Archive2024

Today, to coincide with National Mousse Day (who dreamed that up?), we’ll have a celebration of a few of my 1970s favourites – time-honoured classics that have stood the test of time and are still high on the list of special requests on the Ballymaloe House menu and famous Sweet Trolley.
How about a Leek Mousse? Leeks are at their best just now, I’ve been digging the smaller ones from the vegetable garden, I can’t bear to waste a scrap, I use the young leaves for soups or melt them in butter to add to a bowl of fluffy mashed potato. Avoid the big specimens, they may look tempting but believe me, they’ll be tough so go along to the Farmers’ Market and choose small new season leeks instead. They’ll be tender and sweeter.
These little leek mousse make a gorgeous starter but best of all they can be cooked earlier (dare I say, even the day before) and gently reheated in a bain-marie.
I’m also sharing the secret of this Bretonne sauce, a deliciously buttery sauce that transforms many simple foods into a feast – it’s a gem to have in your repertoire and not least because it is literally made in minutes.
Add a few morsels of lobster, plump mussels or shrimp and hey presto, the dish takes on a swanky cheffy appearance…a few wisps of chervil and wait for the Ooh’s and Aah’s when you serve it to your guests.
This leek mousse is rich as you can see from the ingredient list, so serve small portions for starters but increase the size for a lunchtime main course. Serve a salad of fresh crunchy leaves and a few fresh herbs tossed with a little dressing of extra virgin olive oil, a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice, lots of freshly cracked pepper and a few flakes of sea salt.
A really good chocolate mousse is yet another recipe that stands the test of time. We’ve got a few versions, but I think this is my favourite, irresistible with just some Jersey pouring cream and guess what I’ve discovered that it keeps for over a fortnight in your fridge, maybe longer. How brilliant is that?
Use really good chocolate, we like 54% cocoa solids and rich cream.
I also do lots of riffs on it, a little crunchy hazelnut praline sprinkled over the top is sublime, a few flakes of gold leaf give a super luxurious look while a spoonful of candied kumquat compote is a delicious foil to the richness of the mousse and last but certainly not least, I love a spoonful of plump Pedro Ximénez soaked raisins, spoon over a dollop of softly whip cream on top.
Make a batch before the festive season and you are sorted for any eventuality and who doesn’t love chocolate mousse?
This orange mousse is deliciously tender and light as a feather. It looks super impressive. We decorate it with diamond shaped slivers of chocolate and ruffs of orange flavoured cream for extra deliciousness. Unless the oranges are organic, give them a good wash and use a Microplane or very fine grater to grate the zest.  All of these recipes can be whipped up the day before for ease of entertaining.
Happy National Mousse Day.

Rory O’Connell’s Leek Mousse with Mussels and Sauce Bretonne

Thank you to Rory for sharing this recipe with me.

In Rory’s words ‘This mousse is rich and delicious and should be served in small portions. The mussels can be replaced with shrimp or lobster. I have also served the mousse as a vegetable accompaniment with roast chicken and guinea fowl and firm textured fish like sole, monkfish, turbot and brill. The mousse can be prepared early in the day and cooked later.

Bretonne sauce is an excellent sauce to serve with the fish mentioned above.’

Serves 6-8

Mousse

20g butter

450g leeks, sliced and washed

3 eggs

300ml cream

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

2 egg yolks

1 tsp Dijon mustard, preferably green mustard flavoured with tarragon

½ tsp white wine vinegar

110g butter

1 tbsp chopped herbs; chives, parsley, thyme, chervil, tarragon

36-48 fresh mussels

You will need 6-8 ceramic or metal moulds, approx. 100ml each

Preheat the oven to 170˚°C/Gas Mark 3.

Brush the moulds with melted butter and line the bottoms with a disc of non-stick baking paper.

Melt the butter in a small low-sided saucepan and allow to foam. Add the leeks, toss in the butter and season with salt and pepper. Cover with parchment paper and a tight-fitting lid. Cook on a very gentle heat until the leeks are just tender. Drain the leeks and press off all excess liquid. Reserve the excess liquid for later. Allow to cool for a few minutes and place in a blender and add the eggs and cream. Purée until smooth and taste to correct seasoning. Place the mousse mixture in the prepared moulds, filling the moulds to the top.

When ready to cook, place the mousses in a bain-marie. Half fill the bain-marie with boiling water and cover tightly with a sheet of parchment paper. Place in the preheated oven and cook for about 20 minutes or until the mousses are just set.

Remove from the oven and keep warm.

Place the mussels in a clean frying pan. Cover with a lid and place on a low heat. They will gradually start to pop open and release their own cooking juices. Remove the shells from the pan as soon as they open. Reserve the cooking liquid. When all the mussels are cooked, remove the beard and carefully remove from the shells and add to the mussel cooking liquid

Place the egg yolks in a Pyrex bowl with the mustard and vinegar. Melt the butter and bring to a boil. Slowly drizzle the boiling butter onto the eggs, whisking all the time. The sauce will gradually begin to thicken. Continue until all of the melted butter has been added. Add the chopped herbs. At this point I add a little of the reserved leek cooking juices to the sauce.

Add the cooked mussels and some of their cooking juice to the sauce. The sauce should be quite thin.

To serve, unmould the mousses on warm plates. Drizzle a little sauce and some mussels around and over each mousse. Garnish with a relevant herb, like fennel, dill or chervil.

Serve immediately.

JR Ryall’s Orange Mousse with Chocolate Wafers

JR Ryall, head pastry chef at Ballymaloe House and author of Ballymaloe Desserts kindly shared this delicious recipe.

In JR’s words ‘This mousse has retro appeal, and I love its theatrical appearance, particularly the contrast of the vivid orange segments and the dramatic pointy chocolate diamond wafers. The combination of orange and chocolate is nothing new. However, the combination of light and airy mousse with fresh orange, fragile chocolate wafers and orange scented cream is really rather good. This dessert brings a splash of colour to the dessert trolley during winter and spring when citrus fruit is at its best.’

Serves 8

For the orange mousse

finely grated zest and juice of 2 large oranges, plus extra if needed 

4 large eggs, 2 separated 

70g caster sugar

juice of 1 lemon

4 gelatine leaves 

225ml softly whipped cream

For the chocolate wafers

120g dark chocolate (62% cocoa solids)

for the orange-flavoured cream and assembly

3 large oranges

225ml whipped cream

pinch of caster sugar

Have a 1.2 litre serving bowl to hand.

To make the orange mousse.

Place the 2 egg yolks with the orange zest into the bowl of an electric mixer (keep the whites for later). Add the remaining 2 whole eggs and the caster sugar and whisk on high speed until the mixture quadruples in volume and becomes light and pale in colour, about 8 minutes. 

Meanwhile, measure the volume of the combined orange and lemon juices: you need 300ml. If necessary, bring up the volume with the juice of another orange.  Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Warm one quarter of the juice in a small saucepan, add the soaked gelatine leaves and stir to dissolve. Blend the gelatine mixture back into the remaining juice and transfer to a mixing bowl. Set the bowl in an ice bath and stir to chill. As the mixture cools it will begin to thicken slightly – this is the gelatine beginning to set; at this point remove the bowl from the ice bath. Fold one quarter of the egg mousse into the gelatine mixture to lighten it, followed by the remaining three quarters, mixing thoroughly and ensuring no liquid juice layer remains in the bottom of the bowl.

Now fold in the softly whipped cream. Finally, whisk the reserved 2 egg whites to stiff peaks stiffly, making sure they do not turn grainy, and then gently fold into the mousse. Pour the mousse into the serving bowl and place in the fridge to set, about 4 hours.  

To make the chocolate wafers.

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of hot water, then remove from the heat. Spread the melted chocolate on baking paper in the shape of a large square. Leave in a cool place until set, then cut into diamond shaped wafers. 

To make the orange-flavoured cream.

Grate the zest from half of one of the oranges, then mix with the whipped cream in a bowl and add a pinch of caster sugar to taste.

To assemble.

Peel and segment the three oranges. Arrange the orange segments in a circular pattern on top of the set mousse. Pipe a border of the orange-flavoured cream around the segments and position the chocolate wafers decoratively and dramatically around the edge of the bowl.

Bitter Chocolate Pots with Raisins in Pedro Ximénez and Crème Fraîche

Serves 6

Chocolate Mousse

110g good quality dark chocolate (we use 54% Callebaut)

110ml cream

1-2 tbsp Jamaica rum

2 eggs, separated

100g plump raisins or sultanas

60ml of Pedro Ximénez sweet sherry

crème fraîche

First, make the chocolate pots.

Chop the chocolate finely.  Bring the cream up to the boil, turn off the heat, add the chocolate to the cream and stir it around until the chocolate melts in the cream.  Add in the alcohol, if using, and whisk in the egg yolks.  Whisk the egg whites until just stiff, then stir in a quarter of the egg white, fold in the rest, gently, being careful not to knock all the air out.  Divide between 6 pots or espresso cups.
Cover and chill and allow to set for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

Meanwhile, warm the Pedro Ximénez.  Pour over the raisins and allow to plump up and macerate.

To Serve
Put the little pot or espresso cup on a small plate or saucer.  Spoon a generous teaspoon of boozy raisins on one side.
Place a blob of crème fraîche on the other side, add a teaspoon and serve.

Note
These little pots are very rich so extra crème fraîche may be welcome. This mousse will taste different depending on the chocolate, for a richer mousse use 62% chocolate or 34% milk chocolate for a sweeter mousse.

