Within hours of posting Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s course on the Ballymaloe Cookery School website last year, the phone started to ring and email bookings flooded in. The course was enticingly called ‘Cutting up a Pig in a Day’ 

Within a couple of weeks the course was totally booked out with a lengthy waiting list, such is the appeal of this irrepressible chap who gave up his frenetic city life to live in a small holding in Dorset. Hugh and his friends had been spending weekends at River Cottage for a number of years and eventually he and his wife decided to take the plunge and move out of London. With masses of energy and the enthusiasm of one who has no concept of the obstacles that lie ahead, he set out on his new adventure with a TV crew in tow – week by week the viewers could share his triumphs and frustrations as he embarked on the steep learning curve of attempting to be self sufficient. So many city gents longed for the courage to fling off the suit and don a pair of wellies, and those who resisted the call of the wild enjoyed watching as he laboriously cleared the ground, sowed the seeds and coped with the reality of slugs and squirrels. Next came the pigs, followed by hens, sheep, cattle. When the free ranging pigs grew fat he and his pals brought them along to the butcher, then they had a pig party to cut and deal with the pig in a day, sometimes two, using everything but the squeal. They made hams, salami, pickled pork, brawn, chorizo, devilled kidneys, crispy pig ears…

Hugh says that total self-sufficiency was not a real ambition of his. There are simply too many things, from oranges and bananas to chocolate and good claret, that he will always need to dip into his wallet to acquire. But true happiness and contentment around food and in the kitchen is a personal goal. He plans, before long to move full time to the country to help achieve this. Hugh says “I make my living not as a ‘real’ smallholder, genuinely dependent on my acres, but as a writer and television presenter. I can afford a few luxuries. But since I moved to River Cottage my idea of what true luxury is has changed: picking blackberries in the hedgerow in high summer, and trampling the wild garlic in early spring; buying a huge cod from Jack’s boat in West Bay for just a few quid; netting eels in the River Brit; committing infanticide on my own baby broad beans; picking elderflowers; bartering eggs for cider; these are my new luxuries. They are luxuries that just about anyone can afford.”

Hugh and his butcher Ray bounced into the school the other day ready for action. We had one of our own free-range pigs ready to be butchered and transformed into a variety of delicious cured meat. The 6 month old organic pig was a mixture of rare breeds - Saddleback Black Berkshire/Red Duroc cross, with a nice covering of juicy fat – essential for sausages and salami. 

As soon as the students arrived, Hugh and Ray tucked up their sleeves and amidst an air of anticipation embarked on a mission to use every scrap of the pig from the nose to the tail in the time-honoured tradition that so many of us remember since childhood. 

Ray and Hugh met while they were filming the River Cottage series. Hugh told us that he had become addicted to Ray’s help. Ray who has been a butcher since he was thirteen set about cutting up the pig with the ease of an expert, making it all look so easy and logical. 

The head was salted and cut into quarters and put into a large pot with a couple of the trotters and the tongue. Some spices, herbs and onions were added to make a fine brawn. While that all simmered gently, the carcase was carefully trimmed, Ray meticulously saved all the little scraps of fat, as he reminded us that the profit is in the trimmings. 

The shoulder was minced for salami and chorizo, a proportion of finely diced back fat was added with salt and spices. All this was filled into well-washed natural casings which we learned how to expertly seal and tie with cotton string.

The skin on the loin was scored with a Stanley knife for crispy crackling. Lots of sea salt and coriander rubbed were rubbed into the cuts and then it went into the oven to roast for lunch. Meanwhile we learned how to make bacon from the belly and a terrine from the liver and trimmings. Ray saved some of the terrine mixture to stuff the pork fillet. The kidneys were used to make the most delectable mustardy devilled kidneys which were polished off in minutes as they were passed around the class.

After a delectable lunch of roast pork with crackling and lots of Bramley apple sauce we settled down again. We learned about dry and wet cures. The streaky belly of pork was rubbed with salt, pepper, sugar and coriander and left to cure. We opted to put one ham into a brine to have ready for Christmas, the other was packed in sea salt in an old timber wine box to start the curing of what will eventually be a dry cured ham ready to eat in 12-18 months.

Ray added dried breadcrumbs, salt, freshly ground pepper, mace, sage, thyme, and sugar to the minced pork to make a huge batch of juicy sausages. He gilded the lily by adding his favourite spicing – a garam masala,(you could use ground cumin or coriander if you prefer), the meat was filled into natural sausage casings and then expertly knotted in butchers’ links. Hugh rolled some into a coil of Cumberland sausage, which we ate also for lunch. Along the way, the class tasted brains and tucked into crispy pigs’ ears with gusto.

It was amazing and thrilling to see the extraordinary level of interest in learning new skills. This is the third of these classes we have offered this year, Fingal Ferguson and Frank Krawczyk from Schull in West Cork each taught classes earlier this year in their own inimitable style to an audience of enthusiastic amateurs who are anxious to relearn forgotten skills. The response has been so positive we have decided so to offer a whole series of ‘Forgotten Skills’ courses next year to build on the very successful ‘How to keep a few hens in your Garden’ earlier this year. See Course Index  

Here are a few of Hugh’s recipes, for more look out for his River Cottage Cookbooks

- A Cook on the Wild Side, The River Cottage Year, The River Cottage Cookbook, The River Cottage Meat Coobook, or link into his website www.rivercottage.net  

Brawn

1 pig’s head, quartered

1 or 2 pig’s trotters
1 knuckle, tongue and tail
2 onions, peeled and quartered
A large bundle of fresh herbs – parsley, bay leaves, thyme, marjoram
A muslin bag of spices (about 1 dessertspoon each allspice berries, coriander and mixed peppercorns)
A handful of chopped parsley
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the quartered head, trotter, onions, bundle of herbs and bag of spices in a large stockpot. Cover with water and bring slowly to a gentle simmer. For the first 30 minutes of cooking, skim off any bubbly scum that rises to the surface. Cook, uncovered, at a very gentle simmer for about 4 hours altogether, until all the meat is completely tender and coming away from the bones. Top up the pan occasionally as the water level drops.

When cooked, lift out the meat and leave until cool enough to handle. Pick all the meat, skin and fat off the head bones (it should fall off quite easily). Remove any bristly hairs with tweezers. Peel the coarse skin off the tongue and discard. Roughly chop all the bits of meat, including the fat and skin and the tongue, and toss together with the chopped parsley and the lemon juice. (Everything except the bone and bristles can go into a brawn, but if you want to make it less fatty, just discard some of the really fatty pieces at this stage.) Season to taste with a little salt and pepper.

Remove the herbs, onions and spices from the cooking liquor and strain it through a fine sieve or, better still, muslin. Boil until reduced by about two-thirds. Stir a few tablespoons of this gelatine-rich liquid into the chopped meat – it will help the brawn set as it cools. Pile the mixture into terrine dishes (one large or 2 or 3 small ones) or a pudding basin. Place a weighted plate or board on top and put in the refrigerator to set.

A brawn can be turned out of its mould on to a plate before serving. Serve cold, in slices, with pickles and gherkins. Or make a delicious salade de tête: cut the brawn into 2cm dice and toss with cold cooked Puy lentils and a mustardy vinaigrette. The finished brawn will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. It also freezes well.

Devilled Kidneys

4 lamb’s kidneys, cut into quarters

A little fat or oil
1 small glass of sherry
1 tbs white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 tsp redcurrant jelly
A few good shakes of Worcestershire sauce
A good pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tbs English mustard
1 tbs double cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A little chopped parsley to garnish

Heat a little fat or oil in a small frying pan, add the kidneys and sizzle for just a minute to brown them, tossing them occasionally in the pan. Then add a generous slosh of sherry, let it bubble for a moment, and follow up with a more modest splash of wine or cider vinegar. Add the redcurrant jelly and stir to dissolve. Then add the Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, mustard and plenty of black pepper. Season with a pinch of salt, take the edge off the fire with an enriching spoon of double cream and bubble for another minute or two, shaking the pan occasionally, until the sauce is reduced and nicely glossy. Taste for piquancy, and add more cayenne and black pepper if you like.

Serve with fried bread to give a bit of crunch and mop up the sauce. Alternatively, to make a more substantial supper dish, serve with plain boiled rice and a crisp green salad. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Sausages

5 kilo coarse minced pork

100g rusk or dried breadcrumbs
50g salt
15g ground white pepper
10g ground mace
10g fresh chopped sage
5g fresh chopped thyme
500ml cold water
2 tsp sugar

Your personal choice of herbs and spices. This could include some of the following:

Garam masala

Ground cumin

Ground coriander

Making fresh sausages (as opposed to salami) is one of the central activities of a River Cottage ‘pig weekend’, and one of the most sociable, as everybody gets to have a go. The results offer instant gratification, as sample batches of the various seasoning combinations are fried up and their various merits hotly debated.

