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

The River Café on the edge of the Thames in Hammersmith was started as a staff canteen for architect Richard Rodgers and his team in 1985. His wife Ruthie and her friend Rose Gray loved to cook and had fun reproducing the Italian food they enjoyed on holiday in Tuscany and Florence.

The food was simple but always made with the freshest and most beautiful seasonal produce, gorgeous olive oils and wonderful cheese and cured meat.  The word spread like wildfire, an invitation to lunch was much sought after so in 1987 they decided to open to the public.

A friend from London sent me a postcard, “Come quickly there’s a brilliant little café on the Thames serving delicious simple food in the Elizabeth David style”.  When I eventually tasted the food I was so charmed by the simplicity and flavour that I invited Ruthie and Rose to come to the school to teach a 2 1/2 day cooking class.  I’ll never forget the flavour of the food.  They were like two excited children in the garden and the greenhouses, picking, smelling and tasting, choosing fresh produce, planning what they would cook on the spot – we had a feast.

The restaurant flourishes and thrills 26 years later but sadly Rose died in February 2010 after a long and courageous battle with cancer.  Her legacy lives on and this week we paid a special tribute to her at the Ballymaloe Cookery School.  Gillian Hegarty from Courtmacsherry now a teacher with us, worked with and alongside Rose at the River Café for 4½ years and loved and relished every moment.  She fully realises her good fortune in having the opportunity to learn from such a brilliant natural cook.  Gillian chose many of Rose’s favourite recipes to share with us over 2½ days – Rose would have been very proud of her prodigy.  Here are a few for you to try but there’s a multitude of other simply delicious recipes in the River Café Cookbooks by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers published by Ebury Press.

 

Penne con Zucchini e Ricotta

 

Take from the River Café Cookbook Two.

For 6 as a starter

1kg (2 1/4 lb) small young zucchini (courgette)

Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

400g (14oz) penne

350g (12 oz) ricotta cheese

1 bunch fresh basil, shredded

100g (4oz) Parmesan, freshly grated

Trim the zucchini, then blanch whole in boiling salted water for about 2 minutes. Drain, cool and slice at an angle, about 1cm (1/2 in) thick.

In a large heavy saucepan heat the olive oil and cook the garlic until very soft but not brown. Add the zucchini slices and toss over a low heat for 4 – 5 minutes.

Cook the penne in plenty of boiling salted water, then drain well. Add the zucchini, then crumble in the ricotta. Season, toss together and add the basil and Parmesan.

 

Chargrilled Monkfish with Inzimino and Anchovy and Rosemary Sauce

Serves 3

500 g (18 oz) monkfish tail, boned and skinned

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

2 lemons, cut into wedges

inzimino (recipe)

anchovy and rosemary sauce (see recipe)

Rub a little oil on the monkfish tails. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a chargrill or griddle pan. When very hot place the monkfish on the grill. Turn over after 3 minutes or when it no longer sticks but have sealed and are brown. Grill for a further few minutes.

Serve with inzimino and anchovy and rosemary sauce.

Inzimino di Ceci – Chickpeas with Swiss Chard

Serves 6-8

175 g (6 oz) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight

1 large garlic clove, peeled

6 tablespoons olive oil

900 g (2 lb) Swiss chard leaves, washed and large stems removed

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces

2 dried chillies, crumbled

250 ml (8 fl oz) white wine

2 tablespoons tomato sauce

3 handfuls flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Extra virgin olive oil

Drain the chickpeas and place in a saucepan with water to cover, add the garlic, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 45 minutes or until tender. Keep in their liquid until ready to use. Blanch the chard and chop coarsely.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, add the onion and carrot, cook slowly for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Season with salt, pepper and chilli. Pour in the wine and reduce almost completely. Add the tomato sauce and reduce until very thick. Add the chard and chickpeas and mix. Season and cook for 10 minutes. Chop two thirds of the parsley leaves, and add to the mixture with the lemon juice. Serve sprinkled with the whole parsley leaves and a little extra virgin olive oil.

Anchovy and Rosemary Salsa

Serves 4

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

12 salted anchovy fillets

juice of 2 lemons

150 ml (5 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

Crush the rosemary in a mortar, add the anchovies and pound to a paste. Slowly add the lemon juice, stirring to blend. Finally add the olive oil a drop at a time. When about half is added, pour in the remainder in a thin steady stream, stirring continuously. Alternatively, you can use a food processor although this method produces a thick sauce. Put the rosemary in and chop very finely, then add the anchovy and chop to a thick, fine paste. Pour the oil in slowly. Finally add the lemon juice.

Pan Fried Chicken Stuffed with Thyme, Prosciutto and Mascarpone

Serves 4

1 x 1½-2½ kg (2½-3 lb) free range chicken, boned

2 tablespoons rosemary leaves finely chopped

4 tablespoons mascarpone cheese

2 slices of prosciutto chopped into ½ inch pieces

2 tsp picked thyme leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

juice of 1½ lemons

¼ pint (150 ml) chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/gas mark 8.

To bone the chicken: place the chicken, breast side up, on a board. With a sharp boning knife, cut along the breast bone, then guide the knife, cutting between breast and carcass on one side, down to the leg joint. You have to cut the wishbone in half to divide the breast at its centre. Crack the leg bone at the joint away from the carcass so that it lies flat on the board. With the knife, carefully cut around the joint, separating the whole of one side from its carcass. Repeat with the other side.

Snip the wing tips from the wings, leaving the bone in the short part of the wing. To remove the bones from the legs, flatten out your chicken half skin side down. Using the leg bones as a guide, cut as close to them on either side as possible and then insert the top of the knife and prise up one bone, cutting as you do so. It is always difficult near the joint between thigh and drumstick, but you must try not to cut the skin which ultimately will hold your stuffing. Trim any flabby bits of skin and cut away any pieces of fat.

Mix the rosemary with the mascarpone, prosciutto, thyme, season with salt and pepper and place a large tablespoonful of this mixture in each pocket in the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan. Brown the chicken pieces quickly on both sides, put into the preheated oven and roast for about 15 minutes. Test for doneness by pulling a leg away from the body, if the juices run pink, cook a little longer. Remove the pan from the oven and over a medium heat, add the lemon juice and as much as stock as needed to make a thick sauce. It will immediately combine with the mascarpone and chicken juices.  Turn the chicken to coat it with the sauce and serve. Delicious served with Puy lentils

Pressed Chocolate Cake

Serves 10

400 g (14 oz) best quality bitter-sweet chocolate, broken into pieces

300 g (10 oz) unsalted butter

10 eggs, separated

225 g (8 oz) caster sugar

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350ºF/gas mark 4. Butter and flour a 30 x 7.5 cm (12 x 3) inch cake tin.

Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water – the water should not be allowed to touch the bowl. Remove the bowl from the pan, cool a little, and then whisk in the egg yolks. Add the sugar and cocoa powder and mix well. Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold into the chocolate mixture, a third at a time.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until the cake has risen like a soufflé and is slightly set. Now place on top a plate that fits exactly inside the tin, press down firmly, and weight it. Leave to cool for 30 minutes, then turn out.

Hottips

Our Daily Bread: a history of Barron’s Bakery. The smell of crusty bread has been emanating from Barron’s Bakery in Cappoquin since 1887. Esther Barron now runs this business with her husband Joe and continues to supply the people of Cappoquin with bread baked in the original Scotch brick oven. Ros Crowley interviewed over a hundred family members, staff and customers in this beautifully produced book, charming stories, anecdotes and recipes available from Barron’s Bakery or online www.barronsbakery.ie

Robbie Fitzsimmons is a third generation poultry keeper from East Ferry. He rears wonderful free-range Aylesbury ducks for the table in the traditional way. He also rears plump chickens, geese and turkeys at Christmas. 086 2056020 / 021 4651916

Tom Clancy in Ballycotton is another name to add to your list for excellent farm reared poultry 086 3089431.

The apple blossom is in full bloom in the orchard this week with the promise of a bumper harvest provided we don’t get a random frost within the next few weeks.

Everyone should have at least one apple tree in their garden for the sheer joy of having a picnic under the apple tree at this time of the year as well as the anticipation of juicy apples and apple pies in the Autumn. The old fashioned Brambly Seedling is a brilliant cooker and keeps well. This year we’ve managed to save the last of last year’s crop until now – that’s definitely a record for us. When choosing an apple tree to plant seek out an old variety that you can’t find in the shops like Arthur Turner or Lane’s Prince Albert, which are delicious cookers and maybe Ergemont Russet or Cox’s Orange Pippin as a dessert apple.

There’s a tantalizing choice of ‘eaters’ as well. I particularly love Beauty of Bath, it’s an early variety that used to be in almost every Irish garden, the apple are mottled yellow and red, juicy and bitter sweet, the flavour brings back memories of robbing orchards! The Irish Seed Savers have an extensive range of old varieties that particularly suit the Irish climate (order now to plant in the Autumn). www.irishseedsavers.ie.

Last weekend we had a Slow Food picnic in the Ballymaloe apple orchard, everyone brought along a picnic and a rug and we had a little demonstration on how to crystallise the apple blossom and a talk on old varieties. Apple Blossom is so beautiful to bring into the house but don’t’ steal too much or you’ll diminish your crop of apples. We used it to decorate this delicious apple blossom sponge which was the centrepiece of our picnic.

Some other good things to have for your picnic Radishes, Goat Cheese and Cucumber Sandwiches, Homemade Lemonade, Sausage Rolls, Mini Frittata’s, Spicy Chicken Wings, Wee Buns, Apple Blossom Cake.

Apple Blossom Sponge

This feather-light sponge was the centre-piece of our apple blossom picnic.

Serves 8–10

3 organic eggs

225g (8oz) caster sugar

75ml (3fl oz) warm water

150g (5oz) plain white flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Bramley Apple Filling

450g (1lb) Bramley cooking apples

2 teaspoons water

50g (2oz) sugar or more depending on tartness of the apples

Peel, quarter and core the apples, then cut the quarters in two and put in a small stainless steel or cast iron saucepan. Add the sugar and water, cover and cook over a low heat. As soon as the apple has broken down, stir so it’s a uniform texture and

taste for sweetness. Allow to get cold.

