Article THE DARINA ALLEN COLUMN

The Darina Allen Column

The Real Thing!

My goodness, it’s the end of the world as I know it! Last week my two and half year old granddaughter Amelia Peggy came along clutching an iPhone and told me she wanted to show me how to make a cake! She pressed several buttons in the maddeningly confident way that all kids do and opened and an app called Cake Doodle.

Up popped lots of pictures of cakes, every shape and size – “which one shall we make grandma?” pipes up the aspiring cook; I choose a three tier chocolate confection. Ping – up comes the recipe, then the bowl, Amelia touched each ingredient on the list and whoosh they leap into the bowl, up come the eggs, Amelia taps the screen with the side of her hand to crack the eggs one after the other they leap into the bowl. Then she stirs all the ingredients around, until well mixed and turns the phone on its side to pour the mixture into the tin. Next it’s popped into the virtual oven.

Now there are more decisions to be made – what coloured icing – it has to be pink, everything in Amelia’s life has to be pink at present so she presses the shocking pink icon and then spreads the lurid icing over the three tier cake with the tip of her finger. Next we have a choice of decorations, heart shapes, stars, flowers, princesses...

Amelia chooses princesses, she dotted about 15 over her cake and then at last it was ready to eat. By now Amelia was beside herself with excitement, again she tapped the virtual cake on the screen with her tiny index finger, each time putting it into her mouth as though she was eating the cake.

The iPhone emitted realistic sound effects throughout, pouring, swishing, egg shell cracking, mixing and finally appreciative noises. I wondered if she would have a virtual tummy ache having eaten it all in one go! Amelia and all the children love this app’ and fusty old grandma doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry!

But the good news is Amelia also loves to help her mum and grandma to bake real cakes. She particularly loves to make crumpets on the cool plate of the Aga, using a flexible egg slice to flip them over. Here is a simple recipe that the children will love to make and share.

Amelia Peggy's Crumpets

Amelia’s Aunty Rachel showed her how to make these delicious crumpets.

Click for recipe

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great new program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

Ireland’s future is unquestionably in food production. At long last we are recognising the fact that Ireland is in an enviable position in terms of natural resources – we are an island nation on the edge of Europe with 400 million affluent consumers on our doorstep.

We’ve got acres of fertile soil, plenty of water, a long growing season, a thriving artisan and specialist food production industry, plus a green clean image.

The Harvard Business School report commissioned by Bord Bia on ‘Pathways to Growth’ pointed all this out and said: “Ireland has an enviable agricultural situation that almost every other country would kill for. At present we export ninety percent of our beef and dairy products much of which is produced on grass which is known to produce the correct balance of Omega 3 and 6.”

In the corridors of power, politicians are ‘tri ná ceile’ about what should be done to ease us out of the quagmire we find ourselves in but on the ground people are just getting on with it, milking their cows, cooking the dinner, going to work where they are fortunate enough to still have job...

A study by the New Economics Foundation in London found that every £10 spent at a local food business is worth £25 for the local area, compared with just £14 when the same amount is spent in a supermarket. That is, a pound (or euro) spent locally generates more than twice as much income for the local economy.

The farmer buys a drink at the local pub; the pub owner gets his car fixed at the local mechanic; the mechanic brings a suit to the local dry cleaners; the dry cleaner buys some bread, tarts and buns at the local bakery; the baker buys apples and eggs from the local Farmers Market. When these businesses are not owned locally, money leaves the community through every transaction.

Last autumn I visited two interesting Farmers Markets in Co Clare, one in Ennistymon and the other in Ballyvaughan. There was a terrific buzz and lively banter. Everyone had entered into the Halloween spirit; the stall holders had donned witches hats and wigs, painted their faces and decorated their stalls.

Several home bakers produce reflected the festival. Scary looking cupcakes, spooky meringues and witches bread. In Ennistymon, Aloma McKay had made some witches fingers from puff pastry, a flaked almond at the tip made a very convincing looking finger nail – (they tasted like cheese straws). She also does a great Indian curry meal and samosas having originally come from Goa in India.

Even though there were less than 15 stalls at that time of the year, one couldn’t but be impressed by the variety. Lots of local produce and home baking, I also bought a fine bag of turf and some Kerrs Pink potatoes that were grown in Ennistymon by Tom Kennedy.

Eva Hegarty Stephan had some traditional bacon, dry cured in the time honoured way and some home made sausages; close by Kate Conway was doing a roaring trade with a fine array of her gluten free baking. Mary Gray’s stall beside pumpkin carving also caught my eye. Mary’s attention to detail was evident in her delicious jams and baking and prettily wrapped hampers. She told me her cider cake is the best seller but I couldn’t resist a pot of lemon ginger marmalade and some sweet chilli jelly.

Inside the hall adjoining the outdoor market Gillian O’Leary from Caherbannagh sold her chocolate confections, pretty mendiants, hot-chocolate powder, truffles, chocolate lollipops…Gillian is a self confessed chocoholic. Her chocolate business grew out of her blog www.somesaycocoa.wordpress.com

Kids were queuing up to paint scary masks or to have their faces painted. Close by Tom and Dorothy Barry gave seeds away for free and sold Pimenton de Padron, heirloom tomatoes, Jerusalem artichokes and some Blenheim apples – from their own orchard. They planted half an acre of old apples sixteen years ago.

Aine Martin had set up a snug little cafe An Shibeen in the hall and was dispensing peppermint tea, barmbrack, brownies and Eve’s pudding.

Ballyvaughan Market is also held from 10am to 2pm on a Saturday, again there were fewer stalls than in the summer time but still lots to choose from. Roshan Groves made the cutest witch bread. Deirdre Guillot sold chickweed and calendula salve and tarragon vinegar, so innovative, using wild and seasonal foods.

Theresa Fahey who has seven fine sons, stood proudly behind a stall laden with homemade bagels, pretzels and winter vegetables – everything home grown on their farm. We bought local Burren Gold cheese, some French garlic and local apple juice. Stall holders told me how vital the market is to the community, both in economic and social terms “I make a few bob and it sure gets me out to meet a few people”

Philip Monks brought two fine bronze turkeys in a little pen to entice us to order ahead for Christmas, he also rears free range geese on his farm at Ballyvaughan, Co Clare.

Members of the Ballyvaughan Farmers’ Market and community came together to write a cookbook. It is available from Quinn Crafts in Ballyvaughan, Fitzpatricks Supervalu in Ennistymon and Burren Smoke House in Lisdoonvarna. The proceeds will benefit the local community.

The Farmers Markets provide a badly needed income for many food producers and increasingly fishermen as well. They are unquestionably the best place to trial a product and do simple but effective market research.

We stayed at Gregans Castle near Ballyvaughan, County Clare, a second generation country house hotel on the edge of the Burren which has won many richly deserved awards, notably those for the exceptionally delicious food of Finnish Chef, Mickael Viljanen.

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great new program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

Stevie Parle is an interesting young chef who is making waves on the London food scene - and he was one of the youngest students we ever had on our 12 Week course. Stevie was just 17 years old when he signed up for the January 2002 Certificate Course. He, like many young people, was fed up with ordinary school – he just wanted to cook.

Stevie is an erudite young chef with a blistering pedigree. By the age of only 24, he had already worked at the River Café with Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray, for Skye Gyngell at renowned Petersham Nurseries and at the landmark Moro with Sam and Sam Clark.

When he set up his pop-up Moveable Restaurant with Joseph Trivelli in 2009, fashion leaders clamoured to eat at the twice monthly word-of-mouth supper clubs, one of which was hosted by Nigella Lawson. Now, Stevie runs and cooks at the Dock Kitchen in Portobello Docks, where he also continues the highly successful supper club tradition.

Stevie has worked and lived in Tokyo, New York and Sri Lanka, as well as bussed biked, walked and boated all around India, Ireland, Morocco, Italy and south east Asia, picking up recipes magpie like where ever he goes. The London Evening Standard named Stevie and pop-up restaurant partner as the capital’s hottest young chefs.

Stevie lives with his wife on a red barge, the Avontuur, moored at Hammersmith in west London. They keep a pontoon allotment and a dry land plot, and growing fruit and vegetables has become one of Stevie’s passions.

Then last year he published a book… ‘My Kitchen – Real Food from Near and Far’ (Quadrille/New Voices in Food, paperback £14.99) is an eclectic collection of food and recipes from Stevie’s life in food so far, gleaned from his travels and his intimate knowledge of ingredients. It is a charming mixture of anecdote, tales from his Hammersmith houseboat and wonderful recipes, as well as occasions from his life such as a ‘Ligurian supper for friends, who would prefer to be on holiday but instead have to work’ and Early morning on the deck, watching the cherry blossom on the bank’.

Divided into 12 monthly chapters, the dishes are based around seasonal bounty and Stevie’s global inspirations. Though his influences are incredibly wide, Stevie understands the rules of food and doesn’t mess with the classics, instead finding new ways to approach old recipes, using his vast creativity and impeccably trained craftsmanship.

Within each chapter, Stevie gives a master class about a single foodstuff, with the aim of teaching readers how to cook better by watching subtle changes in the pan and by paying attention to the life cycles of fresh produce. If you thought you knew garlic and how to cook it for instance, Stevie may well show you there is more to learn. My Kitchen is a unique cook book from a stunning young culinary talent.

Stevie is one of two young chefs and cooks chosen by Quadrille Publishing for their exciting new cookery book series entitled ‘New Voices in Food’.

He now writes a regular column on Saturday in the UK broadsheet, The Daily Telegraph.

www.dockkitchen.co.uk

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

I’m sitting with my back to a stone wall on Inis Meáin – on Ireland’s western seaboard – watching islander Padraic McDonagh hand threshing rye in the time honoured way. He chooses a flat lime stone area and then he makes a little circle of sheaves to catch the seed.

He grasps a sheaf and bashes it against a flat stone which he has propped at a perfect angle. When all the seed is threshed out he carefully collects every grain to replant for his next years crop of rye. The precious straw will be used to thatch his sheds and outbuildings. I feel hugely fortunate to come upon this gentle islander threshing his rye in a way that may date back thousands of years. It makes me wish I’d come to Inis Meáin thirty years ago.

Each of the Aran islands is truly unique and offers a different experience. Understandably island life has changed dramatically in the last few decades; nonetheless it was quite a shock and a delight to discover that many of the older inhabitants of Inis Meáin – the least visited of the Aran Islands – have little or no English.

All the native islanders speak a beautiful lilting Irish quite unlike the ‘civil service’ Irish I learned in National School. Not being a native speaker I connected the island with Inis Meáin knitwear, of which I’ve been an avid admirer for many years, and even more with the writings of John Milligan Synge.

However I was eventually lured to the island by glowing descriptions of Ruairí and Marie Thérèse de Blacam’s little restaurant with accommodation rather incongruously named Inis Meáin Restaurant & Suites.

So how does one get there? There are regular ferries from Rossaveel and Doolin. Guests are met by the grey Inis Meáin ‘shuttle’ and transported way up the hill from the new harbour past an occasional white washed and sometimes thatched cottage and past the little meadows each surrounded by stark and beautiful dry stone walls.

There were a few cattle here and there, a profusion of wild flowers, brambles and sloes and occasional potato ridges full of floury spuds that have been grown in a mixture of sand and seaweed. Red seaweed, kelp and black sea bladder wrack each delivers its own minerals. The islanders have collected seaweed on Caladh Mór and around the island since time immemorial and have gradually built up the soil on the solid rock face of Inis Meáin.

Ruairí de Blacam was reared on the island but educated in Blackrock College. His mother Áine was and still is the school teacher on the island. During his gap year he went to work in an Irish pub in Germany and soon realised that cooking and playing music were a lot more appealing than college. He did a month long apprenticeship with John Desmond on Heir Island off Baltimore; Johnny, a brilliant chef and teacher, kindled his passion for beautiful fresh local produce, simply cooked.

Back in Dublin, Ruairí pestered Johnny Cook until he took him into his kitchen. The message was further reinforced there and on ‘stages’ in Italy, Austria and Paris. Friends urged him to open a restaurant in Dublin but he longed to return to his native Inis Meáin to open a B&B and a restaurant, a brave brave step but Ruairí knew as did his father before him that people will make a detour for quality – Inis Meáin knitwear is sold in the swankiest shops in London, New York and Tokyo...

The low slung stone building tucked into the landscape was designed in conjunction with his uncle’s firm de Blacam and Meagher. There are just four suites and one suite apartment, each with a twenty foot long window with superb views across the island, across the Twelve Pins in Connemara and Black Head.

When dinner starts with a little bowl of warm periwinkles – picked off the rocks just below the restaurant at Caladh Mór, you know you’re on the right track. The short menu illustrates the brilliance of keeping it simple. We had three delicious dinners there, gorgeous crab salads, one with mango salsa and another with celeriac remoulade and roast peppers. The juicy T bone steak came from their animals reared on the island. Ruairí served it with tiny roast carrots and parsnips and a big bowl of floury spuds again grown by Ruairí under the guidance of his maternal uncle.

Lobster, like the crab, are caught in pots by the island currach fishermen. Scallops are from the Inis Meáin bank less than a mile from the island’s coast, and spanking fresh hake is fished by local trawlers. For pudding, gorgeous crème brulee, crumbles and tarts made with apples from a local orchard. Ruairí also served crúibíní that he had picked which I think must be wild redcurrants close to the small – no one knew the English name. Deceptively simple and delicious food.

Ruairí and his wife Marie Thérèse (who hails from Midleton) are determined to produce as much of their own produce as possible. They acquired a couple of traditional breed, saddleback pigs last year so there could be succulent home produced pork on the menu.

After dinner we wandered up to Teach Ósta Inis Meáin pub to chat and listen to the locals speaking beautiful Irish. There are no night clubs or discos, no hurdy gurdies or juke boxes and no chicken nuggets but there is Teach Synge where the playwright stayed on the island, Dun Chonchúir (Connor’s Fort) and breathtakingly beautiful walks and timeless landscape with many prehistoric monuments – makes for a relaxing and refreshing break as Ruairí and Marie Thérèse wish for you. Booking is essential so plan ahead – well worth the detour.

In the morning a breakfast tray loaded with goodies arrives in your room – warm smoked mackerel, boiled eggs, good natural yogurt, home made muesli and fresh berries, freshly baked and still warm scones and soda bread, homemade marmalade and jams and maybe a slice of craftily cut pineapple – there’s plenty for a picnic later.

The fridge and cupboards in the bedrooms are stuffed with tempting goodies, a far cry from the usual mini-bar offering, Green and Black dark organic chocolate, Ortiz tuna, Farmhouse cheese, Gubbeen chorizo, Carr’s water biscuits, good wine and Irish apple juice.

Everything has been carefully selected and thought through. There’s lots to do on the island. Two mountain bikes sit outside the suite and a couple of fishing rods are ready and baited for those who would like to catch a few mackerel to cook for supper.


***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

The fight to preserve the right to produce, sell and buy raw milk in Ireland is entering a critical phase.

In response to a letter protesting the proposed ban from Georgina Campbell to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mr Simon Coveney, TD, a reply was recently received from The Department, explaining the background from their viewpoint and stating that:

“…in the circumstances it is not proposed to facilitate the sale of unpasteurised milk. The latest indicative timeframe for the introduction of the Statutory Instrument which will support the complete ban is late autumn 2011, which includes allowance for a 3-month EU notification period… It is important to note that the ban does not impinge on the use of raw milk to manufacture cheese.”

In view of the importance and urgency of this situation we are, with Darina Allen’s consent, replacing her usual column with a letter she wrote to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on behalf of Slow Food Ireland this spring, together with her list of reasons to allow the sale of raw milk, and supporting evidence.

What You Can Do, if you agree that the sale of raw milk should not be banned....

Suggestions from Sheridans Cheesemongers, who are campaigning against the ban:

Contact the following, preferably by email and by post

Your local Politicians (click this link to find contact details for TDs in your area)

The Minister for Agriculture Fisheries & Food Simon Coveney

Minister Simon Coveney
Dail Eireann,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2

Tel: 01 618 3753
Email: simon.coveney@oir.ie

Emails and letters can also be addressed directly to the Department:

Head Office
Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food
Agriculture House,
Kildare St.
Dublin 2.

Email: info@agriculture.gov.ie

Other Organisations:

If you are a member of a farming or agriculture organisation such as Macra Na Feirme, IFA or ICSA or indeed any other relevant organisation, ask them to lobby on your behalf.

Letters and emails should include:

Your full name and address and contact details

Sample Text as Follows:

I am very concerned to hear that legislation has been drafted to ban the sale of raw milk in Ireland. I also strongly object to the fact that there has been no public consultation process.

I want to continue to have the choice to drink raw milk.

I am asking that you take a balanced approach and impose regulations on the industry and not an outright ban of the sale of raw milk.


LETTER FROM DARINA ALLEN TO MINISTER COVENEY, ON BEHALF OF SLOW FOOD IRELAND:

Tuesday, 12th April 2011
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Agriculture House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2

Dear Minister Coveney,

Should the Government be considering changing the regulations on the production and sale of raw milk in Ireland we would like to emphasize that a significant lobby wish that the FSAI would ask the Department of Agriculture to draw up a protocol for best practice for the production and sale of unpasteurised milk to the 100,000 and Irish people who currently avail of it.

I understand the corporate memory of Tuberculosis and Brucellosis in the 1950’s but today standards are very different and people deserve a choice. Other EU countries have found a solution to this dilemma and it would seem grossly unfair if Irish people were to be deprived of the opportunity to choose.

In the US, the sale of raw milk is permitted in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Washington. There is a growing body of science which support the value of drinking raw milk for health and to help to immunise against asthma and eczema. * see references

I’d appreciate your attention to this matter.

Yours sincerely,
Darina Allen
Slow Food Councillor for Ireland

10 Reasons to allow sales of Raw Milk

1. Freedom of choice; Raw milk is ultimately a freedom-of-choice issue. It should be a fundamental right for people to obtain the foods they wish to eat, provided they are produced according to strict guidelines to ensure safety. On-farm and some retail sales of raw milk are permitted in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland where raw milk vending machines are becoming increasingly popular. In the USA retail sales of raw milk are allowed in 8 states (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maine, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, South Carolina and Washington). On-farm sales of raw milk are allowed in about 28 states.


2. Increased demand; There is a noticeable rise in the numbers of consumers seeking out raw milk, generally for health or taste reasons. The process of pasteurisation is usually linked to homogenisation. It is virtually impossible for consumers to buy non-homogenised milk apart from directly from the producers.


3. It is a safer product than it was in the past; It is accepted that raw milk has the potential to transmit diseases including TB and Brucellosis as well as organisms such as salmonella, E coli and Campylobacter. However, since strict inspections and testing have been introduced, these risks have fallen substantially. Compared to 30-50 years ago, dairy farmers today can take advantage of many advances that contribute to making it a safe product:

• Managed rotational grazing, ensures healthy cows
• Understanding of and effective testing for all zoonoses (diseases that cross-infect from animals to humans)
• Understanding of how water-borne pathogens get into bulk milk and control measures. Effective cleaning systems.
• Refrigerated bulk tanks
• Refrigerated transportation
• Easier and inexpensive milk testing techniques
• Better educated and technically adept operators

Current regulations in England and Wales specify the following criteria for raw milk being sold direct to the consumer:

. Plate count at 30oC - < 20,000/mL
. Coliforms - < 100/mL
. Pathogens/toxins - not present in quantities to affect health of the consumer.


4. Economic benefits; Raw milk sales hold the potential for a rural revival. Every 1 euro earned on the farm generates 5-7 euro for the local community. The price is not subject to typical market fluctuations, but is generally based on factors within the farmers’ control, such as the breed of cow and management of the herd. The farmer captures the full retail value. If the farmer is making cheese, cream or butter, he can use the whey and skim milk as free food for pigs and hens in order to diversify and increase his income.


5. Food safety; A complete ban would encourage an ‘underground’ supply of raw milk to those that want it, with none of the recommended controls in place.


6. Protective components of unprocessed milk; Raw milk contains numerous components that assist in:

o Killing pathogens in the milk (lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin, leukocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, antibodies, medium chain fatty acids, lysozyme, B12 binding protein, bifidus factor, beneficial bacteria);1

o Preventing pathogens from being absorbed across the intestinal wall (polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, mucins, fibronectin, glycomacropeptides, bifidus factor, beneficial bacteria);2 and

o Strengthening and modulating the immune system (lymphocytes, immunoglobulins, antibodies, hormones and growth factors).3

o Note that breast milk is raw. The safety and health benefits of breast milk have been well documented.4


7. Asthma and Ecemza

Asthma is a crippling, even life-threatening condition. In the US over 5000 people die from asthma each year.

In the US, according to the CDC, asthma is the second most prevalent chronic condition among children, affecting at least 5 million.

Recently three studies have been carried out in Europe looking at farm (raw) milk as one of several factors that might protect children against allergies and asthma. All the studies were published in prestigious journals.

The first was published in The Lancet in 2001, involving 2,600 families, and researchers found that 'Long-term and early exposure to stables and (raw) farm milk induces a strong protective effect against development of asthma, hay fever and atopic sensitisation (rashes).' 1

In the second, published in the Journal for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2006, researchers concluded that 'children who even infrequently drank raw milk had significantly less current exzema symptoms and a greater reduction in atopy (allergic hypersensitivity).' 2

The third study, called the PARSAVAL study, looked at almost 15,000 children aged 5 to 13. Researchers found that consumption of raw milk was the strongest factor in reducing the risk of asthma and allergies, a stronger factor than living on a farm or having a pet. These findings are published in Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 2007. 3

1. Riedler, J. et al. 2001. Exposure to farming in early life and development of asthma and allergy: a cross-sectional survey. Lancet 358:1129-33.

2. Perkin, M.R. and D.P. Strachan. 2006. Which aspects of the farming lifestyle explain the inverse association with childhood allergy? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 117(6):1374-8.

3. Perkin, M.R. 2007. Unpasteurized milk: health of hazard? Clinical and Experimental Allergy 37:627-630.


8. Loss of protective components due to pasteurisation; Many of these anti-microbial and immune-enhancing components are greatly reduced in effectiveness by pasteurisation.5

Loss of nutrients due to pasteurisation;

Vitamin A Beta-lactoglobulin, a heat-sensitive protein in milk, increases intestinal absorption of vitamin A. Heat degrades vitamin A.7

B Vitamins (incl. folate) Significant percentages of Vitamins B6, B12, thiamin and folate are destroyed by heat treatment, although the specific percentages found vary from study to study.8 In addition, the folacin-binding protein in raw milk is rendered ineffective during pasteurization and processing.9

Vitamin C Heating leads to a loss of Vitamin C in pasteurized milk.10 “Without doubt, the explosive increase in infantile scurvy during the latter part of the 19th century coincided with the advent of use of heated milks and proprietary foods. … Hess [a pediatrician] was able to effect a cure for scurvy by providing raw milk or orange juice or potatoes.”11

Vitamin D Vitamin D is present in milk in protein-bound form, which may be lost during pasteurization.12


9. Health benefits of raw milk; Raw milk is the only food that has built-in safety mechanisms and numerous components to create a healthy immune system. The FSA 00/05/04 review acknowledges that long-term consumers of raw milk may be immunologically privileged as a result of this consumption.

In early studies involving humans, raw milk was shown to be superior to pasteurized in protecting against infection, rickets, and TB; and children receiving raw milk had better growth than those receiving pasteurized milk.13
Several recent studies in Europe have found that drinking “farm” (raw) milk protects against asthma and allergies.15

Infants and premature babies on pasteurised human milk did not gain weight as quickly as those fed raw human milk; problems were attributed to pasteurization’s destruction of lipase.16 In another study, neonates given raw human milk had a markedly lower incidence of infection than those who received pasteurized human milk and formula.17


10. The best quality raw milk is from grass-fed cows; We do not recommend the consumption of milk from dairy cattle that are housed indoors and fed grain meals. Under extreme conditions the multiple anti-microbial components of the raw milk may be overwhelmed.


References

1 Shah, N.P. 2000. Effects of milk-derived bioactives: an overview. British J of Nutrition 84(Suppl. 1):S3-S10. Cross, M.L. and H.S. Gill. 2000. Immunomodulator properties of milk. British J. of Nutrition 84(Suppl. 1): S81-S89. Korhonen, H., P. Marnilla, and H.S. Gill. Milk Immunoglobulins and complement factors. British J. of Nutrition 84 (Suppl. 1): S75-S80. Arnold, D. et al. 2002. Antiadenovirus activity of milk proteins: lactoferrin prevents viral infection. Antiviral Res. 53:153-158. Dionysius, D.A. and J.M. Milne, 1997. Antibacterial peptides of bovine lactoferrin: purification and characterization. Journal of Dairy Science 80, 667-674. Campanella, L. et al. 2009. Determination of lactoferin and immunoglobulin G in animal milks b new immunosensors. Sensors 9: 2202-2221. Seifu, E., E.M. Buys and E.F. Donkin. 2005. Significance of the lactoperoxidase system in the dairy industry and its potential applications: a review. Trends in Food Science & Tech. 16(4):137-154.

2 Shah (2000); Cross and Gill (2000); Korhonen et al (2000).

3 Shah (2000); Cross and Gill (2000); Korhonen et al (2000).

4 Newman, J. 1995. How breast milk protects newborns: some of the molecules and cells in human milk actively help infants stave off infection. Scientific American Dec. 1995 pp.76.

5 Shah (2000); Cross and Gill (2000); Korhonen et al (2000).

6 Haug, A., A.T. Hostmark, and O.M. Harstad. 2007. Bovine milk in human nutrition—a review. Lipids Health Disease 6:25 (“Proteins and peptides are heat sensitive, and their bioactivity may be reduced by pasteurization of milk. Heating of milk may also result in the formation of potentially harmful new products, i..e. when carbohydrates in milk react with proteins.”). Wong, D.W.S. and W.M. Camirand. 1996. Structures and functionalities of milk proteins. Critical Rev Food Science Nutr. 36(8): 807-844

7 Said, H.M., D.E. Ong, and J.L. Shingleton. 1989. Intestinal uptake of retinol: enhancement by bovine milk Beta-lactoglobulin. Am J Clin Nutr. 49:690-694. Runge, F.E. and R. Heger. 2000. Use of microcalorimetry in monitoring stability studies. Example: Vitamin A Esters. J Agric Food Chem 48(1):47-55.

8 Kilshaw, P.J., L.M. Heppell, and J.E. Ford. 1982. Effects of heat treatment of cow's milk and whey on the nutritional quality and antigenic properties. Arch Disease Childhood 57: 842-847 (heat treatment destroyed all of the Vitamin B12, about 60% of the thiamin and Vitamin B6, 70% of the ascorbic acid, and about 30% of the folate).

9 Gregory, J.F. 1982. Denaturation of the folacin-binding protein in pasteurized milk products. J Nutr. 112: 1329-1338.

10 Effect of several heat treatments and frozen storage on thiamine, riboflavin, and ascorbic acid content of milk. J Dairy Sci. 66: 1601-6;

11 Rajakumar, K. 2001. Infantile scurvy: a historical perspective. Pediatrics 108(4):E76.

12 Hollis, B.W. et al. 1981. Vitamin D and its metabolites in human and bovine milk. J Nutr. 111:1240-1248. See also Levieux, D. 1980. Heat denaturation of whey proteins: comparative studies with physical and immunological methods. Ann Rech Vet. 11(1): 89-97 (“Nutritionists believe that high losses of nutritive value occur in heated proteins following cross-linking since high cross-linked proteins cannot be degraded by digestive enzymes.”).

13 Parliamentary Intelligence. 1937. Milk Pasteurization: The Poole Experiment. Lancet 1141-43 (comments in the House of Lords referencing a study showing that raw milk decreases the likelihood of tooth decay and increased resistance to tuberculosis, compared to consumption of pasteurized milk). Ladd, M. et al. 1926. The relative efficiency of certified and pasteurized milk in infant feeding. Arch. Ped. 43:380-85 (found that babies fed raw milk had less frequent rickets and better weight gain compared to those fed pasteurized milk). See also Cornish, J. et al. 2004. Lactoferrin is a potent regulator of bone cell activity and increases bone formation in vivo. Endocrinology 145(9):4366-74.

14 Scott, E. and L.E. Erf. 1931. Ohio tests prove natural milk is best. Jersey Bulletin 50:210-211, 224-226 (documented normal growth, good health and gentle disposition in rats fed an exclusive raw milk diet. Rats fed pasteurized milk were anemic, had slow growth, rough coats, loss of vitality and weight, and were very irritable, often showing a tendency to bite when handled).

15 Riedler, J. et al. 2001. Exposure to farming in early life and development of asthma and allergy: a cross-sectional survey. Lancet 358:1129-33. Perkin, M.R. and D.P. Strachan. 2006. Which aspects of the farming lifestyle explain the inverse association with childhood allergy? J Allergy Clin Immunol. 117(6):1374-8. Perkin, M.R. 2007. Unpasteurized milk: health of hazard? Clinical and Experimental Allergy 37:627-630.

16 Pettifor, J.M. et al. 1986. Mineral homeostasis in very low birth weight infants fed either own mothers’ milk or pooled pasteurized preterm milk. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 5(2):242-53.

17 Antibiotic-like action of essential fatty acids. 1985. Can. Med. Assoc. J. 132:1350 (referencing Naranyanan, I. et al. 1984. Ramdomised controlled trial of effect of raw and holder pasteurized human milk and of formula supplements on incidence of neonatal infection. Lancet 2:1111-1113).

Fact Sheet: Grade A Raw Milk In Texas

Existing Regulations for Grade A Raw Milk

• Dairy farms, both facilities and records, are inspected twice every 6 months (217.26a)
• If a condition is found that poses an imminent health hazard, the department is required to suspend the dairy’s permit immediately (217.26d)
• Samples of the milk are collected at least every six weeks and tested for: bacterial counts, coliform counts, somatic cell counts, water adulteration, and cooling temperatures. (217.27)
• At least twice every six months, the samples are also tested for pathogenic bacteria
• At least four times every six months, the samples are also tested for antibiotics
• Grade A raw milk must meet the following standards (217.28)
• Cooled to 45 degrees or less within 2 hours (also regulated in 217.29s).
• Somatic cell counts not to exceed 750,000 per milliliter (ml) for cow’s milk or 1,000,000/ml for goat’s milk.
• Bacteria limits of 20,000 per ml (not applicable to cultured products).
• Coliform not to exceed 10 per ml.
• Pathogen limit of zero.
• Section 217.29, Sanitization Requirements for Grade A Raw Milk, has 20 subparts, which have in turn multiple sub-subparts, of rules (217.29). Some highlights include:
• Abnormal milk shall be discarded, and animals which show evidence of abnormal secretion must be isolated from the non-abnormal milk and equipment cleaned (a)
• Milk barn must meet detailed construction and cleanliness requirements (b,c, e-g)
• Animal yard shall be properly graded to prevent standing pools of water or waste, housing areas maintained to prevent soiling of animals udders and flanks (d)
• Clean water in sufficient quantity for the dairy operations (h)
• Containers, utensils and equipment must meet standards for construction (type of materials), cleaning, sanitization, storage and handling (i-m)
• The animal and the milking equipment must be free from contamination (n-p)
• People doing the milking must have clean hands, wear clean outer garments, and be free of infection (q, r)
• Effective insect and rodent control is required (t)
• Animal Health: All herds shall be tested and found free of tuberculosis and brucellosis before any milk is sold; herds shall be retested at least every 12 months; cattle herds participate in brucellosis ring testing by Texas Animal Health Commission. For other diseases, the department may require physical, chemical, or bacteriological tests. (217.20)
• Plans for Grade A Raw for Retail Milk Dairy Farms shall be submitted to the department for approval before work is begun (217.30).
• Note that retail sales of raw milk are allowed in ten states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Washington.



***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

I recently spent a fantastic afternoon foraging in the rock pools on Ballyandreen strand close to Ballycotton in East Cork. It was one of a series of East Cork Slow Food Events to teach some Forgotten Skills, in this case how to identify and harvest edible seaweeds.

Bruce MacDonald was our guide; he has developed a business called Coppercoast Tours showing people how to collect food sustainably on the seashore. I myself am an enthusiastic forager and have been taking groups to local beaches for years, so I was really keen to learn more.

First Bruce gave us a pep talk about health and safety and sustainable harvesting. “Watch the tides and don’t turn your back on the sea while foraging. Move back to the shore in good time before the tide comes in. Keep your arms free to balance on the rocks and wear shoes with a good grip, Crocs are good because they are waterproof. Take a knife or a pair of scissors so you can cut (give it a trim not a shave) rather than yank the seaweed off the rocks.”

Over 600 seaweeds have been identified on our shores. Seaweed consist of three elements, the holdfast (the roots) the stipe (the stem) and the fronds (leaves). From the sustainability point of view, it’s really important to leave the holdfast attached to the rock so the seaweed can regenerate itself provided the cut is not too near the hold-fast.

I reckon I know a bit about foraging but I discovered so much more. Ballyandreen is a pebbly cove, sheltered by steep cliffs. There were lots and lots of slocán known as nori in Japan. It drapes itself over smooth rounded rocks, this is identical to laverbread which the Welsh love to eat with bacon or cockles.

Seaweed varies from one season to another. We found dillisk or dulse a little winey purple seaweed that grows along the crevices on the low rocks. When dried this has long been a favourite in Irish coastal communities.

There was lots of bright green sea lettuce in the little rock pools where my grandchildren love to paddle and catch tiny shrimps in the summer.

The tide was fully out, it was three days after a new moon and so the forest of carrageen on the little rocks was exposed so we could gather the moss easily. Traditionally carrageen was spread out on the spongey grass on the cliff tops to bleach in the sun and be washed by the rain.

My mother-in law Myrtle Allen always got the carrageen moss for Ballymaloe House from Fred and Annie Dawes who harvested it year in year out in Ballyandreen. It took about 10 days to bleach and then it would keep for years. We all loved it and still do. Our babies and now our grandchildren are weaned onto carrageen moss pudding – a magic food full of iodine and trace elements.

Bruce also showed us several types of kelp with its long tough leaves - which is used to make Japanese Dashi - and five different types of bladder wrack, several are edible. A fellow forager told me that sheep on Ronaldsey live on a diet of bladder wrack and taste delicious.

Bruce was very excited to find some frilly alaria also known as wakame and an essential ingredient in Miso soup. There were also limpets, periwinkles and lots of tiny seed mussels attached to the rocks. We had lots of fun and a delicious supper from our afternoons foraging.

Contact Bruce MacDonald of Copper Coast Tours to find out the best spots for foraging for seaweed in your local area – +353 86 168 5328 – bruceinireland@gmail.com


Dillisk Soda Bread

1 lb (450g) plain white flour, preferably unbleached
1oz (25g) of dilisk (dulse)
1 level teaspoon salt
1 level teaspoon (bicarbonate of soda/baking soda)
sour milk or buttermilk to mix - 12-14 fl.ozs (350-412ml) approx.

First fully preheat your oven to 230C/450F/regulo 8.

Sieve all the dry ingredients. Chop the dillisk (dulse) and add to the bowl.

Make a well in the centre. Pour all of the milk in at once. Using one hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a floured board, knead lightly for a second, just enough to tidy it up.

Pat the dough into a round about (2.5cm) deep and cut a cross on it to let the fairies out! Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this.

Bake in the hot oven for 15 minutes, then turn the oven down to 200C/400F/regulo 6 for 30 minutes or until just cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow.



Prannie Rhatigan's Quick Seaweed Hummus

Bruce made a delicious butterbean and seaweed hummus from Prannie Rhatigan’s excellent book – The Irish Seaweed Kitchen.

seaweeds used: mixed seaweeds

serves 4

2 x 400g (14 oz) tins cannellini, chickpeas or butter beans,
or
450g (16 oz) cooked and drained
2-3 crushed garlic cloves
2 tablespoons tahini
4 tablespoons olive oil
juice of a lemon
1 heaped tablespoon mixed seaweeds, dried and ground in pestle and mortar
25g (1oz) chopped coriander leaves
½ teaspoon ground coriander seeds
2 tablespoons parsley chopped
1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
¾ - 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Put all ingredients in food processor and blend to required texture. Refrigerate and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with lemon slices and parsley.

Top Tip - to dry seaweed, rinse well and drape it over a grill and place it on the back window of the car, in a hot press or in a very slow oven until dry.


Ivan Whelan’s Kelp and Smoked Seafood Salad

To serve 6-8

50g (20z) of dried kelp or wakame
150g (5oz) cold-smoked salmon
150g (5oz) smoked eel, weighed after skinning and boning
50g (2oz) pickled ginger (gari)
60g (2 ½oz) pine nuts
3tbsp soy sauce
3tbsp sesame oil
1½tbsp rice wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1tbsp freshly chopped coriander
30 smoked mussels

Soak the seaweed in cold water for about 30 minutes to reconstitute. Drain very well in a colander and press out all the excess water. Put into a large mixing bowl.

Cut the smoked salmon and eel into small pieces and chop the ginger. Add these to the seaweed, along with the pine nuts, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar, coriander and salt and pepper to taste.

Mix gently to avoid breaking up the fish. Serve stacked on a plate with smoked mussels dotted around.


Periwinkles with Homemade Lemon Mayonnaise

The world is made up of people who either take one periwinkle at a time or those who gather a little pile before they start eating – I belong to the first camp because I am too impatient to wait.

fresh live periwinkles
boiling salted water – 4 tablespoons to every 2.3 litres (4 pints) water

For the Lemon Mayonnaise

homemade Mayonnaise
zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 organic lemon

To make the lemon mayonnaise, add the lemon zest to the basic mayonnaise recipe and substitute freshly squeezed lemon juice for the vinegar.

Bring the water to the boil, add the salt and the periwinkles, and then bring the water back to the boil. Cook for 3–4 minutes, strain off the water and allow the periwinkles to get cold. Serve with homemade lemon mayonnaise. Some people love to dip them in vinegar. Either way you will need to supply a large pin for each person to extract the winkles from the shells.


Chocolate Carrageen Moss Pudding

Serves 4-6

½ oz cleaned, well-dried carrageen moss (2 semi-closed fistfuls)
900ml (1 1⁄2 pints) whole milk
1 vanilla pod or 1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 organic egg
2 tablespoons caster sugar

To Serve

soft brown sugar and softly whipped cream or a compote of fruit in season

Soak the carrageen in a little bowl of tepid water for 10 minutes. It will swell and increase in size. Strain off the water and put the carrageen into a saucepan with the milk and the vanilla pod, if using. Bring to the boil and simmer very gently, covered, for 20 minutes.

At that point and not before, separate the egg, put the yolk into a bowl, add the sugar and vanilla extract, if using, and whisk together for a few seconds, then pour the milk and carrageen moss through a strainer onto the egg yolk mixture, whisking all the time.

By now the carrageen remaining in the strainer will be swollen and exuding jelly. You need as much of this as possible through the strainer and whisk it into the egg and milk mixture.

Blend cocoa with a little of the milk and add to the hot strained carrageen. Test for a set in a saucer as one would with gelatine.

Whisk the egg white stiffly and fold or fluff it in gently; it will rise to make a fluffy top. Serve chilled with caster sugar and cream.


***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

Despite the fact that the Minister for Agriculture is determined to ban the sale of raw milk in Ireland, all is not yet lost – a few thoughts on the subject.

I was reared on raw milk, originally from our own little Kerry cow and later from our neighbour’s dairy herd. When pasteurised milk eventually came to our village in the late 1950s it tasted strange and unappetising to our palate.

At Ballymaloe House we drank raw milk and served it to our guests until the dairy herd was sold in the 1980s.

As a family we all passionately believe in the nutritional value of raw milk from a disease free herd. Those who want to drink pasteurised milk can source it in every local shop, supermarket and filling station in Ireland. Virtually all Irish milk with a few rare exceptions is now homogenised as well as pasteurised. This removes the choice from those who would rather have pasteurised milk.

At present it is legal to sell raw milk to the public either from a farm or through retail outlets. This situation came about in 2007 because the EU stated that the sale of raw milk must be regulated by each national authority. In the absence of specific regulations in Ireland raw milk may be sold to the public. However the FSAI and the Department of Agriculture are planning to ban the sale of raw milk to the public later this year.

Other EU countries including Britain and Northern Ireland have introduced a regulated system whereby producers who undertake to operate to specific production and labelling protocols may continue to sell raw milk to the public.

We feel very strongly that those who wish to have raw milk, and believe raw milk is important for health, also have a right to choice. We fully understand the corporate memory of TB within the Department of Agriculture in Ireland but we are now in changed times. Hygiene standards and animal husbandry have improved enormously. At the same time a growing body of research seems to indicate that drinking raw milk can protect against and in some cases cure many allergies particularly asthma and eczema.

At the recent conference on Organic Food Quality and Health Research in Prague on Raw Milk Health or Hazard (www.fqh2011.org <file://www.fqh2011.org> ). A substantial body of research was presented –each one emphasizing the benefits of raw milk.

Drinking raw milk from an infected herd can indeed carry risks, the most serious of which is ECOLI 0157, a dangerous pathogen which can lead to kidney failure. At a recent Slow Food meeting at the Ballymaloe Cookery School on Monday, 16th May a senior researcher from Moorepark Dairy Research station outlined the risks and benefits associated with raw milk.

Interestingly, there was standing room only at the lecture, people had travelled from as far away as West Cork, Limerick, Galway and Tipperary and it was evident that feelings run high on the importance of the freedom of choice. Milk is unquestionably a vulnerable product and like many food substances can contain pathogens.

We have frequently asked the FSAI and the Department of Agriculture to draw up a protocol for selected farmers who would be chosen to produce the finest milk for liquid milk production. The raw milk should be produced and bottled on the family farm and sold in glass bottles and clearly labelled ‘may contain pathogens’. No one is putting a gun to anyone’s head to buy raw milk, but freedom of choice is a fundamental right.

In countries both in Europe and the US, there is a growing demand for raw milk. In Germany, there are 50 registered raw milk producers. In Italy, farmers sell directly to the public through refrigerated dispensers in supermarkets, town squares, hospitals, schools. The sale of raw milk gained momentum so fast that at present almost 10% of the nation’s raw milk is now sold through dispensers).

In the US, 39 states have legalised the sale of raw milk and the demand for cream top milk in glass bottles continues to grow apace.

In the US selected farms can sell raw milk under certain conditions. Londoners can buy it at their local farmers market. In Marylebone High Street Farmers Market several farmers like Frances Wood, Lloyd Green, Dave Paul, FW Read and Ceri and Chad Cryer sell raw milk. In Ireland the Sheridans Cheese Shop in Dublin, Galway and Carnaross sell raw milk produced from David Tiernan’s herd of Montbeliarde cows, the same milk that produces the prize winning Glebe Brethan cheese. It is also available in the local Spar shop in Castlebellingham, where the demand is increasing by the week. Local people are rediscovering the beautiful flavour of fresh unpasteurised milk and they like it a lot.

Regulations in the food industry are important but they must be appropriate to the risk.

It is estimated the 100,000 people in Ireland drink raw milk each day. The HSE statistics up to this year do not indicate a concern. Why do we need this new law now? What is the real motive behind the legislation? A farmer who drinks milk from his own herd is the kind of producer I want to buy from. Why can we not adopt the best practice that has been established in other countries that value the naturalness of their foods?

If you feel strongly understanding the risks and benefits that we should have a choice please sign the petition the Slow Food website or contact me directly (021) 4646 785 or via email slowfoodeastcork@gmail.com


***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

A Wonderfully Traditional Feast

Few people can recall going into the festive season at a time of such doom and gloom. But many of us remember when little treats were much looked forward to – a tangerine, some plasticine, maybe a few balloons, colouring pencils, and doll dress up sets in our stockings.

The Dandy or Beezer annual, a game of ludo or snakes and ladders – kept us amused throughout Christmas day. Many presents were home made. Mum secreted herself away in the evening for weeks before Christmas, knitting and sewing and making little felt toys.

The making of the plum pudding and Christmas cake was a family affair, we all pitched in, stoning muscatel raisins, chopping candied peel, halving cherries and of course we all helped to stir and then we had a wish.

We did little jobs for months before Christmas to save money for the annual Christmas shopping trip to Kilkenny, the excitement was unbearable. Sometimes Daddy would give us half a crown to supplement our savings. Out of our money we bought a present for mummy and daddy and for each other. Woolworths was a terrific resource and the place where I bought my first plastic Cindy doll with hair, ooh the joy!

I digress, this is a food column; at that time most of the food we ate came from local shops, local butchers, neighbouring farms, and our garden. It was always fresh and in season and we knew where the people who grew produced at least 50% of our food. In these credit crunch days our carbon footprint has much to recommend it.

Let’s try to source as much of our produce locally as possible. There are wonderful fresh red cabbage, Brussels sprouts and Bramley apples and a few pumpkins in the shops. Many local farmers have free range turkeys, geese and ducks but you’ll need to hurry if you haven’t already placed your order, despite the fact that this kind of poultry is more expensive the demand continues to escalate because of the greatly enhanced flavour of the meat.

If you are going to have a bird it might as well be delicious. The recipe for Mummy’s trifle can be made several days ahead but you’ll need to hide it! Don’t skimp on the sherry. The citrus fruit salad will be the most welcome dish of the Christmas Season, fresh tasting, light and delicious and virtually no calories enjoy!

Traditional Roast Goose with Potato Stuffing and Roast Bramley Apples

Roast Goose with Potato Stuffing is almost my favourite winter meal. However, a word of caution, a goose looks enormous because it has a large carcass. Many people have been caught out by imagining that it will serve more people than it does.

Allow 450g (1 lb) in cooked weight per person. This stuffing is also delicious with duck but use one quarter of the quantity.

Serves 8-10

Click for recipe


Red Cabbage

This red cabbage can be made several days ahead or frozen for several weeks.

Click for recipe


Mummy’s Boozy Trifle

Sherry Trifle can be a pudding to be avoided at all costs, on a restaurant menu. However when it’s made as Mummy made it, with good homemade ingredients and lots of best-quality sweet sherry it is a revelation.

Trifle was a Christmas tradition at our house and was served in a special “cut glass” bowl kept especially for the purpose with homemade custard.

Serves 8-10

Click for recipe



***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

So many menus nowadays are utterly predictable, chicken, farmed salmon, steak and maybe lamb. Sometimes there is duck but it’s rare enough to be offered any wild food or game. The deer hunting season is open until February 28th depending on the type of deer (check the different dates with National Parks and Wildlife Service) so in response to a readers request I have decided to concentrate on venison in this article.

In Ireland we have three main types of deer: the native Red deer, a large noble animal, and Seka and Fallow which are similar in size to a lamb. The meat is dark, rich and virtually fat free, so is apparently lower in cholesterol.

The haunch or back leg roasts beautifully and makes a terrific dinner party dish; lots of easy carving and depending on the breed will feed 20 to 30 people. It’s delicious served with a simple gratin dauphinois and some red cabbage.

Venison can be incredibly dry and dull if it gets over cooked, so aim to cook it rare – no more than ten minutes to the pound and remember it will go on cooking after you turn off the oven, so try to calculate the cooking time to allow for 30 minutes resting in a warm oven. The juices will redistribute themselves so the venison will be evenly pink and juicy. Well-done roast venison is not a gastronomic experience.

Shoulder is best stewed or braised, it will benefit from a red wine marinade, use lots of root vegetables and maybe add a few chestnuts close to the end of cooking. Serve with a big bowl of champ or colcannon or better still, turn it into a pie dish and top with a lid of flaky puff pastry.

The loin can be roasted or cut into chops to be grilled or pan-fried. Better still just use the eye of the loin, cut into medallions and quickly pan fry.

Left over haunch can be made into a gamekeeper’s pie as opposed to shepherd’s pie and very delicious it is too.

The lap and indeed the shoulder can also be made into Venison chilli con carne or venison sausages or venison burgers. You will need to mix it with some good fatty streaky pork otherwise it will be dry and crumbly.

One of the best things of all is fresh venison liver so if you are fortunate enough to know someone who butchers their own venison – put in a special request, it must be very fresh, just slice thinly, toss in flour well seasoned with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, cook the liver in sizzling butter and eat immediately – delicious.

[For a recipe showcasing Irish venison, see the Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year feature, where the winner’s dish for the presentation lunch was based on loin of wild fallow deer click here.]



***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

Slow Food has taken me to many remote places around the globe in search of ancient cultures and indigenous foods. On one memorable occasion I found myself in Sápmi (Samiland) in northern Sweden – the land of the midnight sun; it was bright almost all night.

Since time immemorial an indigenous race called the Sami have lived in an area called Sápmi that extends across four countries from the Kola Peninsula in Russia to northern Finland, Norway and Sweden. At present there are about 80,000 Sami whose main occupation is reindeer herding, handicrafts, hunting, fishing and more recently tourism.

Throughout history indigenous people have been oppressed. Their land has been confiscated, their cultures have been suppressed and in some cases they have been victims of genoicide. The Sami have had their share of challenges over the centuries.

However, in 1993, the Sami government was set up by Act of Parliament. In 1998 the Swedish government apologised to the Sami people for Sweden’s oppression. There are still disputes about ancestral land rights but much progress has been made and in 2010 a representative of the Sami led the procession of indigenous people at the opening of a 2010 Slow Food Terre Madre event in Turin.