To make my sausages, I use the same old-fashioned crank-handle machine that I use to make salami, but with a smaller nozzle attachment. Less cumbersome modern alternatives are available from good cookshops, including electric-powered machines that will also mince your pork for you.

I don’t usually bother with chipolatas, so I choose the larger size of natural sausage casings, called ‘hog casings’ that makes good old butcher’s bangers (as opposed to the extra large ox-runners, which I use for salami). These casings come packed in salt and need to be soaked, rinsed, and flushed through with fresh water before use. See the 

Sausage meat
Before you can make any sausages, you have to make sausage meat. If you are using home-reared pork and you have employed a butcher to sort out the carcass for you, you may want him to make up your sausage meat as well: his big industrial mincing machines will make light work of it. You will need to specify which parts of the pig you want your sausage meat made from. My preference is for a 50:50 combination of belly and leaner meat, usually taken from the boned-out shoulder. Any trimmings arising from the general cutting up of the beast can also be added.

Another important decision is how finely you want your meat minced. Most modern butchers’ sausage meat is minced on the finest setting. I find the resulting sausages too fine and pâté-like in consistency, so I prefer the next setting up. This gives a more old-fashioned ‘butcher’s banger’ consistency.

Of course you don’t have to keep your own pigs to make your own sausages. But if you want really good home-made sausages, don’t just buy the standard ready-made sausage meat. Choose fresh, quality belly and lean shoulder and either mince it yourself or ask your butcher to do it according to your requirements.

You can make good sausages from 100 per cent minced pork, plus your chosen seasonings, but there is no shame in adding a little cereal to the mix. This tradition is not merely a matter of bulking out the mixture with a cheap additive. A little ‘rusk’, as it is called, improves the texture, as it helps to retain a little more fat in the sausage. I like to add about 5 per cent by weight – so 50g per kilo of sausage meat. You can use various cereal-based products for rusk, including rice flour, fine oatmeal or fine white breadcrumbs. I actually use a multigrain organic baby cereal from the Baby Organix range, with excellent results.

When planning a sausage-making session, bear in mind that 1kg of sausage meat will give you about 15–20 large sausages, depending on their length and how tightly you stuff them.

Seasonings
There are unlimited ways to season your sausages, and inventing new and original spice and/or herb combinations is all part of the fun. The best way to try out new ideas is to take a small amount of sausage meat, add your experimental seasonings and mix well. Then fry up a bit of the mixture in a little patty and taste the result. When you get something you like, make up a big quantity and do another taste test and a final seasoning adjustment before you commit to the casings.

One thing that all your sausages will need is salt. About 5–10g (1–2 teaspoons) per kilo of meat is a good rough guide but you can make any final adjustments after your taste test.

Making the sausages
For a beginner, the only real difficulty in making sausages is getting to grips with the sausage-making machine and avoiding too many air pockets. This is largely a matter of trial and error. Electric sausage-making machines will come with their own set of instructions. A crank-handled machine like mine can be a bit temperamental, and it is sometimes easier to have two people operating it – one turning the handle, the other controlling the casing as it fills.

The basic idea is to fill a long length of casing – as long as you like, really – then twist it into individual sausages of your chosen length. It is important not to overfill the sausages or they will burst when you twist them. There are various clever twisting techniques devised by butchers over the years, where the sausages are twisted together to make long strings of twos and threes. These techniques are impossible to describe in words.

If wrapped or boxed immediately after being made, sausages will leach a considerable amount of liquid. To avoid this, the finished sausages should be hung in a cool place for a few hours or overnight. They can then be wrapped in greaseproof paper or clingfilm, or placed in Tupperware boxes, and stored in a refrigerator. Freshly made sausages kept in the fridge should be used within five days. If you want to keep them longer either vac-pack them or bag them up in freezer bags, in small batches. Defrost completely at room temperature before cooking.

Foolproof Food

Bramley Apple Sauce

An essential accompaniment to roast pork and homemade sausages.

The trick with Apple Sauce is to cook it covered on a low heat with very little water.
Serves 10 approx.

1 lb (450g) cooking apples, e.g. Bramley Seedling or Grenadier
1-2 dessertsp. water
2 ozs (55g) sugar, depending on how tart the apples are

Peel, quarter and core the apples. Cut the pieces into two and put in a stainless steel or cast iron saucepan with sugar and water. Cover and put over a low heat. As soon as the apple has broken down, beat into a puree, stir and taste for sweetness. Serve warm.

Note: Apple Sauce freezes perfectly, so make more than you need and freeze in tiny, plastic cartons. It is also a good way to use up windfalls
 
Hot Tips

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Country Choice, Kenyon St. Nenagh, Co Tipperary. Tel 067-32596 
Have a wonderful stock of dried and glace fruits, Lexia raisins, Golden raisins, Agen prunes, Malaga muscatels, whole French walnuts, whole candied peel, Amarena cherries ……..some Italian delicacies and many other temptations – www.countrychoice.ie  peter@countrychoice.ie  

Soup Kitchen – the finest soup recipes from the top chefs of today –Rick Stein, Delia Smith, Jamie Oliver, Giorgio Locatelli, Gordon Ramsay, and supported by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall – a collection of 100 recipes – 70% of the royalties will go to homelessness charities. Published by Harper Collins. www.soupkitchen.org.uk  

Cocktails for pre-Christmas entertaining - The Art of the Vodka Jelly: Bespoke Cocktails for a New Generation by Tom Tuke-Hastings. Published by CBN Books.

In Autumn 2004 I donned my wellies and visited the Ploughing Championships for the very first time. I was greatly impressed by the sheer scale and organisation of the event but completely baffled by the absence of a Food Pavilion to show case Irish Food. Where could visitors to the biggest farming event in Europe buy the produce of Irish farms?
The big food manufacturers were there in force with large and impressive stands but there was no sign of the farmhouse cheese makers, the artisan producers, the home bakers, jam makers .…. Eamon Ó Cuív The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht affairs pledged his support for the artisan food producers and recognised the importance of this sector in rural development; he also acknowledged the role of artisan producers in attracting positive publicity for hand crafted foods and for preserving our traditional food culture. He emphasized the potential of this sector to tap into the deep craving for real foods and to attract the burgeoning food tourism success. After the launch plans were hatched to create a Food village that would showcase the best of the Irish Food at the 2005 Ploughing Championships. Isobel Fletcher, Co-ordinator of the Leader small business food Initiative and her team organised the Leader food village. It was officially launched by Minister Ó Cuív and there were 28 food stands showcasing and selling the produce of 50 artisan producers and farmers markets from 18 counties. 

The wide range of produce at the stands included: Handmade Chocolates, Farmhouse Cheeses, Cakes and Breads, Organic Produce, Meats including Charcuteries and Wild Game, Fish, Chutneys, Jams, Preserves, and Ice Cream. The produce on display was developed by a variety of micro businesses and small enterprises with the support of LEADER. According to Isobel Fletcher the contribution of small food producers to the rural economy is hugely significant. “In many cases small food enterprises are helping to sustain family farms. By providing employment they are resulting in growth and regeneration in rural communities, the small food industry keeps the euros local.”
The phenomenal increase in Farmers Markets is an indication of the growing awareness among consumers of the importance of local food - in terms of reduced food miles, freshness, taste, and traceability.
The food village was a huge hit with the public and confounded those who were adamant that people don’t come to the Ploughing Championships to buy food. On the opening day, stalls at the Food village were practically sold out. Many had to send for extra supplies early in the day and by evening there was a dash back to locations all over the country to draft in extra supplies for the remainder of the Ploughing event. 

Ann Rudden of Aine’s Chocolates of Oldcastle, Co. Meath was rushed off her feet, “I sold more on the opening day that I did over the entire three days of the ploughing last year. It’s great.” Aine started her chocolate business five years ago with support from Meath LEADER. 

Joyce and Paddy O’Keeffe of Tipperary Organic ice cream ran out completely on the first day and had to send home to Clonmel for a full load on Tuesday night. “We cleaned out all our fridges,” declared an exhausted Paddy, “We’ll have to start from scratch when we get home on Friday.” Paddy and Joyce started their organic ice cream business in Clonmel in 2000 with much help from the Tipperary LEADER Group.
Farmers markets from Midleton, Duhallow and Cobh were extraordinarily busy; Claire O’Keeffe of Duhallow said that the custom at the Ploughing was fantastic. “It’s like six months business packed into one day.”
I was thrilled by the success of this year’s enterprise and look forward to seeing the Food village gathering momentum in coming years. People’s prediction that people didn’t go to The Ploughing Championships to buy food were certainly proved wrong in the experience of stall holders this year.