The atmosphere was palpable and optimistic at the seventh BioFarm Organic Conference organised recently by NOTS.
This is the annual get-together of organic, biodynamic, chemical free and an increasing number of regenerative farmers who are transitioning to more sustainable production methods.
This year the numbers increase by almost 50% reflecting the growing acreage of land in Ireland  being farmed on organic principles to 5% in 2024 from a mere 2% in 2022.
Organic production is increasing worldwide with Australia, India and Argentina leading the way.
In Europe, Liechtenstein has the highest organic area at 43% followed by Austria, the leading EU country at 27.5%.
Sales of organic food continue to rise exponentially particularly in the US and Australia.
Here in Ireland, despite the cost of living crisis, an increasing number of people are connecting the food they eat to the health of the family.
There is a growing realisation that it’s more cost-effective to invest in chemical free foods rather than expensive and not always effective supplements.
Once again I repeat our food should and can indeed be our medicine….
There’s also a significant increase in the number of families who have started to grow some of their own food at home, in veggie patches, allotments and even on window sills and balconies. This not only enhances our lives, reminds us of what food should taste like but it excites the kids and teaches them some really important life skills.
It also shows them (and us) how much work actually goes into producing nourishing wholesome food, it doesn’t just appear on the supermarket shelf.
John Hogan, an agronomist and horticultural consultant with 40 years’ experience spelled out the challenges but also the growing market for Irish organic food and opportunity for export substitution.
Most would have a gut feeling (as do I) that organic, chemical-free food, grown in rich fertile soil has got to be altogether better for our wellbeing but why, one might ask, in the midst of this cost of living crisis, would the consumer reckon that it’s worth the extra money unless there is scientific evidence to prove it. We urgently need targeted stats, anecdotal evidence is not enough.

Poor diets are also linked to 20% of deaths worldwide, eleven billion annually and cost health authorities countless millions globally.
Engaging and inspirational speaker Neil Fuller, a soil scientist and climate-smart farming expert, talked about how we could make ‘food the weapon’ in climate change and the real cost of cheap food on people’s health. Despite the perception, farming is a significant part of the solution to climate change. In the words of Patrick Holden of the Sustainable Food Trust, ‘if we paid farmers to be carbon stewards, then farming could move from being part of the problem to part of the solution’.
There was much to learn about heritage wheat trials, increased demand for organic oats, and homeopathy for animals. BioFarm encourages and supports farmers and growers to consider agroforestry, silvopasture (a way of combining trees, livestock, and forage crops on the same land for multiple benefits), the importance of dung beetles, all play their part in enriching fertile soil and producing healthy food to nourish rather than damage our health which is what farming should be all about in the end.
We stayed at Fitzgerald Woodlands hotel in Adare, the conference venue. A wonderfully convivial, family run hotel with exceptionally kind and helpful staff.
Chef Mark Darcy shared several of the recipes that the conference attendees enjoyed.

Woodlands Organic chicken with Smoky Bacon, Cabbage and Mushrooms with Pilaf Rice

This recipe is inspired by a dish we ate at the Woodlands Hotel in Adare. Brown meat is my personal favourite, so we made it with chicken thighs and drumsticks, a delicious comforting winter supper.

Serves 10-12

2kg organic chicken (I used 6 whole legs of Rings organic chickens from Co. Kilkenny)

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large carrot, sliced

1 large onion, sliced

5 peppercorns

a bouquet garni made up of a sprig of thyme, parsley stalks, a tiny bay leaf, a stick of celery

450-600ml water or a mixture of water and white wine (1 glass) or homemade light chicken stock

1 York or Savoy cabbage, cored and shredded (450g prepared)

25g butter or more if you like

salt and freshly ground black pepper

250-300ml light cream

75g roux approx. (made with equal quantities of flour and butter, cooked for 2 minutes)

salt

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

500g mushrooms, quartered

salt and freshly ground black pepper

knob of butter and extra virgin olive oil

175g smoky streaky bacon, diced

1 tsp of thyme leaves, rosemary or tarragon chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

chopped parsley or chervil, to garnish

For the pilaf rice

25g salted butter

2 tbsp finely chopped onion or shallot

400g long-grain rice (preferably basmati)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

975ml homemade chicken stock

2 tbsp freshly chopped herbs, such as parsley, thyme or chives (optional)

Dry brine the chicken overnight if time allows (just sprinkle the surface lightly with salt). Otherwise, before cooking, season the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper. Put into a heavy casserole with the carrot, onion, peppercorns and a bouquet garni. Pour in the chicken stock and dry white wine (3/4 stock to 1/4 wine). (use water if no stock is available but less flavourful). Cover and bring to the boil and simmer either on the hob or cook in the oven at 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 40-45 minutes. When the bird is cooked, remove from the casserole.  The meat should be really tender.

Meanwhile, make the pilaf rice. Melt the butter in a casserole, add the onion and sweat for 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and toss for a minute or two, just long enough for the grains to change colour. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, add the chicken stock, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a minimum and then simmer on the hob or cook in the oven at 160°C/Gas Mark 3 for about 10 minutes. By then the rice should be just cooked and all the water absorbed. Just before serving, stir in the fresh herbs if using.

Strain and de-grease the chicken cooking liquid (we had 1 litre). Return to the casserole. Discard the vegetables: they have already given their flavour to the cooking liquid. Reduce the liquid in a wide, uncovered casserole for 5–10 minutes until the flavour is more concentrated.

Remove the tough outer leaves and divide the cabbage into four. Cut out the stalks and then cut each section into fine shreds across the grain. Put 2 or 3 tablespoons of water into a wide saucepan with the butter and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, add the cabbage and toss constantly over a high heat, then cover for a few minutes (3-4 minutes). Toss again, taste and if necessary, add some more salt and freshly ground pepper to enhance the flavour.

Add the cream or creamy milk to the reduced liquid, return to the boil; thicken to a light coating consistency by whisking in some roux. Taste and add salt to taste.

Divide the chicken into joints, drumsticks and thighs (chunky pieces of white meat if using). Add to the sauce, heat through and bubble (the dish may be prepared ahead to this point).

Sweat the chopped onion and garlic in a little butter until soft but not coloured and keep aside. Sauté the quartered mushrooms in a little butter, in a hot frying pan, in batches if necessary.  Season each batch with salt, freshly ground pepper and add to the onions.

Melt the butter in a sauté pan, add a little extra virgin olive oil, and add the bacon lardons. Cook tossing for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat. Add the sautéed onions and mushrooms and the chopped thyme leaves, rosemary or tarragon.

Toss until fully cooked through. Add to the sauce with the buttered cabbage. Fold gently through. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Turn into a serving dish and scatter with lots of chopped parsley or chervil. Serve with pilaf rice.  

Woodlands Shortbread Cookies

Super easy to make, keep a roll in your fridge so you can surprise unexpected guests with freshly baked cookies over Christmas.

Makes 25-30 approx. depending on thickness

180g butter

90g caster sugar

270g flour

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, add the sieved flour and continue to mix to a firm dough. Roll the mixture into a log. Cover in parchment paper and twist the ends like a Christmas cracker. Chill in the fridge for a few hours, preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Remove the baking paper from the chilled dough and cut into 1cm thick cookies. Bake on a parchment lined baking tray, cook in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and dredge lightly with icing sugar.

Christmas Nougat

This is my take on Italian torrone, which is firmer in texture than the softer French version.

Nougat will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks if you can resist it!  You can add more or less nuts as you like.

Makes 64 x 2.5cm squares

350g sugar

225g liquid glucose

200g honey

125g hazelnuts

125g skinned almonds

2 egg whites, preferably free-range and organic

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

100g shelled, peeled pistachios

75g dried sour cherries

50g dry candied lemon or orange peel or chopped apricots

grated rind of 1 lemon

good pinch of salt

Line the base of a 21cm square tin with confectioner’s rice paper.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4

Put the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the skins start to flake away. Rub off the skins with a cloth and leave them whole.   Roast the skinned almonds for 10-12 minutes. Set aside.

Put the sugar, liquid glucose and honey into a wide sauté pan.  Stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves.  Increase the heat and cook until the syrup reaches 130ºC (hard crack stage) on a sugar thermometer. 

Whisk the egg whites in a spotlessly clean, dry bowl to a firm peak.  Slowly pour in half the syrup and whisk to combine preferably in a food mixer.  Add the vanilla extract and continue to whisk at a low speed. 

Meanwhile, put the remaining syrup back on the heat and cook until the mixture reaches 150ºC on a sugar thermometer.  Slowly pour onto the egg white mixture and whisk for about 5 minutes, until it’s thick and glossy.  Fold in the pistachio nuts, toasted almonds, hazelnuts, dried cherries, candied peel, lemon rind and a pinch of salt. 

Pour the nougat mixture into the prepared tin.  Smooth the top with the back of a spoon or a spatula.  Cover with a sheet of rice paper and press down gently.  Allow to cool, then cut into 2.5cm square pieces with a sharp knife and serve.  Store in an airtight tin.

Let’s bake…
The tantalising smell of freshly baked bread is one of the most nostalgic and irresistible aromas for all of us and even though I’ve been baking bread all of my adult life and most of my childhood I still get a buzz every time I take a crusty loaf out of the oven and so do all the 12 Week students at BCS. They learn how to make ten to fifteen different breads while they are with us.
Soda breads take minutes to make. For flatbreads, all you need is a heavy frying pan or griddle, you don’t even need an oven so they are also perfect for students who may have limited facilities in their accommodation.
Sourdough can be fitted into your particular routine, here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School, we make a 48 hour fermented loaf that spends most of its time in the fridge and is baked first thing in the morning which works brilliantly for us.
The starter can be frozen or dehydrated which is really helpful if your lifestyle dictates that you can only be a random baker.  Here at the Cookery School anything from ten to twenty students from the group turn up to the Bread Shed at 6am in the morning for what is an extracurricular activity – how about that enthusiasm?
Many become total sourdough nerds, monitoring and comparing their loaves every day, endlessly in search of the perfect sourdough loaf.
Good bread is super important for all of our families’ health. I’m on record as saying on live TV that if I was Minister for Health the first thing I would do for the health of the nation is to ban the ultra-processed sliced pan and I haven’t changed my mind since. Is it a coincidence that the number of gluten allergies and intolerances are growing exponentially? Check the label…
Here at the cookery school, where many students arrive convinced that they need to be gluten-free, discover that they can happily eat our natural, fermented sourdough made with organic flour. When they eat ‘sliced pan’ from the shops, all the symptoms return.
For bread baking at home, do go out of your way to find organic, chemical free flour.
Soda bread is the bread of our country and is literally made in minutes. Scones will be out of the oven in little more than 10 minutes, a crusty loaf takes 30 to 35 minutes, and a ‘tin loaf’ will take all of an hour, it takes time but not your time. The actual mixing takes mere minutes, so much joy for so little effort and nothing’s changed, the way to everyone’s heart is through their tummy…Don’t we all love Mum’s soda bread.
Here are a few recipes to get you started. A few weeks ago, I included a recipe for Max Rocha’s Guinness Bread from his Café Cecilia cookbook – see column 19^th October 2024. If you haven’t already tried it, it’s super delicious and keeps very well. Max can’t take it off the menu in Café Cecilia in Hackney. Book ahead if you’re going to London, open for lunch from Wednesday to Sunday and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday but you’ll definitely need to book ahead – www.cafececilia.com  
November 17th 2024 is National Homemade Bread Day, let’s celebrate passing on the skills to all the family by making some crusty loaves of bread. Baking is an exact science so make sure to weigh your ingredients accurately, otherwise you’ll have a very inconsistent and disappointing result.
Here are a few recipes to get you started. I’ve included the recipe for traditional white soda bread in response to many requests received, but there are many, many more easy and well tested recipes including a brilliant gluten-free chapter by Debbie Shaw in The New Ballymaloe Bread Book published by Gill Books in 2023.

