AuthorDarina Allen

Here on our farm in Shanagarry, we milk three docile Jersey cows every morning, (they remain with the calves in the evening) The milk is separated from the rich yellow Jersey cream in a brilliant new electric separator which replaced the old hand cranked Alfa Lavel.

As a family we love fresh unpasteurised milk, the flavour and mouth feel is so wonderful – like many of you I was reared on raw milk.  Twice a week we make thick unctuous yogurt (just milk and a live yogurt culture – no milk powder or additives needed) and cheese, usually a cheddar type in little 1kg truckles that take at least 3 months to mature.

Every day except at weekends we made beautiful butter from the cream, rich golden butter reminiscent of what my great Aunt Lil in Co Tipperary made when I was a child though not with such a ripe flavour.

We serve thick pouring Jersey cream with pudding; it also makes the most sublime homemade ice-cream.

More recently we’ve been experimenting with making ricotta from the whey left over from cheese making. Ricotta means ‘re-cooked’.

According to Wikipedia, ‘Ricotta is an Italian dairy product made from sheep (cow, goat, or buffalo) milk whey left over from cheese production. Although typically referred to as ricotta cheese, ricotta is not properly a cheese because it is not produced by coagulation of casein. Rather, it is made by coagulating other milk proteins, notably albumin and globulin, left over in the whey that separates from the milk during the production of cheese. In fact, ricotta is safely eaten by individuals with casein intolerance.’ The latter is brilliant news for the growing number of people who are dairy intolerant.

To make the ricotta we leave the whey to settle overnight, then in the morning simply bring the whey back up to 94º in a large heavy stainless steel bottomed saucepan (don’t boil). Allow to settle for at least two hours, the ricotta ‘curds’ are tiny, so we strain them through a sterilised jelly bag or double thickness of sterilised cheese cloth. The resulting ricotta is fine and tender.

Depending on what you plan to use it for, it can continue to drip overnight; the ricotta will be firmer and brilliantly versatile.  We use it in a myriad of ways. For breakfast, we serve it with local honey drizzled over the top. When we fold in a little cream and sugar, it tastes exactly like the French Petit Suisse, irresistible on its own or with Summer berries.

I also love it with a dice of candied citrus peel folded through and maybe some dark chocolate grated on top.

Ricotta is also delicious with pasta, in ravioli, tortellini or cappelletti; Italians also love it in lasagne as a filling for Sicilian cannoli.

Bill Granger uses it to make his famous ricotta hot cakes which I enjoyed for brunch at Granger and Co in London on my last trip.

For those of you who don’t have your own, seek out Toonsbridge Buffalo Ricotta – made by Sean Ferris and Toby Simmonds, available at Farmers Markets and from their newly opened little shop beside their warehouse and buffalo dairy in the old creamery near Macroom, West Cork – 021 4270842.

 

Ricotta, Tomato and Thyme Tart

 

Serves 8

 

2 – 3 ripe tomatoes, finely sliced

sea salt

225g (8oz) puff or savoury short crust pastry

450g (1lb) ricotta

2 free range eggs, lightly beaten

50ml (2 fl oz) cream

150g (5oz) finely grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

freshly ground black pepper

1 cup finely chopped rocket (arugula)

glaze

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten, for glazing

 

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Mark 6. Slice the tomatoes in a colander, sprinkle with salt and allow to drain on a wire rack. Roll pastry dough into rounds about 35cm (14in) in diameter and 3mm (1/4 in) thick. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured baking tray.

Whisk the eggs and cream and add the ricotta and ½ the thyme leaves, season with a little salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the chopped rocket, mix well.

Spread this ricotta mixture in the centre of the dough leave a 5cm (2in) border around the edge. Fold the border onto the filling. Arrange ripe tomato slices over the top of the filling. Brush the pastry with whisked egg yolk. Sprinkle the remainder of the thyme leaves over the top. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Serve with a good green salad.

 

Rory O’Connell’s Ricotta and Lemon Cake

 

Serves 6 -8

 

175g (6oz) butter at room temperature

175g (6oz) caster sugar

3 lemons, zested

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs, separated

250g (9oz) ricotta

125g (4 1/2oz) self-raising flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

 

Pre heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

 

Butter and flour an 18cm (7 inch) cake tin and line the base with a disc of parchment paper.

Beat the butter and sugar until pale light and fluffy. Add the lemon zest, vanilla, egg yolks and ricotta and mix gently. Mix in the sieved flour and baking powder. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the ricotta mixture.

 

Bake for 35 minutes until risen, firm and golden in colour. Allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

 

Remove from the tin and peel off the parchment paper.

 

Serve the cake with fresh or poached fruit, caramel sauce and cream or yoghurt.

 

Bill Granger’s Ricotta Hotcakes with Honeycomb Butter

 

Serves 6 – 8

 

300g (10 ½ oz) ricotta

180mls (6fl oz) milk

4 eggs, separated

110g (4oz) plain white flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

A pinch of salt

50g (1 ½ oz) butter

 

To Serve

Banana

Honey comb butter, sliced (below)

Icing (confectioners’) sugar for dusting

 

Place ricotta, milk and egg yolks in a mixing bowl and mix to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add to the ricotta mixture and mix until combined.

Place the egg whites in a clean dry bowl and beat until still peaks form. Fold egg whites through batter in two batches, with a large metal spoon.

Lightly grease a large non-stick frying pan with a small portion of the butter and drop 2 tablespoons of batter per hotcake into the pan (don’t cook more than 3 per batch). Cook over low to medium heat for 2 minutes, or until hotcakes have golden undersides. Turn hotcakes and cook on the other side until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and quickly assemble with other ingredients.

Slice one banana lengthways onto a plate; stack 3 hotcakes on top with a slice of honey comb butter. Dust with icing sugar.

Note: hotcake batter can be stored for up to 24 hours, covered with a plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

 

Honeycomb Butter

 

250g (8oz) unsalted butter, softened

100g (3 ½ oz) sugar honeycomb, crushed with a rolling pin

2 tablespoons honey

 

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Shape into a log on a plastic wrap, roll, seal and chill in a refrigerator for 2 hours. Store leftover honeycomb butter in the freezer – it’s great on toast.

 

JR Ryall’s Honeycomb

 

JR, head pastry chef at Ballymaloe House shared this recipe with us.

 

400g (14oz) caster sugar

100ml (3 ½ fl oz) Irish honey

2 tablespoon liquid glucose ( use the same amount of powdered glucose if liquid is not available)

11/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (sieved)

 

Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

Place the sugar, glucose and honey in a heavy bottom saucepan with 100ml (3 ½ fl oz) water.

Place the saucepan on a medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Once dissolved stir no more! Simply swirl the pot to ensure the mixture heats evenly. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature. Allow the boiling sugar solution to reach 160C in temperature; then quickly whisk in the bicarbonate of soda and tip the molten honeycomb onto the lined tray. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Ricotta with Candied Citrus Peel and Grated Chocolate

 

Serves 4

 

225g (8oz) ricotta

30ml (1 fl oz) cream

25g – 50g (1 – 2 oz) diced homemade candied peel

caster sugar (optional)

1 -2 oz grated dark chocolate

6 – 8 mint leaves

 

Fold cream and diced candied peel into the ricotta. Taste and add a little sugar if necessary, when the grated chocolate is sprinkled on top, it’s usually nicely balanced. Top with shredded mint leaves and serve.

 

Hottips

 

There are still a few places left on half day course How to Make Homemade Butter, Yoghurt and Several Cheeses at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Wednesday 3rd October. This morning course (which includes a light lunch after the demonstration) will also teach you how to make a long list of delicious dairy products including cottage cheese, labneh, paneer, ricotta and a simple farmhouse cheese. Phone 021-4646785 or www.cookingisfun.ie

 

Kinsale’s 36th Gourmet Festival in association with the Kinsale Good Food Circle will take place from Friday 12th to Sunday 14th October – Saturday 13th October 2012
Don’t miss ‘The Mad Hatters Taste Of Kinsale.’on Saturday where you can join Alice and friends for an escorted tour of the 10 Members of Kinsale’s Good Food Circle and sample dishes from their kitchens that show the culinary skills of the chefs of Kinsale.  – for tickets and more details – www.kinsalerestaurants.com

 

Kilcolman Rectory in Enniskeane, Clonakilty are running gardening classes throughout the Autumn – some interesting guest teachers lined up…phone +353 (0)23 – 8822913 for details.

 

Autumn Food Festivals
Galway International Oyster Festival, 28th to 30th September. Tipperary Harvest Food Festival, Clerihan, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, 30th September. Leenane Autumnal Festival, Leenane, Co. Galway, 29th to 30th September. Macroom Food Festival, 28th – 30th September 2012. OktoberBeerFest, Dublin Docklands, 20th Sept – 7th October

Something needs to be done about what’s happening to our food. The number of people who have food intolerances or full blown allergies is nothing short of alarming. Those in the food business now, see the ‘free from’ market as the fastest growing opportunities and this is not niche more main stream. A list of food allergies were recently sent to restaurant owners to look out for by the FSAI (Food Safety Authority of Ireland)

What research is being done into the cause of this escalating problem? Several times a week I get requests for gluten free, for diary free and egg free recipes.

People are in desperation, a growing number of people have not one but multiple allergies, it’s like as if the ‘cocktail’ effect of eating a variety of additives, preservatives and colourings plus a ton of other strange stabilizers and enzymes over a number of years has suddenly kicked in.
I don’t know the answer but this I do know, fresh naturally produced local food in season is much less likely to cause problems. Follow Michael Pollan’s advice ‘Avoid food containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry’ ‘Avoid foods that have some form of sugar (or sweetener) listed among the top three ingredients’ ‘Avoid foods that contain more than five ingredients’ ‘Buy your snacks at the Farmers Market’ and  ‘Eat only foods cooked by humans’

And steer well clear of anything that makes health claims, you’ll find it rarely delivers. Buy fresh, of course there are exceptions and eat soon. I personally avoid food with sell by dates and best before dates as much as possible that eliminates most processed food and a ton of packaging. If you are fortunate enough to have a good country or farmers market near you, patronise them, it’s a myth that farmers markets are more expensive – check it out for yourself, plus you’ll often actually meet the farmers or food producers. Invest in a chicken coop – get a few hens – move them around your lawn, they’ll eat the food scraps from the house and at least you’ll know how and where your eggs come from. A growing number of people can’t eat eggs – it’s definitely time to examine our conscience – the cost of cheap food is too high in health terms and socio economic terms.

Irish people on average now spend 7 per cent of their income on food – how much do we spend on medicine?

Debbie Shaw, a teacher at Ballymaloe Cookery School and Naturopathic Nutritionist has shared some of her recipes using spelt flour with us. She will teach a cookery course Feel Good Food for Winter in October (see Hot Tips)

 

Debbie Shaw’s Wholemeal Brown Spelt Health Loaf

 

This little loaf packs a powerful energy-giving punch. It is full of B vitamins and, essential fats, with oats for slow release energy and oat bran for lowering cholesterol. Nutritious and delicious, this bread keeps very well for several days and is also great toasted.

 

Makes 1 loaf

 

400g (14oz) stone ground brown spelt flour

75g (3oz) white spelt flour, preferably unbleached

1 teaspoon salt

1 level teaspoon bread soda, sieved (Bicarbonate of Soda/Baking Soda)

1 egg, preferably free range

1 tablespoon oat bran

2 tablespoons oats

1 tablespoon sunflower oil, unscented

1 teaspoon honey

425ml (15fl ozs) buttermilk
2 tablespoons Linnwoods mixed ground seeds
2 tablespoons of mixed pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds for the top

 

Loaf tin 23×12.5x5cm (9x5x2in)

 

Preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6.

 

Put all the dry ingredients including the sieved bread soda into a large bowl, mix well. Whisk the egg, add the oil and honey and most of the buttermilk. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in all the liquid, mix well and add more buttermilk if necessary. The mixture should be soft and slightly sloppy, pour into an oiled tin. Sprinkle the mixed seeds on top. Bake for 60 minutes approximately or until the bread is nice and crusty and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

 

Debbie Shaw’s Banana Bread

This is a lovely, moist loaf and a great way to use up over-ripe bananas, especially at this time of the year.

