ inch (1 cm). Include crusts unless scorched. (Measures about 9 cups.)

Melt the butter in a small heavy, sauté pan and sweat onion over a low heat. Add the chopped garlic to the top of the onion and cover with butter wrappers or a parchment circle. The onion and garlic should not brown but will lightly colour, melt into softness and reduce by half. Allow 20-30 minutes to cook the onion.

Combine the cooked onion, garlic, drained, squeezed and chopped spinach, sautéed mushrooms, cooked sausage, parsley and thyme. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. The vegetable/sausage mixture should weigh at least 1.1kg (2 1/2 lbs).

Beat the eggs in a large bowl; add the cream, milk and season well with salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne.

Generously butter a 39 cm x 27 cm x 6 cm oval baking dish or two 21cm x 21cm x 6cm square baking dishes.

Pour half of the egg milk mixture over the diced bread.  Spread half of the moistened bread with a slotted spoon and spread it over the bottom of the baking dish. Distribute 2/3 of the vegetable mix over the bread and top with 2/3 of the grated cheese. Add the second half of the moistened bread over the vegetables and sausage.  Pat everything firmly in place with your clean hands. Pour the remaining milk and egg mixture evenly over the casserole and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the fridge an hour before cooking if possible. Bake the Strata in a 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5 oven for 45-50 minutes or until puffed and golden. Allow to rest at room temperature 15 minutes before cutting.

 

 

Chicken Masala

Serves 6

 

1.6kg (3 1/2 lbs) whole chicken, cut-up, or 1.1kg (2 1/2 lbs) chicken legs and thighs

3-4 tablespoons (4-5 American tablespoons) vegetable oil (or 1 1/2 tablespoons/2 American tablespoons butter plus oil)

1 x 7.5cm (3 inch) coiled stick Ceylon cinnamon or 1 regular cinnamon stick

5 whole cloves

3 whole green cardamoms

2 large onions (1 1/4 lbs.) thinly sliced (4-5 cups)

50g (2oz) fresh ginger, peeled and sliced (1/2 cup)

25g (1oz) garlic, peeled and sliced (6-8 cloves, 1/4 cup)​​

2 green chilies (cayenne or Serrano), seeds intact, 1 sliced, 2 whole generous

teaspoon salt

3/4 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon) ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (see recipe)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon) curry powder (optional)

1 x 425g (14 1/2oz) tin good quality canned tomatoes or 450g (1lb) fresh tomatoes in season, peeled, seeded and chopped

3/4 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon) tomato paste (optional)

225ml (8fl oz/1 cup) water

fresh lime juice and coriander (cilantro)

 

Pull off as much skin as possible from the chicken, trim any excess fat, pat dry with paper towels, and season with salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight or leave 1/2 hour at room temperature.

Heat 3 tablespoons (4 American tablespoons) oil (or 1 1/2 tablespoons/2 American tablespoons each butter and oil) in an enamelled casserole or heavy stewing pot; add the whole spices and sliced onion. Sauté gently for 30-40 minutes or until the onions have reduced to a deep golden brown.

Meanwhile, prepare the crushed “green spices” and measure all the dry spices into a small cup.

Plan to grind 1 chilli with the ginger and garlic; cook the other chilli whole in the curry and remove when the sauce reaches desired point of heat.

To grind the green spices in a mortar, begin with one sliced chilli and a pinch of salt. When the chilli is mashed to a paste, add 1/2 the ginger and another pinch of salt. Continue with the remaining ginger, and finally add the garlic. Crush thoroughly, pounding and grinding against the stone to produce 75g (3oz/1/2 cup) ginger mash.

To grind the green spices in a blender, place chopped ginger, garlic and chilli in a blender jar; add 50ml (2fl oz/1/4 cup) of water and pulse to a smooth puree.

When the onions have reduced and browned, add the ginger mash and continue to sauté, stirring constantly, until seasonings smell cooked and any water has evaporated. Sprinkle in the mixed dry spices and continue stirring until the mixture is delightfully fragrant. At this point the seasoning base will have reduced to a dark lump smaller than a baseball. Gradually blend in the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and water. Add 1 whole chilli if desired. Simmer the sauce, covered for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, lightly brown the chicken pieces in 3/4 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon) oil and add to the sauce in the casserole. Pour the fat off from the frying pan, deglaze with water and add to the curry. Take care to place dark meat on the bottom and breast pieces on top, since white meat will cook faster and will need to be removed before the dark meat is ready. (This step is optional. Many cooks add raw chicken to the prepared curry sauce for cooking; however, the effort of browning will add depth of flavour to the finished dish.)  Cover and bake in moderate oven, or simmer on the stovetop. Breast meat will be ready in 20-30 minutes; dark meat will take 45-50 minutes.

When the chicken is tender, skim excess fat if necessary and taste sauce for seasoning, adding fresh lemon or lime juice and a generous amount of chopped coriander (cilantro).

Note: For a typical variation, simmer 1 large peeled, diced potato along with chicken, and just before serving, sprinkle in 130g (4 3/4oz/1 cup) frozen peas.

 

Garam Masala

Store in an airtight jar and use within a couple of weeks.

 

Makes scant 25g (1oz)

1 small nutmeg, broken with side of chef’s knife

1 tablespoon (1 1/2 American tablespoons) whole green cardamom, including husk

1 1/2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons) crumbled Ceylon cinnamon or 1 broken cinnamon stick

3/4 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon) whole cloves

1/4 tablespoon (1/2 American tablespoon) black peppercorns

 

Roast the spices in a dry iron skillet until fragrant. Cool slightly and grind to a powder in a spice grinder, sift and store in a small jar with a tight fitting lid.

Top Tip:  To clean a spice grinder, add a handful of white rice, grind and discard the rice. Do not try to wash a spice grinder. An electric coffee mill makes an excellent spice grinder.

 

Cucumber Raita

Delicious with chicken masala or lentil and rice pilaff

 

1 cucumber (at least 300-350g/10-12oz) or 1/2 large seedless cucumber

1/2 teaspoon salt

225ml (8fl oz/1 cup) plain whole milk yogurt, preferably homemade

1 clove garlic mashed with a little salt

1 1/2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons) chopped green onion

1 1/2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons) chopped cilantro or fresh mint, dill and parsley

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped green chilli, seeds intact (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

sprinkle of ground cumin

diced fresh tomato in season (optional)

 

Peel the cucumber, scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon. (Leave the centre intact if using seedless cucumber.) Cut into small dice. Place the diced cucumber in a bowl; toss with salt and allow to stand 20-30 minutes. Rinse lightly under water; shake dry in a sieve, then place drained cucumber in a tea towel and twist to squeeze out most of water. Squeezed cucumber will be crisp, transparent and half its original volume.

Mix the garlic, onion, herbs and optional chilli into the yogurt. Fold in the cucumber. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place in a serving bowl and dust the top with ground cumin. Garnish with more coriander (cilantro) and optional tomato.

 

Mary Jo’s Rice and Lentil Pilaf

This recipe was also a revelation; the rice is cooked in water rather than stock and had a rich and complex flavour because of all the additions. Mary Jo serves it as an accompaniment to  the chicken masala but I would also enjoy it as a vegetarian dish on its own with a nice dollop of raita.

 

Serves 15-20

 

50g (2oz/1/2 stick) butter

2 1/2 tablespoons (3 American tablespoons) olive or vegetable oil

large cinnamon stick

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

350g (12oz) onion diced

3 carrots diced small

1 1/2 tablespoons (3 American tablespoons) chopped julienned ginger

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

21oz (3 cups) Basmati rice, washed and drained

100g (3½oz) cooked Puy or brown lentils, cooked and drained (optional)

25oz (3 cups) water

salt

In a 5 litre heavy saucepan with a tight fitting lid, heat the cinnamon and coriander in butter and oil until fragrant. Add the onion and sauté covered with butter wrappers or parchment until tender. Add the carrots, spices and sauté until fragrant. Stir in the rice and salt to coat with the spiced base. Add water and cooked lentils.  Stir, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.  Allow to stand for 15 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

This pilaf reheats well in a covered casserole or Pyrex baking dish

 

Mary Jo’s French Apple Tart

Mary Jo showed us such a brilliant technique to make a stunningly professional looking French Apple Tart – there’s no sugar in the pastry because the tart will be cooked at a high temperature.

