The Ballymaloe Cookery School operates throughout the year with everything from one day, two and half day and week courses as well as three, three month certificate courses every year. Students come from all over the world, this time there are 14 different nationalities, so our little village of Shanagarry becomes even more cosmopolitan. Some of the students have never held a wooden spoon in their hands before; and others are chefs and may be experts in a particular area but are anxious to learn the basics and some classic techniques.
Among the May students is a Russian girl called Katya Pal who has taken a three month sabbatical from her job with the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature.) She comes from a family that love to cook and eat together and although they live in the heart of Moscow, the also have a ‘dacha’ (a little house in the country) where they can grow fruit and vegetables in their garden.
Katya surfed the internet to find a cookery school and came across Ballymaloe. She explained that she was at once taken with the idea of attending a cookery school on an organic farm, where she could learn about food production and hone her cooking techniques.
“Since I saw the Ballymaloe website with its gardens and the farm and ecological approach to food, I could hardly think of anything else” Katya said. Hitherto I was hard-pressed to name more than three or four Russian dishes.
So what do I know about Russian Food – I’m embarrassed to say very little, I’d heard about blini and bortsh and Beluga caviar and the dreaded Russian salad but after that I was stumped.
Katya intrigued us with descriptions about the food of her homeland so I asked her to cook some of the dishes for a Slow Food event to raise money for the East Cork Slow Food Educational Project which teaches local children how to cook.
Katya made a list of 30 or 40 recipes that she desperately wanted to share with us. We had to whittle the list down to seven or eight that could be squished into a 2 hour cookery demonstration.
It was a totally inspirational evening and an eye opener to those who may have had a pre-conceived idea about Russian food. Katya told us about her food culture and wove wonderfully colourful stories of food and cooking in and out through the evening. We learned about the Russian stove, a unique type of fire oven which first appeared in the 15th Century and is designed to retain heat for long periods of time by channelling hot air through a complex labyrinth of passages thus warming the bricks, creating a cosy spot on top for some of the family to sleep during the winter. This unique Russian oven has spawned many slow cooked dishes. Food acquires a distinctive character by being cooked this way.
Here are just a few of the recipes that she shared with us.

Cold Beetroot Soup
Soups are very important in Russian cuisine and one can’t really have a proper lunch or dinner without it. This refreshing cold beetroot soup is excellent on a hot sunny day. Bortsh is more usual in Winter.

Serves 6

300 g (11 ozs) beetroot peeled
Beetroot stalks chopped 1 cm (½ inch) long
1 litre (1¾ pints) of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar

Accompaniments:
3 hard boiled eggs, free range and chopped
Bunch of parsley, dill, spring onions, mint – chopped
6-8 radishes chopped in cubes of ½ cm (¼ inch)
Half a large cucumber chopped into cubes of ½ cm (ۘ¼ inch)
1 small onion, finely chopped with salt and lemon juice
Salt

100 g (3½ ozs) sour cream

Optional:
Boiled new potatoes – either whole and hot on the side, or cool and grated in the soup
Horseradish
Mustard

Boil peeled beetroot in 1 litre (1¾) unsalted water. It is important not to add salt at this stage as this will spoil the colour. Just before the beetroot is fully cooked add the beetroot stalks and continue cooking until the beetroot is ready. Take off the heat and cool. Remove the beetroot from the saucepan and grate back into the cooking liquid. Add salt, sugar and vinegar (or lemon juice). Adding vinegar enhances the colour of the soup.

Mix the chopped accompaniments together and allow the guests to add as much of these as they want into their bowls with soup. Add a spoon of sour cream into each bowl.

You can also serve this soup with hot boiled new potatoes on the side, or add some cold grated potatoes to the soup (this way the soup will be more filling). Adding some horseradish or mustard to the filling or mixing it with sour cream before serving is also delicious
Tip: the accompaniments of this soup also makes a great salad on their own – dress it with sour cream and mayo (half and half)

Katya Pal’s Salmon Cake

A variation of popular Russian salads that use boiled potatoes and mayonnaise as a base. This salmon salad is also great to serve as a starter at a dinner party. It is called a “cake” because of its cake-like shape (but it is neither sweet nor baked).

Serves 8-10

3 large boiled potatoes grated (largest grate)
300 g (11 ozs) salted salmon, thinly sliced and chopped in pieces of about 2 cm (¾).
1 onion, finely chopped
150 g (5 ozs) grated semi-hard cheese (Gruyere or Cheddar)
2 carrots, boiled and grated
2-3 green eating apples, grated
3 hard boiled eggs, free range, finely chopped
1 can (100-130 g) salted salmon eggs
½ litre (18 fl ozs) of home-made mayonnaise (should not be too thick – you may want to add some lemon juice and sugar, sour cream or water to make it more runny)

Take a flat plate and assemble a round layer of grated boiled potatoes in the middle. Drizzle some homemade mayonnaise over the potatoes. Then put some sliced salmon on top.  Add more mayonnaise. Add layers of finely chopped onions, cheese, carrots, apples, boiled eggs one by one, drizzle with mayonnaise in between each layer. Cover the top of the salad with salmon eggs. Cool in refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving. Cut into cake-like slices to individual plates.

Blini
Blini (plural for “blin”) are traditional Russian very thin pancakes. Blini had a somewhat ritual significance for early Slavic peoples being a symbol of the sun, as they are round, yellow and hot! They were traditionally prepared at the end of winter to honor the rebirth of the new sun (Butter Week, or “Maslenitsa”).  This tradition was adopted by the Orthodox Church and is carried on to the present day. Maslenitsa week is held just before the start of the Big Lent (which would come to its end at Easter). Huge piles of blini are eaten in this week.

There are many ways to make blini and each household in Russia would use a different recipe. Below is just one –  it uses milk as a base, but you can experiment by adding buttermilk or yogurt or water instead of milk, or, if you have time and courage, making traditional yeast batter. A blini is somewhat similar to a crêpe, the main difference being that traditionally yeast has been used for blini.

For 12-15 blini:
3 free range eggs, separated
700 ml (1¼ pints) of milk
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon non-scented oil
250 g (9 ozs) of white flour

To fry:
oil
half onion, chopped

To Cover:
100 ml (3½ fl ozs) cleared butter

Mix egg yolks, a cup of milk, salt, sugar, oil and flour – stir till smooth, add rest of the milk. Beat the egg whites stiff and add to the mixture. Stir carefully so that some of the foam stays in the batter.  The mixture should be quite runny.

Put a saucepan with water on a low simmer and cover with a plate. As each blini is cooked place on the plate and cover with a with a lid – this will keep the blini hot while you are frying the rest of the blini.

Place half an onion on a fork, dip into some cooking oil and spread just enough oil to cover a heavy cast iron frying pan.. Using a large spoon pour some of the batter in a circular motion into the pan. Remember that blini should be thin. My grandmother used to say that a real blin is the one you can read a newspaper through. If the batter is too thick – just add water.

Once fried, brush each blin with some clarified butter to prevent them from sticking to each other and place on the warming plate until ready to use. Brushing the blini with clarified butter also gives a wonderful taste! Blini are served with smetana (sour cream), caviar, salmon eggs, herring, salmon,  jams or coulis.

Blinchiky
Once you have mastered blini it is easy (and very tempting) to make “blinchiky” – which are blini filled with different types of fillings, folded and refried.

Meat filling:
200 g (7 ozs) cooked minced beef
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons oil
Salt
Black pepper

Heat some oil or clarified butter in a pan and fry the onions gently until they caramelize.  Add the cooked minced beef, season well. Put 2 generous tablespoons of the mince filling into each blin, fold into envelopes, fry on cleared butter or oil on two sides. Serve with sour cream.

Fried mushrooms and onion, “tvorog” (Russian curd cheese), apple and cinnamon, potatoes and mushrooms all make delicious blini fillings. It is important that the fillings have a dry texture so that it does not run out of the blinchiky. All types of blinchiky as well as blini are served with smetana.

You may freeze your blinchiky after filling and then fry them later.

Katya Pal’s Medovik – Layered Honey Cake
Russian cakes are numerous and each family have their own secret recipes. This Honey Cake is an easy and delicious cake to make. This cake should be made one day in advance and kept refrigerated.

Pastry:
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 tablespoons of honey
1 teaspoon of soda
½ teaspoon of vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice
320 g (11 ozs) wheat flour
200 g (7 ozs) sugar
2 free range eggs

Filling:
500 g (18 ozs) sour cream – look carefully labels to ensure it does not contain starch. (we used Glenilen)
100 g (3½ ozs) castor sugar

Chocolate Icing (optional):
6 teaspoons of cocoa powder
6 teaspoons of sugar
1tablespoon of butter
70 ml (2¾ fl ozs) milk

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

Melt butter in a small saucepan, add honey and soda (mix soda with lemon juice or vinegar – this will create a foam, add this to the butter and honey and stir.)

Beat the eggs with the sugar, add the flour then add the butter and honey mixture. Split the dough in 5 equal parts. Spread one part on the bottom of a round baking tray and bake for 5 minutes in the preheated. Take the pan out; allow to cool, take the pastry out. Bake all five layers one by one.

Beat sour cream with sugar until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is steady. Put the first layer on a cake plate, cover with beaten sour cream, put next layer and so on. If you wish to make chocolate icing leave last layer without sour cream.

To prepare icing melt the butter in milk in a small sauce pan, add the sugar and cocoa powder and stir  continuously until it is rather thick but still liquid. Pour the hot icing over the cake. Cool and put into a fridge until tomorrow’s feast.

Katya Pal’s Klukovka – Cranberry Vodka

This is a fun party drink for those who prefer lighter drinks to straight vodka. Sour cranberries work well as they neutralize the alkali in vodka.

Makes 1 litre (1¾ pints)

500 g (18 ozs) of cranberries (fresh or frozen)
150 g (5 ozs) of sugar
700 ml (1¼ pint) of vodka
350 ml (12 fl ozs) water

Mix the cranberries and the sugar in a food processor. Add the water and vodka. Leave for 3-5 days and pour through a sieve or a cheese cloth (depending on the level of clarity you’d like to have) Serve cold in frozen shot glasses.

If you don’t have time and patience, bring the cranberries, water and sugar almost to the boil, cool to about 30 C, add vodka, strain, put into a freezer and drink when cold.

Non-Alcohol Klukovka

500 g (18 ozs) cranberries
1.5 litres (2½ pints) water
200 g (7 ozs) sugar

Bring the cranberries, water and sugar to the boil. Wait until it cools down and strain.