2 x 20cm (9inch) sandwich tins

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites. In a food mixer, whisk the yolks with the caster sugar for 2 minutes and then add in the warm water. Whisk until light and fluffy, this will take about 20-30 minutes. The mixture will have greatly increased in volume and should hold a figure of eight for a few seconds.

Gently fold the sieved flour and baking powder into the mousse in batches. Then whisk the egg whites until they hold a stiff peak. Fold them in very gently.

Divide the mixture between two greased and floured sandwich tins and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the tins and cool on a wire rack.

When cool, sandwich the two together with the Bramley Apple filling and whipped cream.

Sprinkle a little caster sugar or icing sugar over the top before serving. Decorate with fresh apple blossom.

Radish and Anchovy ‘Sandwich’

We’ve got lots and lots of lovely fresh radishes. This sandwich has become a favourite since Jean Pierre Moullé from Chez Panisse showed us this recipe.

fresh baguette

unsalted butter

radishes

anchovy fillets

freshly ground pepper

Choose a very fresh baguette. Cut in half lengthwise and spread liberally with unsalted butter. Wash and trim the radishes, leaving on their tender leaves. Cut the radishes in half lengthwise and place them on the buttered baguette. Garnish with anchovy fillets and ground black pepper.

Radish, Cream Cheese and Cucumber ‘Sandwich’

Another delicious combination. Instead of butter substitute cream cheese mixed with a little chopped mint and seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, pile radishes and batons of cucumber on top.

Homemade Sausage Rolls

Everyone’s favourites when made with really good sausages and buttery puff pastry.

Puff or Flaky Pastry

Good sausages – Woodside, PJ Crowe, Hodginsons, Caherbeg…….

Dijon mustard or Sweet chilli sauce (optional)

Egg wash

Preheat the oven to 230ºC/450ºF/gas mark 8.

Roll the puff pastry into a thin sheet. Measure the sausages. Cut the pastry into slighter wider strips (the pastry will shrink slightly in the cooking). Lay a sausage across the pastry about 1 inch/2.5 cm from the edge. Slather with mustard or sweet chilli sauce. Fold the pastry over the sausage. Brush the edge with cold water, press to seal and cut. Transfer to a baking tray. Continue until all the sausages have been used up, then brush each one with egg wash. Prick or score the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the sausages are fully cooked and the pastry puffed and golden. Cool on a wire rack. Delicious freshly cooked or at room temperature. Serve with crispy lettuces and Ballymaloe Country Relish.

Mini Frittatas with Oven Roasted Tomatoes, Chorizo and Castlemary Goat’s Cheese

Serves 6-8

You can of course make this frittata in a pan and slice it at the picnic but it’s really handy to cook individual frittatas in muffin tins.

450g (1lb) ripe or sun-blushed tomatoes, preferably cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 large eggs, preferably free range and organic

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

4 teaspoons thyme leaves

2 tablespoons basil, mint or marjoram

110-175g (4-6oz) chorizo, thickly sliced, cut into four

40g (1 1/2ozs) Parmesan cheese, grated

25g (1oz) butter

110g (4oz) Castlemary soft goat’s cheese (We also use Ardsallagh or St Tola goat cheese)

Extra virgin olive oil

Non-stick pan 10cm (7½ inch) bottom, 23cm (9in) top rim or 1 muffin tray lined with 5 inch (12.5 cm) squares of parchment paper.

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

Cut the tomatoes in half around the equator season with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Arrange in a single layer in a non-stick roasting tin. Roast for 10-15 or until almost soft and slightly crinkly. Remove from the heat and cool. Alternatively use sun-blushed tomatoes.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl, add the salt, freshly ground pepper, fresh herbs, chorizo and grated cheese into the eggs. Add the tomatoes, stir gently. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan. When the butter starts to foam, tip in the eggs. Turn down the heat, as low as it will go. Divide the cheese into walnut sized pieces and drop gently into the frittata at regular intervals. Leave the eggs to cook gently for 15 minutes on a heat diffuser mat, or until the underneath is set. The top should still be slightly runny.

Preheat a grill. Pop the pan under the grill for 1 minute to set and barely brown the surface.

Slide the frittata onto a warm plate.

Serve cut in wedges with a good green salad and perhaps a few olives.

Alternatively put the pan into a preheated oven 170°C/325°F/gas 3. Alternatively cook mini frittata in lined muffin tins (for approximately 15 minutes). Serve with a good green salad.

Variation: For a yummy vegetarian alternative omit the chorizo and add 110g (4oz) grated Gruyère cheese to add extra pzazz.

Top Tip

The size of the pan is very important; the frittata should be at least 3 cm (1 1/4 inches) thick. It the only pan available is larger, adjust the number of eggs, etc.

Serve warm with a good Green Salad and perhaps a Tomato and Basil Salad.

Wee Buns

Makes 24

8 ozs (225g) soft butter, chopped

8 ozs (225g) castor sugar

10 ozs (285g) white flour

4 eggs, preferably free range

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7.

Chop up the butter into small dice, it should be reasonably soft. Put all the ingredients into the food processor and whizz for about 30 seconds. Alternatively mix well all in one bowl (butter must be soft). Clear the sides down with a spatula and whizz again until the consistency is nice and creamy, 30 seconds approx. Put into greased and floured bun trays or paper cases and bake in the hot oven. Reduce the temperature to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 as soon as they begin to rise. Bake for 20 minutes approx. in total. Cool on a wire rack. When cold decorate with chocolate, coffee or vanilla icing.

Suppliers:

Woodside Farm, Oldcourt, Ballincurrig, Leamlara, Co Cork – 087 276 7206 info@woodsidefarm.ie

Castlemary Farm Goat Cheese, Castlemary, Cloyne, Co Cork 087 7977203

Caherbeg Free Range Pork, Roscarbery, West Cork 086 822 44145

Hot Tips

East Cork Slow Food Events

Celebration Cakes and Cake Decorating with Pamela Black – join Pamela for an evening demonstration and see many exciting ways in which to decorate cakes for all occasions. Wednesday 11th May – 7.00pm at Ballymaloe Cookery School. Slow Food Member – €15.00/Non-Slow Food Members – €20.00

Catherine Stanton a senior research officer at Moorepark Dairy Research Centre, Fermoy will give a talk on the ‘Health Benefits and Risks of Raw Milk Consumption’ on Monday 16th May – 7.00pm Ballymaloe Cookery School. Admission: Donation to East Cork Slow Food Educational Project Booking Essential – (021) 4646785 slowfoodeastcork@gmail.com

Food Festivals are now so numerous that it’s a major dilemma to know which one to head for

Carlow Food Hero Festival, Step House Hotel, Borris, Co Carlow is on Sunday May 15th. www.stephousehotel.ie for further information

Wexford Food Festival May 20th – 22nd. Visit wexfordfoodfare.ie for the details

Burren Slow Food Festival May 20th-22nd in Lisdoonvarna – great weekend with tastings and talks, cookery demonstrations and farmers market showcasing the best of the Burren. www.slowfoodclare.com or birgitta@burrensmokehouse.ie

This weekend I was invited to the Artisan Food School at Welbeck in North Nottinghamshire to talk to their students about the inspirational Irish artisan food scene, the snows before Christmas meant that my first visit had to be postponed but that is an even a lovelier time of the year to visit this spectacular estate and stunningly beautiful English country house Welbeck Abbey.

Originally it was the principal Abbey of the Premonstratensian order in England. Now it is home to the descendants of the Dukes of Portland and is still a private home in the midst of a 16,000 acre estate. The house has been added to at regular intervals since the 12^th century and is a mixture of architectural styles with pepper pot turrets and fantasy towers and huge gargoyles balanced on the rooftop.

Of course there are beautiful and extensive gardens, tranquil lakes, lawn tennis courts and a cricket pitch as well as a subterranean ball room and miles of tunnels. The wealth of the Earls and Dukes of Portland originally came from coal and they spent it well building an entire village to service the estate. The eccentric 5^th Duke of Portland by all accounts, a kindly man known as the ‘workman’s friend’ created employment far and wide in the district by having an extraordinary series of tunnels constructed in the 19^th century by the expert tunnellers from the coal mines.

I was fascinated to wander in and out of the ‘down stairs’ area which would have hummed with the voices of hundreds of staff, there was an underground train to take the food from the kitchen to the great house with a detour to deliver to the servants hall.

Present owner, Will Parente, a direct descendant of the 7^th Duke of Portland remembers his grandfather telling him that as a mischievous little boy he and his friends loved to switch the tracks so the food for the servants hall ended up in the dining room of the Abbey and vice versa.

 The Parente family continue to create and innovate and have converted various buildings on the estate to new uses. There are a range of craft workshops, a farm shop, café, garden centre, museum, galleries and the School of Artisan Food, a brilliant concept created to pass on the traditional artisan skills of Cheese-making, Butchery, Baking and Brewing to future generations. The school is in the former Fire Stables and in its first year has 17 full time students. They were fascinated to hear about the growing and innovative artisan food sector in Ireland who are helping to further enhance the image of Irish food both at home and abroad. So find out more about their courses at the Artisan Food School www.schoolofartisanfood.org

This weekend why not seek out some Irish artisan food and cook up a feast.

Macroom Wholemeal Soda Bread

 

Makes 1 loaf

225g (8oz) Macroom wholemeal flour

225g (8oz) white flour

1 level teaspoon salt

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

375–450ml (13–16fl oz) buttermilk (depending on the consistency of buttermilk)

Preheat the oven to 230ºC/450ºF/gas mark 8.

Mix the flours in a large, wide bowl, then add the salt and bicarbonate of soda. Lift the flour up with your fingers to distribute the ingredients evenly.