 

Serves 8

 

250g (9oz) shortcrust pastry (see recipe)

800-900g (1 3/4 – 2lbs) tart cooking Bramley apples

sprinkling of flour

60g (2 1/2oz/1/3 cup) sugar

3/4 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon) butter

3-4 tablespoons (4-5 American tablespoons) apricot glaze

Tart Tin – 1 x 23 cm (9 inch) tart tin

 

Pie Crust

The pastry quantity below is enough to make three tarts. Left over pastry can be frozen for another time.

450g (llb/3 1/2 cups) plain flour

l 1/4 teaspoon salt (1 teaspoon if using salted butter)

250g (9oz/2 1/4 sticks) cold butter or 225g (8oz/2 sticks) butter plus 25g (1oz/1/4 stick) lard

150ml (5fl oz/generous 1/2 cup) ice water

To make pastry in food processor: place the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter and lard and cut in 1/2-inch cubes or slices. Pulse 3 times to break up the butter into flakes. With the processor running, pour in the ice water in a slow stream through the feed tube. Stop the processor as soon as the pastry rolls into a ball. Remove the ball of dough from the bowl; shape into 15cm (6 inch) log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate (makes scant 2lbs/30oz pie crust).

To roll a shell: shape 300g (10oz) chilled pastry (one-third of batch) into a 10cm (4 inch) disk. Dust with flour and roll on a smooth, clean surface, giving the dough a quarter turn with each rolling to maintain a circle. Roll to a generous 33cm (12 inch) circle; brush off any excess flour. Fold in quarters; unfold onto the inside of the quiche tin. Press the pastry firmly into bottom edge of the tin. Use a scissors to trim the dough to an even 1cm (1/2 inch) overhang. Tuck the overhang inside the pastry edge, pressing firmly. Crimp or flute the top edge. Chill the pastry shell for at least 30 minutes before baking. Chilling relaxes the gluten in the flour and prevents shrinkage and cracking. In haste, the tart shell may be chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes. Next prepare the apples.

Peel the apples, swivel out the stem and blossom the ends with a paring knife, cut in half, and remove the cores with a teaspoon or melon baller.  Place the apple halves cut-side down on  wooden board. Cut a thin slice from both the stem and blossom ends. Coarsely chop cut-off the slices and set aside. Hold each apple half between the thumb and first finger; cut halves into 8 – 9 x 5mm (1/4 inch) slices. Cut through but keep the slices together.

Preheat oven to 220ºC/425°F/Gas Mark 7.

Dust the chilled pastry shell bottom with flour. Sprinkle over the chopped apple bits. Place the sliced apple halves snugly around the tart shell and in the center. Cut any leftover slices in half and tuck into any spaces.  Sprinkle the apples with sugar and dot with butter. Bake the tart in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until the pastry is richly colored and the apples are brown-tinged and tender. Remove the tart from the oven and use the back of a spoon to carefully fan the cooked apple slices into a circle. Brush or spoon over the warm apricot glaze while tart is hot (see recipe below). Cool on wire rack.

Note: To prepare apricot glaze, simmer the apricot jam until it has consistency of melted jelly. If jam has chunks of fruit, it will need to be strained. If jam is too sweet, sharpen with lemon juice.

Not sure how many Valentine’s Day articles I’ve written but I’m an incurable romantic so here we go again. While the teenagers and 20 something’s are all testosterone charged and a dither, each and everyone of us need to keep romance alive in our everyday lives and it’s so worth the little effort it takes, yes little….it could be – your last Rolo or some teenie treat that our dear one loves. A little tiny unexpected surprise can make your heart skip because it’s meant to.

I don’t know any ‘lady’ of any age who isn’t charmed by a bunch of flowers or even a little cyclamen or polyanthus, particularly when it comes out of the blue. Of course Valentine’s Day is associated with roses but how predictable is that and there are another 364 days in the year when you may well get an even more delighted reaction and set their heart a flutter. Remember it doesn’t have to be a special occasion to come up with a little surprise which says “hey- thought you’d love them so I picked it up specially for you”.

If you are hell bent on bringing on a proposal then you might want to take to the kitchen – the way to everyone’s heart and all that.

Nothing quite like gorgeous cooking smells for someone to visualise their life stretching out ahead of them and how enticing it would be come home to those aromas every evening!!

Well now if are moved to rattle the pots and pans – one could of course cook an entire supper or a candlelit dinner but here are recipes for a few thoroughly unsubtle heart shaped creations.

 

Hot Tips

Coeur de Neuschatel

On the Pigs Back in the English Market, Cork have a beautiful heart shaped, camembert style cheese from Normandy now in stock. Tel: 021 427 0232

Ballymaloe Cookery School Alumni

Check out Jack Kirwan’s Sprout Kitchen the ‘go to’ juice and smoothie bar at 63 Dawson Street, Dublin.  There’s also his Pop Up juice bar at the Avoca shops in Kilmacanogue , Bray and Suffolk Street in Dublin.  A delicious range of fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and health shots …..http://www.sproutfoodco.com/

Small Plate Ideas

The hottest food trend at present also happens to be my favourite way to eat.  I often find myself ordering a selection of starters instead of an entrée or main course. This enduring trend coincides with our love affair with snacking and allows the diner to mix and match as they please. An appetiser can be a starter; a trio of little plates can make up a meal and provide the opportunity to try lots of dishes on the menu, something new and tempting, or even something scary that one may not have ordered before.  Small plates are also perfect for those who may have a concern about the price point without the potential of a wallet busting experience.

On Friday 19^th February 2016 at the Ballymaloe Cookery School you will be inspired by a whole range of multi ethnic dishes and lots of hot new ideas for small plates meant for sharing. www.cookingisfun.ie

Traditional Roast Stuffed Organic Chicken with Fresh Herb Stuffing and Gravy

Serves 6

4 1/2- 5 lbs (1.5 – 2.3kg) free range chicken, preferably organic

 

Giblet Stock

Giblets (keep the liver for a chicken liver pate), and wish bone

1 thickly sliced carrot

1 thickly sliced onion

1 stick celery, sliced

a few parsley stalks and a sprig of thyme

 

Stuffing

1 1/2oz (45g/1/3 stick) butter

3oz (75g) chopped onion

3-3 1/2oz (75-100g/1 1/2-1 3/4 cups) soft white breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) finely chopped fresh herbs eg. parsley, thyme, chives and annual marjoram

salt and freshly ground pepper

a little soft butter

 

Gravy

1 – 1 1/2 pints (600-900ml/2 1/2 – 3 3/4 cups) of stock from giblets or chicken stock

 

Garnish

sprigs of flat parsley

 

First remove the wish bone from the neck end of the chicken, this is easily done by lifting back the loose neck, skin and cutting around the wish bone with a small knife – tug to remove, this isn’t at all essential but it does make carving much easier later on. Tuck the wing tips underneath the chicken to make a neat shape. Put the wish bone, giblets, carrot, onions, celery and herbs into a saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, skin and simmer gently while the chicken is roasting.  This is the basis of the gravy.

Next make the stuffing, sweat the onions gently in the butter in a covered saucepan until soft, 10 minutes approx. then stir in the white bread crumbs, the freshly chopped herbs, a little salt and pepper to taste. Allow it to get quite cold unless you are going to cook the chicken immediately. If necessary wash and dry the cavity of the bird, then season and half fill with stuffing. Season the breast and legs, smear with a little soft butter.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Weight the chicken and allow about 20 minutes to the lb and 20 minutes over – put on middle shelf in oven. Baste a couple of times during the cooking with the buttery juices. The chicken is done when the juices are running clear.