Ballymaloe Bread Shed Sourdough

Made by the Folding Method 

Makes 1 loaf

Remember “Sourdough bread is an inconsistent medium of nature”.

Every loaf will be slightly different depending on the activity of the starter. 

Making a loaf of sourdough bread by this method is a three day process which once you get started, will soon become a routine part of your day.

Ballymaloe Sourdough Starter

It will take approximately seven days to establish an active sourdough starter before you make your first loaf. Once the starter is established, it’s only a matter of feeding. Remember it’s live and just like us, it gets hungry…

Starter Tips

• Your starter should smell distinctively beery, slightly yeasty and fermented, and it should be thick and bubbly. It may become thin and bubbly or develop a layer of grey liquid on top, a sign it’s hungry. 
• Starter grows best at comfortable room temperature (18-21°C).
•  If the starter is too thick to beat easily, add a little more water.
• The flavour will grow more complex with use and age.
• Once the sourdough starter is established, depending on how lively the starter is, making a loaf of sourdough bread from start to finish will take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.
• Remember yeast freezes perfectly. 

How to make a natural sourdough starter.

Day 1: Choose a large airtight 500ml to 1 litre Kilner jar.

Put 60g of cold water and 60g of organic strong white flour (bakers’ flour) into the jar, mix well with a long handled spoon. Close the jar and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

Day 2: You should begin to see some bubbles at this stage, add 60g cold water and 60g organic strong white flour (bakers’ flour). Mix well, close the jar and leave for 24 hours at room temperature

Day 3: Add 60g cold water and 60g organic strong white flour (bakers’ flour). Mix well, close the jar and leave for 24 hours at room temperature.

Day 4: Add 60g cold water and 60g organic strong white flour (bakers’ flour). Mix well, close the jar and leave for 24 hours at room temperature.

Day 5: Add 50g cold water and 50g organic strong white flour (bakers’ flour). Mix well, close the jar and leave for 24 hours at room temperature.

Day 6: Add 60g cold water and 60g organic strong white flour (bakers’ flour). Mix well, close the jar and leave for 24 hours at room temperature.

Your sourdough starter will now be very runny and bubbly, it’s hungry and ready to proceed to the next stage. 

Day 7

Reduce the starter in the jar to about 100g (discard the excess starter or use to make sourdough crackers). Thicken it with about 50g to 100g of organic strong white flour (bakers’ flour). Give it a 2nd feeding of 140g of cold water. Stir in well. Add 140g of organic strong white flour (bakers’ flour), stir well and allow to stand overnight. This is very much weather dependent (you may leave it out in the Winter or refrigerate in the Summer) it should be thick and bubbly, a good indication is if it floats in water, this is the stage we now call “a sponge” “a levain” or “biga”, “an active yeast” ready to use. 

The more you use it the stronger it gets, in fact, the first few loves may be disappointing, but please persevere. 

Day 8

Next morning. 

The sponge should be thick and bubbly.

114g sourdough starter/natural levain

334g warm water

100g Doves organic malt flour 

337g white organic bread flour

33g organic dark rye flour

5g wheat germ  

OR 

476g Ballymaloe Bread Shed flour mix

In a large bowl, mix all the above ingredients to a loose dough. Rest uncovered at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.

Add 11g of pure salt.

Feed the starter.

While the mixture is resting, feed the starter by adding 50g of cold water plus 80g of organic strong white flour (bakers’ flour).

If you plan to make a batch of bread the following day, allow to stand at room temperature for 2-3 hours, then return to the fridge. Otherwise, return to the fridge immediately after feeding which will slow down the yeast activity.

In order to develop the gluten in the bread dough, you will need to stretch and fold the dough every 20-30 minutes for 3 hours. Be very gentle in the beginning, so as not to tear the dough. The gluten will start to develop, and you will be able to stretch it quite far. 

After 3 hours, place into a covered bowl for 24 hours in the fridge.

Day 9

Next day.

Transfer the dough from the bowl onto the counter. Knock back by kneading lightly with both your hands, tighten into a large ‘bun’. Allow to relax uncovered for 10-15 minutes. With a dough scraper, flip over onto the counter. Knock back once again and fold the dough in on itself. Turn over with the fold underneath and tighten into a large ‘bun’ once again. Transfer upside down into a cloth lined banneton and leave, covered in the fridge for another 24 hours.

Day 10

Following day.

For baking sourdough.

We recommend using a Dutch oven, or other cast iron pots. 

Preheat to 260°C/Gas Mark 10.

Put the Dutch oven into the oven to preheat.

When fully preheated (approx. 30 minutes), with thick oven gloves, remove the pot from the oven. Line the base of the pot with a round of parchment paper and gently lower the dough into the pot. Slash the top with a sharp knife. Replace the hot lid on the pot and return to the oven. Reduce the temperature to 230°C and set the timer for 25 minutes. Then remove the lid and continue to bake for further 10-15 minutes, until dark golden brown.

When cooked, the bread will feel light and sound hollow when tapped on the base with your fingers.

Cool on a wire rack.

Cut with a serrated bread knife and enjoy!

Traditional Irish White Soda Bread and Scones

By popular request my white soda bread recipe but if you’d rather make a brown loaf, use half wholemeal and half white flour.

Soda bread only takes 2 or 3 minutes to make and 30-40 minutes to bake, scones will be ready in just 10 minutes.

It is certainly another of my ‘great convertibles’. We have had the greatest fun experimenting with different additions and uses. The possibilities are endless for the hitherto humble soda bread. This bread which was originally baked in a pot oven called a bastible over the open fire can also be cooked in a casserole in the oven, to produce a similar result.

Makes 1 loaf

450g plain white flour

1 level tsp salt

1 level tsp bread soda

sour milk or buttermilk to mix, 350-400ml approx.

First fully preheat your oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8.

Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour most of the milk in at once. Using just one hand to mix with your fingers stiff and outstretched, like a claw, mix in a full, circular movement from the centre to the outside of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. 

When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface. WASH AND DRY YOUR HANDS.

Then with floured hands, tidy it up and flip over gently. Pat the dough into a round, about 4cm deep and cut a cross on it (the traditional blessing), then prick in the four corners to let the fairies out of the bread, otherwise they will jinx it!

Transfer to a baking tray.

Bake in a hot oven, 230°C/Gas Mark 8 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200°C/Gas Mark 6 for 30 minutes or until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread, when it is cooked it will sound hollow.

Cool on a wire rack.

White Soda Scones

Make the dough as above but flatten the dough into a round 2.5cm deep approx. Cut into scones. Cook for 10-15 minutes approx. in a hot oven (230°C/Gas Mark 8) depending on size.

Baghrir from L’Hôtel Marrakech in Marrakech

These soft lacy flatbreads are beloved for breakfast in Morocco and other North African countries.  Kids love them too. The fermented batter is cooked on one side only.  These Moroccan ‘crepes’ are also called thousand-hole pancakes because of their honeycomb appearance. This recipe comes from L’Hôtel Marrakech in Morocco, one of my favourite places to stay in the whole world.

Makes 6

200g fine semolina

400ml tepid water

1 – 1 ½ tbsp (orange blossom water

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp caster sugar

pinch salt

½ tsp dried yeast

2 x 7g sachets of instant yeast

Put all the ingredients except the yeast in a blender and whizz for 5 minutes, until bubbles appear. Add the dried yeast and blend for a further 2 minutes. Allow the mixture to stand for about 5 minutes, until the mixture looks foamy, before starting to cook.

Heat a 12cm pan over medium heat. Fill a 75ml ladle with batter, pour it into the pan and gently tilt to cover the base.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, until all the bubbles burst, and the surface looks dry.

Serve three or four baghrir on a warm plate with a mixture of equal quantities of melted butter and honey.  

Every day of the week, people are whizzing off to Ibiza, Lanzarote for a few longed for days in the sun.
Far be it from me to deprive Cork Airport, the friendliest little airport in the world, of any business but tell me have you been to the Ards Peninsula and North Down.
Well, I can’t exactly take the higher moral ground because I hadn’t been either and it has to be said the climate is much more agreeable and certainly less sizzling than many exotic sounding places in summer.
Some other members of the Guild of Irish food writers and myself were recently invited to a whistle stop tour of the area by TASTE Ards and North Down. You can’t imagine how much we packed into one and a half days. We started with a bus trip plus a picnic through the rolling countryside from Dublin to Comber, lunch was at Number 14 at the Georgian House where chef James Mulholland and Pippa Groom, his pastry chef, cooked many of their favourite dishes proudly showcasing local produce.
I particularly remember this delectable crab tart generously shared with Examiner readers.
I just remembered that the brilliant local deli, Indi Füde was around the corner, so I whizzed over there in search of one of my favourite Northern Ireland products, smoked eel from Lough Neagh, sadly they didn’t have any, but I picked up some Abernethy’s handmade butter instead and several perfectly ripe cheeses from this super cool little deli on Castle Street.
Then on through Newtownards to Carlos Henrique Capparelli who is producing a range of artisan pastas from ethically sourced ingredients and heritage grains. Shapes like casarecce and radiatori were totally new to me. Carlos, who worked with Yotam Ottolenghi, is overseeing a hugely impressive restoration project at The Old Mill, which will be a series of restaurants, cocktail bars, and private dining rooms by next summer. Watch that space…
Then on to Ballyboley Farm near Greyabbey to meet the Alexander family and their herd of Dexter and Highland cattle and believe it or not afternoon tea or sloe whiskey in the field overlooking Strangford Lough. We could clearly see the Mull of Kintyre in the distance which prompted us all to break into the Beatles song.