 

Vitality Statistics: Bananas are a great source of potassium and energy booster. They are however very high in natural sugar and are best eaten as a snack accompanied by a few seeds or 3-4 nuts to slow the sugar release.Cinnamon is a natural blood sugar balancer, excellent in helping to combat sugar cravings.

 

Serves 10-12

 

110g (4oz) white spelt flour
110g (4oz) brown spelt flour (Ballybrado)
1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice
1 teaspoon of salt
75g (3oz) Billington’s unrefined caster sugar
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 large egg, beaten
75ml (3fl oz) of sunflower oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
65g (2 1/2oz) pecan nuts or walnuts, chopped
4 large ripe bananas, well mashed

 

Place the flour, salt, finely sieved baking powder and caster sugar into a large bowl. Lightly mix the egg, oil, vanilla and maple syrup together and add to the dry ingredient mixing very gently. Fold the pecan nuts and mashed bananas into t this mixture with a fork being careful not to over beat or mix. Place in a lined and oiled 900g (2lb) loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 1 hour. Allow it to cool in the tin before turning out.

For a Sugar Free Version:
I have also made this bread very successfully omitting the 75g (3oz) of caster sugar and ensuring that the bananas are very, very ripe and it is very tasty.

Debbie Shaw’s Spiced Pear and Ginger Crumble with Pecan Nut Topping

Because of their grainy texture and high pectin content pears are a natural diuretic and help de-toxify the body. They are also high in iodine, which helps to promote good thyroid function. Ginger is a super immune booster with potent expectorant and anti-septic properties. In addition its active compound “gingerol” helps fight cancer, improves circulation and soothes a nauseous stomach. It is a power-packed pharmacy all of its own. Ginger and pears are a match made in heaven!

Serves 6-8

8 large ripe pears, peeled and cored and cut into 1” slices lengthwise
1 scant tablespoon of dark brown Muscavado sugar
1 tablespoon of finely grated, peeled fresh root ginger
finely grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon

For the Crumble Topping

3oz (75g) white spelt flour
2oz (50g) of oats
1 heaped tablespoon of dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
25g (1oz) of cold butter
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
2 tablespoons of coarsely chopped pecan nuts

 

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

First make the crumble topping. Place the flour in a bowl and rub in the cold butter and the coconut oil. Add the sugar, cinnamon, whole oats, maple syrup and chopped pecans, mix and chill.

Place the sliced pears tossed with the brown sugar, grated ginger, lemon zest and lemon juice into an oven proof dish and sprinkle with the crumble topping loosely. Bake the crumble in the preheated oven until the topping is toasted and the pears are tender, 20-30 minutes.

 

Debbie Shaw’s Cinnamon and Buckwheat Buttermilk Pancakes with Noel’s Toffee Bananas

 

Cinnamon not only smells and tastes wonderful, it is also a great natural blood sugar balancer. Buckwheat, despite its name is gluten-free. It is not strictly a grain but the seed from a plant related to the Dock family. It is an excellent source of protein and fibre and high in rutin, which promotes circulation in the body. These pancakes are lovely for breakfast but also make a quick and tasty dessert with the chocolate drops and toffee bananas, adding extra decadence.

 

Makes 8-10 pancakes

100g (3 1/2oz) buckwheat flour
125g (4 1/2oz) organic white spelt flour
2 small free-range organic eggs
2 generous teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 generous tablespoon of unrefined caster sugar or honey
1 1/2level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
175mls (6floz) of buttermilk
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil for cooking
Maple syrup for drizzling over the pancakes (optional)
2 tablespoons of chocolate drops (for special treats or desserts)

Sieve the flours and baking soda and place them in a bowl with the ground cinnamon, the caster sugar and the salt. Make a well in the centre and add the beaten eggs (whisk the honey into the eggs if using instead of sugar). Whisking continuously, add the buttermilk a little at a time, ensuring you whisk out the lumps before adding more buttermilk. The batter should not be runny.

 

Heat a non-stick frying pan and when it is hot add 1/2 tablespoon of sunflower oil and drop 1 tablespoon of the batter for each pancake into the hot pan. When bubbles appear on one side flip to the other side. Before flipping the pancakes you can plant a few chocolate drops in each one, flip and cook. Serve with fresh mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries) and natural yoghurt and drizzle with a little maple syrup or serve the pancakes with Noel’s Toffee Bananas.

 

Noel’s Toffee Bananas

 

Serves 5

4 ripe bananas
2 tablespoons of honey
2 teaspoons of soft brown sugar
juice of 2 oranges
a few knobs of butter

 

My Dad used to make these for my sister and I when we were kids (when we were good!) and they are yum. Juice the orange. Peel the bananas and cut them in half lengthwise and then in quarters on an angle. Heat a non-stick frying pan and place the bananas flat side down in the pan. Allow the bananas to caramelise on one side and turn over. Add the knob of butter, the honey and the fresh orange juice and allow to reduce and thicken. Serve hot with the pancakes and a dollop of natural probiotic yoghurt. Serve the pancakes with the bananas and some low fat natural yoghurt. Drizzle with a little maple syrup.

Hottips

Look out for Michelle and Philip Mansuy’s Bakery stall at Midleton Farmers Market and Glan Gluten at Mahon Point Farmers Market – 0862339519 – both sell superb gluten free food that any cook would be proud to serve. www.midletonfarmersmarket.com and www.mahonpointfarmersmarket.com

Two courses at Ballymaloe Cookery School

Debbie Shaw will teach a one day Feel Good Food for Winter course at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Saturday 13th October 2012 from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Debbie has worked as a chef at Ballymaloe House and as a teacher and cookery demonstrator at the Ballymaloe Cookery School for the past 10 years. She qualified as a Naturopathic Nutritionist in 2010. She’ll teach you how to cook delicious recipes using fresh, healthy ingredients to help build up good strong immunity for the winter and will show you that whole, natural foods have the power to heal and bring vitality, happiness, and well-being.

Gluten Free Cooking with Rosemary Kearney Saturday 6th October 2012
2:00pm to 5:00pm. Rosemary has been a coeliac – and a food lover – all her life and has a keen understanding of the challenges coeliacs face.  In this course a wide range of brand new and exciting gluten-free recipes will be demonstrated promising to tantalize the taste buds of coeliacs and non-coeliacs alike.  – To book both courses phone 021 4646785 or www.cookingisfun.ie

Slow Food Event at the Ballymaloe Cookery School – Frank Murphy second generation local butcher from Midleton will give a talk on the forgotten cuts of beef, breed and feed, hanging times on Thursday September 27th at 7pm. Proceeds to support the East Cork Slow Food Educational Project. Booking Essential to 021 4646785 or emailslowfoodeastcork@gmail.com

 

For many families around the country, these are frantically busy not to mention expensive weeks. Kids of all ages starting or going back to school or college. Both parents and students excited and apprehensive in equal measure.

Mums of college kids tell me their main worry is “How will they feed themselves?”. This week I’ll dedicate my column to easy nourishing inexpensive dishes. In order to cook one must have some basic equipment so perhaps I’ll include a ‘Student wish list’ – the equivalent of a wedding list that could be circulated to grandparents and aunties and uncles who may want to give a little present but not sure what would be useful. Some items, for example a whisk only cost a few euros others like a good cast iron casserole will cost over €150.00 but will be invaluable for making a fine pot of stew and can also double up as a cake tin and ultimately be part of their ‘bottom drawer’

 

A Bamix will puree soup, whip cream, make mayonnaise, whizz up a smoothie, it’s a brilliant electrical gadget that makes short work of otherwise laboursome tasks.

 

A couple of decent knives, a knife sharpener and a good chopping board are also essential and if there is a gas cooker, a wok from an Asian shop is the ultimate multipurpose cooking utensil. Stir fry, boil, steam, poach, scramble, one can even make an omelette in a wok.

 

Then there is the Store Cupboard List. No one can rustle up a meal if the cupboard is totally bare but some basic foods are so much more nourishing than others. Porridge (cheap and brilliantly satisfying) lentils, chickpeas and haricot beans – (buy them dry and when soaked they double in volume.)  Tinned tomatoes are invaluable for pasta sauces, soups, stews. Potatoes, filling, cheap nourishing. Cabbage, great cooked or in salads. Onions, garlic –  the basis of everything. Pasta is ok – cheap, cheerful and handy but fairly empty calories. What they’ll miss most is home cooking so try to send them off with a little copy book of hand written easy to follow family recipes that can be gradually added to – it will soon become a treasured possession.

 

Macroom Oatmeal Porridge

 

Michael Pollan wrote in his Food Rules an Eaters Manual ‘ Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother would not recognise as food’. She certainly would not approve of some of the weird breakfast cereals on offer nowadays, but she’d agree that a bowl of cheap and cheerful porridge is a perfect start to any day.

Serves 4

 

 

5 1/2 ozs (155g) Macroom oatmeal

32 fl ozs (950 ml) water

1 level teaspoon salt

 

Obligatory accompaniment!

Soft brown sugar

 

Bring 4 cups of water to the boil, sprinkle in the oatmeal, gradually stirring all the time.  Put on a low heat and stir until the water comes to the boil.

 

Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the salt and stir again.  Serve with single cream or milk and soft brown sugar melting over the top.

Left over porridge can be stored in a covered container in the fridge – it will reheat perfectly the next day.

 

French Toast with whatever you have.

 

Great with bacon, maple syrup, bananas, berries…

Serves 1

 

1 egg, free range if possible

2 tablespoons milk

1 – 2  teaspoons sugar

 

 

2 slices decent white bread

A little clarified butter

 

 

Whisk the egg in a bowl with the milk.  Add the sugar. Pour onto a plate and dip both sides of the bread in it.  Melt a little clarified butter in the pan; fry the bread on a medium heat, when golden on one side turn over onto the other.  Put on a hot plate, top with sliced banana and a blob of chilled yogurt, drizzle with maple syrup or honey and scatter with a few chopped walnuts. Serve immediately.

 

Indian ‘French toast’

 

Omit the sugar and finely chopped onion and add some chopped chilli and coriander season with salt and freshly ground black pepper – perky and delicious. 

 

Haricot Beans with Tomato and Rosemary

 

A brilliant multipurpose dish that can be vegetarian but also delicious with cubes of streaky bacon, belly of pork or a few slices of chorizo sausage.

 

Serves 4-6

 

1 cup dried haricot beans

bouquet garni

1 onion

1 carrot

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 ozs (170g) chopped onion

4 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 x 14 oz (400g) tin tomatoes

1 large sprig rosemary chopped, approx 1 tablespoon

salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

 

Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water. Next day, strain the beans and cover with fresh cold water, add a bouquet garni, carrot and onion, cover and simmer until the beans are soft but not mushy – anything from 30-60 minutes. Just before the end of cooking, add salt. Remove the bouquet garni and vegetables and discard.

 

Meanwhile sweat the chopped onion gently in olive oil in a wide saucepan until soft but not coloured, approx. 7-8 minutes add the garlic and cook for another minute or two, add the chopped tomato and their juice, add the cooked beans, and chopped rosemary. Simmer for 10-15 minutes add some of the bean liquid if necessary and season well with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar.

 

Note: The mixture should be juicy but not swimming in liquid.

 

Gratin of Haricot Beans with Tomato and Rosemary

Put the mixture into a shallow ovenproof dish.  Scatter a mixture of buttered crumbs and grated cheese over the top and put into a hot oven or flash under a grill until crisp and golden on top.

 

Haricot Beans with Tomato and Rosemary with Chorizo

Add 1 chorizo, sliced, to the tomato base with the beans and rosemary.

 

 

Cabbage Salad with Raisins and Mint

 

Serves 8 approx.

 

If you are tiring of the ubiquitous coleslaw, then you might like to try this fresh tasting cabbage salad, bursting with vitamins and minerals.

 

1/2 white cabbage with a good heart

2-3 large dessert apples, grated – we like Cox’s orange pippin

2 tablespoons raisins

4 tablespoons freshly chopped mint

1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives

4 tablespoons pure Irish honey

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

 

Cut the cabbage into quarters.   Wash it well and discard the coarse outer leaves.  Cut away the stalks and shred the heart very finely with a very sharp knife.  Put it into a bowl with the grated apple, raisins, freshly chopped mint and chives.  Mix the honey and vinegar together.  Toss the salad in the dressing until well coated.  Taste and correct seasoning and serve soon.