To test prick the thickest part at the base of the thigh, hold a spoon underneath to collect the liquid, examine the juices – they should be clear.

Remove the chicken to a carving dish, keep it warm and allow to rest while you make the gravy.

To make the gravy, tilt the roasting tin to one corner and spoon off the surplus fat from the juices and return the roasting pan to the stove. De-glaze the pan juices with the fat free stock from the giblets and bones (you will need 1-1 1/2 pints depending on the size of the chicken). Using a whisk, stir and scrape well to dissolve the caramelized meat juices in the roasting pan. Boil it up well, season and thicken with a little roux if you like (the gravy should not be thick). Taste and correct seasoning, serve in a hot gravy boat.

If possible serve the chicken on a nice carving dish surrounded by crispy roast potatoes and some sprigs of flat parsley then arm yourself with a sharp knife and bring it to the table. Carve as best you can and ignore rude remarks if you are still practicing but do try to organise it so that each person gets some brown and some white meat. Serve with gravy and bread sauce.

Use the cooked carcass for stock.

 

Roasted Potatoes

There are two kinds of roast potatoes – those cooked on their own and those cooked around the joint of meat. The latter cook more slowly, don’t look quite so perfect but have a delicious soggy bottom rich with the flavour of the roast meat juices.

Old potatoes eg. Golden Wonder, Kerrs Pinks or Skerry Champions

salt

 

Peel the potatoes, if they are enormous cut in half or quarters, – don’t attempt to wash or worse still soak them in water or they will be wet and soapy when cooked. If you must prepare them ahead then put them into a bowl lined with damp kitchen paper. Cover the top with more wet paper and store in the fridge, they will keep perfectly well this way for several hours. Dry well otherwise they will stick to the tin and you’ll loose the lovely crusty bit on the base.

Tuck the potatoes around the roast in the roasting tin, toss them in the rendered fat, sprinkle with salt, baste and turn occasionally as they cook – they will take about an hour depending on the size. Cook lots and serve very hot.

 

Chocolate Fudge Pudding

Chocolate puddings run neck and neck with apple tarts as people’s favourite dessert.  This one is wickedly rich with a melting texture. It should be moist in the centre, so don’t overcook or it or it will be dull. It is also good cold.

Serves 6-8

5oz (150g) best quality chocolate  (we use 52%)

5oz (150g/1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

5fl oz (150ml/generous 1/2 cup) warm water

3 1/2ozs (100g/scant 1/2 cup) castor sugar

4 eggs, preferably free range

1oz (25g/scant 1/4 cup) self-raising flour

pinch of cream of tartar – Bextarter

 

To Serve

softly whipped cream  or crème fraiche

Pie dish, 2 pint (1.1L/5 cup) capacity, well greased with a little butter, or 7 individual 3- inch (7.5cm) ramekins

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.

Cut up the chocolate into small pieces and melt with the butter in a very low oven or in a Pyrex bowl over hot but not simmering water.  As soon as the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and add the pure vanilla extract, then stir in the warm water and the castor sugar. Continue to mix until the mixture is smooth. Separate the eggs, whisk the yolks into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the sieved flour making sure there are no lumps. Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl with a pinch of cream of tartar until it reaches stiff peaks; fold gently into the chocolate mixture and pour into the greased pie dish.

Put the pie dish into a bain-marie of hot water and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 160°C\325°F\Gas Mark 3 for a further 15-20 minutes.* It

should be firm on top but still soft and fudgy underneath. Cool a little and dredge with icing sugar.  Serve warm or cold with softly whipped cream or crème fraiche.

*Individual dishes take 8-12 minutes (depending on the size of the ramekins) approx. at 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.

 

Note

Chocolate fudge pudding is also delicious cooked in a Kilner Jar (7.5cm/3 inches diameter) – cook in a preheated oven at 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 for 12 minutes.

 

Best Ever Valentine’s Day Apple Pie

Everyone’s favourite pudding – the pastry is made by the creaming method, so people who suffer from ‘hot hands’ don’t have to worry about rubbing in the butter.

Serves 8–12

 

Pastry

225g (8oz) butter

55g (2oz) caster sugar

2 eggs, free-range if possible

340g (12oz) plain flour, preferably unbleached

 

Filling

675g (1½lb) Bramley Seedling cooking apples

140g (5oz) sugar

2–3 cloves

egg wash

caster sugar, for sprinkling

 

To serve

softly whipped cream

Barbados sugar

30 x 18cm (12 x 7in) roasting tin

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4.

First make the pastry. Cream the butter and sugar together by hand or in a food mixer. Add the eggs and beat for several minutes. Reduce the speed and mix in the flour. This pastry needs to be chilled for at least 1 hour otherwise it is difficult to handle.

To make the tart, first roll out the pastry to about 3mm (¹/₈in) thick and use about two-thirds of it to line your tin. Peel, quarter and slice the apples into the tart. Sprinkle with sugar and add the cloves. Cover with a lid of the remaining pastry, seal the edges and decorate with pastry leaves. Brush with egg wash and bake in the oven until the apples are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. When cooked cut into squares, sprinkle lightly with caster sugar and serve with softly whipped cream and Barbados sugar.

 

The Chinese celebrate their New Year on February 8^th  2016, the second new moon after solstice. The festivities to welcome in The Year of the Monkey take place all over the world with the biggest celebrations outside Asia taking place in London where there are parades, traditional lion and unicorn dances, music, fireworks and lots of fun. The feasting and excitement will continue onto the Lantern Festival – the 15^th Day of the New Year.

Each Chinese New Year is characterised by one of the 12 animals which appear in the Chinese Zodiac. The next year of the Monkey won’t be until 2028. Chinese families gather together to celebrate the most important festivals of the year similar to Christmas for Westerners.

Back in 1984, one of the very first guest chefs I invited to the Ballymaloe Cookery School  was Deh ta Hsiung, a Chinese chef living in the UK.  Both he and his food were a smash hit.

Up to then I knew virtually nothing about Chinese food nor did I have any proper equipment so a few weeks before the course, we met in London and he and I went shopping in China town for woks, cleavers, spiders, ‘wood ears’ and all kinds of ‘strange’ and unfamiliar ingredients and implements. We had such fun and I had a crash course in all things Chinese including chicken feet for lunch which I loved much to Deh ta’s amazement. In fact, the owner of the restaurant gave us a free lunch ‘cos he said I was the first Westerner ever to order chicken feet in his restaurant.

Here in Ireland we have a flourishing Chinese community and a long tradition and affection for Chinese restaurants and an ever increasing trade with China.  So let’s all celebrate together and try to cook some Chinese at home. Here are a few of my favourite recipes that are easy to rustle up at home.

Those of you who were born in the Year of the Monkey, check out the Chinese Zodiac, your lucky numbers are 1, 7, 8. Lucky colours – white, gold and blue, lucky flowers chrysanthemums and alliums (the onion family) and your lucky direction is North, Northwest and West. Enjoy and Happy New Year of the Monkey

 

Hot Tips

Deh ta Hsiung wrote 19 cookbooks including Chinese Cookery for Marks and Spencers in 1983. His books are a brilliant introduction to Chinese food, his recipes really work and are authentic and delicious. Fuchsia Dunlop’s Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking, published by Bloomsbury Publishing, is also worth seeking out.