Hottips

Experience the wonderful food and culture of Cork – tasting Cork city with Alice Coyle of Fabulous Food Trails. Every Saturday morning they set out to discover the best local tastes of Cork, often veering off the beaten track to discover some little gems. The Cork Trail is a relaxed but highly-focused two and half hour walking tour for enthusiastic foodies or those who are just interested in seeing and tasting the best of Cork. The tastings are generous and frequent, taking in different markets, cheese mongers, fishmongers, butchers, bakers… meeting the people who produce some of the best food in Ireland. The Food Trail leaves every Saturday morning at 10am – contact Alice Coyle on 086 8090456 or visit www.fabulousfoodtrails.ie

Garden Workshop with Susan Turner – Designing Herbaceous Borders – good plant choices for a long season of interest with vibrant colour combinations and contrasts in texture and form. Half Day Course on Monday 18th July, 9:00am to 2:00pm €95.00 including lunch at Ballymaloe Cookery School, Shanagarry, Co Cork. 0214646785

Chez Panisse is a legendary restaurant and café in Berkeley, California. For almost 40 years its simple menu of local, seasonal and organic food has been an inspiration to chefs and cooks, not just in America but across the world. The founder Alice Waters is a hero, not only to farmers and producers for the network she set up and encouraged others to do the same but, also to parents and teachers because of her Edible Schoolyard project which she started way back in 1995.
Alice has been a hero of mine since I first met her in the mid-eighties so you can imagine just how thrilled I was when she invited me go to Chez Panisse to do a book signing and a dinner to celebrate the American edition of my Forgotten Skills book. Better still Chez Panisse featured recipes from my book on their menu all week long and the books sold out on the first evening. It says a lot about what’s happening at grassroots level in the US, that a book which features chapters on foraging in the wild, sausage making, curing your own meat, butter-making, preserving and instructions on how to use left-overs and inexpensive cuts of meat and offal was nominated for an IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) cookbook award. There is a food revolution brewing in the US, all over the country, people from every age-group, race and background are getting involved in initiatives to improve the quality of food in schools. Troops are mobilising to demand reform of the Farm Bill which like European CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) comes up for renewal in 2013. The Farmers Market and Community Assisted Agriculture initiatives, organic box schemes and urban gardens on waste land in cities are gathering momentum. Supermarkets like Whole Foods and Central Market have little stalls inside the door offering a free piece of fruit to every child.
One man I met started a vegetable garden in the grounds of a local hospital; the produce is used by the catering team with very little food waste because it is so appreciated.
All over the country there is a frenzy of growing, in response to the fast food culture of mass produced denatured food. The change is coming from the ground up, not from the top down, although Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden on the lawn of the White House sent a strong message to Americans that it’s time to start digging their own Victory Gardens once again. Everywhere I went I met people who told me the safest food is what you grow in your own backyard, the recent e-coli scandal hasn’t helped and as mistrust in the factory farming systems grows; the movement for do-it-yourself food continues to gather momentum.

Chez Panisse Fresh Mozzarella Salad

This is the perfect recipe in which to enjoy Toby Simmonds Irish mozzarella (see Hot Tips.) As in all simple recipes, success here lies in the quality of the ingredients. You must begin with very fresh mozzarella, the kind still floating in its milky whey. For this reason, locally make cheese is preferable. At Chez Panisse they make their own mozzarella and serve it within hours while it is still soft and creamy.

Serves 4

225g (8oz) fresh mozzarella
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
extra virgin olive oil
fresh basil, marjoram, parsley, mint or thyme

Optional: Vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, sliced prosciutto, olives.

Have the mozzarella at room temperature. Cut it into the ¼ inch slices and arrange on a platter. Season very lightly with sea salt and generously with freshly ground pepper.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Roughly chop the herbs (one herb or a combination) and scatter them over the cheese.
Serve the cheese salad very plain, or add an assortment of different coloured cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and salted; surround with prosciutto slices and decorate with black olives.

Chez Panisse Garganelli Pasta with Fava Beans (Broadbeans)

It’s not uncommon in informal cafes in Europe to see waiters peeling garlic during a quiet time. At Chez Panisse, they peel fava beans – lots of them. Sometimes the customers standing at the bar help out. It is a time consuming process, to be sure, shucking and peeling all those beans, but rewarding when you taste a dish like this one. The combination of pasta, fava beans and sheep’s milk is especially delicious when the favas are young and tender. Young fava beans are also good served Tuscan style, eaten raw with salami.

Serves 4

450g (1lb) garganelli pasta (or penne pasta)
Salt
extra virgin olive oil
900g (2lbs) fava beans in the pod – to be parboiled and peeled (see note)
165g (6oz) thinly sliced spring onions
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh savoury
freshly ground black pepper
a few drops of lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
110g (4oz) ricotta salata cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta in the salted water until it is al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the fava bean ragout. Heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over a moderate heat. Add the fava beans, onion, garlic, rosemary and savoury and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Gently cook the mixture until the onions are soft and the fava beans are tender – about 5 minutes. Do not let the vegetable brown much; add a splash of water as needed. The ragout should be a bit moist by the end of cooking.
Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and add the fava bean ragout. Stir over a low heat until the pasta is thoroughly coated, adding a bit of the reserved pasta water if the mixture seems dry. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to the mixture and taste of seasoning.
Transfer the pasta to a warmed bowl. Sprinkle the top with chopped parsley. Use a sharp vegetable peeler to cut shavings of the ricotta salata over the top. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve.
Note: To prepare the fava beans (broadbeans), shell them and parboil very briefly in boiling water (30 seconds to 1 minute) Plunge the beans into cold water to stop the cooking. Pop each bean out of its pale green outer skin by pinching with thumb and forefingers.

Warm Lamb Salad with Pomegranates and Walnuts

Serves 4

1 rack of lamb (approx. 2lbs/900g weight)
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons olive oil
a pinch cayenne
a few thyme branches

Dressing
1 shallot, diced fine
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar (Forum)
2 tablespoons walnut oil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 large handfuls curly endive, dandelion, or rocket, washed

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Trim the lamb rack of excess fat and season well with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cut the garlic into fine slices and insert them in to the flesh along the bone. Mix the pomegranate molasses, olive oil and a pinch of cayenne. Rub this mixture over the surface of the meat. Scatter the thyme branches over. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.  Bring back the roast to room temperature before cooking.

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

Roast the rack of lamb for about 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 51.6°C/125°F.

Allow the roast to rest on a warm platter, lightly covered, for 10 minutes or so.

To make the vinaigrette.
Macerate the shallot in the vinegar with a pinch of salt for 15 minutes. Whisk in the walnut oil and the extra virgin olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

In a large bowl, season the greens lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the vinaigrette. Pile the dressed greens in the centre of a large platter. Slice the lamb rack into chops and surround the salad with them. Sprinkle the salad with the walnuts and pomegranate seeds, spoon some of the roasting juices over the meat and serve.

Pollo al Mattone with French Beans, Roast Onions and Sage, Parsley and Garlic Oil

This Italian stovetop method for cooking chicken under a brick traditionally uses a whole young chicken, split down the back and flattened.  The result is a deliciously crisp, well-cooked bird.  In Chez Panisse café, they adapted the technique for boned chicken legs.

Serves 4

4 organic free-range chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs, attached)
salt and pepper

65ml (2 1/2 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
finely grated zest of lemon

350g (12oz) (8oz) French beans, cooked al dente in boiling salted water (see recipe)
350g (12oz) onions, peeled, quartered and roasted in extra virgin olive oil in an oven at 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 5 until tender and slightly caramelised

Sage, Parsley and Garlic Oil
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
175ml (6fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Serve
Potato Crips (see recipe)

Lemon wedges

Bone the chicken legs, opening them out into large flat pieces with the skin intact.  Trim the excess fat from the edges.  Season both sides of each piece with salt and pepper and refrigerate.

Put the olive oil in a small saucepan.  Add the thyme leaves and warm gently for 1-2 minutes over a low heat, add the lemon zest and allow to cool, add the chicken legs.

Heat a large cast-iron grill or frying pan over a medium heat.  When the pan is hot, remove the chicken legs from the oil.  Lay skin side down on the pan in a single layer. Lay another cast-iron or earthenware pan on top (a clay brick was used originally).

Cook for about 15 minutes on the skin side, checking occasionally to make sure it is browning evenly.  Reduce the heat if the legs are cooking too quickly.  Turn the legs over and cook for a further 5 minutes, uncovered.  The skin should be crisp and golden, and the flesh tender.  Meanwhile cook the onions and beans and keep warm.

To make the sage, parsley and garlic oil.
Mix the chopped garlic, sage and parsley (these should be chopped at the last minute), add to the extra virgin olive oil.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

To Serve
Put a crispy chicken leg, skin side up on a hot main course plate, surround with a mixture of roast onions and French beans.  Drizzle with sage, parsley and garlic oil.  Add a segment of lemon and a mound of potato crisps and serve immediately.

Homemade Potato Crisps

Making chips at home is definitely worthwhile – a few potatoes produce
a ton of crisps and nothing you buy in any shop will be even half as delicious. A mandolin is well worth buying for making chips – but mind your fingers! When these are served with roast pheasant they are called game chips.

Serves 4

450g (1lb) large, even-sized potatoes
extra virgin olive oil or beef dripping for deep-fat frying
salt

Wash and peel the potatoes. For even-sized crisps, trim each potato with a swivel-top peeler until smooth. Slice them very finely, preferably with a mandolin. Soak in cold water to remove the excess starch (this will also prevent them from discolouring or sticking together). Drain off the water and dry well.

In a deep-fat fryer, heat the oil or dripping to 180ºC/350ºF. Drop in the dry potato slices a few at a time and fry until golden and completely crisp. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat until they are all cooked.

If they are not to be served immediately, they may be stored in a tin box and reheated in a low oven just before serving.

Chez Panisse Apricot Bread Pudding

Apricots are in season at the moment, there are lots in the shops so this is an opportunity to try this recipe from Chez Panisse.

Serves 6 – 8

8 fresh apricots cut in small wedges or150-175g (5-6oz) dried apricots, sliced, 1 ¼ cups of sugar

Pudding

7 egg yolks
75g (3oz) sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
450ml (16fl oz) half-and-half or whole milk
450ml (16fl oz) cream
grated zest of 1 orange
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon kirsch

Optional: 110g (4 oz) good quality almond paste, cut in pea-size pieces
About 450g (1 lb) brioche, pain-de-mie, or good day-old homemade white bread, cut into ½-inch cubes.