Crab Apple or Bramley Apple Jelly

An excellent recipe to up all windfalls and crab apples – have fun with the variations

Makes 2.7-3kg (6-7 lb)

2.7kg (6 lb) crab apples or wind fall cooking apples
2.7L (43pints) water
2 unwaxed lemons
sugar

Wash the apples and cut into quarters, do not remove either peel or core. Windfalls may be used, but make sure to cut out the bruised parts. Put the apples into a large saucepan with the water and the thinly pared rind of the lemons, cook until reduced to a pulp, approx. 2 hour.
Turn the pulp into a jelly bag and allow to drip until all the juice has been extracted - usually overnight. Measure the juice into a preserving pan and allow 450g (1lb) sugar to each 600ml (1pint) of juice. Warm the sugar in a low oven.
Squeeze the lemons, strain the juice and add to the preserving pan. Bring to the boil and add the warm sugar. Stir over a gentle heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase the heat and boil rapidly without stirring for about 8-10 minutes. Skim, test and pot immediately.
Flavour with sweet geranium, mint or cloves as required (see below). 

Apple and Sweet Geranium Jelly
Add 6-8 large leaves of sweet geranium while the apples are stewing and put a fresh leaf into each jar as you pot the jelly.

Apple and Clove Jelly
Add 3-6 cloves to the apples as they stew and put a clove in each pot. Serve on bread or scones.

Apple and Mint Jelly
Add 4-6 large sprigs of fresh mint to the apples while they are stewing and add 4-8 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh mint to the jelly just before it is potted. Serve with lamb.

Apple and Rosemary Jelly
Add 2 sprigs of rosemary to the apples as they stew and put a tiny sprig into each pot. Serve with lamb.

Apple and Elderberry Jelly
Add a fist or two of elderberries to the apple and continue as above. Up to half volume of elderberries can be used. A sprig or two of mint or sweet geranium or a cinnamon stick enhances the flavour further.

Apple and Sloe Jelly
Substitute 2-3 cups of sloes for elderberries in the above recipe.

Apple and Marjoram Jelly
Add 4-6 large sprigs of fresh marjoram to the apples while they are stewing and add 3-4 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh marjoram to the jelly just before it is potted.

Apple and Chilli Jelly (quantity of chilli may change)
Add 2 tablespoons of chilli flakes to the apples and proceed as above.

Apple and Cranberry Jelly (quantity of cranberries may change)
Add 450-900g (1-2lb) cranberries to the apples and proceed as above.

Coffee Cake with Chocolate Coffee Beans

Another splendid cake - brilliant to offer at and farmers market, keeps well also

Serves 8-10

8 ozs (225g/2 sticks) butter
8 ozs (225g/1 cup) castor sugar
8 ozs (225g/1¾ cups) white flour, preferably unbleached
1 teasp. baking powder
4 eggs, preferably free range
scant 2 tablesp. (2 American tablesp. + 2 teasp.) coffee essence (Irel or Camp)

2" x 8" (5 x 20.5 cm) sandwich tins 

Coffee Butter Cream (see recipe)
Coffee Icing (see recipe)

Decoration
Hazelnuts or Chocolate Coffee Beans

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/regulo 4.
Line the bottom of sandwich tins, with greaseproof paper, brush the bottom and sides with melted butter and dust with flour.
Cream the butter until soft, add the castor sugar and beat until pale and light in texture. Whisk the eggs. Add to the mixture, bit by bit, beating well between each addition.
Sieve the flour with the baking powder and stir gently into the cake mixture, finally add in the coffee essence and mix thoroughly.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared sandwich tins and bake for 30 minutes approx. in a moderate oven. When the cakes are cooked. The centre will be firm and springy and the edges will have shrunk from the sides of the tin. Rest in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto the wire rack, remove the greaseproof paper from the base, then reinvert so the top of the cakes don’t get marked by the wire rack. Cool the cakes on the wire rack. When cold sandwich the cakes together with Coffee Butter Cream and ice the top with Coffee Glace Icing .Decorate with Hazelnuts or Chocolate Coffee Beans

Coffee Butter Cream Filling
2 ozs (55g\¼ stick) butter
4 ozs (110g\1 cup) icing sugar (sieved)
1-2 teasp. Irel Coffee essence

Whisk the butter with the sieved icing sugar, add the coffee essence. Continue to whisk until light and fluffy.

NOTE:
If you would prefer to ice the cake with Coffee Butter Cream use
8 ozs ( 225g 2 sticks) butter
1lb ( 450g 3½ ) icing sugar
1-2 tablespoons of Irel Coffee

Coffee Icing
16 ozs (450g/4 cups) icing sugar
scant 2 tablesp.(2 american tablesp. + 2 teasp.) Irel coffee essence
4 tablesp. (5 American tablesp. + 1 teasp.) boiling water approx.

Sieve the icing sugar and put into a bowl. Add coffee essence and enough boiling water to make it the consistency of thick cream.

Traditional Roast Partridge

Partridge is a rare and meat and has a delicate flavour and a pale flesh. Check that the bird has been hung for three or four days. Larger birds may be tougher and need to be cooked slowly. Smaller birds are best roasted.

Serves 1

1 small partridge
¼ oz (5-10g) butter,
salt and freshly ground pepper
A thin strip pork fat or 3-4 streaky rashers

Preheat oven 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7

Pop a knob of butter in to the cavity of the bird, season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Truss the bird and tie pork fat or streaky bacon rather than bacon over the breast. 

Cook in the preheated hot oven, basting frequently with melted butter, for about 30 minutes. Towards the end, remove fat to allow breast to brown. Partridge is particularly good served with lentils or red cabbage.

Pennys Buns with Crystallised Primroses, Violets or Lavender

If you have just one oven you may need to make the cupcakes in three separate batches. Depending on how the cup cakes are decorated, this can be any occasion, a wedding cake, christening, anniversary, children’s party, sports day celebration ….

Makes 36

450g (1lb)butter (at room temperature)
450g (1lb) caster sugar
450g (1lb) self-raising flour
6 large eggs preferably free-range and organic
6 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.

Icing
Icing sugar
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 muffin trays lined with 12 muffin cases each.

Preheat oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas mark 5.
Put all ingredients except milk into a food processor and whizz until smooth. Scrape down sides, then add milk and whizz again.
Divide mixture between the cases in the muffin tins.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 –20 minutes or until risen and golden. Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

Icings:
Lemon Icing (see recipe)
Chocolate Icing (see recipe)
Coffee Icing (see recipe)

Decorations:
Dolly mix
Crystallized flowers
Chocolate buttons
Fondant hearts or stars

To serve: Make one or several icings and decorate the cupcakes with flowers, smarties, streamers, tiny crackers, sparklers…..etc.
Arrange in a pyramid on 2 or 3 cup cake stands or on a perspex cake stand.

Lemon Icing: (makes enough for 12 cupcakes)

110g (4oz) icing sugar
Finely grated rind of 1/2 lemon
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the lemon rind and enough lemon juice to make a softish icing.

Chocolate Icing (makes enough for 12 cupcakes)

Dark Chocolate Icing
170g (6oz) icing sugar
50g (2oz) cocoa powder
75g (3oz) butter
75ml (3fl ozs) water
110g (4oz) castor sugar

Sieve the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Measure the butter, water and sugar into a saucepan. Set over a low heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the butter is melted. Bring just to the boil, then draw off the heat and pour at once into the sifted ingredients. Beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and glossy. It will thicken as it cools.

Coffee Icing (makes enough for 12 cupcakes) 

225g (8 ozs) icing sugar
Scant 1 tablespoon coffee essence
2 tablespoon boiling water approx.

Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl. Add coffee essence and enough boiling water to make icing the consistency of thick cream.

Ballymaloe Fudge

Makes 96 approx.

2 lb (225g) butter
2 lbs (900g) light brown sugar or castor sugar
1 can evaporated milk
7 fl ozs (200ml) water
3 teasp. pure vanilla essence

Swiss roll tin 9 x 13 inch (23 x 33cm)

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over a low heat. Add the milk, water, sugar and vanilla essence and stir with a whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Turn up the heat to simmer, stir constantly until it reaches the soft ball stage. To test, put some of the fudge in a bowl of cold water pull off the heat and stir until it thickens and reaches the required consistency with the saucepan over cold water. Pour into a swiss roll tin and smooth out with a spatula.
Allow to cool and then cut before completely cold.

Fruit and Nut Clusters

Makes 24

5 ozs (140g) best quality dark chocolate
3 heaped tablesp. hazelnuts shelled and toasted
3 heaped tablesp. raisins

Melt the chocolate in a pyrex bowl very gently over simmering water or in a very low oven. Stir in the toasted hazelnuts and raisins. Drop clusters onto a baking sheet with a teaspoon. Allow to set in a cool place. Put into dark brown sweet papers and serve as a petit four.