Northern Ireland Tourism is all about experiences, so groups can have Cake with the Cows or Tea with the native Irish bees, their enthusiasm was infectious.
From there, it was on the Copeland Distillery in Donaghadee which produces award winning Irish Gin, blended Irish whiskey, rum, vodka and a coffee liqueur.
There’s such a lot happening on the food and drink scene in Northern Ireland nowadays but particularly in this area of the Ards Peninsula and North Down. We enjoyed three cocktails, each paired deliciously with a plate of food, beetroot cured salmon gravlax with horseradish cream, apple and freshwater cress. Then there were plump pigs tail milk buns sprinkled with fennel seeds and flaky sea salt which I really enjoyed with the Copeland whiskey and a Chocolate pave with poached fig, a dollop of cream and some fresh fig oil on top. A delicious little feast created by Andy and wife Roz of Hara Food.
Our overnight stay was in the lovely Clandeboye Hotel, where all my friends, bless their appetites, tucked into dinner while I drank fizzy water with a few drops of Angostura bitters to aid digestion while listening to a cacophony of appreciative sounds around me.
First stop the following morning was to meet the many producers from the Ards Peninsula and North Down at the Food Fair in the Courtyard and Great Hall at Clandeboye House. Counterculture Real Bread, Bró Coffee, Ballyboley Dexter Beef Breakfast rolls, Clandeboye Estate award winning yoghurt, Honey, Stonebridge Cottage Farm rare breed pork and more, fed on whey from Mike’s Fancy cheese and spent grains from local craft breweries and distilleries, any wonder it tastes so good? Out in the courtyard with many other temptations were Honey, Simply Scampi, award winning prawns landed at Portavogie, hand shelled and flash in a light crispy batter and so much more.
Then on to see another restoration project at The Walled Garden, Helen’s Bay where Lorraine Small’s enthusiasm was infectious. While she is clearing the beautiful space of bindweed and scutch grass, people flock for arts and craft making workshops and new food and drink experiences.
Then onto another distillery and it wasn’t even noon. This time a return visit to Echlinville Distillery in Kilgubbin, the first new distillery in Northern Ireland for 125 years and it seems is going from strength to strength. As in the Copeland Distillery, there’s constant experimentation and innovation, Jarlath Watson was excited about a particular whiskey aged in PX barrels. We tasted several others too including Dunville and Old Comber which I liked a lot. After a delicious pairing with Northern Irish cheeses Young Buck, Kilmore, Dart Mountain and Ballylisk Triple Rose and Broughgammon charcuterie, we piled onto the bus in a wonderfully mellow state and headed for Heuston Station, driving alongside the shores of Carlingford Lough where thousands of Brent geese were feeding in the mud flats. Our heads were swirling with happy memories of generous hospitality and many new foods and drinks – check it out…

For further info and there’s so much more – www.visitardsandnorthdown.com

Hara’s Beetroot Cured Salmon with Horseradish and Apple

Thank you to Andy and Roz at Hara for sharing this delicious recipe.

Serves 4-6 as a light lunch

Salmon

1 small bunch of thyme

500g raw beetroot, peeled and roughly chopped.

500g sea salt

250g caster sugar

juice and finely grated zest of 2 oranges

½ side of salmon, trimmed and pin boned.

Pick the thyme leaves and place in a food processor together with the beetroot and blend to a paste.

Transfer to a bowl and stir together with the salt, sugar, orange juice and zest.

Pour the mixture into a large box or tray, big enough to hold the salmon. Add the salmon, ensuring that all sides are covered with the beetroot mix. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, take the salmon out of the beetroot cure and rinse carefully with cold water to remove all the salt. Dry with paper towel and transfer to a wire rack on a tray. Refrigerate for a further 24 hours before using, to allow the salmon to dry and firm up further.

Horseradish Cream

100ml crème fraîche

100ml double cream

1 tbsp horseradish sauce

zest of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

Whip the crème fraîche and cream together, then fold in the horseradish sauce and lemon zest – add more horseradish if you prefer more zing! Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Apple Salad

1 eating apple, Granny Smith or similar

1 lemon, juiced

Carefully shave the apple into thin slices on a mandolin or using a sharp knife. Toss with the lemon juice to stop it browning, then add a drizzle of olive oil.

To serve, slice the salmon across into thin slices and lay on a plate. Add a spoonful of horseradish cream and some apple slices. Garnish with a leaf or two of watercress or rocket salad.

Any leftover salmon will keep covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Ardglass Crab and Coolattin Tartlette

With special thanks to James and Pizza at No 14 The Georgian House.

Serves 15

Pastry 

250g plain flour

pinch of salt

125g cold Irish butter 

1 whole free range egg

Filling 

250ml cream 

2 whole eggs

150g Coolattin Cheddar 

150g fresh white crab meat

salt and freshly ground black pepper

10cm pastry moulds

First, make the pastry.

Sieve the flour and salt into a large bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour and then rub in with your fingertips to form a breadcrumb like mix, add the egg to the mixture and mix until the pastry forms a dough. Wrap in parchment paper and leave in the fridge for 1 hour.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out the pastry (tip here to place a chopping board in the freezer to keep the pastry cold when rolling.)

Cut into circles of pastry moulds, 10cm approx. 

Brush the pastry moulds with a little melted butter.

Add the cut circles of pastry onto your moulds and press down – we normally place another mould on top to help keep its shape. 

Preheat the oven to 165°C/Gas Mark 3. 

Precook the pastry moulds for 9 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove from the oven leaving them to cool for a few minutes then remove the tarts from the moulds.

Next, make the filling.

Mix the cream and egg together, add the cheese and crab. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper and pour into your pastry moulds.

Cook for 12 minutes at 165°C or until firm in the centre and serve.

Walled Garden at Helen’s Bay Lemon Curd Drizzle Cake

With special thanks to Lorraine Small.

Serves 10-12

Cake

175g softened butter

175g caster sugar

3 large eggs

zest of 2 lemons

175g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp milk

 Syrup

100g icing sugar

juice of 2 lemons

Lemon icing 

125g icing sugar

2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 (150°C fan).

Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with parchment paper.

Cream the softened butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, Stir in the lemon zest. Sift the self-raising flour and baking powder together.

Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk, until the batter is smooth and well combined.

Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Top tip – If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover it loosely with foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking.

While the cake is baking, mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice in a small bowl until fully dissolved to create the ‘lemon drizzle’ syrup.

Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven. Let the cake cool completely in the tin before transferring it to a wire rack.

Split the cake and slowly pour the lemon syrup over both sides allowing it to soak in. Sandwich together with good quality lemon curd.

Make the lemon icing, combine the icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, adding more lemon juice as needed to create a smooth, pourable glaze. Spread over the cake and leave to set.

Decorate with edible flowers from your garden.

Every now and then I go on a little skite to recharge the batteries, find some new ingredients, get some exciting new ideas and meet the makers.
Ostensibly, this recent trip to the UK was to visit several of our grandchildren in Bristol and Wales so they too joined us on the voyage of discovery.
In Cardiff we found a restaurant called Thomas by Tom Simmons. Among many good things we enjoyed, were mushroom croquettes with chive mayo and Parmesan and a memorable truffled mac and cheese, who knew that mac and cheese could taste so mind blowing.
In Bristol, Marmo on Baldwin St. yielded many memorable tastes of deliciously simple food made with exquisite ingredients. I particularly remember an oozing Burrata covered with freshly grated bottarga (dried mullet roe) and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
The bread and homemade cultured butter came from Field bakery in Bridgwater. So good that we later made a pilgrimage to the source where the heritage wheat for the bread is grown by inspirational farmer and citizen scientist, Fred Pryce.
Still at hyper seasonal Marmo with chef owner Cosmo Sterck and his wife Lily. We loved the plate of six plump anchovies in a pool of extra virgin olive oil sprinkled with marjoram.  Another highlight was fricco (a little rectangle of yeast dough, deep fried into a puffy pillow) with wafer thin slices of pancetta – they were just the starters. The dry aged pork chop with silky mashed potato, girolles, sweetcorn and tarragon were also memorable and oh, the chocolate mousse with a blanket of softly whipped jersey cream with a dusting of cocoa powder on top – I won’t forget the flavour and texture of that in a while.
Little French in the Westbury Park area is another gem with a really interesting natural wine list and a wonderful choice of edgy French classics. Don’t miss the queen scallops served simply in the shell with various sauces – really easy and delicious.
This is hopeless. I’m halfway through the article and have only told you about two restaurants of the 8 or 10 we enjoyed over five days.
On another morning we were up at the crack of dawn to try to beat the queues at Farro. Maybe Bristol’s best bakery in a town that has many brilliant artisan bakeries, many of whom mill their own flour from ancient and heritage landrace wheat varieties for their natural sourdough loaves. Quite unlike the faux sourdough on offer in so many supermarkets now which is not OK. Always read the label carefully – real sourdough has just four ingredients – flour, water, salt and natural levain.
If you get to Farro, there are a whole range of temptations but don’t miss the kouign-amann and a West Country Queen and then there’s the tender madeleines with a dab of icing on top and the spice bun!
We also love Hart’s Bakery under the arches by the railway station and you should also check out The Bristol loaf and Little Pantry.
There are many wine bars selling an exceptional choice of natural wines (no hangover!). Look out for Limeburn Hill wines made by Robin and his wife Georgina on their biodynamic vineyard close to Chew Magna. Georgina shared the recipe for the delicious Apple and almond tart that we enjoyed at her kitchen table.
If you’re in Bristol on a Sunday morning, wander through The Tobacco Factory Market and Wapping Wharf and swing by Five Acre Farm Shop, then make sure you have lunch at Sonny’s Store on Birch Road. We loved the Cockles Aqua Pazza, and I’ll be back for more of that salted focaccia ice cream with extra-virgin olive oil.