In a small saucepan, simmer the apricots in 225ml (8fl oz) and 60g (2½oz) of the sugar. Poach the fruit until tender, 5 minutes for fresh or about 12 for dried,. Drain the fruit, saving the liquid, and set the fruit aside to cool. Return the poaching liquid to the saucepan and add the remaining 225g (8oz) and 112mls (4floz) water. Boil this mixture, and when it begins to brown, swirl the pan so that it caramelises evenly. Cook to a medium amber colour. Very carefully pour the hot caramel into a 2-quart gratin dish or divide it evenly among six ramekins. Cool.
Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl. Slowly add 75g (3oz) sugar and mix well. Whisk in the half and half or milk and cream. Add the orange zest, salt, vanilla and almond extracts, nutmeg, and kirsch. Gently fold in the poached apricots, the almond paste, if using and the bread cubes. Transfer the pudding mixture to the gratin dish or ramekins. Let rest at least an hour or refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Mark 5. Sprinkle a little sugar over the top of the pudding. Place the gratin dish or ramekins, on a baking sheet to catch any overflow. Bake until nicely browned, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variation: Substitute prunes for the apricots and Armagnac for the kirsch.

Hottips
The Irish Artisan food sector continues to excite and innovate. Toby Simmonds has twice imported buffaloes from Italy and now has a 46 strong herd of buffalo.  He followed his dream to make an Irish Mozzarella and now if you rush, the tender hand rolled result can be found on the olive stall at the Midleton and Mahon Point Farmers Markets. It tastes distinctly Irish – tender and delectably herbaceous. Mark Hosford has also been experimenting and he too is making a mozzarella but this time from the beautiful milk of the Kerry cow which is apparently closest to Buffalo. He too sells at Mahon Point, Mallow, Douglas and Emmet Place in Cork City.
Both are well worth seeking out – a wonderful new addition to the artisan offering.
Toby Simmonds – www.therealoliveco.com – 087 635 1954.
Mark Hosford – markscheese@yahoo.ie – 086 6351954

When Madeleine Murray and Maire Carney returned to Ireland after their travels (Madeleine was an archaelogisit and Maire was a solicitor) they racked their brains to think of how to make a living in a different way – Madeline learned how to make a variety of sushi and taught her pal. This is traditional sushi, but with an Irish twist, using local ingredients like Roscarbery black pudding or Ummera smoked duck and chicken and the freshest fish to make classic sushi recipes. Find them at Kinsale Farmers Market every Tuesday and Mahon Point Farmers Market every Thursday. www.puresushi.ie  0866620801

Stephanie Alexander visited us recently at the Cookery School and wrote up a little bit about how much she enjoyed her time in Ireland and the UK.

‘Stephanie’s Latest’ column published on the Kitchen Garden Foundation website:
http://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au/resources/resource-area/stephanies-latest/14/a-northern-hemisphere-change-of-scenery

What is it about barbeques that brings out latent culinary skills in even the most kitchen shy lads; perhaps it is the primeval thrill of playing with fire that generates a rush of excitement. As a nation despite the inclement weather we’ve taken to the barbeque with huge enthusiasm. Virtually every house has a barbie in some shape or form. There’s so much choice nowadays from disposable trays available in petrol stations to sturdy hibachi with adjustable racks or cute little barbecues in girlie colours.   The top of the range gas grill doubles as an outdoor kitchen and can be used from January to December. I’ve cooked on them all but I’m a big fan of the kettle grill with domed lid – this gives you many more options and some can double up as a smoker.
Before you go shopping, you’ve got to consider your lifestyle and what you want from your barbecue, does it need to be portable or can it be a fixture?.  Do you want to cook for large parties or just a few family and friends?   Are you a purist or a pragmatist – will it be charcoal or gas?   I like to have both options, depending on the occasion.
One of the more important elements of a barbecue is the facility to control the height of the food over the source of heat.  This is vital, particularly when you want to cook a large joint of meat evenly.  With gas, it’s just a click of the switch and then you are in business.
Charcoal is a whole lot trickier.   It’s vital to light the barbecue well in advance.  A good trick is to line the base of the barbecue with tin foil to reflect the heat upwards.
Don’t use firelighters and certainly don’t resort to petrol – screwed up paper, kindling and long matches are fine.  Pile the charcoal into a pyramid and once lit leave it alone.
Meanwhile, prepare the food.  Lay it out in manageable size portions on trays.  Make lots of sauces, relishes and salads – many people make the mistake of overdoing the meat.  Trim excess fat off the meat or it will catch fire and create lots of flame.   There are masses of easy and delicious marinades that can be made in minutes but a very good bottle of extra virgin olive oil, Irish Sea Salt, Maldon or Halen Mon sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper are the essentials. Add fresh herbs, particularly the gutsy ones like rosemary, thyme and sage, or freshly cracked spices to ring the changes. Yoghurt tenderizes but drain well before cooking, otherwise it will stick and burn, as will items doused in sweet barbecue sauce. When the coals are ready they should have burned down to a grey ash with glowing red coals underneath.  Spread them out a bit at one side to create a cooler area if it is needed. Use long-handled tongs and have a mister close by to douse flames if necessary.
Best of all, enjoy the thrill of the grill, practice makes perfect. Sausages are fine there’s a whole lot more out here so here are a few deliciously simply suggestions.

Asian Chilli Chicken Breasts
Seek out organic or at least free-range chicken.

Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
4 tablespoons runny Irish honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons lime juice

Garnish

1 spring onion, diagonally sliced
1 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely sliced
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves

4 x 35cm (14inch) flat metal skewers

Cut each breast lengthwise into 3 strips.  Combine chilli, garlic, ginger, honey, soy sauce and lime juice.  Reserve 4 tablespoons of the mixture.  Add chicken to remaining mixture and toss to coat evenly.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Thread 3 chicken strips on to each skewer.  Grill over a medium-hot coals, turning every 2 minutes, until cooked through (8-10 minutes).  Drizzle over reserved sweet chilli mixture.  Sprinkle with spring onion, chilli, mint and coriander leaves.  Serve hot.

Chargrilled New Potato Skewers

Serves 4-6

900g (2lb) small new potatoes
salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, approximately
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
sea salt

metal skewer or pre-soaked bamboo skewers

Scrub the potatoes and cook in boiling salted water for 15-20 minutes. Cool. (the potatoes may be cooked ahead). Cut in half, toss in olive oil and sprinkle with finely chopped rosemary and sea salt.
Thread the potato halves onto the skewers. Cook potato halves over a barbeque until crisp and slightly charred on both sides. Alternatively roast in a hot oven 230ºC/450ºF/gas mark 8 for 10-15 minutes or until cooked and nicely brown – you may need to turn half way through.
Lamb Tikka Masala with Naan Bread and Tzatziki

Serves 8

2kg (4lb 8oz) leg or shoulder of Irish lamb cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) cubes

Marinade
3 tablespoons grated ginger
6 garlic cloves
1-2 green chillies
3 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
3 tablespoons garam masala
2 teaspoons turmeric
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
300ml (10fl oz) natural yoghurt
salt and freshly ground black pepper

bay leaves

To Serve
naan bread or pitta bread
Tzatziki

flat kebab skewers

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Add the lamb cubes and toss well in the spicy yoghurt.  Marinade for 1-2 hours.

Thread the lamb pieces on to a skewer with bay leaves between the cubes.  Grill over moderately hot coals for a couple of minutes on each side – you’ll need to stand over them and keep turning them otherwise they will stick.

Serve with tzatziki and naan bread.

Chargrilled Quesadillas with Tomato Salsa, Feta or Mozzarella and Guacamole

Mightn’t occur to one but quesadillas can also be made on the barbecue and are delicious.

Serves 4

8 x  20cm (8 inch) flour tortillas
100g (3½oz) Gruyere cheese, grated
200g (7oz) feta cheese, crumbled or Mozzarella

Tomato salsa – see recipe
4  Spring onions, chopped
Guacamole – see recipe

Spread the tortilla with a quarter of the Gruyere cheese.  Put a layer of tomato salsa on top and sprinkle with some chopped spring onion.  Sprinkle with a quarter of the Feta or Mozzarella.  Lightly place a second tortilla on top.   Assemble the remaining tortillas in the same way. (This could be done up to 4 hours beforehand – cover with cling film and keep at room temperature).
Grill over medium-hot coals until lightly browned and the Gruyere is melted, this should take about 2 minutes on each side.
Cut into wedges with a sharp serrated knife.   Serve hot with tomato salsa and guacamole.

Tomato and Coriander Salsa

Serves 4-6

Salsas of all kinds both fresh and cooked have now become a favourite accompaniment to everything from pangrilled meat to a piece of sizzling fish.

4 very ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
½-1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
Squeeze of fresh lime juice
Salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

Mix all the ingredients together. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Guacamole

One of my most treasured possessions is a dark green pottery bowl with a coarse textured interior; it was specially made in a village in the Oaxacan valley in Mexico to make Guacamole.  I carried it and the lava rock pestle the whole way home and have enormously enjoyed using it ever since.

Serves 2-4

1 ripe avocado, preferably Mexican
1 clove garlic, crushed
1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice (as a last resort)
1 tablespoon
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh coriander
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper .

Scoop out the flesh from the avocado.  Mash with a fork or in a pestle and mortar with the garlic, add the freshly squeezed lime juice, a little olive oil, chopped coriander, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Pan grilled Mackerel with Parsley Butter or Green Gooseberry Sauce

This is a master recipe for pan grilling fish.
The simplest and possibly the most delicious way to cook really fresh mackerel.

Serves 1 or 2

2-4 fillets of very fresh mackerel (allow 6 ozs (170g) fish form main course, 3 ozs (85g) for a starter)
seasoned flour
small knob of butter

Parsley Butter
2 ozs (50g) butter
4 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
a few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Garnish
segment of lemon
parsley

First make the Parsley Butter.
Cream the butter, stir in the parsley and a few drops of lemon juice at a time. Roll into butter pats or form into a roll and wrap in greaseproof paper or tin foil, screwing each end so that it looks like a cracker. Refrigerate to harden.
Heat the grill pan.

Dip the fish fillets in flour which has been seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper. Shake off the excess flour and then spread a little butter with a knife on the flesh side, as though you were buttering a slice of bread rather meanly. When the grill is quite 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 on that side before you turn them over. Continue to cook on the other side until crisp and golden. Serve on a hot plate with some slices of Parlsey Butter and a segment of lemon.

Parsley Butter may be served directly on the fish, or if you have a pretty shell, place it at the side of the plate as a container for the butter. Garnish with parsley and a segment of lemon.

Green Gooseberry Sauce

Use the tart hard green gooseberries on the bushes at the moment, they make a delicious sauce.