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

Sprinkle a little flour on the worktop. Turn the dough out onto the flour. (Fill the bowl with cold water now so it will be easy to wash later.) Wash and dry your hands to make it easier to handle the dough.

Sprinkle a little flour on your hands. Then gently tidy the ball of dough, tucking the edges underneath with the inner edge of your hands. Pat the dough gently with your fingers to flatten it slightly into a round loaf about 4cm (11⁄2in) thick. Slide one hand underneath and with your other hand on top transfer the dough to a baking tray.

Cut a deep cross into the bread (this is called ‘blessing the bread’) and then prick it in the centre of each of the four sections to ‘let the fairies out’. There’s also a practical reason for doing this – the last part of the loaf to bake fully is the centre, so cutting the cross opens out the centre during cooking, allowing the heat to penetrate more evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and cook for a further 15 minutes. Turn the bread upside down and cook for a further

5–10 minutes, until cooked (the bottom should sound hollow when tapped). Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Ardsallagh Goat Cheese Salad with Wild Rocket, Figs and Pomegranates

 

We often use the lovely St Tola Goats cheese in this recipe as well.

 

Serves 8

 

1 fresh pomegranate

4 small fresh Ardsallagh cheese or a similar fresh goat cheese

8-12 fresh figs or plump dried figs (try to find the Turkish ones on a raffia string)

Enough wild rocket leaves for eight helpings and perhaps a few leaves of radicchio

32 fresh walnut halves

Dressing

 

4 fl ozs (110ml) extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 -1 teaspoon honey

salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut the pomegranate in half around the equator; break each side open, flick out the glistening jewel-like seeds into a bowl, avoiding the bitter yellowy pith.  Alternatively, if you are in a hurry, put the cut side down on the palm of your hand over a bowl and bash the skin side firmly with the back of a wooden spoon – this works really well but it tends to be a bit messy, so be sure to protect your clothes with an apron as pomegranate juice really stains.

Next make the dressing – just whisk the oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice and honey together in a bowl.   Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Toast the walnut halves in a dry pan over a medium heat until they smell sweet and nutty. 

Just before serving, toss the rocket leaves and radicchio in a deep bowl with a little dressing.  Divide between eight large white plates.  Cut each cheese into 3 pieces. 

Cut the figs into quarters from the top, keeping each one still attached at the base.  Press gently to open out.  Divide the cheese between the plates, three pieces on each; place a fig in the centre.  Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and freshly roasted walnuts. Drizzle with a little extra dressing and serve immediately with crusty bread.

Note: plump dried figs are best cut into slices and scattered over the salad.

 

Belvelly Smoked Mackerel and Tomato Tart

 

Remember that some smoked mackerel has never seen the inside of a smoke house, but has been dipped in dye to simulate the smoked effect. So search out best quality fish and really ripe and firm tomatoes. For a special treat, serve with a drizzle of hollandaise sauce.

225g (8oz) Shortcrust Pastry

Tart Filling

3 ripe, firm tomatoes

Salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar

2 eggs and 1 egg yolk

300ml (10fl oz) cream

1 small onion, very finely chopped and sweated in 25g (1oz) butter

1 tablespoon chopped chives

1 dessertspoon chopped tarragon

2 large whole smoked mackerel or 4 fillets, skinned, bones removed and pulled into 2cm (3/4 inch) pieces

1 x 10 inch deep tart tin

First make the pastry, line the flan ring and bake blind in the usual way. Remove from the oven place the tin on a wire rack.

 

Next make the tart filling. Peel the tomatoes, by dropping into boiling water for 10 seconds. Run under a cold tap for a moment and then peel. Quarter the tomatoes, remove the seeds and cut into 1cm (1/2 inch) dice. Season with a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar.

Beat the eggs and cream. Add the cooked onions, chopped herbs and seasoning. Mix well. Fold in the tomato and mackerel. Taste and correct seasoning.

Pour the filling into the tart shell and place in a preheated moderate oven 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 20-30 minutes or until the tart is set.

Remove from the oven on a wire rack for a few minutes. Remove the tin, place on a large flat plate and serve.

This tart tastes best when served warm with a green salad. Try using Kitty Colchester’s organic rapeseed oil to make a dressing.

 

Glenilen Yoghurt and Cardamon Cream

 

This is delicious served with Strawberry and Rhubarb Compote.

 

Serves 8-10

425ml (15 fl ozs) Glenilen natural yoghurt

230ml (8 fl ozs) milk

200ml (7 fl ozs) cream

175g (6 ozs) castor sugar (could be reduced to 5oz)

1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds, freshly ground – you’ll need about 8-10 green cardamom pods depending on size

3 rounded teaspoons powdered gelatine

Garnish

Sweet geranium or mint leaves

Ring mould or 8-10 individual bowls.

Remove the seeds from 8-10 green cardamom pods, crush in a pestle and mortar.

Put the milk, sugar and cream into a stainless steel saucepan with the ground cardamom, stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch.  Remove from the heat and leave to infuse while you dissolve the gelatine.

Put 3 tablespoons of cold water into a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatine over the water, allow to ‘sponge’ for a few minutes.  Put the bowl into a saucepan of simmering water until the gelatine has melted and is completely clear.  Add a little of the cardamom infused milk mixture, stir well and then mix this into the rest.  Whisk the yoghurt lightly until smooth and creamy, stir into the cardamom mixture.

Pour into a wide serving dish or a lightly oiled ring mould, or individual bowls or glasses and allow to set for several hours, preferably overnight.

 

 

Hottips

 

Corleggy Summer Cheese School 2011 – spend a day with Silke Cropp in Co Cavan learning the art of cheesemaking and take home your very own kilogram of cow’s milk cheese. Email corleggy@gmail.com

Macroom Wholemeal Bread – Donal Creedan mills our favourite oatmeal and gorgeous wholemeal flour in the last stone grinding mill in Ireland. The quiet gentle self effacing man has a cult following both at home and abroad – I’ve come across Macroom Oatmeal as far away as Zimmermans in Ann Arbor in Michigan. It’s my favourite Irish foodie present when I travel. 026 41800 macroomoatmealmills@eircom.net

The excellent Bord Bia website has tons of information and contact details of Irish artisan food producers www.bordbia.ie

There’s something very special about Easter Sunday lunch, it feels like a celebration of Spring. I’ve just got a beautiful leg of Spring lamb from my butcher once a year treat – sweet, succulent and juicy.

Spring lambs are born before Christmas and are at their best at 3-4 months old weighing approximately 9-10kgs. Usually one needs to order ahead from your local butcher to be sure of some precious young lamb like this. It has quite a different flavour and texture to the hogget we’ve been enjoying up to recently.

Spring lamb needs very little embellishment, just a few flakes of sea salt rubbed into the skin before roasting. Spikes of garlic, sprigs of rosemary and spices like cumin or coriander which greatly enhance the flavour of the hogget we’ve being enjoying up to recently overpower the delicate young lamb.

For starter it’ll be new season asparagus on toast with Hollandaise Sauce. This year was there was some new seasons Irish asparagus on sale in the beginning of April – the earliest I have it – usually we have to wait until the end of the month or the beginning of May to savour the first tender spears. This year one West cork grower harvested  the first of his outdoor asparagus at the end of March – spooky or what – yet another example of accelerated global warming. I’m not complaining – I know one can get imported asparagus almost year round but nothing compares to the exquisite flavour of fresh  Irish asparagus.

We usually have a rhubarb tart for pudding on Easter Sunday after the feast of roast lamb and fresh mint sauce. Its’ at its best at the moment tender, pink with crinkly leaves. We’ve got a really good old-fashioned variety in Ballymaloe that has been passed down through the generations but its widely available in local shops and farmers markets as well.

This year I’m going to make my favourite rhubarb  tart, everyone should know about this pastry its made by the creaming method so even if you are convinced that  you have ‘hot hands’ and can’t make pastry, this recipe will make you into a ‘domestic goddess’

I’ll serve the rhubarb tart with some softly whipped cream and a sprinkling of dark brown sugar melting over the top – how delicious does that sound!

After a generous slice (or maybe two) we’ll all  go for a long walk in the blue bell wood overlooking Lough Ine – can you image a lovlier way to celebrate Easter Sunday.

Asparagus on Toast with Hollandaise Sauce

Serves 4

In season: late spring

This is a simple and gorgeous way to serve fresh Irish asparagus during its short season. We feast on it in every possible way for those precious weeks, roast, chargrilled, in soups, frittatas; quiches don’t forget to dip some freshly cooked spears in a soft boiled egg for a simple luxury. This was my father-in-law’s favourite way to eat Irish asparagus during its short season.

16-20 spears fresh green asparagus

Hollandaise sauce, (see recipe)

4 slices of homemade white yeast bread

Butter

Garnish

sprigs of chervil

Hold each spear of asparagus over your index finger down near the root end, it will snap at the point where it begins to get tough. Some people like to peel the asparagus but we rarely do. Cook in about 2.5cm (1inch) of boiling salted water in an oval cast iron casserole. Cook for 4 or 8 minutes or until a knife tip will pierce the root end easily. Meanwhile make the toast, spread with butter and remove crusts. Place a piece of toast on a hot plate, put the asparagus on top and spoon a little Hollandaise sauce over. Garnish with a sprig of chervil and serve immediately.

Hollandaise Sauce 

 

Serves 4-6, depending on what it is to be served with

Hollandaise is the mother of all the warm emulsion sauces.  The version we use here is easy to make and quite delicious with fish.  Like Mayonnaise it takes less than 5 minutes to make and transforms any fish into a feast.  Once the sauce is made it must be kept warm: the temperature should not go above 70-80C/180F or the sauce will curdle.  A thermos flask can provide a simple solution on a small scale, otherwise put the Hollandaise Sauce into a delph or plastic bowl in a saucepan of hot but not simmering water.  Hollandaise Sauce cannot be reheated absolutely successfully so it’s best to make just the quantity you need.  If however you have a little left over, use it to enrich other sauces or mashed potato.

2 egg yolks, preferably free-range and organic

125 g (5ozs) butter cut into dice

1 dessertspoon) cold water

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, approx.