 

Mammy’s Lamb Stew

 

Great to have an all-purpose recipe for stew. Beef, chicken thighs or shoulder of pork can be substituted for lamb. Ask the butcher for neck of lamb chops, they are cheapest but still sweet and succulent.

The word stew is often associated in these islands with not very exciting mid-week dinners. People tend to say almost apologetically, oh its only stew, no matter how delicious it is.

Well, let me tell you they smack their lips in France at the mere mention of a great big bubbling stew and now these gutsy, comforting pots are appearing on many of the smartest restaurant menus.

 

Serves 4-6

 

 

4 lb (1.8kg) neck or gigot or rack chops from the shoulder of lamb not less than 2.5cm (1 inch thick)

12 ozs (350g) green streaky bacon (blanch if salty)

seasoned white flour, preferably unbleached

a little butter or oil for sautéing

1 lb (450g) onions, (baby ones are nicest)

12 ozs (350g) carrot, peeled and thickly sliced

1 3/4 pints (750ml) approx. lamb or chicken stock

8-12 ‘old’ potatoes (optional)

sprig of thyme

roux – optional, Mushroom a la Crème (optional) For this recipe see Darina’s Letter of the Week http://letters.cookingisfun.ie/2009/02/28/burger-culture/

 

Garnish

1 dessertspoon freshly chopped parsley

 

Cut the rind off bacon and cut into approx. 1/2 inch (1cm) cubes blanch if salty and dry in kitchen paper. Divide the lamb into 8 pieces and roll in seasoned flour. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and sauté the bacon until crisp, remove and put in a casserole. Add the lamb to the pan and sauté until golden then add to the bacon in the casserole. Heat control is crucial here, the pan mustn’t burn yet it must be hot enough to sauté the lamb. If it is cool the lamb will stew rather than sauté and as a result the meat may be tough. Then quickly sauté the onions and carrots, adding a little butter if necessary, and put them into the casserole. Degrease the sauté pan and deglaze with the stock, bring to the boil, pour over the lamb.

 

Cover the top of the stew with peeled potatoes (if using) and season well. Add a sprig of thyme and bring to simmering point on top of the stove, cover the pot and then put into the oven for 45-60 minutes, 180C/350F/regulo 4. Cooking time depends on how long the lamb was sautéed for.

 

When the casserole is just cooked, strain off the cooking liquid, degrease and return degreased liquid to the casserole and bring to the boil. Thicken with a little roux if necessary. Add back in the meat, carrots, onions and potatoes, bring back to the boil.

The casserole is very good served at this point, but it’s even more delicious if some Mushroom a la Crème is stirred in as an enrichment. Serve bubbling hot sprinkled with chopped parsley.

 

Apple Crumble

 

Everyone loves a comforting crumble. The fruit can vary with the seasons, plums, blackberries, rhubarb and strawberry, gooseberry.

 

Serves 6-8

 

Crumbles are comfort food; vary the fruit according to the season.

 

1 1/2 lbs (675g) Bramley Seedling cooking apples

1 1/2-2 ozs (45-50g) sugar

1-2 tablespoons water

 

Crumble

4 ozs (110g) white flour, preferably unbleached

2 ozs (50g) cold butter

2 ozs (50g) castor sugar

1 oz (25g) chopped almonds or hazelnuts (optional)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

 

2 pint (1.1L) capacity pie dish

 

Peel the apples, cut into quarters, remove the core and cut into large cubes.

Turn into a pie dish. Sprinkle with sugar.

 

Rub the butter into the flour just until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs, add the sugar and cinnamon and chopped nuts if using. Sprinkle this mixture over the apple in the pie dish. Bake in a preheated moderate oven 180°C/350°F/regulo 4, for 30-45 minutes or until the topping is cooked and golden. Serve with whipped cream and soft brown sugar

 

A Store Cupboard List

 

Onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, eggs, free range if possible. Flour, e.g. plain, self raising, strong brown, strong white, coarse brown. Oatmeal, pasta/noodles/spaghetti/macaroni/shells/penne etc…grains, couscous, bulgar, long grain Basmati rice.

Tinned tomatoes, mature Cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, chicken stock/cube

Butter, extra virgin olive oil and sunflower oil

Some whole spices eg. coriander, cardamom, nutmeg, cumin, cloves, chilli flakes

Dried Fruit and Apricots, Homemade jam, Irish honey, marmalade

Tortillas – and pitta bread

Soy Sauce, Nam pla – (fish sauce), sweet chilli sauce, salami, chorizo

 

 

Hottips

 

Discovery of the Week - Luke Murphy’s goat cheese, an Irish chévre log with a furry white coat, ready to eat after three weeks. Luke’s Mammy, Jane Murphy who makes the Ardsallagh goat cheese is very proud of this new addition and so she should be – look out for it – 021 – 4882336

 

A Date for Your Diary – Slow Food Ireland Apple and Craft Cider Festival, Cahir, Co Tipperary – 22^nd– 23^rd September - Since 2011 there has been resurgence in interest in craft ciders and this is a rare opportunity to sample many of the new ciders from around Ireland under one roof. You can compare and contrast the various styles and as a rare treat you can try some specially commissioned traditional Irish cider, made to Dick Keating’s recipe and guaranteed to lift the fur off your tongue, at 13 per cent volume it’s not for the faint hearted, and much much more

www.slowfoodireland.com/ciderfest

 

Waterford Harvest Festival – 10th to 16th September – a week-long festival with an extraordinary variety of options, Slow Food Tours, Artisan Beer, Cookery and Forgotten Skills demonstrations…The fourth annual GIY (Grow it Yourself) gathering is on today Saturday 15th and tomorrow Sunday 16th in the Theatre Royal in Waterford–www.waterfordharvesfestival.ie

 

Fancy having a few hens – choose form a brilliant selection of chickens and fancy fowl, Marrrans, Blackrock, Light Sussex, Aracuna, Buff Orpington, Bantams…first and third Sunday of everymonth, beside Two Mile Inn between Midelton and Castlemartyr.

A few days break at last and despite the erratic weather I’m not even tempted to head for the airport. A few days relaxing in West Cork, I am totally chilled and ready for a skite or two, a visit to a Farmhouse Cheese-maker, fish smoker, basket weaver, chocolatier– I’m fascinated by handmade and artisan skills. In West Cork one is spoiled for choice there is always something new.  It’s where it all began but the innovation continues.

I recently at the Liss Ard Food Festival came across Ross McDowell doing biltong – strips of dried Irish beef cured with herbs, spices, brown vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and sugar. Skibbereen Farmers Market every Saturday morning is a particularly vibrant mix of local food, craft, bric a brac and fancy fowl.  Look out for Hayley Milthorpe and Janine Murphy who are doing a number of fermented products, tomato sauce, tomato and green pepper relish, sauerkraut and mustard, they have a little stall.

Teenager, Ian Lynch from Ballymacrown was selling free range eggs from his nine brown hens and young Mary MacSeoin who won Slow Food Grandmothers recipe competition a few years back was selling flap jacks; homemade blackberry jam and marmalade from her pretty little stall – a joy to see more young food entrepreneurs emerging and Farmers Markets encouraging them.

New food businesses are bubbling up all over the place and not just on the main land one of the most exciting new ventures is on Heir Island just off Baltimore, I recently took the five minute ferry trip across from Connamore to visit the Fire House Bakery and Cookery School. We ambled up the windy boreen from the pier, past Island Cottage Restaurant (one of my very favourite places to eat anywhere in the world). The hedges were bursting with montbretia, meadow sweet, honeysuckle and heather.

Patrick Ryan and his partner Laura Moore have settled into Heir Island close to the water’s edge. There behind wicker fencing is an outdoor wood burning oven and demonstration area. As we arrived Patrick was just about to put his rye sour dough loaves in the handmade brick oven. They have been rising for over six hours; he turns them gently onto the bread peel, slashes the top with a razor sharp blade and slides them onto the floor of the beehive shaped oven. He puffs in some steam from a green plastic rose mister to create a crisp and chewy crust – his enthusiasm is infectious. This is just one of a whole range of sour dough, yeast and soda breads that Patrick makes and teaches here in his brand new Bakery School on Heir Island. It’s a wonderful story; Patrick originally from Co Laois the youngest of five describes himself as the ‘black sheep’ of the family. He has a degree in corporate law but swapped the legal tomes for chef’s knives after a summer in Greece. He then went on to work in Michelin starred restaurants including Kevin Thornton’s Dublin restaurant. Two years travel included South American, New Zealand, Australia and Fiji where his path crossed with Duncan Glendinning -  this led him to Bath where the pair set up the award winning Thoughtful Bread Company – then went on to do TV and co-write the Bread Revolution. He and his partner Laura Moore have now moved back to Heir Island, where they run a series of one and two day bread courses, coupled with a convivial B&B and bakery. Check out the website, they also do bespoke courses plus family baking courses – what fun that would be.

www.firehouse.ie – 0851561984 -  info@thefirehouse.ie

 

Rustic White Baguette

Taken from the Bread Revolution Cookbook

 

Makes 2 baguettes

150 g (5 oz) potato

500 g (1 lb 2 oz)

strong white bread flour

15 g ( 3 tsp) fine sea salt

10 g (2 tsp) fresh yeast or 7 g (1 tsp)

dried or fast-action yeast

225 ml (7 fl oz) water

4 tsp rapeseed or olive oil

 

There is just something irresistible about a baguette, especially when it’s fresh out of the oven. There’s always the urge to tear straight into it. No bread book would be complete without the mighty baguette – so here’s our version.

 

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and mash – or if you have mash from last night’s dinner, even better. (If the mash is creamy, hold back a little water when you mix it into the flour.)

 

Combine the flour, salt and mashed potato in a bowl and form a well in the centre. Crumble the yeast into the water and stir to dissolve, then add the yeasted water and oil to the well. Bring together into a dough with a wooden spoon or with a spatula. Turn the dough out on to a clean kitchen surface and knead for about 10 minutes or until you achieve the windowpane effect (see page 29). The dough should be soft and supple. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove for 60–80 minutes or until doubled in size. Turn the dough out and knock it back, then divide in half.

 

To form a baguette, flatten the dough evenly into a rectangle, then roll it up into a cylindrical shape. It should resemble a sausage about 30 cm (12 in) long. Using the palms of your hands and starting in the middle, roll the dough to lengthen the baguette, moving from the middle to the outer edges, until it is about 50 cm (20 in) long – but check that it will fit in your oven! Place each baguette on a lightly oiled baking tray and cover with a damp cloth. Prove for 50–60 minutes.

 

Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F/Gas 8) and place a roasting tray in the bottom. Before baking lightly dust each baguette with flour and use a baker’s blade (lame) or a sharp serrated knife to score the top with a series of cuts at a slight angle. Place the loaves in the oven and steam by adding ice cubes or cold water to the tray. Bake for 35 minutes, rotating halfway through to ensure even cooking. The baguettes should be crisp and golden.

 

Ham Hock Terrine

Taken from the Bread Revolution Cookbook

 

Serves 4-6

 

3 ham hocks

3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 sticks celery, roughly chopped

1 white onion, roughly chopped

1 tsp peppercorns

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp capers, finely chopped

4 baby gherkins (pickles), finely chopped

sea salt & freshly ground

black pepper

 

The idea of making a terrine might seem daunting but we are here to show that it’s a lot easier than you think. This terrine is basically a mosaic of layered ham and can be dressed up or down for any occasion – it’ll put a smile on the face of even the most critical foodie. Hocks are packed with flavour and cheap as chips, so speak to your butcher.

 

Place the ham hocks in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil.  Simmer for five minutes – you will find that all the impurities come to the surface. Remove the ham hocks and rinse in cold water, return to a clean saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil again. Reduce to a gentle simmer and add the vegetables,

peppercorns, coriander seeds and bay leaf. Cover with a lid and simmer on a gentle heat for 2½–3 hours, until the meat is tender and easily pulls away from the bone.

 

Remove the ham hocks and set aside to cool. Strain the cooking liquor through a fine sieve and return it to a clean saucepan. Place on a medium heat and boil until reduced by half. Peel the fat from the ham hocks and discard. Flake the meat off the bone with your fingers and put in a bowl.

 

Add the parsley, capers and gherkins and check the seasoning, although you may not need anything further. Add 4 tbsp (60 ml/2 fl oz) of the cooking liquor and stir in to bind everything together.