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

The shops and farmers markets are piled high with squash and pumpkins at present -this is our new favourite pumpkin soup recipe.

Serves 6

1oz butter
5oz (1cup) chopped onion
1lb 2oz (4 cups) diced pumpkin (1inch /2cm cubes)
2pt (5 cups) chicken stock
1 heaped tsp cumin seed (toasted and ground)
1 heaped tsp coriander seed (toasted and ground)
salt and pepper to season

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan. When it foams, add onions and turn them until well coated and softened then add the pumpkin and spices turn until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Add the vegetables and stock. Boil until soft, liquidise, sieve or put through a mouli. Do not overcook or the vegetables will lose their flavour. Adjust seasoning.

Darina's Fool Proof Recipe

Janie’s Green Tomato Jam

A brilliant recipe to use up the end of the tomato crop, enjoy with goat cheese cold meats or simply on toast or crusty bread.

Makes 2 small jars

Delicious with cold meats and pâte 

500g green tomatoes
450ml water
300g granulated sugar
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon 

Wash and slice the tomatoes (no need to peel), and place in a large pan with the water. Bring to the boil then simmer covered for 50-60 minutes until tender. Add remaining ingredients and dissolve sugar over gentle heat, stirring occasionally.
Boil rapidly for 10 –12 minutes or until setting point is reached.

Hot Tips 

Neuadd Lwyd is a wonderful country house in North Wales with magnificent views of Snowdonia and Anglesey – originally a Victorian Rectory and now owned by one of our past pupils Susannah Wood – serving award-winning quality food with the finest local seasonal ingredients – just 25 minutes from Holyhead ferry and 5 minutes from the Menai Bridges – within easy reach of the coastlines and the beauty of Snowdonia. Email:post@neuaddlwyd.co.uk  www.neuaddlwyd.co.uk  Tel 00 44 1248 715005

Finnebrogue Oisin Venison is reared on the Finnebrogue estate in the rolling hills of Co Down, near Downpatrick. The venison is exclusively produced from the largest red deer herd in Ireland and UK, from deer under 21 months of age and is used by top chefs. www.finnebrogue.com  liam@finnebrogue.com  Tel 0044 (0) 28 44617525 

Clifden on Ice and Clifden Station House Courtyard Christmas Market
On the original site of the Clifden Railway Station, the Courtyard of the Clifden Station House will be transformed into an outdoor Ice Rink and Christmas Market from December 2nd 2005 – January 7th 2006. The market will be open for the weekends in December and a range of stalls are required selling a quality and luxury Arts & Crafts, Food Produce and Christmas novelties – for further information contact Kate Dempsey at Clifden Station House – 091-788272 or 087-9254175 kdempsey@clifdenstationhouse.com  

Tipperary Slow Food Event
A new Slow Food Conivium has been launched in Nenagh under the direction of Peter Ward of Country Choice fame. To celebrate the launch, they have planned a Halloween Slow Food Event on the 29, 30, and 31st October. Temptations include a woodland mushroom hunt, – Kill or cure - an interactive workshop on the traditional aspects of pig husbandry and rearing. Keeping the spirits, up an introduction to home brewing. Guest chef Hugo Arnold will cook a Slow food banquet on Saturday night with will using local seasonal food. There’s much more – for details see www.slowfoodireland.com  or Telephone 057 32596

Native Irish Oysters (Ostrea edulis) are at their very best when there is an r in the month. During the warm summer months the flesh becomes soft and milky and even though edible the flavour and texture are undesirable. They are at their plumpest and most gorgeous right now and will still be delicious until the end of April.

Máirín Uí Chomáin, author of Irish Oyster Cuisine, has had a love affair with oysters for many years. Living within an ‘oars length of the sea’ in Co. Galway she’s well placed to explore the rugged sea shore and to forage for shellfish and seaweed along the coastline. Since childhood ‘the sea has coaxed her’, she’s always had a deep yearning to learn more about our maritime heritage and an urge to write a book about oysters and carrageen. 

As a fledgling home economist, her first assignment was to teach young Aran Island fishermen how to cook well for themselves during their long voyages at sea. Her career path took her away from her native Connemara to Dublin and the US where she saw at first hand how different ethnic groups treasured their food culture and traditions. Like many an Irish emigrant, separation gave her a more acute appreciation of the quality of Irish life and produce.

The native Irish oyster is prized by gourmands the world over, no other oyster, except perhaps the tiny Olympian oyster from the North Atlantic has that fresh briny mineraly tang. Oysters are highly nutritious, low in calories, high in calcium, Vitamins A & D, selenium and zinc. They have a well-deserved reputation as an aphrodisiac and a reputation for enhancing fertility. Máirín also tells me that because oysters produce serotonin they help to regulate sleep and fight infection.

Two types of oyster are now cultivated in Ireland. The Pacific or rock oyster, Crassotrea gigas, was introduced in the 1970’s to provide for all year round production and supplement the native Irish oyster production. Irish water temperatures are too cool for gigas to spawn but they can be very successfully cultivated in ponds, a system perfected by David Hugh-Jones of Rossmore oysters.

Sadly, this enterprise which was the largest of its kind in Europe has had to cease production because the water quality in Cork Harbour has deteriorated so badly.

The gigas oysters are good eaten raw, but because they tend to be plumper than the native oyster, they are also perfect for cooking.

The native Irish oyster is so special and precious that I feel its best eaten fresh with a glass of stout, dry white wine or champagne and some good Irish soda bread.

The native variety takes up to five years to grow and mature (you can count the rings on the back of the shell like the bark of a tree) to harvestable size, while the Pacific oyster reaches that stage in 18 -28 months. They are grown on low frames at low tide mark and can also be cultivated at far higher density than the native oyster.

In her charming book Irish Oyster Cuisine, Máirín Uí Chomáin gives us a variety of delicious cooked oyster recipes plus suggestions for using seaweeds like carrageen, dulse, kombu – here are few examples but there are lots more in her book which recently won the international Gourmand Award for the Best Seafood Book.

Irish Oyster Cuisine by Máirín uí Chomáin published by A.&A. Farmar €14.99

Buy  Irish Oyster Cuisine, from Amazon

Thoor Ballylee Oysters (Oysters with cognac dressing)

– from Irish Oyster Cuisine

Among those who often visited the Gregory home was W.B. Yeats. While Yeats is associated very much with Sligo where he is buried, he bought a derelict tower house near Coole at Ballylee. This he restored ‘with old mill boards and sea-green slates, and smith work from the Gort forge’, then renamed it Thoor Ballylee – ‘thoor’ being the Irish word for tower. When you have finished studying the Yeats memorabilia, you can have an expansive view of the south Galway countryside from the tower rooftop.
Serves 4

24 flat oysters in half shells
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons cognac
salt, freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Garnishes

Crushed ice
Lettuce leaves

Mix together the lemon juice, cognac, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the olive oil very slowly, stirring continuously until the dressing is well combined.

To serve:

Cover a large platter with crushed ice and arrange the lettuce leaves on top. Carefully arrange the oysters on top of the lettuce. Spoon the dressing over the oysters and serve.

Oyster Soup

Serves 6

18-24 oysters, shells removed, juices strained and reserved
2 large potatoes
110g/4oz pork belly, finely diced
600ml/20 fl.oz milk
bouquet garni
salt, freshly ground pepper
40g/1½ oz butter, cubed

Fry the pork belly until crisp and set aside. Boil, peel and mash the potatoes. Heat the milk and add it to the mashed potatoes. Add the bouquet garni, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Add the pork, oysters and juices and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes. Add the butter and mix gently. Check the seasoning and serve hot. 

Note: you can use less milk if you prefer a thicker soup.

Renvyle Oysters (Oysters in hot cream)

Serves 4

16-24 oysters in half shells
6-8 tablespoons cream
freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons Cheddar or farmhouse cheese, grated
25g/1oz butter, melted

Preheat the grill to high. Loosen the oysters in their shells and carefully place them on the grill pan. Spoon a little cream over each one and sprinkle with pepper. Sprinkle some cheese on top and dribble the melted butter over each oyster. Grill until golden (2-3 minutes).

Kevin’s Oyster Pie

Oysters have an affinity with many Irish ingredients, Irish beef being one of them.

Serves 4

12 oysters, shells removed, juices strained and reserved
2 tablespoons plain flour
salt, freshly ground black pepper
700g/1½lb rib beef, cubed
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1-2 onions, finely chopped
225g/8oz mushrooms, chopped
425ml/15fl.oz Guinness
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
200g/7oz ready made puff pastry

Accompaniment
Green salad or baked potatoes

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Toss the beef in the flour. Heat the oil in a large, heavy frying pan. Once the oil is hot, add the beef to the pan a little at a time and seal. (Be careful not to overcrowd the pan as this will only create a stewing process.) Remove the beef from the pan.