Put the egg yolks in a heavy stainless saucepan on a low heat or in a bowl over hot water.  Add water and whisk thoroughly.  Add the butter bit by bit, whisking all the time.  As soon as one piece melts, add the next piece.  The mixture will gradually thicken, but if it shows signs of becoming too thick or slightly scrambling, remove from the heat immediately and add a little cold water if necessary.  Do not leave the pan or stop whisking until the sauce is made.  Finally add the lemon juice to taste.  If the sauce is slow to thicken it may be because you are excessively cautious and the heat is too low.  Increase the heat slightly and continue to whisk until the sauce thickens to coating consistency. 

It is important to remember that if you are making Hollandaise Sauce in a saucepan directly over the heat, it should be possible to put your hand on the side of the saucepan at any stage.  If the saucepan feels too hot for your hand it is also too hot for the sauce.

Another good tip if you are making Hollandaise Sauce for the first time is to keep a bowl of cold water close by so you can plunge the bottom of the saucepan into it if becomes too hot.

Keep the sauce warm until service either in a Pyrex bowl over hot but not simmering water (do not have gas jet on).  A thermos flask is also a good option.

Roast Spring Lamb with Roast Spring Onions & Mint Sauce

 

Serves 6-8

1 leg of Spring lamb – about 2.7kgs

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Gravy

1 pint (600ml) lamb or chicken stock

a little roux (see recipe)

salt and freshly ground pepper

mint sauce (see recipe)

Remove the aitch bone from the top of the leg of lamb or ask your butcher to do it for you.  This makes it so much easier to carve later, then saw off the knuckle from the end of the leg.  Season the skin with salt and freshly ground pepper.   Transfer into a roasting tin.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/regulo 4.   Roast for 1-1 1/4 hours approx. for rare, 1 1/4 -1 1/2 hours for medium and 1 1/2-1 3/4 hours for well done, depending on size.  When the lamb is cooked to your taste, remove the joint to a hot carving dish.  Rest the lamb in a low oven at 50-100°C for 10 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile make the gravy.   Degrease the meat juices in the roasting tin (* see note), add the stock.  Bring to the boil and whisk in a little roux, just enough to thicken slightly.   Taste and allow to bubble until the flavour is rich enough.  Correct the seasoning and serve hot with the lamb, roast spring vegetables and lots of crusty roast potatoes.

Fresh Mint Sauce

Traditional Mint Sauce made with tender young shoots of fresh mint takes only minutes to make.  It’s the perfect accompaniment to Spring lamb but for those who are expecting a bright green jelly, the slightly dull colour and watery texture comes as a surprise.  That’s how it is meant to be, try it.

Makes 175ml/6 fl ozs approx.

25g (1oz) finely chopped fresh mint

2 tablespoons sugar

110ml (4fl oz) boiling water

25ml (1fl oz) white wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice 

Put the sugar and freshly-chopped mint into a sauce boat.  Add the boiling water and vinegar or lemon juice.  Allow to infuse for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Roux

 

4oz (110g) butter

4oz (110g) flour

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

How Do I Degrease the Juices?

The gravy should be made in the roasting tin because that is where the flavour is.  Usually there is not a great deal of juice in the roasting pan, there will be some caramelised meat juices and lamb fat.  This is precious because it is the basis of the gravy.  Tilt the roasting tin so the fat collects in one corner.  Spoon off as much fat as possible.  Then pour icy cold stock into the roasting tin, this will cause the last few globules of fat to solidify so they can be quickly skimmed off the top with a perforated spoon.  Then continue to make gravy as in the recipe.

Easter Rhubarb Tart

Serves 8-12

This is such a terrific pastry.  If I’m in a mad rush I make it in a food processor  – it’s a little more difficult to handle if you use it right away but works fine even if you have to patch it a bit.  Make some little Easter chicks and bunnies to decorate the top.

Pastry

225g (8 oz) butter

55g (2 oz) caster sugar

2 eggs free-range and organic if possible

350g (12 oz) flour

Filling

680g (1 1/2lb) red rhubarb

250 – 275g (8 – 10 oz) sugar approximately

Egg Wash

1 beaten free-range organic egg with a little milk, to glaze

1 x 23cm (9 inch) tin with 4cm (1 ½ inch) sides

First make the pastry. Cream the butter and sugar together in a food mixer, add the eggs and beat for several minutes. Reduce the speed and add in the flour, little by little, to form a stiff dough. Flatten into a round, cover with cling film and chill for at least 1 hour, this makes the pastry much easier to handle.  Otherwise just put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until just combined.

Roll out half the pastry to about 3mm (1/8 inch) thick and line a round tin measuring 20.5 x 30.5cm (8 x 11.5 inches).

Slice the rhubarb into 1 cm (1/2 inch) rounds, fill the tart and sprinkle with the sugar.

Roll the remaining pastry, cover the rhubarb and seal the edges.  Decorate with pastry leaves. Paint with egg wash and bake in a preheated oven 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4 until the tart is golden and the rhubarb is soft (45 minutes to 1 hour).  When cooked, sprinkle lightly with caster sugar and serve with softly whipped cream and Barbados sugar.

Easter Bunnies

Easter bunnies are made in minutes and are delicious to nibble with a cup of tea. If there are kids around get them to decorate the bunnies.

Makes 20-25

175g (6 ozs) white flour or spelt flour

110g (4 ozs) butter

50g (2 ozs) castor sugar

To Decorate

icing sugar

110g (4oz) chocolate, melted carefully in a bowl over hot water but not boiling water.

Easter Bunny Cutters

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

Put the flour and sugar into a bowl, rub in the butter as for shortcrust pastry. Gather the mixture together and knead lightly. Roll out to 1/4 inch (7mm) thick.  Use a Easter bunny cutter.  Transfer carefully to a baking tray. Bake in the preheated oven until pale brown, 8-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the biscuits. Remove and cool on a rack. Dredge with icing sugar or decorate with a little melted chocolate.

Note: Watch these biscuits really carefully in the oven. Because of the high sugar content they burn easily. They should be a pale golden – darker will be more bitter.

However if they are too pale they will be undercooked and doughy.  Cool on a wire rack.

Eggs are a totally magical ingredient, the quintessential fast food, versatile, nourishing… Think about it, if you have two boiled eggs or in the case of hungry chaps three or four for supper with a few slices of brown soda bread you’ll feel deliciously sated. They need to be good eggs of course, really fresh and preferably free range and organic. The exciting thing is that a growing number of people have been smitten by the ‘fancy fowl’ bug. All over the country people are keeping a few hens in their back gardens and have discovered the joy of collecting and eating their own freshly laid eggs. Kids of all ages love hens and it’s a brilliant way to reconnect them with how food is produced. Several local schools have a chicken coop with a couple of hens and the children learn how to care for them – it’s a brilliant way to foster entrepreneurial spirit – several have started to keep hens at home and sell the eggs to their mammie’s friends and the neighbours.

It’s win win all the way, instead of paying the council to dispose of the scraps from your cooking they can be fed to hens and you’ll be rewarded with beautiful eggs a few days later. The hen ‘poo’ is a brilliant addition to your compost, which in turn can go into the garden to make the soil more fertile to grow healthy, beautiful fruit and vegetables.

So for those of us who do have hens, this time of the year can be challenging – hens don’t love cold weather any more than we do so their productivity is diminished during the winter – as soon as the weather improves they start to lay with gay abandon. Suddenly there’s a glut of eggs. There are several ways of preserving eggs, My favourite short term way of preserving eggs is Buttered Eggs – a simple technique which seals the shell and gives the eggs a delicious curdy texture. Pickled eggs are another brilliant solution; they are a great favourite in British pubs and deserve to be much better known over here as do Scotch Eggs which are having a terrific revival.

Pickled Eggs

Makes 12

　

850ml (11⁄2 pints) white wine vinegar

10g (1⁄2oz) fresh root ginger

7g (1⁄4oz) white peppercorns

7g (1⁄4oz) black peppercorns

1 chilli

12 organic eggs, hard-boiled

Put the vinegar and spices into a stainless-steel saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, sieve and leave to cool.

Peel the eggs, run under a cold tap to remove any traces of shell and put into a sterilised Kilner jar. Pour in the spiced vinegar. The eggs must be completely covered; otherwise they won’t keep. Seal the jar with the clip and keep for 3–4 weeks before using.

Scotch Eggs

Serves 6

450g (1lb) best-quality sausage meat (or homemade sausage meat)

6 hard-boiled eggs (preferably free-range)

1 tablespoon) freshly chopped herbs, eg. parsley, chives, thyme

1/2 teaspoon English mustard

1 beaten egg

seasoned flour

dry, white breadcrumbs

best-quality oil for deep frying

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and put in the eggs carefully, one by one. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. (The eggs should be covered with water.) Pour off the water and cover with cold water.

Mix the fresh herbs and mustard thoroughly through the sausage meat. Divide the sausage meat into 6 even-sized pieces. Put a piece of sausage meat onto a floured board and flatten it with your hand into an oval shape, large enough to cover an egg. Shape the sausage meat around the peeled egg with your hands, making sure that the egg is evenly coated and there are no cracks. Cover the rest of the eggs in the same way.

Roll the Scotch eggs in seasoned flour, beaten egg and finally coat them with dry, white breadcrumbs. Coat all the eggs in the same way. Heat the oil for deep frying; making sure it is deep enough to cover the eggs. The fat should be a medium heat, 180C\350F, because if it is too hot, the outside will be brown before the inside is cooked. Put the Scotch Eggs into the basket (a few at a time) and lower them into the fat. Fry them for 5 or 6 minutes, and then lift them out of the pan and drain on kitchen paper.

Serve warm with a good Green Salad and perhaps a Tomato and Basil Salad.