Dublin City Council has an action packed programme around Dublin to celebrate the Chinese New Year. Visit the colourful website for more info… http://www.dublinchinesenewyear.com

 

Garden Workshop:  Learn how to build an exciting Willow Structure with Norbert Platz

Norbert Platz is a willow wizard from West Cork. Visitors to our garden have admired several of his willow structures, scarecrows, dragons as well as willow tunnels, plant covers and baskets. A few years ago we planted a willow garden here on the farm so we can now harvest our own willows and have fun making willow structures. This year we plan to create a long wiggly worm in the wild flower meadow. On Monday 15^th February at the Ballymaloe Cookery School, you will learn how to harvest and prepare willows and the basic techniques needed to create a variety of willow structures in your own garden. Coffe on arrival and light lunch included. www.cookingisfun.ie

 

Fishy Fishy Pop Up Lunch

Gary O’ Hanlon of ‘The Restaurant’ TV show fame putting celebrities through their paces, will cook a Pop Up lunch at Fishy Fishy in Kinsale on Wednesday 8^th March 2016. Tickets are still available for his Pop-Up lunch; it will be lots of fun. http://www.fishyfishy.ie/

Spring into Good Living

at the Ballymaloe Grainstore tomorrow from 10am-5pm. Talks and demonstrations, music therapy, managing dyslexia, health and lifestyle information, food stalls. Rachel and I will share some nutritional advice. The entry fee of €10 includes all talks and demonstrations

http://www.ballymaloegrainstore.com/portfolio/spring-good-living

 

 

Sticky Chinese Chicken Thighs

Serves 4

 

8 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in

4 tablespoons (5 American tablespoons) hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons (2 1/2 American tablespoons) honey

1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

thumb-sized knob of ginger, grated

2 garlic cloves, grated

bunch spring onions, chopped

50g (2oz) cashew nuts, toasted

 

To Serve

plain boiled rice (to serve)

 

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.

Slash the skin 2-3 times on each thigh and arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer on a large roasting tin.

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

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

Recipe taken from BBC Good Food Magazine

 

Bok Choi

Bok Cho, Pak Cho and Tat Soi are all fairly delicate in flavour and full of moisture so they take and benefit from and take on extra flavours readily.

 

Bok Choi

extra virgin oil

fresh herbs or seasoning of your choice – crushed garlic, chopped chilli, marjoram, thyme leaves, rosemary, tarragon or Asian flavours such as soy sauce, ginger, spring onions, sesame oil, sesame seeds

salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Divide the leaves, wash, drain, then chop both the stalk and leaf in 2 – 2.5cm (3/4 – 1 inch) pieces.

Heat a little extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil in a wok or wide saucepan over a high heat, add the grated ginger and chilli.  Toss in the bok choi.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, toss and cover for a few minutes, toss again, when almost tender add the chopped herbs or other flavourings.

Toss, taste and serve.

 

Fuchsia Dunlop’s Smacked Cucumber in Garlicky Sauce

Suan ni huang gua

 

1 cucumber (about 300g/10oz)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon finely-chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon white sugar

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoons Chinkiang vinegar

2 tablespoons chilli oil

salt to taste

a pinch or two of ground roasted Sichuan pepper, if desired

 

Lay the cucumber on a chopping board and smack it hard a few times with the flat blade of a Chinese cleaver or with a rolling pin – this will loosen its flesh and make it more easily absorb the flavours of the sauce. Then cut the cucumber, lengthwise, into four pieces. Hold your knife at an angle to the chopping board and cut the cucumber on the diagonal into 1/2 – 1 cm (1/4 – 1/2 inch) slices. Place in a bowl with the salt, mix well and set aside for about ten minutes.

Combine the other ingredients in a small bowl.

Drain the cucumber, pour over the sauce, stir well and serve immediately.

 

Fortune Cookies

It’s such fun to make Chinese fortune cookies, each one has a strip of paper hidden inside with Chinese wish proverb. They are made from a simple tuile batter. Spread them really thinly and mould as soon as they come out of the oven otherwise they become brittle and crumbly. Have your little wishes ready to pop in.

Makes 30-32

 

140 g (5 oz/5 tablespoons) butter

4 egg whites

210 g (7½ oz) caster sugar

155 g (5½ oz) white flour, sieved

3 tablespoons cream

½ teaspoon pure almond extract

 

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Melt the butter gently and allow to cool a little.

Put the egg whites and sugar into a spotlessly clean bowl and whisk for a few seconds. Fold in the flour and mix. Add the melted butter, cream and almond extract. Mix until well combined.

Spoon 1 teaspoon of batter onto a prepared baking sheet, spread with the back of a spoon into a thin even 4 inch (10 cm) round.  Allow room for spreading and don’t attempt to cook more than 3 or 4 at a time, otherwise it will be difficult to shape  them quickly enough.  Bake until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown, 6-8 minutes.

Have all your Chinese proverbs ready. Lift one of the cookies off the baking tray with a spatula. Lay the strip of paper across the centre, fold the cookie into a semi-circle and pinch the rounded edges gently together.  Insert your thumb and index finger into the  open ends and fold them down to meet underneath.  This whole process should only take about 10 seconds. Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the others and eat within a couple of hours or store in an airtight container with a (silica crystal packet).  Happy Chinese New Yea

 

Shrove Tuesday is just around the corner again – a perfect excuse to have a pancake party – what fun that is….

The tiny tots love it, teens have fun and the ‘wrinkles’ reminisce about pancakes in the past. So where did the custom come from?  The name Shrove Tuesday originally came from the word Shrive meaning to absolve. Christians were encouraged to examine their conscience, confess and repent before the penitential season of lent commenced on Ash Wednesday. Fasting was an integral part of Lent so it became a custom to use up all the sugar, butter, flour and eggs before the long period of fast and abstinence began.

I hadn’t quite realised how many countries celebrate Shrove Tuesday. In Germany it’s called Fastnachtsdienstag and some other equally unpronounceable words. In Netherlands, it’s known as Vastenavond and is also linked to a carnival. In Portuguese, Spanish and Italian speaking countries it’s actually known as Carnival which is derived from the Latin ‘farewell to the flesh’. In Brazil the Carnival in Rio is the most famous while Venice they celebrate with a masquerade. In Spain, Carnival Tuesday is named ‘dia de la tortilla’, omelette day. In Portuguese-speaking Madeira, they eat malasadas on Terca – feera Gorda – Fat Tuesday and on and on it goes…

In Denmark and Norway the day is called Fastelavn, children dress up in costumes and gather treats. Iceland  calls it  Sprengidagur – Bursting Day and is marked by the tradition of eating peas and salted meat.

In Sweden Fettisdagen – Fat Tuesday is celebrated by eating a marzipan filled pastry called semla. The Lithuanian’s celebrate the day called Užgavènês by eating pancakes or  a special type of doughnut and then of course there’s Mardi Gras in New Oreleans which again means Fat Tuesday and on it goes.

There are pancake races and pancake flipping competitions in many countries so let’s get in on the act. I love the simple pancakes of my childhood which my own grandchildren also love to help to cook and flip but here are some other recipes to choose from if you’d like to ring the changes before you consider 40 days of abstinence!

Hot Tips

10 Great Brunch Recipes, Friday 5^th February 2.30pm

Brunch, more substantial than a breakfast is the perfect meal for enjoying quality time with family and friends and enjoying hassle-free entertaining.