Roast Scallops with Butter and Thyme Leaves

Inspired by the scallops at Little French.

A sublime way to cook beautiful fresh scallops, the thyme leaves, lemon and butter enhance the sweetness of the shellfish deliciously.

Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main course

8 large scallops on the rounded half shell

2 tsp thyme leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest from an organic lemon

25g butter

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

flaky sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To Serve

lemon wedges

Preheat the oven to 250°C/Gas Mark 10.

If the scallops are in the shell, open and remove all the contents.  Remove the fringe, coral and muscle from the fish.  Discard the fringe and muscle.  Trip the coral neatly.  Place the scallop back in the deep shell along with the corals. 

Mix the chopped thyme leaves, freshly grated lemon zest, soft butter and extra virgin olive oil together in a bowl.  Spoon a teaspoon onto each scallop.  Season with a little salt and freshly ground pepper.  Bake in the very hot oven until the butter is sizzling and the scallops barely cooked, 4-5 minutes approx.

Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon juice.

River Cottage Apple and Almond Cake

Try this delicious cake which I enjoyed recently at Limeburn Hill Vineyard, just outside Bristol. Georgina gave full credit to River Cottage.

Serves 8

150g butter
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
75g self-raising flour
75g ground almonds

For the apples

3 eating apples
25g butter
25g granulated sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

20cm round springform cake tin.
Preheat the oven to 170ºC.

Line the base and sides of the tin.

Peel and core the apples, cut them into quarters and then slice each quarter into about 3 pieces.

Heat the butter and sugar in a frying pan, then gently fry the apples, stirring occasionally until they get an even colour. When they are nearly tender and starting to caramelise, add the cinnamon (if using) and take off the heat.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, add the eggs, then the flour followed by the ground almonds. Scrape into the tin, smooth over, arrange the apples and then spoon over any juices from the frying pan on top.

Bake for 40-45 minutes (until a skewer comes out clean). Leave for 20 mins before unclipping the tin and leaving to cool. Best served warm with cream.

Sonny Stores Salted Focaccia Ice Cream with Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Special thanks to Pegs for sharing.

A little vanilla extract and chopped rosemary is also delicious added to the ice cream base enhances the ice cream even further. A brilliant, inspired way to use up stale focaccia.

Serves 6-8

½ litre milk

1 ½ litres cream

¼ tsp vanilla extract or 2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary (optional)

7-8 egg yolks, depending on size

200g caster sugar

150g – 200g stale focaccia

extra virgin olive oil

Maldon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Tear the focaccia into thumb sized pieces, pop onto a baking tray, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle generously with caster sugar. Toss well turning occasionally and bake for 20-25 minutes or until crispy and golden.

Cool a little.

Heat the milk and cream in a heavy bottom saucepan until it comes to the shivery stage, don’t boil.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, vanilla extract and sugar together until light and pale. Gradually add the hot liquid, whisking all the time. Return to the saucepan and cook over a medium heat until it thickens slightly, barely coating the back of a spoon (do not allow to boil or the mixture will curdle).

Pour out onto a low sided dish, a stainless-steel gastro pan if available.

Pour the ice cream mixture over the focaccia on the baking tray, cover and leave overnight.

Next day, scoop out the focaccia and blend (not too fine). Mix with the ice cream. Cover and freeze.

To Serve

Put one or two scoops of ice cream into a bowl or plate, drizzle with a little really good extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a few flakes of sea salt and serve immediately.

The spooky excitement continues to build and build. The hype around Halloween, love it or loathe it, is fast becoming as relentless as Christmas and just as commercial.
Children from our local schools have helped to harvest the pumpkins, a poor enough crop this year, but enough for my grandchildren and their friends to carve into lanterns and to make the scooped out innards into soup (don’t forget to add lots of finely chopped herbs or spices to bump up the flavour). Then we’ll toast the seeds for a crunchy snack or topping and save some to plant next year’s pumpkin crop.
All round the country, shop windows are packed with tempting scary masks, ghoulish costumes and witches hats for Halloween parties and trick-or-treat forays around the neighbourhood.
In the midst of the cost-of-living crisis, Halloween costume swap shops are popping up and booming everywhere and the call to Swap not Shop is gathering momentum while still ever more elaborate and exciting Púca and Samhain festivals celebrating the myth, music, food and folklore of Halloween are popping up around the country.
Halloween apparently has its origins in the ancient druid festival of Samhain, a pagan religious festival celebrated over 2,000 years ago by the Celts around the 1st of November. Halloween apparently took root in the US sometime around the 19th century when the Irish immigrated to America bringing their superstitions and traditions with them which were by all accounts enthusiastically embraced by Americans.
But for me, one of the most exciting places to celebrate Halloween is definitely in Mexico where families welcome back their loved ones from the other world on November 1st, the Day of the Dead. They cook their favourite foods and bring a picnic to the local graveyard.
Here in Ireland, we simply must have a barmbrack. Sadly, many of the famous barmbracks we looked forward to from our local bakeries have long since lost their quality in an effort to keep the price unrealistically low. Please, please let’s make the original barmbrack again and give us a choice to look forward to. The Halloween version was always richer with the symbolic ring, stick, a pea and a rag hidden inside. Remember the excitement, as the brack was sliced…if you got the ring, you would be married within the year even if you were only six. The stick meant that your husband would beat you, a pea indicated that you would be facing hungry times, whilst the rag indicated a life of poverty.
How many of you remember the original Bewley’s barmbrack? Crotty’s in Kilkenny made a delicious fruity brack too and of course Thompson’s, now long gone. Many of you will have had other favourites that you remember fondly.
The few places that kept up the quality like Nuala Hickey’s Bakery in Clonmel are inundated with orders.
Here’s the recipe for the Ballymaloe tea brack, delicious, but not at all the same as a yeasted Halloween brack from a good bakery. Contact us if you know of a really good traditional Halloween brack.
We also love to serve bacon ribs and colcannon on Halloween. It’s become a bit of a tradition in our house. Make a trip to the English Market in Cork city, you’ll find lots of juicy ribs at Noonan’s butcher stall and several others also.
Here’s a recipe for meringue púcas to make with the children, they love making spooky shapes and decorating them with their friends. Don’t fret about the mess, this is what memories are made of – perfect gifts for the trick or treaters also!
Happy Halloween.

Ballymaloe Irish Tea Barmbrack

This is a more modern version of barmbrack, now commonly called a tea brack because the dried fruit is soaked in tea overnight to plump it up. You could add a drop of whiskey to the tea if you liked!

This little gem of a recipe is much easier to make at home than the Halloween Barmbrack made with yeast.

Even though it is a very rich bread, in Ireland it is traditionally served sliced and buttered.

Makes 1 large loaf or 3 small loaves

110g sultanas

110g raisins

110g currants

50g natural glacé cherries, halved or quartered

300ml hot strong tea or 225ml tea and 50ml Irish whiskey

225g self-raising flour

175g soft brown sugar

50g homemade candied peel

1 level teaspoon mixedspice

1 egg, whisked

Bun Wash

150ml water

110g granulated sugar

1 x 450g loaf tin – 13 x 20cm 

OR 3 small loaf tins 14.6 x 7.6cm

Put the dried fruit and cherries in a bowl. Cover with hot strong tea (or the tea and whiskey) and leave to plump up overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Line the loaf tin or three small loaf tins with parchment paper.

Add the flour, soft brown sugar, candied peel, mixed spice and whisked egg to the fruit and tea mixture. Stir well, then put the mixture into the lined loaf tin(s).

Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 ½ hours, until a skewer comes out clean. Brush with bun wash and cool on a wire rack. This keeps very well in an airtight tin.

To make the bun wash.

Put the water and granulated sugar in a pan and boil for 5 minutes until it thickens somewhat. Brush this over the barmbrack as soon as it comes out of the oven to give it a sweet, sticky glaze.

Bide Bodice or Salted Ribs with Champ or Colcannon

Salted pork ribs, bought and often cooked in a sheet, are a great Cork speciality, known as ‘bodice’.  This follows the Cork tradition of naming various bits of offal after items of women’s clothing.  We also eat skirts!

1 bodice, about 11 bacon ribs

Cover in cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for an hour or more until soft and juicy.

Eat using your fingers with English mustard. Mashed potatoes, carrots or swede turnips are often served with bodice, but we love champ or colcannon, our most traditional potato dishes and the ones that are always associated with Halloween.

Scallion Champ

A bowl of mashed potatoes flecked with green scallions with a blob of butter melting in the centre, add the butter just before serving so it melts into the centre. ‘Comfort’ food at its best.

Serves 4-6

1.5kg unpeeled ‘old’ potatoes e.g. Golden Wonders or Kerr’s Pinks

110g chopped scallions or spring onions (use the bulb and green stem) or 45g chopped chives

350ml milk

50-110g butter

salt and freshly ground pepper

Scrub the potatoes and boil them in their jackets.

Chop finely the scallions or spring onions or chopped chives.  Cover with cold milk and bring slowly to the boil.  Simmer for about 3-4 minutes, turn off the heat and leave to infuse.  Peel and mash the freshly boiled potatoes and while hot, mix with the boiling milk and onions, beat in the butter.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Serve in 1 large or 6 individual bowls with a knob of butter melting in the centre. 

Scallion mash may be put aside and reheated later in a moderate oven, 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Note: Cover with parchment paper while it reheats so that it doesn’t get a skin and add the lump of butter just before serving.