Fried Eggs with Crispy Sage

Simple, but so delicious

Serves 1

2 freshly laid organic eggs

Clarified butter or extra virgin olive oil

4-6 sage leaves

Sea salt

Sourdough toast – from Arbutus Artisan Bakery in Cork

Heat 3-4 tablespoons of clarified butter or extra virgin olive oil in a heavy frying pan over a high heat. Crack the egg one at a time into the pan and allow to sizzle for a minute or two. Baste with the hot butter or olive oil or flip them over. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Transfer to a warm plate, add the sage leaves to the pan and allow to sizzle for a couple of seconds in the butter or oil. Pour the contents of the pan including the sage leaves over the eggs. Serve with lots of sourdough toast.

Fluffy Smoked Haddock and Parmesan Omelette

This delicious omelette was a favourite of the English author and playwright Arnold Bennett and is still served at the Savoy Hotel where he ate almost every night after the theater. It would also be good made with smoked salmon or smoked mackerel. Delicious for breakfast or served with a green salad for lunch or dinner.

Serves 1-2 as a main course 

2-3ozs (50-75g) smoked haddock

a little milk

1 oz (25g) butter

1/4 pint (150ml) cream

3 eggs

salt and freshly ground pepper

2-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

Garnish

parsley, freshly chopped 

10 inch (25.5cm) omelette pan, preferably non-stick

Put the smoked haddock into a small saucepan. Cover with milk and simmer gently until it is cooked enough to separate into flakes (about 10 minutes). Drain. Toss the haddock over a moderate heat with half the butter and 2 tablespoons of the cream and keep aside. Separate the eggs beat the yolks with a tablespoon of the cream and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Whip the egg whites stiffly. Fold into the yolks with the haddock and add half the grated Parmesan cheese.

Melt the remaining butter in the omelette pan. Pour the mixture in gently and cook over a medium heat until the base of the omelette is golden. Spoon the remaining cream over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the finely grated Parmesan. Pop under a hot grill for a minute or so until golden and bubbly on top. Slide on to a hot dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately accompanied by a good green salad.

Ballymaloe Vanilla Ice Cream with Pedro Ximénez and Raisins

Really good eggs and really good cream makes really good ice cream. This recipe is made on an egg-mousse base. It produces a deliciously rich ice cream with a smooth texture that does not need further whisking during the freezing period. This ice cream should not be served frozen hard; remove it from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving. You can add other flavourings to the basic recipe: liquid ingredients such as melted chocolate or coffee should be folded into the mousse before adding the cream. For chunkier ingredients such as chocolate chips, Turkish delight or crystallised ginger, finish the ice cream, semi-freeze it and then stir them through, otherwise they will sink to the bottom.

Serves 12–16

4 organic egg yolks

110g (4oz) sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and seeds from ½ vanilla pod

1.2 litres (2 pints) softly whipped cream (measured after it is whipped, for accuracy)

100g (3 1/2 oz) Muscatel raisins covered with 100ml (3 1/2 fl ozs) Pedro Ximénez sherry or Pedro Ximénez Malaga wine

Put the egg yolks into a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy (keep the whites for meringues). Combine the sugar with 200ml (7fl oz) of water in a small heavy-based saucepan. Stir over heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, then remove the spoon and boil the syrup until it reaches the ‘thread’ stage, about 106–113°C (223–235°F): it will look thick and syrupy, and when a metal spoon is dipped in the last drops of syrup will form thin threads. Pour this boiling syrup in a steady stream onto the egg yolks, whisking all the time by hand. (If you are whisking the mousse in a food mixer, remove the bowl and whisk the boiling syrup in by hand; otherwise it will solidify on the sides of the bowl.)

Add the vanilla extract and vanilla seeds and continue to whisk the mixture until it becomes a thick, creamy white mousse.

This is the stage at which, if you’re deviating from this recipe, you can add liquid flavourings such as coffee. Fold the softly whipped cream into the mousse, pour into a bowl, cover and freeze. Serve with Muscatel soaked raisins, with a chilled glass of Pedro Ximénez on the side or poured over the ice cream.

Hottips

New season’s Irish asparagus is at the Skibereen Farmers Market from Tim York of Lisheen Organics. Phone 028 38824 email lisheenorganics@gmail.com

Homage to Rose Gray from the River Café two and half day cookery course at Ballymaloe Cookery School – Gillian Hegarty, who worked with Rose at the legendary River Café will teach some of her favourite recipes – not to be missed Wednesday 27th – Friday 29th April 021 4646785 www.cookingisfun.ie

Sea kale, now in season for just a few short weeks is a deliciously delicate vegetable traditionally grown inside terra pots to exclude the light. It resembles celery in appearance but has a totally different, sublime flavour. It is never found in super markets and rarely even in Farmers Markets but you can occasionally find plants in good garden centres and it’s a perennial that’s definitely worth growing yourself. If you’d like to taste it first it will be on the menu at Ballymaloe House near Shanagarry for the next couple of weeks with the first of the new seasons asparagus from the walled garden. 021 4652531.

 

For many of us with busy lives Monday to Friday whizzes past in a buzz of activity – home from work in the evening. What will we have for supper?

It is so tempting to flop in a comfy chair, put up the feet and nibble a ready meal – Michelle Darmody has lots of exciting suggestions for easy week day meals but how about an extra special meal at the weekend when there is a bit more time for shopping, chopping and cooking with family and friends around the dining table.

Yummy food is all about good ingredients, they don’t have to be expensive but they do need to be fresh and in season. Local seasonal food can be difficult to find in large supermarkets and affiliated shops, so part of the fun can be grabbing a shopping bag and heading for your local farmers’ market. Why not set yourself a challenge – that the main ingredients should all come from within a twenty five mile radius of your home – obviously salt, pepper and spices will need to be imported but it should be possible to find a good free range or better still organic chicken locally. Choose a fine plump one with giblets so you can make a nice pot of chicken broth with the carcass and that can be the basis of a delicious soup, stew or chicken pie. The hens are all laying well at the moment so there are lots of lovely free range eggs at the market or you could go one better and bring home a few lively hens from Mahon, Midleton or Douglas Farmers Market and have the pleasure of collecting freshly laid eggs every day (almost!) There are gorgeous crinkly Savoy cabbages around at present – they only cost a couple of euros and make a delicious salad as well as Buttered Cabbage.

The pudding has to be new seasons rhubarb I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love a rhubarb pie, tart or crumble or cake. I’ve got lots and lots of recipes but I’ve chosen a rhubarb crumble cake that everyone loved when they tasted it recently. Happy cooking.

Swede Turnip Soup with Pancetta and Parsley Oil

Serves 6-8

12 ozs (350g) Swede turnips, diced

1 tablespoon sunflower or arachide oil

5 ozs (150g) rindless streaky bacon cut in 1/2 inch (1cm) dice

4 ozs (110) onions, chopped

5 ozs (150g) potatoes, diced

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 pints (900ml) homemade chicken stock

cream or creamy milk to taste

Garnish

8 slices pancetta

Parsley Oil

50ml (2fl ozs) extra virgin olive oil

50g (2ozs) parsley, chopped

First make the parsley oil.

Whiz the parsley with the olive oil until smooth and green.

Next, make the soup.

Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the bacon and cook on a gentle heat until crisp and golden. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon. Toss the onion, potato and turnip in the bacon fat, season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover with a butter wrapper to keep in the steam, and sweat on a gentle heat until soft but not coloured, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the vegetables are fully cooked. Liquidise, taste, add a little cream or creamy milk and some extra seasoning if necessary.

Spread the slices of pancetta on a wire rack over a baking tray. Cook under a grill for 1 – 2 minutes or until crisp.

Serve in bowls, drizzle each with parsley oil and lay a slice of crispy pancetta on top.

08/12/09 (SH) (12011)

 

Smoked Egg, Chorizo and Rocket Salad

Hard-boiled eggs with softish centres are also delicious in this recipe.

Serves 6

6 freshly smoked, hard-boiled organic eggs

6 tiny or 3 medium beetroots, cooked

sugar and salt

extra virgin olive oil

200g (7oz) chorizo, sliced

a mixture of salad leaves, such as cos, little gem, purslane and rocket

a piece of aged Coolea, Desmond or Gabriel cheese

For the Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

a little Dijon mustard

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground pepper

To Serve

homemade Mayonnaise

Prepare the eggs either by smoking them or hard-boiling them.

To prepare the beetroots, leave 5cm (2 inches) of leaf stalks on top and the whole root on the beets. Hold it under a running tap and wash off the mud with the palms of your hands, so that you don’t damage the skin; otherwise the beetroots will bleed during cooking. Put into a saucepan, cover with cold water and add a little salt and sugar. Cover the pot, bring to the boil and simmer for 1–2 hours, depending on size. Beetroots are usually cooked when the skin rubs off easily and if they dent when pressed with a finger. If in doubt, also test with a skewer or the tip of a knife.

Meanwhile, whisk the ingredients for the vinaigrette together in a bowl. Just before serving, heat a little olive oil in a pan over a medium heat and cook the slices of chorizo for a minute or two until they warm through and the oil begins to run. Toss the salad leaves in a little vinaigrette and arrange on the base of a serving plate. Cut the eggs lengthways – the centres should still be slightly soft and will be best if still warm. Arrange haphazardly on top of the leaves. Tuck beetroot quarters in between the leaves and sprinkle the slices of chorizo over the salad. Grate some hard cheese over the top. Drizzle the salad with the chorizo oil from the pan and serve immediately with lots of crusty sourdough bread and some homemade mayonnaise.