Fry the onions and mushrooms until soft and then return the meat to the pan. Add the Guinness, Worcestershire sauce and oyster juices and season with salt and pepper. Mix well, cover and simmer until the meat is tender (about 1½ hours). Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Add the oysters.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Grease a deep pie dish. Pour the mixture into the pie dish. Cover with the pastry, leaving a slight overhang around the edge of the dish. Crimp the edges firmly and cut an air vent in the centre of the pastry.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 18C/350F/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 30 minutes until the meat is heated through.
Serve hot with a green salad or baked potatoes.
Note: You could also make four individual pies rather than one large one.

Dooras House oysters (Oyster salad)

Serves 4

12-16 oysters, shells removed (4 shell halves retained)
2 tablespoons sunflower oil

Dressing:

1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Coating:

1 tablespoon fine breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
freshly ground black pepper

Garnishes:

1 small red onion, finely grated
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
selection of lettuce leaves

Mix all the dressing ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Set aside.

Mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley and pepper together in a bowl. Toss the oysters in the crumb mixture and chill for half an hour to allow the oysters to firm up and the coating to settle. Pour the oil into a frying pan and, when hot, fry the oysters until golden all over.
Mix together the red onion and red wine vinegar.

To serve:

In a large bowl, toss the lettuce leaves in the dressing. Arrange the oysters on top. Spoon the red onion mixture into the oyster shells and serve alongside the salad.

Quick Dulse Brown Bread

Dulse (dilisc/creathnach) is a sea vegetable

450g /1lb ready made Irish brown bread mix
25g/1 oz wheat germ
25g/1 oz oat bran
2 tablespoons dulse, finely chopped or ground
1 tablespoon pinhead oatmeal
425ml/15fl.oz fresh or sour milk
3 tablespoons sunflower oil

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/fas mark 6. Grease a 23 x 11cm/9 x 4½ inch loaf tin. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the milk and oil together in a jug. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, pour in the liquid and mix from the centre out with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are combined and the consistency is quite wet. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the centre of the oven for 40-50 minutes until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

Mummy’s Brown Soda Bread

Makes 1 loaf

225g (1/2lb) white flour
225g (1/2lb) wholemeal flour (Howard’s-one-way)
Barely rounded teaspoon bread soda
Level teaspoon salt
450ml (16fl oz) buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºf/gas mark 6.

Mix the flour in a large wide bowl, add the salt and sieved bread soda. Lift the flour up with your fingers to distribute the salt and bread soda.

Make a well in the centre and pour in all the buttermilk. With your fingers stiff and outstretched, stir in a circular movement from the centre to the outside of the bowl in ever increasing concentric circles. When you reach the outside of the bowl seconds later the dough should be made.

Sprinkle a little flour on the worktop.

Turn the dough out onto the flour. WASH and dry your hands. (Fill the bowl with cold water so it will be easy to wash later.)

Sprinkle a little flour on your hands. Gently tidy the dough around the edges and flip onto the flour. Tuck the edges underneath with the inner edge of your hands, gently pat the dough with your fingers into a loaf about 4cm (1 ½ in) thick.

Cut a deep cross into the bread (this is called ‘Blessing the bread’ and then prick it in the centre of the four sections to let the fairies out of the bread).
Transfer to a floured baking tray.

Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. Turn the bread upside down after approximately 30 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
Foolproof Food

Hot Buttered Oysters on Toast

These wonderfully curvaceous oyster shells tend to topple over maddeningly on the plate so that the delicious juices escape. In the kitchen at Ballymaloe they solve this problem by piping a little blob of mashed Duchesse potato on the plate to anchor each shell.

12 Pacific (Gigas) oysters
1 oz (30 g) butter
½ teaspoon parsley, finely chopped

To Serve

4 segments of lemon
4 ovals of hot buttered toast (optional)

Open the oysters and detach completely from their shells. Discard the top shell but keep the deep shell and reserve the liquid. Put the shells into a low oven to heat through. Melt half the butter in a pan until it foams. Toss the oysters in the butter until hot through - 1 minute perhaps. 

Put a hot oyster into each of the warm shells. Pour the reserved oyster liquid into the pan and boil up, whisking in the remaining butter and the parsley. Spoon the hot juices over the oysters and serve immediately on hot plates with a wedge of lemon. 

Alternatively discard the shells and just serve the oysters on the hot buttered toast. The toast will soak up the juice - Simply Delicious!
A dozen Oysters and a pint of Murphys or Guinness 

If you come from Cork Murphys is the sacred drop – Guinness is not quite the same but we have to admit it makes a good substitute.
What could be easier or more delicious than a dozen freshly shucked oysters with Irish wheaten bread and a pint of gorgeous creamy stout.

Serves 1 but also great for numbers.

1 dozen native Irish oysters
600ml (1 pint) of Murphy or Guinness

It’s wise to protect your hand with a folded tea towel when opening oysters. Set the deep shell on the folded tea towel which has already been wrapped around your hand.

The wide end of the oyster should be on the inside. Grip the oysters firmly in your protected hand while you insert the tip of the knife into the hinge. Twist to lever the two shells apart, you’ll need to exert quite a lot of pressure, so it’s foolhardy not to protect your hand well. Then slide the blade of the knife under the top shell to detach the oyster from the shell. Discard the top shell, then loosen the oyster from the deep shell, flip over to reveal the plump side, don’t lose the precious briny juice. 

Arrange on a plate on a bed of seaweed or sea salt. 
Serve with a segment of lemon and a pint of the black stuff!


Hot Tips

Mushroom Hunt at Longueville House Hotel, Mallow, Co Cork, Sunday October 16th – Don your wellies, bring your waterproofs, and hike around the estate in search of mushrooms with the guidance of a mushroom expert – mulled wine reception and afterwards Chef William O’Callaghan and his team will prepare a banquet of autumn mushrooms from the day’s harvest. Advance booking and payment essential as numbers limited – Tel 022 47156 or 
info@longuevillehouse.ie   www.longuevillehouse.ie  Special weekend packages available.

Growing Awareness – Hands on Composting Workshop Sunday 16th October at Madeline McKeever’s Ardagh, Church Cross, Skibbereen, Co Cork, 10.45am -4.30pm
Tips and tricks for making the best things to give to your soil – lovely compost.
Tel Tom or Ruth at 028-23889 or email tom@organiccollege.com  Cost €25 – bring a packed lunch. 

Baileys/Euro-Toques Young Chef 2005 sponsored by R & A Bailey- the makers of Baileys Irish Cream
Baileys/Euro-Toques Young Chef is the most prestigious competition in the country for up and coming young chefs. Candidates must be nominated by a Euro-Toques Chef – full details from info@eurotoquesirl.org  Tel 01-677 99 77 www.eurotoquesirl.org   Closing date 20th October. 

Lots of cookbooks have been written extolling the glories of Spring and Summer foods – of the first rhubarb, the first spears of asparagus, sweet green peas and summer berries. The produce of Autumn and Winter is seldom welcomed with such enthusiasm yet Jill Norman has just written a wonderful book called Winter Food to remind us that there is much to get excited about. Gardens, orchards and fields may be dormant but there are still lots of winter vegetables, fruit and nuts and the food that warms and nourishes during the winter months.

Even if forests and moorlands are in the grip of cold, game is still hunted to provide pheasant, wild duck, venison and hare. Geese are reared for the autumn and winter feast days. Citrus fruits are at their best, as are many fish and shellfish. Winter Food focuses on making the best use of the season’s foods, providing a rich variety of dishes for eating well with family and friends.

Jill Norman is one of the most highly respected cookery authors in the UK. She was the first editor of the Penguin cookery list, where she edited Elizabeth David among others, and she is now the literary trustee of Elizabeth David’s estate. As a publisher, she has been awarded two special Glenfiddich awards, as well as winning the Glenfiddich, the André Simon and countless other awards for her own books.

Jill’s book draws on the winter traditions of different cultures and offers recipes from all quarters of the globe. From the high Andes and the northern states of America, the plateaux of Turkey and Spain and the mountain villages of Italy, as well as from China, Russia, Scandinavia and Britain, there are rich, warming dishes to counter winter’s chill.

I myself adore Autumn and Winter food, the cold weather gives me the excuse to make lots of comforting casseroles. We linger longer over meals in the cold season.

Winter Food – seasonal recipes for the colder months – by Jill Norman, published by Kyle Cathie, £19.99stg – www.kylecathie.com  

Here are some delicious recipes from the book .