The Slow food National Councillors meeting was held in Hemavan in Sápmi so we had the opportunity to learn about their food and culture. Like all indigenous tribes they live in harmony with nature. The Sami language is extremely rich; for example, they have over a hundred words for snow.

Traditionally their diet consisted of a lot of reindeer and elk meat, fresh, dried, salted and smoked. Every scrap of the deer is utilised as well as the hide for clothing and rugs, the antlers for handicraft and the bones for handles of cutlery, whistles, paper knives…

In Summer, they eat more fish and vegetables, in late Summer and Autumn, a variety of berries, wild mushrooms and fruit. They bake lots of delicious dry crisp breads before they go up the mountains to herd, it’s stored for months and then dampened and warmed again before they eat it.

We were invited to a Sami village called Daelvie to see their way of life and beloved reindeer. The entire year of the semi-nomadic Sami revolves around reindeer herding, they follow the deer throughout the seasons – up the mountain slopes in summer and down into the forests in winter. In May they mark the ears of the young ‘calves’ – each family has a distinct mark; September is slaughter month by then the calves are about six months old.

Every scrap of meat is either eaten fresh or preserved and the surplus is sold. Reindeer is some of the purest meat on earth – very high in vitamins, minerals and omega 3 – the animals graze on wild herbs, lichens, grasses, young shoots and bark. The meat is absolutely delicious; we ate it in a myriad of ways, fresh, dried, salted, and smoked, in sausages and burgers, often in conjunction with a wild mushroom sauce.

Lingonberries, and other wild berries are used for sauces, preserves and desserts. One evening we had cloudberry jam with waffles and cream. Cloudberies look like yellow raspberries, and grow in mossy areas and in the tundra.

We also ate wild mushrooms in many guises, morels and delicious chantrelles in a soup, little quiches and as a sauce with reindeer and arctic char – the latter is a pink fish with pale flesh not unlike trout. The wild mushrooms are dried during the season and are much loved.

Sami are expert at preserving – in the past their very survival depended on it. Originally they stored food in underground water holes now freezers are more common. In early Spring – they eat the young shoots of rowan and beech and make a soup from spruce leaves and a syrup from the needles. Angelica grows wild; the young stalks are peeled and eaten raw as a vegetable or candied as a sweetmeat.

They also pick buckets of wild sorrel in early summer and cook it in a little water until it wilts. Then it can be stored for months. They eat it with a blob of whipped cream and some sugar sprinkled on top – this was a revelation – totally delicious full of vitamin C – the oxalic acid is diluted by cream and milk.

The Sami women also explained that the children love to eat bilberry flowers in early June in the mountains. When I walked up the hill I nibbled some, they tasted of sweet honey.

As with many indigenous communities, they know the medicinal value of each plant and food and are passionate about passing on the skills, language, music and traditional dress (gakti) to the younger generation who seem to be hugely proud of their culture and heritage.

Years ago they lived in simple dwellings called Goahti and Lavvu. The latter was a portable tepee-like hut, the former was a permanent dome shaped structure consisting of a timber frame sealed with birch bark and covered with turf or sods of earth. Nowadays they are more likely to live in a typical Swedish timber house.

We had a wonderful feast in the village, of local food from the valley and surrounding area including dried reindeer (Suovasa) a product recognised as unique to the Sami by Slow Food who created a presidia to protect it.

They sang us some of the haunting traditional yoiks, made us coffee in smoked blackened kettles over the open fire and gave us slices of delicious homemade rhubarb Swiss roll.


***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina visits Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, where “a table is one of the hottest most sought after meal slots in the whole world”.

Curious chefs and food lovers from all over the world fly into Copenhagen to eat at this simple restaurant which has defined the gastronomy of a whole nation and established a flow of food tourism that benefits not only Noma but a growing number of other restaurants in Copenhagen and the hinterland.

So why is Noma causing such a sensation. Well, chef Réne Redzepi and his team cook and serve Nordic ingredients proudly. The food is fresh, seasonal and much is foraged from the wild. The food is incredibly delicious. But Noma is not just about the food, the whole experience challenged many of our concepts of how food should taste and be served.

On arrival at Noma, a converted herring warehouse, you walk down three or four steps, the kitchen is directly ahead – you are greeted by several of the chefs, then shown to your table, the room is simple yet incredibly sophisticated and then the feast begins. Lots of little snacks in quick succession, then the pace slows down, the dishes are slightly larger, virtually all are vegetarian. In an exquisite meal of virtually 20 courses, we had meat just twice, tiny medallions of bone marrow in one and paper thin slices of duck breast in another.

I hadn’t even noticed the absence of meat until someone mentioned it in passing. A beautiful celebration of vegetables and wild foods.

At Noma the chefs not only plate the food in the kitchen but also help to serve the food to the guests, such a simple brilliant concept, the chefs normally hidden behind closed doors get to experience the guests reaction to their food and Noma has simply one of the best dining experiences I’ve ever had.

There are three Irish chefs in the kitchen, one of whom is a past student of the Ballymaloe Cookery School. Louise Bannon who did a 12 Week Certificate Course in 2002 bakes bread and does many of the delicious desserts. The bread was delicious, served warm in a little felt nest with the most incredibly delicious butter I have ever tasted in my entire life and that’s high praise coming from someone who makes butter virtually every day from our own Jersey cream.

When I enquired, another one of the young chefs came to the table to tell me all about it. It’s made by a Swedish couple who have just five goats. They stop the butter just when the cream is starting to split, drain and wash it and serve the curdled butter fat at that stage, completely delicious, I want to go and visit them.

Rene Redzepi had recently published his Noma Cookbook in English – a beautiful tome published by Phaidon. The photographs are amazing and give you an idea of the presentation. There are also several interviews with Rene on YouTube to whet your appetite.

Noma is really worth the trip to Copenhagen but there’s tons more, don’t miss Hermann in Tivoli, Manfred’s, Aamanns, Meyers Deli and great coffee in Coffee Collective.


Smoked Quail Eggs
From Noma - Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine - Rene Redzepi

10 quail eggs
20g hay
50g birchwood chips
200g water
100g rosehip vinegar

Hay to serve

Eggs

Blanch the eggs for one minute 30 seconds and cool them in ice water. Blanch them again for 50 seconds, cool and peel them. Take care not to break them – eggs cooked for such a short time are very soft and fragile. Finally smoke the eggs for around 20 minutes on a slotted gastro tray in a smoker by heating it slowly with hay and chips.

Pickle

Mix the water and vinegar, and pickle the eggs in a vacuum-bag for 10 minutes. Keep warm until you are ready to serve.

Serving

Cut the hay into short lengths and use it to fill the base of an oval serving dish. Make a small incision in the bottom of each egg and lay them on the hay. With a hand held food smoker burn hay into the serving dish and cover quickly, trapping the smoke in the dish.


Grilled Lamb Shank and Ramsons Leaves, Yellow Beetroot and Elderflowers
From Noma - Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine - Rene Redzepi


4 small lamb shanks
50g lamb glace (reduced lamb stock)
25g large ramsons (wild garlic) leaves
30 small yellow beetroots (beets)
350g large yellow beetroot (beet)
salt
apple balsamic vinegar
1 bunch elderflower blossom (optional)
60g elderflower cordial (syrup) available at the Ballymaloe Cookery School Shop
a little butter
lamb glace, to serve

Lamb Shank

Vacuum-pack the shanks with the lamb glace and ramsons (wild garlic leaves) and cook them at 63°C (145°F) for 24 hours.

Beetroot

Divide the beetroot into 2 groups by size. Cook the smaller group in water until tender and then peel. Peel the bigger group and slice finely on a mandolin. Keep in ice water for 10 minutes to crisp them, and then dry.

Sauce

Peel the beetroot, juice in a juicer and then reduce the juice to one third. Pour all the juices from the bags containing the cooked lamb shanks into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of the reduced beetroot juice. Season with salt and vinegar.

Garnish

Cut the flowers into smaller sprigs and keep refrigerated until serving.

Serving

Char-grill (charbroil) the lamb shanks and glaze in a few tablespoons of warm lamb glace. Place a portion of meat in the centre of each plate. Heat the cooked beetroot in a little butter and a few drops of cordial.

Drop the raw beetroot into the rest of the cordial for a few seconds to sweeten. Add the raw and cooked beetroot to the plate; add the elderflowers and finally the sauce.


Potato Crisps with Anise and Chocolate
From Noma - Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine - Rene Redzepi


2 Bintje potatoes (Golden Wonders or any floury potato)
800ml grapeseed oil

400g couverture chocolate
20g powdered cocoa butter
4g green anise seeds
4g fennel seeds

Potatoes

Peel the potatoes and slice them finely into cold water. Leave the slices in the cold water until the starch has rinsed out and then pat dry. Heat the oil carefully in a deep fryer to approximately 170°C (340°F) and fry the potatoes until crisp. Cool on grease absorbent paper.

Covering and Serving

Melt the chocolate and the cocoa butter and bring to 50°C (120°F). Temper it to 27°C (80°F) and then increase the temperature back up to 30°C (85°F). Pull the potatoes through the tempered chocolate to cover them completely, and then cool on a tray. Sprinkle the anise and fennel seeds over the potatoes before they have cooked completely.


***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

In New York, I lost track of the number of people who told me that the most exciting and diverse food scene was out in Brooklyn, so needless to say I sped over the bridge in search of the super cool foodie set. Brooklyn is all about graffiti, galvanise, peeling paint, iron grills and salvaged furnishings. Everyone seems to be 150% into food in that brilliant intense American way. Real estate is less expensive than in Manhattan so many creative young cooks and chefs can get started over there.

I’ve been a fan of Franny’s in Prospect Heights in Brooklyn for some time now. It’s always packed and noisy, a simple neighbourhood restaurant where the most irresistible pizza comes out of their brick wood oven topped with the freshest local and seasonal ingredients – one can’t book but while you wait you can sip a couple of their sophisticated cocktails to while the time deliciously away.

On this trip I concentrated on the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn which is completely choc a bloc with restaurants and food shops – I particularly wanted to see Marlow and Son and its sister shop and butchery down the road called Marlow and Daughter. This is one of the much hyped new retro butcher shops with an intense commitment to sell only sustainable grass fed meats – no feed lot-beef here – all the meat is from heritage breeds and small scale local farmers.

There is also a strong and refreshing ‘waste not’ philosophy so every scrap from the nose to the tail is used, the dry aged meat is respectfully displayed, not a scrap of sweet sour sauce in sight – just superb quality well hung meat, homemade sausages, terrines.

At the back of the shop two young men were deep in discussion about how to get the best use out of the carcass of Gloucester Old Spot pork they had on the butchers block in front of them. Butchers are the new food heroes in New York at present. There is a sudden surge in the number of young people trying to get into Butcher School and all the top chefs are making their own in-house charcuterie as well as pickles and preserves.

It’s all about meat, even three star restaurants are doing burgers and there seems to be ‘burger mania’ among the blogging set, but of course these are no ordinary burgers, it must be grass fed beef, great buns, organic tomatoes and salad leaves, farmstead cheese and in some cases a slab of foie gras on top.

Back to Brooklyn, I popped into Diner as well, a tiny restaurant right next door to Marlow and Son and with the same owner. People flock to this ‘box car diner’ (circa 1927) for breakfast lunch and dinner to eat New American seasonal food. Up the road we found Saltie, one of the newest additions to the Brooklyn food scene owned by three women chefs, Caroline Fidadza, Rebecca Collerton, and Elizabeth Schula.

A tiny blue and white sandwich shop with a nautical theme. News has spread and people come all the way from Manhattan for their buckwheat olive bars – this buttery salty buckwheat shortbread with chunks of Kalamata olives – a new take on a ships biscuit. The menu is small but well chosen. Just a few perfectly composed sandwiches on great bread and 2 or 3 cakes. I chose the ‘Captain’s Daughter’ a thick wedge of Focaccia stuffed with sardines, pickled eggs, a tangle of coriander and rocket leaves with a few capers and radish julienne to perk it up, a perfect picnic for the plane with a slice of their olive oil and caraway seed cake.

For cheese lovers, Bedford cheese shop a few blocks away has a fantastic selection of cheese and really knowledgeable staff. Egg, out in Williamsburg also serves a super delicious breakfast, I particularly loved the biscuit (scone to us) with heritage ham, grits and tomato and chilli jam. It goes on and on, Brooklyn Star is also close by, here the food is Southern and also terrific.

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg; eleven new restaurants have also opened in Williamsburg in the last few months, mostly small places but so happening. There’s great coffee, ice cream, fish, offal, vegetables, charcuterie and ethnic food. Locals keep hens.

Try to get over on your next trip to New York, it’s less than 30 minutes from mid-town by cab and possibly even less time on the underground.

Homemade Burgers

The top US chefs insist on grass fed beef, dry-aged and freshly minced with at least 25% fat for succulence. Try to find Hereford, Aberdeen Angus or Pol Angus beef for extra flavour. The ‘haute burger’ has no internal seasoning just the flavour of good quality beef. Instead of buying mincemeat choose a cut of meat from your butcher and ask them to mince it for you.

Serves 4-6 depending on size

1 lb (450g) best quality freshly minced beef – flank, chump or shin would be perfect
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground pepper
pork caul fat, optional
olive oil
hamburger buns (see recipe)

Put the fresh mince into a chilled bowl, season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fry off a tiny bit on the pan to check the seasoning, correct if necessary. Then shape into burgers, 4-6 depending on the size you require.

Wrap each one loosely in pork caul fat if using.

Cook to your taste on a medium-hot grill pan in a little oil, turning once.

Little tip…If the hamburgers are being cooked in batches make sure to wash and dry the pan between batches.


The Great American Hamburger

The Great American Hamburger is served in a bun with lettuce, sliced onions and tomato, gherkins, a dill pickle, mayonnaise and tomato sauce and of course lots of crispy chips (French fries).


Evie Lanitis Hamburger Buns

Makes about 20 large buns

2 1/2 lbs (1.1kg) strong white Bakers flour
1 1/2 oz (35g) fresh yeast
2 level teaspoons salt
2 1/2 level tablespoons sugar
500ml (18 fl ozs) tepid milk
200ml (7 fl ozs) organic yogurt
1 beaten egg
3 1/2 ozs (100g) butter
Glaze
1 free-range egg beaten with 3fl ozs (75ml) water

water sprayer
Cookie cutter (size 2 – 2 1/2 inch/6cm)
Conventional oven 230°C/450°F/gas mark 8.

Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the sugar. Rub in the butter.

Dissolve the yeast in the tepid milk.

Add the beaten egg to the yoghurt. Pour the milk, then the yoghurt into the flour; knead in the food mixer with the dough hook fitted for 5-6 minutes. Cover and leave to rise until the dough doubles in size – this takes about 1 hour.

Knock back, divide the dough into 4 pieces, shape each into a roll and divide each into 6 pieces about 3ozs (75g) each.

Roll each piece in a ball, and then flatten with the heel of your hand. Put 6 buns on a baking tray. Cover and allow to rise about 11/2 hours (they don’t rise too much). Brush them gently with egg wash.

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/gas 8, open quickly and spray the inside of the oven well with water, close the door then put tray in at once.

Spray with water twice more during baking – around oven, bottom, sides and over the buns. They will take about 10-15 minutes to cook.

Cool on wire tray.


Olive Oil Cake

This olive oil cake was all the rage in cafes and tea shops – I adored the Saltie version which included caraway seeds but omit them if you don’t love them as much as I do! I use Primo or Mani extra virgin olive oil. Also great for those who want a dairy free cake.

Serves 8 – 10

165g (6oz) all purpose white flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
3 large free range organic eggs
225g (8oz) sugar
175ml (6fl oz) plain full fat yoghurt
3 lemons, the finely grated zest
175ml (6 fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for greasing the dish
23cm (9 inch) springform tin

Pre-heat the oven 170°C/325°F/ Mark 3. Lightly oil the base and sides of the tin.

Mix all the dry ingredients together including the caraway seeds in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Preferably in a food mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is pale and voluminous.

Add the natural yoghurt and lemon zest, continue to whisk for a minute or two more. Add the extra virgin olive oil all at once and reduce speed to low. Gradually fold the flour mixture into the mousse gently but thoroughly.

Pour the cake mixture into the oiled tin and put into the oven. Transfer to the centre of the preheated oven and cook until the cake is golden – about 40 minutes. A tester should come out clean when inserted into the centre. The edges will have shrunk away from the tin slightly.

Allow to cool in the tin for 5 – 10 minutes. Remove and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.

Serve with a coffee or with a blob of crème fraiche and some summer berries.


Oatmeal Biscuit Sandwich

I tasted a cookie similar to this at the little coffee shop beside the restaurant Locanda Verde in Manhattan. Makes 22 – approx

1 lb (450g) butter
8ozs (225g) castor sugar
8ozs (225g) plain white flour
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1lb 4ozs (560g) organic porridge oats
egg wash and granulated sugar

Coffee filling

3 ozs (85g) butter
6 ozs (190g) icing sugar
coffee essence – 2 teaspoon approx.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Sieve the flour and bread soda together and gradually add into the creamed mixture with the porridge oats.

Turn onto a board sprinkled with oatmeal and roll out to a thickness of 1/3 inch (1cm). Cut into 3″ round biscuits with a sharp cutter. Glaze with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake in a preheated moderate oven at 180°C/350°F/gas 4 until pale and golden, about 20 – 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Meanwhile make the coffee filling, cream the butter and add in the sieved icing sugar, beat until light and fluffy and then add the coffee essence.

Spread a little on each biscuit and sandwich two together and enjoy.


Captain’s Daughter

This is my version of the super sandwich I picked up at Saltie in Brooklyn.

a piece of Focaccia approximately 4 ½ inches (11 ½ cm) square
fresh rocket and coriander leaves
extra virgin olive oil
sardines
pickled eggs (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon tiny capers
4 radishes cut into julienne
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Split the Focaccia in half horizontally. Put the base on a plate, drizzle the rocket and coriander leaves in extra virgin olive oil and pile on the bread base, arrange the sardines side by side on the leaves. Top with slices of pickled egg. Sprinkle capers and julienne of radish on top. Season with Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with rocket and the other slice of Focaccia.


Pickled Eggs

Pickled eggs are a living tradition still served in many country pubs. Originally, pickling would’ve been yet another way of preserving the eggs in times of glut, but the pickle added interest and flavour, so just because we have fridges now doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pickle eggs any more.

850ml (11⁄2 pints) white wine vinegar
10g (1⁄2oz) fresh root ginger
7g (1⁄4oz) white peppercorns
7g (1⁄4oz) black peppercorns
1 tablespoon turmeric (optional)
1 chilli
12 organic free range eggs, hard-boiled

Put the vinegar and spices, including turmeric if using, 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.

These are great eaten in the traditional way with a beer, but I like them on a salad of organic leaves or watercress, mint, cherry tomatoes and batons of cucumber.



***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column - Welbeck Abbey

Last year 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 12th 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 5th 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 19th 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 7th 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 is 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

Why not seek out some Irish artisan food and cook up a feast.

Macroom Wholemeal Soda Bread

Macroom stoneground wholemeal flour is produced at Donal Creedon’s Waltons Mills at Macroom, Co Cork. It is available from selected outlets and online from the Ballymaloe Shop (www.ballymaloeshop.ie).

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 & Pomegranates

We often use the lovely St Tola Goats cheese from Co Clare 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. Belvelly smoked mackerel comes from Frank Hederman’s smokehouse near Cobh.

For a special treat, serve with a drizzle of hollandaise sauce.

225g (8oz) Shortcrust Pastry (Made with: 7 oz/210g plain flour; Pinch of salt; 3-4 oz/85-110g butter, cubed; 1 free range egg; 3-4tbsp chilled water)

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

1 x 10 inch/26cm deep tart tin

First make the pastry, line the flan ring and bake blind in a moderate oven 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 Second Nature Happy Heart organic rapeseed oil from Drumeen Farm, Co Kilkenny, to make a dressing.


Glenilen Yoghurt and Cardamon Cream

Glenilen natural yoghurt is one of a range of natural dairy products made on the Kingston family farm in West Cork. 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.



***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column - Sri Lanka

We love our cuppa in Ireland and are still drinking more tea per head than any other country in the world. Sadly though, nowadays most cups of tea are made from teabags rather than good loose tea which I am totally convinced makes a far superior brew. On a trip to Sri Lanka in 2010 I visited Handunugoda Tea Estate only a few miles from Galle, Mr Gunaratne whose family have been tea planters for 400 years, proudly showed us around.

In 2008 Sri Lanka overtook Kenya as the second most important tea producing nation after India. Annual production of Ceylon Tea (as Sri Lankan tea is called) is about 330 million kilograms and enjoys premium prices at the tea auctions in Colombo. Tea has been grown in Sri Lanka since 1869 shortly after the coffee crop was decimated by disease. The industry employs 3.5 million people and is the largest foreign income earner and the largest employer.

As a cook I am always fascinated to learn how our food is grown. I’m particularly intrigued to learn about foods not grown in our climate so part of my holidays will invariably be spent learning about spices, exotic fruit, street food, wine… depending on the part of the world.

Not everyone’s idea of a fun holiday but I find it fascinating. Tea grows in altitudes between 100 and 5000ft. The gardens I visited were at just 100ft (30 meters) and specialised in white tea camillia sevensis. The tea bushes look like a green waist-high lawn. Tea in its natural state grows in the shade, so the tea gardens are punctuated by tall Ghrisidia trees which provide shade and attract birds to eat the unwanted insects. Rubber trees grow where tea doesn’t.

The brightly dressed tea pickers were already in the gardens when we arrived, all women, working at lightning speed, expertly plucking the tender leaf tips with their finger tips and flicking them into the basket strapped to their backs. The Tamil Plantation workers are contracted to pick a minimum of 20 kilograms a day and receive a bonus for any extra picked. The tea bushes are pruned to one meter in height every five weeks for ease of picking.

The freshly picked leaves are first withered by blowing air through them sometimes on hessian mats or on modern mechanical troughs. The partly dried leaves are then crushed which starts a fermentation process – the skill is to know when to stop this process. The technology and machinery is largely unchanged since the 19th Century, the crusher at Handunugoda Tea Estate had a brass plate Siroco Davidson and Co Ltd Belfast Ireland.

The leaves for white tea are not picked but snipped with golden scissors so they are untouched by hand. Mr Gunaratne explained that originally in China the Mandarins insisted that the leaves for white tea were snipped by virgins with gold scissors into a gold bowl. Body sweat contaminates the flavour. The Mandarins were convinced that white tea had extra attributes. More recently their white tea has been scientifically analysed by the Swiss company SGS and was found to have 10% to 11% more antioxidants than any other tea and in white tea the caffeine content is very low. It also boosts the body’s immune system and is an anti-carcinogenic.

Virtually the entire crop is snapped up by the posh French tea house Mariage Frères. After we walked through the tea gardens, Mr Gunaratne invited us into his bungalow to taste his tea. I inadvertently got brownie points by telling him that we drink leaf and that teabags were banned from our country house hotel restaurant, café and cookery school.

He confirmed what I already knew that teabags are the best thing that ever happened to tea companies. According to Mr Gunaratne, teabags consist of 10% excellent tea, 60% percent neutral tea and 10% is dust. Then there is the paper which is 70% of the cost of the teabag and affects the taste of the tea and according to Mr Gunaratne drinking teabag tea is akin to drinking vintage wine in a paper cup!

Once there was just one type of tea available and it was part of every occasion, every celebration from dawn till dusk – from weddings to funerals, it cheered and comforted. Now tea is the new coffee and specialist cafés are offering not just tea and sympathy, but a tea menu with everything from Lapsang Souchong (also called Russian Caravan tea) to Gunpowder tea, silver needle to oolong.

In Morocco you’ll be offered mint tea at every turn in pretty little gold patterned glasses. In India spicy chai refreshes from morning until night, and is the shopkeepers’ favourite bribe to entice you to buy their tempting wares.


Moroccan Mint Tea

Serves 4

2 teaspoons Chinese green tea
4 tablespoons chopped mint, preferably spearmint
900ml (1½pints) water
sugar, to taste

To decorate
4 lemon slices, (optional)
4 small mint sprigs

Heat a teapot with boiling water. Add the tea and mint to the pot. Fill with boiling water. Allow to infuse and stand for 5 minutes.
Pour the tea through a strainer into warmed glasses or small cups. Add sugar to taste (remember, in Morocco tea is supposed to be very sweet) and decorate each glass or cup with a lemon slice, if liked, and a sprig of mint.


Spicy Indian Chai

250ml (9fl oz) full fat milk

2-3 cardamom pods
2.5cm (1inch) piece of cinnamon
3 peppercorns
3 teaspoons loose tea leaves
500ml (18fl oz) boiling water
sugar

Put all the ingredients except the tea leaves and the sugar into a saucepan, bring slowly to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Bring back to the boil, add the tea leaves, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the leaves to settle. Serve in tea cups.


Agen Stuffed Prunes with Rosewater Cream

This ancient Arab Recipe from the Middle East will change your opinion of prunes - a pretty and delicious dish.

Serves 6

450g (1 lb) Agen prunes, pitted
Same number of fresh walnut halves
150ml (1/4 pint) tea
300ml (1/2 pint) cream
2 tablespoons castor sugar
1 tablespoon rose blossom water

Decoration

a few chopped walnuts
rose petals - optional

We’ve experimented with taking out the stones from both soaked and dry prunes, unsoaked worked best. Use a small knife to cut out the stones and then stuff each with half a walnut. Arrange in a single layer in a sauté pan. Cover with hot tea. Put the lid on the pan and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add more liquid if they become a little dry. They should be plump and soft. Lift them gently onto a serving plate in a single layer and let them cool.

Whip the cream to soft peaks; add the castor sugar and rose blossom water. Spoon blobs over the prunes and chill well. Just before serving sprinkle with rose petals and a few chopped walnuts.

Just before serving, scatter a few chopped walnuts over each blob of cream, sprinkle with rose petals and serve well chilled.

This dessert tastes even better next day.


Irish Tea Barmbrack

This is a more modern version of barmbrack, now commonly called a ‘tea brack’ because the dried fruit is soaked in tea overnight to plump it up (rather than boiled as in the recipes above). Even though it is a very rich bread, in Ireland it is traditionally served sliced and buttered.

Yields about 12 slices (eat the crusts, too!)

110g (4oz) sultanas
110g (4oz) raisins
110g (4oz) currants
50g (2oz) natural glace cherries, halved or quartered
300ml (10fl oz) hot tea
1 organic egg, whisked
200g (7oz) soft brown sugar
225g (8oz) self-raising flour
1 level teaspoon mixed spice
50g (2oz) homemade candied peel (see recipe)

450g (1lb) loaf tin – 12.5 x 20cm (5 x 8in) OR 3 small loaf tins 15 x 7.5cm (6 x 3in)

Put the dried fruit and cherries into a bowl. Cover with hot tea and leave to plump up overnight.

Next day, line the loaf tin with silicone paper.

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

Add the whisked egg, soft brown sugar, flour and mixed spice to the fruit and tea mixture. Stir well. Put the mixture into the lined loaf tin.
Cook in for about 1 1/2hours or until a skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Keeps very well in an airtight tin.


Homemade Candied Peel

Fruit should be organic if possible, otherwise scrub the peel well.

5 organic unwaxed oranges
5 organic unwaxed lemons
5 organic unwaxed grapefruit (or all of one fruit)
water
1 teaspoon salt
3 lbs (1.35kg) sugar

Cut the fruit in half and squeeze out the juice. Reserve the juice for another use, perhaps homemade lemonade. Put the peel into a large bowl (not aluminium), add salt and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 24 hours. Next day throw away the soaking water, put the peel in a saucepan and cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil cover and simmer very gently until the peel is soft, 3 hours approx. Remove the peel and discard the water. Scrape out any remaining flesh and membranes from inside the cut fruit, leaving the white pith and rind intact. (You could do the next step next day if that was more convenient). Slice the peel into nice long strips. Alternatively cut each half in half.

Dissolve the sugar in 1 1/4 pints (750ml) water, bring it to the boil, add the peel and simmer gently until it looks translucent, 30 – 60 minutes and the syrup forms a thread when the last drop falls off a metal spoon. Remove the peel with a slotted spoon, fill the candied peel into sterilised glass jars and pour the syrup over, cover and store in a cold place or in a fridge. It should keep for 6-8 weeks or longer under refrigeration.

Alternatively spread on a baking tray or trays and allow to sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour, to cool. Toss in castor sugar and store in covered glass jars until needed.



***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column - Artisan Milk & Handmade Butter

The artisan milk and handmade butter movement is really gathering momentum, it is still minute but boy is it causing a stir. Single estate milk is a new growth area in Irish food.

Many top restaurants are now featuring handmade butter proudly on their tables and at last a growing number of dairy farmers are putting milk back into glass bottles and selling organic non-homogenised milk and butter. I sense the same passion as in the artisan brewing movement and as with the brewers there’s a generosity of spirit and room for many more.

Tom and Sheila Butler have been making Cuinnéog Irish country butter and buttermilk In Shraheens, Balla, Co Mayo since 1990. They won a coveted Great Taste Award in 2011.

Alan and Valerie Kingston from Glenilen Farm in Drimoleague, West Cork are also trail blazers, adding value to their beautiful milk from their Friesian and Jersey cows in a myriad of ways, yoghurt, butter (winner of an Irish Food Writers’ Guild Award), traditional and clotted cream, strawberry smoothies, cheese cakes, lemon posset and of course freshly pasteurised milk in litre glass bottles. At Mahon Point Farmers Market, devotees fill their bottles with chilled pasteurised milk or melt chocolate lollipops in hot milk – how fun and gorgeous is that!

In 1997, using the milk from their herd of fifty five cows they started to make cheesecakes for the local country markets - what started as a hobby continued to grow and has transformed their small farm into a hive of activity which now employs thirty four people.

Alan and Valerie Kingston truly know that it all starts with the quality of the milk, “we treat our cows kindly allowing them to roam, keeping them warm in Winter and never ever over milk them” – a simple but crucial factor in their success. And, like Cuinneog, when Bord Bia wanted to give Queen Elizabeth a taste of our most delicious and best, Glenilen Farm milk, butter, cream and crème fraiche was on the menu. Mark Kingston of Golden Bean uses Glenilen milk for his superb lattes and cappuccinos.

The newest enterprise I’ve discovered is Ballymore Farm Organic Dairy near Ballymore in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains in County Kildare. Aidan Harney and his wife Mary Davis are the energy and inspiration behind this enterprise. From the milk of their Jersey, Ayrshire and Friesian cows they produce raw organic milk, handmade butter, buttermilk, yoghurt and cream. The graphics, reminiscent of Zingermans in Ann Arbor in Michigan, are fun and catchy and once again the demand for their products is skyrocketing. At the recent Bord Bia Food promotion in Selfridges in London they were one of many artisan producers who sold out well before the end of the promotion. Contact www.ballymorefarm.ie for stockists.

Organic Mossfield Farm near Birr in Co Offaly have been selling pasteurised organic milk since November last and Ralph Haslam tells me that sales are building all the time. Sheridans Cheesemongers have experienced a 800% increase in demand for David Tiernan’s unpasteurised milk since they started to stock it in November 2010.

This growing interest in handmade artisan food products gives farmers the opportunity to add value to their raw material and create much needed local employment. Linking food with tourism is an obvious growth opportunity for Ireland’s farmers, fishermen, and artisan food producers. Restaurants and food businesses that feature local foods on their menu already experience an increase in business and benefit from the goodwill it generates when they support their local producers. This was clearly illustrated in the recent Grant Thornton report commissioned by Good Food Ireland on “Opportunities to Link Food to Tourism.”

We have just three Jersey cows here on our organic farm in East Cork so we ourselves, our children and grandchildren can drink raw milk. We sell a little surplus from the farm shop in response to the growing demand for organic milk Some people drive 40 – 50 miles to get it, they loved the taste and are convinced about the health benefits.

RECIPES:

Yoghurt and Cardamom Cream with Green Gooseberry and Elderflower Compote

Elderflowers have an extraordinary affinity with green gooseberries and by a happy arrangement of nature they are both in season at the same time.

Serves 8-10

Yoghurt and Cardamom Cream
425ml (15 fl oz) natural yoghurt
225ml (8 fl oz) milk
150g (5 oz) castor sugar
200ml (7 fl oz) cream
1/4 teaspoon cardamom seeds, freshly ground - you’ll need about 8-10 green cardamom pods depending on size
3 rounded teaspoons powdered gelatine

Green Gooseberry and Compote (see recipe)

2 lb (900g) green gooseberries
2 or 3 elderflower heads
1 pint (600ml) cold water
1 lb (450g) sugar

First make the Yoghurt and Cardamom Cream:

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 sit to infuse while you dissolve the gelatine. Sponge the gelatine in a small bowl with 4 tablespoons of cold water. Put the bowl into a saucepan of simmering water until the gelatine has melted and is completely clear. Add a little of the infused milk mixture and stir well and then mix this into the rest. Beat the yoghurt lightly with a whisk until smooth and creamy, add into the cardamom mixture.

Pour into a well-oiled ring mould or 8 individual moulds. Allow to set for several hours, preferably overnight.

To make the Green Gooseberry and Compote:

First top and tail the gooseberries. Tie 2 or 3 elderflower heads in a little square of muslin, put in a stainless steel or enamelled saucepan, add the sugar and cover with cold water. Bring slowly to the boil and continue to boil for 2 minutes. Add the gooseberries and simmer just until the fruit bursts. Allow to get cold. Serve in a pretty bowl and decorate with fresh elderflowers. Serve with elderflower cream (see above).

N.B. The tart green gooseberries must actually burst otherwise the compote of fruit will be too bitter.

To Serve:

* To crush cardamom seeds, remove the seeds from 6 or 8 pods and crush the seeds in a pestle and mortar or between 2 sheets of silicone paper with the bottom of a saucepan.


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.


Bhapa Doi – Steamed Sweetened Yoghurt

So maybe this isn’t exactly a traditional recipe, but steamed puddings are certainly a forgotten skill and I ate the most sublime steamed yoghurt at Kempies restaurant in Calcutta. This isn’t exactly the same, but it is delicious also. I found it in The Calcutta Kitchen by Simon Parkes and Udit Sarkhel.

The sweetness of the condensed milk works wonderfully with the acidity of the plain yoghurt. This creamy, sliceable textured pudding is similar to a crème caramel – one of my favourites.

Serves 8

800g (1lb 12 oz) natural yoghurt
300g (10 1/2oz) sweetened condensed milk
seeds of 6 green cardamom pods
powdered in a mortar and pestle
8-10 saffron strands

Garnish: Sliced pistachio nuts

Heat some water in a steamer. You could use a bamboo over a wok, but any multi-tiered steamer will work. If you do not have a steamer, upturn a small, metal, flat-bottomed bowl inside a larger pot with a fitting lid. Pour water into this and bring to a simmer. Put the item to be steamed into a suitable dish, cover with Clingfilm, and place on the upturned bowl to steam.

Mix the natural yoghurt and other ingredients in a bowl and whisk to incorporate some air but don’t overdo it or the whey will separate. Pour it into 8 small serving bowls. Cover with clingfilm and put in the steamer or on to the upturned bowl. Cover with the lid and steam on a steady simmer for 35-40 minutes.

Carefully remove the bowls and leave to cool. Remove the clingfilm and chill.

Serve chilled, sprinkle with the sliced pistachio nuts.


Crème Caramel with Caramel Shards

Serves 6

Caramel
8oz (225g) sugar
5 fl ozs (150ml) water
Caramel Sauce
2 1/2 fl ozs (60ml) water
Custard
1 pint (600ml) milk
4 eggs, preferably free range
2 ozs (50g) castor sugar
vanilla pod or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)

Caramel Shards (see recipe)

1 x 5 inch (12.5) charlotte mould or 6 x 3 inch (7.5cm) soufflé dishes

First infuse the milk. Put the cold milk into a saucepan and add the vanilla pod if using. Bring to just under boiling point, cool. Whisk the eggs, castor sugar and vanilla extract (if used) until thoroughly mixed but not too fluffy. Whether you are using a vanilla pod or vanilla extract, the milk must be brought to just under boiling point first.

Allow to cool and infuse for 6-10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the caramel. Put the sugar and water into a heavy bottomed saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until the sugar is fully dissolved. Bring to the boil, remove the spoon and cook until the caramel becomes golden brown or what we call a “chestnut” colour. Do not stir and do not shake the pan. If sugar crystals form around the side of the pan, brush them down with cold water. When the caramel is ready for lining the moulds, it must be used immediately or it will become hard and cold. Coat the bottom of the charlotte mould or soufflé dishes with the hot caramel. Dilute the remainder of the caramel with the 2 1/2 fl ozs (60ml/generous 1/4 cup) of the water, return to the heat to dissolve and keep aside to serve around the caramel custard.

Pour the slightly cooled milk onto the egg mixture, whisking gently as you pour. Strain and pour into the prepared moulds, filling them to the top.

Place the moulds in a bain-marie of simmering water, cover with a paper lid and bake in a moderate oven 150C/300F/regulo 2, for 35 minutes approx., for individual dishes, 1 hour approx. for a charlotte mould. Test the custard by putting a skewer in the centre, it will come out clean when the custard is fully cooked.

Cool and turn out onto a round, flat dish or individual plates, put the remaining caramel around. Serve with a little softly whipped cream. Decorate with caramel shards (see recipe below).

** Please remember to allow the milk to cool before whisking onto the egg yolks otherwise the eggs will curdle.

Caramel Shards

Boil sugar and water to the caramel stage – “chestnut” colour - cool slightly, then spoon onto an oiled baking sheet or onto silicone paper. When cold and crisp, use to decorate the crème caramels. Bigger pieces may be splintered into shards.

Alternatively, put 4-6 ozs (110-150g/1/2 – 3/4 cup) sugar either granulated or castor into a low sided stainless steel saucepan. Stir continuously over a medium heat until the sugar melts and caramelises. When it has almost reached the “chestnut” stage, turn off the heat and allow to stand for a few minutes. Then spoon into shapes as above.



***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina focuses on authenticity and labelling – this was one of the main themes at the recent TASTE Council Annual Summer School at BrookLodge Hotel, Co Wicklow, where she chaired one of the main sessions.

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

Evocative labels use the clever images and the jargon but often completely fail to deliver what that image promises. The menu of the CIE train promises ‘delicious, local, handmade sandwiches, hot snacks and pastries’ – I don’t think so – they are what they are but why try to pass them off as homemade.

There are ‘Artisan’ restaurants and cafes without a single artisan item on the menu, artisan sweets and chocolates where as far as I can gather the only artisan element in the entire production system is to put the chocolates by hand into the moulded plastic trays in the slick packaging.

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

Watertight definitions are notoriously difficult to nail down. Several of the farmhouse cheese makers and artisan producers - including Ballymaloe Country Relish – who started production on their kitchen tables have now morphed into a million euro businesses with a significant export market, no longer small but still with strong artisan values and philosophy – Cashel Blue Cheese and Glenilen in West Cork are brilliant examples.

I asked John McKenna of Bridgestone Guides (who chaired the Summer School’s session on ‘Label Protection for the Artisan Producer’) what his definition of artisan might be – “a person who makes a product form beginning to end, and who makes it by hand, it’s easy to mechanise food production, artisans originate the product, produce it, and ideally sell it at market. Twenty years ago we came up with ‘The four ‘P’s’ person, place, (sense of place), product (original start from scratch) and passion and have found that has stood the test of time”.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) are working on it ,but as yet there is still no legal definition of local or regional in the EU despite a recognition of the urgent need to define. In the US the word ‘house-made’ is now being substituted for hand-made which no longer had credibility.

At present there are several court cases pending because of restaurants passing off an imported product, particularly goat cheese, as Irish. If you come across cases of blatant ‘passing off’ do please contact Slow Food Ireland or Cáis.

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

A Plate of McGeough’s Cured Meats & Horseradish Crème Fraiche

James McGeough is a second generation master butcher in Oughterard, Co Galway. For the past number of years he’s been experimenting with curing and drying meats using traditional meats to produce dried, smoked meats and salami. I tasted them at the Food Village during the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway this summer and was mightily impressed. (Tel: 353 (0)91 552351 for stockists.)

Serves 4

8 slices each of air dried beef, pork, lamb and ham
Cucumber pickle
Horseradish crème fraiche (see recipe)
a salad of rocket leaves and fresh herbs

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


Horseradish Crème Fraiche

Horseradish grows wild in many parts of Ireland and looks like giant dock leaves. If you can’t find it near you, plant some in your garden. It is very prolific and the root which you grate can be dug up at any time of the year. This is a fairly mild horseradish sauce. If you want to really clear the sinuses increase the amount of horseradish!

Serve with roast beef, smoked venison or smoked mackerel.

Serves 8 - 10

1 1/2-3 tablespoons grated horseradish
2 teaspoons wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 - 2 teaspoons sugar
8 fl oz (250 ml) crème fraiche

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


Courgette Flower, St Tola Goats Cheese and Local Honey

Anyone who planted courgettes this year will have lots of courgette blossoms. Use the male flowers raw in salads or make them into fritters. At the Kenmare Food Carnival this summer, I tasted fresh St Tola goat cheese once again – really sublime.

Serves 2

4 courgette blossoms
250g (9ozs) St Tola goats cheese (or other good quality goats/sheep cheese)
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
2 teaspoons Irish honey
Batter
200g (7ozs) rice flour
20g (3/4oz) corn flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
cold sparkling water

First make the batter.

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

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


Gennaro’s Crespelle con Ricotta e Rucola

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

250g (9oz) plain flour
4 eggs
500ml (18fl oz)
40g (1 ½ oz) butter melted, plus extra for greasing and dotting
20g (3/4 oz) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
½ quantity of Tomato sauce, using onion (see recipe below)
Salt

For the filling

300g (10 ½ oz) ricotta – we use Toonsbridge Ricotta
100g (3 ½ oz) rocket, finely chopped, plus some un-chopped for garnishing
50g (1 ¾ oz) Parmesan cheese freshly grated
salt and pepper
Gennaro’s Salsa di Pomodoro – Tomato Sauce
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, or ½ medium onion, finely chopped
2 x 410g tins plum tomatoes, chopped
handful of fresh basil, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 x 16cm ( 6 ¼ inch) non-stick frying pan

First make the tomato sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and sweat the garlic or onion over a medium heat. Add the tomatoes and basil, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and use immediately, or leave to cool and place in the fridge or freezer for later use.  Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas 5.

To make the pancakes:

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

Place the frying pan on the heat, grease with a little butter, then add a ladleful of the mixture in the centre of the pan. Swirl the pan around so that the mixture runs to all sides. Fry until the bottom is golden, then flip over to cook on the other side. Remove and set aside.

Continue to do this until your mixture has finished – you should be able to make 8 pancakes.

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

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


Rose Cottage Strawberry Ice Cream

Rose Cottage Fruit Farm in Co Laois grow a variety of soft fruits and sell at Midleton, Mahon Point, Coal Quay and Douglas Farmers Markets. Tel: 057 8732666

Serves 6-8

2 lbs (900g) very ripe strawberries
freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon
freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 orange
8ozs (225gcastor sugar
300ml (300ml) water
150ml (5floz) whipped cream

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


Fresh Strawberry Sauce

400g (14 ozs) strawberries
50g (2 ozs) icing sugar
lemon juice
Garnish
Fresh mint leaves

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



***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina focuses on the value of growing your own fresh food – and the huge impact that Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden at the White House has had in a country where the connection between eating habits health is a particularly challenging issue. Following Barack Obama’s re-election, this small but mighty force for good is now set to continue for another four years.

Ever since Michelle Obama planted a vegetable garden on the South Lawn of the White House in March, 2009 she has been a big hero of mine. This action has sent a really strong message about the importance of fresh food and the joy of growing your own to families across America. It has raised the profile and awareness of local and sustainable food both at the White House and nationally to an unprecedented level.

In a country where 2/3 of the population are either over-weight or obese and 1 in 3 children (1 in 2 if your skin colour happens to be black) have diabetes this message is particularly badly needed. In the US a country of 210 million people, 40 million have no health care so it’s a timely reminder that ‘our food can be our medicine’ but not if it’s mass produced and denatured.

On a recent trip to Washington DC, I had the opportunity to visit the vegetable garden. We had an early start on Monday morning to be at the gates of the White House by 9.30am. First, I forgot my passport so we had to whizz back for that, then when we arrived our names didn't appear to be on the list, and there was NO chatting up the security guys! Frantic texting and phone calls, eventually we discovered the time had been changed to 10.15am.

After several other dramas, we managed to contact Hannah, private assistant to the First lady. Chef Bill Yosses came and rescued us and we were admitted, phew! It would have been such an anti-climax to get that far and then be turned away politely but VERY firmly.

The vegetable garden is great, much smaller than I had imagined, for some reason I thought it was several acres but in fact it's just 980 square ft. Beautiful soil, a very impressive selection of really healthy produce, they even had a sea kale plant and several heirloom varieties of seed from past President Thomas Jefferson's Garden at Monticello including a beautiful purple flowering hyacinth bean that I'd love to grow. No beets though – President Obama doesn’t care for them.

Bill Yosses who is pastry chef and Cris Comerford executive chef of the White House showed us around, I was tagging along with a group of food writers who were having a conference in Washington DC that weekend. No sign of the first family, everyone was at the Democratic conference in Charlotte where Michelle gave a cracker of a speech.

It’s definitely not just a PR exercise. According to Bill, the main raison d'être for the veggie patch was that Michelle really wanted to have fresh nourishing food for the family and it is also used as an educational tool for local school kids, but Michelle herself also gets her hands in the soil from time to time and insists on hands-on assistance from the family - how great is that?

They have an impressive composting system and a bee hive but not a hen in sight, so I was trying to encourage Bill Yosses to get hens, lots of great food scraps from the White House kitchens to feed them, the manure could go on to the compost heap to make the soil more fertile, a brilliant holistic system, kids would love them...plus the President could 'go to work on an egg' every day! He's totally on for it but it’s not that simple at the White House apparently...

Now that Barack Obama is re-elected I am delighted that the garden at the White House will continue for another four years.

Here’s a recipe inspired by the produce in Michelle Obama’s garden.

José Pizzaro’s Roasted Squash with Dried Chilli, Honey, Cinnamon and Pine Nuts

This can be a side dish for any grilled fish or meat. I serve it with Iberico pork cheeks or any game stew. It’s also delicious on its own.

Serves 4 – 6

1.5 kg (3lb 5oz) unprepared squash (butternut, onion or kabocha)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
½ teaspoon crushed dried chillies
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
25g (1oz) pine nuts
50ml (2fl oz) clear honey
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Mark 6. Halve the squash through the stem end, scoop out the seeds, peel and then cut into 2.5 – 3cm (1in to 1¼in) thick wedges.

Put the oil into a roasting tin with the garlic, crushed dried chillies, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Mix well together.

Add the wedges of squash to the tin and turn them over a few times in the oil mixture until well coated. Sit them on their curved edges and roast them in the oven for 20 minutes.

Spread the pine nuts onto a baking tray and roast them in the oven alongside the squash for 5 – 6 minutes, giving them a stir now and then until they are all golden. Remove and set aside.

Remove the squash from the oven and brush the wedges with some of the honey. Return to the oven and toast for a further 15 minutes, brushing with more of the honey and then the caramelised juices every five minutes until the squash is tender and slightly caramelised.

Brush one last time with the juices from the pan, pile onto a serving plate and scatter over the pine nuts.

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column - Game

Game is a treat at this time of year, but what do you do with it if you’re lucky enough to receive some as a gift? Together with expert George Gossip, who recently gave a game course at Ballymaloe Cookery School (Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the year 2012), Darina Allen has all the answers.

The wild game season is well and truly underway again, I love game but lots of people have been telling me that they haven't the foggiest idea how to go about preparing or cooking it. So who better than George Gossip to give us all a Master class in everything from how to identify the birds to plucking, gutting, stuffing, trussing...

George is unquestionably the best game cook I know and a brilliantly entertaining teacher with an irreverent sense of humour. He and his wife Susie own Ballinderry Park, a beautiful Hidden Ireland guest house near Ballinasloe in Co Galway which they restored from an advanced state of dereliction. He loves and is deeply knowledgeable about the countryside and the environment and has been cooking and enjoying game for a very long time hence his extensive repertoire of both traditional and contemporary recipes.

For many plucking is a forgotten skill but if you are fortunate enough to get a present of a brace of pheasants in the feather it's a bit embarrassing to have to ask the person to pluck them as well! So George showed us just how quickly one can pluck a bird. Do it outdoors or in the garage, tune in to your inner hunter gatherer, listen to your favourite music and enjoy! After a bit of practice, it'll take less than 10 minutes.

Pigeons can be dealt with even faster, just insert your thumb under the breast bone of the un-plucked bird and draw both skin and feathers back off the breast, then detach from the carcass and discard the rest. You can of course pluck the entire bird but there's very little meat on the legs and it tends to be tough and chewy. I know it's tempting to skin pheasants as well but try to resist because you'll lose so much flavour.

Furred game is hung by the back legs and feathered game by the head. Hanging times depend on the weather and your preference. Some people, me included like game to taste really gamey, others prefer a milder flavour, it’s a matter of personal preference. If the weather is mild, a couple of days will be long enough but during a frosty spell, game can hang for longer. A cool dry airy place is best and both birds and furred game are best hung individually rather than in pairs.