For the last number of years we have run an extremely popular breakfast course here at Ballymaloe Cookery School, but never get a chance to share the wonderful repertoire of brilliant brunch ideas that Darina has picked up on her travels… until now! From spicy Sri Lankan chilli eggs to the classic Mexican huevos rancheros, light-as-a-feather ricotta hot cakes with honey, all-American Corn cakes or Dutch pancakes with crisp home cured bacon or tangy blueberry drop scones dripping with fresh butter. Home cooks will head away with so many simply delicious recipes to entertain and delight.  www.cookingisfun.ie

Past Ballymaloe Cookery School student

Jack Crotty, aka The Rocket Man, has opened E A S T an exciting new food venue at the Old Winthrop Arcade, Oliver Plunkett Street, Cork City. Super tasty falafel and in house flatbreads with pickles, cheeses and slaws. Open 7 days a week. www.therocketman.ie

Weston A. Price Foundation

Don’t miss the 2^nd annual food and nutrition conference at Thomond Park, Co Limerick on February 6^th and 7^th 2016, focuses on wise traditions in food, farming and the healing arts. Visit the website for full details http://www.wapfmunster.com/

Get Blogging with Lucy Pearce

Join pro-blogger Lucy Pearce and some of our 12 Week Certificate Students for ‘Get Blogging’ on Saturday February 6^th. Join Lucy from 2pm-5pm for a whistle-stop tour of the food blogging world and see what’s hot, and what’s not, right now. You’ll see just how diverse food blogging is, and how to find your niche! Lucy will compare the different blogging platforms, highlighting their pros and cons so that you can select the best one for your food blog.  www.cookingisfun.ie

 

Crêpes with Orange Butter

This crêpe recipe is very nearly as good as those Crêpes Suzette they used to serve with a great flourish in posh restaurants when I was a child. These crêpes are half the bother and can be made for a fraction of the cost.

Serves 6 – makes 12 approximately

 

Pancake Batter

6oz (175g/generous 1 cup) white flour, preferably unbleached

a good pinch of salt

1 dessertspoon (2 American teaspoons) castor sugar

2 large eggs and 1 or 2 egg yolks, preferably free range

scant 15fl oz (450ml/2 cups) milk, or for very crisp, light delicate pancakes, milk and water mixed

3-4 dessertspoons (6-8 American teaspoons) melted butter

 

Orange Butter

6oz (175g/1 1/2 sticks) butter

3 teaspoons finely grated orange rind

6oz (175g/1 1/3 cups) icing sugar

freshly squeezed juice of 5-6 oranges

8 inch (20.5cm) non-stick crêpe pan

 

First make the batter.

Sieve the flour, salt, and sugar into a bowl, make a well in the centre and drop in the lightly beaten eggs. With a whisk or wooden spoon, starting in the centre, mix the egg and gradually bring in the flour. Add the liquid slowly and beat until the batter is covered with bubbles. (If they are to be served with sugar and lemon juice, stir in an extra tablespoon of castor sugar and the finely grated rind of half a lemon).

Let the batter stand in a cold place for an hour or so Рlonger will do no harm. Just before you cook the cr̻pes stir in 3-4 dessertspoons (6-8 American tablespoons) melted butter. This will make all the difference to the flavour and texture of the cr̻pes and will make it possible to cook them without greasing the pan each time

Next make the orange butter.

Cream the butter with the finely grated orange rind. Then add the sifted icing sugar and beat until fluffy.

Make the crêpes in the usual way.

Heat the pan to very hot, pour in just enough batter to cover the base of the pan thinly.

* A small ladel can also be very useful for this, loosen the crêpes around the edge, flip over with a spatula or thin egg slice, cook for a second or two on the other side, and slide off the pan onto a plate. The crêpes may be stacked on top of each other and peeled apart later.

They will keep in the fridge for several days and also freeze perfectly. If they are to be frozen it’s probably a good idea to put a disc of silicone paper between each for extra safety.

Note: If you have several pans it is perfectly possible to keep 3 or 4 pans going in rotation. Only necessary if you need to feed the multitudes.

 

To Serve

Melt a blob of the orange butter in the pan, add some freshly squeezed orange juice and toss the pancakes in the foaming butter. Fold in half and then in quarters (fan shapes). Serve 2 or 3 per person on warm plates.  Spoon the buttery orange juices over the top. Repeat until all the pancakes and butter have been used.

Note: A tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) of orange liqueur eg. Grand Marnier or Orange Curacao is very good added to the orange butter if you are feeling very extravagant!

 

Crêpes with Chocolate Spread, Toasted Hazelnuts and Cream

Spread a little chocolate spread (Green and Blacks) in the middle of the crêpe, top with a blob of cream and sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts.

 

Crêpes with Chocolate Spread, Kumquat Compote and Cream

Spread a little chocolate spread (Green and Blacks) over each crêpe.  Top with a little kumquat compote (see recipe).  Fold in half and then in quarters (fan shapes).  Serve with softly whipped cream.

 

Crêpes with Mascarpone and Kumquat Marmalade

250g (9oz) mascarpone

1 tablespoon honey

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Kumquat Marmalade or Kumquat Compote (see recipe)

 

Mix the mascarpone with the honey, add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and mix to combine.  Spread a layer on a warm crêpe.  Drizzle some kumquat marmalade or kumquat compote over the top.  Fold or roll up and enjoy.  Alternatively serve bowls of mascarpone, maple syrup and kumquat marmalade or compote with the hot crêpes so guests can assemble themselves.

 

Kumquat Compôte

A gem of a recipe, this compôte can be served as a dessert or as an accompaniment to roast duck, goose or glazed ham.  Also delicious with goat’s cheese or yoghurt.

Serves 6-20 depending on how it is served

 

235g (8 1/2 oz) kumquats

200ml (7fl oz/1 cup) water

110g (4oz/1/2 cup) sugar

 

Slice the kumquats into four or five round depending on size, remove the seeds.  Put the kumquats into a saucepan with the water and sugar and let them cook very gently, covered, for half an hour or until tender.

Serve warm or cold.

Note: This compote keeps for weeks in the fridge.

 

Russian Fluffy Pancakes

Julija Makejeva, who works with us at the Cookery School, taught me how to make these pancakes, known as oladushki in Russian.

Serves 6

 

225ml (8fl oz) buttermilk

1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda or bread soda)

2 organic eggs, whisked

scant 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons caster sugar

250g (9oz) white flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

 

Put the buttermilk into a bowl, sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda on top and leave for 3–4 minutes to allow the mixture to bubble.

Whisk the egg, salt and caster sugar into the buttermilk mixture. Slowly add the flour to the batter, whisking all the time, until the mixture has an even consistency. The batter should be very thick and reluctantly fall off the spoon.

Heat a wide frying pan on a medium heat. Add the vegetable oil. Pour a tablespoon of batter into the pan and repeat – you should be able to fit about 5 more pancakes in the pan, spaced evenly apart. Fry until golden brown on one side, flip over once bubbles have appeared on the surface and popped. Repeat the process until all of the batter is used. Serve with sour cream mixed with raspberry jam or sour cream sprinkled with brown sugar.

 

Semlor Lenten buns

Serves 12

 

80g (2½oz) melted butter

250ml (9 fl oz) whole milk

25g (¾ oz) fresh yeast (or 12g active dry yeast)

40g (1½ oz) caster sugar

400 g (10½ oz) plain bread flour, plus extra for dusting

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground cardamom

1 egg, lightly beaten

 

Filling

100g (3½ oz) almond paste, see recipe

6-8 tablespoons of custard, see recipe

500ml (18 fl oz) whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla sugar or extract

Icing sugar to dust

 

If using mixer, set it up with the dough hook attachment. Melt the butter and add the milk, ensuring a lukewarm (blood) temperature. Add the fresh yeast and stir until dissolved.

Add sugar and stir again. Add 300 g of flour as well as the salt, baking powder and ground cardamom. Add  ½ the egg (preserve the other half for brushing before baking).

Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated and then start to add remaining 100 g of the flour, bit by bit, until you have a dough that is only a little bit sticky. Take care not to add too much flour: you will get dry buns. Knead the dough for at least five minutes in the mixer, longer by hand. Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

Turn the dough out to a floured surface. Knead again for a few minutes, adding more flour if needed. Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces. Take care that the balls are completely round and uniform in size. Place on baking tray with good spacing between buns. Leave to rise for another 40-50 minutes.

 

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.

Gently brush each bun with the remainder of the egg wash and bake in a hot oven for about 20 minutes or until baked through – keep an eye on them as they can burn quickly. Remove from oven and cover the tray with a lightly damp tea towel immediately – this will prevent the buns from forming a crust.