 

Line a terrine mould – or a 400 g or 1 lb loaf tin – with two layers of clingfilm, allowing for about a 5 cm (2 in) overhang all round. Fill the terrine mould with the meat. Press the mixture down and pour in the remaining cooking liquor until it just covers the top.

 

Fold over the clingfilm and put the terrine in the fridge overnight to set, placing a heavy weight on top.

 

To serve remove the terrine from the mould, unwrap the clingfilm and cut into slices with a sharp knife. Delicious with a tangy chutney or piccalilli and a freshly made crusty baguette.

 

Salmon Tartare

Taken from the Bread Revolution Cookbook

  

Serves 4

200 g (7 oz) raw salmon, finely diced

1 shallot, finely diced

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp finely chopped capers

1 tsp chopped dill

1 tsp snipped chives

½ tsp golden caster (superfine) sugar

½ tsp sea salt

3 tsp olive oil

 

Tartare is a finely chopped mixture of raw meat or fish with seasonings. This salmon tartare lets the quality of the fish speak for itself and the recipe delivers fresh, clean flavours in spades. Like bread, fish is best eaten super-fresh, so ask your fishmonger when it was caught, and about cheap and sustainable alternatives.

 

Put the diced salmon and the shallot into a bowl (chopping your ingredients finely will make all the difference). Add the lemon zest, capers, dill and chives and mix all the ingredients together. Season with sugar and salt. Bind all the ingredients with the olive oil and lemon juice. The acid in the lemon juice slowly cooks the salmon.

Serve in a bowl with shards of rye crackers on the side.

 

Rye Crackers

Taken from the Bread Revolution Cookbook

 

Makes 12 crackers

400 g (14 oz) rye flour

5 g (1 tsp) fine sea salt

10 g (2 tsp) fresh yeast or 7 g (1 tsp)

dried or fast-action yeast

10 g (1 ts p) honey

350 ml (12 fl oz) water

 

For something a little different to share around, try these wheat-free crackers made from rye. Naturally lower in gluten, this flour can sometimes be difficult to turn into a loaf but really lends itself well to making these crackers. With their unmistakable flavour, they crisp up to make the perfect party food.

 

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Crumble the yeast in the water, stir to dissolve and pour the yeasted water and honey into the well. Bring the mix together using a spatula – it should form a stiff, wet dough.

 

Instead of kneading, simply cover the dough with clingfilm or a damp cloth and leave to prove for 60 minutes. The dough should appear slightly puffed up, but not doubled in size as you would expect from wheat bread dough.

 

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6) and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll out each portion into the shape you would like – rectangle, circle or oval. Try to roll the dough as thinly as possible, to 2 mm (1/12 in) if you can. You may have to work the dough in several batches. Bake the crackers for 18—20 minutes, until crisp. Once cool they should keep crisp for a few days in an airtight container.

 

 

Hottips

Midleton Food & Drink Festival 2012 is on today Saturday, 8th September.

 

Fancy Building your own Wood Burning Oven? Contact West Cork Oven building guru Hendrik Lepel who crafted the Fire House oven. Hendrik does courses but also accepts commissions. www.bakehus.com 086-8838400 or kirdnehl@hotmail.com

 

Bread Revolution written by Patrick Ryan and Duncan Glendinning published by Murdoch Books will take the mystery out of bread making and also has some of the boys’ other well tried favourite recipes.

 

Irish Biltong – brilliant to take in your rucksack on a hike, perfect for picnics or just to nibble with a beer – Ross McDowell – 0872425173 –  info@tong.ie

 

Hayley Milthorpe and Janine Murphy’s fermented products 02823648.

 

If you are one of those people who started to grow vegetables for the first time this year, don’t be despondent. In Spring you would have embarked on this new adventure full of excitement and expectation clutching a few shiny seed packets and a pocket full of dreams of shelling peas, picking ripe juicy tomatoes and rummaging in the soil for potatoes.

Up to recently your hopes will have been well and truly dashed. Well, let me cheer you up – in all the years we’ve been growing tomatoes (over 50) we don’t remember a year where they ripened so late and were so lacking in flavour – like all of us they need the sun to sweeten up. At this stage we’ve removed most of the leaves so that the remainder of the crop can ripen.

The soft fruit and berries have also been a nightmare to harvest this year, days pass when we can’t get out to pick any fruit, if the berries are picked wet they simply don’t keep, the flavour is diluted and jam goes mouldy within a short time, but we’ll just eat it up quickly.

Don’t be tempted to give up it’s such a joy to have even a little home-grown produce – reckon to try again next year.

We’re fortunate to have a greenhouse that we use as a protected garden, so we have an abundance of produce for the cookery school, all be it much later than usual. The surplus is sold at the Farmers Market and at the Farm Shop on the farm.

A few weeks ago we had a Long Table Dinner in the midst of the tomatoes, scarlet runner beans and salad leaves in the greenhouse. We planted a lawn in one of the bays which provided a soft green carpet underfoot. It was so lovely to eat in the midst of the beautiful vegetables and herbs – the menu was a celebration of the work of the gardeners, farmers, local fishermen and artisan producers. Friends played music and the wine we enjoyed with every course was supplied by Mas de Daumas Gassac from Red Nose Wines. Altogether a memorable evening.

 

Pan Grilled Mackerel with Marsh Samphire and Sauce Vierge

 

Marsh samphire will still be in season for another few weeks.

 

Serves 4

 

4 fresh mackerel, filleted

seasoned flour

175g (6oz) marsh samphire

 

Sauce Vierge

sprigs of parsley

 

First make the sauce. Bring saucepan of water to the boil, cook the samphire for 3 – 5 minutes, depending on size, drain and toss in a little butter.

Heat a pan grill on a high heat. Dip the dry fillets one at a time into well-seasoned flour, pat off excess, spread a little soft butter over the flesh side of the fish as though you were buttering a slice of bread rather meanly.

When the grill is hot but not smoking, place the fish fillets, butter side down on the grill; the fish should sizzle as soon as they touch the pan. Turn down the heat slightly and let them cook for 4 or 5 minutes (time depends on the thickness of the fish). Turnover and cook on the other side until crisp and golden.

To serve put a little samphire on a hot plate, lay two fillets, one flesh, and one skin side at an angle on top. Sprinkle a little Sauce Vierge over the top or alternatively put three teaspoons around the side.

Garnish with a few sprigs of parsley.

 

Sauce Vierge

 

450g (1lb) ripe, firm tomatoes

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

pinch of sugar

1 tablespoon chervil, chopped

1 tablespoon tarragon chopped

1 dessertspoon torn basil leaves

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

60ml (2 1/4fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

 

Peel the tomatoes, cut into quarters, remove the seeds and cut into neat 1cm (1/2 inch) dice.

 

Put the tomato into a bowl and season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of sugar.  Add the herbs.  Drizzle over the wine vinegar, stir to combine, then pour over the olive oil.  The sauce is best served within 1-2 hours.

 

Italian Pork Stew with Tomatoes

 

A quick and easy nutritious stew which is a meal in itself. Serve with noodles, potatoes or rice and a good green salad.

 

Serves 4 – 6

 

90ml (6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil)

1 onions or 4 shallots, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

4 celery stalks, finely chopped

100gg (2 oz) pancetta or bacon, cut into lardons

1kg (2¼lb) stewing pork, cut into 5 – 6 cm (1 – 1 ½ inch)

seasoned flour

80ml (2 ½ fl oz) dry white wine

400g (14 oz) tinned tomatoes, chopped or 450g (1lb) ripe tomatoes peeled

150ml (5fl oz) chicken or vegetable stock

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks

125g (4 ½ oz) fresh or frozen peas

1 tablespoon annual marjoram chopped

2 tablespoons parsley coarsely chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Heat the olive oil in a large casserole. Add the shallots, carrot, celery and pancetta or bacon. Sweat on a medium heat for 4 – 5 minutes.

Meanwhile heat a little more extra virgin olive oil in wide frying pan on a high heat.

Dust the pieces of pork in seasoned flour, shaking off the excess, Add the meat. Seal on all sides, you may need to do this in batches – add a little more extra virgin olive oil to the casserole.

Add the white wine and allow to evaporate.

Stir in the tomatoes and half the stock and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, add a sprig of thyme, and cover with a lid. Cook for 25 minutes on a gentle heat or transfer to a moderate oven 180°C/350°F/Mark 4 until the meat is cooked through. If you find the stew dries up add a little more hot stock.

Add the potato chunks and cook for a further 15 minutes, add the peas and cook for a further 4 – 5 minutes on a low heat, stirring from time to time. Remove from the heat, taste and correct seasoning. Scatter with parsley and serve.

 

Summer Green Bean, Tomato and Lemon Basil Salad

 

Serves 4

 

300g (10 ½ oz) fresh beans cooked until al dente (see recipe for Perfect

4 ripe tomatoes, sliced

700g (1½ lb) baby new potatoes, unpeeled and cooked until tender

200g (7oz) hard mozzarella, cubed

8 – 10 green olives, pitted

a few fresh basil leaves – lemon basil is super delicious here

 

Dressing

 

8ml/2 ½ fl oz extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 garlic clove crushed

1 tablespoon marjoram chopped

 

salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Put the al dente green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, mozzarella and olives into a wide bowl. Whisk all the ingredients together for a dressing. Pour over the vegetables, toss gently and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Scatter a few basil leaves on top – lemon basil is delicious.

Toss well, leave to rest for a few minutes and serve.

 

Perfect French Beans

 

The proportion of salt to water is vitally important for the flavour of the beans and all green vegetables – it sounds a lot but try it.

 

Serves

 

900g (2 lb) French beans

1.1 litres (2 pints) water

3 teaspoons sea salt

30-50g (1-2 oz) butter or extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Choose beans of a similar size.  Top and tail the beans. If they are small and thin leave them whole, if they are larger cut them into 2.5-4cm (1-1 1/2 inch) pieces at a long angle.

 

Bring the water to a fast rolling boil, add 3 teaspoons of salt then toss in the beans. Continue to boil very fast for 5-6 minutes or until just cooked (they should still retain a little bite). Drain immediately.* Melt the butter or extra virgin olive oil in the saucepan, toss the beans in it, taste, season with freshly ground pepper and a little sea salt if necessary.

 

* The beans may be refreshed under cold water at this point and kept aside for several hours.

 

To reheat precooked Beans: Just before serving, plunge into boiling salted water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, drain and toss in butter. Season and serve immediately.

 

Beauty of Bath Tart

 

Despite the inclement weather we have a fantastic crop of Beauty of Bath Apples. They are one of the earliest to ripen and for many people of a certain age bring back memories of robbing orchards in their childhood. We’ve been enjoying them in a myriad of ways; just as they are, in apple muesli for breakfast and we are loving the bittersweet pressed juice that we make in our brand new centrifuge. Try this caramelised apple tart, it is another of our favourites.

 

Makes approx. 12 tartlets or two open tarts 8 inch (20cm) diameter

 

1/2 lb (225g) Flaky, Puff, or Shortcrust pastry

4-6  dessert or cooking apples preferably Beauty of Bath

4-6 tablespoons granulated sugar, approx. (Allow a well heaped teaspoon per tartlet)

 

2 x 8 inch (20.5cm) pie plates or 12 patty tins

 

Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Line the tins with thinly rolled pastry, the pastry should be about as thick as a coin for tartlets slightly thicker for tarts.

 

Thinly peel and quarter apples, then cut them into slices 1/8 inch (3mm) thick. Arrange them on the pastry in overlapping slices. Sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes approx. in the hot oven 220C/425F/gas mark 7. The juice of the apples will caramelise with the sugar. Serve with softly whipped cream or better still Glenilen Crème Fraiche.

 

NOTE: It is essential to put enough sugar on these tarts or tartlets; otherwise they will not caramelise properly.

 

Ballymaloe Apple Muesli

 

Serves 2

 

This recipe can be made in a few minutes and is so full of vitamins you’ll be jumping out of your skin all day! If you want to score ‘brownie points’ make some for your Mama and Dada and bring it to them on a tray in bed.

 

4 tablespoons rolled oats (the Speedicook type, we use Kilbeggan or Flahavans )

3 tablespoons water

2 large dessert apples eg. Beauty of Bath or Worcester Permain or 4 small apples eg. Cox’s Orange Pippin

1 teaspoon honey approx.