Brussels Sprout Soup

Serves 6

500g (18oz) small Brussels sprouts
30g (1¼oz) butter
1tablespoon plain flour
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
1.25 litres(2pints) hot chicken or vegetable stock
1 egg yolk
120ml (3¾fl.oz) double cream or crème fraiche
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of nutmeg
croûtons to serve

Blanch the sprouts in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain. Heat the butter in a large pan, add the sprouts and shake and toss them in the butter. Sprinkle over the flour and garlic, mix well and pour over the hot stock, stirring continually. Simmer until the sprouts are soft, about 20 minutes. Blend the soup until smooth.

Beat the egg yolk with the cream, pour a ladleful of soup into the mixture, then stir this mixture into the soup over a very low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and continue to stir for 1 minute. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and serve at once with croûtons.

Garlic Chicken

A classic slow-cooked French dish in which the garlic suffuses the chicken with its rich flavour and provides a mellow purée to spread on the accompanying toast or baked potatoes.

Serves 4

4 chicken legs, separated into drumsticks and thighs
salt and freshly ground pepper
3-4 heads garlic
130ml (4fl.oz) olive oil
1 bouquet garni of thyme, parsley, rosemary, bay leaf and sage

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Season the chicken and put it into an earthenware casserole. Separate the garlic cloves, discarding the outer skin, but don’t peel the cloves. Add them to the casserole, trickle over the oil and turn everything with your hands to ensure that the garlic and chicken are well coated. Tuck the bouquet garni into the centre. Cover with foil and a well-fitting lid and bake low down in the oven for 1½ hours.

The chicken will be very tender, the garlic will separate easily from its skin and the aromas will be heady. Serve straight from the casserole, either with lightly toasted country bread on which to spread the garlic purée, or with potatoes that have been baked in the oven at the same time.

Avocado, pomegranate and wild rocket salad

The deep red pomegranate seeds give this salad a bright note on a wintry day and their sweet juiciness contrasts well with the peppery rocket, the smoothness of the avocado and the crunchy cucumber.

Serves 4

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 shallot, finely chopped
½ cucumber
1 pomegranate
1 large avocado
squeeze of lemon juice
2-3 large handfuls wild rocket

Make a dressing with the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and add the shallot when you are ready to prepare the salad. Cut the cucumber in 4 lengthways, remove the seeds and cut each quarter into 2 strips. Cut the strips into dice, put them in a colander and sprinkle with salt.

Cut the top from the pomegranate and pull it apart gently. Pick out the seeds and discard all the pith. Put the seeds and any juice into a bowl. Dice the avocado and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent the flesh discolouring. Rinse the cucumber and dry on a clean tea towel.

To assemble, put the rocket into a salad bowl, scatter over the cucumber and avocado and finally the pomegranate seeds. Add pomegranate juice to the dressing if you wish. Whisk the dressing and pour it over the salad.

Variation:
Omit the shallot from the dressing and replace the cucumber with 60g (2½oz) of toasted and skinned hazelnuts or toasted pine nuts.

Venison Chilli

Chilli may not be a sophisticated dish, but it is certainly popular and flavourful. Venison responds well to the rich spicy sauce, although chilli is traditionally made with pork or beef. This is not a very hot chilli; I prefer to use chillies such as anchos or guajillos which add flavour as much as heat. These Mexican dried chillies are now being sold in some supermarkets or are available from Mexican suppliers and spice merchants. If you can’t get them, use 1½-2 tablespoons of good-quality ground chilli instead.

Serves 6

4 ancho or guajillo chillies, stalks and seeds removed
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 onions, chopped
750g (1lb10oz) venison, diced (use shoulder, breast or meat sold as stewing venison)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato purée
400g (14oz) tinned chopped tomatoes
500ml (18oz) beef stock
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
800g (1lb12oz) tinned red kidney beans

Heat a heavy dry frying pan or griddle and toast the chillies over a moderate heat, turning them with tongs, until they have softened. It will take 10-15 minutes. Transfer them to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Put a small plate on top to keep the chillies submerged and soak for 30 minutes. Remove them from the water and put them into a blender with about 250ml (9fl.oz) of the soaking liquid and puree them.

Heat the oil in a large casserole and fry the onions. When they start to brown, add the venison and brown on all sides. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, the chilli purée, tomato purée and tomatoes. Stir well and pour over the stock. Cover the pan tightly and simmer over a very low heat fro 2 hours, or put the casserole into a preheated oven at 170C/325F/gas mark 3.

Check the venison is done, then stir in the vinegar and beans. Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Serve at once, or leave overnight and reheat slowly, the flavours will improve.

Roast rack of Lamb with Dukka
Dukka is an Egyptian nut and spice blend that varies from family to family. It can be sprinkled over rice or soup, and on pieces of warm pita dunked in olive oil it is one of the best nibbles to serve with drinks. It also makes an excellent crust for lamb. Some spice merchants now sell ready-made dukka, but I have also given a recipe below because it is easy to make at home, and keeps well.
Serves 2

To make the dukka, dry roast all the nuts and seeds separately until the hazelnuts lose their skins, the sesame seeds are golden, and the coriander and cumin darken and give off their aroma. Remove the loose skins from the hazelnuts by rubbing them in a tea towel. Put the hazelnuts, sesame seeds, coriander and cumin into a food processor with a little salt and grind to a coarse powder. Don’t overwork it or the oil from the nuts and sesame will be released and turn it into a paste. It can now be stored in an airtight container.

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Rub the lamb with olive oil and press 2-3 tablespoons of dukka into the fat side. Roast for 20 minutes if you like your lamb rare, or a few minutes longer for medium rare.

Serve with Provencal Lentils and Roast Fennel and Onions.

Roast Fennel and Onions

The flavours of fennel and onions complement each other and both caramelise nicely when roasted. This is a good dish to make for a large gathering, because it looks after itself. It goes well with lamb, pork and poultry, or as one of a number of dishes for a vegetarian feast.

Serves 8

6 bulbs of fennel (about 1.5kg/3lb5oz)
3 large onions, quartered
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
shavings of Parmesan (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Remove the outer layer and the tops of the fennel and cut the bulbs into quarters. Put the fennel and onions into a baking dish, spoon over the oil, add a little salt and mix the vegetables in the oil carefully in order not to break the pieces. It is best to do this with your hands. Roast the vegetables for 40-50 minutes, turning them 2 or 3 times. To serve, put the vegetables into a warmed dish, give a good grinding of pepper and top with shaved Parmesan, if you wish.

Provencal Lentils
Lentils are available in several varieties; the ones with the best texture and flavour come from Puy in France and from Castellucio in Italy. Decidedly comfort food, they respond well to a variety of flavourings: herbs, spices, cream or yogurt, as well as the traditional garlic and tomato of Provence.

Serves 4

250g (9oz) Puy lentils
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
1 tablespoon tomato puree
salt, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Pick over the lentils and wash them. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and saute the onion until softened and translucent but not browned. Add the garlic, stir it in the oil for a moment, then put in the lentils, bay leaf, peppercorns and tomato puree. Pour in 750ml (good 1¾ pints) of water, stir to mix the tomato puree and cook, partly covered, until the lentils are tender, this should take 20-25 minutes. Check the pan from time to time and add a little more water, if needed, to keep the lentils covered.

Add a little salt in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain the lentils well, discard the bay leaf and stir in the herbs and a little olive oil, if you wish.

Serves with the Roast Rack of Lamb with Dukka or makes a good vegetarian dish.

Dried Fruit Compote
This fragrant compote can be made just with apricots and raisins but we like to include other fruit – peaches, pears, prunes or figs. The dish must be macerated for 48 hours, and will keep longer. We often eat it for breakfast if there is any left over from dessert.

Serves 6-8

300g(11oz) dried apricots 
120g(4oz) sultanas
120g(4oz) raisins
150g(5½oz) dried peaches
150g(5½oz) dried figs
caster sugar (optional)
2 tablespoons rose or orange flower water
100g(3½oz) pistachio nuts, or blanched flaked almonds

Put all the dried fruit in a large bowl and cover with water. Taste and add sugar if you like very sweet things. Add the rose or orange flower water, cover and put the bowl in the refrigerator for at least 48 hours. Just before serving add in the nuts.

Variation:
To flavour the compote, use the grated rind of an unwaxed orange and a small stick of cinnamon instead of flower water.

Foolproof Food

Sloe Gin

Sloes are very tart little berries that resemble tiny purple plums in appearance, they grow on prickly bushes on top of stone walls and are in season in September and October.

Its great fun to organize a few pals to pick sloes and have a sloe gin making party.
Sloes make a terrific beverage ready for Christmas presents.