When the buns have cooled down completely, cut a ‘lid’ off the buns – about 1½ cm from the top. Scoop out about ⅓ of the inside of the bun and place crumbs in a separate bowl.

Mix the almond paste with the crumb until it forms a very sticky mass –add a dash of milk or custard  at this point to help it along. You want a spoonable even mixture.

Spoon the filling back into the buns, equally divided. Whip the cream with the vanilla sugar until stiff and use a piping bag to pipe cream on all the buns’ tops. Put the ‘lids’ back on and dust with icing sugar.

 

Almond Paste

 

225 g (½ lb) ground almonds

225 g (½lb) golden castor sugar

1 small organic or free-range egg

a drop of pure almond extract (really careful, its very intense)

1 tablespoons (2 1/2 American tablespoons) Irish whiskey

Sieve the castor sugar and mix with the ground almonds.  Beat the eggs, add the whiskey and 1 drop of pure almond essence, then add to the other ingredients and mix to a stiff paste. (You may not need all of the egg).  Sprinkle the work top with icing sugar, turn out the almond paste and work lightly until smooth.

 

Crème Anglaise (Custard Sauce)

This basic sauce is usually flavoured with vanilla but can be make 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.

 

1 pint (600 ml/2 1/2 cups) milk

vanilla pod or other alternative flavouring

6 egg yolks

2 ozs (50g/ 1/4 cup) sugar

 

Bring the milk almost to the boil with the vanilla pod.  Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and light.  Whisk in half the hot milk and then whisk the mixture back into the remaining milk.  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.

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

 

Malasadas

These Portuguese-style raised doughnuts are super-popular in Hawaii.

Makes 24 large doughnuts

 

3 large eggs, room temperature

5½ oz (160 g/3/4 cup) sugar

5 oz (140 g) salted butter

1 lb 2 ox (500 g/5 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

½ oz (14 g) quick-rising dry yeast

8 fl oz (200 ml/1 cup) hot water (40°C)

2½ fl oz (65 ml/1/3 cup evaporated milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Vegetable oil (for deep-frying)

Additional sugar – caster, cinnamon or vanilla

 

Put 1 egg, sugar, butter and salt in bowl of heavy-duty mixer fitted with dough hook attachment; beat until blended, 1 minute.

Add 5 cups flour and yeast; beat until blended. Add the hot water, milk and vanilla and beat until well blended, 1 minute. Beat in remaining 2 eggs, then 1/2 cup flour. Beat until dough is smooth, soft and slightly sticky but begins to come away from sides of bowl, adding more flour by tablespoonful if very sticky, about 8-10 minutes. Scrape down dough from sides of bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1½-2 hours.

Punch down dough. Cut into 2 equal pieces. Roll out 1 piece on lightly floured surface to 12×16-inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into 3 strips and crosswise into 4 strips, making twelve 4-inch squares. Repeat with remaining dough.

Pour enough oil into large saucepan to reach depth of 1 1/2 inches.

Attach deep-fry thermometer and heat oil to 350°F. Fry 2 or 3 malasadas until puffed and golden brown, turning once, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer malasadas to paper towels and drain.

Repeat frying with remaining dough squares, heating oil to 350°F for each batch.

Generously sprinkle warm malasadas with additional sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Before the holidays every magazine, newspaper, food programme and TV ad was shamelessly luring us into temptation, encouraging us to over spend and over indulge in a myriad of different ways. It was hard to resist and of course many of us succumbed. Now the day of reckoning has come. It’s all about lean, keen and frugal, instead of tempting food supplements in newspapers, there are diet supplements each promising miracles.

Slim and trim in 28 days….The five pound weight loss trick that works…How to lose weight and keep it off…..yeah, yeah, yeah….

How gullible are we, who ever checks the results? Cook books that promise to make you glow and make you beautiful, vaporize off the shelves as we clutch at straws. One super food after another rises and falls. At last there’s the beginnings of a backlash- after countless hopes have been raised and dashed, a badly needed note of scepticism is being introduced So could it really be that after all the false promises the answer is quite simply a balanced diet of fresh natural food in season and everything in moderation,  how undramatic and boring does that sound – yet it is unquestionably true. I’ve never been on a diet in my life and I don’t intend to start now but there are some things I really do feel strongly about. Eat as much organic and naturally produced food as possible. In the words of George Orwell in 1937 when he wrote ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’, “we may find in the long run that tinned food/ processed food is a deadlier weapon than the machine gun”.  Eliminate processed food entirely from our diets. We can no longer say we don’t know the damage they are doing to both our essential mental and physical health.

Eat less meat but better quality and lots of unsprayed vegetables and fruit that have been grown in rich fertile soil not hydroponically.

We need to reduce our sugar intake by at least 50% NOW.

Nowadays, according to most recent research, 1 in 2 of us will suffer from some form of cancer. I was brought up with the understanding that food should be our medicine and that if we didn’t put effort into the food on the table we’d give it to the doctor or chemist.

How true is that – of course we are all insanely busy but there are few things more important than the quality of the food we put on the table. I’m not talking fancy – I’m just talking real simple food that comforts and nourishes.

We have got to take back control of our food choices from the multinational corporations who can’t be expected to have our best interests at heart. Their sole concern is to make the maximum profit for their shareholders, not our personal health.

So dump all those breakfast cereals and go back to porridge, ban all fizzy drinks and rediscover water. We used to have homemade lemonade everyday on our lunch tables here at the school but now it’s water kefir – a simple fermented drink that can be flavoured with anything from lemon to loganberries and lots of fresh herbs. It’s exceedingly good for your gut flora and the students love it. We’ve got to reintroduce cooking classes back into the school curriculum from ‘baby infants’ upwards. It could single-handedly help to change our eating habits and up skill the next generations in such a way that they can take back control of what they eat.

 

Hot Tips

Learn how to make a St Brigid’s Cross

On Saturday January 30^th,  Mrs Cowhig and Hannah Conroy will pass on the traditions and give a lesson on how to make a St Brigid’s Cross at the Midleton Farmers Market from 11am-12pm.

 

Hands on Lamb Butchery

Philip Dennhardt is our resident master butcher at the Ballymaloe Cookery School and on Saturday January 29^th 2016 from 2pm-5pm, Philip will teach the skills needed to butcher a whole lamb into your favourite pieces. Course includes half a lamb which you help butcher and then take home for the freezer, so make sure there is room.

This is the ideal course for anyone who would like to be able to buy a whole lamb from a local butcher or farmer. www.cookingisfun.ie

 

Guest Chef Mary Jo McMillin from Ohio

We’ve known and admired Mary Jo for many years. She has a cult following in the US and is particularly famous for her braises and slow cooked dishes and of course her baking.  On Saturday January 30th, 2.00pm-5.30pm, Mary Jo will teach two fool proof menus and the secrets of several of her sought after cakes, pastries and French bread. This course was inspired by a conversation Mary Jo had with one of our 12 Week Certificate students who couldn’t leave the day job because of financial commitments, In her uniquely generous way, Mary Jo will advise on how to scale up recipes for larger numbers and set up a catering business from home for the many aspiring chefs who may be searching for a way to have a part time career in food.

 

Recipes

Water Kefir

With Water Kefir you can turn sugared water into one of the most vibrant, probiotic-rich drinks you can make at home!

2 tablespoons (2 1/2 American tablespoons) water kefir grains

2-3 tablespoons (2 1/2 – 4 American tablespoons) organic raw cane sugar

4 unsulphered dried apricots or other dried fruit.

Approximately 1 litre (1 3/4 pints/scant 4 cups) of water – must be free of chemicals

Slice of unwaxed lemon

 

It is important not to use any metal utensils or brewing vessels while making Water Kefir.