 

To Serve

Soft brown sugar and maybe a little runny cream

 

Equipment

1 grater

 

Measure out the water into a bowl and sprinkle the oatmeal on top.  Let the oatmeal soak up the water while you grate the apple.  A stainless steel grater is best for this job, use the largest side and grate the apple coarsely, skin and all.  I grate through the core, but watch your fingers when you are coming close to the end, pick out the pips and discard.  Stir a tea spoonful of honey into the oatmeal and then stir in the grated apple, taste, if it needs a little more honey add it, this will depend on how much you heaped up the spoon earlier on. Divide it between two bowls. Have one yourself and give the other to your favourite person that morning. It should taste delicious just like that but will taste even scrummier if you sprinkle over a little soft brown Barbados sugar and a very little runny cream.

Hottips

I have just eaten a finger of the most divine confection, which I spied in the window of Gwen’s French Café in the courtyard in Schull, three luscious layers – a genoise base, a layer of superb dark chocolate ganashe with crispy croccante, topped with a milk chocolate mousse dredged with unsweetened cocoa – believe me it’s worth driving to Schull especially, one bite and you won’t care how long it stays on your hips. There is also the bonus of the café and the opportunity to pick up some of Gwen’s handmade chocolates. http://www.schullcourtyard.com/gwens-chocolates.html

 

Tea to Think About – Teabags don’t do it for me I’m a loose tea girl myself and I’ve never understood their appeal particularly as most seem to be full of ‘tea dust’. The two lads Sean Moran and Jonathan Wilson from Nood Teas had a similar dilemma, they found it difficult to get real tea at a decent price and impossible to get real tea in handy tea bags, so in 2011 they set about sourcing great tea and bleach free, glue free, staple free, hundred per cent biodegradable teabags, the end result is individually wrapped teabags filled with superb quality leaf tea. The company is called Nood and their teas are now widely available – 012542257 – hello@nood-world.com  – www.nood-world.com

Today is National Potato day. Well, you may not necessarily be euphoric or even particularly interested but I’m certainly going to celebrate our most famous Irish vegetable. I love potatoes but not just any potatoes. The red skinned Rooster is supposedly Ireland’s favourite potato but funnily enough not mine. Give me Home Guard or British Queens any day. Later in the season I also seek out Sharps Express and Scary Champions. For those who like a waxy potato, fingerlings like Ratte and Pink Fir Apple make delicious potato salads. For flavour and texture, main crop Golden Wonder and Kerrs Pinks are hard to beat. I know they are trickier that the red skinned variety to cook but I still love the floury Irish potatoes that burst out of their jackets just before they are fully cooked.

The Ballycotton area has long been famous for its potatoes but there are just three commercial growers left now – John Kennifick from Maytown, Michael Ivers from Ballyandreen and Willie Scannell from Ballytrasna. Willie sells his Home Guard, British Queens, Kerrs Pinks and the main crop Golden Wonders at Midleton Farmer Market. Get there early, you’ll be lucky if they are not sold out by 11:30am. It’s hard to beat a really good potato for nourishment and sheer value for money. They are packed with nutrients, vitamin C (twice as much as an orange) vitamin B, potassium, iron and twice the amount of fibre as brown rice.

Even a total novice in the kitchen can cook potatoes in a variety of simple ways. Three star chefs can have fun incorporating potatoes into their award winning menus. They take on other flavours brilliantly, spices and fresh herbs and ethnic ingredients add extra magic.

As organic farmers we grow a small quantity of 8 to 10 blight resistant potato varieties every year, fertilised in the traditional way with seaweed gathered from Shanagarry Strand after a storm. Not all blight resistant varieties are delicious some like Sarpo Mira tends to be a bit wet and soapy in some soils. This year has been horrendously difficult for potato farmers, with the combination of rain and ideal conditions for blight.

The recent decision by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to grant permission to Teagasc to do trials of GM (Genetically Modified) potatoes in the open has been welcomed by many in the farming industry and caused concern among others who have reservations about the Genetic Modification of food and the impact of the decision on Ireland’s image of a clean green Ireland.

Thus far Ireland is a GM free Ireland but as one pragmatist remarked to me ‘you can only lose your virginity once’

Should the trials be successful, will the general public many of whom have shown a distinct reluctance to embrace GM foods flock to buy GM potatoes. How will this affect our food export?

Earlier this year in response to the deep unease and sense of helplessness ordinary citizens feel around this topic, Kaethe Burt O’Dea and a number of others started a project called SPUDS who distributed blight resistant seeds to approximately 300 growers – large and small – across the country. Over the next five months they will record their progress in growing and tending to these potatoes and at harvest time they will document the yield and taste of their crop. This community based research will be analysed and be then published in early 2013 around the country. www.spuds.ie

 

Potato and Sweetcorn Chowder

 

A satisfying and filling soup made in a short time.  This could be a supper dish if eaten with a few scones and followed by a salad.

 

Serves: 4-6

In season: all year

 

2-3 medium potatoes, parboiled for 10 minutes, drained, peeled and finely chopped

450g (1 lb) sweetcorn kernels

30g (1 oz) butter

170g (6 oz) approx. onion, finely chopped

300ml (10 fl oz) home-made chicken stock

300ml (10 fl oz) milk

salt and freshly ground pepper

250ml (8 fl oz) light cream or creamy milk

Garnish

roasted red pepper dice or crispy bacon dice

sprigs of flat parsley

 

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the onion and potato and sweat until soft but not coloured.  Gradually add in the stock and milk, stirring all the time, and bring to the boil.  Simmer for a few minutes, add the corn, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, cover and cook gently for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.  Add the cream and heat through gently without boiling.

Serve in hot bowls with a little dice of roasted red pepper or crispy bacon and parsley on top.

Note: If the soup is too thick, thin it out with a little chicken or vegetable stock.

 

Hot Potato Cakes with Crème Fráiche and Smoked Salmon

 

Serves 8

In season- year round

 

900g (2 lb) unpeeled ‘old’ potatoes eg. Golden Wonders or Kerrs Pinks

30g – 55g (1-2 oz) (30-55g) butter

55g (2 oz) flour

1 tablespoon chopped parsley, chives and lemon thyme, mixed, (optional)

salt and freshly ground pepper

creamy milk

seasoned flour

bacon fat, clarified butter or olive oil for frying

crème fraiche

8 generous slices of smoked salmon or smoked trout

chopped chives

 

 

Cook the potatoes in their jackets, pull off the peel and mash right away, add the flour and herbs. Season with lots of salt and freshly ground pepper, adding a few drops of creamy milk if the mixture is altogether too stiff. Mix well. Taste and correct the seasoning. Shape into potato cakes 2.5cm (1 inch) thick and then cut into rounds. Dip in seasoned flour.

Fry the potato cakes in clarified butter until golden on one side, then flip over and cook on the other side, 4-5 minutes approx. they should be crusty and golden.  Serve on very hot plates.

Put a blob of creme fraiche on top of each potato cake. Top with slivers of smoked salmon and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.

  

Crusty Potatoes with Ginger and Garlic

 

In parts of India they eat almost as many potatoes as the Irish, but they don’t just boil or roast them – many are deliciously spiced.  This recipe given which was given to me by  Madhur Jaffrey is one of my favourites.

 

Serves 4-5

 

12 lbs (675g) ‘old’ potatoes -  Golden Wonders or Kerrs Pinks

Piece of fresh ginger, about 2 x 1 x 1 inch (5 x 2.5 x 2.5cm), peeled and coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

3 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

5 tablespoons

sunflower or peanut oil

1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds (optional)

 

Boil the potatoes in their jackets until just cooked.  Drain them and let them cool. Peel the potatoes and cut them into :-1 inch (2-2.5cm) dice.

Put the chopped fresh ginger, crushed garlic, water, turmeric, salt and cayenne pepper into the container of a food processor, blend to a paste.

Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium flame. When hot, put in the fennel seeds. Let them sizzle for a few seconds (careful not to let them burn) add in the spice paste. Stir and fry for 2 minutes. Put in the potatoes. Stir and fry for 5-7 minutes over a medium-high flame or until the potatoes have a  nice, golden-brown crust. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or coriander. Serve on their own, perhaps with Cucumber and Yoghurt Raita or as an accompaniment to grilled or roast meat.

 

Spicy Aubergine Stew with Potatoes, Mushrooms and Chickpeas

 

( Taken From Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian)

 

Serves 4 – 6

 

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

a large pinch of ground asafoetida

1½ teaspoons cumin seeds

3 dried red chillies

2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

340g (12ozs) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5 – 4cm (1 – 1½ in) chunks

340g (12 oz) long, slim aubergines (Japanese or Italian), cut across into 2.5 – 4 cm (1 – 1½) chunks

340g (12 oz) large white mushrooms, cut into halves or quarters to match size of other vegetable pieces

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

250ml (8 fl oz) tomata passata

2¼ teaspoons salt

85g (3oz) fresh coriander, very finely chopped (leaves, stems and roots)

400g (14 oz ) drained cooked chickpeas (see below)

 

How to cook dried chickpeas:

For 250g (9oz) dried chickpeas, use 1.5 litres (2½ pints) water.  Put the soaked chickpeas and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Turn the heat to low, cover and cook gently for 1 – 3 hours, or until the chickpeas are very tender.  Salt, about 1½ teaspoons, may be added in the last half hour of cooking unless the recipe tells you to put it in later.

 

Method:

Put the oil into a large, wide pan and set over high heat.  When hot, put in the asafetida and cumin seeds.  Let them sizzle for 10 seconds.  Put in the whole red chillies.  As soon as they swell and darken – a matter of seconds – put in the garlic and potatoes.  Stir and fry for 1 minute.  Put in the aubergine chunks, and stir and fry for 2 minutes.  Put in the mushrooms, and stir and fry for another 2 minutes.  Now add the turmeric and ground coriander.  Stir once, then pour in the tomato passata and 1 litre (1¾ pints) water.  Add the salt, fresh coriander and chickpeas.  Bring to the boil.  Cover, turn the heat to low and cook gently for 35 – 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.  Serve hot.

Hottips

The Great British Cheese Festival 2012 from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd September, at Cardiff Castle – fantastic atmosphere with a huge selection of cheese including Irish Farmhouse Cheese to try, taste and buy. Masterclasses, demos and live music. www.greatbritishcheesefestival.co.uk

Several exciting new stalls have popped up at the Midleton Farmers Market…

 

Local fisherman, Michael Barrett has Fresh lobsters and crabs in season nestled on a bed of seaweed: Tel 0876000438

 

Siobhan, daughter of Jane Murphy who makes the multi-award winning Ardsallagh Goat Cheese has started her own cheesy business under the name of Carrig Foods – Timo’s Irish cheddar in block and grated, Aged Parmesan pieces and grated and a cute little collection of Irish Farmhouse cheeses perfect for a picnic. Tel: 021-4882338.

 

Don’t miss Lucy Deegan’s Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms, Shitake Bacon, crispy and totally delicious as a nibble or over salads. There’s also porcini dust, porcini oil, wild mushroom ketchup, seriously mushroomy mushroom soup, a great little business offering lots of temptations both at Midleton and Mahon Point Farmers Markets – Tel: 0868100808

 

Tempting Tipperary Organic Ice Cream in many flavours – also a new addition – great with Rose Cottage Berries. New seasons blueberries have just arrived and there’s much much more…

 

Midleton Farmers Market is on every Saturday from 9:00am to 2:00pm www.midletonfarmersmarket.com

Mahon Point Farmers Market is on every Thursday from 10am to 2pm www.mahonpointfarmersmarket.com

The word lovely comes up over and over again in the Ard Bia cookbook. Lovely extras to serve with cheese or lovely extra to serve with the perfect steak. Perfect poached egg and lovely extras, it’s got a comforting homely ring to it which I love – in fact I really loved a lot about the new Ard Bia cookbook. The zany photos, the clean layout and design, the line drawings, and the eclectic collection of Ard Bia classics that so many of Aoibheann Mac Namara’s loyal fans will love to have. Yet, I doubt it will keep them at home, they’ll still want to go to Ard Bia one of Galway’s most enduring and best loved restaurants.