675g (11/2 lbs) sloes
340g (3/4lb) white sugar
1.2L (2 pints) gin 

one or several darning needles and clean sterilized kilner jars and bottles

Wash and dry the sloes, prick in several places, we use a clean darning needle. Put them into a sterilized glass kilner jar and cover with sugar and gin. Cover and seal tightly, shake every couple of days to start with and then every now and then for 3 or 4 months, by which time it will be ready to strain and bottle. It will improve on keeping so try to resist drinking it for another few months. Delicious damson gin can be made in exactly the same way.

Hot Tips

Youghal Through the Ages this weekend
Elizabethan Market at Barry’s Lane today 10.00-3.00 with street entertainment.
An Elizabethan Banquet – tonight at Walter Raleigh Hotel, as part of the Youghal Through the Ages programme – Tel 024-92011 to book
Mulled wine reception, 5 course Elizabethan style banquet, music and dancing. 
www.walterraleigh.com  or www.youghalchamber.ie  


Congratulations 

to Denis Cotter of Café Paradiso on winning Chef of the Year in Ireland 2005 – awarded by Food and Wine Magazine and 

to Myrtle Allen of Ballymaloe House on winning the Hall of Fame Award also from Food and Wine Magazine.

Midleton Farmers Market – today Saturday 1st October, Gene Cunningham who sharpens knives will attend – so bring along your kitchen knives if they need sharpening.

Good Things Café and Cookery School, Durrus, West Cork 
Autumn programme just launched includes 1 week and weekend courses – which take place in her restaurant with Carmel Somers, with opportunities to go out with fishermen, see cheese being made and so on – contact Carmel Somers on 027-61426 or visit www.thegoodthingscafe.com  

Association of Craft Butchers of Ireland (ACBI) – recognises the benefits of continued training for craft butchers and this emphasis on providing members with opportunities to develop and improve skills is reflected in a dedicated training programme by the association. A recent introduction is an E-learning course in Customer Service Skills – an 8 hour course delivered on-line which can be done at home. A new FETAC accredited Certificate in Butchering will be launched in its pilot phase this autumn. info@craftbutchers.ie  www.craftbutchers.ie  Tel 01-2961400

Congratulations to Brady Family for winning Gold Award at 2005 Great Taste Awards in London’s Olympia recently – for their Traditional Baked and Glazed Irish Ham prepared by the company in Timahoe, Donadea, Co Kildare.

Clodagh McKenna makes things happen. This swirling vivacious gastro-dame is the power behind the upcoming Slow Food Cork Festival 23-25 September 2005. In a year where there have been many highlights of the arts and music scene, there has been a serious dearth of foodie events. At last we have the celebration of Cork’s food culture and gastronomic bounty with this Slow Food Event. 
Kay Harte of the Farmgate Café in the Market tells me that another food event will be held in the English Market in October showcasing the best of market foods when they will launch the first book ever written about the market – this will be a historical account of Cork’s English Market written by Donal and Diarmuid O’Drisceoil and published by Con Collins.

Clodagh who was born by the banks of the Lee spent four years doing business studies in NYU in New York City. She was blown away by the variety of eating options in New York, particularly the huge ready-to-go food business. She came back to Ireland full of enthusiasm and ready to open an exciting ‘Grab, Gobble & Go’ outfit, but first she decided to do the Certificate Course at the Ballymaloe Cookery School. After 12 weeks ‘indoctrination’ she became even more passionate about the need to source really good quality produce. A stint in Ballymaloe House working closely with Myrtle Allen on her stall at the Midleton Farmers Market followed and she gradually took over the stall from Myrtle and never looked back.

Myrtle who just last week won the Food and Wine Magazine Hall of Fame award would be up at 5am to show Clodagh how to make loaves of traditional soda bread for the market. Clodagh told me how excited she was to discover the Farmers Market ‘community’ and a whole network of new young foodie entrepreneurs, passionate about quality and who were like herself brimming with confidence and pride in the new and traditional artisan food products and local foods. 

She first heard about the Slow Food Movement in 2002 . The philosophy of celebrating differences in flavours, artisanal food production, small-scale agriculture, sustainable approaches to fishing and farming all appealed to her. Slow Food restores cultural dignity to food, promotes taste education and strives to defend biodiversity. 

She was involved in the organisation of the hugely successful Slow Food Weekends in Rosscarbery and Kenmare. Clodagh presented six different proposals for food events to the committee of Cork City of Culture, but much to her dismay food didn’t appear to be a priority. According to Clodagh the official 2005 Year of Culture Guide has about 50 pages on sport and not one mention of Cork’s number one culture – food.
The Slow Food Cork Festival will redress all that with backing and help from Musgraves, Febvre, Cork and Kerry Tourism, Failte Ireland and most of all Liz McAvoy in Cork City Challenge (our Slow Food Guardian Angel!) Slow Food plan to make this an annual event. 

The weekend starts on Friday night 23rd of September with a ‘Cork Schools Dinner’ at the Millennium Hall. The aim of the dinner is to raise awareness and funding for the ‘Cork Edible School Gardens Project’. Saturday morning will be dedicated to workshops, then in the afternoon there will be a huge farmers market on Patrick Street and a Cork City food tour. The ‘Slow Pub Trail’ starts at 7pm in Tom Barry’s Pub and ends at the Franciscan Well. Three of the five pubs will host fantastic Cork Artisan Producers selling plates of their food for €5. There will also be a quiz with a fabulous ‘food’ prize, please ask for further details in the pubs listed. 
Excursions will take place on Sunday to visit producers in Cork County. If you prefer to stay city centered Kino Art House Cinema will be showcasing ‘foodie movies’ all afternoon and further workshops will take place in UCC. The last event will be the ‘Slow Food Cork Awards’ recognising the sterling work and innovative enterprise of Ireland’s leading artisan food producers, chefs and quality food retailers. Additional categories will also acknowledge the work of food journalists and volunteers who work promoting the merits of quality Irish produce. Throughout the festival various restaurants in the city will be offering Slow Food menus – please visit www.slowfoodireland.com   for more information.

Clodagh and her team or volunteers are hoping that the whole of Cork will slow down and enjoy the convivial weekend that they have organised with something exciting and delicious for everyone to sample.

Farmgate Café Corned Mutton with Caper Sauce

Kay Harte shared this recipe with us – delicious corned mutton or corned beef feature all the time on the menu at the Farmgate Café in the market, otherwise there would be lots of disappointed customers.

Paul Murphy of Paul Murphy butchers in the Market corns the mutton for about 4 days and its absolutely mouthwatering.

1 leg of corned mutton
béchamel sauce – see recipe
capers

Weigh the leg of mutton and boil for approx. 20 minutes per lb in a large saucepan. Remove from the saucepan and place on a serving dish. Keep warm. Keep the cooking liquid.

Make the béchamel sauce making up the liquid with half milk and half mutton cooking liquid. Add a little mustard to the sauce (you could use English mustard or Dijon mustard) and some chopped fresh capers. Slice the mutton and serve with the sauce.

Kay serves it with steamed jacket potatoes and mashed carrot and turnip. She cooks the vegetables in some of the mutton cooking water to give a delicious flavour. 

Well worth a detour for!

Béchamel Sauce

½ pint (300ml) milk or half milk and half meat cooking liquid as suggested by Kay Harte

A few slices of carrot
A few slices of onion
A small sprig of thyme
A small sprig of parsley
3 peppercorns
1½ ozs (45g) roux (see below)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

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

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

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

Tripe and Onions
This recipe was given to me by Michael Ryan of Isaacs Restaurant in Cork, for my book on Traditional Irish Cooking, this was how his father cooked tripe and onions.

1 lb (450g) tripe
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper
cold milk - sufficient to cover

roux

Put the tripe into a saucepan, with the lid on, place on gas ring for 8-10 minutes approx. 
Discard the liquor in the pot, add the sliced onion and cover with cold milk. Simmer gently for 1 hour approx. until the tripe is tender. Strain off the milk, thicken with roux, season with salt and pepper. Strain the back into the saucepan with the tripe, heat through. Check seasoning, it will take quite a bit of pepper.
Serve on a slice of buttered white bread.

Tripe and Drisheen

After adding the thickened liquor back to the saucepan, you could if you wish add some drisheen to the tripe - peel and slice some cooked drisheen, add it to the saucepan and heat through before serving.

Tripe in Batter

2 lb (225g) tripe
batter - see below
dripping

Wash the tripe in hot water. Put it into boiling water and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming well. When quite tender, take out the trip, dry it, cut in pieces about 2 inches (5cm) square and allow it to become perfectly cold. Put the fat into a frying pan, when hot dip the pieces of tripe into the batter and fry at once.

Batter

4 ozs (110g) flour
2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoon pepper
5 fl. ozs (150ml) milk

To make the batter, put the flour and salt into a basin, make a hole in the centre, pour in the liquid gradually, beating till the batter is quite smooth.