10 ozs (285g ) fresh green gooseberries
stock syrup to cover – 6 fl.ozs (175 ml) approx.
a knob of butter (optional)

Top and tail the gooseberries, put into a stainless steel saucepan, barely cover with stock syrup, bring to the boil and simmer until the fruit bursts.  Taste.  Stir in a small knob of butter if you like but it is very good without it.

Hottips
Una’s Handmade Gourmet Pies.
Thai Green Curry Pie, Chicken, Leek and Bacon Pie, Mince and Onion Pie, Steak and Guinness Pie, Goats Cheese and Roasted Vegetable Pie…how delicious does that sound and they are. Una Martin uses Woodside Farm’s bacon, Gubbeen chorizo, Ardsallagh goats cheese, Waterfall Farm vegetables, Ballyburden Farm beef and the lamb is from Sheehan’s butchers in Douglas, for her pies encased in an irresistible homemade crust. Available at Mahon Point Farmers Market every Thursday and Douglas Farmers Market every Saturday. Contact 087 2859957.

Ovencrafter Hendrik Lepel  will teach a hands-on two day workshop on how to build your own outdoor  wood fired bread / pizza oven on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th July -10am to 4.30pm – at Coolibah, Belgooly, Kinsale. Cost €150.00 per person  and includes lunch on both days. To book phone Hendrik 086-8838400 or  kirdnehl@hotmail – www.bakehus.com

Canapes, Finger Food and Tasty Bites – half day course at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Thursday 28th July 2011 – 9:30am to 1:30pm – lunch included – 021 4646785.

Past students of the Ballymaloe Cookery School do a variety of things, some work as chefs or cooks in restaurants, gastro pubs, yachts, ski chalets, catering businesses or as personal chefs. Some do Farmers Markets, B&Bs, delis, or pop up restaurants… Others blog or write food articles.

James Ramsden from Yorkshire, who spent 12 weeks with us in 2004, has had a fun time using his cooking skills. In 2009 he launched the Secret Larder Supper Club in London with his sister. He has written about food and cookery for The Times, The Guardian, Sainsbury’s Magazine and was chosen as one of the ‘40 Bloggers who Really Count’ by The Times May 2010. He’s totally passionate about food and has been chosen as an exciting, irrepressible New Voice in Food, published by Quadrille; James is also one of a generation of sophisticated 20 and 30 somethings, many of whom, despite being bang in step with current trends, are hesitant to cook anything more demanding than pasta.

In his first book – Small Adventures in Cooking – the influential food blogger and pop-up supper club host aims to get his peers out of their culinary rut and to start experimenting with recipes that are delicious, unexpected and simple. I’ve just chosen a menu from the book that is perfect for this weekend.

James Ramsden’s Crisp Salad of Chicory, Pickled Radishes and Apple

Serves 4

2 heads of green chicory

1/2 a red onion, peeled and very finely sliced

100g (3½oz) pickled radishes (see below)

a bunch of coriander

a handful of mint leaves

juice of 1/2 a lime

1 tbsp fish sauce

3 tbsp groundnut oil

a pinch of sugar

salt and pepper

1 apple

Wash the chicory and remove the outer leaves. What you do next is up to you – you can either pull the lettuce apart and serve the leaves whole, tear the leaves by hand or slice the as thick or thinly as you like. Whatever you choose, keep the leaves in iced water until ready to serve.

Put the red onion and pickled radishes in a bowl and stir to combine. Chop the coriander and mint and add to the bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, oil and sugar and season with salt and pepper.

When ready to serve, thoroughly dry the chicory leaves and add to the radishes and onion before grating in the apple. Toss through the dressing and serve immediately.

Tart – Add some raw grated kohlrabi to this salad. Kohlrabi is a relation of the cabbage, but is milder and sweeter.

James Ramsden’s Pickled radishes

Makes a few jars’ worth

250ml (9fl oz)   white-wine vinegar

3 tbsp caster sugar

2 cloves

500g (18oz) radishes, halved

Put the vinegar, caster sugar and cloves into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat to a simmer. Add the radishes to the pan, turn off the heat and leave to cool. Store in sterilised jars.

James Ramsden’s Lamb Kebabs

The human race, you’ve probably noticed, is quite fond of stuffing bits of meat between pieces of bread. At their best, kebabs sit proudly at the top of the sandwich hierarchy – soft, ever-so-slightly pink hunks of lamb prodded generously into soft, warm pitta and licked with garlicky mayonnaise and chilli. The flatbread here is very easy to make, but by all means buy a few pittas to save time if you like.

Serves 8

250g (9oz) thick natural yoghurt

2 cloves of garlic, peeled
and crushed

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed

2 sprigs of rosemary, needles picked and finely chopped

salt and pepper

olive oil

1kg (2¼lb) lamb leg off the bone, cubed and trimmed of any excess fat

a clove of garlic, crushed

5 tbsp mayonnaise (preferably homemade)

For The Flatbreads

300g (10 ½ oz) strong white bread flour

140g (5 ¼ oz) plain flour

1 tsp yeast

1 tsp crushed fennel seeds

1 tsp salt

200ml (7fl oz) warm water

4 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp thick natural yoghurt

Serve with any or all of the following:

• chilli sauce

• 1/2 a small white cabbage, finely shredded

• 1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced

• 2 carrots, grated

• 1 iceberg lettuce, finely sliced

Mix the yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice, cumin seeds and chopped rosemary in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and loosen with a glug of oil. Coat the lamb in the yoghurt mixture and leave to marinate for 1–2 hours. While the lamb marinates, make the flatbreads following the instructions opposite.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Tip the marinated lamb into a roasting tray in an even layer and put in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, get a griddle or frying pan hot over a medium-high-heat and, one at a time, cook the breads for 2 minutes a side, keeping warm in a clean tea towel. Turn the heat down a notch if the breads are burning.

Remove the lamb from the oven and rest while you finish off any breads that remain. Stir the crushed garlic through the mayonnaise and serve with your chosen accompaniments. Let your guests fashion their own kebabs, stuffing the breads with the lamb, garlic mayo, chilli sauce and vegetables.

TART – Add a scattering of pomegranate seeds to the kebabs.

TWEAK – You can play around with the spices you add to the flatbread dough. Coriander seeds, cumin and chilli flakes all work well.

TOMORROW – Make coleslaw by mixing any leftover shredded white cabbage, red onion and carrot with the garlic mayonnaise.

To make the flatbreads

Combine your dry ingredients in a bowl before adding the water, oil and yoghurt and mixing together. Knead on a clean, floured surface until smooth and elastic. Divide into 8 pieces and roll out the flatbreads thinly. Leave to rest for at least half an hour, separated by sheets of baking paper.

James Ramsden’s Five-spice chicken wings

Chinese five-spice is a handy condiment for the cupboard. Its aromatic qualities transform the simplest cuts of meat into something spectacular, and make your kitchen smell better than the streets of Chinatown. Chicken wings are cheap, too. You can usually find them in supermarkets; otherwise give your nearest butcher a call a day in advance and I imagine he’ll practically give them to you (though don’t quote me on that).

Serves 10

4 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder

3–4 tsp hot chilli powder

4 tsp runny honey

4 tbsp soy sauce

4 tbsp olive oil

a few drops of sesame oil

salt and pepper

2–3kg chicken wings

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

In a large bowl, mix together the five-spice, chilli powder, honey, soy sauce and olive and sesame oils. Season with salt and pepper and toss in the chicken wings, coating thoroughly.
Tip into a roasting tray or two and roast in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. They’ll be cooked in less time if you’re desperate to eat, but ideally you’d give them time to get good and sticky. Serve with paper napkins.

TART – Garnish the wings with shredded spring onions and red chillies.

TWEAK – Instead of five-spice, use a couple of tablespoons of crushed Szechuan peppercorns – they make your mouth go numb in the most pleasing of ways.

James Ramsden’s Chocolate and Fennel Brownies

A good brownie recipe is an invaluable thing. They have the ability to lift the blackest of moods – all at once soothing and indulgent. For those eight seconds you spend cramming it into your mouth, the world seems like an all-right place. If serving as a pudding then these are excellent with some good-quality vanilla ice cream, though I’m as fond of them as a snack with a glass of milk.

Makes 24 brownies

400g (14oz) unsalted butter, cubed

400g (14oz) dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), smashed to pieces

6 eggs

500g (18oz) caster sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

250g (9oz) plain flour

2 tsp fennel seeds, roughly crushed

Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Line a 30cm x 20cm x 5cm baking tray with greaseproof paper. It helps to rub it with the butter wrapper first to make the paper stick.

Put a saucepan of water on to boil and place a heatproof bowl on top. Turn the heat down to low, tip the butter and chocolate into the bowl and leave to melt. Meanwhile, beat the eggs and sugar together with the vanilla extract until light and pale.

Once melted, cool the chocolate for a few minutes before whisking in the egg mix. Fold through the flour and fennel seeds and scrape into the baking tray. Put in the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes before removing and leaving to cool.

brownies

Tart – Add a couple of handfuls of white chocolate buttons to the cake mixture before baking. You can also add crushed nuts as well, walnuts being the classic choice.

Tweak – Instead of fennel, add a couple of handfuls of frozen raspberries to the brownie mix.

Tomorrow – These will keep in a tin for a few days, and they also freeze very well.

James Ramsden’s Chocolate, Chilli and Cardamom Tart

Drop any preconceptions that I have completely lost the plot here and please have a go at this tart. It will knock your socks off, and your guests will think you’re a total wizard.

Serves 8

1 x basic homemade shortcrust pastry or 300g ready-made shortcrust pastry

3 eggs, 1 beaten

250ml (9fl oz) double cream

125ml (4fl oz)   whole milk

2 tbsp caster sugar

200g (7oz) dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)

100g (3 ½ oz) milk chocolate

10 cardamom pods

1/2 tsp hot chilli powder

salt

200ml single cream

Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out the pastry. Line a 25cm tart tin with the pastry and prick all over with a fork. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes (or the freezer for 10). Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.

Line the pastry shell with baking paper and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Discard the baking paper and beans and brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg. Put back in the oven for 5 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and turn down to 160°C/Gas 2.

Meanwhile, put the cream, milk and sugar in a medium saucepan and whisk over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to just below boiling point and remove from the heat. Break the chocolate into pieces and stir it into the hot cream, leaving to melt completely. Lightly crush the cardamom pods and remove the little black seeds. Crush these in a pestle and mortar and add to the mix along with the chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Finally, beat the remaining eggs and stir into the mix until glossy. Tip this into the tart shell and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until set.

Remove and leave to cool completely before serving with the single cream.