The cookbook represents a day in the life of Ard Bia, favourite breakfast, lunch, mid-afternoon snacks, supper and dinner dishes. The book also includes some thoughts on a cheese course – the secret of some of Ard Bia’s much hankered after juices and finally the Pantry section. I particularly loved these chapters (there are 4) with herb sugars, pickles, vinaigrettes, a variety of hummus, chutneys, relishes, pickles, cordials, jellies and some thoughts on foraging.

I only ate once at Nimmos but I have never forgotten the beautifully simple but truly lovely food, a celebration of fresh local produce, spiced up with imagination and a sure hand.

Here are some of the dishes and juices we’ve enjoyed so far.

 

Buttermilk and Poppy-Seed Pancakes

 

Our poppy-seed pancakes are legendary. The secret is the buttermilk –

a much under-rated natural ingredient which gives a nice tartness. It also

helps to plump them up, providing the natural acids needed to kick-start

baking soda into releasing carbon dioxide gases. You could try replacing the

poppy seeds with fresh seasonal berries – juicy ripe blackberries work

well in the autumn, or try frozen berries at any time of year.

 

2 eggs

80ml / 2.7fl oz milk

350ml / 12fl oz buttermilk

350g / 14oz plain flour

35g / 1.2oz caster sugar

2 tbsp poppy seeds

1 heaped tsp baking soda

120g / 5oz melted butter

(plus extra knobs of butter to cook,

depending on the pan)

 

Tastes great with:

syrup of choice (we love Highbank Orchard syrup)

seasonal fruit compote

honey-nut yoghurt

 

Serves 4–6

 

Beat the eggs, milk and buttermilk together. Combine the flour, sugar, poppy seeds and baking soda, and mix thoroughly into the egg mix. To do this you can beat in a blender or food processor until incorporated. If you’d rather do it by hand, make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in half the liquid, stirring with a wooden spoon to draw in the flour until it is well combined, before adding the remaining liquid. Finally, stir the melted butter through

the batter. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.

Heat a decent-sized griddle or non-stick pan over a high heat. If you have a pancake pan, all the better. Depending on the quality of your pan you may or may not need to add a knob of butter – try it without first to test it out. Spoon a ladleful of pancake batter into the middle of the pan and allow it to form a drop-scone shape. Cook on the first side for three to four minutes or until the base of

the pancake turns golden brown. Flip to cook the second side until a nice golden brown; the pancake should be cooked through at this stage.

You can either serve each pancake when it is ready, or stack them in a just-warm oven until ready to serve. We like to serve these with honey-nut yoghurt and elderberry syrup, but you could serve them with any kind of fruit and yoghurt, crème fraîche or even ice-cream, if that’s the kind of breakfast your morning is calling for!

 

Torn Lamb Shoulder with Sumac and Pomegranate

 

Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice with a lemony tang, traditionally used when lemons are out of season. It brings a high note to the slow-cooked lamb deep base flavours and the earthy artichoke purée.

 

600g / 1½lb shoulder of lamb (off the bone),

trimmed and chopped into large pieces

3–4 tbsp oil (vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed)

1 litre / 2 pints stock (lamb stock is ideal – ask your butcher for bones, or use beef, chicken or even vegetable stock)

2 lemons, juice and zest

5 spring onions, roughly chopped

1 tbsp sumac

1 pomegranate, seeds only

1 tbsp rose salt (optional)

To serve:

flatbread

tabouleh, quinoa or couscous flavoured yoghurt

Tastes great with:

Jerusalem artichoke purée (in the winter)

Serves 6 as a starter, or 4 as a

main course

Preheat oven to 180°C/350ºF/gas mark 4.

 

In a hot pan, brown the pieces of lamb in batches with a little oil and place in a deep baking tray. Add the stock, spring onions, lemon juice and zest. Braise for at least 90 minutes, until the meat is falling apart. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the stock. Tear the meat apart into small chunks. You can prepare the lamb in advance, as it will keep in the fridge for a day or two. Be sure to retain the rich stock. You will need a little of it to reheat the lamb and you can use the remainder as

a base for other rich wintry dishes, such as the lamb tagine or venison stew or reduce it down to make a gravy or jus to serve with a Sunday roast Prepare the artichoke purée When ready to serve, preheat a grill to hot. Sprinkle sumac over the torn lamb and drizzle with a little stock to keep it moist. Heat through under the grill.

To serve, place a generous spoonful of artichoke purée into each serving bowl and place the lamb on top. Finish each serving with a scattering of plump pomegranate seeds and a pinch of rose salt, if using. If serving as a main course, you could accompany it with flatbreads, tabouleh, quinoa or couscous and a flavoured yoghurt.

 

Ricotta Tart

A Paolo classic and a favourite amongst the staff, who have been known to eat it for breakfast.

 

You need to make this tart.

 

225g / 9oz plain flour

150g / 6oz soft butter

75g / 3oz caster sugar

1 lemon, zest only

1 egg (optional, for a richer shortbread)

For the tart filling:

250g / 10oz fresh ricotta cheese

1 egg

30g / 1oz sultanas

30g / 1oz pistachios, chopped

1 orange, zest only

50g / 2oz sugar

2 drops vanilla extract

Fills a 24cm tart tin

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4. Lightly grease a

24cm tart tin with a removable base.

 

To make the shortbread pastry, combine the flour, butter, sugar, zest and egg, if using, and beat with a wooden spoon or in a food processor until it forms a soft dough. If opting for the egg-free version, a few drops of water may help bind the dough, depending on the condition of the flour. Take care not to overwork the dough. Lay out a piece of parchment on your work surface and dust sparingly with flour. Form the dough into a ball, flatten and roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin to a thickness of about 6mm, turning the parchment to move the dough.

Carefully transfer the pastry to the greased tart tin, pressing down into the corners and edges. If the pastry breaks, just press it back together and patch with an extra piece of pastry to ensure a good seal. Line with a piece of parchment, fill with baking beans and bake blind for about 10–15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the filling, beating the ricotta, egg, sultanas, pistachios, orange zest, sugar and vanilla together to combine well. Once the pastry has baked to a light golden brown, remove the parchment and beans, and pour in the ricotta filling. Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Remove and allow to cool before gently easing the tart out of the tin.

 

Beetroot Hummus

500g / 1lb beetroot

salt and pepper

olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

1–2 tbsp pomegranate molasses, to taste

1 tbsp tahini

½ lemon, juice only

Preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6.

 

Rinse the beetroot and trim the leaves if still on (but don’t be tempted to top and tail the bulb or the colour will leach). Pat dry and toss in oil in a large baking tray. Season and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or

until the beets are soft but not shrivelled. Allow to cool before peeling (the skin should rub away easily), trimming the root and stalks and chopping roughly. In a food processor, blend the beetroot, garlic and cumin to a smooth paste. Add a tablespoon of pomegranate molasses along with tahini and lemon juice, stirring or pulsing to combine thoroughly. Check the seasoning, adding more pomegranate molasses, lemon juice or salt if you feel it’s needed.

 

Muhumara is a hot pepper dip originally from Aleppo, Syria. It is served as a dip with bread, as a spread for toast and as a sauce for kebabs, grilled meats and fish.

 

Muhumara

250g / 9oz roasted red peppers

1 red chilli

50ml rapeseed oil

75g / 3oz toasted walnuts

2 garlic cloves

25g / 1oz dried breadcrumbs

20ml pomegranate molasses

1 tsp ground cumin

½ lemon, juice only

chopped fresh coriander, to taste

 

Combine everything except the oil in a food processor and blend whilst slowly adding the oil. The final consistency should be like hummus, so more or less oil may be needed.

 

Beetroot, carrot, apple and ginger juice

1 medium carrot, washed and/or peeled

1 medium apple, cored

2cm piece of ginger, peeled

1 small beetroot, washed (optional)

½ lemon (optional)

 

Juice the carrot, apple and ginger. This alone is delicious (and looks gorgeous) or you can add a small beetroot for extra oomph. If you find all those vegetables a bit intense, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon to cut through it. Drink immediately.

 

Cucumber, Apple, Mint and Lime Juice

This refreshing juice is light and zingy and the perfect thirst quencher after a Summers walk.

 

2 apples, cored

1 handful of mint

½ cucumber

1 lime

 

Juice the apples, mint and cucumber. Squeeze a lime and mix it in. Drink immediately.

 

Hottips

Congratulations to Barron’s Bakery in Co Waterford for their book Our Daily Bread, a History of Barron’s Baker which got second place in the international Gourmand World Cookbook awards in the bread section.

 

Courses at Nano Nagle Centre, Ballygriffin, Mallow –

Organic Kitchen Garden Course with Noreen O’Brien starts on Wednesday 19^th September from 10am to 1am – a series of ten mornings up to April 2013 – the subjects covered include plant rotation, mulching, seed sewing, organic pest control…

Thursday 4^th October from 10am – 1pm – Preserving Course – Come and Make and Take Home – jams, jellies, chutneys…022 26411 to book – www.nanonaglebirthplace.ie

Kitty Travers loves ice cream. When she was little, her mum found her rummaging in a bin at the circus licking ice cream wrappers totally oblivious of the clowns and trapeze.

Now Kitty sells her exquisite hand-made ice creams, sorbets and granita from a little refrigerated ice cream van in London. Her company La Grotta Ices was named Best of the Best in the British Street Food Awards.  More recently Kitty was chosen by Ferguson Henderson as one of the young culinary stars of the future in the uber-cool Coco Cookbook published by Phaidon where 10 chefs including Ferran Adria, Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters and Rene Redzepi choose their most exciting up and coming chefs. Not bad for someone who doesn’t even own a restaurant, but then again the list of places she’s worked reads like a Who’s Who of the foodie world.

She started her career in London at the French bakery Poilaine and at Villandry, not as a cook but as a waitress and learned French from the Gallic brigade. As luck would have it, when her Gran died she left her some money so she forked out 10 grand for a six month professional chef programme at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York. This led to a stint at one of Mario Batali’s restaurant Otto in New York under the pastry chef Meredith Kurtzman, where she learned to make ice cream from the super fresh ingredients from Union Square Green Market and later she worked with Gabrielle Hamilton at Prune in the East Village who advised her to go back to London and get a job with St John, she landed a job at a St John Bread and Wine with head baker Justin Piers Gellaty where she had the dream job of choosing (and making) the daily dessert menu.

Throughout it all, she continued her quest for best, always tasting and experimenting at every possible opportunity, she couldn’t pass an ice-cream parlour anywhere.  She travelled all over Italy and France and while she was at  the American Academy in Rome, she’d cycle her little bike around gelaterias in her spare time, she found a little bar doing little pots of espresso granita with Chantilly cream on top – divine.

That summer she came back to London, bought a little van and La Grotta ice cream was born. She sells at Maltby Street Farmers Market in Bermondsey – that’s where I first met her -and at festivals and society weddings.  She spreads the word on twitter and facebook.

I was enchanted by her bewitching personality as well as her sublime ice-creams, granitas, and sorbets. Last time I was in London I visited her Ice Cream Shed where she hand makes all her products.  More recently she came to teach a course at Ballymaloe Cookery School, it was fantastic – if you missed it this year watch out for her name on our brochure next year or check out Welbeck Estate School of Artisan Food where she teaches regular classes. There’s one on the 15^th September and another on 21^st October, check the details on the website www.schoolofartisanfood.org

Here are some of the ice cream and granitas that Kitty made while she was with us – a portable Kenwood Sorbetiere works brilliantly and costs up to €85.00.

Kitty aged several of her ice creams in a fridge overnight, the difference in texture and flavour was dramatic.

 

 

Kitty Travers Corn Flour Ice-Cream

 

This ice cream is inexpensive to make and sounds dull but it was delicious and is one of the best recipes to take on flavours. Kitty also made a tarragon and lovage and celery leaf ice cream, both delicious.

 

Makes about 800mls/1 litre (1 3/4 pints) when churned.

 

Makes 10 Scoops

 

750ml (25fl oz) milk

1 vanilla pod

3 tablespoons corn flour

100g (3 1/2oz) sugar

 

Heat the milk and split vanilla pod together in a saucepan until it is barely breaking a simmer. Mix the corn flour and sugar in a bowl, whisk in the hot milk in a steady stream then return all the mixture to the saucepan and continue cooking over a low heat, stirring constantly until it reaches a temperature of 85°C/185°F.

 

Plunge pan into a bath of ice water and cool to 10°C/50°F within 30 minutes – stirring occasionally.  Refrigerate the mixture for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.