Stir the sugar into approximately 250ml (9fl oz/generous 1 cup) of hot water until it dissolves, then add remainder of cold water and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Place the water kefir grains into a 1 litre jar, pour in the cooled sugar water, and drop in the dried fruit.

 

Cover the jar loosely with a lid, or with a cloth secured with a rubber band to allow air in but to prevent stray debris from spoiling your water kefir. Allow the water kefir to ferment for 2 to 3 days. The longer it ferments, the drier and less sweet it will become.

When the water kefir acquires a flavor that suits you, strain it using a plastic strainer into a jug. Discard the dried fruit (or eat it) but reserve the water kefir grains which can be immediately reused or stored.

While the water kefir can be enjoyed as it is, after its initial fermentation, you can also ferment it a second time. Secondary fermentation allows you to flavor the water kefir, and the secondary fermentation process, which occurs in a tightly capped bottle allows carbon dioxide to develop, producing a fizzy water kefir.

Transfer the bottles of water kefir to the fridge to slow down fermentation and enjoy

Second Fermentation

After transferring you water kefir into a bottle add a handful of one of the following to your taste.

 

• Fresh or Frozen Raspberries
• Fresh or Frozen Strawberries
• Other soft fruit
• 5 – 6 small pieces of Crystallised Ginger.
• Several crushed mint leaves and juice of 1 Lemon

Leave to ferment for another 12 – 24 hours with a lid on.  It’s a good idea to release pressure every so often particularly if your kitchen is warm as secondary ferments have been known to explode!  Keep tasting to understand when your ferment is ready to your liking.

 

Caring for your Kefir Grains

Water Kefir grains are alive being a Scoby (Symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts) and therefore require looking after to ensure they produce the best kefir for you.

Occasionally it is beneficial to give your grains a mineral feed.

 

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Crispy Croutons

Serves 8-10

 

Jerusalem artichokes are a sadly neglected winter vegetable. They look like knobbly potatoes and are a nuisance to peel, but if they are very fresh you can sometimes get away with just giving them a good scrub. Not only are they a smashing vegetable but they are also delicious in soups and gratins. They are a real gem from the gardeners point of view because the foliage grows into a hedge and provides shelter and cover for both compost heaps and pheasants!

Nutrition: Jerusalem Artichokes are a very important source of inulin which enhances the growth of beneficial bacteria in our systems.  Particularly essential after a course of antibiotics.

 

50g (2oz/1/2 stick) butter

560g (1 1/4 lb) onions, peeled and chopped

1.15kg (2 1/2 lbs) Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed, peeled and chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper

1.1L (2 pints/5 cups) light chicken stock

600ml (1 pint/2 1/2 cups) creamy milk approx.

 

Garnish

freshly chopped parsley

crisp, golden croutons

 

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the onions and artichokes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, cover and sweat gently for 10 minutes approx.  Add the stock and cook until the vegetables are soft. Liquidise and return to the heat. Thin to the required flavour and consistency with creamy milk, and adjust the seasoning.

Serve in soup bowls or in a soup tureen. Garnish with chopped parsley and crisp, golden croutons.

 

Note

This soup may need more stock depending on thickness required.

 

Salad with Pears, Pomegranates , Persimmons and Pecans

Serves 8

 

Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar or  Sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

 

3 ripe Fuyu persimmons (little firm persimmons)

3 ripe d’Anjou or other pears

1 lime, freshly squeezed

Seeds from ½ pomegranate

A selection of frizzy lettuce, watercress and rocket leaves

1 lime freshly squeezed

85-110g (3- 4oz) fresh toasted pecans

 

First make the vinaigrette.

Mix the Balsamic or sherry vinegar, mustard, shallots, salt and pepper.  Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.

 

Slice the persimmons and pears into slices about ¼ inch thick.  Put into a medium bowl and sprinkle with freshly squeezed lime juice.  Add the pomegranate seeds.  Toss gently.

Wash and dry the greens, store in a clean towel in the fridge until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/regulo 4.

Put the nuts onto a baking sheet in a moderate oven for 5 -6 minutes, tossing gently from time to time.  Alternatively toast under a grill.

 

When ready to serve

Toss the greens in some of the vinaigrette and arrange on eight plates.  Toss the fruit mixture lightly in the remaining vinaigrette.  Arrange on top of the greens and sprinkle with the toasted pecans.   Serve immediately.

 

Jam Pudding (Irish Traditional Cooking revised edition)

 

This was one of our favourites, we raced home from school for lunch even faster when we knew Mummy was cooking a steamed jam pudding, a warm and comforting winter pudding.

 

Serves 4

110g (4oz) butter, at room temperature

110g (4oz) caster sugar

2 eggs, free-range if possible

few drops of pure vanilla essence

170g (6oz) plain white flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

about 1 tablespoon milk or water

3 or 4 tablespoons homemade raspberry jam

 

Raspberry Jam Sauce

4–6 tablespoons homemade raspberry jam

rind and juice of ½ lemon

150ml (¼ pint) water

sugar, to taste

 

12.5cm (5in) capacity pudding bowl

 

Cream the butter, add the caster sugar and beat until white and creamy. Whisk the eggs with the vanilla essence and beat, a little at a time, into the creamed mixture. Stir in the flour and baking powder and add a little milk or water if necessary to make a dropping consistency.

Grease your pudding bowl. Spread raspberry jam over the bottom and sides. Carefully spoon the cake mixture into the bowl. Cover with pleated greaseproof paper, tied on firmly, and steam the pudding for about 1½ hours.

Meanwhile, make the raspberry jam sauce. Heat the jam with the water, add the lemon rind and juice and sweeten with a little extra sugar if necessary.

Turn the pudding on to a hot dish and serve with the sauce and lots of softly whipped cream.

 

23/08/2012rd

I’m sitting on the balcony of the View Point Hotel in Nyaungshwe overlooking the jetty where most of the skiffs and narrow timber boats leave for Inle Lake, one of Myanmar’s biggest attractions. It’s really chilly at this time of the day. There’s two-way traffic: some boats, laden down with tomatoes, aubergines and gourds in huge bamboo baskets are on their way to the Mingalar Market in front of the pagoda. Farmers and their families sit, hunched up on the floor of the boats in woolly caps or hoodies. Up here, in the Shan Valley  away from Yangon, virtually all the men still wear the lungi, a piece of cloth, worn sarong style, like a skirt. Other slender wooden canoes fitted with long tail outboard motors have a row of little timber chairs to take tourists out onto the Inle lake. It’s 22 kilometres long and about 11 kilometres wide, bordered by the Shan mountains on either side and numerous small villages. This watery world is home to the Intha people who live in stilt houses in villages that create a fringe around the lake. They grow fruit and vegetables in floating gardens anchored to the lake bed with bamboo poles and fish with traditional Intha conical nets using a distinctive leg rowing stance on timber skiffs – fascinating to observe.

Since the 18^th century, the Intha people’s way of life has gradually adapted to the climate and ecosystem. It is noisy here by the bridge with the put-put of the long tail motor engines that spew out a sheet of spray behind.

To the right, motorbikes, tricycles, lorries and cars and an occasional horse drawn wagon, clip clop over the bridge on the way to the main street.  School girls with long plaits on their way to class. The Buddhist monks walk through the town with their bowls collecting food and alms at dawn, wandering towards the monasteries and pagodas of which there are many in this small town, which is now the principal hub for Inle lake.

I love the markets and local shops, they tell you much more about the food and culture and way of life than any guide book. I took a tricycle down to the Mingalar Market close to the entrance of the town. Both men and women stall holders sit squat – legged on raised platforms with their goods and produce beautifully displayed in front of them, up off the mud floor sometimes on rice or jute sacks or on bamboo or reed matting.