TART – Add the zest of an orange to the chocolate. If feeling more ambitious, you could stew some cherries in Kirsch and serve them alongside. Popping candy sprinkled over the tart is quite amusing.

TWEAK –To save time you could always buy ready-made (and even ready-rolled pastry). Avoid the ready-baked tart shells, though, which are mostly terrible.

TOMORROW – This tart will keep happily in the fridge for a few days.

Hottips

The 63^rd Dunmanway Agricultural Show will take place on Sunday July 3rd 2011, at Dromleena Lawn (Racecourse) Dunmanway. The show will incorporate a farmers’ market and craft fair with a local West Cork flavour. Contact Kitty Cotter 0862782413 www.dunmawayshow.com

Look out for fresh gooseberries at the Farmers Markets – for making jam, compotes, crumbles, puddings…Enjoy them while they are at their best.

Scrumptious Salads and Sandwiches – Half Day Course with Darina Allen at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Thursday 28th July 2011 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm. 021 4646785.

Glenilen Farm have recently taken a stall at Mahon Point Farmers market. They bring in fresh milk from their farm in Drimoleague every Thursday which they sell in   refillable one litre glass bottles. Try their strawberry and yogurt smoothies and also pick up some country butter www.mahonpointfarmersmarket.com / www.glenilen.com

 The way to everyone’s heart is as ever through their tummy, it’s Fathers Day tomorrow so lets show our love and appreciation and celebrate with a slap up meal for our bestest Dad – what’s his favourite?

In a quick vox pop around here nine out of ten licked their lips at the mention of a juicy roast beef with all the trimmings – lots of crispy roast potatoes and gravy. Several asked for a bubbly cauliflower cheese or French fried onions and surprise, surprise, apple tart was the top favourite pudding! It even beat lemon meringue pie into second place. Also mushroom soup which several people said they’d like to start with.

If little ones would like to help how about some choccies. These fruit and nuts are made in minutes provided you can resist eating them yourself – a little added crystallised ginger makes them even more delicious – Happy Father’s Day.

Mushroom Soup

 

Serves 8-9

Mushroom soup is the fastest of all soups to make and surely everyone’s favourite. It is best made with flat mushrooms or button mushrooms a few days old, which have developed a slightly stronger flavour.

450g (1 lb) mushrooms (flat mushrooms are best)

110g (4 ozs) onions

25g (1oz) butter

salt and freshly ground pepper

25g (1oz) flour

600ml (1 pint) milk

600ml (1 pint) homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock

Rinse the mushrooms quickly under cold running water. Chop the onion finely. Melt the butter in a saucepan on a gentle heat. Toss the onions in the butter. Cover and sweat until soft and completely cooked. Meanwhile, chop up the mushrooms very finely.* Add to the saucepan and cook on a high heat for 4 or 5 minutes. Meanwhile bring the stock & milk to the boil in a separate pan. Stir the flour into the onions and mushroom mixture and cook on a low heat for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, then add the hot stock and milk gradually, stirring all the time. Increase the heat and bring to the boil.  Taste and add a dash of cream if necessary. Serve immediately or cool & reheat later.

Tip:  If you can’t be bothered to chop the mushrooms finely, just slice and then whizz in a liquidizer for a few seconds when the soup is cooked.  Be careful not to overdo it, this soup should still have a coarse texture. Stalks may also be used. Mushroom soup freezes perfectly.

Watchpoint: Bring the milk to the boil otherwise it may curdle if added to the soup cold.

Traditional Roast Rib of Beef with Horseradish Sauce, Gravy and Yorkshire Pudding

 

Few people can resist a roast rib of beef with Horseradish sauce, Yorkshire pudding, lots of gravy and crusty roast potatoes. Always buy beef on the bone for roasting, it will have much more flavour and it isn’t difficult to carve.

Prime rib or wing Rib of Beef on the bone (well hung)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Gravy

Serves 8-10

1 pint (600ml) stock (preferably homemade beef stock)

Roux (optional)

Horseradish Sauce (see Examiner Saturday 4^th May 2011)

Yorkshire Pudding (see recipe)

Ask your butcher to saw through the upper chine bone so that the ‘feather bones’ will be easy to remove before carving.  Weigh the joint and calculate the cooking time (see below). Preheat the oven to 240C/475F/regulo 9.  Score the fat and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Place the meat in a roasting tin, with the fat side uppermost.  As the fat renders down in the heat of the oven, it will baste the meat.  The bones provide a natural rack to hold the meat clear of the fat in the roasting pan.  Put the meat into a fully preheated oven, after 15 minutes turn down the heat to moderate 180C/350F/regulo 4  until the meat is cooked to your taste.

 There are various ways of checking.  I usually put a skewer into the thickest part of the joint, leave it there for about 30-45 seconds and then put it against the back of my hand, if it still feels cool, the meat is rare, if it is warm it is medium rare, if its hotter

its medium and if you can’t keep the skewer against your hand for more than a second then you can bet its well done. Also if you check the colour of the juices you will find they are clear as opposed to red or pink for rare or medium.

If you own a meat thermometer that will eliminate guesswork altogether but make sure the thermometer is not touching a bone when you are testing.

Beef is rare at an internal temperature of 60C/140F

        medium        “          “         70C/155F

        well-done     “          “         75C/165F

When the meat is cooked it should be allowed to rest on a plate in a warm oven for 15-30 minutes before carving, depending on the size of the roast. The internal temperature will continue to rise by as much as 2-3C/5F, so remove the roast from the oven while it is still slightly underdone.

Meanwhile make the gravy. Spoon the fat off the roasting tin.  Pour the stock into the cooking juices remaining in the tin.  Boil for a few minutes, stirring and scraping the pan well, to dissolve the caramelised meat juices (I find a small whisk ideal for this). Thicken very slightly with a little roux if you like.  Taste and add salt and freshly ground pepper if necessary.  Strain and serve in a warm gravy boat.

Carve the beef at the table and serve with Horseradish sauce, Yorkshire pudding, gravy and lots of crusty roast potatoes.

Roasting Times:

Since ovens vary enormously in efficiency and thermostats are not always accurate and some joints of meat are much thicker than others, these figures must be treated as guidelines rather than rules.  The times below include the 15 minute searing time at a high heat.

Beef on the bone:

Rare        10-12 minutes per 1 lb (450g)

Medium      12-15 minutes per 1 lb (450g)

Well-done   18-20 minutes per 1 lb (450g)

 

 Beef off the bone:

Rare        8-10 minutes per 1 lb (450g)

Medium      10-12 minutes per 1 lb (450g)

Well-done   15-18 minutes per 1 lb (450g)

Yorkshire Pudding

 

Simply irresistible with lots of gravy, I cook individual ones which I’m sure would be very much frowned on in Yorkshire but if you want to be more traditional cook it in a roasting tin and cut into squares.

Serves 8-10 approx.

4 ozs (110g) flour

2 eggs, preferably free range

1/2 pint (300ml) milk

1/2 oz (15g) butter, melted

Sieve the flour into a bowl, make a well in the centre of the flour, drop in the eggs.  Using a small whisk or wooden spoon, stir continuously, gradually drawing in flour from the sides, adding the milk in a steady stream at the same time.  When all the flour has been mixed in, whisk in the remainder of the milk and the cool melted butter.  Allow to stand for 1 hour.

Grease hot deep patty tins with pure beef dripping or oil and fill half full.  Bake in a hot oven 230°C/450°F/regulo 8, for 20 minutes approx. 

French Fried Onions

 

Serves 6

1 large onion

milk

seasoned flour 

good quality oil or beef dripping for deep-frying

Slice the onion into 1/4 inch (5mm) rings around the middle. Separate the rings and cover with milk until needed. Just before serving heat the oil to 180°C/350°F. Toss the rings a few at a time in lightly well seasoned flour. Deep-fry until golden in the hot oil.

Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot.

Lemon Meringue Pie

 

This is the yummiest lemon meringue pie I have tasted.

Serves 6

4 ozs (110g) white flour

2-3 ozs (50-75g) butter

pinch of salt

1 egg yolk (keep white aside for meringue)

2 tablespoons cold water approx.

Lemon Curd

 

4 ozs (110g) castor sugar

2 ozs (50g) butter

finely grated rind and juice of 2 good lemons

2 eggs and 1 egg yolk (keep white aside for meringue)

Meringue

Make meringue with

2 egg whites, preferably free range

4 ozs (110g) castor sugar

7 inch (18cm) round tin preferably with a pop-up base

First make the pastry.

Sieve the flour with the salt, cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour with the fingertips. Keep everything as cool as possible; if the fat is allowed to melt the finished pastry may be tough. When the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, stop.

Whisk the egg and add the water. Take a fork or knife, (whichever you feel most comfortable with) and add just enough liquid to bring the pastry together, then discard the fork and collect it into a ball with your hands, this way you can judge more

accurately if you need a few more drops of liquid. Although rather damp pastry is easier to handle and roll out, the resulting crust can be tough and may well shrink out of shape as the water evaporates in the oven. The drier and more difficult-to-handle pastry will give a crisper shorter crust.

Cover with cling film and chill for half an hour if possible, this will make it less elastic and easier to roll out. Line the flan ring and chill again for 15-20 minutes, line with paper and fill with dried beans. Bake blind for 25 minutes, 180°C\350°F\regulo 4. The pastry case must be almost fully cooked.  Remove paper and beans, paint with a little lightly beaten egg white and put back into the oven for 5 minutes approx.

Meanwhile make the lemon curd.

On a very low heat melt the butter, add castor sugar, lemon juice and rind and then stir in well beaten eggs. Stir carefully over a gentle heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Draw off the heat and pour into a bowl (it will thicken as it cools.)  Fill the pastry case with the lemon curd mixture.

To make the meringue – whisk the egg whites in a perfectly clean dry bowl, until they begin to get fluffy, then add 2 ozs (50g) castor sugar and continue to whisk until they form stiff peaks, fold in the last 2 ozs (50g) castor sugar and then either pipe or spread over the lemon mixture with a spoon. Turn the oven down to 130°C/250°F/Gas Mark 1/2 and bake for about 1 hour until the mixture is crisp on the outside. Serve warm or cold. Alternatively cook at 210°C/410°F for 7 minutes.

Note: do not whip the egg whites and make the meringue until you are ready to use otherwise if it sits around it will loose volume.