Game carcasses make a fantastic stock, the bones can be augmented with trimmings of birds that may have been badly shot. If you have some really intensely flavoured stock you might like to make petit pots de gibier.

Pheasant will be in season until 31st January and certainly makes a welcome change from the eternal trinity of beef, chicken and farmed salmon. Venison too is widely available; a haunch will feed 20 or more for a dinner party. The seared loin is easier but the minced shoulder and belly make fantastic venison sausages – and George’s recipe is the best I have come across. Rabbit is classified as vermin not game and certainly deserves a revival. I love rabbit and wish I could find it more often on a restaurant menu.

George introduced us to this recipe for Carpaccio of Rabbit which comes from Lindy Wildsmith’s excellent book Cured. We served it on rocket leaves with some myrtle (myrthus ugni) berries. Another delicious surprise was Heston Blumenthal’s Choucroute Recipe, it’s a sort of a cheat recipe for sauerkraut but so good and a brilliant accompaniment to game.

Seared Carpaccio of Rabbit Loin

The loin is the crème de la crème of the rabbit meat. A truly delicate and dainty dish.

Serves 4 as a starter

1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
4 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
4 rabbit loins cut from 2 jointed rabbits

To Joint a Rabbit Loin: Run a sharp, short-bladed knife close to and along the length of the spine. Pull the loin away from the spine. Run the blade under the loin cutting it free from the bone. The first loin is now detached from the bone. Repeat on the other side. The two loins should now be detached from the bone.

Mix the finely chopped parsley, salt and crushed coriander seeds together. Level the seasoning out on a chopping board and roll the lamb in it until completely and evenly coated. Wrap in Clingfilm and freeze for a couple of hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, heat a frying pan large enough to contain the rabbit loin over a high heat. Add enough oil to cover the base of the pan and put the rabbit loin in the pan. Cook the rabbit loins until golden, but this will only take a minute or two, as they are very tender.

Cut the loins into 2cm (3/4 inch) thick slices and garnish with purple radish sprouts and rocket.

Venison Sausages

We like a very coarse meaty sausage with no extraneous ingredients. We do not use oatmeal or rusk, and the addition of diced bananas or cranberries is definitely not for us. That said, we do like plenty of good Dijon mustard and venison sausages are the perfect foil for spicy or fruity sauces and chutneys.

For information on availability of natural sausage casings, contact The Irish Casing Company, Tullamore, Co Offally

Natural Sausage Casings
5.4kg (12lbs) chopped venison (we used shoulder)
900g (2lbs) pork fat
900g (2lbs) lean pork meat
100g (3½ oz) salt
7g (¼ oz) ground black pepper
7g (¼ oz) ground nutmeg
slightly more than 7g (1/4oz) ground ginger
slightly more than 7g (1/4oz) ground cloves
water

Soak the sausage cases the previous night.

Next day, chop meats, mix together and mince. Add the seasonings gradually and fry up a number of little burgers to check that the flavouring is to your liking. Take great care not to over-salt.

When you are happy with the taste, add sufficient water to make the mixture malleable, and fill the casings, twist and link the sausages, and hang them up in hanks to dry.

These sausages do not contain preservative and should be eaten within four or five days unless you possess a Vac-pack machine which will allow you to keep them a little longer. And, as they do not contain any garlic, they freeze very well and are an ideal lunch or supper dish.

Uses: Venison Bangers ’n Mash, or with Colcannon

Or fry 6 sausages in olive oil with 3/4lb sliced potatoes, four medium onions (cut lengthwise in quarters) and half a dozen small carrots until cooked. Then, season and serve with plenty of mustard and a good strong salad.

Venison Sausages make good sausage rolls and they are good cold for picnics too.

 

Pheasant with Chorizo, Bacon and Tomatoes

The pheasant from a driven shoot rarely has quite as much flavour as a wild bird. This Spanish-style recipe is a particularly good one because the chorizo contributes lots of extra oomph! Serve with pilaff rice.

Serves 6

2 pheasants, each cut into 4 serving portions
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
175g (6oz) good-quality streaky bacon cut into 1cm (1⁄2in) cubes
2 garlic cloves
2 large onions, sliced
450g (1lb) ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or 1 x 400g /14oz tin chopped tomatoes)
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons good-quality paprika – preferably sweet Hungarian
225g (8oz) chorizo sausage, sliced
thyme leaves and lots of parsley sprigs

I cut the legs into two, the wings into two (assuming they are intact and not shot-off as sometimes happens) and take the breasts off the bone and cut them into two or three – along the seams rather than across the grain. The carcass can then be used to make a game stock. If this is done in advance the stock is used for cooking the pilaff rice.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and fry until the fat runs and the bacon begins to crisp around the outside. Transfer to a casserole. Add the pheasant pieces to the frying pan and brown lightly a few at a time. Remove and add to the casserole.

Add the garlic and onion to the frying pan, toss, cover and sweat gently for 4–5 minutes. Remove the lid, add the chopped tomatoes and the salt, pepper and paprika (if you’re using tinned tomatoes, you might need a little sugar to help the flavour). Increase the heat. Add the chorizo. Cook briskly until the sauce thickens slightly.

Return the bacon and the pheasant pieces to the tomato sauce. Add the wings and thigh pieces first, and the breast sections a little later, because they will require less cooking. The casserole will need about 25 minutes in total.

Check the seasoning. If the sauce has become too thick, stir in a little stock or water. Scatter with the thyme and flat parsley.

Serve the pheasant, surrounded by pieces of chorizo and bacon, on a bed of pilaff rice – accompanied by a good green salad.

 

Heston Blumenthal’s Choucroute Recipe

“A sort of a cheat recipe for sauerkraut, but so good and a brilliant accompaniment to game.”

100g (3 1/2oz) unsalted butter (I use salted)
400g (14oz) peeled and finely sliced onion (approx 6 medium onions)
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon juniper berries wrapped in a muslin bag (I use about 11/2
tablespoons and I don't bother with the bag)
300ml (12fl oz) Gewurztramminer (I just use white wine)
50ml (2fl oz) white wine vinegar (I add more to taste)
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 savoy cabbage
1 tablespoon groundnut or rapeseed oil
30g (1oz) smoked bacon lardons

Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Sweat the onion, garlic and juniper berries until the onions are soft and lightly coloured (approximately 20 minutes). Add vinegar and reduce for five minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Strain the onion and reserve both the onion and the liquor.

Cut the cabbage in half and remove the tough core. Separate the leaves and cut them into 5mm strips.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the bacon and cook until lightly coloured. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

Add cabbage to the pan and cook for approximately seven minutes. Mix in the onion, bacon and reserved cooking liquid and cook for another five minutes or until the cabbage is tender.

Check seasoning before serving. Heston Blumenthal says season with salt and pepper but I have been known to add more vinegar!

 

Jane Grigson’s Petits Pots De Gibier (Little Game Custards)

George Gossip finds this best as a starter for a rather smart dinner party, usually accompanied by Melba Toast. The choice of wine is difficult. Perhaps a very good sherry!

"For each person allow one (egg) yolk and 100 ml (3.5 fl oz) skimmed strained rich game stock. Beat together, add seasoning and pour into buttered custard cups. Put on the lids, stand in a pan of simmering water on top of the stove, and leave it for half an hour. Serve with toast."

 

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2013. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

The next Ballymaloe Cookery School intensive 12 Week Certificate Course - designed to teach students the skills they need to earn their living from their cooking- starts Monday 7th January, 2013 - www.cookingisfun.ie – watch a short video about the course

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column - Ballymaloe Cookery Courses

Darina takes a break from her column this month, but Georgina Campbell has been browsing the 2013 Ballymaloe Cookery School Course Schedule...

It may seem like no time at all to many of its longterm fans, but Ballymaloe Cookery School has been in business since 1983 - and, to celebrate the 30th anniversary this year, there are over 60 short courses on offer in addition to the renowned 12-week certificate course that’s been the career springboard for so many of our brightest and best kitchen professionals. And, highlighting the broad range of interests that the school encompasses, Ballymaloe House and Cookery School will be hosting the first Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine in May this year.

The range of courses offered at Ballymaloe Cookery School just keeps on growing and, while cookery is of course central to the schedule, it’s developed over the years to include life skills of every kind with garden workshops, foraging and re-learning forgotten skills all popular topics alongside both traditional and modern cookery.

Every countrywoman used to be adept in the dairy and today’s curious cooks can find out what it's all about at half day courses on ‘Homemade Butter, Yoghurt And Several Cheeses’ which are offered on various dates (the first is on 16th January), while the adventurous can learn from fourth generation butcher Philip Dennhardt how to Cure a Pig in a Day (and use every morsel), and the romantic gardener can learn about Building a Willow Structure with West Cork willow wizard Norbert Platz.

There are courses on cooking for special diets including vegetarian and gluten free, cooking for baby, and every kind of party…courses on breakfasts and brunches and all manner of baking, kids in the kitchen, barbecues, food writing and blogging.

Authentic teaching of world cuisines is a speciality - Sushi Made Simple, perhaps, Discovering Tapas and Sherry, or Middle Eastern - and this is often where the high profile special guests that the school is so famous for come in. One that everyone at Ballymaloe is especially excited about is Jacob Kenedy of the Soho restaurant Bocca di Lupo which he founded with partner Victor Hugo in 2008 and has won much praise for its specialisation “in the obscure and the delicious highlights of food and wine from all across Italy's twenty regions”; he’ll be there on Saturday 2nd March (9.30-5, €265), while Chad Robertson from the celebrated Tartine Bakery in California is doing a similar session on 1st August, and popular guest Antony Worrall-Thompson does a return visit on 29th July.

New courses this year include Exciting Affordable Food (half day €95) Cake with Rachel Allen (21/2 days €595), An Afternoon of Knife Skills (half day, €165) and Spring Foraging with Darina Allen (Sat 27th April,1 day €195) - and there are daily afternoon demonstrations (€70, check details online) that it’s usually possible to join, although booking is essential.

The range offered is fantastic - Ballymaloe Cookery School & Gardens has become nothing short of a national institution and Darina and the team deserve huge credit for everything that they do so well. Full details of the 2013 courses are available in the Course Schedule, available online (www.cookingisfun.ie) or in hard copy on request.

RECIPE: Rosemary and Raisin Soda Bread and Scones

Baking is all the rage now and soda bread takes only 2 or 3 minutes to make. It's great to experiment with variations - try it with olives, sun dried tomatoes or caramelised onions added - the possibilities are endless. The amount of buttermilk given here works exactly with the Odlums Flour used at Ballymaloe Cookery School; however, other flours may absorb more or less liquid. Makes one round loaf.

1 lb/450g, firmly packed plain white flour, preferably unbleached
1 level tsp salt
1 level tsp bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)
3oz/75g raisins
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Sour milk or buttermilk to mix - 14 fl oz/400ml approx.

Soda bread must be baked as soon as it is mixed, so before you begin pre-heat a very hot oven to 230’C/ 450’F/gas mark 8.

Sieve the flour, salt and bread soda into a large bowl, then add the raisins and rosemary. Make a well in the centre. Pour all 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 soft, and not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well floured work surface. Tidy up the shape and flip over gently. Pat the dough into a circle about 11/4 inch /3cm deep It is traditional to cut a cross on the top, to help the loaf to cook evenly.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6 and continue baking for a further 20-30 minutes, or until done. To test, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is fully cooked it will sound hollow.

Variation: Rosemary and Raisin Scones

Make the dough as above but flatten the dough into a circle about 1 inch (2.5cm) deep. Cut into scones. Scones take about 20 minutes to bake.

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2013. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

The Ballymaloe Cookery School intensive 12 Week Certificate Course - designed to teach students the skills they need to earn their living from their cooking is particularly well known – watch a short video about the course

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.?

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina focuses on the value of farm shops, for farmers - and their customers, especially children

Farm Shops, we need many more all around the country so farmers can sell and add value to their produce and local people can buy directly from the farm. It’s a whole other shopping experience and reconnects children with how their food is produced.

There are already several brilliant examples; Tinahely Farm Shop on the Shilleagh road in Co Wicklow is enchanting. It is owned and run by ex-dairy farmers Philip and Rebecca Hadden. A couple of years ago the cows were not paying their way so they needed to use their combined talents and resources to think of another way to earn a living.

They set about converting their sheds into a farm shop and cute little café where customers can now enjoy their really delicious homemade cakes and snacks of local food. Recently we tasted Clarkes smoked salmon from Ballina on Jo Allen's Harvest loaf made from Uncle Aidan's stone ground wholemeal, so delicious. That wheat is grown and stone ground in a special French mill on their farm in Ballindaggin, Co Wexford. Rebecca had made a silky Jerusalem artichoke soup which people loved when they tasted and then rushed to buy some of the fresh tubers to have a go at making their own.

There are some ducks and a lovely flock of happy lazy hens ranging freely so customers can add freshly laid eggs to their basket. The Big Barn now houses an eclectic collection of animals, a couple of llamas, both Saddleback and Mangagalese pigs, several goats and donkeys and ponies, Kerry cattle and Dorset Horn sheep that were brought into Ireland by Rebecca’s grandfather Maurice Allen for the first time in 1933. All warm and comfy in deep beds of straw in the frosty weather.

Kids of course love all that and there are plans for a self-guided farm walk. Craft classes are also held each month (crochet in February, basket making in March).Contact Philip Hadden 087 816 8457 - Tinahely Farm Shop, Coolruss, Tinahely, Co Wicklow - on the Shillelagh road. Open Tuesday-Friday 10am – 5pm, Saturday 10am – 4pm.

Olivia and John Hallahan opened a farm shop on their farm at Castlemary near Cloyne, East Cork every Saturday from 10am to 4pm – selling homemade goat cheese, yogurt, goats milk, goats meat (delicious) and some of Olive’s fresh baking 021 4652832 – Turn at L36511 – brave new world!

Castlefarm Shop in Narraghmore in Co Kildare also has a loyal following – Jenny and Peter Young sell organic beef, vegetables, pork, eggs, honey, apple juice and cheese, home baking, ice cream and preserves from their organic farm and operate an honesty box system for their free range eggs.

The shop opens the last weekend of every month and visitors can enjoy monthly complimentary food talks, farm walks, help collect eggs and watch the cows being milked – 0876785269 – www.castlefarmshop.ie (NB: See Jenny Young’s e-zine column to see what they’re up to at Castlefarm this month)

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Avocado and Roast Hazelnuts

Serves 5

50g (2oz) butter
560g (1 1/4 lb) onions, peeled and chopped
1.15kg (2 1/2 lbs) Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed, peeled and chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
1.1L (2 pints) light chicken stock
600ml (1 pint) creamy milk approx.

Garnish

2 avocados
4 tablespoons of chopped roast hazelnuts
4 tablespoons of hazelnut oil
4 tablespoons of chopped chives

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the onions and artichokes.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, cover and sweat gently for 10 minutes approx.

Add the stock and cook until the vegetables are soft. Liquidise and return to the heat. Thin to the required flavour and consistency with creamy milk, and adjust the seasoning.

Note: This soup may need more stock depending on thickness required.

To Serve

Peel and dice the avocados. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the avocado and chopped roasted hazelnuts over the soup, drizzle with a little hazelnut oil and chopped chives.

 

Uncle Aidan’s Harvest Loaf

Makes 2 loaves

This simple and delicious recipe was given to me by Jo Allen.

700g (1.5lb) Uncle Aidan’s Authentic Stone Ground Flour
2 tablespoons oat bran
2 teaspoons bread soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 litre (1 1/3 pints) buttermilk
2 tablespoons oil
2 free range eggs

2 x 2lb loaf tins - greased.

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

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, mix buttermilk, oil and eggs in a separate bowl, then add to the dry ingredients. Put the mixture (it will be very sloppy at this stage) into the greased loaf tins

Cook in the pre-heated oven 180°C/350°F/Mark 4 for just over one hour or until fully cooked through. Cool on a wire rack. Uncle Aidan’s Authentic Stone Ground Flour – Ballyminane Mills, Co. Wexford – 0539255162 - www.ballyminanemills.com

Smoked Salmon, Tomato and Leek Tart or Tartlets

Fresh salmon or smoked mackerel may be substituted to delicious effect.

Makes 10-12 tartlets or 1 tart (approx.)

Shortcrust Pastry
4oz (110g) flour
2 oz (55g) butter
1 beaten egg
5 oz (140g) smoked salmon or fresh salmon, diced 1/3 inch (5mm)
½ lb (225g) very ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and the flesh cut into ½
inch (1cm) dice
1 oz (30g) butter
½ lb (225g) finely sliced leeks
Salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

8 fl oz (225m) cream or 4 fl oz (100m) cream
4 fl ozs (100m) milk
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
Pinch of smoked paprika
1 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped

1 x 7 inch (18cm) flan ring OR 10 tartlet tins (the ones we use measure 3 inches (7.5cm) at the bottom, 4 inches (10cm) at the top and are 1 inch (2.5cm) deep.

First make the shortcrust pastry.

Sieve the flour into a bowl, cut the butter into ½ inch (1cm) dice, rub into the flour with the tip of your fingers, and bind with the beaten egg, tossing lightly with a fork. (Add it gradually, just enough to make a dough). Cover with Clingfilm or waxed paper and rest for ½ hour in the fridge before use.

Preheat the oven 180°/350°F/regulo 4

Roll the pastry out thinly and line the tart or individual tartlet tins with pastry, then line with kitchen paper and dried beans. Bake blind for 20-25 minutes approx. until par-cooked (the tartlets will take 8-10 minutes).

Meanwhile melt the butter in a saucepan, add the leeks, season with salt, & pepper, cover. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the leeks are almost soft, keep aside. Add the chopped tomatoes, toss and cook for 1-2 minutes , add a little sugar if the tomatoes are not very ripe. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool.

In a bowl, whisk together the cream, milk, eggs and egg yolk. Season with paprika, salt and freshly ground pepper, add the cooked leeks and tomatoes, diced smoked or fresh salmon, stir gently. Add the dill.

Spoon into the pre-baked tart or tartlets and bake in a preheated moderate oven 180C\350F\regulo 4 for 2 minutes approx. or until just set and golden on top. The tartlets will take 30-35 minutes. Remove from the tin. Serve warm or cold.

 

Raspberry and Coconut Slice

So simple but terrifically good.

Makes 24

6 oz (175g) soft butter
6 oz (175g) castor sugar
2 eggs, preferably organic and free-range
6 oz (175g) self-raising flour
Icing
homemade raspberry jam
unsweetened desiccated coconut

10 x 7 inch (25.5 x 18 cm) Swiss roll tin, well-greased

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/regulo 4.

Put the butter, castor sugar, eggs and self-raising flour into a food processor. Whizz for a few seconds to amalgamate. Spread evenly over the base of the well-buttered tin.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes approx. or until golden brown and well risen. Allow to cool.

Spread the surface with the raspberry jam and sprinkle with desiccated or shaved coconut. Cut into squares. Remove the biscuits from the tin if keeping for a few days unless the tin is coated with Teflon. Store in an airtight cake tin interleaved with silicone paper.

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2013. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

The Ballymaloe Cookery School intensive 12 Week Certificate Course - designed to teach students the skills they need to earn their living from their cooking is particularly well known – watch a short video about the course

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.?

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column - Obesity

This month Darina focuses on the shocking problem of obesity, its cost in human and financial terms - and gives her 10 Top Tips to avoid it

Safefood Ireland, recently commissioned a report on The Cost of Overweight and Obesity on the Island of Ireland. The report which was compiled with the help of the HSE (Health Service Executive) and NUI (National University of Ireland) Galway, DCU (Dublin City University), IPH (Institute of Public Health Ireland), National Cancer Registry Ireland, Queens University Belfast and Safe Food highlighted the lack of information to date.

This comprehensive assessment of the cost of overweight and obesity in Ireland began in 2012 – the findings are quite simply shocking, 60% of Irish people are now overweight or obese and the cost to the exchequer read taxpayer is up to 9% of total healthcare. That’s bad enough but indirect costs may be as much again or even more.

Direct costs include In-Patient, Out-Patient, General Practice – drugs and prescription costs.

Indirect costs include lost productivity in the work place due to overweight and obesity related illness, premature mortality.

The list of chronic conditions associated with overweight and obesity is long and scary, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, clot on lung, back pain, osteoarthritis, diabetes, asthma, gout, gallbladder disease, colon cancer, oesophageal cancer...

The chance of getting Type 2 diabetes increased by 140% in overweight men and 574% in men who are obese.

In women, it’s significantly higher 292% when overweight but a shocking increase of 1141% when obese. To see the whole report click here

So what to do, well I don’t have a magic bullet but this much I do know – we’ll all feel much better if we eliminate all processed foods from our diets.

Darina’s 10 Top Tips to fight obesity:

1. Buy only or mostly fresh food, in season with the exception of bananas and citrus and avoid anything that makes health claims.

2. Find a butcher you can trust, learn about inexpensive cuts of meat and offal and find out how to cook them.

3. Eliminate all fizzy drinks totally from your diet and all breakfast cereals, with the exception of porridge, muesli and granola.

4. Eat lots of peas, beans, pulses and good grains – they are an easy inexpensive form of protein and are endlessly versatile.

5. Don’t eat between meals, standing up or on the run. Sit down around a table, eat slowly, you’ll find that you are eating less and enjoying your food more.

6. Grow some of your own food, something, anything, anywhere, in any container you can find – on the windowsill, balcony, back yard, haggard field, just do it.

7. Get a few hens, you don’t need much space, if you put them in a roomy chicken coop and move them around your lawn. They must have fresh grass to healthy, otherwise forget about it and source the best you can from a local farmer country market or local shop. What kind of a country do we live in where it is illegal for your local shop to sell local farmers eggs, unless they are registered (quite a mission)

8. Mothers and fathers of Ireland rise up and insist that the supermarkets remove all sweets and bars away from the tills where you queue with your children and while you are at it ask for a crèche so you don’t have to bring your child into the supermarket at all. Don’t underestimate the effect of pester power.

9. Whenever possible, support small local shops, it’s a different kind of shopping, more personal and you’ll find dirty carrots and potatoes, yippee!

10. Avoid all light, low fat and diet foods and lets cut our sugar intake by half immediately.

And last but not least, buy Michael Pollan’s book ‘Food Rules’ it only costs about €6.00 and it could change your life!

Seasonal Recipe: Blood Orange Tart

Blood Oranges appear in our shops for just about 4 weeks from late January/early February, so use them while you can. Delicious in juices and cocktails, fruit salad and tarts.

Serves 8

175g (6ozs) white flour
1 tablespoon castor sugar
75g (3ozs) butter
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons orange juice or water approx.

Filling

1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks
100g (3 1/2ozs) castor sugar
75g (3ozs) butter
75g (3ozs) ground almonds
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

6 blood oranges
4-6 tablespoons apricot glaze

10 inch (25.5cm) tart tin with removable base

Sieve the flour into a bowl, add the castor sugar. Cut the cold butter into cubes, rub into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Mix the orange juice or water with the egg yolk and use to bind the pastry. Add a little more water if necessary but don't make it too sticky. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or so.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/regulo 4. Roll out the pastry, line the tart tin. Fill with baking beans and bake blind for 20 - 25 minutes.

Meanwhile cream the butter, add the castor sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beat well and then stir in the ground almonds and the liqueur.

When the tart is par-baked, allow to cool. Brush the base with apricot glaze and fill with the almond mixture, return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes approx. or until cooked and firm to the touch both in the centre as well as at the sides. Meanwhile remove the peel and pith from the blood oranges and segment, drain and arrange in a pattern on top of the warm tart.

Alternatively slice the peeled oranges into thin rounds and arrange slightly over-lapping on top of the warm tart. This looks prettiest but is slightly trickier to slice. Either way paint evenly with apricot glaze.

Serve warm with a bowl of softly whipped cream.
 

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2013. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column - Foraging

This month Darina gets stuck into one of her favourite topics - foraging.

Wild and foraged foods are once again becoming part of chic restaurant menus as well as family meals. Beware; once you get on the foraging groove it becomes totally addictive. Every walk whether in the woods or the countryside turns into a foraging expedition and it’s free. Even more important wild foods still have their full complement of vitamins, minerals and trace elements, unlike much of the food we now have access to.

People usually associate an abundance of wild foods with late Summer and Autumn but we forage throughout the year. Even in depths of Winter there’s always something to nibble on or add to a salad. At present Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum) are growing in profusion along the roadside, peel the stalks, cook the pieces gently in well salted water, then toss in a little melted butter or olive oil, the delicate flavour is delicious with fish or scallops. Young nettles (urtica dioica) the cure for so many ailments, are already springing up. Use them in pesto and soups or add the wilted leaves to champ or colcannon.

We’ve got tons of chickweed (Stellaria media) in the greenhouse; you’ll pay $10.00 a pound for it in the Union Square market in New York but here it’s the bane of gardeners’ lives – just eat it, it’s delicious in a green salad. Pennywort (Centella Asiatica), another of my favourite wild foods, grows with wild abandon out the stone walls and stony ditches, sometimes called navel wort or ‘bread and butter’, it is thirst quenching and a favourite nibble for hill-walkers. We use it in salad and as a garnish. Bittercress (Cardamine hirsute) grows in little clumps in gravel paths or in damp places – we love its peppery taste. The Queen had it included in the starter for her 90th birthday feast.

Watercress (Nasturtium officinal) too is lush and abundant at present, it grows side by side with wild celery also called fools watercress (Apium nodiflorum) but the top leaf of the watercress is always the biggest. The shamrock shaped leaves of wood sorrel (oxalis) lend a clean lemony taste to starters and salad, there’s also lots of sheep’s tongue sorrel (Rumex acetosella) and buckler leaf sorrel ( Rumex scutatus) in the orchard, sea beet (beta vulgaris) down by the strand and the ramsoms or wild garlic (allium ursinum) are bushy and green at present. We’ve been making lots of pesto and adding it to everything from pasta sauce, to flavoured butters and mashed potatoes and even soda bread.

Our Spring Foraging, the first foraging course of the year (at Ballymaloe Cookery School) will be on Saturday 27th April 2013. But if you want to get going yourself there are now several good illustrated field guides to help you including Biddy White Lennon and Evan Doyle’s excellent new field guide and cookbook Wild Food Natures Harvest: How to Gather, Cook and Preserve published recently by O’Brien Press. This book was born out of the Slow Food Wild and Slow Festival held at Macreddin Village in Co Wicklow every year, but both Biddy and Evan have been seasoned foragers since childhood.

Evan showcases wild food on his menu at the Strawberry Tree Restaurant at Macreddin Village. All the chefs are trained to forage and have a bountiful wild food pantry beside the restaurant to store jars of pickles, chutneys, cordials, preserves and infusions. Evan Doyle employs one person whose sole job is to forage for the restaurant. This field guide and cook book combined also includes a charter for sustainable harvesting of wild foods, a foragers calendar and a whole chapter on preserving wild foods. It’s a must have for any wanna-be forager.

Biddy White Lennon and Evan Doyle’s Wild Garlic, Leek and Potato Bake

30 leaves of fresh wild garlic, roughly chopped
125ml organic chicken or vegetable stock
150ml carton of organic cream
150ml organic milk
a knob of organic butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 organic leeks, thinly sliced
175g real ham, chopped
500g last year’s organic potatoes peeled, sliced thinly
90g organic cheddar, grated

How it Goes

Pour the stock, cream and milk into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Season well.

Butter a one-litre gratin dish. Layer the potatoes, leeks and ham together in the dish, and spread out in even layers with the chopped wild garlic leaves. Pour over the seasoned liquid. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 180°C.

How to Finish

Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cheese and bake for another 30–40 minutes, spooning stock over occasionally, until the potatoes are tender.

What you Get

Well, the perfect accompaniment to a Sunday roast chicken, or as the first touch of spring to the last of the winter spuds or a great TV snack, when you have the munchies …

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2013. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column - Effortless Entertaining

This month Darina gives (and gets) some unusual advice on effortless entertaining.

I’ve just learned the secret of how to give a totally stress free dinner party! So here’s how it’s done. On a recent trip to San Francisco Mary Risley invited eleven mutual friends around in my honour. It was to be an early dinner. The guests were invited for 6:30, I arrived in around 5:30, Mary was having tea – totally relaxed and there was absolutely no sign of any activity, not to mention food.

As six approached, I tentatively enquired whether I could help in any way, maybe lay the table, how about food! Mary remembered the Ballymaloe Bread with some of Bill Casey’s Shanagarry Smoked Salmon that I’d brought over – “let’s have that for starters.”

I took the loaf out of the freezer and hastily popped it into the oven and as per instructions I laid the table, then ran out into the garden to pick a Meyer lemon from the tree (yes, literally!) The doorbell rang and the guests started to arrive. Mary was totally unfazed, lots of hugging “The glasses are in the cupboard, here’s the bottle opener, Jim you open the wine.”

By now the ingredients for the main course, a San Francisco Fishermen’s Stew, were on the island counter, not sure who got those out of the fridge, I was busy slicing salmon and buttering warm semi frozen bread one slice at a time then popping it back into the oven to thaw another few centimetres just enough to cut another slice.

“Paula, can you chop the onions and that fennel bulb and Kiki can you open that can of tomatoes?” We all followed instructions, everyone was having a hilarious time plus an impromptu cooking lesson on how to make this classic San Francisco Fishermen’s Stew. The onion, chilli, garlic, fennel, and fresh marjoram was bubbling away in a big Le Creuset Casserole. Not sure who got the job of cracking the crabs claws.

Everyone loved the smoked salmon, “Open another couple bottles of wine”, add the fish to the tomato, next the crab and clams. Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble. Taste, maybe a bit more salt, “Who’s chopping the parsley; scatter it over the top of the pot!” “Frances and Darina, you are in charge of the pudding – there’s a couple of (defrosted) discs of Lady Baltimore’s cakes and some raspberries over there, sandwich them together with cream and lemon curd.”

We did as we were bidden and produced an impressive looking confection in a couple of minutes, decorated with lemon balm from the garden and sprinkle of confectioners’ sugar. By then the Cioppino was being ladled from the big red skillet into wide shallow bowls and we all tucked in, some of us even had second helpings.

A green salad emerged from somewhere, not sure who or where that came from and then Frances and I produced our masterpiece to lots of appreciative noises.

There was coffee, more wine and lots more convivial chat. The washing up somehow seemed to be effortlessly done and a fantastic evening was had by all – so now we all know how to give a stress free dinner party – thank you Mary.

Mary Risley’s Cioppino

Every country has its version of a fishermen’s stew–I understand the origin of this recipe is Genoa – it’s a San Francisco tradition!

Serves 8-10

24 well-scrubbed live clams or cockles
extra virgin olive oil
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
1.1kg (2lbs 8ozs) fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
(or 3 x 400g (14oz) cans Italian plum tomatoes)
1 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
450ml (16floz) dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 3/4 tablespoons fresh marjoram, chopped
900g (2 lbs) fresh white fish (sea bass, rock cod, halibut or monkfish)
450g (1lb) sea scallops (optional)
450g (1lb) raw shrimp (or prawns), peeled
meat from 1 large cooked crab, (optional)
25g (1oz) fresh parsley, chopped

To Serve: Sourdough Bread

To steam the clams or cockles, place them in a heavy bottomed pot with 2.5cm (1 inch) of water. Cover and cook over high heat, shaking occasionally, until the clams are open. Keep covered until ready to use.

To make the soup base, put the onions with half a teaspoon of salt in a large casserole with a generous splash of olive oil and cook, stirring from time to time, until the onions are softened. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook and stir another minute or two.

Stir in the fennel, then the tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, red pepper flakes, and marjoram. Then add the broth from the steamed clams leaving the last tablespoon in the pot since it probably has sand. Bring this mixture to the boil, stirring, and let simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the white fish into large chunks, coat with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Remove the little tough part from each scallop. Remove the shells from the shrimp. Place these on another plate and coat with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

To make the cioppino, fifteen minutes before you are ready to serve, bring the soup base to the boil, stirring, and stir in the fish. Cover and let simmer 5 minutes.

Next, stir in the scallops and the shrimp and let simmer another 5 minutes. At this point stir in the steamed clams and the crabmeat, if desired. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Cover and let sit a minute or two.

Sprinkle with lots of fresh parsley and serve in warmed bowls with sourdough bread.


Mary Risley’s Pear, Gorgonzola and Walnut Salad

This salad is a contrast in colour and texture: the pears are sweet and soft, the cheese is soft and salty, and the walnuts are hard strongly flavoured when toasted. To decide whether or not to peel the pears, taste the skin to see if it is acceptable. The best pears for this salad are French Butter pear, d’Anjou, or Comice.

Serves 6

2 heads butter or leaf lettuce, or a mixture of red and green lettuces, washed, dried and torn into 1 inch pieces
4 pears, such as French butter pear, d’Anjou, or Comice, peeled and cut into ¼ inch wide slices
225g (8oz) Gorgonzola, broken into ½ inch chunks
55g (2 ½ oz) walnut pieces, lightly toasted
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
125ml (4fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt
freshly ground pepper

Put lettuces in a large salad bowl. Add the pears, cheese and walnuts. To make the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, mustard and salt in a measuring cup. Stir to dissolve the salt. Mix in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well with a small spoon.

To serve, mix the vinaigrette again and pour over the salad, tossing gently with your hands. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mound the lettuces in the centres of salad plates. With your hands arrange the pears, Gorgonzola and walnuts on top.

Serve with French bread.

Lady Baltimore Cake with Raspberries and Lemon Curd

This is Mary, Frances and my adapted recipe for Lady Baltimore’s cake.

Yields two 8 inch cakes

200g (7oz) white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
110g (4oz) butter, softened
275g (10oz) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
180ml (6fl oz) milk
3 egg whites

450g (1lb) raspberries
lemon curd (see recipe)

300ml (10fl oz) whipped cream
fresh mint or lemon balm leaves

2 x 8-inch round cake tins

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

Grease and flour two 8-inches round cake tins. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and sieve them together onto a piece of parchment paper. Put the soft butter and sugar in a mixing bowl, and beat until smooth and well blended.

Stir the vanilla extract and the milk together and add to the butter-sugar mixture in two stages alternately with the flour mixture, beating until the batter is well blended and smooth after each addition. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff but moist.

Gently stir one-third of the beaten whites into the batter, then scoop up the remaining beaten whites, drop them onto the batter, and fold them in.

Divide between the prepared cake tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick or straw inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool in their tins for 5 minutes, then turn them out of the tins onto a rack to cool completely.

Spread a layer of lemon curd on each cake base, sandwich together with softly whipped cream and raspberries. Spread a little cream and lemon curd on top and pile on some fresh raspberries. Decorate with a few fresh lemon balm or mint leaves and dust with a little icing sugar.

Lemon Curd

110g (4 oz) castor sugar
50g (2oz) butter
finely grated rind and juice of 2 good lemons, preferably unwaxed organic
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk (keep white aside for meringue)

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

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2013. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column - Honor Moore

When I heard of Honor Moore’s recent passing I was deeply saddened. Somehow one felt that this doyenne of Irish food writers would always be with us. I didn’t know Honor very well but remember her support, when I started the Ballymaloe Cookery School and her encyclopaedic knowledge of traditional Irish food. I particularly remember a long conversation about boxty when I was doing research for my traditional food book.

Honor started to cook in an evacuee camp in the North of Ireland in the early 1940s under a chef from Gibraltar who by all accounts didn’t think much of her ability, apparently he advised her to give up all thoughts of being a chef and fortunately she didn’t heed him.

Soon after she started to write articles on food for the Belfast Newsletter under the nom de plume ‘Housekeeper’ and continued until 1968. She went on to write a weekly column in the RTE Guide for many years and also developed a loyal following as food editor of Woman’s Way magazine. She also did an occasional piece for the Farmer’s Journal and then started to work on a book about her life called A Cooks Tale.

Honor had many hats. When her husband Sam died suddenly in 1965, she had to take over the running of his PR (Public Relations) business. She knew nothing about PR but, through necessity, learned in double quick time. Within days, she was representing the interests of Marathon Oil, Irish Base Metals including the Tynagh Mine, Tara Exploration; The Irish Shoe Federation and many more.

Honor also made several appearances on TV with both Tom Doorley and on the Late Late Show.

As one of the founding members of the Irish Food Writers Guild she was highly respected by her journalistic colleagues. The Guild chose her as their President and she was re-elected every year since then, unopposed. In 2005, Eurotoques, the European Community of Chefs presented her with a special lifetime achievement award.

Throughout her 90 years she brought Irish people along with her as she introduced new ingredients and ideas and was always warm and supportive to young chefs, cooks restaurateurs and food producers.

Honor will be sadly missed and warmly remembered by all of us who knew her.

Honor Moore’s Smoked Fish Chowder with Carrageen

Serves 4

450g (1lb) smoked fish, cut in cubes

15g (3/4oz) butter

1 onion, chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 medium leeks, trimmed and sliced

600ml (1 pint) fish stock or water

300ml (10 floz) milk

good pinch carrageen

freshly ground black pepper

Garnish: Dried dillisk.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, potatoes, and leeks, cook over a low heat, stirring, well until softened. Add the stock and milk.

Simmer until the vegetables are soft.  Season to taste; add the fish and the carrageen.

Simmer gently for 7 to 10 minutes more, to cook the fish.

Serve with toasted rolls.

 

Honor Moore’s Fougasse

Makes 2 loaves

500g (18oz) strong white flour

3 tsp dried yeast

2 ½ tbsp olive oil 

sea salt

extra flour for kneading.

Sieve the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center.  Dissolve the yeast in warm (not hot) water. Pour the mixture into the flour and add the olive oil using a wooden spoon.  

Begin mixing in the lukewarm water and continue until the mixture forms a loose dough.  Turn out on to a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes.  

Add the salt and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.  

Return the dough to the clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour.

Once the dough has doubled in size, turn it out on to a lightly floured surface. Knead for a minute or two and divide in two and flatten them into two large ovals. 

Transfer to a large baking sheet and using a pair of lightly floured scissors cut diagonal slashes right through the dough. Using your fingers open up the slashes until they At least 2 ½ cm wide.

Transfer to a baking sheet and put the baking sheet into a warm place and leave to prove for 30 minutes. 

Either drizzle little olive oil over the top and sprinkle with rock salt or scatter with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 450ºF -230ºC - gas mark 8 for 15 to 20 minutes. 

Wrap in a clean tea towel and serve.

 

Franny’s Pickled Ramps (Wild Garlic)

Makes 2 cups

450g (1lb) late season ramps (wild garlic) with well-developed bulbs

112mls (4fl oz) white wine vinegar

55ml (2fl oz) moscato vinegar or (see note)

Trim the hairy roots from the ramps. Separate the bulbs from the greens; reserve the greens for another use. Rinse the bulbs under warm running water and pat dry.

In a small saucepan, combine the vinegars, sugar and salt and bring to a simmer. Stir in the ramps, reduce the heat to low, and return the liquid to a simmer.

Let stand, stirring occasionally until cool.

Transfer the ramps and liquid to an airtight container; the pickles  will keep in the refrigerator for up to three months.

Note: For a cheater’s moscato vinegar substitute, whisk together 112mls (4fl oz) apple cider vinegar, 2 ½ teaspoons honey and ¼ teaspoon balsamic vinegar.

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2013. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column - Rooftop Farming and Backyard Chickens

In the US something very interesting is happening, it’s virtually a grass roots revolution. However, it’s not just in the US, in cities all over the world people seem to feel a deep need to produce food locally once again. It would seem to be an international phenomenon – an eerie almost primeval reaction as if deep down people sense that there may be a shortage of food before too long.

In fact, rooftop farming including backyard chickens and rooftop apiaries are now a major international urban trend. From Detroit to Tokyo, Rotterdam to Hong Kong, Montreal to Brooklyn, there are urban farming projects.

I first noticed the guerrilla garden movement on a visit to San Francisco about five years ago. Virtually every patch of waste ground or disused parking lot had been commandeered by eager gardeners who planted vegetables, herbs and salad leaves. Some shared their surplus with local shelters and sold the remainder from farm stands on the edge of the plot.

Since then I have visited numerous projects particularly in the US. From the Edible Schoolyard in Berkley and the City Slicker Community Farms in Oakland California, to a two acre farm in the centre of Austin, Texas. Some projects are one man bands, others community based.

Recently, I went to New York to check out the urban farming movement. For the first time I began to get idea of the sheer scale, there are over 700 urban farms and gardens across New York City alone.

Last year, I visited Brooklyn Grange a two acre rooftop farm on top of a five story building on Northern Boulevard, New York, established in May 2010.

On a recent trip, I looked at a couple of other models, a branch of Brooklyn Grange at the Navy Yard, 65,000 square feet of vegetable beds on the top of an eleven story building. This project provides a livelihood for four people, employment for a further ten people and 30 apprentices plus a refugee training program. They sell their fresh produce from a farm stand outside the building and also have a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and make lots of jams, pickles, hot sauces and herb teas from the surpluses and gluts from the farm.

Anastasia Cole Plakias showed me around and explained how nowadays there is growing support at government level for initiatives that are helping to change the food system plus deliver environmental benefits.

Hurricane Sandy really spooked New Yorkers particularly those in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, some of whom were without power and water for over a week. So any initiative that contributes to storm water management (a buzz word) is welcomed and generously supported.

Anastasia explained that the Navy Yard got a generous SARE (Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education) grant from Mayor Bloomberg and Department of the Environmental Protection who see it as more efficient to invest in green roofs and infrastructure which creates jobs and has several extra benefits. Roof top farms and green roofs not only utilise space that would otherwise be empty and unused but they absorb rain and storm water run-off that would eventually end up polluting the East River.

They also absorb heat during the day and release it into the atmosphere at night plus decrease the heating and cooling needs of a building.

The Navy Yard Project also links up with GrowNYC on a composting program. Local residents collect their organic waste which when composted enriches the fertility of the soil, which is the biggest challenge for rooftop farms.

The Edible Schoolyard started by Alice Waters in Berkeley in California now has a branch in Brooklyn which partners with schools to build gardens and kitchen classrooms where children can engage in hands-on learning. They aim to provide students with the knowledge and skills and environment required to healthier choices and change the way they eat for life.

Top chefs are also frantically growing their own produce and linking in with local projects but there is a whole other article in that of which more anon. Meanwhile, those of you who have been growing will be enjoying the fruits of your labours. Here are a few ways I have been enjoying the bounty of our gardens and greenhouse and hedgerows over the past few weeks.

Elderflower Champagne

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

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

Remove the peel from the lemon with a swivel top peeler. Pick the elderflowers in full bloom. Put into a bowl with the lemon peel, lemon juice, sugar, vinegar and cold water. Leave for 24 hours, then strain into strong screw top bottles. Lay them on their sides in a cool place. After 2 weeks it should be sparkling and ready to drink. Despite the sparkle this drink is non-alcoholic.

Top Tip:

The bottles need to be strong and well-sealed; otherwise the Elderflower champagne will pop its cork.

Radish, Broad Bean and Preserved Lemon Salad

This Ottolenghi inspired recipe makes a delicious little starter salad on its own or with some buffalo mozzarella and pitta bread as an accompaniment.

Serves 4

500g (1lb 2oz) shelled broad beans fresh or frozen
450g (16oz) large radishes
1/2 red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
30g (1 1/4oz) preserved lemon, finely chopped (optional)
freshly squeezed juice of 2 lemons plus zest of 1 lemon if preserved lemons are unavailable
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon freshly ground roast cumin
salt and black pepper
2 fresh Toonsbridge buffalo mozzarella (optional)
4 fresh pitta breads

First cook the broad beans in boiling salted water (one teaspoon salt to a pint of water.) Simmer for 1 – 2 minutes, depending on size. Drain through a large colander and refresh in plenty of cold water. Slip the beans out of their skins by gently squeezing each one with your fingertips.

Cut each radish into 4 to 6 wedges depending on size. Mix with the broad beans, onion, fresh coriander leaves, diced preserved lemon or lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, extra virgin olive oil and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and correct seasoning.

Serve soon on its own or with some buffalo mozzarella and some pitta bread as an accompaniment.

 

Double Lamb Chops with Sumac, Broad Beans, Melted Cherry Tomatoes and Coriander Flowers

Great with a green salad and some freekeh (Middle Eastern bulgur-like green dried wheat).

Serves 8
8 double lamb chops with cutlet bones attached
2-3 tablespoons sumac
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
225g (8oz) Broad Beans (see recipe below)
Melted Cherry Tomatoes (see recipe below)
 

Garnish

fresh coriander flowers if available
a pinch of sumac
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450ºF/Gas Mark 8,

Score the fat of the chops. Sprinkle each one with sumac rubbing it well into the fat and flesh. Season with Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to a roasting tin. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and allow to rest.

Meanwhile cook the broad beans (see recipe below). Just before serving make the melted cherry tomatoes (see recipe below).

To Serve

Pop a double lamb chop on each hot plate. Spoon some warm cherry tomatoes around the edge. Sprinkle with broad beans and coriander flowers if available. Alternatively use some shredded mint leaves. Sprinkle with a pinch of sumac and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

 

Broad Beans

Freshness is vitally important with broad beans, both flavour and texture change within hours of picking. A little summer savoury added to the cooking water enormously enhances the flavour.

Serves 6

675g (1 1/2lbs) young broad beans, out of the pods
2-3 sprigs of summer savoury (optional)
15g (1/2oz) butter
salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring 600ml (1 pint) of water to the boil in a medium saucepan and add 1 teaspoon salt and the summer savoury if using. Add the broad beans, bring back to the boil and cook for 2 -5 minutes depending on size and freshness. When cooked, taste and drain quickly tossing in a little melted butter and lots of freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Note: If the broad beans are larger cook as above then drain and refresh under the cold tap until cool enough to handle. Pop each bean out of its shell then toss in hot melted butter or extra virgin olive oil. Season and serve immediately.

 

Melted Cherry Tomatoes with Mint

Serves 8 people

40 ripe red firm sweet cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or more of butter
3-4 tablespoons fresh mint
1-2 tablespoons freshly chopped rosemary
salt, pepper and sugar

Scald the tomatoes for 10 seconds and peel carefully. Just before serving, heat the butter until it bubbles in a frying pan large enough to take all the tomatoes in a single layer. Toss in the tomatoes and roll gently over a medium heat until just warmed through. Sprinkle with the herbs and salt, pepper and sugar. Turn into a hot vegetable dish and serve at once.
Note: Great care must be taken when cooking the tomatoes; otherwise they will disintegrate into a mush.

 

Green Gooseberry Tartlets

JR Ryall who is head pastry chef at Ballymaloe House recently showed us how to make these delicious green gooseberry tarts. His pastry recipe is also amazing but you could use puff pastry instead. Makes 36 tartlets approximately.

1 quantity cold cream pastry (see recipe below)
450g (1lb) green gooseberries (topped and tailed)
caster sugar
Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5.
Using plenty of flour roll the cold pastry to a thickness of 2mm (1/8 inch). Cut the pastry with a 7.5cm (3 inch) round cutter and use the disks of pastry to line a standard flat based bun tray.
Cut the gooseberries in half and arrange 6-7 halves on each disk of pastry. Place a rounded teaspoon of caster sugar on top of the fruit in each tartlet. Bake the tartlets for 15-20 minutes or until the sugar begins to caramelise and the pastry is a golden brown colour. Remove the tartlets from the bun tray while still hot – use a palette knife for this – and place on parchment paper which has been sprinkled with caster sugar.
These tartlets are best served warm.

Variations

Open Apple Tartlets: Replace the gooseberries with thinly sliced eating apple.
Open Rhubarb Tartlets: Replace the gooseberries with thinly sliced pink rhubarb.

Cream Pastry

This pastry keeps in the fridge for up to 6 days.

110g (4oz) cold salted butter
110g (4oz) plain flour
150ml (5fl oz) cold cream

Sieve the flour into the bowl of an electric food mixer. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour using the paddle attachment until the mixture forms a coarse texture (slow speed and then a little faster). DO NOT over mix, if you do the mixture will form a shortbread like ball! Pour the cold cream into the coarse mixture and mix on a low speed until a smooth pastry forms. Wrap the pastry in parchment paper and chill overnight.

Always roll cream pastry straight from the fridge. If the pastry comes to room temperature it will be too soft to handle!

 

Rory O’Connell’s Strawberries with Lemon Basil

Serve these little flavour bombs at the end of a meal and watch the reaction – a gem of a recipe.

fresh strawberries
fresh lemon basil leaves

Just before serving, insert one lemon basil leaf carefully into the slit on the top side of a beautiful fresh strawberry. Repeat with the others. Serve immediately – a sensational combination of flavours.

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2013. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column

Darina reflects on what the 12 Week Certificate Course means to the students who complete it - and proudly announces that both she and her brother Rory O’Connell have finally moved into the 21st century and have (very active) Facebook pages!

When we said goodbye to our Summer batch of 12 Week Certificate Course students in July, I was paid perhaps the best compliment I’ve ever got when one chap told me ‘I have learned so much and had so much fun I feel I owe you money!’ There were lots of tears and hugging as students not only from Ireland but from all over the world (11 nationalities) said goodbye to each other before they wing their way home to all four corners of the globe.

Quite something because this course* is unquestionably a big ask in terms of time and money but fortunately it is now looked on as an investment because at the end of 12 very intensive full-on weeks, students go straight into jobs in restaurant kitchens all over the world.