Cabbage, Sultana and Fennel Salad

Serves 4 – 6

　

450g (1lb) cabbage, thinly sliced

1 small fennel bulb, diced

4 tablespoons (5 American tablespoons) fennel or dill leaves chopped

75g – 110g (3 – 4 oz) yellow sultanas

110ml (4oz/1/2 cup) yoghurt

110ml (4oz/1/2 cup) mayonnaise

1-2 teaspoons runny honey

freshly squeezed lime juice of 1-2 limes

salt and freshly ground salt and pepper

Put the thinly sliced cabbage into a bowl, add the chopped fennel and fennel herb and sultanas. Mix the yoghurt/mayonnaise with the honey and lime juice. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle over the cabbage, toss well. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Chicken and Bacon Pie

Serves 6 – 8850ml (1½ pints) homemade chicken stock or water
2 large carrots, cut into chunks
2 large unpeeled onions, quartered
2 celery sticks, cut into small chunks
6 black peppercorns
1 bouquet garni
1 large free-range, organic chicken or boiling fowl
1 sprig of tarragon (optional)
16 small flat mushrooms
25g (1oz) butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 button onions, peeled
450g (1lb) streaky bacon in a piece, cooked
110g (4oz) peas – frozen are fine (optional)
500g (1lb 2oz) puff pastry
egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk)
green salad, to serve

For the sauce:
150ml (1/4 pint) dry white wine
110g (4oz) roux
250ml (9fl oz) single cream)

500g (18oz) puff pastry

Egg wash

1 large or 6-8 small ovenproof pie dishes

Put 5cm (2 inches) of water or chicken stock in a heavy casserole and add the vegetables and bouquet garni. Lay the chicken on top. Add a sprig of tarragon if available and cover with a tight fitting lid. Bring to the boil and then transfer to a moderate oven, 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Cook for 1-2 hours, depending on the size of the bird. Watch that it does not boil dry. The water should be deliciously rich and may be a little fatty.

Meanwhile fry the whole or sliced flat mushrooms depending on size in a little butter on a hot pan, season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Sweat the onions in butter in a small, covered casserole until soft. Cut the cooked bacon into cubes. When the chicken is cooked remove from the casserole onto a large platter and carve the flesh. De-grease cooking liquid. Arrange the sliced chicken in layers in a deep pie dish, covering each layer with bacon, onions and mushrooms, add peas if using (no need to cook).Next make the sauce. Put 600ml (1pint) of the strained and de-greased cooking liquid and the dry white wine into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Whisk in the roux. Cook until thick and smooth. Add the cream. Bring to the boil again. Taste and correct the seasoning. Allow to cool, put in one large or eight small individual pie dishes cover with puff pastry. Decorate the top with the left over puff pastry – Have fun, we sometimes make funny faces, write messages – yummy, scrummy, yippee, or put a fine pastry cockerel on top if your guests are not to sensitive!

Refrigerate until required. Could be prepared ahead

Preheat the oven to 230C/450F/gas mark 8. Just before cooking, brush the top with egg wash and cook for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 for a further 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with a good green salad.

Rhubarb Crumble Cake

Can be served as a pudding or a cake.

Makes a 20cm cake – Serves 10Crumble Topping

75g (3oz) self raising flour

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

75g (3oz) sugar – we used ½ light muscovado sugar and ½ castor sugar

50g (2oz) cold butter cut into cubes

70g (2 ½ oz) flaked almonds

Cake Mixture

1kg (2¼lb) red rhubarb, chopped

125g (4 ½ oz) light muscovado sugar – plus 2 tablespoons extra

125g (4 ½ oz) butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

100g (3 ½oz) self raising flour, sifted

½ teaspoon baking powder

100g (3 ½oz) ground almonds

2 tablespoons milkicing sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Mark 4. 1 x 20cm loose-bottomed tin greased and lined with a circle of baking parchment. First make the crumble. Sieve the flour and cinnamon together into a mixing bowl, add the sugar and rub in the chilled butter with your fingertips. It should look like very coarse bread crumbs. Stir in the flaked almonds and keep to a side while you make the cake.

Cut the rhubarb into 5cm lengths, put in a stainless steel saucepan with 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 5 – 6 minutes, until the rhubarb is just beginning soften.

Cream the butter and with 125g sugar until light and fluffy. Mix the eggs with the vanilla, then beat into a butter mixture a splash at a time, making sure each bit is well incorporated before adding the next. Add a tablespoon of the flour if it threatens to curdle. When all the egg has been added, stir in the sieved flour, baking powder and ground almonds until everything is well mixed, add the milk to give a smooth, uniform batter.

Spread the mixture over the base of the cake tin, then add the strained rhubarb, sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top. Bake for 1 hour, covering the top with foil after 45 minutes if there’s any risk it might burn. It should be set in the centre, although the rhubarb layer makes it a bit squidgy, so it may sink as it cools. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes before removing. Sprinkle with icing sugar and eat warm with lots of softly whipped cream.

It’s Mothers Day tomorrow, bunches of flowers, boxes of chocolates, mugs and pretty cards with cute little messages all have a feel good factor for us and show our lovely Mums we are thinking of them on Mother’s Day but how about giving a real surprise? Maybe show our appreciation with breakfast in bed or cooking even one fab dish for lunch or supper, you can’t imagine how thrilled us Mum’s are when we get a little extra surprise.

For breakfast in bed, always a delight, lay a little tray with a pretty cloth or even a gingham napkin, a tiny posy of flowers that would definitely give her an ‘oops’ in her tummy. You’ll need a nice pot of tea or coffee for a start and maybe some mini scones or muffins. They are really easy to make and look adorable. A glass of freshly squeezed orange or pink grapefruit is also a special treat, just cut the citrus fruit around the equator and squeeze – even one of those little plastic juicers will do the job perfectly.

It’s a bit of a mission cooking a full Irish but a delicious scrambled egg or a mini frittata made with good eggs can be delectable. If you really want to impress, make a loaf of bread as well, this is a nice easy recipe. There are gorgeous bunches of  new seasons rhubarb in the shops at the moment so I’ll also include rhubarb and ginger jam which can be made with little effort over two days.

If you prefer to rustle up something for lunch, how about a cheddar cheese fondue, the whole family can gather around the kitchen table, tuck in and have fun. Better still there will be virtually no washing up.

If you want to go the whole hog and treat your mum to an evening off, then how about a full dinner? Try to enlist other family members to help, lay the table, do place names, and maybe draw zany place mats… A posy of flowers will add to the special atmosphere and excitement. Better still run a nice bath for Mum to relax in, while you cook. Maybe scatter some rose petals into the water, light a few candles, play some soothing music, then treat her to Tomato Soup with Pesto Toasts followed by Roast Chicken Salad and as a finale a luscious Chocolate Meringue Roulade. How about that for a special treat for Mum?

Fresh Soda Bread for Mum

This is a more modern version of Soda Bread, couldn’t be simpler, just mix and pour into a well greased tin. This bread keeps very well for several days and is also great toasted.

Makes 1 large loaf or 3 small loaves

400g (14 oz) stone ground wholemeal flour

55g (3oz) white flour, preferably unbleached

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

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon honey

1 egg, preferably free range

1 tablespoon arachide or sunflower oil, unscented

425ml (15fl oz) buttermilk or sourmilk approx. (put all the milk in)

Sunflower or sesame seeds optional

Loaf tin – 9 inches (23cm) x 5 inches (12.5cm) x 2 inches (5cm)

Preheat oven to 2001C/4001F/regulo 6.

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

Tomato Soup with Pesto Crostini

Serves 5

We worked for a long time to try and make this soup reasonably foolproof. Good quality tinned tomatoes (another must for your store cupboard), give a really good result. Homemade tomato puree although delicious can give a more variable result depending on the quality of the tomatoes.

1¼ pints (750ml) homemade tomato puree (see recipe) or 2 x 14 oz (400g) tins of tomatoes, liquidised and sieved

1 small onion, finely chopped

¾oz (15g) butter

8 fl ozs (250ml) Bechamel sauce (white) (see recipe)

8 fl ozs (250ml) homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock

salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

4 fl ozs (120ml) cream

pesto – see fool proof food

6 crostini made from inch (5mm) thick slices of thin French bread cooked in olive oil until crisp and pale golden

Sweat the onion in the butter on a gentle heat until soft but not coloured.  Add the tomato puree, (or chopped tinned tomatoes plus juice) white sauce and homemade chicken stock.  Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes.

Liquidise, taste, dilute further if necessary. Bring back to the boil, correct seasoning add a little cream if necessary.

Spread a little blob of Pesto on 6 freshly cooked crostini and serve with each bowl of tomato soup.

Note:  This soup needs to be tasted carefully as the final result depends on the quality of the tomato puree, stock etc.

Bechamel sauce

½ pint (300ml) milk

a few slices carrot

a few slices onion

a small sprig of thyme

a small sprig of parsley

3 peppercorns

(2oz) 45 g roux

salt and freshly ground pepper

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

Roast Chicken Salad with Caesar Dressing

Crisp leaves of little Gem lettuce provide the perfect scoops for chunks of tender chicken drizzled with creamy Caesar dressing.  Everything can be prepared ahead, ready for the final assembly.

Serves 12

1 large organic chicken

2 lemons

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon clear honey

Caesar Dressing

2 egg yolks, preferably free-range

2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 x 2 ozs (50g) tin anchovies

1 clove garlic, crushed

a generous pinch of English mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2-1 tablespoon Worcester sauce

1/2-1 tablespoon) Tabasco sauce

6 fl ozs (175ml) sunflower oil

2 fl ozs (50ml) extra virgin olive oil

2 fl ozs (50ml) cold water

I make the dressing in a food processor but it can also be made very quickly by hand. Drain the anchovies and crush lightly with a fork. Put into a bowl with the egg yolks; add the garlic, lemon juice, mustard powder, salt, Worcester and Tabasco sauce. Whisk all the ingredients together.  As you whisk, add the oils slowly at first, then a little faster as the emulsion forms. Finally whisk in the water to make a spreadable consistency. Taste and correct the seasoning: this dressing should be highly flavoured.

To Serve

Separate the leaves from the lettuces, arrange the leaves over 2 platters.  Remove each breast coarsely from the chicken in one piece.  Pull the meat from the legs and wings and shred it.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Cut each breast in to 6pieces each with a little skin attached.  Put a little brown meat in each lettuce leaf, then top with a slice of breast. (Save the remainder of the dressing for another occasion. Refrigerate until needed).