 

Choccie Fruit and Nuts

 

Makes 35 approximately

225g (8ozs) best quality dark chocolate

110g (4ozs) plump raisins

110g (4ozs) hazelnuts

25g (1oz) crystallised ginger

Put the hazelnuts into a moderate oven, 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 15 – 20 minutes or until the skins loosen.  Remove from the oven and rub off the skins in a tea towel.  Return the skinned hazelnuts to the oven and toast until golden.  Cool and cut in half.  Cut the crystallised ginger in 3mm (1/8 inch) dice.  Melt the chocolate carefully in a bowl over simmering water or in a very low oven.  Stir the toasted hazelnuts, raisins and crystallised ginger into the chocolate.  Cover a tray or baking sheet with silicone paper and drop little heaps of the mixture neatly onto the paper from a small teaspoon.  Don’t make them too large because this mixture is quite rich.  Tidy them up a little if necessary. 

Allow to set hard in a cold place, preferably not in the fridge or they will loose their sheen.  When set, peel them off the paper and put them into brown chocolate paper cases.  Pack them into a pretty box or basket.

You will find a delicious Apple Tart recipe on the Ballymaloe Cookery School website.

Hottips

 

The Avoca Garden Café in Wicklow was awarded Bord Bia’s Just Ask! Restaurant of the Month, June 2011. Visit Avoca Garden Café this month and catch the end of Wicklow’s Garden Festival from Saturday 11^th to Sunday 19^th June; it features thirty-two beautiful private gardens, each with their own unique theme and design. www.wicklowgardens.com

Stephen Pearce recently opened a tea-room at his pottery workshop in Shanagarry, Co Cork. They have installed an Astoria espresso machine and make the best cup of coffee I have had in ages. Colleen Curtis from California bakes gorgeous fresh cookies, brownies, muffins… The caramelised apple muffins and lemon curd muffins are to die for! Colleen also makes a fresh pot of soup daily that they serve with homemade focaccia. They are open 7 days a week, 10am – 6pm Monday through Saturday 12pm – 6pm Sunday -021 4646807 www.stephenpearce.com

 

The Naked Table project comes to Ireland – on Saturday 25^th June people from across Ireland will make a Charles Shackleton designed table from locally harvested Irish Oak during a day long event at the Fruitlawn Garden, Abbeyleix, Co Laois. In the evening the tables will be placed end to end in the 80ft long hornbeam tunnel where a feast of local produce will be served. This is part of the Fruitlawn Garden Open Weekend from Saturday 25^th to Sunday 26^th June 2011. www.nakedtable.com

Sushi gets the ‘thumbs up’ from cardiologists and nutritionists – not least because it is based mainly on fresh fish, seaweed, vegetables and rice, but it is also low in fat and high in minerals. Learn how to make Sushi with Shermin Mustafa at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Wednesday 6^th July from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. 021 4646785.

I’ve got every single book that Elizabeth David ever wrote, in my library. She was unquestionably one of the most superb cooking writers of all time and if I had to choose just one book from the close to 2,000 volumes I have in my library it would have to be French Provincial Cookery. The original paperback is in a seriously distressed state but I also have a hardback copy in slightly better ‘nick’,

Elizabeth David lived and cooked in France, Italy, Egypt and India, learning the local dishes and experimenting in her own kitchen.

He first book Mediterranean Food was published in 1950 followed by French country cooking in 1951 and in 1954 after a year of research in Italy, Italian Food arrived on the shelves followed by Summer Cooking in 1955, French Provincial Cooking in 1960 and Spices, Salts and Aromatics in the English Kitchen in 1970. For thirteen years she had a wonderfully stylish kitchen shop on Elizabeth Street in London but in 1973 she severed all connection with the business trading under her name and concentrated on study, research and experiments for English Bread and Yeast Cooking for which she won the 1977 Glenfiddick Writer of the Year Award.

An Omelette and a Glass of Wine, a selection of her journalistic work, was published in 1984. She died on 22^nd May 1992 and was justifiably honoured with many awards including an OBE. Several books have been published posthumously and if you haven’t already got at least one of her books on your kitchen shelf look out for the new attractively priced hardback editions published by Grub Street Press.

Summer Cooking might be just the one to choose – gorgeous, simple, timeless recipes – here are few to whet your appetite.

Elizabeth David’s Cream of Green  Peas Soup

3lb green peas,

a few lettuce leaves,

a small slice of ham,

2 or 3 spring onions,

sugar,

salt,

pepper,

butter.

Put the shelled peas in a pan with all the other ingredients except the butter. Cover with 3 pints of water. Boil until the peas are quite soft and sieve. See that the seasoning is right, heat up and before serving stir a lump of butter and a scrap of fresh mint into the soup. A little cream added to the soup while it is heating is an improvement.

Elizabeth David’s Pork And Spinach Terrine

Pates and terrines have become, during the past decade, so very much a part of the English restaurant menu as well as of home entertaining that a variation of formula would sometimes be welcome.

At Orange, that splendid town they call the gateway to Provence, I once tasted a pate which was more fresh green herbs than meat. I was told that this was made according to a venerable country recipe of Upper Provence. The pate was interesting but rather heavy. I have tried to make it a little less filling.

Here is the result of my experiments:

1lb (450g) uncooked spinach, spinach beet or chard,

1lb (450g) freshly-minced fat pork,

seasonings of salt, freshly milled pepper, mixed spices.

Wash, cook and drain the spinach. When cool, squeeze it as dry as you can. There is only one way to do this – with your hands. Chop it roughly.

Season the meat with about 3 teaspoons of salt, a generous amount of freshly-milled black pepper, and about ¼ teaspoon of mixed ground spices (mace, allspice, cloves).

Mix meat and spinach together. Turn into a pint-sized (550ml) earthenware terrine or loaf tin. On top put a piece of buttered paper. Stand the terrine or tin in a baking dish half filled with water.

Cook in a very moderate over (170°C/ 330°F/ Gas Mark 3) for 45 minutes to an hour. Do not let it get overcooked or it will be dry.

This pate can be eaten hot as a main course, but I prefer it cold, as a first dish, and with bread or toast just as a pate is always served in France.

The interesting points about this dish are its appearance, its fresh, uncloying flavour and its comparative lightness, which should appeal to those who find the better-known type of pork pate rather heavy. You could, for example, serve a quite rich or creamy dish after this without overloading anybody’s stomach. 

Elizabeth David’s The Quintessential Summer Dish Poulet a l’Estragon

A simple version of chicken cooked with tarragon, one of the nicest of chicken dishes, and essentially a summer one, as it can be successfully made only with fresh tarragon.

Work a tablespoon of chopped tarragon leaves with 2 oz of butter, season with salt and pepper and stuff a 3lb roasting chicken with this mixture. Cook the chicken in butter in a thick covered casserole. The bird should be laid on it’s side, not breast upwards, and should be turned over half-way through the cooking and basted now and again with the tarragon flavoured butter which comes out of it.

When it is tender remove to a serving dish and stir into the juices in the pan a walnut of butter worked with a teaspoon of flour. When this has amalgamated, add ¼ pint of cream and 2 tablespoons of chopped tarragon. Bring to the boil and when it has thickened pour it over the chicken. Serve with Piperonata and new potatoes. 

Elizabeth David’s Mushrooms Cooked in Vine Leaves

Many people who have a vine growing in their gardens will be glad to know of this excellent dish.

Blanch about a dozen vine leaves in boiling salted water. Drain them and arrange them in a heavy, shallow baking dish which has a well fitting cover. Pour a film of olive oil over the vine leaves and fill the pan with cleaned whole flat mushrooms (the great point about this dish is that the vine leaves make cultivated mushrooms taste like field mushrooms) Add a little salt and pepper, 3 or 4 whole cloves of garlic, a little more olive oil and cover the mushrooms with 2 or 3 vine leaves. Put the cover on the dish and cook in a slow oven for about 35 minutes to an hour, according to size of the mushrooms. Remove the top covering of vine leaves before serving.

Tinned plain vine leaves (not to be confused with rice stuffed vine leaves – examine the tins carefully before you buy them. The ones containing stuffed vine leaves usually have a picture showing the little rolls or parcels, while the plain leaves bear a label showing a branch of the vine) in natural juices or a very mild brine are imported from Greece. They are to be bought in many delicatessens. For the above mushroom dish they do very well. No blanching is necessary. Simply rinse the requisite number under cold water. The remainder can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days

Elizabeth David’s Iced Strawberry Fool

1lb strawberries,

3oz sugar,

¼ pint double cream.

Sieve the hulled strawberries. Stir in the sugar. Add this puree gradually to the whipped cream, so that is quite smooth. Turn into a shallow chrystal or silver dish and put in the refrigerator for several hours, if possible underneath the ice-trays, so that the fool gets as cold as possible without actually freezing. It is important to cover the bowl, or everything else in the refrigerator will smell of strawberries. 

Elizabeth David’s Cream Cheese with Angelica

To 1 lb of cream cheese add 3oz of sugar, the beaten whites of 2 eggs and as much chopped angelica as you like.

Put into a muslin and leave to drain in a cool place for a few hours. Turn out onto a dish and serve with fresh cream.

A cool and fresh looking dessert for the weeks before the fresh fruit comes in.

Hottips

Body & Soul – the ‘Best New Festival of 2010’ – returns this June 18th and 19th in the gardens, winding pathways and woodlands of Ballinlough Castle, Co Meath. An eclectic mix of live electronic, world music and acoustic acts, holistic arts, green crafts, a secluded Soul Kids garden, art installations and bubbling hot tubs in the forest. Along with Ted Berner of Wildside Catering, the Queens of Neon will create the most magical of dinner dates celebrating Irish wild foods and will cater for two hundred people in four sittings with an impeccable five-course meal including bubbly and wine for €55. The enchanted forest setting of Ballinlough Castle will act as a dining room for a lavish setting with crisp white linen, porcelain, silver table-wear under the Midsummer stars. To book festival, camping and banquet tickets www.bodyandsoul.ie

 

Feel Good Food for Summer with Debbie Shaw 1 Day Course Ballymaloe Cookery School on Saturday 18th June 2011 from 9:30am to 5:00pm for anyone who would like to feel more energetic, youthful, healthy and happy. Learn how to make simple, satisfying and energising recipes with fresh, mouth-watering flavours from the Mediterranean, Asian and Middle Eastern kitchen, and can be easily introduced into any daily cooking routine.  021 4646785

The craving, particularly among young people, to relearn almost forgotten skills continues to gather momentum. Butchery courses in London, New York and San Francisco all have waiting lists. The participants don’t necessarily want to be butchers, they simply want to understand what it takes to produce, butcher and make the best use of meat. One of the cult figures and exemplars of the trade is a farmer and accidental butcher called Tim Wilson who is the owner of the Ginger Pig Butchers Shops in London. He is unquestionably one of the most respected meat producers in Britain. His shops have received many accolades and prizes, including Best Food Producer in the Observer Food Awards. The Ginger Pig’s shops stock meat almost exclusively from his three Yorkshire farms. Tim says ‘There is no great secret to what we do; we simply raise the best animals, in the happiest of circumstances, on the finest stretch of the Yorkshire Moors we could find.’