This group were aged between 18 and 60, some starting out on their careers others changing careers, had an exciting variety of plans.

Dan Morgenthau was off to Honey and Co in London. John Molony from Dublin was looking forward to working with Yannick Van Aeken and Louise Bannon at Nede the ‘hot’ new restaurant in Dublin.

Prue Campbell from NSW Australia will spend two months at Cappezzanna with Jean Charles and Rosalind Carrini in Tuscany. Jill Holmquist was off to work in the Rose Bakery in Paris. Michelle Rehme was going home to work in the Flagstone Pantry in Santa Barbara. Jessica Stewart-Fraser was heading to Portugal to open a boutique and B&B in the Algarve. Bernie ter Braak from Lithuania was heading home to Vilnius to his café, restaurant and tapas bar.

Not everyone wanted to go straight into a restaurant kitchen several had plans to get a stall in a Farmers Market so they could sell their pickles and preserves home baking or choccies.

Several others had plans to teach kids to cook or get involved in their local community and share their skills. A couple of semi-retired people had just taken time out to learn how to cook so they could at last enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and entertain their friends and business colleagues with ease and panache.

Having spent three months in the midst of a farm and gardens, they all have itchy green fingers and are determined to get a chicken coop and a few hens the moment it’s practical. Meanwhile they’ll be foraging for wild food to spice up their menus, fishing for summer mackerel and maybe even smoking them in a biscuit tin over the gas ring in the kitchen – a more elaborate smoker comes next – a cookery course can be life changing!

*The next 12 Week Certificate Course begins on Monday 16th September 2013. The fee is €10695 and some places are available.

How to Smoke Mackerel, Chicken Breast or Duck Breast in a Simple Biscuit Tin Smoker

This is a simple Heath Robinson way to smoke small items of food. It may be frowned upon by serious smokers, but it is great for beginners because it gives such quick results. The fish, duck or chicken can be smoked without having been brined, but even a short salting or brining will improve flavour – 15–20 minutes should do it. Leave to dry for approximately 30 minutes before smoking.

mackerel or duck breast or organic chicken breast
sawdust
1 shallow biscuit tin with tight-fitting lid
1 wire cake rack to fit inside
pure salt or 80 per cent brine

Place a sheet of tin foil in the base of the biscuit tin and sprinkle 3 or 4 tablespoons of sawdust over it. Lay the fish or meat on the wire rack skin-side upwards, and then cover the tin with the lid.

Place the tin on a gas jet or other heat source on a medium heat. The sawdust will start to smoulder and produce warm smoke that in turn both cooks and smokes the food. Reduce the heat to low. Mackerel will take about 8–10 minutes. Duck or chicken breast will take 20 –30 minutes, depending on the size. Leave to rest before eating warm or at room temperature.

Alternatively, you could buy a simple smoking box from a fishing store or hot-smoke in a tightly covered wok over a gas jet in your own kitchen.

 

Smoky Tomato Coulee

Pamela Nelson-Munson, a student from Ashland, Oregon gave me this recipe after one of our smoking demonstrations – it’s destined to become a must have sauce in our repertoire.

This is an all-round terrific sauce with endless possibilities, and totally vegan! Of course it has endless possibilities in its seasoning, but it’s surprising how much natural flavour comes out with just these simple ingredients.

As a starter, I love to serve this sparingly in a shallow bowl with 1 large or 2-3 small and very fresh butter-poached scallops. Enjoy!

5-6 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half, spoon out seeds
3-4 smashed cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1 fresh clove garlic
50ml (2fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Lay the halved Roma tomatoes (cut side down on rack) in a stove top smoker (medium heat as you see the smoke begin) for 20-30 minutes or until hot all the way through and soft but not mushy (This may take shorter or longer in your smoker). Add smashed garlic (also on rack) for last 15 minutes.

Slip the tomato out of their skins and put in food processor or blender with peeled smoked garlic, a fresh garlic clove, and any accumulated juices.

When puréed, with processor still running, add olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Store in fridge.

 

Madhulika’s Grandmother’s Pork Masala

Madhulika Sundaram from Chennai cooked this pork masala while she was with us and sweetly shared the recipe. We’ve made it several times since and remember her as we enjoy it.

Serves 6

1kg (2 1/4lb) x 2.5cm (1 inch) pork cubes from shoulder of pork
100g (3 1/2oz) sunflower oil
25g (1oz) brown mustard seeds
1 rounded tablespoon cumin seeds
500g (18oz) onion, finely chopped
1 level teaspoon turmeric powder
100g (3 1/2oz) ginger, peeled and finely diced
100g (3 1/2oz) garlic, finely chopped
6-10 red chillies, sliced into rings
350 – 475ml (12-16fl oz) water
salt
1 teaspoon soft brown sugar (optional)

Put the oil in a saucepan on a high heat, when it begins to bubble add the mustard seeds and cumin to it. As soon as the mustard seeds pop, add the onions and cook until light brown. Reduce the heat to medium and add the diced pork and the ginger, garlic, turmeric and chillies to the pan. Stir well, cover and leave to cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes.

Add 350ml (12fl oz) water, season lightly with salt and stir. Cover the pan and allow to cook gently for 40 minutes on a medium heat, stirring at regular intervals. The water should be almost fully reduced at this stage. Add half the sugar, stir well and add more if desired.

Serve in a warm bowl with rice and a fruit raita.

Note
Reduce chillies if that amount is too terrifying.

 

Bernie ter Braak Lithuanian Honey Liqueur

Compiled and presented for your pleasure by Bernie Ter Braak.

Makes 4 – 6 pints.

2 tablespoon orange peel
1 tablespoon lemon peel
3 sticks cinnamon (break lightly)
4-5 pods of cardamom, lightly crushed
1 nutmeg, lightly crushed
3-5 cloves (leave whole)
1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
3-4 allspice, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon black pepper, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon white pepper, lightly crushed
3-4 thin slices white ginger
3-4 thin slices red ginger (if available)
1 tbsp or 3 sticks of vanilla
a pinch of saffron (for colour)
3lbs (1.3kgs) honey
1.2 litres (2 pints) water of water
750ml (1 ½ pints) vodka

Put the water into a large pot. Simmer the dry spices until fragrant. Add the moist spices. When blended, add the honey, simmer but do not boil. When the honey is dissolved, remove the spices (strainer). Remove from any flame source and add the alcohol.

Allow to cool and bottle in sterilized containers.

Some people drink this right away, but it is highly recommended that you let it age in the bottle in a dark, cool place, for at least 6 months. The longer it ages, the better it gets.

Hot Tips

The members of OOOBY (Out of Our Own Backyard) Shanagarry have some wonderful fresh produce from their gardens for sale on the wall outside the Shanagarry Design Centre from 10:30am to 12:30pm every Saturday. They also sell their home-baking, jams and pickles.

Silver Darlings – Irish Atlantic pickled and marinated herring products made by a Finnish native Kirsti O’Kelly. Kirsti learned to pickle herring from her mother and both of her grandmothers. It is not cooked but the process of preserving the fish dissolves all the nasty herring bones leaving the flesh meaty but soft and easy to eat. The family recipes were passed on the generations and now Kirsti with her husband Eoin continue the tradition on Corbally Road in Limerick. Silver Darlings products are available at farmers markets at the Real Olive Company stalls, Toonsbridge Café, the English Market in Cork, Mortons in Ranelagh, Cake Café, Dublin and Kai Galway – 086-0661132

***

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2013. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina writes about an aspect of ‘cheap’ food production that is rarely discussed - the human cost. And says it is time to ask questions

I was totally shocked by an article by George Arbuthnott in the Sunday Times Magazine recently on the human cost of our food. “They’re the invisible army – modern day slaves, trafficked into Britain to work in the food factories and farms that supply our leading supermarkets. They live in squalor, are paid next to nothing and are often physically abused.”

For a very long time, I’ve been deeply concerned about the relentless downward pressure on the price of many food items. The consequence has been to force down the price of the wrong foods. Living on the farm and being actively involved in the food business I know it simply can’t be done.

It’s impossible to produce any kind of food that is nourishing and wholesome for the retail price that’s being charged for many items. The horse meat scandal should have taught us that, but after the initial shock the message is soon forgotten.

Someone has to be paying to supply us with the unrealistically cheap food we have now come to believe is our right.

In the 1980s we spent 27.7% of our income in real terms on food, nowadays its just 16.2%, so the reality is food has now moved a long way down our list of priorities.

When the supermarket offers ‘Buy one, get one free’ most of the general public are unaware that is usually the farmers or food producer who is supplying the ‘free’ one, consequently they are getting half the amount of money for their produce.

When the retailers need a product they ask their suppliers to source it at a certain price and on and on it goes through an increasingly convoluted food chain which often involves migrant workers, who have been hoodwinked by the promise of generous pay and good working conditions.

The human traffickers and gang masters who lure these vulnerable, uneducated people - who are often desperate to get work - prefer to target those who don’t speak the language so they can’t communicate with fellow workers. They work in many areas of food production, meat packing and processing and the supermarket buyers sometimes do not realise exactly how the product is achieved at the price.

But it’s time to ask questions. Many large fruit and vegetables farmers are greatly dependent on migrant labour for harvesting, and there are many who treat their workers honourably and work with the gangmasters who do not engage in exploitation. But it’s very much a live issue; BBC Farming Today Programme also looked at it recently.

Paul Broadbent the chief executive of the GLA (Gangmasters Licencing Authority) explained their modus operandi “The traffickers are locking people up for six, seven hours a day and then making them work 16 to 17 hours. The victims are absolutely trapped because they are financially tied to these people. They don’t feel able to report it to the police because the enforcers have told them they will be deported.”

“They take the passport, mobile phone and any form of identification off the victims and set up a bank account into which all their earnings are paid, it may be the case that victims either don’t know what they are signing or the enforcer threatens and intimidates them into it.

The controlling man then uses the account to apply for bank loans and benefits and racks up thousands of pounds. Every conceivable fraud and deception is committed and they rule with an iron rod. They force people to live in squalor and pile them high.”

Animal welfare issues are increasingly highlighted, and rightly so, but how about the human cost of our cheap food?

*** 

Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2013. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column

Christmas Recipes and Tips - and Good News about Real Butter!

The shops are brimming with tempting trinkets and baubles and canny shoppers are taking advantage of pre-Christmas bargains, and ticking off their lists. How good it feels to be organised, but more and more it’s a challenge for so many who are trying to balance both time and budget.

With less than a few days to go, if you have not already ordered your turkey or goose, do it right away. Organic free range turkeys are still in short supply ever since the annual sales of New York dressed turkeys were stopped in 1999.

I like to find an old fashioned bronze turkey but well reared white turkeys can also be good if hung for long enough. I hang them for three weeks plus, but that may not be to everyone’s taste. I personally find it greatly enhances the flavour.

A good ham is almost as much of challenge to find nowadays, as the paranoia around fat has forced producers to produce leaner and leaner ham which no longer has the sweetness or succulence of a fine fat ham.

My favourite Christmas cakes include a light and a rich version, also Dundee cake. Although they benefit from being made ahead then wrapped and stored, cakes can also be made closer to Christmas Day.

Now for the good news about butter which, of course, is a star ingredient in the Christmas baking (see recipes below).

Surprise, surprise butter is better for you than margarine or all those spreads. How brilliant is that – 40 years on, we discover that butter, a totally natural product made from cream, is better for us than margarine containing up to ten ingredients.

It’s even more bizarre than that, we’ve now discovered at long last that fat is good for us and that the low fat diets were in many cases detrimental to our health. In a widely reported piece in the British Medical Journal, eminent cardiologist at Croyden University Hospital, Dr Aseem Malhotra argued that it was time to bust the myth of the role of saturated fat in heart disease.

From his analysis of the independent evidence he has concluded that there is no argument to back up the theory that saturated fats from non-processed foods are detrimental to our health. He maintains that saturated fats have been ‘demonised’ ever since a landmark study in the 1970’s concluded that there was a correlation between the incidence of coronary heart disease and total cholesterol.

An entire food industry has evolved and profited from this low fat mantra for almost four decades and the reality is low fat foods are often loaded with sugar and added salt, so according to Dr Malhotra it’s time for a paradigm shift, “We are now learning that added sugar in food is driving the obesity epidemic plus the rise in diabetes and cardiovascular disease”

The relentless message that saturated fat must be avoided to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease has dominated public heath campaigns and dietary advice for almost 40 years. This recommendation clearly has not produced the desired result.

Dr Malhotra highlighted the fact that the amount of fat consumption in the US has decreased from 40 to 30% in the past 30 years yet obesity rates have rocketed. Questionable dietary advice has also led to the over medication of millions who have been prescribed statins to control their blood pressure and cholesterol levels. When, he argues, “adopting a Mediterranean diet after a heart attack is almost three times as effective in reducing mortality as taking a statin. Doctors need to embrace prevention as well as treatment”.

Dr Malhotra argues that sugar rich foods are more likely to result in a heart attack via Metabolic syndrome – a cluster of symptoms including high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity (the plague of the 21st century.) Butter, full fat milk, cheese and even eggs (for a period) were demonised while oil based spreads and low fat products flew off the shelves.

Many schools changed over to serving low fat products to their students and even questions on the Leaving Certificate paper suggested that margarine was more beneficial to your health than butter, a fact that incensed my niece in a recent exam.

Despite the paranoia around cholesterol levels a recent University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) study indicated that 75% of acute heart patients do not have ‘high cholesterol’ Sounds like it’s time to rethink the received wisdom and “bust the myth of the role of saturated fat in heart disease” This won’t be easy considering the huge vested interests in the low fat industry – wait for the backlash.

Professor Robert Lustig, Paediatric Endocrinologist at the University of San Francisco, commented “Food should confer wellness not illness and real food does just that, including saturated fat, but when saturated fat got mixed up with the high sugar added to processed food in the second half of the 20th century, it got a bad name. Which is worse the saturated fat or sugar?

The American Heart Foundation has joined in the debate. “Sugar many times over, plus added sugar causes all the diseases associated with metabolic syndrome instead of lowering serum cholesterol with statins, which is dubious at best, how about serving up real food?” They have a point.

RECIPES:

Darina Allen’s Iced Christmas Cake

This makes a moist cake which keeps very well. It can either be made months ahead or, if you are frenetically busy, then it will still be delish even if made just a few days before Christmas — believe me I know!

Serves about 40

110g (4oz) real glacé cherries
50g (2oz) whole almonds
350g (12oz) best-quality sultanas
350g (12oz) best-quality currants
350g (12oz) best-quality raisins
110g (4oz) homemade candied peel
50g (2oz) ground almonds
Zest of 1 organic unwaxed lemon
Zest of 1 organic unwaxed orange
60ml (21/2 fl oz) Irish whiskey
225g (8oz) butter
225g (8oz) pale, soft-brown sugar or golden caster sugar
6 organic eggs
275g (10oz) flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1 large or 2 small Bramley seedling apples, grated

Line the base and sides of a 23cm (9 inch) round, or 20cm (8 inch) square tin with a double thickness of silicone paper. Then tie a double layer of brown paper around the outside of the tin. Have a sheet of brown or silicone paper to lay on top of the tin during cooking.

Wash the cherries and dry them gently. Cut in two or four as desired. Blanch the almonds in boiling water for 1–2 minutes, then rub off the skins and chop them finely. Mix the dried fruit, nuts, ground almonds and grated orange and lemon zest. Add about half of the whiskey and leave for 1 hour to macerate.

Preheat the oven to 160C/ 325F/gas mark 3.

Cream the butter until very soft. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Whisk the eggs and add in bit by bit, beating well between each addition so that the mixture doesn’t curdle. Mix the mixed spice with the flour and stir gently into the butter mixture. Add the grated cooking apple to the plumped up fruit and stir into the butter mixture gently but thoroughly (don’t beat the mixture again or you will toughen the cake).

Put the mixture into the prepared cake tin. Make a slight hollow in the centre, dip your hand in water and pat it over the surface of the cake — this will ensure that the top is smooth when cooked.

Now lay a double sheet of brown paper on top of the cake to protect the surface from the direct heat. Bake for 1 hour. Then reduce the heat to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2 and bake for a further 21/2 hours, until cooked; test in the centre with a skewer — it should come out completely clean. Pour the remainder of the whiskey over the cake and leave it to cool in the tin.

Next day, remove the cake from the tin. Do not remove the lining paper but wrap the cake in some extra greaseproof paper and tin foil until required.

Store in a cool, dry place; the longer the cake is stored the more mature it will be.

 

Almond Paste and Cake Icing

I ice the Christmas cake with almond icing and decorate it with heart shapes made from the almond paste. Then I brush it with whisked egg yolk and pop it in the oven — simply delicious!

Serves about 40
For the cake mixture:
450g (1lb) golden caster sugar
450g (1lb) ground almonds
2 small organic eggs
2 tbsp Irish whiskey
A drop of pure almond extract
For Brushing on the Cake:
1 organic egg white, lightly whisked, or sieved apricot jam
For the Fondant Icing:
1 packet fondant (450g/1lb)

Sieve the caster sugar and mix with the ground almonds. Whisk the eggs, add the whiskey and 1 drop of almond extract, then add to the other ingredients and mix to a stiff paste. (You may not need all of the egg.)

Sprinkle the worktop with icing sugar, turn out the almond paste and work lightly until smooth.

Remove the paper from the cake. To make life easier for yourself, put a sheet of greaseproof paper onto the worktop and dust with some icing sugar. Take about half the almond paste and roll it out on the paper: it should be a little less than 1cm (1/2 inch) thick.

Paint the top of the cake with the egg white or apricot jam and put the cake, sticky-side down, onto the almond paste. Give the cake a thump to ensure it sticks and then cut around the edge.

If the cake is a little round-shouldered, cut the almond paste a little larger; pull away the extra bits and keep for later to make hearts or holly leaves. Use a palette knife to press the extra almond paste in against the top of the cake and fill any gaps.

Then slide a knife underneath the cake or, better still, underneath the paper and turn the cake the right way up. Peel off the greaseproof paper.

Then roll out 2 long strips of almond paste: trim an edge to the height of the cake with a palette knife. Paint both the cake and the almond paste lightly with egg white or apricot jam.

Then press the strip against the sides of the cake: do not overlap or there will be a bulge with the uneven edge upwards. Trim the excess almond paste with a long-bladed knife and keep for decoration and to make almond biscuits.

Use a straight-sided water glass to even the edges and smooth the join. Then rub the cake well with your hand to ensure a nice flat surface.

Leave in a cool, dry place for a few days to allow the almond paste to dry out; otherwise the oil in the almonds will seep through the fondant icing.

To fondant ice:

Sprinkle a little icing sugar onto the worktop.

Roll out the sheet of fondant to a thickness of a scant 5mm (1/4 inch).

Paint the cake with egg white or apricot jam, then gently lift the sheet of icing and lay it over the top of the cake so it drapes evenly over the sides.

Press out any air bubbles with your hands, and then trim the base. Decorate as you wish. We use a little posy of winter leaves and berries, including crab apples, elderberries, rosemary, old man’s beard and viburnum.

That’s just one option. You could also add simple shapes stamped out of the remaining fondant icing — stars, holly leaves, Santas — to produce an impressive result. Or you could use gold ribbon wrapped around the cake, tied in an ornate bow on the top.

 

Ballymaloe Fudge

Makes 96 squares approx.

½ lb (225g) butter
2 lbs (900g) castor sugar
1 can evaporated milk
7 fl ozs (200ml) water
¼ tsp pure vanilla extract

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

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over a low heat. Add the milk, water, sugar and vanilla extract and stir with a whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Turn up the heat to simmer, stir constantly until it reaches the ‘soft ball’ stage — 113ºC/235ºF.

To test, put some of the fudge in a bowl of cold water.

When ready pull off the heat. Stir vigorously until it thickens and reaches the required consistency – thick and sandy. Sit the base of the saucepan into a sink of cold water to stop the cooking. Pour into a Swiss Roll tin and smooth the surface with a spatula.

Allow to cool and then cut into squares before it gets completely cold.

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina takes a very long journey to the far north of Sweden - and it’s rewarded with a very big treat

There is a restaurant way up in the tip of Sweden, 600 miles north of Stockholm that I have been longing to go to for quite some time – it’s called Fäviken, I managed to get a booking a couple of weeks before Christmas. It’s quite a mission to get there, you have to fly from Trondheim via Oslo, hire a car and drive two and half hours north through the snow and then Alleluia, there it is, a sign for Fäviken like a mirage in the dark.

We drove along a windy snow covered avenue, lots of fir trees and a collection of traditional Swedish timber houses painted in brick red. We’re greeted by Robert a friendly young man who sounds as though he is from New York, turns out he’s now from a local town who watches a lot of American TV!

The rooms are cosy and chic, beautiful linen, lots of timber, spruce I think and Swedish grey paint. The sauna and shower is just across from our bedroom. They've laid out a timber ice bucket with champagne, a Petit Chablis and several bottles of their home made beer, and then a little snack of wafer thin house-cured ham and pickled vegetables.

After a delicious sauna and lots of cold beer, we go down to the comfy drawing room at 6.30, we're determined to enjoy every second. There are several clusters of seats and a big log fire, Magnus greets us warmly like long lost friends, I’d forgotten that I'd sent him a copy of Forgotten Skills last year and apparently he loved it, he's planning to come to the LitFest in 2015. It would be brilliant to have him speak about opening a restaurant 600kms north of Stockholm out in the back of beyond; Ballymaloe is positively urban by comparison...

We had a couple of homemade Negroni, A couple from Sweden joined us and then delicious little bites started to come, the first was paper thin linseed crackers to dip in mussel sauce. Then a little crackly tartlet made from blood with trout eggs to be eaten all in one bite, next lingonberries and crow berries in a tiny bowl with a hot dashi like broth on top, all these bites came with instructions on how best to enjoy them.

Next, on a flat stone a beautifully arranged pickled herring that had been buried underground for two years. A heavily disguised piece of pigs head inside a crispy croquette on a little birch twig, delicious and we still hadn't got upstairs to the dining room – this is another timber lined room which doubles as a curing room for occasional hams and other cured meats. Fäviken serves only 14 people each night, it's always full and guests fly in from all over the world.

The meal itself started at quite a lively pace, one delicious morsel after another, there were 27 'courses' in all and exquisite handmade butter and sourdough bread. Altogether it was a memorable experience; the staff are all local and so sweet and knowledge and delighted to be part of Fäviken.  After dinner, a selection of little sweet treats, homemade liqueurs and fresh herb infusions and Swedish snus for those who felt inclined.

Magnus came out of the kitchen and gave us a tour of the butchery and curing room and the underground Root Shed where they store all their root vegetables and pickles during the long cold Swedish winter.

Magnus only uses local ingredients with a couple of rare exceptions, they don't even use citrus or spices but use lots of preserved, pickled and fermented foods in the winter. Magnus has tremendous respect for inherited wisdom and tradition and an insatiable appetite to learn time honoured ways of doing things. He and his small team of chefs, five in total, kill their own deer, moose, elk and wild fowl and catch fat brown trout in the summer. They butcher them and use every scrap including the delicious nutritious blood.

Early in the morning we had a superb breakfast, one of the rare breakfasts that lived up to the dinner the night before. There were several unusual things, a smooth reindeer pâté, potted trout, a kind of special Swedish yoghurt and a Nordic porridge, also cloudberry jam and sour cream, homemade caviar and more of that wonderful butter. Sadly we had to rush it because our flight left Trondheim at noon.

As we drove back to the airport we fantasised about how Ireland could be the new centre of the gastronomic world, we certainly have the produce and without question, many of our young cooks and chefs have the skills, but do we have the combination of curiosity and respect for our traditional food culture and appreciation of what's unique in our landscape?

This is the special experience that brings people from all four corners of the globe on a daily basis to places like Noma in Copenhagen and Fäviken in Northern Sweden. Just shows, as the old saying goes you “If you make the best mousetrap, people will go out of their way to find it...” A lesson to us all...

Magnus Nilsson’s book Fäviken is extraordinary, published by Phaidon Press, it costs €45.00 and is worth every penny.

A recipe from Fäviken: Wild trout roe in a warm crust of dried pigs’ blood

This recipe, together with the scallop over burning juniper, is the most iconic that this young restaurant has come up with. Served as an appetiser before the main meal, I love it for its deliciousness, and for the egg-yolk flavour of the trout roe and its popping texture.

It started when I was searching for a good vehicle for the different types of roe that are available from the clean, crisp mountain waters around Fäviken.

At first it was a little potato pancake, which turned into a blood pancake, which later turned into a crispy disc of fried Swedish black pudding (blood sausage). This process took about two years and the change to something closer to perfection occurred when I found an old croustade iron in a flea market. I bought it and started experimenting with the batter – a hellish task, as it turned out.

The idea is that you heat the whole iron in hot fat, then dip it into a very runny batter just long enough for some of it to cook and stick to the surface. When the iron is lifted out, the excess batter drips off the iron, which is once more dipped into hot fat to cook the thin crust formed on it.

You can probably imagine how difficult it was to find a recipe that didn’t stick too much to the iron, especially when I started to substitute some of the egg for pigs’ blood. At first it was just that, a thin crust of pastry containing blood, which we filled with trout
roe and a little salt on top.

After a while we added a kind of custard containing blood, which was piped into the crusts to fill them halfway and then baked at the last minute, topping the now custard-filled pastry with trout roe.

The dish took on its final appearance when I saw some dried blood on a plate in the kitchen; shiny and almost black, it had an extremely fragile texture when you touched it, and running a fingernail through it shattered it into tiny, almost glass-like fragments, which were delicious.

From then on we dipped the crusts in raw blood and baked them before piping the custard into them. This process is what gives the crust its very particular texture and appearance.

Serves 6

For the croustades
100g unbleached, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour
1 pinch salt
100g double (heavy) cream
50g pig’s blood, plus 100g for dipping
1 egg yolk
10g melted butter
fresh, unsalted trout roe, taken out of the fridge about 2 hours before serving
neutral oil, for deep-frying
salt

For the custard
100g pigs’ blood
100g whole eggs
25g butter

Mix together the flour, salt, double cream, 50g pigs’ blood, egg yolk and melted butter to make a batter and leave it to rest in the fridge overnight. If you rush this you will get bubbles in your croustades.

Heat the oil with the croustade iron in the casserole. When it is nice and hot, take the iron out and dip it quickly into the batter, then put the whole thing quickly but carefully back into the oil and cook until crisp. Loosen the little croustades from the iron and place on a paper towel.

When all the croustades are cooked, dip them one by one into the blood and place them upside down on a rack so the excess blood runs off. Turn them right way up again and place on a baking tray. Cook at 150°C (300°F) until the blood is dry and completely coagulated. Repeat until the desired thickness is achieved - it depends on the thickness of the blood, but 3 times is usually enough.

To make the custard, place all the ingredients in a Thermomix and process at 80°C (175°F) until thick and silky smooth. Place in a piping (pastry) bag and keep it at room temperature until later.

When the croustades are ready, halfway-fill them with custard and warm them through in the oven at 150°C (300°F). When warm, spoon a nice mound of roe into each croustade and place them on preheated stones or plates. Finish with a tiny pinch of salt on top of each one.
 

 

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

 

This month Darina Allen comments on the food trends that are sweeping the world

IT’S a hugely exciting time to be in food. Farmers are more optimistic about the future than they have been in years and a high percentage of start-up businesses are food related.

There’s innovation at every level so it’s fun to ponder on emerging food trends in different sectors. For dedicated food trend-spotters, it’s always worth studying what’s hot in the US and UK because much of that will be coming our way in the not-too-distant future.

In the US, according to Conagra Foods, 62% of consumers want to support companies that have ethical policies and donate to important social causes.

Customers are fast becoming more educated about supermarket practices and products, they want more sustainable packaging and less plastic wrapping.

On the other hand there is a definite small shop revival in many cities — a counter reaction to the super-convenient, increasingly impersonal shopping experience.

There is a growing realisation that the 24/7 snacking habit is here to stay. According to supermarket guru Phil Lempert there are lots of opportunities to capitalise on that by supplying ‘better for you’ and ‘on the go’ options.

Food waste continues to be an issue but using up leftovers and making the most of lesser known fish and cuts of meat has never been so trendy.

As allergies and food intolerances continue to rise ‘Free From’ foods gain more and more shelf space and create opportunities for food entrepreneurs.

Every year there seems to be a new super food, for 2013 it was kale — so what’s coming up? Some predict the humble cauliflower and kohlrabi, I certainly saw lots of cardoons on fancy restaurant menus in the US last year.

Ancient beans and grains like freekeh, faro, teff and the humble pearl barley are definitely causing renewed excitement. We’ll see even more adventurous use of spices, chilli and exotic flavourings in home kitchens, not just to jazz up increasingly bland ingredients, but for their health benefits — turmeric for example has antibacterial properties and is a powerful antioxidant.

Tea has been predicted to be the new coffee for quite some time now but it’s been slow in coming. However things are hotting up: Starbucks has joined forces with Teavana in the US to open the first Tea Bar in New York.

Check out The Tea Shop on MacCurtain Street in Cork city which offers Ireland’s biggest selection of loose leaf teas and the Palais des Thés on 31 Wicklow Street in Dublin.

The cronut, Dominique Ansel’s cross between a croissant and a donut was the hottest food item in New York last year and they’re still queuing around the corner of Spring Street.

Ramen shops popped up everywhere and now at last we have a Ramen restaurant in Cork on 21 Angelsea Street, (www.ramen.ie ; 021-4317116).

We’re slurping noodles in every shape and form. They are hot and getting hotter. Check out Koya Udon noodle restaurant on 49 Frith Street in London.

Burgers continue to endure but the ones that are making waves are boasting higher fat and better provenance. Last year was the year of the innovative bun, lots of new twists and flavours and even brioche. The big success story in the fast food area in the US was Wendy’s Bacon Cheeseburger on a Pretzel bun.

Our love affair with bacon continues but now for top chefs and cooks it’s about house-cured bacon, hams, sausages and salami. Fermenting and pickling continues to excite both cooks and diners. Home smoking is a growing trend. Top restaurants are seeking out hand-made, traditional and cultured butter and cream.

Artisan and local foods are still very strong, sustainable fish and home-made, or as they say in the US, house-made ice cream, granitas and sorbets made with seasonal ingredients.

Vegetables are gradually edging their way to the centre stage. Vegan is becoming more main stream and we will see more veggie dishes in non-vegetarian restaurants. The Grain Store in London continues to cause a stir and we’re noticing more salads as an art form.

Small plates, sharing dishes, and small plate desserts are huge hits with restaurant customers. Top chefs are growing their own on rooftops and balconies and more chefs own their own farms, and are employing foragers and incorporating seasonal wild foods into their menus. Supermarkets like Wholefoods in the US are putting vegetable gardens and tunnels on their roofs.

The interest in hand-made and craft items, farmhouse cheeses and artisan foods endures and there’s a renewed interest in ‘ethnic’ cheeses, queso fresco, halloumi, paneer, heirloom varieties of tomatoes, speciality salt, urban honey, raw honey, leaves, banana, taro and kaffir lime leaves. At a recent meal that I enjoyed in Faviken in Sweden Magnus Nielson steamed potatoes in autumn leaves.

New ethnic flavours continue to excite, the sales of Sriracha, the Thai hot sauce are catching up on ketchup.

There’s also huge excitement in the drinks area — craft brewers and micro-distillers are popping up everywhere. Chefs are making house-made lemonade, sodas, bitters and ratafias. Natural wines are exploding – orange wine is a cult. Cocktails, mocktails and liqueurs are ever more exciting and inventive and there’s lots more but I’ve run out of space.

RECIPES: Rachel Allen’s Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata

Gremolata is an Italian condiment made from a mixture of garlic, parsley and lemon peel that is traditionally served with braised veal but is equally at home sprinkled over fish and provides a lovely tangy foil to roasted cauliflower, as here.

By roasting cauliflower the florets take on a charred crispness while the flesh remains soft and yielding.

Serves 4–6
2 cauliflowers, cut into florets
110ml (4fl oz) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Gremolata:
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed or finely grated
4 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200C (400F), Gas mark 6.

Place the cauliflower florets in a large bowl and mix with the olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.

Place on a baking tray and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through the cooking time, until the cauliflower is tender and just browned at the edges.

While the cauliflower is roasting, make the gremolata by simply mixing all the ingredients together and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

When the cauliflower is cooked, lightly mix with the gremolata and serve.

Ottolenghi’s Kohlrabi and White Cabbage Slaw with Lemon Zest, Tarragon, Dill and Sesame Seeds

Serves 4
1 kohlrabi bulb (300g/10½oz)
200g (7 ozs) white cabbage
30g (1¼oz) parsley, chopped
30g (1¼oz) dill, chopped
30g (1¼oz) tarragon, chopped
70g (2¾oz) dried cranberries
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp grated lemon zest
120ml (3¾fl ozs) lemon juice
2 tbsp maple syrup
60ml (2½ fl ozs) olive oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
4 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
Salt and black pepper

Peel the kohlrabi, slice thinly and cut into matchsticks. Slice the cabbage as thinly as possible.

Place together in a mixing bowl all of the ingredient, mix well, taste and add salt and pepper accordingly.

 

Smoked Gubbeen and Pearl Barley Salad with Toasted Almonds, Apple and Pomegranate Seeds

Pearl Barley is inexpensive and fantastically nourishing — lots of protein, vitamins, and minerals — some varieties are also high in Lysine.

In tandem with other grains it’s having a revival of interest in gastronomic circles. We also use it for pilaffs and to add to winter stews as casserole like our Grannys did!

Serves 4-8

6½oz (165g) pearl barley
1½ litres (2½ pints) water
1 tsp salt
2 dessert apples, Cox’s orange or Gala, cored and diced
Freshly squeezed lemon juice of 1 lemon
Seeds from ½-1 pomegranate, depending on size
2½oz (65g) halved toasted almonds
Coarsely chopped diced smoked
Gubbeen cheese

Dressing:

125ml (4fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp Forum Chardonnay vinegar or cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Flat parsley leaves

Put the pearl barley and water into a saucepan and add salt. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 20 minutes.

Drain very well. Whisk the extra virgin olive oil and vinegar and crushed garlic together, season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Toss while still warm. Spread out to cool.

Meanwhile, quarter and dice the apple. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the top, and add the pomegranate seeds, well toasted almonds and diced smoked Gubbeen cheese.

Add the remainder of the dressing. Toss gently and combine with the pearl barley. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Transfer to a serving dish and allow the flavours to meld for an hour or so.

Scatter with flat parsley leaves and serve.

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine from 16 - 18th May 2014

www.litfest.ie

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina reminds us of the importance of the small shops that we so often value only when it is too late - and her favourite new recipes include a variation on the classic scone and a delicious way to cook that much maligned vegetable, the Brussels sprout.

There’s lots of grizzle about ‘over here’ but we have a lot to be grateful for too. I recently spent a weekend with friends in the UK in a prosperous part of middle England.

The local village had neither pub nor local shop and the nearest town (about the size of Midleton) had five supermarkets, two of which were discounters. There was not a single food shop or deli and only one butcher hanging on by his fingernails.

The main street had several estate agents, betting shops, a Spec Savers, a couple of charity shops, several fast food outlets and a Boots.

At one point the conversation at dinner centred around two nearby villages where the local community were desperately trying to save the last local shop. In Dymock in the Forest of Dean the last remaining pub in the village was destined to be a housing development so the locals joined with the parish council to buy the Beauchamp Arms for the community.

Here in Ireland it’s not easy for small shops to survive either, especially in the current climate. Low, and below-cost-selling makes it impossible to compete on price.

However, an emerging trend brings a flicker of hope; both in the US and in the UK smaller shops are beginning to pop up again and apparently there is a craving for a more personal type of shopping experience.

The Mary Portas TV Series on Channel 4 — Mary Queen of Shops — about the demise of the high street and small shops which highlighted the problem.

RECIPES:

Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts and Candied Bacon

Brussels sprouts are the number one most hated vegetable. The poor little sprout has had very bad press, mostly because it can be tough to cook well.

If you follow the conventional wisdom to cut a cross in the base and boil them, you are pretty much guaranteed the result that has condemned the sprout to its appalling reputation. However, hazelnuts and bacon have a natural affinity with sprouts.

Serves 6?

500g (18oz) Brussels sprouts
25g (1oz) butter
62ml (2½ fl oz) homemade chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g (2oz) hazelnuts
6 slices lightly smoked streaky bacon —?approximately 110g (4oz)
40g (1½ oz) soft pale brown sugar
Garnish?2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Trim the sprouts, cut in halves and shred thinly.

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

Toast the hazelnuts on a baking tray in a preheated at 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 15 minutes, shaking regularly until golden and skin.

Allow to cool, then chop coarsely.

Cover a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper. Dip the streaky bacon in pale soft brown sugar so both sides are coated.

Cook for 10-15 minutes until the bacon is caramelised on both sides. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a minute or two and remove to a wire rack to crisp up. 

Meanwhile, over a medium high heat, melt the butter in a sauté pan. When it foams add the shredded sprouts, toss to coat, add the chicken stock, cover and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes tossing regularly. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The sprouts should be still fresh and green. Snip the bacon into uneven pieces with scissors.

Add most of the coarsely chopped hazelnuts and candied bacon. Toss, taste and correct seasoning.

Turn into a hot serving dish.

Sprinkle with the remaining hazelnuts, candied bacon and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

 

Emily’s Poppy Seed and Lemon Scones

Emily Johnson from Switzerland recently did this delicious? variation on our scone recipe.

Makes 18-20 scones, using a 3 inch (7½ cm) cutter

2lb (900g) plain white flour
6ozs (175g) butter
Pinch of salt?2oz (50g) castor sugar
3 heaped tsp baking powder
Rind of one lemon
4 tbsp of poppy seeds
3 free-range eggs
15 fl ozs (450ml) approx. full cream milk?to mix (not low fat milk)
Egg wash (see below)
2 ozs (50g) granulated sugar for top of scones
Lemon Butter?3 tsp finely grated lemon rind
6 ozs (175g) butter
7 ozs (180g) icing sugar

Preheat the oven 250C/475F/regulo 9.

First make the lemon butter. Cream the butter with the finely grated lemon rind. Add the sifted icing sugar and beat until fluffy. 

Sieve the flour into a large wide bowl; add a pinch of salt, the baking powder and castor sugar. Grate the rind of one lemon on the finest part of the grater over the dry ingredients in the bowl. Add the poppy seeds.

Mix the dry ingredients with your hands, lift up to incorporate air and mix thoroughly. Cut the butter into cubes, toss well in the flour and then with the tips of your fingers rub in the butter until it resembles large flakes.

Make a well in the centre. Whisk the eggs with the milk; pour all at once into the centre.

With the fingers of your ‘best hand’ outstretched and stiff, mix in a full circular movement from the centre to the outside of the bowl. This takes just seconds and hey presto, the scone dough is made.

Sprinkle some flour on the work surface. Turn out the dough onto the floured board. Scrape the dough off your fingers and wash and dry your hands at this point.

Tidy around the edges, flip over roll out to about 1inch thick and cut or stamp into scones. Put onto a baking sheet. No need to grease.

Alternatively roll out the scone dough or pat gently into a rectangle about 3/4 inch (2cm) thick.

Spread the soft lemon butter over the surface. Roll up lengthwise and cut into pieces about 1 1/4 inch (3cm) thick.

Brush the tops with egg wash (see below) and dip the tops only in granulated sugar. Put onto a baking sheet fairly close together. Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on top. 

If making classic scones, cool on a wire rack. Serve, split in half with lemon butter - delicious.

Egg Wash - Whisk one egg thoroughly with about a dessertspoon of milk. This is brushed over the scones to help them brown in the oven.

Practical Tip - Scone mixture may be weighed up ahead - even the day before. Butter may be rubbed in but do not add raising agent and liquid until just before serving.

 

Watercress, Blood Orange and New Seasons Toonsbridge Mozzarella Salad 

The rich West Cork pasture that the buffalos feed on gives the Toonsbridge Mozzarella its quintessentially Irish taste. A few beautiful fresh ingredients put together simply make an irresistible starter.

Just before serving, scatter a few watercress leaves over the base of each plate, slice or tear some mozzarella over the top.

Serves 4

2-3 balls of fresh Toonsbridge Mozzarella
2 blood oranges
A bunch of fresh watercress
2-3 tbsp Irish honey
A good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Some coarsely ground black pepper

With a sharp knife remove the peel and pith from the blood oranges, cut into ¼ inch (5mm) thick slices, tuck a few here and there in between the watercress and mozzarella.

Drizzle with honey and really good extra virgin olive oil. Finally add a little coarsely ground fresh black pepper and serve.

 

Kale, Fennel, Radish and Parmesan Salad

Keep the sliced fennel and radishes in iced water for at least 5 minutes before use.

Serves 4 as a starter

150g (5oz) green curly kale, stalks included
110g (4oz) fennel thinly sliced
8 French Breakfast radishes thinly sliced at a long angle
4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper.

Remove the stalks from the kale and shred very finely.

Put some kale, drained fennel and radishes into a bowl. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

Grate on some Parmesan with a slivery micro plane.

Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss and taste and serve.
 

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine from 16 - 18th May 2014

www.litfest.ie

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

 

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina shares some of the culinary highlights from Lucknow, a place that turned out to be full of surprises on a recent visit to India

What a surprise Lucknow was, even though it is famous for its Awadhi food, sophisticated culture, gastronomic etiquette and Chickan embroidery, it's not really on the main tourist trail despite its fascinating history and memorable monuments. We spent three days there and loved it. The city was founded by the Nawads who came from Persia at the invitation of the Mogul king Mohammed Shah in 1725.

I only knew one person in Lucknow, a lady called Vijay Khan whom I'd met briefly in Udaipur a couple of years ago and had promised to visit if I ever came to that city. She'd invited us to dinner at her home and a trip to their house in the country the following day. Well, it turns out that she is the wife of the Raja of Mahmudabad no less.

What a lovely surprise, we were collected from our hotel and brought to their residence in Lucknow. After lots of riveting conversation, we went downstairs to what appeared to be a family dining room with book lined walls, simple furniture, fascinating black and white photos on the wall and intriguing memorabilia.

The round table was groaning with some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten anywhere, several mutton (goat) dishes including Raan and Biryani, an aubergine raita, an intriguing sweet dish called Mutanjan with rice, mutton, yoghurt and spices apparently this was a favourite of the old Nawads, but few cooks know how to prepare it nowadays. For dessert there was Royal toast, light fluffy balai ke tukre topped with silver leaf – all totally memorable.

Our gracious host, Sulaiman Khan, is a great scholar and a graduate of Imperial College Cambridge with degrees in astro physics and theology. A native Urdu speaker who bursts into poetry every now and then to illustrate a point. It was a memorable evening in so many ways. The servants and cooks, Bawarchis (cooks), Rakabdars (mastercooks), stood around in a semi circle silently watching while we enjoyed the delicious food they had cooked for us.

Lucknow has many spectacular buildings and historical monuments but as ever food was my focus so I arranged to have a cookery class. My teacher Cyrus turned out to be a great fan of Rachel's so I promised to send a signed copy of her latest book. He taught me how to make a Lucknow chicken korma and the mutton kebabs that Lucknow is so famous for.

The famous Awadi food of Lucknow evolved under the patronage of the Nawads and aristocrats who treated it almost like an art form but when time and history wrought havoc on the fortunes of the noble families, their ‘out of work’ cooks and chefs continued the gastronomic tradition on the streets and the secret recipes were passed down in families from generation to generation.

Cyrus also took us on a 'culinary tour' of the Chowk Bazzar in the heart of the old city. The frenzied atmosphere was similar to Old Delhi. We ate some amazing street food in surroundings that were challenging even for me!

We started with Kebabs at Tundys, a 108 year old kebab house in the Chowk which originally made its name catering for the Nawabs of Awadh. Kebabs in Lucknow aren't remotely like kebabs as we know them, Tunday is famous for little tender spicy mutton patties cooked on an enormous pan to a secret recipe. They are now cooked by the great grandson of the original owner sitting there with a little white crochet cap.

We tasted another Lucknow delicacy at Museem’s, another 'hole in the wall' place famous for pasanda, a spicy barbecued meat dish marinated in yoghurt and spices and cooked over a charcoal grill.

Locals also queue up at Raheem's for a spicy, oily dish called nigiri. The sealed pot of mutton is cooked slowly overnight with lots of spices. In the morning, it's opened and each diner gets just one piece of mutton with lots of really flavoursome gravy which is eaten with a stack of fluffy flat breads called Kulchas, heart stopping but delicious...

Lucknow is also famous for its sweets, Rehmat sweets have some of the very best Jauzi Habshi and Halwa, all tooth achingly sweet but very typical.

As we wound our way along the lanes, we came to the Parathi wali gali where one shop and stall after the other turned out to be serving a mesmerising selection of freshly cooked breads from fluffy Rulchas and bakarkhani to paper thin romali roti and spongy sheruals kneaded in milk – the skills are simply mind boggling.

Here are some recipes for you to try and enjoy.

Shammi Kebab - Mutton Kebabs from Lucknow

These mutton kebabs, for which Lucknow is famous, are like no kebabs you’ve encountered before, in fact they are much more like little spiced meat patties – delicious. In India the word mutton often means goat and very delicious it is too but of course we can use lamb over here if goat is unavailable.

Serves 4

1 kg (2¼ lbs) mutton, boneless
150 g (5 oz) split bengal (channa dal), lentils
50 g (2 oz) onions
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon cumin seed
3 whole red chillies
seeds from 5 small green cardamom
seeds from 3 big black cardamom
2 inch (5 cm) piece cinnamon
6-8 black peppercorns
2 inch (5 cm) piece fresh ginger
5 allspice berries
20 g (¾ oz) garlic
3 bay leaves

1 green chilli
2-3 tablespoons onion
2-3 tablespoons green coriander

Pass the boneless mutton through a mincer and make a fine paste.

Soak the channa dal (split lentils) in water and keep aside for 1 hour.

Chop the green chillies, green coriander and onion. Keep aside to be added later.

Take a deep saucepan; put the mutton mince and all the ingredients into it. Add a little water (approx. 5 fl ozs) enough to almost cover the ingredients.

Put on a medium heat and cook until all the water has evaporated and meat is cooked through. Cyrus cooked this in a pressure cooker for 30 minutes.

Add a little fat to the mixture and stir so that the moisture evaporates and the mixture firms up. Remove from the saucepan and allow to cool and make a fine puree in a food processor. Add the chopped chillies, coriander and onions to the meat and mix in well. Divide the mixture into equal portions.

Make round patties of 2.5 inches (6 cm) diameter and shallow fry on heated tawa, griddle or frying pan on both sides till golden brown and serve hot.

We ate these delicious kebabs with sheermal an Indian flatbread with freshly chopped coriander and mint or naan would be good too.

Note: If the mixture is not firm enough to shape into balls or cracks on the outer side when rounded add 1 beaten egg to bind.

 

Lucknow Chicken Korma

Cyrus introduced me to Screw Pine Essence, of course it’s not essential but it really enhanced the flavour of this korma which was delicious anyway.

Serves 6

1 kg (2¼ lbs) chicken breast
3 onions, peeled and finely crushed
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon white peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon black cumin
2 inch (5cm) piece cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
6 green cardamom, seeded
1 blade mace
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 black cardamom
2-3 dried chillies or ¼ teaspoon dry chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
50 g (2oz) cashew nuts, coarsely ground
200 g (7oz) natural yoghurt
salt
few drops of screw pine essence (Kewra) optional

Cut the chicken breast into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes, approximately.

Whizz the onions and garlic with all the spices. Cook in a heavy bottomed pan over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes to dry stirring to prevent sticking. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of oil or ghee.

Add the ground cashew nuts and allow to cook until pink in colour, 5-6 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces and sauté. When all the liquid has evaporated, add the yoghurt stirring in a little at a time. Add salt to taste.

Cover and cook on a gentle heat until the chicken is tender – about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and add a few drops of Screw Pine Essence if available. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary.

Serve hot with rotis, (Indian flat breads) or basmati rice.

 

Carrot Halva

Taken from Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery
Serves 4

1 lb (450 g) carrots
1¼ pints (700 ml) milk
8 whole cardamom pods
5 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee
5 tablespoons caster sugar
1-2 tablespoons sultanas
1 tablespoon shelled, unsalted pistachios, lightly crushed
10 fl oz (275 ml) cream, optional

Peel the carrots and grate them either by hand or in a food processor. Put the grated carrots, milk, and cardamom pods in a heavy bottomed pot and bring to a boil.

Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring now and then, until there is no liquid left. Adjust the heat, if you need to. This boiling down of milk will take at least half an hour or longer, depending on the width of the pot.

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat. When hot, put in the carrot mixture. Stir and fry until the carrots no longer have a wet, milky look. They should turn a rich, reddish colour. This can take 10-15 minutes.

Add the sugar, sultanas and pistachios. Stir and fry for another 2 minutes.

This halva may be served warm or at room temperature. Serve the cream on the side.

 

Mangoes and Bananas in Lime Syrup

Serves 4

1 ripe mango
1-2 bananas
2 ozs (50g/1/4 cup) sugar
4 fl ozs (110ml/1/2 cup) water
1 lime

Put the sugar and water into a saucepan, stir over a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes, allow to cool.