Just before serving, drizzle a little dressing over each piece of chicken.  Garnish with watercress sprigs

Cheddar Cheese Fondue

A fondue party is so retro, terrific fun.  Choose your seat carefully because if you drop the bread into the fondue you must kiss the person on our right – this could be your big chance! Myrtle Allen devised this Cheese Fondue recipe made from Irish Cheddar cheese. A huge favourite at Ballymaloe.  Even though it’s a meal in itself it can be made in minutes and is loved by adults and children alike. A fondue set is obviously an advantage but not totally essential.

Serves 2 – perfect for a romantic supper.

2 tablespoons white wine

2 small cloves of garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons Ballymaloe Tomato Relish or any tomato chutney

2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley

170g (6 ozs) grated mature Cheddar cheese

Crusty white bread

Put the white wine and the rest of the ingredients into a fondue pot or small saucepan and stir. Just before serving put over a low heat until the cheese melts and begins to bubble. Put the pot over the fondue stove and serve immediately.  Provide each guest with fresh French bread or cubes of ordinary white bread crisped up in a hot oven.  They will also need a fondue fork and an ordinary fork.

Chocolate Meringue Roulade

A really luscious but completely irresistible dessert, perfect as a naughty treat for Mum on Mothers Day.

Serves 10-12

Meringue

4 egg whites

250g (9oz) castor sugar

4 rounded teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

Chocolate Filling

225g (8oz) best quality dark chocolate

300ml (10fl oz) cream

1/2 – 1 tablespoon rum or orange liqueur

Chocolate Wafers

50g (2oz) best quality dark chocolate

Icing sugar

Swiss roll tin 38×25.5cm (15x10inch)

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

First make the Meringue

Check that the bowl is dry, spotlessly clean and free of grease.  Add 225g (8oz/1 cup) of the castor sugar to the egg whites all at once and whisk until the mixture forms stiff dry peaks (this can take up to 10 minutes).  Sieve the cocoa and the remaining 25g (1oz/1/8 cup) castor sugar together and fold in very gently.

Line the Swiss roll tin with oiled tin foil.  Spread the meringue evenly over the tin foil with a palette knife.  Bake in the pre-heated oven for 18-20 minutes or until just firm to the touch.

Turn out onto a sheet of bakewell paper and remove the tin but leave the tin foil on, allow to get cold.

Meanwhile make the chocolate filling

Put the cream in a heavy-bottomed, preferably stainless steel saucepan and bring it almost to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. With a wooden spoon, stir the chocolate into the cream until it is completely melted. Transfer the chocolate cream to the bowl of a food mixer and allow it to cool to room temperature. Add the liqueur and whisk until it is just stiff enough to pipe.

To make the chocolate wafers

Melt 50g (2oz) of chocolate over a gentle heat or in a very low oven. Spread onto a piece of card, allow to set.

To assemble

Peel the tin foil off the meringue, spread most of the ganache over the surface. Holding the edge of the bakewell paper roll up the roulade from the short end. Transfer to a serving dish – easier said than done! Dredge with icing sugar. Pipe the remainder of the ganache onto the top. Cut the chocolate sheet into diamonds or stamp out in heart shapes. Use to decorate the roulade. Serve with softly whipped cream.

Raspberry Coulis

8 ozs (225g) raspberries

3-6 tablespoons sugar

8 tablespoons water

lemon juice – optional

Make a syrup with sugar and water, cool and add to the raspberries.  Liquidise and sieve, taste, sharpen with lemon juice if necessary.  Store in a fridge.

Rhubarb and Ginger Jam

A change from raspberry and strawberry jam, make it now when rhubarb is in full season and not yet thick and tough. It is also gorgeous in a light fluffy sponge cake.

Makes 8 x 1 lb (450 g) jars

4 lb (1.8kg) trimmed rhubarb,

4 lb (1.8kg) granulated sugar

grated rind and juice of 2 lemons

2 ozs (50g) bruised ginger

2 ozs (50g) chopped crystallized ginger or stem ginger preserved in syrup (optional)

Wipe the rhubarb and cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces.   Put it in a large bowl layered with the sugar, add the lemon rind and juice.  Leave to stand overnight.  Next day put into a preserving pan, add the bruised ginger tied in a muslin bag.  Steadily bring to the boil until it is a thick pulp.  Remove the bag of ginger and then pour the jam into hot clean jars, cover and store in a dry airy cupboard.

If you like 2ozs (50g) chopped crystallized ginger or preserved stem ginger can be added at the end.

Fool Proof Food

Pesto

Homemade Pesto takes minutes to make and tastes a million times better than most of what you buy.  The problem is getting enough basil.  If you have difficulty, use parsley, a mixture of parsley and mint or parsley and coriander – different but still delicious.

Serve with pasta, goat cheese, tomato and mozzerella.

4ozs (115g) fresh basil leaves

6 – 8 fl ozs (175 – 250ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 oz (25g) fresh pine kernels (taste when you buy to make sure they are not rancid)

2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 ozs (50g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiana Reggiano is best)

salt to taste

Whizz the basil with the olive oil, pine kernels and garlic in a food processor or pound in a pestle and mortar.  Remove to a bowl and fold in the finely grated Parmesan cheese. Taste and season.

Pesto keeps for weeks, covered with a layer of olive oil in a jar in the fridge. It also freezes well but for best results don’t add the grated Parmesan until it has defrosted. Freeze in small jars for convenience.

Hottips

Build a wood fired oven – if you have been bitten by the DIY bug how about picking up a copy of ‘Building a Wood Fired Oven to Cook Bread and Pizza’ by Tom Jaine published by Prospect Books – Having read it myself I feel like picking up a trowel myself. Meanwhile don’t miss Philip Dennhardt’s yummy Saturday Pizza’s at the Ballymaloe Cookery School every Saturday between 12pm and 4:30pm – 021 4646785 – talktophilip@gmail.com

Instead of or as well as giving a box of chocolates on Mother’s Day this year why not give your Mum a gift voucher for ‘ Hand Made Chocolates – Demonstration Course’ from 10am to 4pm on Sunday 10^th April 2011 at the Baking Academy Palmerstown Village, Dublin 20, close to the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre. There are also some wonderful bread and cake baking courses.  Phone 01 8451214 – Email: bakingacademyireland@gmail.com www.bakingacademyireland.com

Slow Food Ireland have organised a Seaweed Foraging event on Friday 8^th April at 2:15pm sharp Bruce MacDonald of Copper Coast Tours will show you how to identify and gather edible seaweed on Shanagarry Strand (Garryvoe Beach) in Shanagarry, Co Cork. Bring your boots, coats, buckets, knife or scissors and come foraging. To find out the cost where the meeting place is phone 021 4646785.

Out of the blue a few months ago, I got an email from a crazily enthusiastic girl who had just started a new business called The Cookbook Club based in Dublin, but also of course on-line.

She went on to give me some background in her inimitable breathless way.

“I’m from a small farm, in West Clare. I hated it. I hated weeding rows of potatoes, acres of cabbage, rhubarb and turnip, and hunting cattle, pulling sheep out of hedges, and digging/footing /stacking turf, and sitting up all night with a blinking torch waiting for cows to calve. But I loved the storytelling and gossip around the preparation of that – our home grown food. My smoking-like-a-trooper, 12 kids raised, 6 ft tall grandmother was a mid-wife who walked miles to everyone’s home in the village to bring children into the world and she used to lay out the dead too.  We scoured domestic science books and Woman’s Way magazine and cookbooks to find different ways of cooking turnip and mutton, or you’d die of boredom. So I love cookbook narratives as I associate food with storytelling. Granny and Mum would be chopping food and gossiping and I’d sit on the top of the stairs in the kitchen eavesdropping on their dissection of both the community and the recipe.”

Elaine had a steady job with RTE for over ten years as an editor and script writer on Fair City. In January 2010 she took a career break to follow her dream.

She tossed some ideas around, blogged about food and eventually decided to embark on a new adventure. She shot off some bubbly emails to a few of her favourite cookbook authors and invited them to join her and other fans at a restaurant of their choice in Dublin, all the cook book writer needs to do is to choose a three course menu with three choices on each course, send along the recipes and turn up on the night to chat to the guests and bloggers and sign cook books.

It all kicked off in September 2010 and by now she’s had terrific events with Paul Flynn, Clodagh McKenna, Kevin Dundon and Catherine Fulvio. Elaine is so sweet and effervescent that it’s impossible to say no. The events are held on the first Monday of every month and over fifty percent of the members have attended all the events, I sent along my menu, all dishes chosen from my Forgotten Skills Cookbook.

 Starters

Potato Soup with Wild Garlic Pesto and Ballymaloe Brown Yeast Bread

Jerusalem Artichoke Salad with Toasted Hazelnuts

Salt Cod Croquettes with Aioli   

Main Course

Pork Osso Bucco

Hake with Swiss Chard and Coconut Milk

Gruyere and Dill Tart  

Homemade Pasta

Brussels Sprouts Tops 

A Salad of Organic Leaves with Honey and Mustard Dressing

Desserts

Carrageen Moss Pudding with Poached Rhubarb and Sweet Cicely Compote

Lemon and Rose Geranium Posset

Srikhand with Saffron and Pistachio Nuts

One is always a little apprehensive just sending off recipes with ingredients that may be unfamiliar but the chefs at Ely Headquarters did a terrific job, even sourcing garlic chives at a Chinese shop in place of wild garlic which was a bit of a challenge to find around the financial centre in Dublin. The chefs did a terrific job and over 120 people turned up on the Monday 7th March and had terrific fun.

Elaine said “I did all this without any grants or start-up loans, any loans or savings. I wanted to have my own business. I’m neither a restaurateur, a chef or even a brilliant home cook nor am I trying to be, I’ve literally come out of nowhere because of my passion for cookbooks and the Irish chef authors who are the ambassadors of this Irish cuisine food revolution”

A terrific idea that could be replicated around the country to create a win-win situation for the cookbook author, restaurant and guests who need a fun night and it was brilliant value for €35.00. Here are some of the recipes from my menu.

www.thecookbookclub.ie

Salt Cod Croquetas with Garlic Aioli

Of all the ways of preparing salt cod, this one is always a favourite. They’re an irresistible nibble or a delicious starter. Now that cod is becoming scarce we also salt ling and hake and use them in this recipe.