Spooky Meringue Púcas

Serves 4-6

2 egg whites

110g caster sugar

éclair pipe – No. 9 and piping bag

Beat whites until stiff but not yet dry.  Fold in half the sugar.  Beat again until the mixture will stand in a firm dry peak.  Fold the remaining sugar in carefully.  Fill into a piping bag.  Cover a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.  Pipe a small blob of the meringue onto the paper pulling the piping bag upwards quickly to create a willowy point.     

Bake in a very low oven, 100°C/Gas Mark ¼ for 4 hours approx. 

Allow to cool completely.

Meanwhile, melt some chocolate and fill into a paper piping bag.  Decorate the meringues by piping little dots for eyes and a little oval for a scary mouth. Arrange on an appropriate plate.

Serve with a bowl of softly whipped cream. 

Max Rocha is that rare phenomenon, a chef without an ego, despite the fact that he comes from a family of high achievers, his father John Rocha and his sister Simone are fashion designers on the world stage.
Max’s first career was in the music management industry. He was desperate to succeed, and this led to bouts of depression as he struggled to fulfil the expectations of the bands,
‘All I seemed to be able to do was compare myself to my successful family and friends’ – quite the pressure…
So at 24, with memories swirling in his head of many happy times making soda bread and scones in his mother Odette and his grandmother Margaret’s kitchen, he decided to follow his own dream.
He heard about a French baker Alex BETTLER of E5 Bakehouse in London, who was making bread in his basement and delivering it round to local cafés in the basket of his bike. Max loved baking and really enjoyed working with his hands in the kitchen environment. He longed to cook some savoury food too.
As luck would have it, he managed to get a week’s work experience at Spring, Skye Gyngell’s restaurant in the West End.
Never having been in a professional kitchen before, he remembers how he was filled with anxiety. ‘It took me 20 minutes just to pick up courage to walk through the door, buoyed up by a long call with Mum and two coffees”. Nonetheless, ‘despite how chaotically panicky and messy I was’ Skye saw something special in Max and offered him a commis chef position, he stayed for three years.
Next on to Mangia in Copenhagen, cooking exquisitely simple Italian food. A small menu, homemade pasta, risottos, one meat main…
Meanwhile, Max read and reread Fergus Henderson’s Nose to Tail Cookbook, loved the ethos so back to London for a stint at St. John’s Bread and Wine which led to head chef Farokh Talete offering him a job and becoming his mentor. Max also speaks fondly of his time at the legendary River Café and the inspiration and kindly support of Ruthie Rodgers.
In 2020, lockdown forced restaurants to close, eventually Max did supper clubs and takeaway picnics which became a roaring success.
Despite the hard physical work, Max was in his element and eventually the idea of a café grew. It took ages to find a location, but eventually they found a perfect spot facing a waterway and stream in Hackney, close to the city centre by train and also residential.
Café Cecilia, named for Granny Cecelia, opened its doors on the 1st of August 2021 just as Covid restrictions were lifted.
Family and friends were very supportive, but Max and his team were scarcely prepared and almost floored by the hype and enthusiastic response of the general public. It was a steep learning curve. 
Folks flocked to Café Cecilia for Max’s simple, seasonal food with Irish influences. His ethos is to keep things simple and delicious; I love his food… 
Max’s first book, Café Cecilia has just been published. It’s full of recipes I long to cook and recipes for many of the dishes that I’ve enjoyed at Café Cecilia.

Look out for Max’s cookbook in your local bookshop and add Café Cecilia to your London list – you’ll need to book ahead but definitely worth it, one of my absolute favourites!

Recipes from Café Cecilia Cookbook by Max Rocha is published by Phaidon

Guinness Bread

Makes 1 loaf

butter, for greasing

400g strong wholemeal flour

100g plain flour

16g fine salt

5g bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

100g pumpkin seeds

200ml buttermilk

300ml Guinness

1 egg

20g treacle

20g jumbo oats

Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas Mark 3 and grease a 900g loaf tin, buttering well into all the corners, otherwise your bread will stick.

Put all the dry ingredients, except the oats, into a bowl and combine. Pour all the wet ingredients into a separate bowl and stir together with a whisk until totally combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then mix with one hand while keeping the bowl stable with the other, until all the ingredients are well combined and a wet dough forms.

Using your dough-covered hand, put the dough into the loaf tin, then wash your hands thoroughly. Sprinkle over the oats, then score a short, shallow line in the middle of the dough using a small, sharp knife.

Bake the bread in the oven for 1 hour, then remove and tip out of the tin. Return the bread to a shelf in the oven and bake for about another 10 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

This bread will keep for up to 3 days.

Pork Chop and Colcannon

Serves 2

1 x 300–400g large organic pork chop (fat on)

2 tbsp neutral-flavoured oil

small piece of butter

salt

1 quantity Colcannon (see recipe), to serve

For the sauce:

40g butter

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 sprig thyme, leaves picked

150ml dry cider (we use Strongbow)

150ml pork stock

100ml cream

salt and pepper

Take the pork chop out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature.

When ready to cook, score the skin and fat of the chop with a serrated knife and season liberally with salt. Heat the oil in a cast iron frying pan until hot, then add the chop fat side down and cook over high heat until all the fat has rendered but not burnt (you may need to hold it in place with tongs to do this).

Lay the chop down in the pan and sear for 4 minutes on each side, then add the butter and baste until cooked through (the internal temperature should reach 65°C/149°F on a meat thermometer). Remove the chop from the pan with its cooking juices and leave to rest.

Meanwhile, wipe out any excess fat from the pan, add the butter, garlic and thyme for the sauce and cook for 3 minutes until softened, then pour in the dry cider and cook for 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and reducing the liquid by two-thirds. Pour in the stock and simmer for 2 minutes, then stir in the cream. Bring to the boil, then reduce to the consistency of pouring cream, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve the pork chop with the sauce and Colcannon.

Colcannon

Serves 2

500g large floury (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

150g butter

½ Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced

100ml milk

salt and pepper

Put the potatoes into a saucepan of salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender when pricked with a sharp knife.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan, add the cabbage and cook over a low heat for 8–10 minutes, or until soft, then season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a separate saucepan, heat together the remaining butter and the milk. Drain the potatoes and return to their saucepan. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until smooth, then stir in the warm milk and butter. Add the cabbage and combine, then adjust the seasoning and serve warm.

Deep-Fried Bread and Butter Pudding with Cold Custard

Serves 5

6 plain brioche buns, halved

4 eggs

370ml milk

180g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting

370ml cream

sunflower oil, for deep-frying

1 quantity Custard (see recipe), chilled, to serve

Line the bottom and sides of a 900g loaf tin with baking (parchment) paper, then lay the bun halves on top of each other in the pan.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, sugar and cream, then pour over the bread so everything is submerged. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Remove the cling film and bake the pudding for 45 minutes, then leave to cool. When cool, cover with another piece of baking paper and cut a piece of cardboard to put on top of the pudding in the tin. Add something heavy on top, like a food can, to press the pudding and chill in the fridge overnight.

The next day, turn the pudding out onto a clean work counter and cut into 5 thick slices. Put enough sugar into a shallow bowl for coating the slices after they have been deep-fried.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer or deep, heavy pan to 180°C/350°F, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Carefully lower 2 slices of pudding at a time into the hot oil and deep-fry for 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown on the outside and warm on the inside. Remove with a fish slice (spatula) and drain on a plate lined with paper towels for a few seconds, then coat the slices in sugar on

all sides.

To serve, pour the cold custard into 5 serving bowls, then top with the warm bread and butter pudding.

Custard

330ml milk

330ml cream

1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped

160g egg yolks (9–10 eggs)

170g caster sugar

Makes 750ml

Method

Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan, then add the vanilla bean and seeds and heat to just before boiling. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice and set another heatproof bowl or container on top.

Put the egg yolks and sugar into a heatproof bowl and whisk together until combined.

Slowly pour a large ladleful of the warm mixture over the egg yolks and sugar, whisking constantly so it does not curdle, then return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over a medium-low heat, stirring

slowly with a rubber spatula, until it reaches 83°C/181°F on a sugar (candy) thermometer.

Remove from the heat, then immediately pass through a chinois sieve into the bowl set over the ice bath and leave to cool.

When cool, cover and place in the fridge until you need to use it. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

This week a celebration of the return of the native Irish Oyster, considered by chefs and aficionados to be the most exquisitely deliciously briny oyster.  Only the tiny Olympia (Ostrea lurida) from the Puget Sound on the West Coast of the US comes anywhere close. 

Gigas oysters are available year round, so you may not have noticed that the native Irish oyster (Ostrea edulis) was virtually unavailable for over a decade. 

The species had become virtually extinct due to overfishing and disease. 

Ireland has long been famous for the quality of its oysters.

Oyster middens have been discovered in virtually every bay around our coastline. Early Irish settlers, right back to the bronze age, feasted on the native Irish oyster. At one point they were so plentiful and cheap that they were used to bulk out other dishes like this delicious beef and oyster pie from Myrtle Allen’s The Ballymaloe Cookbook published in 1977.

Award winning Rossmore Oysters established in 1969 have farmed the bivalves in Cork Harbour near Carrigtwohill for over 50 years. Despite challenges, they continued to breed the ‘natives’. The tireless work David Hugh-Jones and his team did over the years paid off and now they have a plentiful supply of native Irish oysters, both for the home market and export to five European countries.

Special congratulations to David’s sons Rupert and Tristan Hugh-Jones of Rossmore Oysters who recently won the Water Award at the Euro-Toques Food Awards 2024 for their exceptional native Irish oysters and significant contribution to regenerative aquaculture in Ireland.

The ‘native’ Irish oyster is only in season when there is an R in the month. I enjoy them best, ‘au nature’ with perhaps a tiny squeeze of lemon juice, nothing else to mask their exquisite delicate flavour. The curvy gigas, available year around are also delicious just as they are, but their deep shells lend themselves to many toppings too. They are also divine cooked lightly and served with beurre blanc or a champagne sauce. 