 

Strain through a chinois, pressing with the back of a ladle to remove the vanilla pod, emulsify for 30 seconds with an immersion blender and churn in ice-cream machine until frozen.

 

Scrape the ice-cream into a freezer box, cover with waxed paper and a tight fitting lid, and freeze hard to keep for up to 1 month.

 

Variations

This recipe can be adapted and made with any number of culinary herbs or flowers eg Tarragon/Spearmint/Rose Petals/Marigold/

Honeysuckle/Cherry Blossom…

 

Simply replace the vanilla pod with 40-50g (1 1/2 – 2oz) fresh herbs or 20g (3/4oz) dried herbs such as lavender or thyme.

 

Bring the milk to a simmer and add the herbs, submerge and cover with cling film then allow to steep for 10 minutes (dried herbs) or 20 minutes (soft herbs and flowers) before straining and continuing with the recipe from the start, using the perfumed milk and omitting the vanilla.

 

Kitty Travers Sunrise Sorbet

 

Makes about 1 litre/Serves 10

 

350g (12oz) strawberries

1 unwaxed orange boiled for 1 hour & cooled

freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

200mls (7fl oz) sugar syrup (see recipe)

 

Dip the strawberries in a big basin of cold water to wash, then lay on clean tea towels or paper towel for a few minutes to dry.

 

Place the strawberries in large mixing bowl and cover with the sugar syrup and lemon juice for 1 hour and allow to macerate (this can also be done overnight.

 

Quarter the orange; add it to the strawberries and purée altogether with a stick (immersion) blender. Sieve through a fine mesh chinois to remove pips. Push the purée through sieve with the back of a ladle with a lunging motion.

 

Check the BRIX and if necessary adjust to 20% either by adding more sugar syrup – 1 tablespoon at a time to bring it up – or extra water to bring it down.  Allow to chill.

 

Churn in an ice-cream maker or sorbetiere for 35-45 minutes then scrape the sorbet out into a freezer box, cover with waxed paper to minimize exposure to air and freeze.

 

Sugar Syrup

 

The basic sugar syrup below can also be used for homemade lemonades as well as for fruit salads and compotes. It keeps for months in a fridge, or a shorter time if unrefrigerated.

 

Makes 825ml (28fl oz)

 

450g (1lb) sugar

600ml (1 pint) water

 

Dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to the boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then leave it to cool. Store in the fridge until needed.

 

Kitty Travers Raspberry and Rose Geranium Ice-Cream

 

Makes about 1 litre or 10 big scoops

 

300g (10oz) raspberries

180ml (6fl oz) whole milk

180ml (6fl oz) double cream

6-8 Rose Geranium leaves

4 egg yolks

100g (3 1/2oz) sugar

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

 

In a saucepan, heat the milk and cream together to a simmer.  Rinse the geranium leaves and drop them into the simmering milk to submerge, then remove pan from the heat.  Cover with cling film and leave to steep in a basin full of cold water for about 15 minutes.

 

Meanwhile cook the raspberries very lightly with a tablespoon of water for about 5 minutes or until they collapse when stirred.  Push them through a fine sieve or chinois to remove all the pips.  Chill the purée until later.

 

Re-heat the perfumed milk and cream until barely simmering.

 

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and salt together vigorously until pale and creamy.

 

Pour hot milk over yolks in a steady stream to temper, whisking constantly and then return all mix to pan.

 

Cook out over a low heat stirring constantly until the temperature reaches 85°C/185°F.

 

Plunge the saucepan into an ice bath, stir every now and again to cool to room temperature (within half an hour)

 

Mix with the raspberry purée & refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and whizz with a stick (immersion) blender for 30 seconds to emulsify before churning.

 

Once frozen scrape into a lidded freezer box, cover with a piece of waxed paper or cling film to limit exposure to the air and hard freeze.

 

Kitty Travers Peach and Basil Sorbet

 

Makes about 1 litre or 10 scoops

 

4 large ripe peaches

150mls (5fl oz) simple sugar syrup (see recipe)

30mls (1 1/4fl oz) water

freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon

40-50g bunch of basil

 

Bring the sugar syrup and water to a simmer. Rinse the basil. Submerge the basil in the syrup the moment that it breaks into a boil.  Remove the saucepan from the heat instantly, cover the pan with cling film and place in a sink full of cold water. Allow the basil to steep in the liquid for about 12-15 minutes.

 

Strain the basil from syrup, pressing to extract as much liquid as possible.  Reheat the syrup bringing back to a simmer.  Slice the peaches in half over the saucepan (so any juices drip into the syrup).  Carefully drop the peach halves into the simmering syrup and allow to poach lightly until tender for about 8 minutes.

 

Allow peaches to cool then slip off the skins and purée the flesh along with the lemon juice using a stick (immersion) blender until very smooth.

 

Push puree through a fine sieve or chinois to remove any fibres, then churn in an ice-cream machine until frozen.

 

Scrape out sorbet into a lidded container, cover with waxed paper and store in a deep freeze until required.

 

 

 

Kitty Travers Nectarine Leaf Ice-Cream

 

Makes 10 Scoops

 

4 ripe nectarines

freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, unwaxed if possible

250ml (9fl oz) milk

250g (9fl oz) double cream

200g (7oz) sugar

4 egg yolks

20 nectarine leaves

 

Halve the nectarines, collecting any juice.  Remove the pit, and quarter them, then cook them lightly with a tablespoon of water for about 8 minutes or until just tender.  Cool then purée with the lemon juice; push the purée through a fine sieve or chinois to remove the skin and any fibres. Keep aside until later.

 

Bring milk and cream to a simmer in a stainless steel saucepan and stir occasionally to avoid scorching.  Pick the nectarine leaves from the branch, rinse them then as soon as the milk hits a simmer, submerge the leaves in the hot liquid.  Cover the saucepan with cling film and then put it in a sink full of iced water and allow the leaves to steep for exactly 10 minutes before straining.

 

Re-heat the milk and cream mixture to a simmer. As it heats, whisk the sugar into the egg yolks to combine.  Pour the hot milk into the yolk mixture to ‘temper’ the yolks, then return all the mixture to the pan and slowly cook out to 86°C/186°F stirring constantly and briskly.

 

As soon as mixture reaches 86°C/186°F, plunge pan into a sink full of iced water. Cool until ice-cream base reaches room temperature. Stir in the nectarine purée then cover and refrigerate overnight to ‘age’ the base.

 

Blitz the base with a stick (immersion) blender to emulsify then pour the mixture into an ice-cream machine and churn until frozen. Scrape out into a suitable lidded container.  Cover with waxed paper to avoid exposure to air and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Variations

The nectarines in this recipe can be substituted for 600g of any other soft fruits, or a different herb.  Puree the fruit first then strain to remove any pips.

Interesting flavor combinations might include the following:

Raspberry + Lemon Verbena/ Blackberry + Rose Geranium/ Apricot + Almond/ Gooseberry + Elderflower/ Blackcurrant + Mint/ Mango + Lime Zest/ Nectarine + Basil…

 

 

Hottips

 

Isaac’s Restaurant on McCurtain Street in Cork are now serving Brunch every Saturday from 10:30am to 2:30pm. Their ala carte menu includes Bloody Marys, freshly squeezed orange juice, homemade granola, Kilbegan Organic Oats Porridge with soft brown sugar and cream, organic yoghurt, fresh seasonal fruit, Irish Farmhouse cheeses, Eggs Benedict, Full Irish…021 450 3805 – www.isaacsrestaurant.ie

 

Date for Your Diary

 

A Taste of West Cork Food Festival – Skibbereen – West Cork – Monday 10^th to Sunday 16^th September, 2012. www.atasteofwestcork.com

 

Summer Theatre

Homemade crisps, summer fruit popsicles, praline ice cream cones, at the interval in the Grain Store. Rave reviews for Tuesdays with Morrie last week so don’t miss 47 Roses written and performed by Peter Sheridan. Early dinner 6pm at Ballymaloe House and play €65.00. Theatre tickets €20.00 – Booking 021 4652531.

 

My friend Camilla Plum from Copenhagen has been staying with me for the past few days. She lives about forty five minutes outside the city on a beautiful organic farm called Fuglebjerggaard. Apart from vegetables and soft fruit orchards they have 160 sheep, grow their own wheat barley and rye, and the freshly milled flour is used for bread and the barley malted to make beer. Both are sold in the farm shop on the farm as well as the preserves, herb salts and sugar and spice mixes that Camilla makes.

Over 100 different varieties of chilli are grown, seeds are saved and Camilla, who is a beautiful natural cook, writes cookbooks and also does TV series. Don’t ask me how they do it all but while she’s been staying with me I got a glimpse, she wanders through the farm and gardens and into the greenhouse and comes back into the kitchen with baskets and bags of herbs, vegetables and fruit and turns them into delicious ‘totally Camilla’ things. When we went for a drive through country lanes to the beach, we stopped to pick white fluffy meadowsweet for cordial; she found me another plant called Houttuynia Cordata. It has distinctive variegated green, red and yellow splashed leaves and is delicious in salads or used as herb – it tastes a bit like coriander.

When we drove through Shanagarry village midmorning on Sunday, we bought some freshly picked redcurrants from the GIY (Grow it Yourself) and OOOBY (Out of Your Own Backyard) members selling their surplus fresh produce along the wall close to the Shanagarry Design Centre. It’s a brilliant idea and greatly welcomed by the local community who are delighted to be able to buy garden produce and some preserves, freshly baked cakes and spotted dog at very reasonable prices.

Back in the kitchen once again Camilla popped the redcurrants into a glass jar, stirred in sugar and gave me a taste of what is called ‘Shaken Fruit’ in Denmark. It was so fresh and delicious and keeps for months or longer, I can imagine it is delicious with lamb or venison but also with goat cheese, rice pudding, carrageen…

For supper, she spatchcocked a couple of chickens early in the afternoon, sprinkled with lots of chopped tarragon, lemon thyme, elderflower and chilli salt and extra-virgin olive oil over the skin. They were simply roasted and served with roast new potatoes with capers and goats cheese – divine.

A foray into the greenhouse produced lots of little misshapen but very ripe tomatoes, so these were squished into Kilner jars with a couple of sprigs of basil and a glug of extra-virgin olive oil. Camilla makes hundreds of jars of these preserved tomatoes at home and uses them in sauces, salads and on bruschetta and pizzas all winter. They cooked slowly in the cool oven of my ancient aga overnight.

Camilla makes it all look so simple, like so many natural cooks she scarcely measures but judges by eye and feel and taste. I did my best to record and measure as she cooks and here are the results.

 

Camilla’s Preserved Tomatoes

 

Makes 2 Kilner jars

 

675g (1lb 8ozs) approximately very ripe tomatoes

5-6 basil leaves

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of Maldon sea salt

2-3 cloves of garlic

 

2 x 2 pint sterilised Kilner glass jars with lids.

 

Cut the big tomatoes – leave small ones whole. Stuff them in the Kilner jars and press tight. Add the extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon herb or Maldon sea salt, cloves of garlic and a sprig of basil. Close and seal the jars and bake at 110ºC/225°F/Gas Mark 1/4 until tomatoes are soft (3-4 hours) or until the tomatoes have softened and are cooked.

Keeps forever!

 

Fresh Bay Leaf Salt

 

Camilla Plum used coarse grey salt from Trapani

 

125g (4 1/2oz) Sel de Guérande (1/2 packet of Maldon sea salt)

young fresh bay leaves – 2 fistfuls – stalks removed

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

 

Destalk the bay leaves; transfer the leaves to a food processor.  Whizz with the crushed garlic and half the salt.  When juicy and green turn out onto a plate. Add the remainder of the salt. Dry on a flat platter – 4-5 days.  Store in a glass jar or jars.

 

Use with beef, roast potatoes, either add at the beginning with extra virgin olive oil or sprinkle over at the end for a fresh bay taste.

 

Nordic Cucumber and Dill Salad

 

Makes enough for 6-8

 

2 large fresh cucumbers

5 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 fistfuls of dill plus soft stalks chopped

 

Slice the cucumbers thinly –put into a bowl, add the cider vinegar, sugar, salt and chopped dill.

 

Toss well, leave for at least an hour.  Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.

 

Serve with fish, lamb, chicken…

 

 

Shaken Berries

 

A Nordic way of preserving Summer fruits.