Serves 8, makes about 40

225g (8oz) skinned and boned dried salt cod (see recipe)

450g (1lb) medium-sized potatoes, peeled

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

freshly ground pepper

2 organic egg yolks

Garlic Aioli (see recipe)

oil for deep-fat frying

Soak the salt cod in several changes of cold water for 12–24 hours, depending on how salty it is. Drain.

Put the potatoes into a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15–20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Meanwhile, cover the salt cod in cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5–7 minutes or until the flesh has changed from translucent to opaque.

Drain the potatoes and push through a ricer into a bowl. Remove the skin from the cod, flake the flesh and mix with the mashed potatoes. Add the garlic, parsley, freshly ground pepper and egg yolks. Mix well. Taste and add salt if necessary.

To cook the croquetas, drop teaspoons of the mixture into hot oil. They will puff up and crisp on all sides. Drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm while you fry the remainder. Serve with garlic and saffron aioli or just plain aioli.

Salt Cod

Nowadays we salt to preserve fish in the short-term or to enhance flavour so there’s no need to use so much salt or salt for so long as years ago. If you don’t want to salt your own cod you can buy salt cod or ‘battle board’ from K O’Connell’s fishmongers in the English Market in Cork city. 

dairy or sea salt

thick, unskinned cod fillet or ling fillet

Sprinkle a thin layer of dairy or sea salt over the base of a lasagne dish or plastic box.  Put the cod or ling fillet on top.  Cover it completely in another layer of salt.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  By the next day, most of the salt will have turned into brine.  Remove the cod from the brine and rinse under cold water.  Cover with fresh water and leave to soak for 1 hour.  Discard the water and dry the fish.  It is now ready to be cooked.  Salt cod can keep for up to a month if heavily salted, but we normally lightly salt it and use it within a couple of days or a week.

Garlic Aioli

1-4 clove of garlic, depending on size

2 egg yolks, preferably free range

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch of English mustard or 1/4 teaspoon French mustard

1 dessertspoon White wine vinegar

8 fl ozs (250ml) oil (sunflower, arachide or olive oil or a mixture) – We use 6 fl ozs (175ml) arachide oil and 2 fl ozs (50ml) olive oil, alternatively use 7/1

2 teaspoons chopped parsley

Crush the garlic and add to the egg yolks just as you start to make the aioli.

Put the egg yolks into a bowl with the mustard, salt and the white wine vinegar (keep the whites to make meringues). Put the oil into a measure. Take a whisk in one hand and the oil in the other and drip the oil onto the egg yolks, drop by drop whisking at the same time. Within a minute you will notice that the mixture is beginning to thicken. When this happens you can add the oil a little faster, but don’t get too cheeky or it will suddenly curdle because the egg yolks can only absorb the oil at a certain pace. Taste and add a little more seasoning and vinegar if necessary.

If the aioli curdles it will suddenly become quite thin, and if left sitting the oil will start to float to the top of the sauce. If this happens you can quite easily rectify the situation by putting another egg yolk or 1-2 tablespoons of boiling water into a clean bowl, then whisk in the curdled aioli, a half teaspoon at a time until it emulsifies again.

Finally add the chopped parsley and taste for seasoning.

Brussels Sprout Tops

You won’t find these in a supermarket, but they are a real bonus for home gardeners who grow Brussels sprouts. These come from the top of the plant and look like shot Brussels sprouts. You can cook them as you would kale, or slice them thinly and add to salads and soups. Chefs are also starting to discover them, so look out for them on restaurant menus.

Serves 4–6

450g (1lb) Brussels sprout tops

6 teaspoons salt

butter or extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground black pepper

Pick over the tops, trim any tough bits of stalk and chop the leaves roughly. Pop the surplus into the compost or hens’ bucket.

Bring a large, high-sided saucepan of 2.3 litres (4 pints) of cold water to the boil on a high heat. Add the salt and the sprout tops and stir. Cover the saucepan. When the water comes back to the boil, remove the lid and continue to cook for 3–4 minutes or until the sprout tops are tender. Drain well.

Melt a little butter or heat a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the saucepan, toss in the well-drained sprout tops. Season generously with freshly ground pepper. Taste, correct the seasoning and serve as soon as possible.

Gruyére and Dill Tart

Serves 8-10

Shortcrust Pastry made with:

175g (6oz) plain white flour

75g (3oz) butter

1 egg yolk, preferably free-range

2 teaspoons cold water, approx.

Filling

75g (3oz) freshly grated Gruyére or Emmental cheese

1-2 generous tablespoons fresh dill

350ml (12fl ozs) cream

4 eggs, preferably free-range

25g (1oz) Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano

1 teaspoon salt

lots of freshly ground pepper

freshly grated nutmeg

1 x 9 inch (23cm) tart tin

First make the pastry in the usual way and bake blind.

Flatten the pastry into a round, cover with greaseproof paper and leave to rest in the fridge for a minimum of 15 minutes. This will make the pastry much less elastic and easier to roll. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured worktop and line the tin, the pastry should come up just above the top of the tin. Line with kitchen paper and fill to the top with dried beans. Rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.

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

Blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove the beans and paper.

Brush the prebaked tart shell with a little beaten egg and pop back into the oven for 5-10 minutes or until almost cooked. Cool.

Meanwhile whisk the eggs and the cream together in a bowl, add the Gruyére and Parmesan Cheese and the freshly chopped dill. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and nutmeg.

Pour the filling into the tart shell, bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes approx. or until the filling is slightly puffy and golden brown.

Serve with a Tomato salad made from vine-ripened tomatoes and a good green salad.

Tip: Buy a chunk of cheese, wrap it well, store in the fridge and grate it freshly when you need it. Ready grated cheese does not taste as good.

Lemon Posset with Rose Scented Geranium

Serves 4

400ml (14fl oz) double cream

100g (3 1/2oz) caster sugar

5 leaves rose-scented geranium  

2 fl oz (50 ml) lemon juice

Garnish

tiny rose geranium leaves

Place the cream, sugar and rose geranium leaves in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, squeeze in the lemon juice, strain and allow to cool. Serve in small tall glasses each garnished with a tiny rose geranium leaf.

Fool Proof Food

 

Srikhand with Saffron and Pistachio Nuts

 

Serves 8-10

1kg (2 1/4lb) natural or Greek yoghurt

generous pinch of saffron strands

1 tablespoon warm water

1/4 teaspoon roughly crushed green cardamom seeds

225g (8oz) caster sugar

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachio nuts

Put the yoghurt into a clean bowl.  Infuse the saffron in a tablespoon of warm water in a small bowl.  Stir into every last drop into the yoghurt.  Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods.  Crush lightly, add to the yoghurt with the caster sugar, mix well.  Turn into a serving dish.  Chill.  Sprinkle the top with roughly chopped pistachio nuts and serve.  Delicious on its own but also memorable with Summer or Autumn berries.

Hottips

Ross Lewis the Michelin-star chef and owner of Chapter One restaurant in Dublin has teamed up with Flahavan’s to create six delicious recipes combining Flahavan’s products with fresh local ingredients – www.flahavans.com/recipes

Dublin Tasting Trail – Eveleen and Pamela Coyle’s Fabulous Food Trails are a wonderful treat – a guided food walk around Dublin with lots of tastings on the way. Eveleen, Pamela and Roisin –  all experienced guides – will take you off the beaten track to discover hidden delights. For more information phone 01 4971245 or email info@fabfoodtrails.ie or www.fabulousfoodtrails.ie 

Pat Shortt’s pub in Castlemartyr, East Cork serves excellent pub food. Head Chef Mike Hanrahan (Ballymaloe graduate) has created a menu that is seasonal, fresh and very local; the vegetables come from across the road at the Village Greengrocers and the meat from Cliffords Butchers a few doors down. The fish is fresh off Trevor McNamara’s boat in Ballycotton and the cheese is from Carrigtohill – Ardsallagh Goats Cheese and Waterford – Knockanore Farm House Cheese. Bill Casey from Shanagarry supplies the smoked salmon. This is as local as it gets! The Seafood Chowder is excellent and so is the Irish Stew. Monday to Thursday 12pm – 5pm and Friday and Saturday 12pm – 8pm. 021 4623230.

Cork Free Choice Consumer Group  – The Story of Cork Butter. The history of butter processing in Cork – a major industry that was started in a recession – what are the lessons for now? With Dr Colin Rynne, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, UCC Crawford Art Gallery Café, Cork City – Thursday 31st March at 7.30pm. Entrance 6 euro including tea & coffee.

In 1995 my book on Traditional Irish Food was published.  This book recorded traditional foods, recipes and culture.   It is still in print and continues to sell well, however my publisher has asked me to work on a new extended edition.

I am searching for any descriptions of traditional food, methods of preparation or production.  Any information or memories of what you, your mother or grandmother cooked, (and indeed grandfathers!) would be greatly welcomed. Even memories of conversations about food and old family recipes would be valuable.  I am be particularly interested in old handwritten recipes and if people lend me books I will look after them carefully and guarantee to return them.

Many families had their own way of preparing and cooking dishes and sadly these were not always documented, often its only when somebody has passed on that we realise that we no longer have the old recipes.  Perhaps all we have are some sketchy memories.  There is a real urgency to record this information before its too late,  food has changed utterly in our generation and we need to remember and document the food that has delighted and nourished us over the years.

Please send any memories, recipes, notebooks, recipe books or details you are willing to share to me at the Ballymaloe Cookery School by one of the following means.

Email: traditionalfood@cookingisfun.ie

Post:

Darina Allen
Traditional Irish Cookbook
Ballymaloe Cookery School
Shanagarry
Co. Cork
Ireland.

Please include your name, address and phone number if possible.

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from anyone with recipes to share and keep.