Peel the mango and slice quite thinly down to the stone. Peel the banana into cut rounds. Put the slices into a bowl and cover with cold syrup.

Meanwhile remove the zest from the lime either with a zester or a fine stainless steel grater and add to the syrup with the juice of the lime. Leave to macerate for at least an hour. Serve chilled.
 

Upcoming Courses at Ballymaloe Cookery School Include:

12 Week Certificate Course begins Mon 28th April 2014

12 Week Certificate Course (6 Week Starter Course) begins Mon 28th April 2014

0.5 Day - Homemade Butter, Yoghurt and Several Cheeses Wed 7th May 2014

0.5 Day - 10 Great Brunch Recipes Fri 9th May 2014

0.5 Day - Get Blogging with Lucy Pearce Sat 10th May 2014

0.5 Day - Gluten Free Cooking with Rosemary Kearney Part 1 Sat 24th May 2014

 

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine from 16 - 18th May 2014

www.litfest.ie

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

 

The Darina Allen Column

On the countdown to the second LitFest at Ballymaloe, Darina lets us in on some of the hot tickets - and also the free events to be enjoyed by all

The excitement is really mounting, it’s just a week to this year’s Lit Fest at Ballymaloe , 16th -18th May. We’re particularly delighted that Kerrygold has come on board as our festival sponsors so the event has been renamed Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine. The line up of speakers and events is if anything even more thrilling than last year’s inaugural event.

There are many once in a lifetime opportunities to see culinary icons like Diana Kennedy coming all the way from Michoacan in Mexico and Maggie Beer from Australia whose beautiful food and writing have thrilled countless cooks and food lovers over the years.

Rene Redzepi of Noma in Copenhagen will be here. Fermentation expert Sandor Katz, author of the Art of Fermentation is back, the Ottolenghi boys, and Simon Hopkinson will be here all weekend.

Iranian cook and food writer Ariana Bundy author of Pomegranates and Roses will pair up with Rory O’ Connell to give us a taste of her Persian family food. In response to Ariana’s lovely food Rory will cook some of his own recipes inspired by flavours of the region – a fusion of some Middle Eastern taste and aromas. Don’t miss these, in fact rush to the computer and reserve your place now. There may be some tickets available on the day but don’t risk missing out on one of your food heroes.

There are also some great panel discussions this year...

Questions & Answers Food & Wine Politics on the page: John Bowman, Sandor Katz, Tomas Clancy, Joanna Blythman

Forgotten Skills – Making a come back, Ben Reade, Sandor Katz, Diana Kennedy and Joanna Blythman

Good Fats/Bad Fats – The Big Debate – Joanna Blythman, Ella McSweeney, John McKenna

Last year’s wine events curated by Colm McCan consultant sommelier to Ballymaloe House was so thrilling with icons like Jancis Robinson that there’s a Drinks Theatre beside the Big Shed this year with speakers such as Alberto Zenato, Lilian Barton-Sartorius, Telmo Rodriguez, Nick Strangeways, Chris Forbes, Taylors Port, Ger Buckley...

Not sure you’ll know who some of these people are – go to Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine website and learn more - www.litfest.ie

The Drinks theatre is not just for serious wine, spirit and cocktail buffs, it’s for all of us who enjoy a tasty sip and would love to learn more and meet some of the most revered wine writers, wine makers, distillers, brewers...

The events over the weekend will be held in three venues. The Grain Store at Ballymaloe House, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry and the Big Shed. The LitFest Fringe is once again the throbbing heart beat of the festive, the space may be big and (it really is enormous) but the atmosphere is cosy.

Gardeners will again interact with cooks, foragers with food historians, critics with musicians, artisan food producers with bloggers, writers with readers and so on. There will be brewers, bakers, and candlestick makers. Under this great roof will be a bubbling stew of ideas, thoughts and conversations.

There will be delicious things to eat and drink, great books to read, songs to be sung, toes to be tapped and tunes to be hummed. There will be fun to be had by young and old with the family area a buzzing hive of activity.

Artists and craft makers will join the fray with their foodie related wares. This is the red hot chill out spot, the place to expect the unexpected, the chance to sit beside your neighbour or you hero –or both. You can do lots here or nothing- you can just be.

Camilla Houston who organised the Family Area in the Bed Shed last year has put an even more fantastic programme together this year and of course we have budding new food writers, the Ballymaloe International Poetry prize winners in conjunction with the Moth magazine and there’s tons and tons more...

60 speakers, countless events and even though it would be an extra bonus to have super weather like last year, it’s an all weather event so come rain or shine join us for the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary of Food and Wine on 16th – 18th May. But meanwhile go the Lit Fest website and book the events you don’t want to miss. See you there.

Here are a few tasters of the food of some of the participants.

Maggie Beer’s Salmon with Sorrel Butter

(Maggie Beer – from Maggie’s Table published by Viking)

Serves 6

A filleted side of salmon or cutlets prepared by your fishmonger are the closest thing I know to convenience food that doesn’t compromise quality or flavour. If the sorrel butter is waiting in the freezer, you can have a really smart dinner on the table in 5 minutes and that includes making the green salad.

1 side of salmon (skin on)
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sorrel butter
8 generous handfuls sorrel
225g softened unsalted butter
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Remove the feather bones from the salmon with fish tweezers. Cut the salmon into approximately 6 x 200g portions, but do not use the tail ends (use these in another dish). Remove the skin from the thinner, tail-end portions and reserve.

To make the sorrel butter, remove the stems from the sorrel and shred the leaves (you need 4 cups tightly packed sorrel). Melt 25g of the butter in a frying pan, then sauté the sorrel until wilted. Put the sorrel into a sieve and press out as much liquid as possible. Leave to cool to room temperature. Blend the remaining butter, wilted sorrel and pepper in a food processor until the sorrel has been worked in completely and the butter is a deep olive-green

Put a little olive oil into a non-stick or cast-iron frying pan and heat until almost smoking. Cook the salmon, skin-side down first, until almost cooked through. Turn and cook for another minute. Keep the fish warm while crisping the reversed fish skin in the pan. Serve the fish topped with a dollop of sorrel butter and a piece of crispy fish skin.

 

Diana Kennedy’s Pollo En Ajo-Comino Chicken Seasoned with Garlic and Cumin

Senora Maria Sanchez

Serves 6

This is one of those very simple stews served in the market places of little towns in the eastern part of the state of San Luis Potosi, which forms part of the Huastec country. Within the state, there are three distinct geographic areas – the hot coastal lowlands, the more lush mountainous areas, and the bare, semiarid lands, and each has its own distinctive cuisine.
[From The Essential Cuisines of Mexico – Diana Kennedy]

4 Ancho chiles, veins and seeds removed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
12 peppercorns, crushed
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 whole clove, crushed
4 garlic cloves
31/2 cups (875ml) water, approximately
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
41/2 pounds (2kg) large chicken pieces

Cover the chiles with water and simmer for about 5 minutes, then leave to soak for 5 minutes, Drain. In a molcajete or mortar, grind the cumin, peppercorns, salt and clove, then mash in the garlic gradually, adding ¼ cup (65ml) of the water to dilute the mixture. Set aside.

Transfer the drained ancho chiles to a blender jar with ¾ cup (185ml) of the water. Blend until smooth and set aside.

Heat the oil and fry the chicken pieces (a few at a time so as not to touch in the pan) to a pale gold. Add the spice mixture and fry over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the blended chiles and fry for another 3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan constantly. Add the remaining water, then adjust the seasoning and cook slowly, uncovered, until the chicken is tender – about 40 minutes, turning the pieces over from time to time. (The sauce should not be thick; add more water if necessary).

Serve hot, with freshly made tortillas.

Note: This dish can be prepared several hours ahead and cooked for about 20 minutes. It should be cooled and cooked in its final stage just before serving, it does not freeze successfully.

 

Ariana Bundy’s Omeletteh Khorma

Buttery Sweet Date Omelette [From: Ariana Bundy – Pomegranates and Roses – published by Simon & Schuster illustrated.]

This omelette calls for sweet dates. Date palm cultivation in Iran goes back to the time of Mesopotamia. The best dates are Sahani from Jahrom and Mozafati from the historic city of Bam – both towns are thousands of years old and are in the warm south.

In fact, Jahrom means a warm place. Sahani are the most popular dates in Iran. Mozafati are the most expensive and rarely exported; they are best eaten when just ripened and juicy and so go rotten quickly.

Since they are very had to come by, you can use regular dates soaked for a few hours or steamed for 3-5 minutes. This recipe is fast and simple serve it for breakfast or brunch.

5 medium eggs
Salt and pepper
Pinch of turmeric
50ml (2 fl oz) ¼ cup cream or milk (optional)
1 tbsp. butter
8-10 dates, soaked or steamed, pitted and roughly chopped or halved

Crack the eggs in a bowl and whisk just until mixed well. Add the salt, pepper and turmeric and cream or milk if using, and mix again. Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat until it foams but does not colour. Pour in the eggs and immediately lower the heat. Place the dates on top, cover and let it cook gently for about 5-7 minutes depending on how you like your eggs done.

Adjust the seasoning and serve with some Persian bread such as lavash, or plain Indian naan.

Hot Tips:

West Cork is agog with excitement at the news that Ian Parr and Susan Holland, late of Custom House, have returned to The Mews in Baltimore for the Summer Season – to book phone: 028 20390

Hope you have already tasted Shana Wilkie’s chocolate bar – based in Midleton, she’s the only bean to bar chocolate maker in the country and the quality is superb and she’s now being snapped up by Selfridges in London.

Now there’s yet another chocolatier in East Cork, seek out Peter Clifton from Rostellan Chocolate – I tasted some delicious Easter treats.
Phone: 087 2908774 - facebook: rostellanchocolate

 

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine from 16 - 18th May 2014

www.litfest.ie

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

 

The Darina Allen Column

A sense of discovery for Darina this month, as she recounts a wonderful Slow Food trip to Northern Ireland

If you’ve never taken the train from Dublin to Belfast put it on your ‘must do’ list immediately; it’s certainly one of the loveliest train journeys I have ever experienced, all along the North Dublin coast into Dundalk.

The countryside was looking particularly beautiful with the fresh green growth of early summer and the whin (gorse) in full bloom.

I was on my way to Portaferry to attend a Slow Food dinner at The Narrows, a destination which has been saved from an advanced state of dereliction by a feisty girl called Celia Spouncer.

To celebrate the awakening of The Narrows, Celia, who is leader of Slow Food Northern Ireland, organised a feast to highlight the extraordinary richness of local produce available on the Ards Peninsula and around Strangford Lough. It was a truly memorable evening and a taste of what’s happening on the Northern Ireland food scene.

For many years our Northern Ireland friends looked on enviously at the range of farmhouse cheese and artisan foods available ‘in the South’. The climate in the North was not conducive to this kind of enterprise until relatively recently, but now there is a virtual explosion of new food enterprises and a renewed confidence in the future.

On our way to Portaferry we called in to see St George’s Market, recently short listed for the BBC Food and Farming awards. The buzz and energy is palpable, Saturday is the big day for food stalls.

Then we swung by to see Mike Thompson’s dairy in Newtownards where he makes a raw milk blue cheese called Young Buck. Mike, a self-professed ‘dairy nerd’, learned his craft in Welbeck School of Artisan Food and was inspired by Jo Schneider who makes the beautiful Stichelton cheese also on the estate.

At the Slow Food dinner later, Celia proudly presented a cheeseboard of Northern Ireland Farmhouse cheese for the very first time, it also included a delicious Kearney blue made by Paul McClean and a mild and creamy Leggygowan goat cheese made by Adam and Jason Kelly.

The canapés included local smoked salmon, sweet Strangford Lough crabs and Portavogie prawns from Something Fishy whose mobile fish shop we had passed on the roadside by Portavogie village earlier.

The Slow Food Northern Ireland supper also reflected the wild and foraged food of this beautiful area — Ardkeen Nettle and Wild Garlic soup, Strangford Lough mussels and Rathlin Island kelp.

I met Jane Somerville whose family live, fish sustainably and harvest the kelp on Rathlin Island the same time honoured way as their ancestors. It’s a beautiful product which I also used in my cookery demonstration on St George’s Market next day. The beef came from Arthur’s local butchers and veg from the country garden grocer in Portaferry.

Paula McIntyre, the much loved chef and broadcaster, created a delicious pannacotta from Abernethy’s buttermilk and paired it with new season rhubarb, shortbread and Glastry ice-cream. Guests practically licked their plates. Even the wine came from Winemark in Portaferry.

The homemade breads, which included local dillisk, were made by David Semple and slathered with the beautiful Abernethy’s hand made butter — another contender for the BBC Food and Farming awards. It was a wonderfully convivial event where there was real excitement about the renaissance on the Northern Ireland artisan food scene.

The Radio 4 Food progamme did a 30 minute segment on ‘Food in Northern Ireland: A Golden Era’ a few weeks ago. The word is out.

Ardkeen Nettle and Wild Garlic Soup

Serves 4

2oz butter
1 onion
1 leek
4 sticks table celery
3 carrots
2 potatoes
2 pt chicken stock or veg stock cubes and water
20 — 30 nettle tips
A small handful wild garlic leaves
Double cream to garnish

Sweat chopped onions in butter in a heavy based saucepan over low heat till soft and transparent.

Add sliced leek, celery, carrots and potatoes and close lid on pan. When hot add hot stock or cubes and boiling water. Simmer till cooked through.

Add nettle tips and wild garlic leaves.

Blend until fairly smooth with a hand blender or liquidiser and serve hot with a swirl of double cream.

 

Seabeet Salad

Seabeet, or sea spinach as its sometimes called, grows wild along the sea shore — it’s particularly fresh and lush at present. The texture is less tender than ordinary spinach so slice very thinly.

Seabeet leaves and stalks

French Dressing:

4oz olive oil
1oz balsamic vinegar
1oz white wine vinegar
1oz brown sugar
1tsp Dijon and 1tsp whole grain mustard
Salt and black pepper

Wash seabeet leaves and stalks, then slice in 1cm ribbons. Toss together with French Dressing to make the leaves glisten just before eating.

To make the French Dressing: Add vinegars to dry ingredients and mix well.

Slowly add olive oil whisking briskly till all combined.

 

Kelp and Smoked Seafood Salad

Serves 6-8

My nephew Ivan Whelan used to serve this lovely salad at his restaurant, Grapefruit Moon, in Ballycotton. If you can’t find kelp then try wakame, a Japanese seaweed that can be found in health-food shops.

50g dried kelp or wakame
150g (5oz) cold-smoked salmon
150g (5oz) smoked eel, weighed after skinning and boning
50g (2oz) pickled ginger (gari)
60g (2½oz) pine nuts
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sesame oil
1½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
30 Smoked mussels

Soak the seaweed in cold water for about 30 minutes to reconstitute.

Drain very well in a colander and press out all the excess water. Put into a large mixing bowl.

Cut the smoked salmon and eel into small pieces and chop the ginger. Add these to the seaweed, along with the pine nuts, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine vinegar, coriander and salt and pepper to taste.

Mix gently to avoid breaking up the fish.

Serve stacked on a plate with smoked mussels dotted around.

 

Paula McIntyre’s Shortbread made with Abernethy’s Handmade Butter

Makes 34 — 36 biscuits

100g (3½ozs) Abernethy’s hand made butter
50g (2ozs) icing sugar
50g (2ozs) cornflour
100g (3½ozs) plain white flour
1 tsp lavender (optional)

Cream the butter well, add the icing sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.

Stir in the cornflour and flour and bring together into a ball.

Cover with cling film and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes minimum.

Just before baking preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4.

Roll the dough to a thickness of ¼ inch (5 mm), stamp out the cookies. Paula used a 2 inch (5 cm) round cutter but it can be whatever size or shape you need.

Spread on a parchment lined baking tray. Cook for 10- 12 minutes approximately or until they are a very pale gold colour. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Serve dusted with icing sugar — Paula sandwiched them together with raspberry jelly from Castlerock on the north coast but they are delicious served just as they are.
 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

 

The Darina Allen Column

We’ve gone crazy for seaweed in recent times, says Darina, and now she’s really woken up to phenomenal variety of sea vegetables around our coast.

We were always big fans (and still are) of carrageen moss and dillisk, but that was pretty much the limit of my knowledge of seaweeds up to relatively recently.

Dr Prannie Rhatigan whetted my appetite when she wrote Irish Seaweed Kitchen in 2009. Occasionally, I would meet Olivier Beaujouan of On the Wild Side on his market stall in Kenmare or at food festivals around the country — Olivier, from France, had an innate knowledge of seaweed and was permanently perplexed as to why we Irish didn’t seem to be excited or knowledgeable about the wealth of free and delicious food along our coast lines. Since 1999 he has been selling seaweed tapenade and sea spaghetti at farmers markets to his devotees and chefs.

More recently several companies, including Algaran Seaweed Products in Donegal and Wild Irish Sea Veg in Clare have developed very successful seaweed processing companies and there’s lots more in the pipeline.

The big breakthrough for me was when Sally McKenna, who wrote the excellent book Extreme Greens: Understanding Seaweeds, explained that all seaweeds are edible; some may not be particularly palatable to nibble but none are poisonous and they are all immensely nutritious. Ever since I’ve been prowling along the coastline and seashore snipping and nibbling and having so much fun.

We’re making seaweed salads, adding seaweed to bread, sauces, stews and drinks, sometimes fresh, sometimes dried, always with interesting and mostly delicious results. Recently I met Kate Burns whose family have lived and fished sustainably on Rathlin Island off the coast of Antrim for four generations.

Kate with a ton of letters after her name has been involved in rural and marine development not just in Ireland and the UK but also in Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for decades.

She introduced me to Rathlin Island kelp which is being harvested sustainably by her son Benji McFaul of Islander Rathlin Kelp in the same time honoured way as it was by his father, grandfather and great grandfather before him.

The cold waters are clean and pure due to the mix of Irish Sea and Atlantic currents. It comes ready to use in packets, shredded like fettuccini and I love it. The environment creates ideal conditions for growing kelp.

The McFaul family are well known for their commitment to the caring for the environment. Benji’s father Jim and brother Fergus won Northern Ireland organic farmers of the year in 2010 and their fishing and seafood business follows responsible harvesting principals.

Kelp is amazing stuff, it has more calcium, iron and roughage than any other vegetable —it’s a kind of a wonder food. I know I advise people against buying anything that makes a health claim but this time I really believe it.

There are three types of kelp — alaria, digitata and laminaria saacharina — you can get it from Wild Irish Seafood fresh or frozen, noodle cut, salad cut and wraps.

Kelp is just one of the myriad of seaweeds around our coast. We also love pepper dillisk, sea lettuce, sea spaghetti, kombu. We’re no longer surprised to find stinging nettles, elderflowers or dandelion leaves on restaurant or country pub menus so watch that space because many chefs have discovered the magic of seaweeds and are having lots of fun. Meanwhile you too can experiment.

RECIPE: Brown Crab with Pickled Red Dulse Seaweed, Cucumber with Summer Peas and Coriander Oil

Taken from Chapter One, an Irish Food Story, by Ross Lewis

‘We know summer is here when the best crab starts to arrive, matched by sweet tasting seasonal peas. We get a wonderful crop of seaweed from Manus McGonagle in Donegal. We pickle it and combine it with cucumber jelly, so this dish is fresh, summery and salty, with a sweetness from the crab. There is a deep umami flavour from the seaweed with the sweet-popping peas and the cucumber jelly makes it a real summer favourite at the restaurant for the crab.’

2 litres water
40g salt
1kg crab claws
Splash of spirit vinegar
40g mayonnaise (Ross uses an egg white mayo (see hot tips for details of Chapter One book)
1 spring onion, very finely sliced
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
4 drops Tabasco sauce
Juice of ½ lemon
Pinch of cayenne pepper or smoked sweet paprika

For the cucumber jelly:

1½ gold leaf gelatine leaves
2 cucumbers
2 tsp mirin
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2g salt

For the marinated cucumber:

1 cucumber
1 tbsp mirin
For the fresh peas:
50g shelled fresh peas

To serve:

125g pickled red dulse and sea spaghetti
About 2 tsp coriander oil, in a small
squeezy bottle
400ml crab juice

CRAB

Put the water in a large pan with the salt and vinegar, and bring to the boil.

Blanch the crab claws. For medium claws, cook for 5 minutes; if they are larger or smaller, add or subtract a minute. Lift out and transfer into iced water.

When cool use the back of a heavy knife to gently crack the shells and remove the meat, picking out any bits of shell. (This amount of crab claws should yield at least 200g of meat.)

In a bowl, combine the crab with the mayonnaise, spring onion and chives.

Season with the Tabasco, lemon juice, cayenne pepper or paprika and a pinch of salt.

CUCUMBER JELLY

Put the gelatine into a bowl of cold water and set aside. Juice the cucumbers, skin on, and pass the juice through a double layer of muslin.

Measure out 200ml of juice and add the mirin, soy sauce and salt, mixing well and checking the seasoning.

Heat 100ml of the mixture in a small pan until hot but not boiling and then take it off the heat.

Gently squeeze the gelatine to remove excess water and whisk it into the hot cucumber juice.

When dissolved combine with the rest of the mixture and whisk together.

Pour into a bowl and place in the fridge to set.

MARINATED CUCUMBER

Square off the cucumber and use a mandolin to cut it into ribbons — you’ll need 3 per portion.

Lay the cucumber ribbons on a tray and sprinkle over a teaspoon of salt and the mirin.

Leave for an hour and then freeze, covered with clingfilm. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving, then drain, reserving the liquid.

Bring a small pan of water to the boil and prepare a bowl of iced water.

Blanch the peas until just cooked and refresh in the iced water, then drain.

SERVING

Spoon an eighth (about 30g) of the crab mayonnaise mixture into the centre of each shallow serving bowl.

Put 3 pieces of the marinated cucumber on top of this and then add 2–3 pieces of the pickled red dulse on the crab and 2 pieces of the sea spaghetti around the plate.

Use a teaspoon to put small spoonfuls of cucumber jelly around the plate and add a few of the peas.

Finish with a little of the reserved cucumber liquid, 4–5 spoonfuls of crab juice and some dots of coriander oil around the crab.

 

PICKLED RED DULSE OR SEA SPAGHETTI

Makes 150g
150g red dulse or sea spaghetti
600ml rice vinegar
4g salt
40g sugar
3g lemon zest

Wash the red dulse or sea spaghetti and carefully sort through it, discarding any damaged pieces. Put the rice vinegar in a pan large enough to hold all the ingredients, and add the salt, sugar and lemon zest. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and add the red dulse or sea spagetti. Return to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes until tender. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before serving.

DILL, CHIVE, BASIL, CORIANDER OR ROCKET OIL

Makes about 400 ml
500 g fresh herb leaves (dill, chive, basil, coriander or rocket)
400 ml light olive oil or any neutral oil like rapeseed

Blanch the herb sprigs in boiling unsalted water, lift out using a spider and refresh in a bowl of iced water. Drain and squeeze really tightly in a cloth, draining off as much of the water as you can. This will give you approximately 150g of blanched herb. Combine this with 400ml of oil in a Pacojet container and freeze overnight.

The next day, blend 2–3 times and hang in a muslin. The result is a deep green and strong herb-flavoured oil. If you haven’t got a Pacojet, half the quantities, so use 250g of fresh herb sprigs and 200ml light olive oil or any neutral oil like rapeseed. Blend together on a high speed for 3–4 minutes and hang in a muslin. Using a funnel, put into a squeezy bottle. These will keep for up to 1 week.

CRAB JUICE

Add a little thickener, a pinch at a time, to a crab stock until slightly thickened. Use as required.

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 15- 17th May 2015

www.litfest.ie

*** 

The Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

 

The Darina Allen Column

The trend towards people growing their own food has sprung from a desire to eat healthily, says Darina, and she has some interesting seasonal recipes to tickle your taste buds

The ever more alarming obesity figures are spooking governments everywhere from Europe to the US, and India to China. As yet experts can’t seem to agree about the root cause or indeed the remedy.

Meanwhile, the public are completely bamboozled by conflicting messages and even more serious is the situation that many busy people find themselves in where they cannot access nourishing food easily.

The Americans have long ago coined a phrase — food deserts, the definition of which is a geographic area where affordable and nutritious food is difficult to obtain, particularly for those without access to a car or local transport.

Desperation forces us to think outside the box and the results can be encouraging. When the bread in the US became so mass produced that it was virtually inedible, artisan bakeries bubbled up.

When food became so processed and ultra fresh nourishing food was virtually unavailable, a few ‘desperately seeking’ souls started the first farmers market.

The same with beer and cider, as those drinks became increasingly chemical laden and mundane, a demand for craft beer and cider was created.

So what to do if you live in an area with no choice but to buy your food from a multinational discounter which offers no fresh produce?

Well faced with a crisis the human spirit tends to come up with a variety of mini solutions; Guerrilla gardening allotments and urban farming are at an all-time high in cities from, LA to Shanghai.

There’s yet another initiative that has really caught people’s imagination particularly in the US — Grow Food not Lawns. This movement was started in 1999 in Eugene, Oregon by a group of avant-gardeners, including Heather Flores who wrote Food Not Lawns — how to turn your yard into a garden and your neighbourhood into a community in 2006. This initiative gradually inspired a global community www.foodnotlawns.com

There are many related initiatives here in Ireland — Grow It Yourself (GIY) for example has enhanced the lifestyle of many, not to mention provided the nourishment also. www.giy.ie

Growing some of our own food gives us an appreciation of the work that goes into producing beautiful nourishing food and one rarely complains about the price of food again. Not only is the food fresher but it tastes so much better when one has tended the garden for months on end - enough to savour every delicious mouthful.

The simple message from the Food Safety Promotions Board for children to drink water rather than juice is brilliant and empowers parents.

Radish Leaf Soup

Serves 4

Most people are unaware that radish leaves are edible and delicious. They need to be fresh of course.

1½ oz (45g) butter
5 oz (140g) peeled and chopped potatoes
4 oz (110g) peeled and chopped onion
salt and freshly ground pepper
1½ pint (900ml) water or homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock
½ pint (300ml) creamy milk
5 oz (150g) fresh radish leaves, chopped

Melt the butter in heavy bottomed saucepan, when it foams, add the potatoes and onions and toss them until well coated.

Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 10 minutes.

When the vegetables are almost soft but not coloured add the stock and milk, bring to the boil and cook until the potatoes and onions are fully cooked. Add the radish leaves and boil with the lid off for 4-5 minutes approx. until the radish leaves are cooked. Do not overcook or the soup will lose its fresh green colour.

Puree the soup in a liquidiser or food processor. Taste and correct seasoning.

Variation: Radish Soup with Chervil Cream

Make the soup as above. Serve with a blob of chervil cream on top of each bowl just before it goes to the table (see recipe below).

 

Chervil Cream
Serves 6

large bunch of chervil
250ml (9fl oz) full-fat crème fraîche
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the crème fraîche into a bowl. Simply chop a large bunch of chervil very finely and mix with the crème fraîche. Season with some salt and a little freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

 

Smoked Mackerel Salad with Beetroot and Horseradish Sauce
Serves 8

4-6 fillets of smoked mackerel
a selection of baby salad leaves
pickled beetroot
horseradish sauce
sprigs of dill

Cut the smoked mackerel into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces and the pickled beetroot into 1cm (½ inch) dice.

To serve: Strew the base of a white plate with a mixture of salad leaves. Put 5 or 6 pieces of mackerel on top. Scatter with some diced beetroot and top with a few little blobs of horseradish sauce. A few sprigs of dill add to the deliciousness.

Serve with Ballymaloe Brown Yeast Bread.

 

Pickled Beetroot

Serves 5-6

1 lb (450 g) cooked beetroot
8 oz (225g) sugar
16 fl oz (475 ml) water
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced (optional)
8 fl oz (250 ml) white wine vinegar

Dissolve the sugar in water and bring to the boil. Add the sliced onion and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the vinegar, pour over the peeled beetroot and leave to cool.
Note: The onion may be omitted if desired.

 

Beetroot Tops

Serves 4
Young beetroot tops are full of flavour and are often unnecessarily discarded; but if you grow your own beetroots, remember to cook the stalks as well. When the leaves are tiny they make a really worthwhile addition to the salad bowl, both in terms of nutrition and flavour. This isn’t worth doing unless you have lovely young leaves. When they become old and slightly wilted, feed them to the hens or add them to the compost.

450g (1lb) fresh beetroot tops
salt and freshly ground pepper
butter or olive oil

Keeping them separate, cut the beetroot stalks and leaves into rough 5cm (2in) pieces. First cook the stalks in boiling salted water (1.8 litres/3 pints water to 1½ teaspoons salt) for 3–4 minutes or until tender.

Then add the leaves and cook for a further 2–3 minutes.

Drain, season and toss in a little butter or olive oil.

Serve immediately.
 

Strawberry Soup with Mint Chantilly

Serves 8-10
A simple and absolutely delicious summer dessert.

Strawberry Soup
450g (1lb) ripe strawberries
225ml (8fl oz) syrup (see recipe)
1 lemon
1 orange

 

Mint Chantilly

15 mint leaves approximate
1 tablespoon lemon juice
150ml (5 fl ozs) cream
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
icing sugar to taste

Garnish
mint leaves

Macaroons (optional)

Hull the strawberries, purée with the syrup, freshly squeezed orange juice and lemon juice. Put through a nylon sieve. Taste. Cover and chill well.

To serve divide the strawberry pureé between 6 soup plates or glass bowls. Add a blob of mint Chantilly and some shredded mint leaves — serve immediately.

To make the mint chantilly, crush the mint leaves in a pestle and mortar with the granulated sugar and lemon juice, add the cream and stir, the lemon juice will thicken the cream. If the cream becomes too thick, fluff a little with a whisk, taste and add a little more icing sugar if necessary.
 

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 15- 17th May 2015

www.litfest.ie

*** 

The Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

 

The Darina Allen Column

There’s going to be a great crop of blackberries this year, says Darina, and she has some terrific recipes for you to try

Wow, there’s going to be the biggest crop of blackberries this year, so I am gearing myself up for lots of picking expeditions.

We’re also planning a myriad of delicious ways to use them, not just the usual jams, jellies and cobblers, but wine, liqueur and cordials. I’ll throw some blackberries into smoothies and scones and scatter them over a layer of softly-whipped cream to fill a feather-light sponge.

A few juicy berries combined with chunks of ripe melon and shredded mint make a delicious starter and even a dessert.

I’ll also get to make that sublime blackberry trifle I tasted at Dock Kitchen, London, last autumn, or even a simple blackberry and sweet geranium puff. I’m also planning to pop some in the freezer, they keep brilliantly, particularly if one takes the time to tray freeze firstly, before putting them into good strong plastic bags or boxes.

Blackberries come from the Rubus Genus, the Rosacea family, and there are lots of different strains; some are small, others fat and plump. Apart from being juicy and delicious, they are packed with vitamins, minerals and trace elements. They’ve got lots of fibre and antioxidants and are particularly rich in the healing vitamin C.

However, they are low in pectin, so jam and jelly makers will need to use jam sugar, unless they combine the blackberries with tart cooking apples or crab apples to increase the acidity.

I am systematically reducing sugar by 20% in all my recipes, because of my observation that the sugar to which we now have access is more intensely sweet than the Irish beet sugar upon which my original recipes were based. However, sugar is the preservative in jams, jellies, cordials et al, so be careful not to reduce too much, or the preserves won’t keep.

Picking tips:

Blackberries should be selected at the peak of ripeness; unlike many other fruits, they don’t continue to ripen after they are picked. Inspect each one as you pick them, the centre should be white and unblemished; if it appears stained or inky, it usually indicates that the fruit has been infected by little worms. It’s worth togging yourself out in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and a leather glove to clasp the thorny brambles. When the berries are ripe, they come away easily in your hands.

Compote of Blackberry and Apples with Sweet Geranium Leaves

Serves about 3 - 4

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

Put the sugar, cold water and sweet geranium leaves into a saucepan, bring to the boil for 1-2 minutes.

Peel the apples thinly with a peeler, keeping a good round shape. Quarter them, remove the core and trim the ends. Cut into segments 5mm (1/4 inch) thick. Add to the syrup.

Poach until translucent but not broken. Cover with a paper lid and lid of the saucepan.

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

Serve chilled, with little shortbread biscuits.

 

Pan-grilled Duck Breast with Blackberry Colcannon
Serves 4

4 free-range duck breasts
sea salt
Blackberry Colcannon
450g (1lb) Savoy or spring cabbage
900g -1.35kg (2-3lb) ‘old’ potatoes, eg, Golden Wonders or Kerrs Pinks
250ml (8fl oz) approx. boiling milk
25g (1oz) scallion or spring onion, optional
salt and freshly ground pepper
50g (2oz) approx butter
110g (4oz) blackberries

First make the colcannon.

Scrub the potatoes, put them in a saucepan of cold water, add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil. When the potatoes are about half cooked, 15 minutes approx. for ‘old’ potatoes, strain off two-thirds of the water, replace the lid on the saucepan, put onto a gentle heat and allow the potatoes to steam until they are cooked.

Remove the dark outer leaves from the cabbage. Wash the rest and cut into quarters, remove the core and cut finely across the grain. Boil in a little boiling water or bacon cooking water until soft. Drain, season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a little butter.

When the potatoes are just cooked, put the milk, and the finely chopped scallions into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Pull the peel off the potatoes and discard, mash quickly while they are still warm and beat in enough boiling milk to make a fluffy puree. (If you have a large quantity, put the potatoes in the bowl of a food mixer and beat with the spade.)

Then stir in the cooked cabbage and taste for seasoning.

For perfection, serve immediately in a hot dish with a lump of butter melting in the centre.

Colcannon may be prepared ahead up to this point and reheated later in a moderate oven 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4, for 20-25 minutes approx. Cover while reheating so it doesn’t get too crusty on top.

Meanwhile score the duck skin into a diamond pattern. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Put a pan grill on a low heat. Cook the duck breasts very slowly and gently for 15-20 minutes on the fat side, by then the fat should be rendered out (pour off the excess and save for duck confit) and the skin will be crisp and golden.

Season the flesh side with sea salt and turn over, continue to cook until to your taste. I like duck breast medium to well done, not fashionably rare, which frequently results in the meat being tough and stringy.

Just before serving, fold the blackberry gently into the soft colcannon. Put a dollop on each plate and top with a whole or sliced duck breast.

 

Blackberry and Cinnamon Scones
Makes 18-20 scones using a 71/2cm (3 inch) cutter

900g (2lb) plain white flour
3 heaped tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
50g (2oz) castor sugar
175g (6oz) butter
110g (4oz) blackberries
3 free range eggs
450ml (15fl oz) approx milk to mix
For the glaze
egg wash (see below)
50g (2oz) granulated sugar for sprinkling on top of the scones
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Egg wash : Whisk 1 egg with a pinch of salt. This is brushed over the scones and pastry to help them to brown in the oven.
First preheat the oven to 250C/475F/Gas Mark 9.

Sieve all the dry ingredients together in a large wide bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour and rub in the butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the blackberries. Make a well in the centre. Whisk the eggs with the milk, add to the dry ingredients and mix to a soft dough.

Turn out onto a floured board. Knead lightly, just enough to shape into a round. Roll out to about a thickness of 2cm (1 inch) and cut or stamp into scones. Transfer to a baking sheet - no need to grease.

Brush the tops with egg wash and dip each one into cinnamon sugar.

Bake in a hot oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool on a wire rack. Serve split in half with butter and serve.

 

Blackberry Trifle

This recipe is by Stevie Parle at Dock Kitchen, London. The combination of port and blackberries with the custard and sponge seems to really work in this trifle.
Cook time: chill in fridge for 2 hours

200g (7oz) sugar
275ml (9fl oz) cheap port
450g (1lb) blackberries, plus a few extra to decorate
a squeeze of lemon juice
600ml (1 pint) double cream
200ml (fl oz) whole milk
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
1 egg, plus 3 egg yolks
200g (7oz) stale sponge cake, Madeira cake or Savoiardi biscuits
a handful of flaked almonds, toasted

Place half the sugar and half the port in a pan and simmer for a couple of minutes until the sugar dissolves.

Drop in the blackberries, add a squeeze of lemon, stir gently once, then take off the heat. Leave to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the custard.

Over a low heat, bring half the cream and all the milk to a simmer along with the vanilla pod.

Whisk the egg and yolks with the remaining sugar for a couple of minutes until they begin to look paler.

As soon as the milk is about to boil, slowly pour it over the eggs, whisking constantly.

Return the mixture to the pan and stir slowly over a low heat with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon — about three minutes.

Transfer to a chilled bowl and allow to cool.

Spoon the fruit into your trifle bowl and return the syrup to a low heat for two minutes to reduce; pour over the fruit and leave to cool. Slice the cake into 1cm (1/2 inch) thick slices, or cut the Savoiardi biscuits in half.

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 15- 17th May 2015

www.litfest.ie

*** 

The Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

 

The Darina Allen Column

IFEST, the first major celebration of Irish culture and food was held in Boston recently - and Darina was there

It’s the brainchild of Rachael Kelly, the young entrepreneur who was behind the Taste of Dublin festival for many years. Her vision is to take IFEST to all the American cities where there is a strong Irish diaspora and not just to celebrate Ireland but to generate both business investment and tourism.

Rachael invited me to cook the Welcome Gala Dinner at the Seaport Hotel on the opening night with Boston chef Lydia Shire, we had lots of fun in the kitchen with a terrific supporting cast.

Birgitta Hedin Curtin brought her Burren smoked wild Irish salmon all the way from Lisdoonvarna in Co Clare which we served with pickled red onions and Arjard, and lots of freshly baked Ballymaloe brown bread and white soda bread slathered with Kerrygold butter.

Next there was pea and cilantro (coriander) soup followed by lamb with eggplant (aubergine) and rocket. Lydia Shire’s son had cooked a beautiful plate of haddock and lobster in foaming Irish brown butter with cape gooseberries and sugar pumpkin soufflé.

My team at the Ballymaloe cookery school made hundreds of crackers to go with the Cashel Blue, Dubliner and Skellig cheeses and then came Lydia’s interpretation of Irish coffee meringue — a fluffy pavlova served with Jameson cream and a square of coffee jelly; a real ‘ta dah’ dessert that rounded off the meal in a delicious and memorable way.

The festival ran over three days with Jameson whiskey and Dingle gin well represented, as well as numerous other Irish companies. I gave a couple of demonstrations of Irish baking: barm brack, orange scones, spotted dog and Auntie Florence’s crumpets.

After each demonstration the audience surrounded the podium and devoured every morsel. Kevin Dundon from Dunbrody House and Cathal Armstrong, originally from Dublin, also gave cookery demonstrations as well as many well-known Boston chefs including Barbara Lynch, Ana Sortun and renowned Sofra pastry chef Maura Kilpatrick.

As usual I whizzed around town to check out the food scene. I loved the food at Sofra, a Middle Eastern bakery and café and picked up lots of goodies at unmissable Formaggio, a grocer and cheese shop.

I also had a delicious dinner at Barbara Lynch’s Sportello, most memorable was a dish of pasta with rabbit and green olives. Row 34, close to the Seaport, was also throbbing. I managed to take in two Farmers Markets: one at Union Square, the other at Eccleston Place, close to Jamacia Square where there was a Fermentation Festival in full swing. I bumped into Sandor Katz, the fermentation guru who has been one of the stars of the LitFest for the past two years.

I also loved a little shop called Farm and Fable owned by Abbey Ruettgers who I surprised when I walked in. Abbey had been to Ballymaloe for a week when she was 12, and I can’t imagine how she recognised me.

Finally on Sunday evening just before I dashed to the airport, I had a selection of small plates at Coppa, delicious food in a really cool neighbourhood restaurant, a must for your Boston list. Farm and Fable, Formaggio and Coppa are within a few steps of each other on Shawmut Avenue in Boston.

Jamie Bissonnette’s Cauliflower Kimchi

Chef Jamie Bissonette won a James Beard Award and has recently published a new book on Charcuterie, to make and serve at home. If you want to learn about fermenting meats, I recommend learning how to make kimchi, or fermented vegetables, first. This is good training because it shows patience! You can substitute any number of vegetables in this traditional Korean recipe, including cabbage, swede turnip, carrots, radishes or cucumbers.

1 head cauliflower
2 tbsp (30g) ginger
6 cloves garlic, minced
1½oz (80g) coarse Chilean chilli flakes
3 red radishes, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and grated
3 sprigs scallion chopped rough
16 fl oz (450ml) fish sauce
2 oz (60g) palm sugar
Juice of 2 limes
1 cup (225ml/8 fl oz) water

Chop the head of cauliflower to resemble large pieces of couscous. Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add 1 cup (225ml) water, or enough water so that mixture is three quarters covered with water.

Put in an airtight container and let it sit in a cool, dry place for 1 week.

Check it every day and shake it up if any fuzz appears on the surface. After one week it’s ready to eat — and it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 30 days.

If you’re not patient enough to wait a week, double the lime juice and let the kimchi sit overnight in the refrigerator. It will be ready to eat immediately.

[From The New Charcuterie Cookbook by Jamie Bissonnette, published by Page Street Publishing.]

 

Jamie Bissonnette’s Green Tomato Chutney
Makes 4 pints (1.8l)

A lot of farmers come to us with green tomatoes, and you can only pickle or fry so many. I started making chutneys out of them, and this recipe is so popular we make it in 20-pound batches.
The sour, tart flavour of the green tomatoes combined with the sugar yields sweet and sour flavoured chutney that can be served on anything from cheese to Foie Gras Torchon.

4 cloves garlic
1 piece mace
1 broken piece cassia bark

1lb (450g) green tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cups (480g) sugar
¼ cup (60g) yellow mustard seeds
1 tbsp (15ml) molasses
2 tbsp (30ml) white wine vinegar
1 tbsp (15ml) mustard seed oil
Sachet in cheesecloth:
4 garlic cloves,
1 piece mace
1 broken piece cassia bark

Mix the tomatoes with the sugar and let sit overnight in the refrigerator, or at least 12 hours.

Combine sugared tomatoes with all other ingredients in a pot. Cook over a medium heat for 45 minutes, adding ¼ cup (60ml) water if it’s too thick.

Alternatively, add 1 cup (240g) chopped Indian lime (right out of the jar) and use over steamed white rice.

[From The New Charcuterie Cookbook by Jamie Bissonnette, published by Page Street Publishing.]

 

Strozzapreti with Rabbit and Green Olives

We loved this dish from Barbara Lynch, which is considered to be a classic at Sportello, one of her restaurants on Boston.

16fl oz (450ml) strained stock
1 cup chopped green olives
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 whole rabbit, broken down (forearms, thighs, loins) and carcass reserved for stock
Fresh strozzapreti (recipe below)
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese
 

Rabbit Stock:

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 rabbit carcass, chopped
1 small onion, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
8fl oz (225ml) white wine

Strozzapreti:

10 oz (275g) semolina flour, divided
Pinch of salt
8fl oz (225ml) warm water

Place strained stock in a sauce pot, bring to a simmer and reduce over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Add chopped olives, rosemary and rabbit meat and cook for another 20 minutes. Pierce meat with a fork — meat should pull away from the bone easily.

Remove meat, chop into smaller pieces and add back to sauce, continuing to reduce for 10 minutes. Toss with cooked strozzapreti and season with salt and pepper to taste and a bit of grated Parmesan to pull it all together.

Rabbit Stock: In a medium-size braiser, heat oil over medium heat. Add rabbit bones, and brown. Remove bones and set aside, then add forearms, thighs and loins and sauté until browned. Remove and set aside. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Add wine, scraping up any browned bits, then add the bones and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 hour. Reduce to a simmer and cook for an additional hour. Cool, strain, and reserve.

Strozzapreti: Place 7½ oz (210g) semolina with salt in a mixer with hook attachment (save the remaining 2½ oz (60g) for the sheet trays). Add water slowly, and mix until a nice smooth ball of dough is formed, about 7 minutes. Remove and rest under a damp cloth.

Divide the dough into thirds, and shape one portion at a time, keeping the remaining dough covered. On a wooden board, form large pea-size pieces of dough. Using you index and middle fingers, roll a piece toward you, back and forth a few times until about 2 inches (5cm) long and thicker in the middle. If the board is too dry, wet it with a damp cloth (You will know if you need damp cloth if the pasta isn’t rolling easily!).

After rolling, place shaped pasta on a sheet tray or flat plate sprinkled with semolina and freeze or refrigerate until you are ready to cook it.

 

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 15- 17th May 2015

www.litfest.ie

*** 

The Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

 

The Darina Allen Column

 

The scent of spices is synonymous with Christmas, so what better time for Darina to think back over the changes she has seen in our use of spices over three decades at Ballymaloe Cookery School - and to welcome Arun Kapil’s recently published cookbook, ‘Fresh Spice’.

Have we Irish got a taste for spices or what!! Thirty years ago when I first started the Ballymaloe Cookery School garlic was still considered by many to be daring and exotic. It was ten years before most of us dared to experiment with chilli not to speak of spices other than a few cloves in an apple tart or ginger with rhubarb in jam or gingerbread.

Somehow in the mid 80’s I heard about Madhur Jaffrey and found her BBC Far Eastern Cookery book. I was hooked and longed to learn more about spices so I picked up the courage to telephone her in New York and invite her to teach at the Ballymaloe Cookery School – she agreed. I was beyond thrilled and so my spice odyssey began. Shopping for that first course was challenging. I hadn’t even heard of some of the ingredients- puffed rice, poha, urad dhal, chana dhal...

Finding the finest basmati rice was difficult in itself but what was asafetida, amchur powder...... I had no idea what fenugreek or black cardamom even looked like. With the help of Mr Bell in Cork’s English Market in Cork city, we gathered all the ingredients – Madhur arrived and the magic began.

Even that first cooking course was completely oversubscribed. Madhur introduced us to a myriad of new and exciting flavours and techniques and life has never been quite the same since.

Fast forward 17 years, in 1997, a young Anglo Indian chap called Arun Kapil enrolled on the 12 week Certificate Course at the Ballymaloe Cookery School, he'd been an ace disc jockey in the UK for a number of years but wanted a break for a short spell from the London scene. Shanagarry in East Cork sounded just the ticket...

Spices were part of Arun's DNA, after a time in Ballymaloe House kitchen, he started to experiment with spice blends. Customers at his Farmers Market stall were thrilled to find such a selection of beautiful fresh spices imported directly from Arun's relatives in the Cardamom hills in Kerala.

Demand grew, the top chefs both in Ireland and the UK loved the quality, mail order was added to the equation, Arun fell in love and married Olive, a lovely Irish girl whom he met at Ballymaloe. Lots of TV appearances and now at last the book - Fresh Spice has been published by Pavilion, a collection of vibrant recipes for bringing flavour, depth and colour to home cooking.

Arun has been around spices all his life and he could talk for Ireland and India about all the fascinating aspects of spice production. He urges us all to look on spices in a whole new way, think fresh and whole rather than ground. Buy in small quantities from a shop that has a quick turnover. Invest in a pestle and mortar or and /or an electric spice grinder or coffee grinder to grind to order for each recipe, think of the difference between fresh and dried herbs.... Sage advice that can revolutionise our food, here's a few of the simpler recipes from Fresh Spice to whet your appetite for the vibrant flavours of spice.

Madhur Jaffrey - who, by the way, spoke highly of the quality of Arun's spices when she was over for the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine in 2013 - has also published a new book Vegetarian Curry Easy.

RECIPES from Arun Kapil’s new cookbook ‘Fresh Spice’ (Pavilion)

NB: There are some extra recipes given in the book for some items in the ingredients lists, eg Arun’s special Garam Masala blend in the Aloo Tikki recipe - which, incidentally, might make an interesting alterative for vegetarians over Christmas, also a refreshing change for everyone after all the traditional festive fare.

Arun’s (Fat Free) Mincemeat

This recipe uses no fat, butter or suet. It just relies on the freshest of flavours. You’ll really notice the difference…it’s perfect for freezing or will keep in a jar in your fridge for at least 4 months.

Don’t just reserve it for Christmas mince pies, spread it thick on toasted brioche, use as a topping for winter warming porridge…enjoy!

Ingredients:

200g eating apples, cored, peeled, diced
100g Muscavado sugar
1 tblsp water
600ml (1 pint) sweet, local cider
1kg (2lbs) mixed dried fruit made up of:
180g Raisins
130g, Currants
220g, Sultanas
90g, Mixed peel
120g, Figs dried, roughly chopped
130g, Apricots, roughly chopped
130g, Prunes, stoned, roughly chopped
400g (1lb) cooking apples, peeled and grated
1 tsp, Green Saffron’s Mixed Spice
1 vanilla pod, split in half, beans scraped out into the mix
½ tsp, freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp, freshly ground cubeb pepper
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
50g (2oz) almonds, toasted, roughly chopped (optional)
2 good tblsp, 50g Calvados

How to put it together:

In a large, heavy-bottomed pan add the Muscavado and water, stir to combine and heat until the sugar ‘melts’ and starts to bubble.

Carefully slide the diced apple into the hot, molten sugar being careful not to splash yourself!

Stir with a metal spoon until the apple pieces are evenly coated, then allow to cook until they’ve softened slightly. This will only take a couple of minutes.