All the tropical fruit of course, papaya, mangoes, dragonfruit, loquats, guava but also an extraordinary array of greens, chickpea shoots, Burmese pennyworth, squash tendrills, watercress…

We bought rice cooked in bamboo, little red rice cakes stuffed with bean paste and some crispy ants but I stopped short of trying a barbequed rice-paddi rat despite the guide’s assurance of how delicious they were with a beer or glass of rum toddy.

Little old ladies dispensed medicinal advice on how to use the herbs and roots they were selling.

Bright plastic and stainless steel are fast replacing tin and stainless steel cooking utensils.  Nonetheless, there are still wonderful handmade clay pots that keep the water cool and fresh. The area is also famous for handmade knives and kitchen utensils, I also couldn’t resist some of the light wok and handmade watering cans – try to get to Burma soon, it’s fascinating, beautiful and changing fast.

 

Hot Tips

Carrageen Moss

Where do I find carrageen moss? Well I found some beautiful local carrageen recently at the Village Greengrocer in Castlemartyr. I also saw several bags of the moss on the Olive Stall in the English Market in Cork City.  Such a joy to see that this precious and health giving traditional food is still available. See www.cookingisfun.ie for recipe for Carrageen Moss pudding.

The Food Programme

For me the BBC Radio 4 Food programme is unmissable, if you don’t manage to catch it on Sunday at 12.32pm  or Monday at 15.30pm, listen back to the pod cast.

Both Seville and blood oranges are now in the shops, so check out www.slowfoodireland website for some great marmalade recipes.

 

Learn all about Chillies

at our next East Cork Slow Food  event. Chris Young from the Irish Chilli Farm in Co Tipperary will tell share his story and how he started his chilli farm near Roscrea and the many varieties he grows

Wednesday January 27^th 2016, 7pm at the Ballymaloe Cookery School.

Phone 021 4646785.

 

A Great Gatsby Gala Dinner

Have a fun night and support Ballycotton RNLI Lifeboat who will host a fundraising dinner on Friday February 5^th 2016 at Ballymaloe House.

Drinks Reception at 7.30pm followed by dinner at 8.

Booking Essential 021 4652531.

 

Myanmar Chicken Curry

Use organic ingredients where possible

 

Serves 6

1½ lbs (700 g) free range chicken breasts

½-1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon chilli powder

2 teaspoons fish sauce, nam pla

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil

2 red onions, chopped

1 teaspoon turmeric

½-1 teaspoon chilli powder

3 green cardamom, bruised

1 small knob of ginger, 15 g, chopped

2 sticks of lemongrass, finely sliced

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon fish sauce, nam pla

4 ripe tomatoes, diced

8 fl oz (230 ml) chicken stock

2 stalks lemongrass, crushed, cut into 4 pieces, optional

2 tablespoons tamarind water, see recipe

Fresh coriander

Accompaniment – rice

 

Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces and put into a bowl. Sprinkle with ½-1 teaspoon of turmeric, chilli powder, fish sauce and vegetable oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss and massage the meat with your fingers and allow to marinade for 30-35 minutes or while the remainder of the ingredients are prepared.

Put 4 tablespoons of oil in a wide wok or sauté pan, add the chopped red onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon turmeric, ½-1 teaspoon chilli powder, then add the crushed green cardamoms. Add the finely chopped ginger, sliced lemongrass and garlic. Stir and add 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and the diced tomatoes. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken cubes, toss, pour in the chicken stock and add 4 pieces of lemongrass.  Add 2 tablespoons of tamarind water (if available).

Simmer gently for 6-8 minutes more or until the chicken is fully cooked and sauce is balanced and delicious but still fresh tasting. Taste and correct the seasoning. Transfer to a warm serving dish. Sprinkle with fresh coriander.

Serve with sticky rice or Basmati rice.

Note, if tamarind water is not available, taste and sharpen with some freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.

 

Tamarind Water

a piece of tamarind, the size of a mandarin orange

6 fl ozs (175ml/3/4 cup of hot water

 

Tear a lump of tamarind about the size of a mandarin, off the block. Soak it for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight in hot water in a small non-metallic bowl or cup. (The water should cover the tamarind.)

Push the tamarind pulp through a strainer, with your clean fingers. Keep pressing until just the fibre and seeds are left in the sieve. Scrape all the pulp from the outside of the sieve.  Use extra water, if necessary, to separate the pulp from the fibres. Discard the seeds and fibre.

Burmese Tomato Salad

The Burmese include 1/3 teaspoon of ‘chicken seasoning’ which I prefer to omit.

Serves 2

 

2-3 ripe tomatoes, depending on size

1 teaspoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons toasted garlic oil

2 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts

1 small red shallot or ½ red onion, thinly sliced

2 -3 tablespoons crispy shallot rings

Freshly squeezed lime juice, from one cheek of lime

 

Toasted Garlic Oil

4 fl ozs (125 ml) olive oil

12 garlic cloves

Chives, chopped

Fresh coriander sprigs

 

To make the toasted garlic oil. Finely chop the garlic, put in a small saucepan with the olive oil. Put on a low medium heat for 4-5 minutes and cook until the garlic is light and golden brown. If the garlic gets too dark both the garlic and oil will be too bitter.

Just before serving, half the tomatoes. Thinly slice the tomatoes sideways into julienne. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons toasted garlic oil, crushed peanuts, thinly sliced red onion and half the crispy shallots. Squeeze the juice from one cheek of lime, toss well. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Pile onto a plate, garnish with fresh coriander, chopped chives and the remainder of the crispy shallots. Serve ASAP.

 

Burmese Night Market Noodles

The direct translation of this dish is cooked oil noodles, but I tend to associate it with the night market in Rangoon because this was the place where my brother and I often went to eat a bowl of these noodles tossed in garlic oil. It usually came with some shredded meat and a bowl of hot chicken soup sprinkled with spring onions. Nowadays whenever I have leftover roast meat, I rustle up these noodles which go down really well.

 

Serves 2

Cooking time 10 minutes

 

250 g fresh egg noodles

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons peanut oil

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

Small handful of spring onions, chopped

 

Eat with

Shredded roast duck, chicken or pork

Chicken soup

 

Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and blanch the noodles for a couple of minutes until they are soft. Drain and rinse under cold water. If you are using dried egg noodles, follow the packet instructions.

Heat the oil in a wok and fry the garlic until golden. Remove from the oil immediately and drain on kitchen paper. Add the noodles and soy sauce, and then toss for a minute until the noodles are warmed through and coated with the garlic oil. Check for seasoning and sprinkle with crispy garlic and spring onions. Serve with shredded meat and a bowl of soup.

From has*ba – Burmese Cookbook by Tin Cho Chaw

 

Burmese Caramelised Crispy Pancakes

 

Makes 10-12 pancakes

This is a sweet crispy stick golden pancake that reminds me of brandy snaps. The pancakes are extremely soft and sticky during cooking and transform into chewy caramelised discs when they are cool.

 

60 g sticky/glutinous rice flour

20 g rice flour

125 ml water

100 g palm sugar (or brown sugar)

4 tablespoons water

Peanut oil for shallow frying

 

Put both flours in a mixing bowl; mix in the water to form a thick batter. Leave to rest for 20 minutes while preparing the sugar.

If you are using palm sugar, grate it before placing in a small saucepan. Add 4 tablespoons of water and over a moderate heat stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow the sugar to cool. Gradually pour the sugar into the batter to form a consistency similar to single cream.

When you are ready to fry the pancakes, heat enough oil to shallow fry in a small non stick frying pan. Spoon a small ladle of batter into the oil and swirl the batter into the pan to form a circular shape.

Leave the pancake over a moderate heat until the edges are golden brown, then carefully flip over and cook the other side. When it is golden brown on both sides, remove from the  heat and cool on a plate. The pancake remains soft and sticky until it is cool. Repeat this process making one pancake at a time until all the batter is used up, replenishing the oil when necessary.

From has*ba – Burmese Cookbook by Tin Cho Chaw