Altogether, I’ve had a brilliant week of oysters. I was delighted to receive an invitation from Richard Corrigan to judge the Best Dressed Oyster Competition at the London Oyster Championships at Bentley’s in Mayfair. Can you imagine – I tasted sixteen oysters with all manner of creative toppings, some more appealing than others but the winner was Tom Brown of The Pearly Queen Shoreditch with Irish chef Robin Gill from Darby’s Oyster Bar a close second.

Tom’s oysters topped with a green salsa and a slurp of tequila were inspired by his sojourn in Mexico while Robin Gill’s had hints of pickled dulse mignonette and nori powder.

Tom Brown’s Oysters with Seaweed Hot Sauce

Makes 20

20 oysters

Seaweed Hot Sauce

250g green tomatoes

250g green peppers

125g fresh jalapenos

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

25g caster sugar

150g cider vinegar

2 tbsp seaweed powder (available from the Connemara Organic Seaweed Company – www.connemaraseaweedcompany.ie)

tequila

Chargrill all the vegetables until blackened, place in a bowl and cover lightly with cling film. Leave to steam. When cool, remove all the skins and seeds from the green peppers, add garlic, sugar and vinegar then pulse until a semi smooth finish. Mix in the seaweed powder and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Spoon the mixture over the oyster in the shell.  Enjoy them, fill the empty shell with tequila and slurp!

Robin Gill’s Oysters with Oyster Cream, Pickled Dulse Mignonette and Nori Powder

Serves 12

Oyster Cream  

200g crème fraîche 

shallot reduction made from: 3 shallots, finely diced covered with white wine and reduce to a glaze in a pan 

½ bunch each dill, chervil, tarragon and parsley, coarsely chopped

5 fresh oysters shucked and chopped 

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and place in a piping bag. 

Nori/Dill Oil 

5 nori sheets

½ bunch dill (one can use chervil or tarragon or parsley if desired), coarsely chopped

200ml rapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Toast the nori sheet in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.

Pop into a food processor and blend to a powder (reserve half for dusting the oyster before serving).

Add the chopped herbs to half the nori powder and rapeseed oil and blend until smooth

Pickled Dulse Mignonette 

3 shallots, diced

100g dried dulce, chopped

200ml red wine vinegar

Put the diced shallot and dulse into a small bowl.

Cover with red wine vinegar and allow to rehydrate for 10-15 minutes.

To Serve

Open the oysters, reserve the oysters and clean the shells.

Spoon a dollop of the oyster cream onto the bottom of each shell 

Place an oyster on top, then a spoonful of the mignonette. Drizzle with a little nori/dill oil, add a sprinkling of the nori powder and garnish with a sprig of dill. Enjoy.

Myrtle’s Beef and Oyster Pie

This delicious pie for autumn evenings may seem very contemporary but it dates back to a time when oysters were so plentiful and inexpensive that they were used to bulk out meat pies – really worth making, the flavour is rich and unctuous.  

Serves 4-6

675g best quality beef, e.g., round steak, best chuck or thick rib steak

salt and freshly ground pepper

25g butter

1 large onion, chopped (approx. 225g)

1 tbsp white flour

600ml homemade beef stock

225g sliced mushrooms

12 Gigas or Native Irish oysters

roux if necessary (equal quantities of flour and butter cooked on a low heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally)

250g puff pastry

egg wash

Cut the beef into 4cm cubes, season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Melt a little butter in a frying pan and seal the meat over a high heat. Remove the meat to a plate, add the onions to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes approx. Add the flour, stir and cook for 1 minute. Blend in the stock, add the meat and bring to the boil. Transfer to a casserole, cover and simmer on a low heat or cook in a low oven for 1 ½ – 2 hours.

Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in a little butter, season with salt and pepper and keep aside. Open the oysters and put in a bowl with their juice. When the meat is tender thicken the juice slightly with roux if necessary. Add the mushrooms, oysters and their juice to the stew.  Bring back to the boil for 2-3 minutes, taste for seasoning. Allow to get cold, put into a pie dish, cover with the pastry. Brush with egg wash and cook in a hot oven 250°C/Gas Mark 9 for 10 minutes, reduce the heat to moderate 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and cook for a further 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

Serve with a salad of seasonal leaves.

I spent a few lovely days in London recently. Ostensibly, I was over for the London Oyster Championships where Federico Fiorillo of Bentley’s in Mayfair shucked ten oysters in 1 minute and 5 seconds…can you imagine? 

As ever, it was an opportunity to check out the London restaurant scene.

I only had a couple of days, but I made the most of the short interlude.

Dalla on Morning Lane in Hackney was a new find, a deceptively simple neighbourhood Italian that feels just like a family restaurant in Naples. Sounds a bit random but check out the Luigi Caccia Dominioni door handle on the loo door, just one of the many little design details that surprises. We loved the food, small plates of deliciousness. The menu changes regularly but there are a few dishes that the local regulars protest if they disappear from the menu, the Frittatina drizzled with 12 year old aged balsamic, the meltingly tender stuffed tortellini, the tiramisu. I particularly relished the Cotoletta di Maiale alla Bolognese con Prosciutto Crudo and Fonduta Parmigiano.

Mitchell Damota heads up the kitchen with Gianmarco Leone.

Put Dalla on your London list and even though it is quite a schlepp from central London, we’ll definitely be back for more.

While you’re in the area, you might want to call into Violet Cakes on Wilton Way and pick up some of Claire Ptak’s sweet treats and celebration cakes that lure people from all over London. 

Talking about delicious bakes, we went all the way to Brixton to find Maya’s Bakehouse. Some of the most delicious and original bakes I’ve come across. Crusty sourdough and an intriguing range of sweet and savoury buns and slices. The onion soup bun was one of the best things I’ve tasted in a very long time, a layer of melting cheese in a round brioche bun with deliciously caramelised onions on top. 

How fortunate are folks in Brixton to have Maya’s Bakehouse around the corner?

Another new find was a Galician restaurant IBAI which Grace Dent, restaurant critic of the Guardian, accurately described as “A swanky restaurant that lacks pomposity”. 

IBAI is a Basque influenced restaurant that specialises in aged Galician Blond beef steaks edged with a layer of delicious yellow, flavour packed fat. There’s also beautiful Wagyu and Black Angus. It’s cooked over fire, charred on the outside, rare and succulent on the inside – a truly memorable piece of beef with a choice of sauces. At lunch, between four of us, we shared one ribeye from a 12 year old Galician Blond that had been aged for 65 days with a bowl of dripping chips. There were several slices, and the T-Bone left over for a guest to take home for supper for himself and his dog!

Superb as it is, I mustn’t give the impression that it is all about the steak, the little appetizer bites and starters are definitely worth a detour alone. 

The truffle panisse and the flavour of the tender sweetcorn with black truffle will live on in my taste memory for a very long time! The boudin noir with melted Galician Ossau-Iraty cheese and the Croque IBAI sandwich with a layer of carabineros, the red prawns of Galicia, are not to be missed and on and on…

By the time we came to dessert, we were almost defeated but somehow managed a refreshing cider granita, I’m still haunted by the thought of the IBAI pan perdu with hazelnuts and rum and of course, there was a wobbly Basque cheesecake and much, much more. Richard Foster originally from Chiltern Firehouse is the head chef.

St. Paul’s Cathedral where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were wed is just a street away and the beautiful but less visited 1901 Church of Saint Bartholomew the Great is also close by. Little Britain mentioned in Great Expectations is just around the corner. Man does not live by Bread Alone!

Dalla’s Frittatina with 12 year aged Balsamic

 A special thank you to Dalla Restaurant for sharing this recipe with me.

Serves 1

2 eggs

1 tbsp grated Parmesan 

1 tbsp finely sliced spring onion 

pinch of salt 

To Cook

olive oil

butter

To Serve

12 year aged balsamic vinegar 

Whisk all the ingredients for the frittatina well in a bowl.

Meanwhile, get a nonstick pan nice and hot and add a teaspoon of oil and a teaspoon of butter. Add the egg to the pan and move it around a bit with a rubber spatula as you would an omelette. Continue to fry on one side until it has some colour on the bottom but still runny on the top. 

Slide onto a plate and with another plate on top to invert the frittata so the crispy side is on top.

Drizzle with a bit of 12 year aged balsamic vinegar and serve hot.

French Onion Soup with Gruyère Toasts

French onion soup is probably the best known and loved of all French soups. It was a favourite for breakfast in the cafes beside the old markets at Les Halles in Paris and is still a favourite on bistro menus at Rungis Market.  In France this soup is served in special white porcelain tureens. 

Serves 6

Serve with a glass of gutsy French vin de table.

1.35kg onions

50g butter

1.7 litres good homemade beef or chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian version)

salt and freshly ground pepper

To Finish

6 slices of baguette (French bread), 1cm thick, toasted

75g grated Gruyère cheese

Peel the onions and slice thinly. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, toss well and cook on a low heat for about 40-60 minutes with the lid off, stirring frequently – the onions should be dark and well caramelised but not burnt.

Add the stock, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, bring to the boil and cook for a further 10 minutes.  Taste and correct seasoning.

Ladle into deep soup bowls, put a piece of toasted baguette covered with grated cheese on top of each one. Pop under the grill until the cheese melts and turns golden. Serve immediately but beware – it will be very hot.  Bon appetit!

Useful Tip

Hold your nerve: The onions must be very well caramelized otherwise the soup will be too weak and too sweet.  

Dripping Chips

Serves 4-6

4-6 large potatoes (Golden Wonders or Kerr’s Pinks)

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until almost fully cooked.  Peel, cut the chips to desired size.

Heat dripping to 160°C, make sure the deep-fry has plenty of dripping.  

Cook the chips in batches until golden, drain well.

Note: (do not overload the basket, otherwise the temperature of the oil will be lowered, consequently the chips will be greasy rather than crisp. Shake the pan once or twice, to separate the chips while cooking).

To Serve

Heat the oil to 190°C and fry once more until crisp and a deep golden colour.  Shake the basket, drain well, toss onto kitchen paper, sprinkle with a little salt, turn onto a hot serving dish and serve immediately.