 

Redcurrants, blackcurrants, lingonberries, white currants, ripe gooseberries…are delicious preserved in this way. They keep forever!

Eat with cheese, venison, pork, melon…

 

Fresh ripe redcurrants (preferably organic)

60% fruit to 40% sugar or more to taste.

 

Put the fruit into a glass Kilner jar or jars, add sugar and stir well so the berries are bruised. Cover and keep in a cool place or refrigerator.

 

Strawberry and Rose Petal Jam

 

Makes 2 -3 pots

 

1kg (2¼lb) strawberries

1 litre (1¾ pints) of rose petals from fragrant old roses

450g (1lb) sugar

Freshly squeezed juice of ½ to 1 lemon

 

Put the strawberries in a wide stainless steel saucepan and cook over a brisk heat until the juices run and the fruit breaks down. Add the rose petals and hot sugar. Stir to dissolve the sugar, bring back to the boil and continue to cook for 5 – 8 minutes until it reaches a set. Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Test for a set by putting about a teaspoon of jam on a cold plate, leaving it for a few minutes in a cool place. It should wrinkle when pressed with a finger. Remove from the heat immediately. Pour into sterilised jars and store in a cool place.

 

Verbena, Chilli, Ginger and Lemon Thyme Sugar

 

1 handful Moroccan mint

3 big handfuls fresh lemon verbena, leaves stripped off the stalks

1 inch knob of ginger chopped

2 tablespoons lemon thyme

2-3 Kaffir lime leaves if available

1/2 chilli

1 fistful of lemon basil

250-450g (9oz – 1lb) sugar

 

Put the leaves into the food processor; add ginger and lemon thyme leaves plus a couple of kaffir lime leaves if you have them. Add 110g (4oz) of sugar, whizz until blended, add rest of sugar and whizz another second, one can add less or more sugar.

 

Spread out on a tray or platter.  Leave to dry for 5-6 days even a week or use immediately.

 

For a hot drink

Pour boiling water over about a tablespoon of the Verbena Sugar in a glass, add lemon juice to taste.

 

For a cold drink

Add flat or sparkling water and lemon juice, add some rum if you fancy.

 

Hottips

 

Darina’s Book of the Week

No Need to Knead – Handmade Artisan Breads in 90 Minutes by Suzanne Dunaway. Suzanne uses no preservatives or additives of any kind, her ingredients are simply flour, water, yeast and salt – and, passion.You’ll find recipes for focaccia, ciabatta, pane rustico and pizza as well as breads from around the world such as baguette, sourdough flapjacks, blini, muffins, corn bread, brioche, African Spiced bread, kulich and kolaches. In addition many of the basic bread doughs are fat-free, sugar-free and dairy-free making then perfect for people on strict dietary or allergy regimes. Published by Grubb Street Press.

Charity Event – The Ballymaloe Cookery School Gardens will be open in aid of The Lismore Music Festival on Thursday, 9th August from 2.30pm – 5.30pm – Tickets are €12.50, includes afternoon tea – children and OAP’s half price. www.lismoremusicfestival.com

 

Learn how to prune your Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherry trees into Ornamental Fans and Espaliers with with Susan Turner at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Monday 13th August 9:00am to 2:00pm. Both decorative and functional – it’s a great way to grow a wide variety of fruit in a limited space. You’ll learn how to grow apples and pears as cordons, espaliers and step-overs. Fan trained peaches, plums, cherries, apricots and figs. 021 – 4646785 or www.cookingisfun.ie

Gastronomic science students doing a masters in marketing now have a list of evocative terms guaranteed to resonate with consumers who are seeking a more authentic wholesome product or eating experience – local artisan handmade, farmhouse, traditional, hand crafted… As a result there’s an epidemic of chefs and producers who are talking the talk but often with little understanding or respect for the real meaning of the word.

Evocative labels use the clever images and the jargon but often completely fail to deliver what that image promises. The menu of the CIE train promises ‘delicious, local, handmade sandwiches, hot snacks and pastries’ – I don’t think so – they are what they are but why try to pass them off as homemade. There are ‘Artisan’ restaurants and cafes without a single artisan item on the menu, artisan sweets and chocolates where as far as I can gather the only artisan element in the entire production system is to put the chocolates by hand into the moulded plastic trays in the slick packaging.

This ‘passing off’ is grossly unfair to the growing number of real artisan producers who has done so much to offer an alternative to mass produced option and to change the image of Irish food both at home and abroad.

Watertight definitions are notoriously difficult to nail down. Several of the farmhouse cheese makers and artisan producers – including Ballymaloe Country Relish – who started production on their kitchen tables has now morphed into a million euro businesses with a significant export market, no longer small but still with strong artisan values and philosophy – Cashel Blue Cheese and Glenilen in West Cork are brilliant examples. I asked John McKenna (Bridgestone Guides) what his definition of artisan might be – “a person who makes a product form beginning to end, and who makes it by hand, it’s easy to mechanise food production, artisans originate the product, produce it, and ideally sell it at market. Twenty years ago we came up with ‘The four ‘P’s’ person, place, (sense of place), product (original start from scratch) and passion and have found that has stood the test of time”

The  Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSA) are working on it but as yet there is still no legal definition of local or regional in the EU despite a recognition of the urgent need to define. In the US the word ‘house-made’ is now being substituted for hand-made which no longer had credibility. At present there are several court cases pending because of restaurants passing off an imported product, particularly goat cheese, as Irish. If you come across cases of blatant ‘passing off’ do please contact Slow Food Ireland or Cáis. www.slowfoodireland.com

 

The Encarta dictionary definition of artisan: a person or company that makes a high-quality, distinctive product in small quantities, usually by hand…

 

A Plate of McGeough’s Cured Meats

 

James McGeough is a second generation master butcher in Galway, Ireland. For the past number of years he’s been experimenting with curing and drying meats using traditional meats to produce dried, smoked meats and salami. I tasted them at the Food Village during the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway and was mightily impressed.

Telephone 353 (0) 91 552351 for stockists.

 

Serves 4

 

8 slices each of air dried beef, pork, lamb and ham

Cucumber pickle

Horseradish crème fraiche (see recipe)

a salad of rocket leaves and fresh herbs

 

Arrange 2 ruffled slices of each cured meat on each serving plate, add some cucumber pickle, horseradish crème fraiche and a little bouquet of rocket leaves and fresh herbs.

 

Horseradish Crème Fraiche

 

Horseradish grows wild in many parts of Ireland and looks like giant dock leaves.  If you can’t find it near you, plant some in your garden.  It is very prolific and the root which you grate can be dug up at any time of the year.

 

Serve with roast beef, smoked venison or smoked mackerel.

 

Serves 8 – 10

 

1 1/2-3 tablespoons grated horseradish

2 teaspoons wine vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

pinch of freshly ground pepper

1 – 2 teaspoons sugar

8 fl ozs (250 ml) crème fraiche

 

Scrub the horseradish root well, peel and grate on a ‘slivery grater’.  Put the grated horseradish into a bowl with the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar.  Fold in the crème fraiche but do not overmix or the sauce will curdle.  It keeps for 2-3 days: cover so that it doesn’t pick up flavours in the fridge.

 

This is a fairly mild horseradish sauce.  If you want to really clear the sinuses increase the amount of horseradish!

 

Courgette Flower, St Tola Goats Cheese and Local Honey

 

Anyone who planted courgettes this year will have lots of courgette blossoms. Use the male flowers raw in salads or make them into fritters.

 

Serves 2

4 courgette blossoms

250g (9ozs) St Tola goats cheese (or other good quality goats/sheep cheese)

2 teaspoons thyme leaves

2 teaspoons Irish honey

 

Tempura Batter

 

200g (7ozs) rice flour

20g (3/4oz) corn flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

cold sparkling water

 

First make the batter.

Mix the flours with a little water, it should be of a thickish consistency and can be used immediately.

 

Mix the cheese with the thyme leaves. Half fill each courgette flower.  Twist the ends to seal.  Dip the courgette flowers into batter.  Deep-fry at 190°C/375°F for 1 minute.  Drizzle with honey and serve, immediately.

 

Genaro’s Crespelle con Ricotta e Rucola

 

Crespelle are the Italian equivalent of pancakes. Everything sounds better in Italian – a recipe from Gennaro Contaldo’s Easy Italian cookery book, published by Headline UK.

                                                     

250g (9oz) plain flour

4 eggs

500ml (18fl oz)

40g (1 ½ oz) butter melted, plus extra for greasing and dotting

20g (3/4 oz) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

½ quantity of Tomato sauce, using onion (see recipe)

Salt

 

For the filling

 

300g (10 ½ oz) ricotta – we use Toonsbridge Ricotta

100g (3 ½ oz) rocket, finely chopped, plus some un-chopped for garnishing

50g (1 ¾ oz) Parmesan cheese freshly grated

salt and pepper

 

1 x 16cm ( 6 ¼ inch) non-stick frying pan

 

Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas 5.

Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl, add the eggs and stir. Gradually whisk in the milk, ensuring no lumps are formed, until you obtain a smooth runny batter, then stir in the melted butter.

Place the frying pan on the heat, grease with a little butter, then add a ladleful of the mixture in the centre of the pan. Swirl the pan around so that the mixture runs to all sides. Fry until the bottom is golden, then flip over to cook on the other side. Remove and set aside. Continue to do this until your mixture has finished – you should be able to make 8 pancakes.

To make the filling on to each pancake, then fold each one in half and half again, ending up with a triangle. Place on a greased ovenproof dish so that they slightly overlap each other, dot with knobs of butter and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove and top with a spoonful of tomato sauce on each pancake. Garnish with some rocket and serve.

 

Genaro’s Salsa di Pomodoro – Tomato Sauce

 

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, or ½ medium onion, finely chopped

2 x 410g tins plum tomatoes, chopped

handful of fresh basil, finely chopped

salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and sweat the garlic or onion over a medium heat. Add the tomatoes and basil, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and use immediately, or leave to cool and place in the fridge or freezer for later use.

 

Rose Cottage Strawberry Ice Cream

 

Rose Cottage Fruit Farm in Co Laois grows a variety of soft fruits and sells at Midleton, Mahon Point, Coal Quay and Douglas Farmers Markets – 0578732666

 

 

Serves 6-8

 

2 lbs (900g) very ripe strawberries

freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon

freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 orange

8ozs (225gcastor sugar

300ml (300ml) water

150ml (5floz) whipped cream

 

Dissolve the sugar in the water; boil for 7-10 minutes, leave to cool. Purée the strawberries in a food processor or blender, sieve. Add the freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice to the cold syrup. Stir into the purée, fold in the whipped cream. Freeze immediately preferably in a sorbietere.  Store in a covered plastic box in the freezer. Store in a fridge.

 

Fresh Strawberry Sauce

400g (14 ozs) strawberries

50g (2 ozs) icing sugar

lemon juice

 

Garnish

Fresh mint leaves

 

To make the strawberry sauce, clean and hull the strawberries, add to the blender with sugar and blend. Strain, taste and add lemon juice if necessary. Pour over scoops of strawberry gelato and garnish with some fresh mint leaves.

Hot Tips

Date for your diary.

The Slow Food event Terra Madre in Italy is a life changing event. This year’s theme is ‘The future of food is the future of the planet. Slow Food International Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre’  Five days of extraordinary diversity of food across all continents held in Turin, Italy from Thursday 25th to Monday 29th October 2012 – for full details of the rich program http://www.slowfood.com

Food Festival in Castlemartyr, East Cork. The Village Greengrocer Food Festival are preparing for their second annual festival. There will be lots of food stalls, a pig on the spit and live music on Friday 10^th and Saturday 11^th August – 021-4667655.

Great new food magazine ‘West Fork’ celebrates the wonderful diversity of ‘food production’ and ‘food culture’ in West Cork. Look out for it. www.westfork.ie

Darina’s Book of the Week

Picnics and Other Outdoor Feasts by Claudia Roden, The new edition of Picnics reveals a whole world of simply prepared delicious foods and whets our appetites and the imagination with tales from far and near. From the street food of the Middle East and Mediterranean, the festivals of the high grassy plains of Mexico to the English traditions of picnicing in parks, at Glyndebourne and shooting-lunches on the grouse moors. Something for every season and any climate, perfect for our Irish Summer. Published by Grubb Street Press.