Again, being very careful not to cause too much splashing, pour the cider into the pan, stirring all the time you’re pouring. It’ll sizzle and spit….mind the steam….

Next, slide in the dried fruit, grated apple, Mixed Spice blend, vanilla pod and its beans and the black pepper.

Simmer, lid half-on until the fruits have turned slightly pulpy and most of the liquid has evaporated. This should take about 15minutes.

Take off the heat, remove the vanilla pod, allow to cool slightly, then stir in the lemon zest, orange zest, almonds and Calvados.

 

Aloo Tikki – Potato Fritters with Sizzled Tomatoes

My dad often used to make us fried potato cakes when he got into the kitchen when Mum was out. They’re a staple of any street-food vendor in northern India and a must-have whenever you’re walking around the streets of Old Delhi in winter.

This is my version – simple, effective and totally delicious. If you have a splash guard, then I’d recommend using it here, because the tomato sauce really spits. A bit messy, I grant you, but essential for the finished dish, so don’t be tempted to turn down the heat – but do be careful not to burn it.

makes 8 patties

500g (1lb 2 oz) floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper, peeled
3–4 tbsp sunflower oil
150g (5½oz) onion, diced
30g (1oz) fresh ginger, finely grated
2 green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped (use less if you don’t want it too hot)
3 tsp Garam Masala blend
1 tsp powdered turmeric
2 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp sea salt
1 handful mint leaves, torn or chopped
1 small handful coriander leaves, chopped
For the sizzled tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
400g (14oz) tin whole plum tomatoes, drained
1 pinch finely ground black pepper
Sea salt

1. Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover generously with water. Bring to the boil and boil for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and lightly mash. Set aside.

2. Heat 1tablespoon oil in a heavy-based frying pan or sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and fry gently for 3 minutes, then add the ginger and continue cooking until the onion is soft.

3. Add the chillies, the Garam Masala, turmeric, mustard seeds and salt. Stir and cook for 2 minutes more, then turn off the heat, set aside and allow to cool to tepid.

4. Add the herbs and mashed potato and mix thoroughly. Divide the potato mix into eight mounds, then form them into evenly sized balls.

5. Add a little more oil to the frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add three or four balls. Gently press them down into flat but chunky patties and cook for about 10 minutes until light brown on each side. Repeat until you’ve cooked all the potato fritters. Serve immediately with

Sizzled Tomatoes:

1. Put a large saucepan over a medium–low heat. Add the olive oil and garlic slices and cook for a few minutes to soften without browning.

2. Add the tomatoes, pepper and salt to taste, then turn up the heat and cook fiercely, stirring to make sure it doesn’t burn.

3. The tomatoes will release all of their juices. When all the thin liquid has evaporated, add a splash more olive oil, adjust the seasoning and serve hot.
 

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 15- 17th May 2015

www.litfest.ie

*** 

The Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2014. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

 

The Darina Allen Column

 

Darina says there are worse things to be addicted to than her new pedometer - and her other health resolutions this year include cutting the sugar content in Ballymaloe Cookery School recipes, and adjusting the balance of vegetable to meat consumption

Once again, it's that time of the year when I make a ton of New Year resolutions that despite all the evidence to the contrary I'm totally sure I will keep. I'm totally obsessed by my new 'best present', a pedometer - it tells me how many steps I've walked each day. Apparently, to keep fit, it ought to be 10,000 at least.

That's pretty easy in my average day but I keep wanting to break my record. I reckon everyone should have one of these new 'toys' or alternatively, install the app on your phone. That will also tell you how many stairs you have climbed and how many miles you have covered - it becomes addictive but then again there's far worse things to be addicted to!

Back to New Year resolutions, as the obesity crisis becomes ever more urgent, we've already started to reduce sugar drastically in our recipes - 20% across the board to get them back to the original degree of sweetness before we changed from sugar beet to cane sugar. Try it you'll be amazed how you scarcely notice the difference and 20% adds up to a lot of sugar...

My next challenge is to reduce my meat consumption by 50% and increase our plant/herb and grain consumption by 50% instead. Plants are by far the most important food group, you can live totally healthily on a plant based diet, but the same cannot be said for meat despite the popularity of the Atkins diet.

The cost of unrealistically cheap meat particularly chicken and pork can no longer be ignored in health and socio economic terms. There are also serious animal welfare issues to be addressed not to speak of questions on real traceability and sustainability.

Interestingly, a growing number of people worldwide are becoming exercised about this subject and initiatives like 'Meat Free Monday' are growing in acceptance. Chefs too are embracing the concept and restaurants like The Grain Store in King's Cross in London have already highlighted meat as a flavouring or garnish rather than the main ingredient on their menus.

There are many other examples - René Redzepi of NOMA in Copenhagen whose restaurant has helped to change the gastronomic image of the entire Nordic region, features fish and meat just once during his unforgettable 20 course meal. It's a total celebration of the fresh vegetables and wild foods. The reality is that evidence is mounting that both we ourselves and the planet would be immeasurably better off if we ate less but much better quality meat. My guess is that this is more than a trend...

We are fortunate in Ireland to have access to some excellent meat. Make enquiries in your area to find a producer of properly free-range, organic poultry, you'll need to pay €18-20 for a fine plump bird with giblets.

That is closer to the real price of rearing a tasty, wholesome bird for the table. It's time we got real about the true costs involved. Paying what to many will seem like an astronomical price is enough to galvanise the mind so you use every single scrap and enjoy it as an occasional treat as used to be the case when I was a child.

The carcass and giblets will make a fine pot of stock. The chicken liver can be whipped up into a pate or smooth parfait to enjoy with slices of crisp toast or crusty bread. The drumsticks, thighs, breasts, tenders and wings can all be used in a variety of ways and bulked up with lots of vegetables and pulses or grains.

The skin on a good chicken cooked crisp and served with a lime and chilli dipping sauce will become a family favourite. Offal lovers like me will also enjoy a confit of the hearts and gizzards served on a bed of winter greens just as guests do in 3 star Michelin restaurants or in Parisian brasseries.

Here are some delicious recipes to get the maximum from a beautiful free range organic bird should you be able to find such a treasure...

Thai Chicken, Galangal and Coriander Soup

A particularly delicious example of how fast and easy a Thai soup can be and how a little organic chicken can go a long way. Serve in Chinese porcelain bowls if available. The kaffir lime leaves and galangal are served but not eaten. The chilli may of course be nibbled. Prawns and shrimps can be substituted for the chicken in this recipe with equally delicious results.

900ml (32fl oz) homemade chicken stock
4 kaffir lime leaves (use 3 dry if fresh are unavailable)
5cm (2 inch) piece of galangal, peeled and sliced or less of fresh ginger
4 tablespoons Fish sauce (Nam pla)
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
225g (8oz) chicken breast, very finely sliced
225ml (8fl oz) coconut milk
1-3 Thai red chillies
fresh coriander leaves - about 5 tablespoons

Put the chicken stock, lime leaves, galangal or ginger, fish sauce and freshly squeezed lemon juice into a saucepan. Bring to the boil stirring all the time, add the finely shredded chicken and coconut milk. Continue to simmer until the chicken is just cooked 1-2 minutes approx. Crush the chillies with a knife or Chinese chopper add to the soup for just a few seconds with some coriander leaves. Ladle into hot bowls and serve immediately.

Notes: We usually use one red Thai chilli - number depends on your taste and how hot the chillies are. Blanched and refreshed rice noodles are also great added to this soup. Fresh lime leaves are not available in every shop, but you may be able to pick up a plant at your local garden centre. (I found several at Deelish Garden Centre near Skibbereen) Alternatively, buy the leaves any time you spot them, pop them into a bag and freeze them, though not quite the same as fresh they are surprisingly good.

 

Spicy Chicken Livers on Toast

A tasty little starter but also great to serve with drinks.

Serves 6 as a starter

450g (1lb) organic chicken livers
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
a good pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon white flour
2 tablespoons freshly snipped flat parsley or coriander
To serve: 6 slices of sourdough bread
butter or extra virgin olive oil

Warm the cumin and coriander in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes by which time they should be smelling fragrant and spicy.

Put into a pestle and mortar with the sea salt and peppercorns. Grind with the pestle, add the cayenne pepper and flour and mix well.

Meanwhile clean the chicken livers, divide in two pieces if still intact. Remove any veins or traces of green. Wash and dry.

Just before cooking toss each chicken liver in the spicy coating.

Heat a little butter in a frying pan ,add a dash of olive oil, when it foams add the livers (you may need to cook in two batches depending on the size of the pan. Cook on all sides until slightly crisp on the outside but still a little pink and juicy .Add the roughly chopped parsley or coriander.

Meanwhile, pan grill or toast the bread and butter or drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Put a slice on to a hot plate.Spoon some spicy livers and juices over the top. Serve immediately.

 

Confit of Gizzards

These will keep for months and are delicious heated up on a pan and served on a little salad of seasonal leaves or in a risotto.

4 organic chicken or duck gizzards
200g (7oz) duck fat

Clean the gizzards and trim off all the fat. Tuck them into a small saucepan and cover with the duck fat. Put on a very low heat (or transfer to allow oven, 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2) and cook until tender, this could take three hours.

Allow to cool, transfer into a sterilised crock or Kilner jar, cover with strained duck fat and store in the fridge until they are to be used.

 

Spiced Chicken Legs with Banana and Yoghurt Raita

The Banana and Yogurt Raita accompaniment (see below) works well with curries and spicy dishes and, surprisingly, keeps for days in the fridge - and it can also be served as a pudding.
Serves 6

1.5kg (3½lb) chicken drumsticks or a mixture of drumsticks and thighs (boned or unboned)
1 tablespoon toasted ground cumin seeds
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon castor sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons sunflower oil

For the Banana and Yoghurt Raita:

2 heaped tablespoons (55g approx.) raisins or sultana
30g (1 oz) blanched slivered almonds
200ml (7 fl oz) best quality natural yogurt
90ml (3½ fl oz) cream or sour cream
1 tablespoon pure Irish honey
3 firm ripe bananas
pinch of salt
4-6 cardamom pods
Accompaniment
Banana and Yoghurt Raita (see recipe)
Ballymaloe Tomato Relish
Poppadums

Mix the cumin, paprika, cayenne, turmeric, sugar, black pepper, salt, garlic and freshly squeezed lemon juice in a bowl. Slash the chicken legs with a sharp knife in a couple of places. Rub the mixture all over the chicken pieces, put in a bowl and cover. Keep in a cool place for at least 3 hours.

Meanwhile, make the Banana and Yoghurt Raita:

Pour boiling water over the raisins or sultanas, leave for 10 minutes, toast the almonds. Mix the yogurt with the cream, add the honey, taste and add more if needed. Add the raisins and almonds, remove the seeds from the cardamom pods, crush in a pestle and mortar, slice the banana, season with a pinch of salt and add to the yogurt. Turn into a serving bowl and chill for an hour if possible.?

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Put the chicken pieces onto a roasting tin with all the paste. Brush or drizzle with a little oil and bake for about 20 minutes then turn over and bake for a further 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the pieces. Baste 2 or 3 times during cooking.

Pour boiling water over the raisins or sultanas, leave for 10 minutes, toast the almonds. Mix the yogurt with the cream, add the honey, taste and add more if needed. Add the raisins and almonds, remove the seeds from the cardamom pods, crush in a pestle and mortar, slice the banana, season with a pinch of salt and add to the yogurt. Turn into a serving bowl and chill for an hour if possible.?Serve with curries and spicy dishes.

Transfer to a serving dish spoon the degreased juices over the chicken and serve hot or at room temperature with Ballymaloe Tomato Relish, Banana and Yoghurt Raita and poppadums.

 

Crispy Chicken Skin with Plum or Lime and Sweet Chilli Sauce

This recipe is only worth doing with an organic chicken. The idea of eating chicken skin may frighten some, but it’s soooo yummy. You’ll soon become addicted – just don’t live on it!

skin from organic chicken breasts
sea salt
Plum Sauce or Lime and Sweet Chilli Sauce (mix Sweet Chilli Sauce with freshly squeezed lime juice to taste)

Peel the skin off the chicken breasts. Cut the skin into pieces about the size of a business card (if the pieces are reasonably even they will be more manageable to eat later).

Preheat the oven to 180Cº/350ºF/Gas Mark 4.

Spread the chicken skin upwards on a wire cooling rack on a baking tray. Cook for 25–30 minutes, until the skin is irresistibly crisp and the fat has rendered out. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve with a little bowl of plum or lime and sweet chilli sauce for dipping.

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2015. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column

 

This month Darina talks about one of the most anticipated restaurant openings in London for several years, a place where “beautifully fresh ingredients shine through with the minimum of interference”. How good is that.

Skye Gyngell, whose super fresh food at Petersham Nurseries in Richmond thrilled and excited real food lovers from all over the world, had not been actively involved in the restaurant scene for over two years before opening her new restaurant, Spring.

In that time she and her team were actively seeking out exciting premises in central London. After much toing and froing they eventually chose part of the New Wing at Somerset House, where the Inland Revenue had its office for 158 years.

The new space could not be much further in style from the original charming greenhouse at Petersham Nurseries where mismatched tables, crockery and cutlery on the clay floor created a sophisticated up-cycled bo-ho chic look.

Here in Spring, Skye shows her elegant ultra-chic side by transforming what by all accounts was a dull and dreary room into a haven of sophistication with a Zen like feel. The walls are pastel with tiny handmade porcelain flowers by Valeria Nascimento fluttering across the walls. There’s a marble counter at one end from which drinks and house cordials are dispensed. The cutlery is by English cutler David Mellor and the leather chairs are by Mario Bellini

The chandeliers, which resemble bunches of frosted balloons, cast a soft flattering glow. Not everyone loves the atmosphere or the eccentric staff uniform designed by Trager Delaney of Egg. I personally found them playful and quirky and why not.

The food was totally delicious, quintessentially Skye even though she wasn’t in the kitchen herself that night. Beautifully fresh ingredients shine through with the minimum of interference.
The delicious desserts at Spring are the creations of Sarah Johnson and her team. Sarah interned here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School for a while and honed her considerable skills at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, as well as Pizzaiolo in Oakland.

The wine list would also blow you out of the water impressing even the most seasoned wine buffs. Deeply knowledgeable sommelier Frank Embleton has been given both the brief and budget to create one of the most fascinating and well-chosen lists in London to complement Skye’s food.

Put www.springrestaurant.co.uk on your London list. Open seven days for lunch and dinner.

Here are some of the dishes that are creating the WOW factor at Spring.

 

Scallops, Agretti and Chilli Oil from Spring

[Agretti is an Italian succulent; it is related to samphire, which would be easier to source, and can typically be eaten raw or sauteed. stir fried or steamed. GC]

Serves 4

20 scallops, shucked and cleaned
1 large red chilli
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 bunch of Agretti
The juice of half a lemon
Sea-salt and freshly ground black pepper

Slice the chilli in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Using a sharp knife, slice into long fine strips. Bunch the strips together and chop finely across them so you end up with neat little squares. Place in a bowl, pour over all but 1tbsp of the olive oil, stir to combine, and set aside.

Clean, cook and drain the Agretti. While still warm, dress with a tablespoon of the chilli oil and a squeeze or two of lemon juice.

Place two non-stick (if you have them) frying pans on top of a high heat. Divide the final tablespoon of olive oil (without chilli), between them. Season the scallops quite generously with salt and pepper. Then when the pans are very hot, add the scallops, diving them equally (don’t over crowd them or they will stew instead of cook)

Cook for a minute on one side, then 30 seconds on the other. Remove from the heat and squeeze over what is left of the lemon juice. Divide the Agretti among 4 plates, place 5 scallops on top of each and spoon over the chilli oil.

Serve straight away while the scallops are still piping hot.

 

Pumpkin and white bean curry from Spring

Serves 4

1 fresh coconut (or 1 tin coconut milk)
1tbsp ghee or clarified butter
1tsp black mustard seeds
1 onion squash (if you can’t get hold of this, Crown Prince or butternut squash will be fine)
1 inch fresh turmeric, peeled and grated
1 dried chilli
10 fresh curry leaves
150 g/5 oz dried white beans, soaked overnight and cooked according to packet instructions
A little sea-salt
1 inch thumb of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
4-5 sweet little tomatoes

I prefer to use fresh coconut, it’s a little extra work but its flavour is far more delicate. If you do it this way, look for small, sweet, young coconuts, not the more typical older harder ones. Remove the outside husk by holding in your hand, rotating it slowly and tapping it gently on the top with a rolling pin until the outer flesh splits and you can gently remove the flesh with your hands.

Cut in half down the middle with a sharp knife, catching the water in a bowl as it escapes. Roughly chop the flesh into chunks and place in a blender with cup or two of warm water. Blend until smooth and strain it into the bowl in which you have poured the coconut milk.

Next, peel and chop the pumpkin into 2cm (1in) wedges. Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a medium-sized pan. When hot, add the mustard seeds and let them pop for a bit. Turn the heat down slightly and add the ginger, turmeric, tomatoes and dried chilli. Add the pumpkin and stir a couple of times to coat.

Next, sprinkle over the curry leaves and pour in the coconut milk. Keeping the heat at medium to low, place a lid on the saucepan and cook gently until the pumpkin is tender. Season with salt. Add the cooked white beans and cook gently for a further 5-10 min.

It’s delicious eaten alone, but it also lovely served with some simple steamed white fish.

 

Braised Oxtail with Garlic and Sherry Vinegar from Spring

Serves 4-6

3kg/6lb Oxtail
1tbsp Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
5 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 yellow onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 dried chilli
5 fresh bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
100ml/3½ fl oz Sherry vinegar
3 Jars of good quality tomatoes
500ml/ 17fl oz of water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 whole cloves

Using a sharp knife, trim the oxtail of most of its fat. Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. When warm, add the carrots, onion, chilli, bay leaves and garlic. Immediately turn the heat to very low and sweat for 20 mins, stirring every now and then.

In a separate pan, brown the oxtail well on both sides; this should take about four minutes per side. Remove the oxtail from the pan and deglaze with the vinegar, removing the bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the oxtail to the veg along with the sherry vinegar.

Add the tomatoes and water, a pinch of salt and a little freshly ground pepper, stir well and place lid on the pan. Turn the heat to its lowest setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring every now and then. Add the cloves 20 minutes from the end. The meat is ready when it falls of the bones. Turn off the heat and allow the dish to cool to room temperature. It will test better for this, twenty minutes before eating, reheat the dish over a low heat and serve piping hot.

 

SPRING ICE CREAM:

Home made ice creams are a speciality at Spring and the selection offered varies daily

Basic Anglaise:

450 ml Double Cream
350 ml whole milk
120 g caster sugar
6 organic free range egg yolks

Place the cream, milk and sugar into a heavy-based saucepan and cook over a gentle heat until warm to the touch. Remove from the heat In the meantime, place the yolks into a bowl and using a whisk, gently beat to break them up. Pour the warm milk over the yolks, whisking as you go.

Return the custard to the saucepan and place back onto a gentle heat. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir the custard continuously, taking care to scrape the bottom of the pot and ensure even cooking. Cook until the custard is thick and coats the back of a spoon. This may take some time, so be patient.

Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Place the bowl over an ice bath and stir until cool. Continue to chill and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. See below for modifications.

Honey Walnut Ice cream

2 cups fresh walnuts
1 recipe for Basic Anglaise, except replace 80g of sugar with honey

Replace 80g of the sugar with your favourite honey.
Preheat oven to 160C
 

Toast walnuts until crisp, and lightly collared. Between 15 and 20 minutes. Cool, then roughly chop. Put aside.

Freeze honey Anglaise in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once churned, fold in the toasted nuts.

 

LitFest 15-17 May 2015:

It has been a whirlwind time at LifFest HQ with ticket sales kicking off on Wednesday 7th Jan, the Ox Pop-up dinner was the first to book out but there are still many unmissable events to sign up for.

So if you haven’t already done so – get booking. The Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 2015 weekend promises to be another ‘knock out! www.litfest.ie
 

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2015. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column

It’s not as easy as it sounds to give visitors ‘a real taste of our Irish produce’ - but Darina has the answer to this common problem

I got a wonderful letter recently, beautifully hand-written by a woman who described herself as an octogenarian.

It was a poignant letter and a plea from a woman who wrote in despair about how difficult it now is to source good meat, chicken, pork even beef “Like you, I remember what food used to taste like and nowadays I don’t know where to turn”.

I believe she articulated the challenge that many people face in this era of relentless cost cutting and below cost selling. “Where, oh where can I find nourishing tasty food, I have visitors coming from America and I want to give them a real taste of our Irish produce?”

I totally understand her dilemma and I’m sure many others will also. The kind of produce this reader is looking for is available, but rarely through the normal food retail outlets, mostly because the farmers and food producers who still produce food in the traditional, time honoured way must get the full price for their produce – otherwise they simply cannot stay in business. The reality is that well reared meat that has been allowed to range freely on grass and grow slowly costs more to produce.

An organic chicken for example takes at least 12-13 weeks to reach maturity, over twice the time it takes for a chicken from an intensive Asian production system.

The latter will have antibiotics, hormones, growth promoters, bone strengtheners and probably anti-depressant in every feed. They simply can’t thrive in such intensive conditions otherwise.

Not the sort of bird my correspondent has in mind to remind her guests of almost forgotten flavours from a time when chicken was an occasional treat and the carcass and giblets yielded a fine pot of flavoursome broth.

I sent a list of farmers and food producers that we buy from and including free-range organic poultry producers, Robert and Yvonne Fitzsimmons, from East Ferry, Co Cork, phone: 086 2056020, email: info@eastferryfreerange.com. Tom Clancy’s free range poultry from Ballycotton, Co.Cork, phone: 086 3089431, email: jclancy@reprosys.ie

For pork my first choice was Martin & Noreen Conroy of Woodside Farm, Midleton, Co Cork, phone: 087 2767206.

For beef: go to a local craft butchers with its own abattoir who buys traditional breeds, dry ages and hangs well, for example:
Frank Murphy in Midleton, Co Cork, Phone: 021 4631557
Cliffords Butchers, Castlemartyr, Co Cork, Phone: 021 4667336
Michael McGrath, Butcher in Lismore, Co Waterford, Phone: 058 54350
Dawn Meats, not exactly a small butcher but they have a choice of some excellent well hung meat.

RECIPES:

These are just the kind of delicious roasts that will delight visitors from abroad, and they’re perfect for family Sunday lunch gatherings - and, with Easter early this year, they would be ideal for a get together over Easter weekend too.

Roast Fillet of Beef with Béarnaise Sauce

Serves 8 – 10

1 whole fillet of well hung dried aged beef 2.6kg (6lb) approximately
a few cloves garlic
pork caul fat (if available)
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
extra virgin olive oil
To serve: Béarnaise Sauce (see recipe)

Trim away the chain if it is still attached, and use the spare meat for something else, eg Beef Stroganoff. Double over the meat at the tapered end and tie the fillet securely with fine butcher’s cotton twine. (Alternatively ask your butcher to do this ‘butchering’ for you.)

Rub the fillet all over with a cut clove of garlic, season well with lots of freshly ground pepper and wrap loosely in caul fat if available. Season well with sea salt.

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8.

Alternatively, rub the fillet all over with the cut clove of garlic as before, season well on all sides with salt and freshly cracked pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Heat a cast iron pan grill to very hot. Sear the beef until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer it to a roasting tin and tuck a couple of sprigs of thyme underneath.

Roast for 25-30 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should read 50°C/125°F for rare or 75°C/167°F for well done. Alternatively the meat should feel springy to the touch and the juice should be a pale pink when the meat is pierced with a skewer.

Remove from the oven to a carving dish. Cover and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes by which time the juices will have redistributed themselves and the beef will be uniformly medium rare.

Serve cut in 5mm (1/4 inch) and serve with Béarnaise sauce.

 

Béarnaise Sauce

The consistency of Béarnaise sauce should be considerably thicker than that of Hollandaise or beurre blanc, both of which ought to be a light coating consistency. If you do not have tarragon vinegar to hand, use a wine vinegar and add some extra chopped fresh French tarragon.

Serves 8–10

4 tablespoons (5 American tablespoons) tarragon vinegar
4 tablespoons (5 American tablespoons) dry white wine
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 organic egg yolks
110g (4oz/1 stick) butter
1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) freshly chopped French tarragon leaves

Boil the first 4 ingredients together in a low, heavy-bottomed, stainless-steel saucepan until completely reduced and the pan is almost dry but not browned. Add 1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) of cold water immediately. Pull the pan off the heat and leave to cool for 1 or 2 minutes.

Using a coil whisk, whisk in the egg yolks and add the butter bit by bit over a very low heat, whisking all the time. As soon as one piece melts, add the next piece; it will gradually thicken.

If it shows signs of becoming too thick or slightly scrambling, remove from the heat immediately and add a little cold water. Do not leave the pan or stop whisking until the sauce is made. Finally, add 1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) of freshly chopped French tarragon and taste for seasoning.

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 all the butter is added and the sauce is a thick coating consistency.

It is important to remember, however, that if you are making Béarnaise 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 Béarnaise sauce for the first time is to keep a bowl of cold water close by so that you can plunge the bottom of the saucepan into it if it becomes too hot.

Keep the sauce warm in a Pyrex bowl over hot but not simmering water or in a Thermos flask until you want to serve it.

Traditional Roast Stuffed Organic Chicken with Gravy

Serves 6

A traditional roast stuffed chicken with lots of gravy is a forgotten flavour for many people, partly because unless you have access to a really good bird the smell and flavour will be quite different to one’s childhood memory.

People often feel that making stuffing is too bothersome but if you keep some breadcrumbs in the freezer it can literally be made in minutes. Should I cook the stuffing inside the bird or separately?

The best place for the stuffing is inside the bird where it absorbs lots of delicious juices as it cooks. Do not overfill the bird otherwise the heat may not penetrate fully. This is particularly important if you are using an intensively reared bird which may be infected with salmonella and or campylobacter.

4 1/2 - 5 lbs (1.5 - 2.3kg) free range chicken, preferably organic

Giblet Stock

Giblets (keep the liver for a chicken liver pate), and wish bone
1 thickly sliced carrot
1 thickly sliced onion
1 stick celery, sliced
a few parsley stalks and a sprig of thyme

Stuffing

11/2 oz (45g/1/3 stick) butter
3 oz (75g) chopped onion
3-3 ½ oz (75-95g/1½ -1¾ cups) soft white breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) finely chopped fresh herbs eg. parsley, thyme, chives and annual marjoram
salt and freshly ground pepper
a little soft butter

Gravy

1-1½ pints (600-900mls/2 ½ - 3 ¾ cups) of stock from giblets or chicken stock

Garnish

Sprigs of flat parsley

First remove the wish bone from the neck end of the chicken, this is easily done by lifting back the loose neck, skin and cutting around the wish bone with a small knife – tug to remove, this isn't at all essential but it does make carving much easier later on.

Tuck the wing tips underneath the chicken to make a neat shape. Put the wish bone, giblets, carrot, onions, celery and herbs into a saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, skin and simmer gently while the chicken is roasting. This is the basis of the gravy.

Next make the stuffing, sweat the onions gently in the butter in a covered saucepan until soft, 10 minutes approx. then stir in the white bread crumbs, the freshly chopped herbs, a little salt and pepper to taste. Allow it to get quite cold unless you are going to cook the chicken immediately. If necessary wash and dry the cavity of the bird, then season and half fill with stuffing. Season the breast and legs, smear with a little soft butter.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/regulo4. Weight the chicken and allow about 20 minutes to the lb and 20 minutes over – put on middle shelf in oven. Baste a couple of times during the cooking with the buttery juices. The chicken is done when the juices are running clear.

To test prick the thickest part at the base of the thigh, hold a spoon underneath to collect the liquid, examine the juices - they should be clear.

Remove the chicken to a carving dish, keep it warm and allow to rest while you make the gravy.

To make the gravy, tilt the roasting tin to one corner and spoon off the surplus fat from the juices and return the roasting pan to the stove. De glaze the pan juices with the fat free stock from the giblets and bones (you will need 1-1 1/2 pints depending on the size of the chicken).

Using a whisk, stir and scrape well to dissolve the caramelized meat juices in the roasting pan. Boil it up well, season and thicken with a little roux if you like (the gravy should not be thick). Taste and correct seasoning, serve in a hot gravy boat.

If possible serve the chicken on a nice carving dish surrounded by crispy roast potatoes and some sprigs of flat parsley then arm yourself with a sharp knife and bring it to the table. Carve as best you can following the diagrams on page 000 and ignore rude remarks if you are still practicing but do try to organise it so that each person gets some brown and some white meat. Serve with gravy and bread sauce.

Use the cooked carcass for making stock.

 

Pork Belly with Green and Black Olive Tapenade

Inspired by a dish I ate at Amisfield Winery near Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand.

Serves 6 – 8

1 x 2.2kg (5lb) pork belly with crackling
Rocket leaves
Green and Black Olive Tapenade (see recipe below)
flakes of Sea salt
extra virgin olive oil

Score the pork at 5mm (1/4 inch) intervals. Sprinkle both the rind and flesh side with salt and allow to season for 2 – 3 hours. Wash and dry well.

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

Put the pork, skin side up on a chopping board, season with Maldon sea salt and cracked black pepper. Pour 1cm (1/2 inch) water into a roasting tin and roast the joint on a wire rack in the roasting tin. Allow 25-28 minutes per 450g (1lb). Baste with the rendered pork fat every now and then.

Meanwhile make the Green and Black Tapenade (see recipe).

To Serve

Cut the pork into 5cm (2 inch) squares – allow 3 pieces per person. Drizzle a little chunky tapenade over and around the pork. Sprinkle with some flakes of Sea salt and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

 

Black and Green Olive Tapenade

75g (3ozs) green olives, after stoning
75g (3ozs) black olives, after stoning
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 anchovies (Ortiz), mashed
4 tablespoons (5 American tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil

Roughly chop the olives, add the finely chopped garlic, mashed anchovies and extra virgin olive oil. Mix and taste.

 

LitFest 15-17 May 2015:

It has been a whirlwind time at LifFest HQ with tickets on sale since Wednesday 7th Jan, the Ox Pop-up dinner was the first to book out but there are still many unmissable events to sign up for. So if you haven’t already done so – get booking. The Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 2015 weekend promises to be another ‘knock out! www.litfest.ie
 

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2015. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

 

The Darina Allen Column

 

This month Darina considers our food history, and the many fascinating old recipes that have been discovered in ‘manuscript cookbooks’ - maybe you have some tucked away in a copy book somewhere too!

On a chilly night a few weeks ago we had our first East Cork Slow Food event of the year. The title didn't sound particularly appealing “How a Love Of Food And Literature Can Bring Your Life In A Different Direction” but eminent food historian Dorothy Cashman kept us riveted for several hours and whetted many peoples appetite for food history, old cookbooks and lore that they hadn't a jot of interest in before.

Dorothy, herself had almost stumbled into what has now becoming an all absorbing hobby. Good wholesome food and convivial family meals were an important part of her childhood and stirred up as they do for many of us, nostalgic and happy memories.  In 1991 Dorothy decided to take a career break from her air hostess job in Aer Lingus to learn how to cook.

After three months here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School, her interest in all things gastronomic grew and eventually 2009 she retired from Aer Lingus and in 2007 enrolled on the New Product Development and Culinary Innovation MSc in DIT in Dublin. She found herself intrigued by food history and old cookbooks and became particularly fascinated by the manuscript cookbooks of the great Irish houses.

Interestingly, relatively little work had been done on this area, it was almost as through it was ‘air brushed’ out of our history. Most cookbooks including my own Traditional Irish Cooking had concentrated on the food of the poor and middle classes, simple, nourishing and often delicious but hardly sophisticated food.

However, Dorothy quickly discovered that the clichéd image of traditional Irish food was only part of the story. As in every country, the food depended on the social status and economic situation of the family. The food eaten in many of the great houses was fascinating and reflected the fresh produce of the estate. Fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit from the walled garden, orchards and greenhouses. Game during the season and fish from the local rivers and lakes or a fish pond on the estate.

Several houses had a ready supply of squabs from their columbarium and there were many ice houses, some of which are still in existence. The cook, with a few notable exceptions, was local but often incorporated recipes into their repertoire that the lady of the house had got from friends or had collected on the Grand Tour of Europe.

Fortunately, the lady of the house sometimes recorded the receipts as they were then known into a beautiful bound book in exquisite copper plate handwriting. These manuscript cookbooks are an important social record as well as a deeply personal account of what the family was eating at that point in time.

They were never meant to be published or read outside of the family circle so they are invariably written in a casual unguarded style, with the occasional aside or alteration. In some instances they were written by just one person but in other cases the manuscripts were added to by several generations as in the Parsons family of Birr Castle and the Pope family from Waterford have three books in the Library (MS 34,923/1-3) and were added to by the members of the family from 1823 to c1890, book by book…

From some of the entries one might deduce that the lady of the house, not herself a cook was transcribing the cooks receipt as it was relayed to her. The cook particularly in earlier years may well have been illiterate and her mistress often had little understanding of quantities or cooking techniques so not all recipes are accurate or can be relied on to work. There's also the possibility that some cooks didn't necessarily want to share their secrets!

Dorothy discovered an extensive archive of manuscript cookbooks dating from 1700 to mid/late 1800 in the National Library and has since embarked on a fascinating research project, a journey of discovery where each little clue opens new doors and gives new insights into our traditions and food culture. And the fascinating families who lived in these houses, brought recipes with them from their childhood homes and collected and shared with their friends and neighbouring estates.

The mistress of the house was also expected to have remedies for all ailments from cuts and burns to cholera or whooping cough so the manuscript cookbooks also invariably included recipes for all kinds of healing potions as well as drinks and furniture or even grate polish.

It was intriguing to see recipes for preserved lemons ‘Lady Tyrone’s receipt for pickling lemons got from my grandmother’ in Mrs Baker’s manuscript. And extensive use of spices, rose water, orange blossom water and of course barm, an ingredient which now intrigues bakers and chefs.

Dorothy, stressed that there are still handwritten recipe collections often written in simple copy books in the back of drawers or in a box in the attic in many homes, these are really worth rescuing. They may not be of sufficient interest to be part of the national collection but each is worth saving as a family heirloom.

If you think you have a manuscript cookbook that may be of interest, contact Dorothy Cashman at dorothycashman1@eircom.net.

Some of Dorothy’s recipes from manuscripts are given below, after these deliciously restoring recipes from Ballymaloe - perfect for those chillier spring days.

Darina Allen’s Pigeon Pie

Wood pigeons have always been very prolific in Ireland. In the country young boys were taught how to shoot by their fathers. Before a big dance or party in Ballymaloe House in the 1950s, my husband Tim and his brother Rory would ‘bag’ enough to make large quantities of pigeon pie – a relatively inexpensive and absolutely delicious way to feed a large number of people for a winter house party.

Serves 10–12

breasts from 4–6 pigeons
half their weight in streaky bacon
their weight in lean beef
bacon fat or olive oil, for frying
8 baby carrots or sticks of carrot
10–12 button onions
1 garlic clove, crushed
1–2 teaspoons plain flour
240ml (8fl oz) red wine
240ml (8fl oz) homemade beef stock
150ml (¼ pint) homemade tomato purée or a smaller quantity of tinned purée or tomato paste: use according to concentration and make up with extra stock
roux (optional):
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons chopped thyme and parsley
1 quantity Mushrooms in Cream (see below)
225g (8oz) puff pastry

Remove the rind from the bacon and cut into 2.5cm (1in) cubes. Cut the beef and pigeon into similar-sized pieces.

Heat some bacon fat or olive oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon until crisp and golden.

Remove to a 2.3 litre (4 pint) casserole. Add the beef and pigeon pieces, a few at a time, to the frying pan and toss until they change colour.

Add them to the casserole. Add the carrots, onions and crushed garlic to the pan and turn in the fat before adding them to the meat in the casserole.

Stir the flour into the fat in the pan, cook for a minute or so and then stir or whisk in the wine, stock and tomato purée. Bring to the boil and thicken with roux if necessary.

Pour over the meat and vegetables in the casserole. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, add the thyme and parsley and bring to the boil.

Cover and cook for 1–2 hours or until tender (this will depend on the age of the pigeons) in a low oven, 150ºC/300ºF/gas mark 2–3.

When cooked, add the Mushrooms in Cream and set aside to cool.

When the pigeon stew is cold, pour it into a deep pie dish. Roll out the puff pastry to cover the dish and bake for 10 minutes at 230ºC/450ºF/gas mark 8, then reduce the heat to 190ºC/375ºF/gas mark 5 and cook for a further 20 minutes.

 

Mushrooms in Cream

10–25g (½–1oz) butter
75g (3oz) onion, finely chopped
225g (8oz) sliced field mushrooms or flat cultivated mushrooms
salt and freshly ground pepper
squeeze of lemon juice
½ tablespoon parsley
½ tablespoon chopped chives
125ml (4fl oz) cream

Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan until it foams. Add the chopped onion, cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 5–10 minutes, or until quite soft but not coloured. Remove the onion to a bowl.

Increase the heat and cook the sliced mushrooms, in batches if necessary. Season each batch with salt, freshly ground pepper and a tiny squeeze of lemon juice.

Add the onions, parsley and chives to the mushrooms in the saucepan, then add the cream and allow to bubble for a few minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning, then set aside to cool.

 

Jam Pudding

This was one of our favourites, we raced home from school for lunch even faster when we knew Mummy was cooking a steamed jam pudding.

Serves 4

110g (4oz) butter, at room temperature
110g (4oz) caster sugar
2 eggs, free-range if possible
few drops of pure vanilla essence
170g (6oz) plain white flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
about 1 tablespoon milk or water
3 or 4 tablespoons homemade raspberry jam

Raspberry Jam Sauce

4–6 tablespoons homemade raspberry jam
rind and juice of ½ lemon
150ml (¼ pint) water
sugar, to taste

12.5cm (5in) pudding bowl

Cream the butter, add the caster sugar and beat until white and creamy. Whisk the eggs with the vanilla essence and beat, a little at a time, into the creamed mixture. Stir in the flour and baking powder and add a little milk or water if necessary to make a dropping consistency.

Grease your pudding bowl. Spread raspberry jam over the bottom and sides. Carefully spoon the cake mixture into the bowl. Cover with pleated greaseproof paper, tied on firmly, and steam the pudding for about 1½ hours.

Meanwhile, make the raspberry jam sauce. Heat the jam with the water, add the lemon rind and juice and sweeten with a little extra sugar if necessary.

Turn the pudding on to a hot dish and serve with the sauce and lots of softly whipped cream.

RECIPES FROM MANUSCRIPT BOOKS:

Spellings are original.

Lady Tyrone’s receipt for pickling lemons, G.M (MS 34,952 National Library of Ireland) This is from the manuscript of Mrs Baker of Ballaghtobin, who was related to the Earl of Tyrone: “Take the largest lemons, pare them as thin as possible, score them across at each end and rub them mighty well with salt for 10 days every day, then dry them at the fire or in the sun for an hour every day then put them into a close stone jar, 12 cloves of garlic, red Indian pepper and flour of mustard and sliced ginger, cover them with raw vinegar. They are apt to grow soft if not properly done therefore to keep them hard when you are doing them they must be kept in a room with a fire and the salt must cover them all over and the salt rubbed very well into them, three times a day not too hard to bruise the lemon and they must also be turned every time you rub them that they may not lie too long on one side. You must tie a little turmrick up in a bag and put in the jar where the lemons are to give them a proper colour.”

A Sponge Cake Miss Herbert (MS 34, 952 National Library of Ireland)

I like to think this is the diarist Dorothea Herbert’s recipe; it is certainly either hers or her siblings as they were first cousins of Mrs Baker. I have made this in half the recipe and used large organic eggs. One large cake tin and split it to fill with cream and fresh raspberries. It was wonderful.

“Beat the whites of 10 eggs to a froth for an hour with three spoons fill of cinimon or orange flower water, one pound of lump sugar powdered and sifted, the rhind of a lemon grated. When these are well mixed add the juice of a lemon and the yolks of 10 eggs beat smooth for an hour, just before you put it in the oven, stir in three quarters of a pound of well dried fine flour, bake it in a moderate oven for an hour.”

Catsup that will last twenty years (MS 34, 952 National Library of Ireland)

Terrifying! But probably works. (To rozen something is to seal it with a pine resin)

“Take two quarts of strong stale beer and half a pound of anchovies wash them clean, cloves and mace of each a quarter of an ounce, of pepper half an ounce, a race or two of ginger, half a pound of shallots, a pint of flat mushrooms well boiled and salted, boil all them over a slow fire till one half is consumed then run it thro a flannel bag, let it stand till it is quite cold, bottle it and cork it close and rozen it.”

A Rich Sillibub from the Cow (MS 42,134 National Library of Ireland)

O.K… First catch your cow! I doubt it would pass hygiene standards but the motion of milking from the udder would have had the desired effect.

“Take what wine you like best, if it be sack the curd will be the tenderer, mingle it with ale and sweeten it with sugar very well, ye juice and peel of a lemon. Put yr pot or glass on the ground and milk in to it as fast as you can and make a little curd, then have a porringer of cream by you and put some upon the curd,
then milk again.”
----

 

LitFest 15-17 May 2015:

It has been a whirlwind time at LifFest HQ but there are still many unmissable events to sign up for. So if you haven’t already done so – get booking. The Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 2015 weekend 15th-17th May promises to be another ‘knock out! www.litfest.ie
 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2015. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina talks about one of the West of Ireland’s biggest food heroes, JP McMahon. The larger than life author of ‘Cava Bodega Tapas, A Taste of Spain in Ireland’ is a speaker at this year’s Kerrygold Ballymaloe Lifest LitFest (15-17 May 2015)

Chef-owner of the much-feted Aniar restaurant in Galway, JP McMahon keeps a lot of balls in the air. He is culinary director of the EatGalway Restaurant Group, made up of Aniar, Cava Boedga, and Eat Gastropub, plus he runs the Aniar Boutique Cookery School.

He is totally committed to local producers and engages directly with small farmers. That’s not all, he is the founding chair and director of the Galway Food Festival and is an ambassador for Irish food.

In his spare time JP also lectures in Art History in UCC and is currently finishing his PhD and can you imagine on top of all that JP is organising an international chef symposium entitled 'Food on the Edge' which will take place in Galway in October 2015.

WOW, I’m exhausted from even reading this and there’s more, when does this boy sleep! Most recently, he has self-published a book ‘Tapas, A Taste of Spain in Ireland’, The recipes are from Cava Bodega, the much loved tapas restaurant he and his wife Drigín opened in Dominick Street in Galway in 2008.

JP and Drigín love Spain. There’s always been a strong link between Ireland and Spain, and Galway in particular, dating back to 500 B.C. The trading ships would come into Galway Bay and sail right up to what is now called the Spanish Arch, home of another of my favourite Galway eateries, Ard Bia.

JP has a deep a love for Spanish food and culture. The recipes for the para picar (nibbles) tapas (small bites) and pinchos (a larger version) in the book reflect his interpretation of the Hiberno-Spanish version of many classic and contemporary dishes.

JP is also an ambassador for the “Cook It Raw” movement started by Alessandro Porcelli in 2009. It’s not just raw food but going back to basics, re-learning the skills of producing some of our own food, fishing, shooting and foraging.

Here is a small selection of recipes to whet your appetite. Meanwhile if you would like to see JP in action, he will be at The Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine from May 15th-17th 2015, you can book on-line www.litfest.ie

Goats’ Cheese Mousse with piquillo peppers and walnut powder
(serves 4)

8 piquillo peppers
green leaves, to garnish

For the goats’ cheese mousse:

150g (5oz) St Tola goats’ cheese
50ml (2fl oz) cream
50g (2oz) crème fraiche
sea salt

For the walnut powder:

45g (2oz) walnuts
5g sugar (¼oz)
1g sea salt

For the walnut powder: Dry roast the walnuts in a 180°C oven until hard and crunchy. Allow to cool. Blend in a food processor with the sugar and the salt. Spread the powder onto a baking tray and place in the oven until a crumb texture is achieved. This will only take a few minutes so keep an eye on the powder!

For the goats’ cheese mousse: Whip the goats’ cheese, cream, and crème fraîche together until a smooth consistency is achieved. Season to taste. Place in a piping bag with a medium sized nozzle.

To plate: Pipe the goats’ cheese on to the plate and lay the piquillo peppers around and on top of the cheese. Garnish with some green leaves (I find mustard cress works well) and finish by sprinkling the walnut powder over the cheese and peppers. Serve with some fresh sourdough or some crackers.

Note from JP: For this recipe, we use, St. Tola, a soft Irish goats’ cheese from Co. Clare. It is made by Siobhán, a good friend of mine. Piquillo peppers are small Spanish roasted red peppers from Navarra. You can find them in Sheridan’s Cheesemongers in both Dublin and Galway and many other delis and supermarkets.

 

Clams with Chorizo

Irish clams are an extremely versatile shellfish that work wonderfully with the succulent oiliness of Spanish chorizo. From the moment of its appearance on the menu in Cava, this dish always caught people’s attention. Not only is it a fantastic tapa for sharing, it’s also a great introduction for people who are new to shellfish.

(serves 4)

250ml Oloroso sherry
200g cooking chorizo, diced
500g fresh clams, cleaned
handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
50g butter, cubed

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the chorizo and fry lightly until the oil begins  to seep from the sausage.

Add the onion and the bay leaf and fry until the onions have softened and have  turned red.

Add the sherry and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook for a further 3 to 5 minutes.

Finally, add the clams and butter. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until the clams have opened. Discard any that don’t open.

Fold the parsley into the clams and chorizo. Serve into four warm bowls, ideally with some crusty bread to mop up the lovely juices.

 

Free Range Duck with plums and Pedro Ximenez sherry
(serves 4)

2 free range duck breasts
2 plums, stoned & cut in eight slices each
400ml (14 fl oz) PX sherry
4 tbsp of honey
a few sprigs of chervil
sea salt

Preheat oven to 200?C.

Score the fat side of each duck breast and cut in half. Season with salt.

Warm a frying pan and place the breast into it skin side down.

Cook until the fat is rendered and the skin is a crisp brown colour.

Turn the duck over and fry on the other side for 2 minutes.

Place duck in the oven on an oven tray for 5 minutes.

In another pan, caramelise the plums in the honey on a medium heat.

After a few minutes, add the sherry and reduce by half on a medium heat.

Remove the duck from the oven (it will be medium rare: if you want to cook it more leave it in for longer) and allow it to rest for a few minutes.

Carve the duck into thin slices and season with some salt.

To serve: Divide the plum sauce onto four plates and place the sliced duck on top. Garnish with some sprigs of chervil.

 

Basque style monkfish, with parsley and mayonnaise
(serves 4)

For the Monkfish:

400g (14oz) monkfish, cut into strips
2 egg whites
100g (3½ oz) flour
sea salt
1 lemon, cut into four wedges
small handful of fresh dill tops

For the parsley mayonnaise

handful of flat leaf parsley, stalks removed
150ml (5fl oz or ¼ pint) oil
450g (1lb) mayonnaise

For the parsley mayonnaise: Blend the parsley and the oil in a food processor until smooth. Add the mayonnaise and continue to blend until you achieve a smooth green paste.

For the monkfish: Heat a deep fat fryer to 175°C. Season the monkfish and coat in the flour. With the aid of a tongs, dip each piece of monkfish into the egg white and then into the fryer. You will need to do this quickly as you don’t want the cooking time on the fish to be too different between the first and the last piece. Fry the monkfish until golden brown. Remove from the oil and strain on to some kitchen paper.

To serve: Place a dollop of the parsley mayonnaise on the plate and rest the monkfish beside it. Garnish with the lemon and the dill tops. Season again with a little rock salt if desired.

 

Crèma Catalana
(serves 6)

1 litre cream (1¾ pints)
2 cinnamon sticks
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
6 egg yolks
100g (3½ oz) caster sugar
50g (2 oz) brown sugar

Bring the cream to the boil with cinnamon sticks and zest.

Upon reaching boiling point remove cream from the stove. Set aside and allow flavours to infuse for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, add sugar to eggs and whisk until creamed.

Pour the warm cream slowly over the eggs. Do not over whisk as you don’t want too much air in the mixture.

Set the mixture over a pot of boiling water (bain-marie) and gently warm the mixture until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. This will take about 30 to 40 minutes. Be sure the water does not come into contact with the bowl, or the mixture will curdle.

Strain mixture though a fine sieve and pour into 6 suitable round dishes.

Allow to chill for 3 hours in the fridge.

To serve: Sprinkle the surface of the Crèma Catalana with brown sugar and caramelise with a flamethrower. If you don’t have a flamethrower, you can put the Catalana under the grill, but be careful not to cook the mixture.  In Cava, we serve the Catalana with some caramel ice-cream, fresh fruits, and almond biscuits.
 

----

LitFest 15-17 May 2015:

It has been a whirlwind time at LifFest HQ but there are still many unmissable events to sign up for. So if you haven’t already done so – get booking. The Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 2015 weekend 15th-17th May promises to be another ‘knock out! www.litfest.ie
 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2015. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

 

This month Darina talks about the pleasures - and rewards - of foraging. You’ll find lots more foraging information and recipes in her wonderful book Forgotten Skills of Cooking (Kyle Cathie).