Pigs Head 

My children were appalled at the unmentionable bits that they occasionally glimpsed while I tested recipes for my Traditional Irish Food book, pigs tails, bodice, tripe, drisheen .... such a lily-livered lot, this generation!

Pigs Head and Cabbage

Half a pigs head

a head of cabbage
a lump of butter
pepper

Remove the brain and discard. Wash the pigs head well. Put in a large saucepan and cover with cold water, bring to the boil, discard water and continue to cook in a covered saucepan for 3-4 hours or until the meat is soft and tender and almost lifting off the bones. 

Meanwhile, remove the outside leaves from the cabbage, cut into quarters and remove the centre core. Cut into thin strips across the grain, about 30 minutes before the pig's head is cooked add the cabbage and continue to cook until the cabbage is soft and tender and the pigs head is fully cooked through.

Devotees of pig's head would simply surround the pigs head with cabbage on a plate and serve this. However, for a less dramatic presentation and ease of carving, the bones can be removed and the pigs head cut into slices. Don't forget to give each person a piece of tongue and ear. The Pig's ear is a particular favourite.

Crubeens

The Irish name for salted pigs trotters have long been a

favourite in Ireland the front feet are considered to be sweeter and more meaty and succulent than the back legs which are less meaty and more grisly and best used for their gelatinous quality they give to and pies
Crubeens were regular in pubs, a particular favourite with not only the customer but also the publican who was fully aware of the thirst they provoked!
Serves 6

6 Crubeens
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1 bay leaf
5 or 6 parsley stalks
a good sprig of thyme
a few peppercorns
enough cold water to cover well
NO SALT

Put all the ingredients into a large pot, cover with plenty of cold water, bring to the boil, skim. Boil gently for 2 or 3 hours or until the meat is soft and tender. Eat either warm or cold with a little mustard if you fancy.

Ballymaloe Spiced Beef 
Although Spiced Beef is traditionally associated with Christmas, in Cork we eat it all year round! It may be served hot or cold and is a marvellous stand-by, because if it is properly spiced and cooked it will keep for 3-4 weeks in a fridge.
Serves 12-16

3-4 lbs (1.35kg-1.8kg) lean flap of beef or silverside

Ballymaloe spice for beef

This delicious recipe for Spiced Beef has been handed down in Myrtle Allen's family and is the best I know. It includes saltpetre, nowadays regarded as a health hazard, so perhaps you should not live exclusively on it! Certainly people have lived on occasional meals of meats preserved in this way, for generations.

The recipe below makes enough spice to cure 5 flanks of beef, each 4 lbs (1.8kg) approx in size.

8 ozs (225g) demerara sugar
12 ozs (340g) salt
½ oz (15g) saltpetre (available from chemists)
3 ozs (85g) whole black pepper
3 ozs (85g) whole allspice (pimento, Jamaican pepper)
3 ozs (85g) whole juniper berries

Grind all the ingredients (preferably in a food processor) until fairly fine. Store in a screw-top jar; it will keep for months, so make the full quantity even if it is more than you need at a particular time.

To prepare the beef: If you are using flank of beef, remove the bones and trim away any unnecessary fat. Rub the spice well over the beef and into every crevice. Put into an earthenware dish and leave in a fridge or cold larder for 3-7 days, turning occasionally. (This is a dry spice, but after a day or two some liquid will come out of the meat.). The longer the meat is left in the spice, the longer it will last and the more spicy the flavour.

Just before cooking, roll and tie the joint neatly with cotton string into a compact shape, cover with cold water and simmer for 2-3 hours or until soft and cooked. If it is not to be eaten hot, press by putting it on a flat tin or into an appropriate sized bread tin; cover it with a board and weight and leave for 12 hours.

Spiced Beef will keep for 3-4 weeks in a fridge.

To serve: Cut it into thin slices and serve with some freshly-made salads and home-made chutneys, or in sandwiches.

Smoked Cod with Parsley Sauce

O’Connells fish mongers in the English Market tell me that Smoked Cod is a very popular Cork dish at this time of the year.

Serves 6

6 portions of smoked cod (allow 170 g/6 ozs approx. filleted fish per person)
1 tablesp.finely-chopped onion
Salt and freshly ground pepper
30 g (1 oz) butter
1 tablesp. freshly chopped parsley
Light cream or creamy milk to cover the fish, approx. 300 ml (½ pint)
Roux – see bechamel sauce recipe.

Enrichment
15 g (½ oz) butter 

Melt the butter in a pan. Fry the onion gently for a few minutes until soft but not coloured. Put the cod in the pan and cook on both sides for 1 minute. Season with salt and freshly- ground pepper. Cover with cream or creamy milk and simmer with the lid on for 5-10 minutes, until the fish is cooked. Remove the fish to a serving dish. Bring the cooking liquid to the boil and lightly thicken with roux. Whisk in the remaining butter, add the chopped parsley, check the seasoning. Coat the fish with sauce and serve immediately with floury potatoes or some creamy mash.

This dish can be prepared ahead and reheated and it also freezes well. Reheat in a moderate oven 180ºC/350ºF/regulo 4, for anything from 10-30 minutes, depending on the size of the container.

Carrigeen Moss Pudding

Carrigeen moss is bursting with goodness. I ate it as a child but never liked it as it was always too stiff and unpalatable. Myrtle Allen changed my opinion! Hers was always so light and fluffy. This is her recipe, it’s the best and most delicious. We find that visitors to the country are fascinated by the idea of a dessert made with seaweed and they just love it. The name comes from little rock.

Serves 4-6

8g (¼oz) cleaned, well dried carrigeen moss (1 semi-closed fistful)
850ml (12pint) milk 
1 tablespoon castor sugar
1 egg, preferably free range
2 teaspoon pure vanilla essence or a vanilla pod

Soak the carrigeen in tepid water for 10 minutes. Strain off the water and put the carrigeen into a saucepan with milk and vanilla pod if used. Bring to the boil and simmer very gently with the lid on for 20 minutes. At that point and not before, separate the egg, put the yolk into a bowl, add the sugar and vanilla essence and whisk together for a few seconds, then pour the milk and carrigeen moss through a strainer onto the egg yolk mixture whisking all the time. The carrigeen will now be swollen and exuding jelly. Rub all this jelly through the strainer and beat it into the milk with the sugar, egg yolk and vanilla essence if used. Test for a set in a saucer as one would with gelatine. Whisk the egg white stiffly and fold or fluff it in gently. It will rise to make a fluffy top. Serve chilled with soft brown sugar and cream and or with a fruit compote eg. Blackberry and apple or poached rhubarb

Foolproof Food

Compote of Blackberry and Apples with Sweet Geranium Leaves

A delicious Autumn dessert.

Serves 3 approx.

225g (8 ozs) sugar
450ml (16fl ozs) water
4 large dessert apples eg. Worcester Pearmain or Cox’s Orange Pippin
275g (10 ozs) blackberries
8 large sweet geranium leaves (Pelargonium Graveolens)

Put the sugar, cold water and sweet geranium leaves into a saucepan, bring to the boil for 1-2 minutes. Peel the apples thinly with a peeler, keeping a good round shape. Quarter them, remove the core and trim the ends. Cut into segments 5mm (1/4inch) thick. Add to the syrup. Poach until translucent but not broken. Cover with a paper lid and lid of the saucepan. 

Just 3-5 minutes before they have finished cooking, add the blackberries, simmer together so that they are both cooked at once.

Serve chilled, with little shortbread biscuits.

Hot Tips

Cork Coffee Roasters is a new, gourmet coffee micro-roaster owned and operated by Master Coffee Roaster, John Gowan. He specialises in small batch coffee roasting, using only the highest quality Arabica beans. 
The company offers for sale a number of specialty roasts, but is best known for their Full City Blend Espresso. Orders are taken online at corkcoffe@gmail.com  or it can be purchased at the Bubble Brothers located in the English Market.
Try some today and taste the best and freshest coffee currently available in Ireland.

Congratulations to Myrtle Allen on receiving a Hall of Fame Award from Food and Wine Magazine –‘ For her outstanding contribution to Ireland’s gastronomic development.’

AstroPuppees ‘Sugar Beat’
Singer-songwriter-producer Kelley Ryan’s fourth album ‘Sugar Beat’ was released on 26th August. Kelley fell in love with Ireland and particularly with ‘The People’s Republic of Cork’ during her time attending the 3 month Cookery Course at the Ballymaloe Cookery School some years ago. In addition to the cookery classes she found time to compose songs for the first AstroPuppees album as well as play at local pubs. She now divides her time between Co Cork and Los Angeles and is as much at home in the kitchen as the recording studio.