His four butcher shops have a cult following. There were all opened within the last 15 years when many others were closing. They just sell well hung meat and poultry from breeds native to the British Isles. No dodgy chicken fillets here or relabelled pork, bacon or turkey – just real meat of impeccable provenance, sometimes from rare breeds.

After fifteen years in business, Tim has teamed up with Fran Warde to write the Ginger Pig Meat Book. This book is a meat manual for the inquisitive domestic cook. The word ‘provenance’ is thrown about a lot these days with regards to the food we eat, and with very good reason, as it means ‘to know the origin, source, birthplace, roots, pedigree and derivation.’ All these things are vital for us to know about every piece of meat we buy.

You’ll find out how meat changes through the seasons and what is best to cook at each time of the year. You’ll also learn about the different cuts of meat what they should be used for in your kitchen.

The Ginger Pig Meat Book is beautifully designed and produced, printed on good paper with wonderful photographs by Kristin Perers, diagrams by Pene Parker and published by Octopus. It would restore your faith in the meat business.

 

Tim Wilson’s Pork fillet with New Season Rhubarb

Think of this as a more exciting twist on pork with apple sauce. The tangy,

sharp flavours of the rhubarb perfectly complement the sweet pork to make

a delicious and very simple dish.

Serves 4

Takes 45 minutes

1 tbsp olive oil

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

650g (1lb 7oz) pork fillet

1 sprig of rosemary

175g (6oz) new season rhubarb

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Put the oil in a roasting tin and place

in the oven for 3 minutes. Season the pork, place in the hot oil, roll to coat, add the

rosemary, then cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn and cook for 10 minutes more.

Cut the rhubarb into 4cm (11/2in) lengths, then add it to the roasting tin with 100ml

(31/2fl oz) water. Cook for a further 10 minutes until the pork is cooked through and the rhubarb is tender. Remove from the oven, keep warm and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Slice the pork into chunky, juicy rounds and spoon over the soft rhubarb and its juices.

Tim Wilson’s Oriental Pan-Fried Goose Skirt with Crunchy Salad

This cut is usually cooked slowly, but can also work well cooked as below. Remember to allow the meat to rest, so the muscles can relax. Goose skirt (also called onglet) is a very textured cut of beef that is known for its flavour and can be a little tough for some, but after searing on a high heat, relaxing and slicing thinly, it never seems to fail my family.

Serves 6

Takes 1 hour, plus overnight marinating

For the goose skirt marinade

4 garlic cloves, crushed, then peeled

100ml (31/2fl oz) soy sauce

5cm (2in) fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped

1–2 red chillies, deseeded and finely diced

freshly ground black pepper

900g (2lb) goose skirt

For the dressing

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

juice of 2 limes

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced

1 garlic clove, crushed, then peeled

For the salad

115g (4oz) bean sprouts

1/2 Iceberg lettuce, shredded

1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and finely sliced

1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and sliced

6 spring onions, sliced

leaves from 1 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

85g (3oz) cashew nuts, roughly chopped

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together and marinate the goose skirt in the

fridge for 24 hours, or for as long as possible, turning and basting frequently. Barbecue or griddle on a high heat for 4 minutes on each side for rare, 5 to 6 minutes

for medium, or 6 to 8 minutes for well done. Brush with the marinade while cooking.

Remove, keep warm and rest for 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place the bean sprouts, lettuce, red pepper, cucumber and spring onions

in a large bowl and toss. Sprinkle with the coriander and cashew nuts.In a bowl, whisk the sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, chilli and garlic for the dressing.

Cut the beef into ribbons and arrange over the salad, drizzle with the dressing and serve.

Tim Wilson’s Seared Feather of Beef

This is an almost unknown, secret steak. There are only two small feathers on each carcass, and they come from the inside of the shoulder blade. They are good value and deliver a depth of flavour with a good texture. They really only need quick flash-cooking, otherwise they toughen, so take care.

Serves 2

Takes 5 minutes

beef dripping or olive oil

2 feather steaks

mustards or Horseradish sauce  to serve

Heat the fat in a frying pan or griddle over a medium-high heat and, when hot, sear the steaks for 2 minutes on each side. No longer, please. Remove and rest the steaks for 2 minutes in a warm place. Serve with your favourite mustards or with Horseradish sauce.

Horseradish Sauce

This is a fairly mild sauce.  If you want to really clear the sinuses, increase the amount of horseradish!  Serve with roast beef, smoked venison or smoked mackerel.

Serves 8 – 10

3 – 6 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

lots of freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

8 fl ozs (225ml) softly whipped cream

Put the grated horseradish into a bowl with the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard powder, salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar.  Fold in the softly whipped cream but do not over mix or it will curdle.  The sauce keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days, covered, so that it doesn’t pick up other flavours. 

 

Hottips

Terroirs on Morehampton Road – I can’t remember how many times I’ve thought as I sped past Terroirs ‘that shop looks interesting, must stop, have a look one day!’ Well I did just that last week and it really is. Apart from a fantastic selection of wine and sherry the shelves are full of beautifully chosen French ‘things’ from Albert Menes sardines in olive oil and mustard to Michel Cluizel chocolate, pottery from the French Alps, tea towels… on and on go the temptations when we are supposed to be into thrift. I have to say I succumbed to a few little treats – great place to find a beautiful present from Irish Voya and Graine de Pastel soaps to roasted pine nuts and far beyond. 01 667 1311 info@terroirs.ie

Monique McQuaid runs the Cookery School at Donnybrook Fair which offers a brilliant line up of cookery courses and guest chefs. I was deeply envious when I heard that Fergus Henderson from St John restaurant in London had been there. There are lots of other exciting courses and guest chefs coming up. Monique is now the Cookery Writer for Image magazine. www.gastromonique.com 087 9792107

Energise your life and feel healthier and happier by joining nutritionists Debbie Shaw and Linn Thortensson on Saturday June 11^th 9:30am to 4:30pm, at the Montenotte Hotel, Cork City for a one-day wellness programme which covers healthy eating for permanent weight loss; spring detox; energising super foods and delicious family-friendly recipes; eating for allergies; and de-stressing techniques. Cost €110 (€10 euro off if you bring a friend!), including recipes, notes and lunch. Tel: 086-7855868 or email: linntwellness@gmail.com

Pizza Masterclass with Philip Dennhardt – learn to make the perfect pizza with Philip on Friday 10^th June, 2:00pm to 5:00pm Ballymaloe Cookery School – 021 4646785.

Blog Spot of the Week http://lillyhiggins.blogspot.com/

 

This week-end we are going to have elderflower party to celebrate the profusion of elderflowers in the hedges. You’ll find them in city gardens, along railways embankments as well as down country lanes. Just look out for the fluffy white umbelliferous blossoms with the distinctive musky aroma. The European variety is called Sambucus Nigra – its flowers are edible and of course so are the American version Sambucus Canadensis.

Elderflowers are only in season for four or five weeks in the year so if you want to make a batch of cordial get out there immediately and collect enough to make a decent quantity – it will keep perfectly until next year’s crop is ready.

We also have the first of the broad beans, I love them in so many ways and more than anything I love to see the grandchildren racing up and down the rows choosing the best pods and then picking out the beans and gobbling them up raw. They must be so good for them.
For a grown up version try New Season Baby Broad Beans with Olive Oil and Orla Sheep’s Milk Cheese with a little sea salt and olive oil or as a puree on grilled bread or par cook them and add them to risotto or pasta. If I’d been invited to cook for the Queen I’d have given her carrageen moss pudding with green gooseberry and elderflower compote, I bet she’d have loved it – it’s a marriage made in heaven – enjoy it while you can.

Grilled Bread with Broad Beans

Serves 2 as a first course
Serves 4 with an aperitif

One of my favourite ways to serve young broad beans, I sometimes serve this as a nibble with an aperitif but it also makes a wonderful first course.

4 slices of really good bread white bread cut 1/3 inch thick (we use Arbutus Biggie from Declan Ryan’s Artisan Bakery)
1 clove garlic peeled
extra virgin olive oil

1 peeled clove of garlic
4oz (110g) of really fresh small raw broad beans, weighed when shelled
sea salt
a squeeze of lemon juice
6 – 8 fresh mint leaves
6 – 8 fresh basil leaves
a generous tablespoon of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

A rough stone pestle and mortar

First make the topping. Pound the peeled clove of garlic with a little sea salt in the pestle and mortar. Add the broad beans and continue to pound to a coarse puree. Add the mint and basil leaves, continue until they are incorporated. Finally add the parmesan and extra virgin olive oil. Taste and correct the seasoning. Heat a pan grill on a high flame until very hot. Char grill the bread on both sides. Rub each side with a cut clove of garlic, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Spread some of the broad bean topping over the hot grilled bread and serve immediately.

New Season Baby Broad Beans with Olive Oil and Orla Sheep’s Milk Cheese

Serves 6

450g (1 lb) new season broad beans – about 1.8kg (4 lb) in the pods
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Orla Sheep’s Cheese or Pecorino
Crusty white bread – Ciabbatta

Bring the broad beans to the table, have a bottle of your best extra virgin olive oil, a bowl of sea salt and a piece of sharpish sheep’s milk cheese, we use Orla made from the milk of Friefland organic Sheep on Manch farm near Ballineen in West Cork.
Pecorino would of course be delicious or also a good Feta.

Let each person have the pleasure of removing the beans from the furry pods. When you’ve accumulated a little pile on your plate, dip one by one, first into olive oil then into sea salt. Enjoy with the tangy cheese and warm crusty Ciabatta.
Thin slices of Parma ham (prosciutto) or very good Italian Salami would make a more substantial feast.

Elderflower Fritters

These are very easy to make, very crispy and once you’ve tasted one, you won’t be able to stop!.

Serves 4

110g (4oz) plain flour
pinch of salt
1 organic egg
150ml (5fl oz) lukewarm water
8–12 elderflower heads
caster sugar
sunflower oil for frying

Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and drop in the egg. Using a whisk, bring in the flour gradually from the edges, slowly adding in the water at the same time. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180°C/350°F. Hold the flowers by the stalks and dip into the batter. Fry until golden brown in the hot oil. Drain on kitchen paper, toss in caster sugar and serve immediately with gooseberry and elderflower compote.

Elderflower Champagne

This magical recipe transforms perfectly ordinary ingredients into a delicious sparkling drink. The children make it religiously every year and then share the bubbly with their friends.