Foraging beware you can get hooked, it is so fun that it quickly becomes addictive. Where others merely see a clump of weeds we visualise a yummy dinner.

We’ve had several exciting foraging courses recently including one Slow Food foraging session. All were packed with people eager to learn what for many is an almost forgotten skill. It’s free and available in both urban and rural areas, in the woods, by the sea shore, in the fields, on stone walls, all year round.

Unbelievable but true, just walk outside your door, open your eyes in a new way, what do you see? Any daisies, primroses, dandelions. They are all edible, pluck the little petals from the daisy and scatter them over a salad, that’s called ‘daisy confetti’, how cute is that.

Dandelion leaves and flowers are both edible. The leaves are quite bitter but fantastically good for you. For many of us ‘Bitter’ is an acquired taste, we’ve become used to the easy sweetness of tame vegetables.

I love it but if you’d rather a more delicate flavour, cover the dandelion plant with a bucket or lid to blanch the leaves to pale yellow just like the ones you’ll find in French bistro salads. The familiar yellow flowers make delicious dandelion fritters as do the leaves of comfrey. We crystallize many of the wild flowers including primroses and violets.

The stone walls around our boundary are encrusted with little fleshy discs of pennyworth – soo good in salads. The wild garlic season is in full swing. The woods and shady places are full of the broad leaf ransomes (allium ursinum). Many country roads are edged with allium triquetrum, the pretty three corned leek which has narrow leaves and resembles a white bluebell. Both types are edible but the wide leaves of the ransomes are perhaps more versatile for the cook. We love them in soups, salads, champ, pesto. The pretty white flowers garnish starter plates and are sprinkled into the green salad every day while the season lasts.

The alexanders are flowering now so stalks are tough but the seeds can be dried and used in salads and pickles. Bitter Cress or Winter Cress with its slightly peppery flavour is another favourite, reminiscent of radish. It grows in little clumps like a weed, both in gravel paths and in soil. It has shallow roots and like all cresses the top leaf is the biggest, another tasty addition to the salad bowl. Some may be flowering now, tiny white flowers...

Scurvy grass is available all year, so called because its high vitamin c content protected sailors from scurvy (cochlearia officinalois) You’ll find lots of uses for the fleshy leaves and slightly peppery taste. The pretty flowers can be also be scattered over salads. It grows along the seashore and in saline conditions.

Wild Sorrel is also abundant at present, its tiny spear shaped leaves grow out of the grass in fields, ditches and along the cliffs. The leaves of Bucler leaf sorrel are also small and are shaped like an old bucler shield. Its tart zingy lemony flavour adds a clean fresh note to salads, sauces and soups.

At the launch of the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine this year, Katie Sanderson and Jasper O Connor at the Fumbally Café in Dublin paired sorrel with honey carrageen moss pudding, a totally delicious and inspired combination. These two young chefs are worth watching, if you haven’t already been to the Fumbally put in on your Dublin list.

Foragers Soup

Throughout the seasons one can gather wild greens on a walk in the countryside – foraging soon becomes addictive. Many greens are edible and some are immensely nutritious. Arm yourself with a good well-illustrated guide and be sure to identify carefully and if in doubt – don’t risk it until you are quite confident. Don’t overdo the very bitter herbs like dandelion.

Serves 6

50g (2ozs/1/2 stick) butter
110g (4ozs) diced onion
150g (5 ozs) diced potatoes
250g (9ozs) chopped greens – alexanders, nettles, wild sorrel, a few young dandelions, wild garlic, borage leaves, wild rocket, ground elder, beech leaves, chickweed, watercress
600ml (1 pint/2 1/2 cups) light chicken stock
600ml (1 pint/2 1/2 cups) creamy milk

75g (3ozs) chorizo or lardons of streaky bacon
extra virgin olive oil
wild garlic flowers if available

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan. When it foams, add potatoes and onions and turn them until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 10 minutes.

When the vegetables are almost soft but not coloured add the hot stock and boiling milk. Bring back to the boil and cook until the potatoes and onions are fully cooked.

Add the greens and boil with the lid off for 2-3 minutes approx. until the greens are just cooked. Do not overcook or the soup will lose its fresh green colour.

Purée the soup in a liquidiser. Taste and correct seasoning.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Add the diced chorizo or lardons of streaky bacon, cook over a medium heat until the fat starts to run and the bacon is crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.

Sprinkle over the soup as you serve. Use the chorizo oil to drizzle over the soup also and scatter a few wild garlic flowers over the top if available.

 

Honey Carrigeen Moss Pudding with Sorrel and Chocolate Soil

A delicious way to serve Carrigeen moss pudding, the brain child of Jasper O’ Connor and Katie Sanderson of the Fumbally Café in Dublin. www.thefumbally.ie

Serves 6

7g (1⁄4oz) cleaned, well-dried carrageen moss (1 semi-closed fistful)
900ml (1 1⁄2 pints/3 3/4 pints) whole milk
1 vanilla pod or 1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 organic egg
1-2 tablespoons honey

Chocolate Soil
100 g (3½ ozs) caster sugar
2 tablespoons water
75 g (3 ozs) dark chocolate chopped or grated into small chunks

225 g (8 ozs) sorrel, desalked
Freshly squeezed apple juice made from Granny Smith apples

To Serve
Softly whipped cream

Soak the carrageen in a little bowl of tepid water for 10 minutes. It will swell and increase in size. Strain off the water and put the carrageen into a saucepan with the milk and the vanilla pod, if using. Bring to the boil and simmer very gently, covered, for 20 minutes.

At that point and not before, separate the egg, put the yolk into a bowl, add the honey and vanilla extract, if using, and whisk together for a few seconds, then pour the milk and carrageen moss through a strainer onto the egg yolk mixture, whisking all the time.

By now the carrageen remaining in the strainer will be swollen and exuding jelly. You need as much of this as possible through the strainer and whisk it into the egg and milk mixture. Test for a set in a saucer as one would with gelatine. Whisk the egg white stiffly and fold or fluff it in gently; it will rise to make a fluffy top. Chill and allow to set for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile make the chocolate soil. In a saucepan on a medium to high heat place the sugar and water, give it a stir but try not get any water crystals on the side. The sugar will melt and start to boil and bubble. You want the mixture to reach to 135C. If you don’t have a thermometer the mixture will start to turn a golden brown.

At this stage you want to work fast and pour the chocolate mix into the pot while whisking. It will dry out and turn to soil almost immediately. Magic. Cool on a nonstick baking tray. It keeps for ages.

Next mix 3 parts sorrel juice with 1 part freshly squeezed Granny Smith apple juice or to taste.

To serve pour a little sorrel and apple juice into a glass. Top with carrageen. Pop a little blob of softly whipped cream on top and sprinkle with chocolate soil. Serve.

 

Wild Garlic Champ

A bowl of mashed potatoes flecked with wild garlic and a blob of butter melting in the centre is ‘comfort’ food at its best.

Serves 4-6

1.5kg (3lb) 6-8 unpeeled 'old' potatoes e.g. Golden Wonders or Kerrs Pinks
50-75g (2-3 oz) wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped
350ml (10-12fl oz/1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups) milk
50-110g (2-4oz/1/2 – 1 stick) butter
salt and freshly ground pepper

Wild garlic flowers

Scrub the potatoes and boil them in their jackets.

Put the roughly chopped wild garlic leaves into a saucepan. Cover with cold milk and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes, turn off the heat and leave to infuse.

Peel and mash the freshly boiled potatoes and while hot, mix with the boiling milk and wild garlic, beat in the butter. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve in 1 large or 6 individual bowls with a knob of butter melting in the centre.

Wild garlic mash may be put aside and reheated later in a moderate oven, 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Cover with tin foil while it reheats so that it doesn’t get a skin.

Just before serving put a blob of butter into the centre and sprinkle with wild garlic flowers if available.
 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2015. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

What is it about a school excursion that makes us all revert back to our carefree childhood temperament? asks Darina, as she recounts the fun she and her 12 Week Certificate course students had on their latest fact finding field trip

Just back from another action packed school tour. On every 12 Week Certificate course we take the students on a fact finding field trip to stimulate ideas on how they might use their hard earned cooking skills to earn their living in a fun and creative way. Food is the main driver of the Irish economy at present where there are a myriad of options to add value to basic raw materials.

We started shortly after 8am, everyone was in high spirits. What is it about a school excursion that makes us all revert back to our carefree childhood temperament? First we visited Shanagarry Smokehouse where Bill Casey told us about how he decided to start a smokehouse when he was made redundant in the early 80’s. His smoked salmon is sold not just in the local area but also to several top chefs around the country and occasionally overseas.

Next we visited Philip Dennhardt’s Saturday Pizza factory ingeniously converted from a disused shipping container. An inspirational project which made many students realise that by thinking creatively one can get into business and comply with the regulations without huge overheads.

Then we all piled into the bus and headed for Mahon Point Farmers Market. It was already buzzing when we arrived at 10 o’ clock, 50 plus stalls each manned by a super creative food producer, all entrepreneurs who think outside the box to identify an opportunity.

Annie Murphy’s chickens were roasting to perfection on a spit, beside her Simon Mould was turning out irresistible pizza. As ever the O’Driscoll brothers from West Cork had a long queue for their freshly caught West Cork fish. Maurice Gilbert from Ballyhoura was doling out tastes of his apple juice combos. Close by Marcus Hodder tells me his new salted caramel affrogato ice cream is proving to be a big hit.

Silvia and Olga from La Cocina have an irresistible display of Spanish treats, the students in particular love the custard tarts and want to know if I know the secret. Chocolate Cake Pops, lollipops, goat’s milk, raw food, home baking, cured meats, free range pork, organic fruit and vegetables...

Now, since my last visit Rachel McCormack is making a variety of beef and chicken broths, Pho and pad thai that’s really causing a stir. This market continues to surprise and delight and the originals like Arbutus breads are still innovative and tempt us with their new creations.

Then it was on to Fermoy Cheese where Frank and Gudrun Shinnick and their team of international apprentices make a whole range of delectable farmhouse cheeses from the milk of their Friesian herd.

After a picnic and cheese tasting, we headed to visit Willie Drohan, who produces Comeragh Mountain lamb on his farm not far from the spectacular Mahon Falls. He told us the story of how he and several neighbouring farmers rear this distinctive lamb now much sought after by the top chefs. They lamb graze on deer grass, wild sorrel, tormentil and other wild herbs on the commonage.

Next destination was Nude Food in Dungarvan. Here we were met by Louise Clark and Lucy Whelan. Louise led us through the restaurant into her garden behind where broad beans, courgettes and a myriad of fresh herbs were flourishing. Louise is a charismatic speaker who shared her story with us all.

Our last stop of a brilliantly stimulating and enjoyable day was Dungarvan Brewery. Claire Dalton and Cormac O Dwyer showed us around explained and simplified the brewing process, the ingredients needed and the bottling system. His sister, wife of Tom Dalton the other brewer in the business, organised a tasting of the Dungarvan beers, all with local names, Helvick Gold Blond ale, Copper Coast, Mine Head, and I particularly enjoyed the Black Rock stout. Traditional bottled conditioned beers are the USP of the Dungarvan brewing company which gives the craft beer a unique flavour. Dungarvan Brewery can be contacted on 058 24000

RECIPES:

Fish in Beer Batter with Chips and Tartare Sauce

Fish and chips became famous because they can be utterly delicious. The fish needs to be spanking fresh, the batter crisp, the potatoes a good variety and most importantly the oil needs to be good quality. In Spain and Greece olive oil is frequently used, but sunflower or arachide can be excellent also.

Serves 8

8 very fresh fillets of Irish cod, haddock, plaice, or lemon sole
Beer Batter
250g (9oz) self-raising flour
good pinch of salt
110ml (4fl oz) beer
175-225ml (6 - 8fl ozs) cold water.

Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and gradually whisk in the beer and water.

Chips: 8-16 well-scrubbed unpeeled potatoes
Garnish: 1 lemon
Accompaniment: Tartare Sauce (see recipe)

First make the batter. Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and gradually whisk in the beer and water.

Cut the potatoes into chips (5mm/1/4 inch approximately – frites size), basically any size you fancy (remember the bigger they are the longer they take to cook. Jumbo’s need to be blanched at 160°C/320°F first and finished at 190°C/375°F).

Heat the oil in the deep-fryer to 180°C/350°F, add in the chips. Make sure they are absolutely dry (don't cook too many together). Cook for a few minutes until they are just soft, drain.

Dip the fish fillets in batter, allow excess to drip off, lower gently into the oil, shaking the basket at the same time. Cook until crisp and golden, drain on kitchen paper.

Increase the heat to 190°C/375°F. Put the chips back in and cook for a minute or two until really crisp. Drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with salt.

Serve the fish and chips immediately, either on a plate or in a cornet of newsprint. Serve with Tartare Sauce.

Tartare Sauce

A classic Tartare Sauce, great with deep-fried fish, shellfish or fish cakes.

Serves 8-10

2 hardboiled egg yolks
2 raw egg yolks, preferably free range
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
300ml (10fl oz) of sunflower or arachide oil plus 50ml (2fl oz) olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped capers
1 teaspoon chopped gherkins
2 teaspoons chopped chives or 2 teaspoons chopped spring onions (scallions)
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
chopped white of the 2 hardboiled eggs
salt and freshly ground pepper

Sieve the hardboiled egg yolks into a bowl, add the raw egg yolks, mustard and 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar. Mix well and whisk in the oil drop by drop, increasing the volume as the mixture thickens. When all the oil has been absorbed, add the other ingredients - capers, gherkins, chives or spring onions and parsley. Then roughly chop the hardboiled egg white and fold in gently, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and add a little more vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice if necessary.

 

Ballyhoura Apple and Custard Tart

This tart is delicious made with Ballyhoura Red of Gold apples. Pears, gooseberries, apricots, rhubarb and plums are also good and the custard could be flavoured with a little cinnamon instead of vanilla if you want to ring the changes.

Serves 10-12

Pastry

225g (8oz) plain flour
pinch of salt
175g (6oz) butter
1 dessertspoons icing sugar – where does the icing sugar go into the recipe?
a little beaten egg or egg yolk and water to bind

Filling

2-3 golden delicious apples
300ml (10fl oz) cream
2 large or 3 small eggs
2 tablespoons castor sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4-6 tablespoons apricot glaze (see recipe)

1 x 12 inch (30.5cm) tart tin or 2 x 7 inch (18cm) tart tins

First make the shortcrust pastry. Sieve the flour, salt and icing sugar into a large bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour and then rub in with your fingertips. Keep everything as cool as possible; if the fat is allowed to melt, the finished pastry may be tough. When the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, stop.

Whisk the egg or egg yolk and add some water. Using a fork to stir, add just enough liquid to bring the pastry together, then discard the fork and collect it into a ball with your hands, this way you can judge more accurately if you need a few more drops of liquid. Although rather damp pastry is easier to handle and roll out, the resulting crust can be tough and may well shrink out of shape as the water evaporates in the oven. The drier and more difficult-to-handle pastry will give a crisper, shorter crust.

Flatten into a round, cover the pastry with clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for 1 hour. This will make the pastry much less elastic and easier to roll.

Line a tart tin (or tins), with a removable base and chill for 10 minutes. Line with paper and fill with dried beans and bake blind in a moderate oven 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 15-20 minutes. Remove the paper and beans, paint the tart with a little egg wash and return to the oven for 3 or 4 minutes. Allow to cool, then paint the base with apricot glaze.

Peel the apples, quarter, core and cut into even slices about one-eight inch thick. Arrange one at a time as you slice to form a circle inside the tart, the slices should slightly overlap on the inside, fill the centre likewise. Whisk the eggs well, with the sugar and vanilla extract, add the cream. Strain this mixture over the apples and bake at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4, for 35 minutes.

When the custard is set and the apples are fully cooked, brush generously with apricot glaze and serve warm with a bowl of whipped cream. [Note: The apricot glaze here is essential for flavour not just for appearance.]

Apricot Glaze

350g (12 oz) apricot jam
juice of 1/4 lemon
2 tablespoons water.
Makes 300ml (10fl oz) approximately
In a small stainless steel saucepan, melt the apricot jam with 1 - 2 tablespoons of juice or water. Push the hot jam through a nylon sieve and store in a sterilized airtight jar.
Melt and stir the glaze before use of necessary.

****
The cake making craze continues unabated. If you are really into spectacular results Decobake has 5 shops around Ireland. They also have a wonderful website with a good delivery service. All you need for cake baking and decorating from edible gels and paste, dust and glitter, sugar craft, novelty cake tins and much much more….
Check out the website www.decobake.com

Shanagarry OOOBY little summer market has started again. Every Sunday morning the group sell their seasonal produce, preserves and home baking on the wall outside Shanagarry Church. A brilliant idea that could be replicated throughout the country. Tel Mary Griffin on 0876175985 or email oldroadpainter@msn.com for the details.

On Wednesday July 15th at the Ballymaloe Cookery School 9.30am-2pm Shermin Mustafa’s half-day Sushi made Simple course takes the mystery… and stress… out of making sushi, Shermin will start by explaining the ingredients, basic equipment and techniques required, giving you the confidence to serve it to guests at home or in a restaurant. During this course she will show you how to make at least eight different types of sushi as well as sashimi. Students will have the opportunity to taste all the dishes prepared during the demonstration.

Phone 021 4646785 or www.cookingisfun.ie for more information.
 

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2015. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina considers something that many of us are likely to be thinking about at this time of year - Family Reunions

Nowadays, in our crazily busy lives, years can flash by in a hectic blur. Suddenly we realise that we haven’t seen or sometimes heard from favourite cousins or even aunts and uncles for years.

This came home to me recently when one of my grandsons went to boarding school and found himself sharing a room with a cousin whom he had never met – now they are firm friends. This was a wakeup call – could some of the younger generation pass each other in the street without realising they were related?

So a while ago, we had a wonderful Family Reunion Weekend – I invited my immediate family of course, siblings and spouses and their children, uncles, aunts, 1st, 2nd and 3rd cousins and some as the saying goes ‘once removed’. We had a ‘whale of a time’.

People started to arrive on Saturday from as far away as Bermuda and Dubai and of course from all over Ireland and the UK. We’d arranged for a Kids Tea for the under 10’s followed by a treasure hunt around the garden. We gave everyone a name badge so they could identify each other or at least attempt to at a glance - at least 25% of people at the reception didn’t know each other.

The Welcome Reception was lively and convivial, when we went in to dinner, everyone was instructed by ‘bossy me’ to sit beside someone they’d never met before or at least hadn’t seen for ages. It was so fun, not an awkward second.

A few weeks earlier we’d asked people to rummage round in boxes in the attic for old photos, many responded and so we had an intriguing collection pinned up on a long noticeboard in the hallway. We had a stack of pencils so people could identify their younger selves or siblings, relatives or neighbours.

The party also prompted several families to speed up work on the Family Tree, something we tend to be totally disinterested in until we get a bit older. My children were intrigued to learn about my O’Connell and Tynan ancestors and the colourful clan they have descended from.

People chatted and chatted until after midnight, the youngsters bonded and went to the local. On Sunday morning, there was an option to see our tiny Jersey herd being milked, feed the calves and pigs, feed the hens, collect the eggs…

From 10am onwards we had a breakfast brunch, not a rasher or a cornflake in sight but lots of homemade muesli and granola, a compote of rhubarb, bowls of steaming Macroom oatmeal with soft brown sugar and Jersey cream, Labneh with saffron and pistachio, thick unctuous yoghurt and honey, homemade brown soda and Spotted Dog as well as brown yeast bread and crusty sour dough loaves, Jersey butter and lots of homemade jams, marmalade and local honey.

Then there was a beautiful board of Irish farmhouse cheeses, a dish of freshly pulled radishes from the garden and some artisan meats – a simple feast, not ‘a fry’ in sight but our second son in law Philip cooked breakfast pizzas in the wood-burning oven with those lovely fresh eggs the children had collected earlier.

After breakfast a nature hunt for the children and a walk through the farm and garden for the grownups or an opportunity to see Clancy making cheese. Then after a spot of visiting we all went for a walk on Shanagarry strand. The children built sand castles on the beach, decorated them with shells and frolicked in the sea in the shallow waves, others flew kites in the breeze.

By late afternoon after copious cups of tea and scones, everyone was saying reluctant goodbyes and resolving to keep in touch. Why not plan a family get together soon, here are some of the dishes we enjoyed together.

Spotted Dog

During my childhood, many people in the country were poor, and their daily staple would have been wholemeal bread. White flour was more expensive than brown so white soda bread was considered to be more luxurious – a treat for special occasions.

At times of the year when work was harder, such as at harvest or threshing, or maybe on a Sunday when visitors were expected, the woman of the house would add a bit of sugar and a fistful of dried fruit and an egg to the white bread to make it a bit more special.

Nowadays, this does not seem such a big deal but back then any money that the woman of the house got from selling her eggs was considered to be her ‘pin money,’ used for little luxuries such as hatpins. Putting an egg into the bread was one egg less that she could sell, so it actually represented much more than it would for us today.

This bread was called Spotted Dog, and when it was still warm, she’d wrap it in a tea towel and bring it out to the fields with hot sweetened tea in whiskey bottles wrapped in newspaper or cloth to insulate them.

The farm workers would put down their tools and sit with their backs to the haystacks. She’d cut the bread into thick slices and slather on yellow country butter. My memories of sitting down with them are still really vivid. We sometimes make ‘spotted puppies’ which are the same bread, shaped into 6 rolls and baked for 20minutes.

Makes 1 loaf

450g (1lb/4 cups) plain white flour, preferably unbleached
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 level teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
75g (3oz) sultanas (or more if you’d like)
1 organic egg
350-425ml approx (12-14fl oz/1½–1¾ cups) buttermilk

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

In a large mixing bowl, sieve in the flour and bicarbonate of soda; then add the salt, sugar and sultanas. Mix well by lifting the flour and fruit up in to your hands and then letting them fall back into the bowl through your fingers. This adds more air and therefore more lightness to your finished bread.

Now make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Break the egg into the base of a measuring jug and add the buttermilk to the 425ml (14fl oz/1 3/4 cup) line (the egg is part of the liquid measurement). Pour most of this milk and egg mixture into the flour.

Using one hand with the fingers open and stiff, mix in a full circle drawing in the flour mixture from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, but not too wet and sticky.

The trick with Spotted Dog like all soda breads, is not to over mix the dough. Mix it as quickly and gently as possible, thus keeping it light and airy. When the dough all comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface.

Wash and dry your hands. With floured fingers, roll the dough lightly for a few seconds – just enough to tidy it up. Then pat the dough into a round about 6cm (2 1/2 inches) deep. Transfer to a baking tray dusted lightly with flour. Use a sharp knife to cut a deep cross on it, letting the cuts go over the sides of the bread. Prick with knife at the four triangles.

Put into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Cook for 35-40 minutes.

If you are in doubt about the bread being cooked, tap the bottom: if it is cooked it will sound hollow. This bread is cooked at a lower temperature than soda bread because the egg browns faster at a higher heat.

Serve freshly baked, cut into thick slices and smeared with butter and jam. Spotted Dog is also really good eaten with Cheddar cheese.

 

Srikhand

Serves 8-10

2kg (4 1/2lb) thick homemade yoghurt (see recipe) or Greek yoghurt
generous pinch of saffron strands
1 tablespoon warm water
1/4 teaspoon roughly crushed green cardamom seeds
225g (8oz/1 cup) caster sugar
2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) coarsely chopped pistachio nuts
muslin

Put a square of muslin into a bowl. Pour in the yoghurt, tie the ends and allow to drip overnight (save the whey to make soda bread).

Transfer the dripped 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 berries.

 

Pea and Coriander Soup

This utterly delicious soup has a perky zing with the addition of fresh chilli.

Serves 6 approximately

1lb (450g/4 cups) peas (good quality frozen are fine)
2 ozs (50g/½ stick) butter
5 ozs (150g/1 cup) onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1½ pints (900ml/3¾ cups) home-made chicken stock
2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) approx. chopped fresh coriander
salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

Garnish

softly whipped cream
fresh coriander leaves

Bring the chicken stock to the boil.

Melt the butter on a gentle heat add the onion, garlic and chilli. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sweat for 3-4 minutes. Add the peas and cover with the hot stock.

Bring to the boil and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Add the coriander and liquidise. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of sugar, which enhances the flavour even further.

Serve with a swirl of softly whipped cream and a few fresh coriander leaves sprinkled over the top.

 

A Selection of Devilled Eggs

Devilled eggs are having their moment in the spotlight once again. The Green Table in Chelsea Market in New York served a selection of 4 on their lunch menu as the star item

Makes 8

4 free range eggs
2-3 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped Chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Lower the eggs gently into boiling salted water, bring the water back to the boil and hard boil the eggs for 10 minutes in boiling water, drain and put immediately into a bowl of cold water. (Eggs with a black ring around the yolk have been overcooked).

When cold, shell, slice in half lengthways. Sieve the yolks, mix the sieved egg yolk with mayonnaise, add chopped chives and salt and pepper to taste. Fill into a piping bag and pipe into the whites.

Garnish with a sprig of parsley or chervil and serve on a bed of wild watercress leaves.

Country Relish Eggs

Makes 8 halves

As above, add 1 tablespoon of sieved Ballymaloe Country Relish to the sieved egg yolk with the mayonnaise. Season well taste for seasoning.

Decorate with a sliver of gherkin and a cheeky chive.

Kalamata Eggs

Makes 8 halves

As above and add 4 black Kalamata olives stoned and finely chopped to the sieved egg. Continue as above. Decorate with a sliver olive and a sprig of chervil.

Anchovy Eggs

Makes 8 halves
As above – add 2 – 4 finely mashed anchovies and 2 teaspoons of finely chopped parsley to sieved yolk and proceed as above. Garnish with a sprig of fennel and a fennel flower if available.

Wasabi Eggs

Makes 8 halves

Add ½ teaspoon of wasabi puree to the sieved egg yolk with the mayonnaise, taste and correct the seasoning. Garnish with wild garlic or chive flowers in season.
To Serve: Choose rectangular plates if available. Arrange a few wild watercress leaves on the plate and top with four devilled eggs of different flavours. Garnish each and serve with brown yeast bread.

 

Roast Rhubarb

900g (2lb) rhubarb
350g (12oz/1 1/2 cups) sugar

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

Slice the rhubarb into 2 1/2cm (1 inch) pieces and place in a medium size ovenproof dish. Scatter the sugar over the rhubarb and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes approximately depending on size, until the rhubarb is just tender.

Hot Tips:

Vegetarian Cooking Step by Step by Lena Tritto is ideal for novice cooks who want to see recipes visually laid out by the step-by-step techniques for every stage of preparation and will be especially useful to students about to embark on their first tentative attempts at cooking away from home. It explains the techniques for using tofu, seitan, tempeh and many other ingredients that may be unfamiliar. As well as being an eminent cookery teacher Lena Tritto is a graduate in Chinese medicine from Tao School in Bologna. Published by Grub Street.

The excellent and much loved Midleton Country Market is now held at Market Green. Every Friday from 9am-3pm you will find lots of homemade breads, cakes, fresh eggs, jams…

Middle Eastern Bites - You will find Marguerite McQuaid at the Wilton Farmers Market every Tuesday from 10am-3pm. Her stall is choc a bloc with tempting Middle Eastern food - from falafal to red peper ajvar , flatbreads, labneh, lovage and raspberry cordial, rhubarb and ginger cordial....all made with fresh herbs, freshly ground spices.....www.serendipish.ie

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2015. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina fondly remembers one of Kerry’s most legendary women - and one of its greatest cooks - the late Mary Keane

I recently heard the sad news of Mary Keane’s passing. Mary was often referred to as John B Keane’s wife, as indeed she was for 47 years until his death in 2002, but Mary was a legend in herself. I only met her a couple of times but each encounter imprinted itself on my mind and I felt so fortunate that our paths had crossed.

Mary had a wonderful way with words, I loved the colloquial language she used and how she seemed so totally happy and confident in her own self and place. You might say, Well of course, but it was an extra intangible something that was both inspirational and endearing and a rare enough quality.

In 2009 I had a wonderful morning with Mary learning how to make traditional Listowel Mutton Pies. I was in the town for the annual Food Fair and of course strayed into the legendary family pub, I fell into lively company and we took to discussing food.

Local butcher turned bookie, Eric Brown regaled me with stories of the beef and kidney stew and the hare soup his mother used to make after the local coursing meeting. He taught me a new technique of skinning rabbits and slipped me a few tips for the next race meeting. Then who should come to the scene but the matriarch of the Keane dynasty, the doyenne of mutton pies herself, she being the winner of the Listowel Mutton pie competition in 2007, an accolade she was very proud of.

A spirited exchange took place between Mary, her son Billy, Jimmy Deenihan and several other punters about the traditional mutton pie. It was wonderful stuff, everyone had an opinion but what was most thrilling for me was the discovery that the pie tradition is still alive and well in Listowel, Co Kerry. I wished I’d had a video camera to record this exchange.

I was still thinking about it when I woke the following morning, so on impulse I picked up the phone and asked Mary to show me herself - I thought the worst she could do was say no if it didn’t suit her. She was still in ‘her nightdress’ and hadn’t even had a cup of tea when I rang but she said she’d do her best to find someone to stand behind the bar while she ran out to the butcher to get some mutton. “I have the self raising flour and the margarine but I’ll need a drop of buttermilk.”

We met in the little kitchen behind the pub around 11am. All the ingredients, plus salt, ground white pepper and a rolling pin were laid out on the table. Mary had already started to chop and was sharpening a knife on a fragment of whet stone as I arrived. She put me to work right away. “Cut the meat cut into tiny cubes, not more than 1/8 of an inch.” There was a mixture of shoulder, lap and shank in what we had. The chopped meat went into a green Tupperware bowl and was seasoned liberally with salt and finely ground white pepper.

Next the pastry. Mary put about 1½ lbs of self raising flour into a bowl, a pinch of salt and enough buttermilk to mix. It was more like a bread dough really than a pastry. Mary gathered it all together, then kneaded it for a minute or two, before rolling out to a thickness of about ¼ inch with the wooden rolling pin. Then she took a saucer out of the cupboard and used it as a template to cut out rounds of dough.

Mary was taught how to make traditional pies by her mother in law, Hannah Purtill a member of Cumann na mBan, who lived in a house in Church Street. One at a time each circle of dough was rolled into a thinner round. Mary put a generous half fistful of mutton into the centre, brushed the edges with buttermilk and then pressed another round onto the top, the edges were pressed together to seal and then pricked with a fork 4 or 5 times. By now the oven had been preheated to 230°C (450ºF) so the pies were baked 3 or 4 at a time on a baking tray – we made 8 in all.

According to Mary, the tradition of pie making in Listowel came about because the women wanted to go to the races, they didn’t want to be deprived of their fun so they made a ‘blast of pies’ a few days before the famous Listowel races. The way Listowel mutton pies are eaten is unique. The pastry is quite robust because of the small proportion of shortening to flour, not at all fragile.

A big pot of mutton broth is made from the bones with maybe an onion or two added. On race day, the pies are slipped, a couple at a time into the pot of strained broth. They simmer away gently for 15 or 20 minutes and are then served into wide shallow soup bowls with a ladle full of hot broth on top. They are eaten with a spoon and a fork and some extra salt and pepper if you like.

Mary told me that her pies were never quite right for John B, “he was always cribbing that the pastry was always a bit too thick or too thin, not like his mothers”. So eventually she said, “Well you can try your hand at it yourself.” So for a whole day before race week in Listowel, in the little kitchen behind the pub, ‘I’d put a bib on him’ and we’d cut up the meat for the pies to have a supply for the pub for race week’. Can you imagine the chat and banter while the two of them made pies together? Wish I’d been a fly on the wall.

Listowel Mutton Pies

Despite the fact that mutton is having a terrific revival in the UK it is still very difficult to find mutton in Ireland so use hogget instead (the name for more mature lamb between Christmas and Easter.) Makes 8

450g (1lb) mutton or hogget - a mixture of neck, shank and scrag end buy a bit more to allow for trimming.
lots of salt and ground white pepper

Pastry

900g (2lb) white flour
½ teaspoon salt
110g (1/4lb) Stork margarine or butter
850ml (1½ pints) buttermilk
Mutton Broth
2-2.5kg (4-6lb) mutton or hogget bones approximately
3-4 large onions, peeled and quartered
a couple of carrots, stalks of celery, parsley stalks, a couple of sprigs of thyme and pepper. OR a stock cube, which Mary occasionally uses.

First prepare the lamb. Trim off the fat and any gristle or membrane. Cut into tiny pieces (roughly 1/8 inch) and put into a shallow bowl. Season well with salt and ground white pepper (the kind that comes in a little cardboard shaker). Toss to make sure the meat is evenly coated.

Then, make the pastry. Put the flour into a bowl. Rub in the margarine or butter, add the buttermilk and mix with your hand to a firm dough, similar though drier than the texture of white soda bread. Mary kneaded the dough for 30 seconds to 1 minute to firm it up. Divide into two pieces.

On a floured board, roll the pastry out as thinly as possible, to about 5mm (¼ inch). Mary used a saucer as a template and cut out 8 circles. Take one round and roll it out a little further to thin the pastry to approximately 2-3mm (1/8 inch).

Put a good half fistful of seasoned mutton or hogget into the centre. Brush the edge of the pastry with a little buttermilk and cover with another round that has also been rolled to 1/8-inch thickness. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork, then prick the top several times.

Preheat the oven to 230ºC/450ºF/gas mark 8. Meanwhile, continue to make the remainder of the pies. When the first four are ready, cook on a baking tray in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes. Check occasionally and reverse the tray from back to front if necessary.

Meanwhile, continue to make the pies until all the pastry and filling is used up. Cool the pies on a wire rack. At this point, they can be kept wrapped for several days or frozen for later use.

Meanwhile make a simple mutton stock.

Put the mutton or hogget bones into a deep saucepan, add a couple of peeled chopped onions, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1-1½ hours. Strain. Mary said she adds a couple of stock cubes to add extra flavour but if you would rather not, I suggest adding a few thickly sliced carrots and a few sticks of celery, a sprig or two of thyme, some parsley stalks and maybe a sliced white turnip, if available, to add extra flavour to the broth. Strain and taste, add salt and pepper to correct the seasoning. Save until needed. The broth will keep in a fridge for several days or may be frozen.

To serve the mutton pies - bring the broth to the boil in a deep saucepan, drop a couple of meat pies into the broth. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Transfer each pie into a wide shallow soup bowl. Pour a ladle of mutton broth on top. Eat with a fork and spoon and extra pepper and salt, depending on your taste.

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2015. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina talks about an important topic that's on every parent's mind at the beginning of a new school year - school lunches

When I was a child my brothers, sisters and I ran home up the hill from the village school in Cullohill every day for lunch. How lucky were we?

I didn’t even think about it at the time but now with hindsight I realise how fortunate we were to have a nourishing meal at midday. Mummy didn’t have the daily hassle that mothers all over the country have of trying to provide school lunches that their children will actually tuck into and eat.

Mums who feel strongly about the importance of simple healthy food have the added challenge of the children’s fear of their friend’s jeers and snide remarks when they spy something which they perceive to be odd or peculiar in a lunchbox. A daily reality for many kids and a form of bullying which can cause distress and anxiety.

Few young children have the confidence to be different and many parents quickly succumb to the sliced pan sandwich rather than risk their little dotes being taunted and upset. Parent/teacher groups can be enormously influential in this area.

Teachers of whom so much is asked already can really help by explaining to pupils that passing derogatory remarks about a friend's school lunch is simply not an option. But being curious about the content can be a learning experience. Many schools are now multi ethnic, so what delicious but unfamiliar food does my Nigerian, Lithuanian, Croatian, Polish.....friend enjoy for lunch?

What’s it called? How do beans, lentils and avocados grow? What’s a spice? A chilli....?

One friend told me that her daughter’s friends laughed even if she had a raw carrot or one of the delicious home-grown tomatoes from her Dad's tunnel.

This is an urgent on-going problem for parents and teachers to work together to find a solution – as ever not easy. There’s also the ever increasing challenge of food allergies and intolerances. So I include some recipes from the Hemsley Hemsley sister cookbook which my grandchildren have been enjoying.

Good bread is vital and for many people impossible to buy and I don’t use that word lightly unless you make your own or have access to a natural sourdough bread or a stoneground wholemeal bread. Fortunately more craft bakeries are emerging and it’s easy to make your own soda or brown yeast bread but it all takes time....a scarce commodity

So here are some of the ideas I got from a quick poll of my grandchildren and their friends. A flask of soup is good particularly in autumn and winter; one loved brothy soup with lots of bits in it, little salads with a base of rice, lentils, quinoa with chickpeas and beans, little dice of avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, cheese, apple, tossed in a vinaigrette, (make enough dressing to last for the week).

Little bits of cold chicken and ham or bacon are great to keep in a box in the fridge to add to a sandwich filling or sprinkle on top of salads. One of my grandchildren loves slices of salami or chorizo that can be picked up and nibbled easily or added to a sandwich.

Chopped fruit tossed in lemon juice and honey was also a daily favourite, hummus and raw carrot dippers or strips of pitta. Homemade potato crisps, or tortilla chips or oatcakes or rye crackers were also popular. Several others loved smoothies and or homemade milk drinks. For example milk, vanilla and maple syrup is India’s current favourite.

If you have a Nutribullet (which certainly costs a few bob, but everyone I spoke to raves about it and says it is so worth the money), nutritious drinks which are almost meals in themselves can be made in seconds which include all kinds of fresh vegetables, fruit and good things.

I include some recipes from sisters Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley’s cookbook Hemsley Hemsley The Art of Eating Well (Easons €17.99; available online http://www.easons.com/p-3057464-the-art-of-eating-well) which my grandchildren have been enjoying, they also have the bonus of being gluten free.

RECIPES: Crudités with Penny’s Sweet and Sour Dip

Crudités are a perfect first course for Winter or Summer, but to be really delicious one must choose very crisp and fresh vegetables. Cut the vegetables into bite-sized bits so they can be picked up easily. You don’t need knives and forks because they are usually eaten with fingers.

Use as many of the following vegetables as are in season:

tomatoes quartered, or left whole with the calyx on if they are freshly picked
purple sprouting broccoli, broken (not cut) into florets
calabrese (green sprouting broccoli), broken into florets
cauliflower, broken into florets
French beans or mange tout
baby carrots, or larger carrots cut into sticks 5cm/2 inches long, approx.
cucumber, cut into sticks 5cm/2 inches long approx.
tiny spring onions, trimmed
red cabbage, cut into strips
celery, cut into sticks 5cm/2 inches long approx.
chicory, in leaves
red, green or yellow pepper, cut into strips 5 cm/2 inches long approx., seeds removed
very fresh Brussels sprouts, cut into halves or quarters
whole radishes, with green tops left on
parsley, finely chopped
thyme, finely chopped
chives, finely chopped
sprigs of watercress

A typical plate of Crudités might include the following: 4 sticks of carrot, 2 or 3 sticks of red and green pepper, 2 or 3 sticks of celery, 2 or 3 sticks of cucumber, 1 whole radish with a little green leaf left on, 1 tiny tomato or 2 quarters, 1 Brussels sprout cut in quarters, and a little pile of chopped fresh herbs.

Wash and prepare the vegetables. Arrange on individual white side plates in contrasting colours, with a little bowl of aioli in the centre. Alternatively, do a large dish or basket for the centre of the table. Arrange little heaps of each vegetable in contrasting colours.

Put a bowl of Penny’s Sweet and Sour Dip in the centre and then guests can help themselves.

Note: All vegetables must be raw.

Penny’s Sweet and Sour Dip

4 tablespoons Soy Sauce
4 tablespoons Local Raw Honey
4 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar

Place all the above ingredients in a clean jam jar, put the lid on and shake to mix. Pour into a small serving bowl.

 

Paradise Bars

‘Guilt-free’ snacks from’ Hemsley and Hemsley - and they’re not just for kids who need an energy boost. “If we find ourselves stuck somewhere and hungry, these bars do the job without sending our blood sugar levels flying sky high,” the London-based sisters say.

Makes 24 bars

200g/7oz bar of creamed coconut
6 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons raw honey
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
A pinch of sea salt
150g/5oz desiccated coconut
200g/7oz (85% cocoa solids) dark chocolate

Line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment. In cold weather, place the unopened packet of creamed coconut in a bowl of warm water to melt it through. In warm weather, the creamed coconut will already be fluid.

When it’s soft all the way through, pour into a bowl and mix in the coconut oil (it will melt if it’s hard), raw honey, vanilla, salt and 2-4 tablespoons water if you like a soften centre.

Stir in the desiccated coconut evenly to create a dough consistency.

Pour the dough into the prepared tin. Press the mixture down with the back of a spoon to make it level and set in the fridge for 15 minutes until hard.

Turn the tin of coconut mixture out onto a chopping board and slice into 6 horizontal slices by 4 vertical. Place them onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment and keep in the freezer while you prep the chocolate.

Melt the chocolate in a glass or metal bowl over a pan of warm water – make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl and do not allow the water to boil or simmer – you may have to keep removing from the heat. This should take about 30 minutes.

When the chocolate has almost melted, take the bowl off the heat and place on a tea towel to avoid slipping. Leave it to cool as much as possible without it hardening to give a thicker coating to the paradise bars – stir occasionally.

Dip the frozen coconuts bars into the chocolate using two forks, letting the excess drop off, and carefully place back onto the cold baking tray, leaving space between each bar. If the chocolate mixture becomes too cold, you may need to put it back over the simmering water again.

When you’ve finished dipping all the bars, place the tray in the fridge until set. Once set, seal in a glass or ceramic container in the fridge or freezer until required. If they are kept sealed in the fridge, they will keep for a month – or longer in the freezer.

 

Shanagarry Wholemeal Bread

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 loaf or 3 small loaves

400g (14 oz/scant 3 cups) stone ground wholemeal flour
55g (3oz/¾ cup) white flour, preferably unbleached
1 level teaspoon (2 American teaspoon) bread soda, sieved (Bicarbonate of Soda/Baking Soda)
1 teaspoon (1 American teaspoon) salt
1 teaspoon honey
1 egg, preferably free range
1 tablespoon (2 American tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) arachide or sunflower oil, unscented
425ml (15fl oz/1¾ cups) buttermilk or sour milk 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)
Or 3 small tins 6 inches (15cm) x 3 inches (8cm) x 2 inches (5cm)

Preheat oven to 200C/400F/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.

Date for your Diary: Sounds from a Safe Harbour is a new festival of music, art and conversation in Cork from 17-20th September. A past 12 Week Certificate student Jack Crotty, aka The Rocketman, is taking charge of the food. Jack will transform the iconic Bonded Warehouse on the Quay showcasing Cork’s best food delights as well as a pop up dinner, details to follow http://soundsfromasafeharbour.com/
 

 

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2015. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina celebrates not only Christmas but also the game season - and wider retail availability of game in Ireland - with an introduction to her favourite new book on game, which would make a great Christmas present for an adventurous cook.

The game season is in full swing and - although it always gives a wonderful sense of occasion to any meal, and especially for entertaining over the festive season - at last, game is losing its reputation as a luxury food, eaten only in grand country houses. Pheasant, snipe, wild duck (shovler, mallard, teal, widgeon), wood pigeon, partridge and woodcock are all in season.

Even if you don’t know a hunter, Marks and Spencer, as well as other supermarkets, butchers and farmers markets are beginning to sell game birds, one can experiment, escaping the tyranny of eternal chicken breast, farmed salmon and steak, the seemingly compulsory trinity of offerings on virtually every restaurant menu.

Now that pheasant and venison, at least, are more readily available, let’s become more adventurous. There’s so many more ways to cook game other than roasting and many more exciting accompaniments than gravy and bread sauce, much as I love them both.

Virtually every country has game so it’s worth checking out recipes from around the globe. Introduce other techniques, other flavours, and a variety of wild berries, spices, dried fruit, pickles and herbs.

My favourite new book on game was written by the chef and butcher team of Phil Vickery and Simon Boddy who wrote it with the express intention of introducing new ways to prepare cook and cure game.

It’s like a total breath of fresh air and, whereas they celebrate time-honoured traditions, it’s choc full of new recipes you’ll really want to cook and lots of excellent general knowledge about different type of game – plucking, hanging, seasons, how to prepare etc.

Here are a few recipes from "GAME, New Ways to Prepare, Cook and Cure" by Phil Vickery and Simon Boddy, with photos by Peter Cassidy. Published by Kyle Cathie.

Warm Roast Duck with Broccoli, Radishes & Anchovy

I know you’re thinking this sounds a bit odd, but trust me – it works. The balance here is between the saltiness of the dressing and the richness of the pink-cooked wild duck. Oddly enough, the intense fish flavour works well in this dish and has become a favourite of mine. It also goes well with roasted saddle of hare.

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a starter
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes, plus resting

2 wild duck crowns, twin breasts on the bone, wishbones removed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 salted anchovy fillets, finely chopped or mashed to a paste
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh tarragon
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of sugar
15g (¾oz) rocket, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cold water
500g (18oz) broccoli, trimmed, leaving a few leaves – split any thick stalks so that all are about the same width
150g (5oz) radishes, finely sliced on the diagonal

Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan.

Season the crowns inside and out with salt and pepper, then place skin side down in the hot oil and cook for 2–3 minutes until they start to colour. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the anchovies, herbs, extra virgin olive oil, sugar and salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk together.

Turn the duck skin side up and cook for a further 4–5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for at least 15 minutes.

Add the rocket to the anchovy dressing and mix well with the water.

Cook the broccoli in a saucepan of salted boiling water until just tender. Drain well and keep warm.

To serve

Arrange the warm broccoli evenly on four plates and sprinkle with the radishes.

Carefully slice down either side of the breastbone to remove the four breasts from the crowns and then slice each breast at an angle. Dab the cut duck meat on a piece of kitchen towel to remove any excess blood.

Lay the duck meat over and under the broccoli, then spoon over the dressing.

 

Super-succulent Pheasant Sauté with Soy, Mirin & Ginger

Velveting is used to keep delicate foods moist and velvety in texture. The food is coated with a mixture of egg white, cornflour and sometimes salt, with either a touch of sesame or vegetable oil. It is then put in the fridge for about 20–30 minutes to ensure that the coating adheres to the food.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Ready in: 10-12 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate

Ingredients

1 medium egg white
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons cornflour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 hen pheasant breasts, boned, skinned, sinew removed and cut into 2cm cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
50g fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1 small onion, finely sliced
4 pak choi, roughly shredded
4 tablespoons mirin
4 tablespoons soy sauce

Method

Put the egg white into a large bowl and break up slightly with a whisk. Add the sesame oil, cornflour, salt and pepper and mix well.

Add the cubed pheasant meat and mix well. Cover the bowl with Clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge for 20–30 minutes.

Once the meat is rested, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a wok until smoking. Drain the meat well and fry in small batches for 1–2 minutes just to seal the meat. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

Wipe out the wok, then heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil until smoking. Add the ginger and onion and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes.

Add the pak choi and wilt slightly, then return the pheasant to the wok. Add the mirin and soy sauce and cook only briefly to bring all the flavours and textures together – do not overcook! Check the seasoning and serve straight away.

 

Rich Venison Sauce with Pappardelle

Pappardelle pasta is made for big, rich and delicious sauces like this. Once the meat is nicely browned, just simmer gently until you have a wonderfully coloured deep-flavoured sauce. Don’t rush it – just let it simmer away. It’s that simple!

Serves 4
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: about 1 hour

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g (18oz) minced venison
300ml (10fl oz) red wine or port
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato purée
10g (½oz) good-quality beef stock cube, crumbled
300ml strong game stock or chicken stock
400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes in juice
4 tablespoons cold water
2 teaspoons cornflour, mixed with the water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g (18oz) cooked pappardelle pasta

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onions and garlic and cook for 10 minutes until slightly browned.

Add the mince and break up well with a wooden spoon. Then cook over a high heat for a few minutes, stirring well, until all the moisture has evaporated and the meat and veg are starting to brown well.

Add the red wine or port and reduce right the way down until you have only about one-third of the original volume.

Next, add the oregano, tomato purée, beef stock cube, stock, tomatoes and their juice and water, bring to a simmer and cook gently for 35–40 minutes.

Stir in the cornflour mixture and cook until slightly thickened, then season well with salt and pepper.

Serve spooned over the warm pappardelle.

Hot Tip Bees are under threat around the globe from a variety of diseases – colony collapse, the varoa mite….beekeepers tell me that the pollen from ivy flowers help keep the bees healthy throughout the winter months so resist the temptation to pull down the ivy, remember its’ beneficial for the bees.
www.irishbeekeeping.ie

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina talks about one of the hottest ‘new’ trends in food for the past few years - fermenting. And - as it is also one of the healthiest trends, and can help us all to take back power over our food choices - it’s a great topic for the New Year

Fermentation, the hottest ‘new’ trend in food for the past few years is gradually becoming main stream as the word gets out that fermented foods are one of the easiest ways to enhance our gut flora. So if you haven’t already started to experiment, now could be the time.

Our Western diet is sadly lacking in fermented foods but many popular foods are in fact fermented including yoghurt, beer, salami, vinegar, fermented black beans, tempeh, miso…

The problem is that some of these foods, like yoghurt, are so hugely processed and sweetened and refined that there’s very little value left. In fact there’s quite a school of thought that would argue that they are downright damaging to one’s health rather than beneficial.