How to make beef dripping

The best beef dripping is made from the fat that encases the beef kidney. Try to buy organic if available. Remove any traces of blood or plumbing. Chop the fat into small pieces. Put into a roasting tin and cook in a very low oven at 150°C/Gas Mark 2 for about an hour or until the fat has rendered out of the suet. Pour off the liquid fat into a stainless-steel or enamel bowl at regular intervals. Beef dripping solidifies and will keep for months in a fridge. It can be diced and used to make a delicious old-fashioned cake.

To melt beef fat, simply warm it gently. The fat will liquefy and can be used for roast potatoes or for deep-frying. Myrtle Allen always believed that the best chips were those cooked in beef dripping, and I agree.  It is rich in Vitamin D and, in my opinion, is far preferable both in flavour and health terms to the cheap and low-grade oil that is frequently used to deep-fry.

It’s important to strain the beef fat through a fine tin sieve after each use, otherwise the little particles of food will burn when the oil is reheated. Beef dripping can be heated to 230°C/Gas Mark 8 provided the oil is strained and does not burn. One can use it up to five times.

Such a wonderful time of the year to snatch a few days break. Hotels, restaurants and cafés who were fortunate to be super busy during the summer have had a chance to recover from a hectic season and are extra delighted to welcome back Autumn visitors. Recently, my sisters and I spent a couple of windy days in lovely Lahinch amongst frustrated golfers and exhilarated surfers. As you know, I’m neither a golfer nor a surfer…Yes, I know there are some 70-year-old olds who still ride the waves but sadly not me. I was more interested in checking out the food, the makers and the farming scene in West Clare. How random does that sound?

At Vaughan’s Lodge in Lahinch, Wild Atlantic Wagyu beef was on the menu. This is originally a Japanese breed, marbled with little veins of fat which make it deliciously succulent but more importantly, it tastes rich, buttery and intensely beefy which I’m sad to say, a lot of Irish beef doesn’t nowadays. Days earlier at a lunch during Joseph Walsh’s inspirational Making In at his studios in Riverstick, Sheamus O’Connell served a West Cork Wagyu tri-tip steak from Michael Twomey, once again superb favour, this time a Wagyu/Friesian cross, reared by one of twenty West Cork Wagyu farmers – www.facebook.com/people/Wild-Atlantic-Wagyu/.
Hugo’s artisan bakery in Lahinch was high on my list of ‘must visit again’ places. It’s a fantastic little bakery which just gets better and better with an almost constant queue, not just for the sourdough and their famous pastel de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) but for the growing range of sweet and savoury pastries and focaccia sandwiches bursting with juicy local fillings. One of our past students, Shannon, popped up from behind the counter and she was super excited to see us out of the blue.
We went onto Dodi, a little café on the main street in Lahinch for breakfast. Delicious freshly squeezed and I mean freshly squeezed orange juice, excellent espresso and tempting brunch dishes. I hadn’t realised that it was owned by another BCS alumna Doria Orfali who also brought us across the road to see The Storeroom, her charming new wine shop packed with well-chosen natural wines and other good things.
The West Clare countryside is so beautiful, so we drove to Pot Duggans in Ennistymon for lunch and shared several ‘pizza bread’ sandwiches, so, so good. Shannon O’Rourke had popped over from Hugo’s to work with Ashley Gribben, her fellow BCS alumna and Darren Kirwan eager to learn and absorb as much as possible in these exceptional places, all of which are definitely worth a detour.
And while we were in Ennistymon, we popped into The Cheese Press as well. It’s a funky, hippish shop with a lovely random selection of food and crafts. I picked up one of Oliver Beaujouan’s homemade salamis there as well as some superb St. Tola goat’s cheese.
Next a pilgrimage to Moy Hill Farm where Fergal Smith and his community of growers produce a wide variety of the most beautiful vibrant vegetables and herbs from their rich fertile soil enhanced by Korean farming methods.
How fortunate are the people of Lahinch to have such an extraordinary community of passionate organic growers in their midst to supply vegetable boxes, salads and produce for some of the restaurants and hotels also.
There is so much going on in the local area…We visited Sam Gleeson, knife maker extraordinaire, called into newly opened Dolly’s in Liscannor where Karen O’Donoghue of The Happy Tummy Co fame was giving tastes of her super gut boosting bread and teff scones. We also managed to fit in a visit to Common Knowledge near Kilfenora where Harrison Gardner and his team, teach DIY and building skills to eager students from all over the world, once again enhancing people’s lives.
We also made a spontaneous visit to the wonderful folk at St. Tola Farmhouse Cheese near Inagh, now in operation for 45 years. I love their goat cheeses but have only just discovered their goat curd which they call St. Tola Divine – it’s widely available in shops and supermarkets so you probably know about it already but it’s my favourite ‘new find’.
We ran out of time to visit several other cafés, restaurants and producers in the area… must plan another ‘sister skite’ soon.

Seamus O’Connell’s Wagyu Beef

The first time I tasted Wagyu beef was when I was studying keiseiki in Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost island, and it was a palate changing moment, the nutty rich fat marbling yielding heavenly meaty pleasure…In Macroom, find Michael Twomey butchers who specialize in Irish Wagyu raised largely in north Cork, crossed with Irish Friesian and winning many world steak awards. In my restaurant Malarkey in Killarney, we were cooking many obscure cuts for steaks, such as the tri tip which is called a rump cap in Ireland, alongside back steak, or hangar, Denver, bavette, and skirt. I like to age my steaks for at least 40 days, and usually up to 90. I use hazel and beech charcoal on my grill which is unparalleled for the smoked char flavours. If you render the fat on low heat in a heavy pan before cutting your steaks, you will have amazing roast potatoes’.

Serves 4

1kg rump cap of Wagyu

flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper  

Sauce

200ml white wine

800ml beef stock 

500ml cream

2 cloves garlic smashed

30g fresh tarragon, chopped or one tbsp dried

sea salt and white pepper 

20g dried black trumpets or porcini mushrooms (soaked in cold water, drained and chopped) 

400g fresh chanterelle, crepe or chestnut mushrooms 

a little butter

salt and freshly ground black pepper

First, make the sauce.

Combine wine, stock, cream, garlic and the soaked, dried and drained mushrooms in a large saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes, add tarragon and if needed thicken with 1 tablespoon arrowroot dissolved in 2 tablespoons water.

Chop the fresh mushrooms into bite sized pieces, fry in butter and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cover and cook for three minutes. Add to the sauce.

Season the steaks with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a pan grill on a high heat.

Cook the steaks rare or medium rare but not well done.

Alternatively, cook over fire.  Allow to rest.

Serve on a bed of sauce with the mushrooms and garnish as desired.

Serve with seasonal vegetables.

Gnudi with Spinach and St. Tola’s Goat Curd

Don’t confuse these little ricotta dumplings with gnocchi, which are usually made using polenta or potatoes. They are super simple to make and take just a few minutes to cook.

Seems like a lot of semolina but you need it to toss the fragile gnudi (and so they don’t stick to the plate) – you can save the excess for the next time. Once you taste these, there will definitely be a next time…

Serves 6 – 8

Makes 24 gnudi

For the gnudi

500g buffalo ricotta

1 organic egg yolk

30g ‘00’ flour

30g freshly grated Parmesan

zest of 1 lemon

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 ½kg semolina flour, for dusting

Sauce

80g butter

100ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

500g spinach, stalks removed (225g after destalking)

120-160g goat’s curd or cottage cheese, preferably made with raw milk zest of 1 lemon

To Serve

grated lemon zest

extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

Mix the ricotta, egg yolk, ‘00’ flour and Parmesan together in a bowl, then add the lemon zest and salt and pepper and mix again.

In a wide, deep baking tray or plastic container, spread out a generous layer of semolina flour, about 5mm thick.

Roll the gnudi mixture into 18–24 balls (25g approx.) and then lay each one on the semolina flour in a single layer, making sure they do not touch each other.

When you have used up all the mixture, completely cover the gnudi with the remaining semolina flour and chill in the fridge for 24 hours. By then, the semolina will have formed a crust on the gnudi – this helps the dumplings hold their shape. You can sieve and save the remaining semolina and use again.

When you’re ready to cook the gnudi, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, dust off the excess semolina flour (any excess semolina flour can be kept in the fridge and used again) and boil the gnudi for about 3 minutes, in batches, until they rise to the top of the saucepan, reserving some of the cooking water.

To serve, heat the butter and extra virgin olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat until the butter begins to foam. Add the spinach leaves and a couple of small ladles of the gnudi cooking water (200ml approx.) and stir gently. As soon as the spinach starts to wilt, add the goat’s curd or cottage cheese and give it another stir (you may need to add a little more of the gnudi water to thin the sauce slightly).

Drain the gnudi and add to the sauce. Stir very gently, careful not to break the gnudi. Divide the gnudi and sauce between 6–8 warm bowls, finish each bowl with a grating of lemon zest, a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a few twists of black pepper.

Enjoy immediately.

Una’s Orange and Almond Cake

My sister-in-law Una O’Connell baked this delicious cake for afternoon tea in Lahinch and kindly shared the recipe with us all.

This cake is delicious on its own or with a dollop of thick natural yoghurt.

Serves 6-8

200g soft butter, diced

275g caster sugar

finely grated zest of 2 oranges (preferably organic)

finely grated zest of 1 lemon (preferably organic)

5 eggs

350g ground almonds

For the syrup

juice of 2 oranges and 1 lemon

75g caster sugar

23cm round spring form tin with a removable base

Preheat the oven to 160°C/Gas Mark 3.

Line the base and sides of the tin with a disc of parchment paper or grease with butter.

Cream the butter until soft. Add the caster sugar, orange and lemon zest and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy (use a food mixer if available). Beat in the eggs, one at a time, before stirring in the ground almonds.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 60-80 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a cake plate or stand.

While the cake is cooling, make the syrup.

Pour the orange and lemon juice into a saucepan, add the sugar and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has thickened to a syrupy consistency.

Use a skewer to make little holes in the top of the cooled cake, gradually spoon the boiling syrup over the cake so that it absorbs it evenly – it will be deliciously rich and moist. Cut into small slices and serve with softly whipped cream or a dollop of thick natural yoghurt.