2 heads of elderflowers
560g (11/4lb) sugar
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4.5L (8pints) water
1 lemon

Remove the peel from the lemon with a swivel top peeler.  Pick the elderflowers in full bloom.  Put into a bowl with the lemon peel, lemon juice, sugar, vinegar and cold water.  Leave for 24 hours, then strain into strong screw top bottles.  Lay them on their sides in a cool place.  After 2 weeks it should be sparkling and ready to drink.  Despite the sparkle this drink is non-alcoholic.
Top Tip:
The bottles need to be strong and well sealed; otherwise the Elderflower champagne will pop its cork.

Elderflower and Green Gooseberry Jam

Makes 6 x 450g (1 lb) pots

In season: late spring

The gooseberries should be tart and green and hard as hail stones – as soon as the elderflowers are in bloom in the hedgerows search for the gooseberries under the prickly bushes or seek them out in your local greengrocer or farmers market.

1.6kg (3 ½ lb) green gooseberries
5-6 elderflower heads
600ml (1pint) water
1.57kg (3½ lb) sugar

Wash the gooseberries if necessary. Top and tail them and put into a wide stainless steel preserving pan with the water and elderflowers tied in muslin. Simmer until the gooseberries are soft and the contents of the pan are reduced by one third, approx ½  hour. Remove the elderflowers and add the warm sugar, stirring until it has completely dissolved. Boil rapidly for about 10 minutes until setting point is reached (220F on a jam thermometer). Pour into hot clean jars, cover and store in a dry airy cupboard.

This jam should be a fresh colour, so be careful not to overcook it.

Hottips

West Cork Food and Drink Fair is on Saturday 18th June to Sunday 19th June  at Mannings Emporium, Ballylickey, Co Cork. Peter Ward of Country Choice in Nenagh is the Guest of Honour and will do a Back to Basics Bread Making demonstration and Carmel Somers of the Good Things Café will do a cookery demonstration on Sunday. Phone 02750456 www.manningsemporium.ie

The West Cork College of Sustainable Food Production is blasting off with a Five Day Summer School starting on Monday 13th to Friday 17th June. It will be based at Glebe Gardens in Baltimore, but will include many sessions at the farms and gardens of growers who make a living from growing. The course is aimed at people who want to produce significant amounts of food either for themselves and their families, or as a business and costs €300 including lunch. To book email westcorkcollege@gmail.com

There will be a tutored wine presentation and tasting by Anne-Claude Leflaive in the afternoon of Saturday 11th June, 3.30pm, in The Grain Store at Ballymaloe. Afternoon presentation and tasting – €35 per person Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork,
Tel: 021 4652531 -  res@ballymaloe.ie

Everywhere I went this week people were discussing Philip Boucher- Hayes programme on RTE ‘What’s Ireland Eating?’ They seemed shocked by the statistics. Food imports have doubled in the last decade. Ninety per cent of the chicken is imported while our local chicken producers and processors can barely survive. Irish families still eat a phenomenal amount of potatoes but fifty percent less than ten years ago and a third of that is in the shape of chips.
We eat more sugary breakfast cereal than anywhere in the world, but the most shocking revelation was the research that processed meat is known to cause bowel cancer – now the second most prevalent cancer in Ireland.
Processed meat, usually ham is part of the standard school lunch for children – 5 out of 7 boxes that Philip peeped into contained it.  Interesting there was no comment about the squidgy white sliced pan in the virtually every lunch box which I have to say if I was Minister for Health, I would ban on day one for the sake of the health and digestion of the Irish nation. Although not everyone might agree with me.
Six out of ten Irish people are over-weight or obese which currently costs the Health Service (read tax payer) €4 million annually.
I was amazed that people were so amazed but I’m glad that it has stimulated a discussion not only about the shocking deterioration in the national diet but also the terrifying power in the hands of supermarkets and the knock on effect on the livelihood of the farmers and food producers. Half of Ireland’s independent retailers have disappeared over a 10 year period and other findings revealed that for every twenty jobs that are created when a new supermarket sets up thirty local jobs are lost.

Coincidentally, I am re-reading Maura Laverty’s Kind Cooking which was published in 1946. She talks about the proportion of the family income which ought to be spent on food. “Personally I think the usual allowance for 40% inadequate for what is, after all, the most important factor of our material lives. Important spiritually, too, if one considers the depredations caused since the world began though diet errors and deficiencies. I doubt Eve would ever have touched that apple had she been getting her proper ration of Vitamin C”.

We are fanatical about calories I suggest that we need to be fanatical about nutrients instead. At present, we spend between 8-11% of our income on food in Ireland and close to 30% gets thrown in the bin for a variety of reasons. As a nation we are fanatical about ‘cheap food’ and have been brainwashed into thinking cheap food is our right at any cost. We need to concentrate on sourcing food that nourishes rather than just fills us and the pockets of the food manufacturers. I still contend that good food does not have to be expensive, some of the best food is least expensive, potatoes, cabbage, cheaper cuts of meat and offal, lesser known fish but you must be able to cook it and for that matter grow it.
One of the great beacons of hope in Irish life at present is the phenomenal growth of GIY movement (Grow It Yourself) – almost 10,000 members countrywide in less than two years. Ordinary people like you and I helping each other to grow food to nourish their family and friends. If you want better food a good place to start is in your back garden, yard or balcony. Link up with your local GIY Group – see – www.giyireland.com

Loin of Bacon or Oyster Cut of Bacon for Salads or Sandwiches

For those of you who voiced concerns about composition ham, cold bacon is a delicious alternative and it so easy to cook yourself. The oyster cut is between the loin and the ham and cooks and slices beautifully. Make sure to sharpen your knife so you can cut paper thin slices.

Serves 12-15

4-5 lbs (1.8-2.25 kg) loin of bacon, either smoked or unsmoked
14 ozs (400g) 1 small tin of pineapple -use 3-4 tablespoons approx. of the juice

Cover the bacon in cold water and bring slowly to the boil. If the bacon is very salty there will be a white froth on top of the water, in this case it is preferable to discard this water. Finally cover with hot water and simmer in a covered saucepan until almost cooked, allow 20 minutes approx. to the lb.  The bacon may of course be eaten hot with any number of accompaniments or allowed to get cold,

Glazed Bacon

If you would like a caramelised sugary coating, try this, so yummy. Cabbage, parsley sauce and floury potatoes are the traditional accompaniments but Piperonata or Tomato and Chilli Fondue are also irresistible.

bacon (as above)
3/4 lb (340g) brown Demerara sugar (not soft brown sugar)
whole cloves 20-30 approx.

Cook the bacon as above. Remove the rind, cut the fat into a diamond pattern, and stud with cloves.  Blend brown sugar to a thick paste with a little pineapple juice, 3-4 tablespoons approx., be careful not to make it too liquid.  Spread this over the bacon.  Bake in a fully preheated hot oven 250°C/475°F/regulo 9 for 20-30 minutes approx. or until the top has caramelized.  Remove to a carving dish.  Carve in thick slices lengthwise so each slice includes some of the eye of the loin and the streaky end

A little White Soda Bread Loaf

Sliced pan is co convenient for many families, the idea of life without it is unimaginable, but why not try this really easy recipe, it’s made in minutes. You can bake it in a round in the traditional way or like this in a loaf tin which is more convenient for slicing or sandwiches

1 lb (450g) white flour, preferably unbleached
1 level teaspoon teaspoon salt
1 level teaspoon bread soda
sour milk or buttermilk to mix – 15 fl ozs (425 ml) approx.
oatmeal, sesame seeds or kibbled wheat (optional)

First fully preheat your oven to 230ºC/450ºF/regulo 8.

Sieve the dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre.  Pour most of the milk in at once. Using one hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, but not too wet. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well floured worked surface.  Scoop it into the oiled tin, sprinkle with oatmeal and sesame or kibbled wheat seeds if you enjoy them.
Place the tin in the hot oven, 230ºC/450ºF/regulo 8, immediately turn down the temperature 200°C/400ºF/regulo 8 and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the tin and replace back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes or until fully cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow. Cool on a wire rack.

White Soda Scones

Make the dough as above but flatten the dough into a round 1 inch (2.5cm) deep approx. Cut into scones. Cook for 20 minutes approx. in a hot oven (see above).

Homemade Crisps

You can make a ton of crisps from a few potatoes. Many people are wary of having a deep fat fryer at home in case they eat too much fried food yet the statistics show that â…“ of all the potatoes we buy and eat are oven chips or fried

450g (1lb) large, even-sized potatoes
olive oil for deep frying
salt

Wash and peel the potatoes.  For even-sized chips, trim each potato with a swivel-top peeler until smooth.  Slice them very finely, preferably on a mandolin.  Soak in cold water to remove the excess starch (this will also prevent them from discolouring or sticking together).  Drain off the water and dry well.

Heat the olive oil to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Drop in the dry potato slices a few at a time and fry until golden and completely crisp.  Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle lightly with salt.   Repeat until they are all cooked.

If they are not to be served immediately, they may be stored in a tin box and reheated in a low oven just before serving.

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! Its literally made in minutes and kids can make it themselves. Strawberries or raspberries can be substituted in season, mash them and fold into the oatmeal instead of the apple – you can imagine how delicious that would be.

4 tablespoons rolled oats (the quick cook type)
3 tablespoons water
2 large dessert apples eg. Golden Delicious 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 dark brown Barbados sugar and a very little runny cream.

Hottips

Salmon Watch Ireland Limited are holding their 2011 AGM at Silver Springs Moran Hotel, Cork, on Saturday 21st May at 11:30am. Email Chairman Niall Greene at chairman@salmon.ie – www.salmon.ie

Future Food Symposium on the theory and practice of sustainable agriculture on Sunday 29th May at Chisolme House, Roberton, Hawick, Scottish Borders. Email secretary@beshara.org or + 0044 1450880215.

My discovery of the week – Blarney Castle Gardens – are they the best kept secret in the whole of Cork? I was enchanted – take a picnic and don’t miss the Poison Garden, the Witches Kitchen and the Fernery… Open 9:00am to 4:30am daily www.blarneycastle.ie

Cork Free Choice Consumer Group presents The potential Usefulness of Common Plants. Herbalist Nikki Darrell will explore the wealth of native plants and their uses for food, medicine, dyes, textiles…Crawford Art Gallery Café on Thursday 26th May at 7.30pm. Entrance 6 euro including tea & coffee.

Visit of Cesar Saldana, Consejo Regulador Sherry – Talk and tasting in the Grain Store at Ballymaloe House Wednesday 25th May 7pm – 021 4652531 www.ballymaloe.ie