So avoid hugely processed food totally - I can’t be stronger than that, but as time passes I am increasingly concerned that there’s a real and growing problem. The number of people I encounter on a daily basis who have a number of intolerances or allergies or worse still a combination is truly alarming.

People are confused and in some cases downright desperate trying to find and choose foods that they can eat without ill effects. Many are see-sawing from one ‘super food’ or whacky diet to another, grasping at straws.

Well, for what it’s worth, here’s my advice - which of course you are welcome to take or leave, agree or disagree, but it comes from my observation over 50 years or more, for 31 of which I’ve been running a cookery school where students come for both short and also three month courses, from a wide range of ages, backgrounds and nationalities.

The number of students arriving with allergies and intolerances has skyrocketed in recent years. While they are with us, they have the option to eat raw butter and drink raw organic milk and thick Jersey milk yoghurt.

Those with wheat intolerance (not coeliac) seem to be able to eat totally natural sourdough bread made with organic flour without ill effects. Several who couldn’t tolerate eggs seem to be able to enjoy our free range organic eggs; Vegetarians decide to try meat when they know the provenance.

Those with gut problems, of which there seem to be alarming numbers nowadays, report a dramatic improvement in their condition when they eat natural yoghurt made with no additives.

So what’s going on? This is simply my observation or anecdotal evidence and of little or no value in the scientific world, but research is urgently needed. Can it be that increasingly people are allergic to the process rather that the initial natural food, certainly there’s enough anecdotal evidence to make it worth investigating.

Sadly, unless there’s a perceived commercial benefit it’s difficult to get a research project going nowadays.

Meanwhile, we can all take back power over our food choices and start to ferment some simple foods at home.

Here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School we’ve been offering three Fermentation courses a year and the fascinating journey continues. Each new class builds on the previous one as we experiment more and our knowledge deepens.

If you are beginning your journey, a brilliant new book Fermented: A Beginner's Guide to Making Your Own Sourdough, Yogurt, Sauerkraut, Kefir, Kimchi and More by Charlotte Pike, has recently been published by Kyle Books. I so wish this book had been available when I was starting, clear, concise and confidence boosting.

Hot Tip

Learn how easy it is to make many of your own fermented foods at home at the Ballymaloe Cookery School. From kefir to kombucha; German sauerkraut to Korean kimchi, krauchi ….learn how to make and look after these superfoods, as well as discovering a selection of our favourite recipes that use them.

If you grow your own produce you will discover myriad ways to preserve the bounty of your harvest and enjoy it through the winter. This course will familiarise you with a wide variety of fermented foods and you will get to see and taste them for yourself. 

'Fermented' Courses at Ballymaloe Cookery School:

Fermented Foods for a Healthier Life - half day courses offered on Wed 3rd February and Wed 1st June 2016 (€145)
www.cookingisfun.ie for further information.

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

Once more on the war path to get us to take back control of what we eat, Darina recalls George Orwell’s prophetic words in ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’ (1937), “…we may find in the long run that tinned /processed food is a deadlier weapon than the machine gun”.

Before the Christmas holidays every magazine, newspaper, food programme and TV ad was shamelessly luring us into temptation, encouraging us to over spend and over indulge in a myriad of different ways.

It was hard to resist and of course many of us succumbed. Then the day of reckoning came. Now it’s all about lean, keen and frugal, instead of tempting food supplements in newspapers, there are diet supplements each promising miracles.

Slim and trim in 28 days….The five pound weight loss trick that works…How to lose weight and keep it off…..yeah, yeah, yeah….How gullible are we, whoever checks the results? Cookbooks that promise to make you glow and make you beautiful vaporise off the shelves as we clutch at straws. One super food after another rises and falls.

At last there’s the beginnings of a backlash - after countless hopes have been raised and dashed, a badly needed note of scepticism is being introduced.

So could it really be that after all the false promises the answer is quite simply a balanced diet of fresh natural food in season and everything in moderation? How undramatic and boring does that sound – yet it is unquestionably true. I’ve never been on a diet in my life and I don’t intend to start now but there are some things I really do feel strongly about.

Eat as much organic and naturally produced food as possible. In the words of George Orwell in 1937 when he wrote ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’, “we may find in the long run that tinned food/ processed food is a deadlier weapon than the machine gun”.

• Eliminate processed food entirely from our diets. We can no longer say we don’t know the damage they are doing to both our essential mental and physical health.
• Eat less meat but better quality and lots of unsprayed vegetables and fruit that have been grown in rich fertile soil not hydroponically.
• We need to reduce our sugar intake by at least 50% NOW.

Nowadays, according to most recent research, 1 in 2 of us will suffer from some form of cancer. I was brought up with the understanding that food should be our medicine and that if we didn’t put resources into the food on the table we’d give it to the doctor or chemist.

How true is that – of course we are all insanely busy but there are few things more important than the quality of the food we put on the table. I’m not talking fancy – I’m just talking real simple food that comforts and nourishes.

We have got to take back control of our food choices from the multinational corporations who can’t be expected to have our best interests at heart. Their sole concern is to make the maximum profit for their shareholders, not our personal health.

So dump all those breakfast cereals and go back to porridge, ban all fizzy drinks and rediscover water. We used to have homemade lemonade everyday on our lunch tables here at the school but now it’s water kefir – a simple fermented drink that can be flavoured with anything from lemon to loganberries and lots of fresh herbs. It’s exceedingly good for your gut flora and the students love it.

We’ve got to reintroduce cooking classes back into the school curriculum from ‘baby infants’ upwards. It could single-handedly help to change our eating habits and up skill the next generations in such a way that they can take back control of what they eat.

RECIPES

Water Kefir

With Water Kefir you can turn sugared water into one of the most vibrant, probiotic-rich drinks you can make at home!

2 tablespoons (2½ American tablespoons) water kefir grains
2-3 tablespoons (2½ - 4 American tablespoons) organic raw cane sugar
4 unsulphered dried apricots or other dried fruit.
Approximately 1 litre (1 3/4 pints/scant 4 cups) of water – must be free of chemicals
Slice of unwaxed lemon

It is important not to use any metal utensils or brewing vessels while making Water Kefir.

Stir the sugar into approximately 250ml (9fl oz/generous 1 cup) of hot water until it dissolves, then add remainder of cold water and allow it to cool to room temperature.

Place the water kefir grains into a 1litre jar, pour in the cooled sugar water, and drop in the dried fruit.

Cover the jar loosely with a lid, or with a cloth secured with a rubber band to allow air in but to prevent stray debris from spoiling your water kefir. Allow the water kefir to ferment for 2 to 3 days. The longer it ferments, the drier and less sweet it will become.

When the water kefir acquires a flavour that suits you, strain it using a plastic strainer into a jug. Discard the dried fruit (or eat it) but reserve the water kefir grains which can be immediately reused or stored.

While the water kefir can be enjoyed as it is, after its initial fermentation, you can also ferment it a second time. Secondary fermentation (see below) allows you to flavor the water kefir, and the secondary fermentation process, which occurs in a tightly capped bottle allows carbon dioxide to develop, producing a fizzy water kefir.

Transfer the bottles of water kefir to the fridge to slow down fermentation and enjoy

Second Fermentation

After transferring you water kefir into a bottle add a handful of one of the following to your taste.

• Fresh or Frozen Raspberries
• Fresh or Frozen Strawberries
• Other soft fruit
• 5 – 6 small pieces of Crystallised Ginger.
• Several crushed mint leaves and juice of 1 Lemon

Leave to ferment for another 12 – 24 hours with a lid on. It’s a good idea to release pressure every so often, particularly if your kitchen is warm, as secondary ferments have been known to explode! Keep tasting to understand when your ferment is ready to your liking.

Caring for your Kefir Grains

Water Kefir grains are alive being a Scoby (Symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts) and therefore require looking after to ensure they produce the best kefir for you.

Occasionally it is beneficial to give your grains a mineral feed.

 

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Crispy Croutons

Serves 8-10

Jerusalem artichokes are a sadly neglected winter vegetable. They look like knobbly potatoes and are a nuisance to peel, but if they are very fresh you can sometimes get away with just giving them a good scrub. Not only are they a smashing vegetable but they are also delicious in soups and gratins. They are a real gem from the gardeners point of view because the foliage grows into a hedge and provides shelter and cover for both compost heaps and pheasants!

Nutrition: Jerusalem Artichokes are a very important source of inulin which enhances the growth of beneficial bacteria in our systems. Particularly essential after a course of antibiotics.

50g (2oz/1/2 stick) butter
560g (1¼ lb) onions, peeled and chopped
1.15kg (2 ½ lb) Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed, peeled and chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper
1.1L (2 pints/5 cups) light chicken stock
600ml (1 pint/2 1/2 cups) creamy milk approx.
Garnish: freshly chopped parsley; crisp, golden croutons

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the onions and artichokes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, cover and sweat gently for 10 minutes approx. Add the stock and cook until the vegetables are soft. Liquidise and return to the heat. Thin to the required flavour and consistency with creamy milk, and adjust the seasoning.

Serve in soup bowls or in a soup tureen. Garnish with chopped parsley and crisp, golden croutons.

Note: This soup may need more stock depending on thickness required.

 

Jam Pudding (from Irish Traditional Cooking, revised edition)

This was one of our favourites, we raced home from school for lunch even faster when we knew Mummy was cooking a steamed jam pudding, a warm and comforting winter pudding. Serves 4

110g (4oz) butter, at room temperature
110g (4oz) caster sugar
2 eggs, free-range if possible
few drops of pure vanilla essence
170g (6oz) plain white flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
about 1 tablespoon milk or water
3 or 4 tablespoons homemade raspberry jam

Raspberry Jam Sauce

4–6 tablespoons homemade raspberry jam
rind and juice of ½ lemon
150ml (¼ pint) water
sugar, to taste

12.5cm (5in) pudding bowl

Cream the butter, add the caster sugar and beat until white and creamy. Whisk the eggs with the vanilla essence and beat, a little at a time, into the creamed mixture. Stir in the flour and baking powder and add a little milk or water if necessary to make a dropping consistency.

Grease your pudding bowl. Spread raspberry jam over the bottom and sides. Carefully spoon the cake mixture into the bowl. Cover with pleated greaseproof paper, tied on firmly, and steam the pudding for about 1½ hours.

Meanwhile, make the raspberry jam sauce. Heat the jam with the water, add the lemon rind and juice and sweeten with a little extra sugar if necessary.
Turn the pudding on to a hot dish and serve with the sauce and lots of softly whipped cream.

Coming up soon at Ballymaloe Cookery School:

Cooking For A Farmer's Market Stall | starts Wednesday April 6th | 2.5 day course

Start Your Own Cafe or Teashop | starts Monday April 11th | 5 day course

Perfecting Pastry | starts Monday April 18th | 2.5 day course

Cooking with Spices  | starts Wednesday April 20th | 2.5 day course

 

Kerrygold Ballymaloe Lifest LitFest (May 20th-22nd 2016): Tickets are on sale now. They can be purchased at http://www.litfest.ie/ or at the Box Office 021 464 5777. There is a fantastic line-up of speakers this year, including Francis Mallman from Argentina; Eric Werner & Mya Henry from Mexico's Hartwood; Claire Ptak of Violet Bakery in London; wine experts Jancis Robinson and Hugh Johnson, to name just a few.

 

'30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina shares her coveted London List!

London, just a little hop from any of our airports in Ireland has been one of the hottest food destinations in the world for over a decade now.

There are many multi starred establishments but also lots of small and teeny weeny restaurants run by passionate young chefs and cooks who are creating links with farmers and food producers and turning out edgy modern British as well as multi ethnic food.

I get regular requests for my ‘London List’ so here are some of my current favourites.

Raw Duck in Richmond Road is one of my favourites, lots of concrete and metal windows there, long wooden communal tables with random pots of herbs and flowers down along the middle, a tempting list of natural wines, drinking vinegars and shrubs. The menu is made up of lots of little plates of carefully chosen combinations, I had brunch there recently and loved the coconut porridge with a blob of persimmon jam in the centre and chopped cashew nuts sprinkled on top. That was so good as was the avocado, poached eggs, bacon, coriander and chilli on sourdough toast. Lots of little plates of ferments and pickles, kefir, brownies...

Bao started in a little timber shack at Netil Market in Hackney from 12 o’ clock on Saturday mornings. They serve a Chinese steamed bun with pulled pork and the veggie bao, filled with a fried daikon cake not dissimilar from a hash brown. Chicken bits, crispy breaded morsels of juicy chicken with a hot sauce. An eager queue starts to form by 11.30; Bao are still in the market but have now moved into ‘bricks and mortar’ at 53 Lexington St, W1F 9AS. Like many cool London restaurants, they don’t take bookings so once again there’s a queue across the road from the restaurant – Bao is hot and deservedly so, the steamed buns are like fluffy tender pillows stuffed with the tastiest pork.

The Smoking Goat in Denmark Street, in the midst of the ‘guitar district’ does barbequed wood ember food with strong Thai influences. I loved the scallop roasted in their shells over charcoal with chilli, coriander and lime and the barbeque smoked lamb ribs with nahm jiim jaew and the cornish mullet with pomelo salad. Rare breed meats and day boat fish from small production farmers and fishermen. They’re not big on puds and they don’t serve coffee...

Cooking over fire is a strong trend at present and an atmospheric bar and dining room named after an 18th century courtesan, Kitty Fisher’s Wood Grill in Shepherd Market, is worth checking out, A widely travelled friend loved the escalop beef from an 11 year old Galician dairy cow, how about that for a rarity.

Lyles the tea building in High Street Shoreditch – where it’s all happening - is a must for your London list, you’ll definitely need to book ahead for dinner but it’s slightly easier to get in for lunch, more clean and simple lines a semi open kitchen and a cool cocktail bar. James Lowe and John Ogner offer a beautiful selection of small plates; I particularly loved the smoked eel, beetroot and horseradish. The beets were sweet and earthy still warm from the oven, the smoked eel also gently heated, horseradish cream cold and a seemingly simple combo made magical by superb ingredients and contrasting temperatures. Don’t miss the pumpkin ice cream with whey caramel and meringue.

The Portland is my top tip for a Michelin starred experience. It’s pulling in lots of plaudits for simple accomplished food, great ingredients and superb service.

If you haven’t already had the Honey & Co experience – you will make lots of new friends, now this is quite a squash. Everyone is super excited to have bagged a table in this darling little restaurant owned and run by Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer where the Middle Eastern food is instantly appealing and the cakes and puddings are the stuff of dreams.

Finally Violet Cakes in East London is another of my favourites, a tiny café and cake shop on Wilton Way, here are some recipes to make at home.

Just one more hot tip, it’s worth going to the airport early to grab something to eat at Leon in Terminal 2….well done Allegra McEvedy who said one couldn’t get decent food in an airport!

 

RECIPES - from LEON Baking and Puddings by Claire Ptak and Henry Dimbleby

Violet Coconut Macaroons

There is a sublime crispy gooiness to these biscuits that makes them like nothing else on earth. Warning: they are very addictive. Violet is the name of Claire’s bakery and shop on Wilton Way and her stall at Broadway Market, both in Hackney, London

Makes 12

3 free range egg whites
150 g (5 oz) caster sugar
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons honey
150 g (5 oz) desiccated coconut
½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional

1. Heat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

2. Combine the egg whites, sugar, salt, honey and coconut in a large pan over a medium heat.

3. Stir the mixture constantly until everything is dissolved and it just begins to scorch on the bottom.

4. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.

5. Let the mixture cool completely, then use an ice cream scoop to scoop out 12 even sized macaroons, and place them on the baking sheet.

6. Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until golden and set. Let the macaroons cool completely before peeling off the paper.

7. Tip: The key to getting these macaroons just right is to stir the ingredients in the pan until they begin to dry out.

 

Claire’s Healthy Granola

You will not believe how good this tastes. It is light and clustery.

Makes 1.5 kg

500g buckwheat flakes
125g (4 1/2oz) whole almonds, skins on
50g (2oz) ground flax seeds
50g (2oz) sesame seeds
50g (2oz) pumpkin seeds
50g (2oz) amaranth
250ml (9fl oz) agave syrup
50ml (2fl oz) olive oil (not extra virgin)
100g (3 1/2oz) coconut oil
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) water
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
a grating of fresh nutmeg
a pinch of sea salt
100 g (4 oz) sultanas
50 g (2 oz) desiccated coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2.

2. Line two baking trays or roasting tins with parchment paper.

3. Combine the buckwheat flakes, whole almonds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and amaranth in a large bowl and set aside.

4. In a saucepan, combine the agave syrup, olive oil, coconut oil and water. Place over a medium heat and whisk constantly to melt it all together.

5. Remove the syrup mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla, spices and sea salt. Pour the syrup over the dry ingredients and stir well to completely coat all the nuts and seeds.

6. Spread the mixture out on the lined baking trays or roasting tins and bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour. Remove from the oven, toss well with a metal spatula and return to the oven. Lower the temperature to 140°C/275°F/Gas Mark 1 and bake for another 35-40 minutes, until the mixture is golden.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before stirring in the sultanas and dessicated coconut. Store in an airtight container.

8. Serve with fresh dates and natural yoghurt for a naturally sweet treat.

 

Leon Pecan Pie

A simple, rich, gluten free pecan tart that has become a firm favourite.

Serves 8-10

For the sweet pastry

150 g (5 oz) butter
100 g (3½ oz) caster sugar
1 free range egg, plus 1 yolk
270 g (9¾ oz) gluten free plain flour

For the filling

50 g (2 oz) butter
225 g (8 oz) golden syrup
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
2 large free range eggs
200 g (7 oz) pecan nut halves

1. Cream together the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon or in a free standing electric mixture until smooth.

2. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until fully incorporated. Add the flour and quickly bring it together in a ball. Wrap the pastry in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

3. Butter a 23-25 cm (9-10 inch) fluted flan tin. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface to about 3-5 mm thick and line your tart case with it. Trim the edges and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas mark 3.

4. Line the chilled pastry case with baking paper and fill it with baking beans to stop it shrinking while it’s being baked. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes then remove the baking beans. Return to the oven and bake for a further 5 minutes. The pastry should be a nice blond colour. Set aside to cool.

5. Put the butter and golden syrup into a medium saucepan over a low heat. When it becomes runny, take it off the heat and whisk in the sugar.

6. In a small bowl, whisk the cornflour and eggs until smooth then add to the saucepan.

7. Fill the baked pastry with the pecan halves. Pour the golden syrup mixture on top and fill it up to just below the edge of the case. Put into the oven, taking great care not to spill any liquid over the sides, as this might make it difficult to remove from the tin once it is baked.

8. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the tart is a dark golden colour and has slightly risen in the middle. Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin.

9. Serve cold for tea or warm with vanilla ice cream

 

If you haven’t already done so, get booking the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 2016. Taking place over the weekend of 20-22 May 2016, it promises to be another ‘knock out’! www.litfest.ie

 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina revels in the traditional food that the spring always reminds us of, thanks partly to the focus of St Patrick’s Day, and enjoys a new book written by an American city girl who took to life in rural Ireland like a duck to water - and wasted no time in becoming a household name …

For me St Patrick’s Day is all about Bacon and Cabbage and Parsley Sauce with a big bowl of champ and a generous lump of Irish butter melting into the centre - the ultimate comfort food.

Despite the atrocious weather earlier this spring, our rhubarb was growing enthusiastically by mid March, so it was a juicy rhubarb tart for pud on the day, with lots of soft brown sugar and Jersey cream.

But if you’d rather ring the changes on traditional dishes next time St Patrick’s Day comes around (or any other time), how about Bacon and Cabbage Pot Stickers with soy dipping sauce. This is just one of the tempting recipes in Imen McDonnell new book Farmette Cookbook which documents her recipes and adventures on an Irish farm.

Imen will be very familiar to the Irish Farmers Journal readers for whom she’s written a food and lifestyle column for many years. She’s also a contributing editor to Condé Nast Traveller and Irish Country Magazine.

In a former life, she spent her days working in Los Angeles, happily going about her business in a successful broadcast media career. Then fate intervened, she met a dashing Irish farmer in Minneapolis and fell instantly in love.

In short order, Imen found herself leaving behind her career, her country, her family and friends, to start a life from scratch on a centuries-old family dairy farm in County Limerick.

When she’s not cooking, writing, weeding or photographing, you’ll find her in the farmyard with her husband and son, milking cows, feeding calves and chickens, or loving up their two donkeys and amusing Airedale terrier, Teddy.

Imen highlights farmhouse skills such as butter and cheese making and the use of local, wholesome ingredients. Here are a few of Imen’s modern Irish recipes for you to enjoy.

RECIPES from The Farmette Cookbook Recipes and Adventures from My Life on an Irish Farm
© 2016 by Imen McDonnell; reproduced by arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications Inc., Boulder, CO. www.roostbooks.com] (Available in Ireland from bookshops and online from Easons http://www.easons.com/ €29.99)

Imen McDonnell’s Boxty

Serves 4

6 medium potatoes
¼ cup (38 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon butter (or sunflower oil)
Fresh herbs, chopped, for garnish

Peel the potatoes. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place over a large mixing bowl. Using a box grater, grate the potatoes into the colander. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth together and squeeze the liquid from the potatoes into the bowl. Put the dry grated potato in another bowl
and discard the liquid.

Add the flour and salt to the grated potato and mix gently. Melt the butter in a heavy iron pan, and pour in the potato mixture to make an even layer, about ¾ to 1 inch thick.

Cook over medium heat until nicely brown on one side, about 15 minutes; flip the whole boxty cake and cook on the other side for another 15 minutes, or until brown.

It’s much better to cook the boxty slowly than too fast. It should be crisp and golden on the outside and cooked through on the inside.

Remove from the heat, cut into quarters, garnish with herbs and serve with crème fraiche, apple sauce, or just on its own.

 

Imen McDonnell’s Sweet Caraway Seed Cake

Serves about 8

¾ cup (175 g) butter, softened
1½ cups (175 g) superfine or granulated sugar
3 large eggs
About 1 tablespoon milk or water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups (225 g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon fresh caraway seeds

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the base of a 7-inch springform pan with parchment paper; set aside.

Cream the butter in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.

Whisk the eggs, milk or water, and vanilla together, and gradually add to the creamed butter and sugar.

Fold in the flour in batches; mix the baking powder in with the last addition of the flour.

Gently mix in the caraway seeds. Pour into the prepared cake pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean. Remove it from the oven, and let cool in the pan on a wire rack.

Cool completely before slicing.

 

Farmer’s Sunday Cake

Makes 2 loaves

¾ cup (170 g) butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pan
6¼ cups (800 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup (200 g) superfine sugar
1 cup (150 g) golden raisins
1 cup (150 g) dried currants
2 tablespoons glacé cherries
½ cup walnuts
2 tablespoons candied citrus peel, finely chopped
Grated zest of ½ lemon
2 eggs, beaten
2½ to 3 cups (600 to 720 ml) buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Lightly grease two 9-inch loaf pans; set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and sugar in a large bowl, and mix well. Rub in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add the raisins, currants, cherries, walnuts, candied citrus peel, and lemon zest. Mix well.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and pour in the eggs and 2½ cups (600 ml) of the buttermilk. Stir into the flour mixture, working in a spiral motion from the middle toward the sides of the bowl, and adding a bit more buttermilk if necessary to make a moist but cohesive batter. Do not overmix.

Spoon the batter into the loaf pans and bake for 15 minutes

Reduce the temperature to 400°F (200°C) and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove the loaves from the oven and let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Turn the loaves out and cover with tea towels until ready to serve.

This cake will keep for up to a week in an airtight container or bread box.
------  

If you haven’t already done so, get booking the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 2016. Taking place over the weekend of 20-22 May 2016, it promises to be another ‘knock out’! www.litfest.ie

 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina talks about this year’s Kerrygold Ballymaloe Lifest LitFest (20-22 May 2016)

Things are really hotting up here at Litfest HQ, plans are romping ahead and bookings are pouring in for events at this year’s Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine which Condé Nast Traveller has described as one of the top 10 ‘Best Festivals in the World’.

In just four years this festival which Rory O’Connell and Rebecca Cronin have skilfully and brilliantly curated has attracted participants and food lovers not just from these islands but from all over the world to come to Ireland to meet and watch their favourite cooks, chefs and food writers. Others are packing their bags to come to see their icons from the food and beverage world. 

We’ve gathered together a dynamic pool of writers, chefs, cooks, foragers, many whom, we would never have the opportunity to see or hear- unless we travelled thousands of miles to deepest Mexico to meet Eric Warner and Mya Henry from Hartwood, or to Argentina to meet a powerhouse like Frances Mallman – ‘King of Fire’ who is featured in the Netflix documentary The Chef’s Table.

For those who may not have been here before, the events take place at Ballymaloe House, Ballymaloe Cookery School, The Grain Store at Ballymaloe, on the farm and in the gardens and of course the huge Fringe Festival and the Drinks Theatre will be rocking along simultaneously in the Big Shed.

In the midst of all the fun this year’s event will focus our minds and thoughts on the questions ‘Our Food – What’s the Story?’

The Grainstore will have a new setup to previous years and will bring a fast-paced, dynamic and enthusiastic edge to the festival. At Litfest16, The Grainstore will be transformed into an exciting auditorium staging a thought-provoking and inspiring series of short talks and presentations, giving us the most up to the minute news of what’s happening in the world of food and drinks.

But this is a cookery column, so who are the exciting cooks and chefs giving cookery classes at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in the 2016 Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine.

Well, the guys from Hartwood, Yotam Ottolenghi of course but also Ramal Scully of NOPI have chosen some recipes from their new NOPI cookbook. The irrepressible Jeremy Lee from Quo Vadis in London will share some of the dishes that lure people back to his establishment in Soho over and over again. My favourite London baker Claire Ptak from Violet Cakes will be in the Dem Theatre at the Ballymaloe Cookery School on Sunday.

And guess what, the authors of my favourite book of 2015, Bar Tartine Techniques and Recipes, Nicolaus Balla and Cortney Burns will also be here. Those of you enchanted by preserving and fermentation must not miss these two alchemists from Bar Tartine in San Francisco. As ever there is a strong Irish presence and Katie Sanderson of the Dillisk Project in Galway, one of the most exciting new voices in food, will give a cookery dem on Sunday.

Fans of Kamal Mouzawak from Beirut, and he has many fans in Ireland, will want to catch up with him at 3.30 on Sunday in the Blue Dining Room at the BCS.

Now this is just a taste of over 100 events on the weekend of 20-22 May 2016. So check out www.litfest.ie. Some events are already sold out but there are still lots of good things to explore. 

Here is a taste of what’s to come.

Ottolenghi’s Green Pancakes with Lime Butter

Serves 3-4

250g spinach, washed
110g self-raising flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 free range egg
50g unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
150ml milk
6 medium spring onions, (110g in total), finely sliced
2 fresh green chillies, thinly sliced
1 free range egg white
Olive oil for frying

Lime Butter

100g unsalted butter, softened
Grated zest of 1 lime
1½ tablespoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon coriander, chopped
½ garlic clove, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon chilli flakes

First make the lime butter. Put the butter in a medium bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until it turns soft and creamy. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Tip onto a sheet of cling film and roll into a sausage shape. Twist the ends of the film to seal the flavoured butter. Chill until firm.

Wilt the spinach in a pan with a splash of water. Drain in a sieve and when cool, squeeze hard with your hands to remove as much moisture as possible. Roughly chop and put aside.

For the pancake batter, put the flour, baking powder, whole egg, melted butter, salt,cumin and milk in a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the spring onions, chillies and spinach and mix with a fork. Whisk the egg white to soft peaks and gently fold it into the batter.

Pour a small amount of olive oil into a frying pay and place on a medium heat. For each pancake, ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan and press down gently. You should get smallish pancakes, about 7cm in diameter and 1 cm thick. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until you get a good golden green colour. Transfer to kitchen paper and keep warm. Continue making pancakes, adding oil to the pan as needed until the batter is used up.

To serve, pile up three warm pancakes per person and place a slice of flavoured butter on top to melt.

 

NOPI’s Red Quinoa and Watercress Salad

If you can’t find red quinoa, the more widely available white quinoa can be used in this recipe. It will need a couple of minutes less cooking time than the red.

Serves 4

5 small shallots, sliced into pinwheels, 1 cm thick
½ teaspoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon sumac
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
200g red quinoa, rinsed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
150g young watercress leaves, tough stalks removed
Coarse sea salt and black pepper

Place the shallots in a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well and set aside for 5 minutes before adding the sugar, sumac and vinegar. Mix again and set aside for another 30 minutes.

Bring a small pan of water to the boil and add the quinoa. Return to the boil and then cook for 11 minutes. Drain, refresh well under cold water and then set aside until completely dry.

To make the dressing, place the lemon juice and mustard in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix continuously as you slowly add the olive oil.

Strain the shallots and put them into a large mixing bowl, along with 1 tablespoon of the pickling liquid. Add the quinoa and watercress, pour over the dressing. Combine everything gently and serve.

 

Hartwood’s Grapefruit, Mezcal and Burnt Honey Cake

Serves 8-10

For the Cake

3½ cups plain flour
¼ cup ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1½ cups of plain whole milk yoghurt
¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup dark honey
2 grapefruit, zest, segmented and juice

For the Caramel

1 cup water
½ cup sugar
¼ cup grapefruit juice
2 tablespoons mezcal
¼ cup dark honey
1 tablespoon grated grapefruit zest
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Icing sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pan. Line with baking parchment and butter the parchment.

Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.

Next zest the grapefruit and segment the fruit. First, slice off the top and bottom of the grapefruit so that you can see two tiny circles of flesh. Slice off the skin, pith and outer membrane. Trim off any white patches left after you cut off all the peel. Holding the fruit in one hand and a sharp knife in the other, working over a small bowl, slice as close as possible to the membranes that separate the sections. Slice along one, then the other and flick the loosened segment into the bowl. When the entire fruit is segmented, squeeze the juice from the remaining membranes with your hand and reserve.

Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the yoghurt, sweetened condensed milk and ¾ cup of honey. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, being careful not to over mix.

Arrange the grapefruit segments in concentric rings in the bottom of the cake pan. Pour the remaining ¼ cup of honey over the grapefruit. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool.

Next make the caramel. Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer and simmer until the sugar melts and the caramel turns a dark amber colour. (be careful at the end – it can burn quickly). Add the reserved grapefruit juice, the caramel will bubble up and swirl to incorporate, then add the mescal and continue swirling until the caramel returns to an amber colour. Add the honey, grapefruit zest and butter, swirl to incorporate, then take off the heat.

To serve, turn the cake out on a cooling rack and remove the paper. Transfer to a serving plate and pour over the warm caramel. Dust with icing sugar.

Note: Mezcal is a distilled spirit made from the Maguey plant native to Mexico. Tequila can be used as a substitute.

------  

If you haven’t already done so, get booking the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 2016. Taking place over the weekend of 20-22 May 2016, it promises to be another ‘knock out’! www.litfest.ie

 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina reflects on some of the highlights of the 2016 Kerrygold Ballymaloe Lifest

Well, the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine is over for another year - it was great  to put my feet up for the first time in several days. It was quite an event with thousands of people converging on East Cork for the weekend.

Over 30 nationalities that we know of and as one hassled visitor complained to me ‘there wasn’t a bed between here and Cork’. Fortunately we found her one, but the event certainly created a huge buzz and generated a lot of excitement in the greater area.

There were many highlights…. the thought provoking 15 minute talks in the Grainstore on a whole range of topics. Food in a Warzone with Kamal Mouzuwak from the Lebanon, Seaweeds eat them, meet them with Prannie Rhatigan, Ella McSweeney chaired a panel on Farming the Soil, Prue Leith founder of Leiths Cookery School in London spoke about her life in food.

Elizabeth Luard, Sacred Food was also riveting but one of the most thought provoking of all was Professor Ted Dinan of UCC’s talk on the relationship between our gut and our psychological wellbeing.

Ari Weinzweig from Zingerman’s in Ann Arbor in Michigan’s talk was entitled ‘A Lapsed Anarchist’, his subject, how to create a successful business and a happy workforce. Many of these presentations can be found on the Litfest website

The Big Shed where the Fringe takes place was rocking. The food stalls were specially selected for their ‘great food’. ‘My Goodness’s Heavy Nettle shot and an Irish take on pupusas made with potato, charlock and wild garlic was a huge hit as were Ivan Whelan’s sausage, egg and chips. Ivan had three fryers on the go, Choose Your Fat….Pat Whelan’s dripping, fresh pork lard or sunflower oil for the vegetarians.

The homemade sausages, Frankfurters, Bratwurst, and Boorwurst were made by Fingal Ferguson of Gubbeen who was doing a beautiful Gubbeen plate with a selection of his cured meats. Back to Ivan, the artisan mustard came from Graham Kearns, Co Meath, the ketchup, sauces and salsas were handmade

The Bloody Mary and Bloody Shame (non alcoholic) made from homemade tomato ketchup caused quite a sensation….

Arun Kapil of Green Saffron also had long queues for Spicy John Dory and salmon with peas and coconut flakes as did The Rocket Man’s falafel pockets. Lolo had his entire family serving crêpes and many other good things. Joe and Sandra Burns Farm Vegetable Chips and much much more…

The Ballymaloe gang did a brilliant job of giving chefs, speakers and guests a taste of the very best of Ireland. Can you imagine the sun shone on both days with only two thunder showers to remind us of how it could have been….but this column is about food and as ever there were many highlights among the cookery dems at the Cookery School and here are just a few.

Ottolenghi’s Burnt Spring Onion Dip with Kale

Serves 6

Spring Onion Cream
1 head of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
150g (5oz) spring onions (about 12-14), ends trimmed then sliced in half lengthways leaving 110g(4oz) in weight
1 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil
150g (5oz) cream cheese
110g (4oz) soured cream
coarse sea salt and black pepper

Kale
90ml olive oil (31/3 fl oz)
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 large red chillies, de-seeded and finely sliced
550g (20oz) curly kale, washed, stems removed, cut widthways into 3-4cm (1¼ - 1½ inch) slices (450g/16oz)
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7(200°C/400°F fan)

Slice the top quarter off the head of garlic, horizontally, and discard. Place the remaining garlic in the centre of a square of foil, with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.

Wrap up the garlic, place it on a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes until soft.

Set aside and, when cool enough to touch, squeeze out the garlic cloves, discard the skin and, using the flat side of a sharp knife, crush to form a puree. Set aside until ready to use.

Place the spring onions in a bowl and brush with the sunflower oil. Sprinkle over ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Place a small griddle pan on a high heat and ventilate your kitchen.

When the pan is smoking hot, add the spring onions and chargrill for 5-6 minutes, turning halfway through, until black and burnt all over. Set aside to cool, the finely chop.

Transfer the spring onions to a bowl and add the cream cheese, soured cream, and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the roast garlic puree and the 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix well and set aside until ready to use.

Put the oil for the kale into a large sauté pan and place on a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chilli slices and fry for 4-6 minutes, stirring constantly, until crisp and golden-brown.

Add the kale, along with 1½ teaspoons of salt and a good grind of black pepper, and cook for 3 minutes – you might need to do this in two or three batches - stirring often, until the kale is cooked but still retains a bite.

Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice and serve warm, on a large platter or individual starter plates, with dollops of the spring onions dip spooned on top.

 

Ottolenghi’s Garlic Spiced Farinata with Whipped Butterbeans

Serves 4

Farinata is a flatbread made from chickpea flour, which makes it gluten-free as well as delicious. The edges are dry and crisp, whilst the centre is more soft and squidgy, allowing you to scoop up the topping when you eat it. Start with either tinned or dried butterbeans here, which you then cook. Both work just as well.

200g (7oz) flour (aka chickpea flour)
60ml (2½ fl oz) olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sumac
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
flaky sea salt

Whipped Butterbeans
1 x 400g (14oz) tin cooked butterbeans, drained and rinsed (240g/8 ¾ oz drained weight)
100g (3 ½ oz) cream cheese
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons for drizzling
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
1 small preserved lemon (10g/ ½ oz), flesh and skin finely chopped

Place the chickpea flour in a large bowl. Slowly add 450ml (16fl oz) of water, whisking constantly, until well combined. Set aside for 20 minutes and preheat the oven to 240°C/ 475°F.

Place all the ingredients for the whipped butterbeans in a food processor with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Blitz for 1-2 minutes, until completely smooth and aerated and then spoon into a small bowl.

Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and set aside.

Add the oil for the farinata to a large iron skillet which will retain the heat well (if you don’t have one use a heavy-based, ovenproof frying pan). Place on a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes, until it starts to sizzle but doesn’t take on any colour. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the garlic out of the oil to a small bowl. Add the sumac, nigella seeds and chilli to the garlic; mix together and set aside.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil left in the pan into the chickpea flour batter along with 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk well and set aside. Tip 1 tablespoon of the garlic oil in the pan out into a separate bowl, leaving 1 tablespoon left in the pan.

Return the frying pan to a high heat and, once the oil starts to smoke, pour in half of the batter, swirling the pan to form an even layer. Heat for 30 seconds, until the batter starts to bubble and then sprinkle over half of the garlic mix.

Transfer the pan to the oven for 10 minutes, until cooked through and golden-brown. Use a spatula to remove the farinata from the pan and rest on a large plate. Keep warm (or you can return it to the oven for the last two minutes of cooking time for the next farinata) whilst you cook the second farinata in the same way, using the last tablespoon of garlic oil to do so.

Slice into wedges and serve warm, with the whipped butterbeans alongside for spreading over.

 

Claire Ptak’s Rhubarb Ice-Cream

Acidic fruits, such as rhubarb, make great ice-cream flavours, because they stand up to the richness of a creamy custard. If you are making this ice-cream when the trees are still in blossom, throw in a few handfuls of petals (preferably not from the gutter) in place of the vanilla for a heady, honey-like hint. For best results, this should be made in an ice-cream maker. If you don’t have one, freeze the mixture until solid.

For the custard
350g (12oz) whole milk
150g (5oz) caster sugar
4 egg yolks
600ml (1 pint) double cream (a large pot)
1 vanilla pod
a squeeze of lemon juice (if needed)

For the rhubarb
1kg (2 ¼ lb) rhubarb
180g (6 ¼ oz) caster sugar
1 vanilla pod

In a heavy-based pan, warm the milk, caster sugar and vanilla pod, seeds scraped, until just beginning to bubble. This won’t take long, so while it’s heating up, put your egg yolks into a bowl and whisk. Pour the double cream into a large bowl with a sieve resting on top of it and set aside.

When the milk is ready, temper the yolks by pouring a little of the milk into them, whisking as you go. Now pour the tempered yolks back into the remaining warm milk in the pan. Stirring continuously, heat until the mixture starts to thicken at the bottom of the pan. Strain the custard mixture into the cold cream and whisk well to prevent the custard from cooking any further.

Cover and put in the fridge for at least 1 hour to cool.

Heat your oven to 180?C/350?F/Gas Mark 4.

Cut the rhubarb into batons and lay in a baking dish. Coat with the 180g (6 ¼ oz) caster sugar and add the vanilla pod, then cover with foil and roast for 20 minutes. Remove the foil then roast for a further 20 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft and falling apart. Allow to cool.

Blitz the rhubarb in a food processor, then stir into the ice-cream custard base. Taste the mixture and add a squeeze of lemon juice or a pinch of sugar to adjust if needed. See tip about sweetness.

Pour into your ice-cream maker and churn for about 20 minutes, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Freeze for 1 hour before serving.

 

Hot Tips

We discovered lots of new artisan products over the LitFest weekend. Graham’s Wholegrain Mustards from Co Meath are quite a find; they are made from a carefully selected brown and yellow mustard seeds and aged for 2½ months to let the flavours develop, the end result is really worth seeking out. 

This is Seaweed Paul O Connor’s little tins of dried seaweed also caught my eye, great to sprinkle over salads, soups, add to breads….check out his website for the story

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 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina recounts a Co Cork food tour undertaken with a group of international students who are attending a Gastro Boot Camp at Ballymaloe Cookery School this summer

We’re cruising through West Cork in the sunshine – Marguerite daisies, foxgloves, wild roses, ragged robin, buttercups by the roadside, honeysuckle tumbling through the hedgerows and the fuschia is just about to burst into flower. Oh how beautiful the countryside looks.

We’re on our ‘school tour’. Students from 13 countries made their way to the bus shortly after dawn. First we visited Bill Casey to learn the story of the Shanagarry Smoked Salmon, next a visit to Philip Dennhardt’s Pizza Palace where the Saturday Pizzas are cooked in a woodburning oven.

This ‘field trip’ is not just a skite, the object of the exercise is to introduce the students to as many great food concepts as possible. These students who are with us from all over the world, at Gastro Boot Camp, for 12 weeks are looking out for ways to use their newly acquired skills to earn a living from their cooking.

It’s Thursday, so our next stop was Mahon Point Farmers Market, a positive ferment of brilliant ideas. I give each student a meal ticket so they can taste some of the delicious foods. Lauren’s steak sandwich with real Béarnaise Sauce, a BLT or Raclette.

A brilliant Volcano pizza from Simon Mould’s woodburning oven, a whole grain or lentil salad drizzled with a spicy dahl from The Rocket Man or chicken tikka and other temptations from Green Saffron. I couldn’t resist some bone broth and Vietnamese pho from Rachel McCormack of Sonny’s Merchants of Broth.

There’s ice cream, sushi, hummus and pitta, seaweed, gorgeous cakes, great coffee, chocolates…….Customers are snapping up Tom Clancy’s beautiful plump chickens, duck eggs and little speckled quail eggs from his farm in Ballycotton. Always a queue at the fresh fish stalls, both for O’ Driscoll’s in Schull and Trevor McNamara in Ballycotton.

Other stalls have tantalizing vegan and gluten free food. Organic vegetables, freshly dug and still covered with soil, fruit, fresh herbs and plants. Arbutus Bakery have crusty artisan breads to tempt and inspire the students to bake and on and on….never enough time to explore but certainly enough to whet everyone’s appetite and fill their minds with ideas for great food.

Back onto the bus to head for West Cork and a visit to Gubbeen Farm just outside Schull. The students were blown away by this entrepreneurial farming family of ‘food makers’ who continue to inspire others to think outside the box. Tom’s herd of friesian cows produce the milk for Giana’s Gubbeen cheese. The whey gets fed to Fingal’s pigs which make the bacon and ever growing range of charcuterie. How on earth does Fingal get time to make handmade knives in the midst of it all. His sister Clovisse grows the organic herbs for the cures and a wonderful range of beautiful vegetables, fruit and salad leaves for local restaurants in summer.

One could spend the entire day there but onwards to Timoleague to visit another artisan producer. Anthony Cresswell of Ummera who smokes chicken and duck as well as the Ummera smoked salmon. Anthony nudged on by his wife is a model of sustainability. The students were intrigued with Anthony’s brilliant vermaculture system to deal with waste. 

A few miles away in Bandon we called into Urru, Ruth Healy’s food shop, delicatessen and café. An unbearably tempting shop for food lovers with maybe the best selection of cookbooks in the country. Ruth and Diane Curtin gave the students sage advice about how to overcome challenges in business.

By now it was late afternoon and our final stop was at Diva in Ballinspittle. Here Shannen Keane has a bakery and café which draws people from miles around to eat her eclectic food. Great menu and some irresistible cakes and great vegan choices as well as the American style cakes she herself loves.

A very full day and so many inspirational food entrepreneurs reflecting the dynamic food scene of Ireland today.

HOT TIPS

Check out Fingal Ferguson’s new fermented salamis from the Gubbeen Smokehouse – love at first nibble. Handmade knives need to be ordered ahead and unless I’m much mistaken, these knives will become collectors’ items. www.gubbeen.com

Oriel Sea Salt in Drogheda, Co Louth

John Delaney continues to innovate. Irish mineral sea salt kiln dried and whiskey smoked sea salt has just landed on my desk. This beautiful pure salt is worth keeping an eye out for.
www.orielseasalt.com

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 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina introduces Felicity Cloake’s unusual book, The A-Z of Eating

A for almond, B for blue cheese, C for caramel, D for dumplings, E for eggs, F for fat and so on. The chapters of Felicity Cloake’s book, The A-Z of Eating are all themed around Felicity’s favourite ingredients.

A pretty novel approach at a time when it’s difficult to come up with something new and catchy but Felicity is definitely one to watch. She writes for the Daily Mail, the New Statesman and the Guardian, was named Food Journalist of the Year. She also carried off the New Media of the Year Award in 2011.

Each chapter opens with a fascinating introduction to the ingredient, blending history, food sciences, sharp insights and top tips. She assumes a certain basic knowledge. This book won’t teach you how to fry an egg or make hollandaise. “It’s for those brave souls who feel they have a fairly firm grasp on the basics, those who know it’s easier to make tomato sauce than to go out and buy a jar, for whom fish holds no fear and baking birthday cakes is a cause for celebration, not panic – in other words, people who can already cook”.

She encourages us to slip out of our well-worn culinary grooves and to cook beyond the most obvious possibilities for some of our favourite ingredients. Apart from recipes to impress there are lots of tempting ideas to try for utterly delicious midweek suppers.

Felicity also urges us cooks to make our lives easier by stocking our kitchens with a few bits of natty kitchen equipment. Measuring spoons, cheap, last for ever and essential for accurate baking. She’s right, ordinary kitchen spoons vary widely in size. A stick blender, less of an investment than a stand mixer and super useful for everything from homemade mayonnaise to soups, sauces, smoothies, whipping cream.

A cooking thermometer, Felicity poses the question – why faff about trying to guess the temperature of oil or caramel or whether your Sunday roast is rosy pink or well done in the centre. Digital varieties with a probe on a lead are most practical.

I still like to teach people how to judge without any props but these inexpensive thermometers are brilliantly handy and eliminate the guesswork. An oven thermometer is another must have, few ovens are the same temperature from top to bottom and cooks very often blame themselves for inconsistent results. This little gadget will take away the guilt and empower you to get the serviceman around.

Finally a decent food processor, they don’t come cheap but I certainly bless the person who invented this robust time saving gadget on a daily basis. If you don’t yet have a food processor put it on your wish list, let it be known among family and friends. Few bits of kitchen can transform your enjoyment of cooking like a food processor; laboursome tasks are literally done in seconds rather than minutes or even hours.

Here are a few of the recipes that caught my eye in the A-Z of Eating by Felicity Cloake published by Penguin Random House. The stunning photography is by accclaimed photographer Helen Cathcart now based in London but originally from Co Fermanagh.

Under Z for zest, I found peach and mozzarella salad with lemon zest and basil. Under U for umami, another little gem, courgette fritters. T is for toast, lots of ideas here for our favourite comfort food, I choose salmon and coriander tartare and in the year that’s in it Tricolour jellies, a delicious green, white and gold jelly made with basil, mozzarella and tomatoes and finally, under I for ices, an easy-peasy banana and peanut butter ice. There’s tons more but I’m sure these ideas will whet your appetite.

Felicity Cloake’s Salmon and Coriander Tartare with Avocado and Wasabi Cream on Toasted Rye

Serves 2

1 ripe Haas avocado
2 teaspoons wasabi paste
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon soy sauce (preferably Japanese)
1 salmon fillet
A small bunch of coriander, chopped
A handful of pea shoots
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
A dash of pumpkin seed, extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
2 slices of dark rye bread

Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone, and then scoop out the flesh into a small bowl. Add half the wasabi along with the lime juice and soy sauce. Whiz until smooth (or mash as best you can, if you don’t have a stick blender), then taste and season. I like to add the rest of the wasabi, but you may not.

Skin the salmon if necessary, and then cut into small dice. Put into a small bowl with the coriander, season well, and toss together with the pea shoots, pumpkin seeds and a dash of oil.
Toast the bread until crisp, then spread with the avocado and top with the salmon and pea shoots. Eat immediately.

 

Felicity Cloake’s Courgette Fritters with Bagna Cauda Hollandaise

Serves 4 with extra sauce

450 g courgettes
2 spring onions
50 g plain flour
50 g dried breadcrumbs, preferably panko
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
A whole nutmeg, to grate
1 egg
Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
Oil, to fry

For the Sauce

3 fat garlic cloves
10 anchovies, rinsed if packed in salt
100 ml olive oil
3 egg yolks
150 g cold butter, cubed

Coarsely grate the courgettes into a colander in the sink. Salt lightly, toss and leave to weep while you make the sauce.

Roughly chop the garlic and anchovies and mash together into a smooth paste. Heat a splash of oil in a small frying pan over a lowish heat and gently fry the mixture until the garlic just smells cooked. Scoop out of the hot pan so it doesn’t continue cooking.

Heat the olive oil to warm. (I put the jug into a saucepan of hot water) and boil a small kettle of water. Put the egg yolks into a pan with 1 tablespoon of cold water and the butter and set over a low heat. Stir continually until the butter has melted and emulsified into a smooth, thickish sauce, then gradually but vigorously whisk in the warm olive oil.

Turn up the heat slightly and whisk until thickened. If it threatens to separate, whisk in a little of the boiling water from the kettle, which should bring it back tougher. Once thickened, stir in the anchovy and garlic and set aside somewhere warm while you make the fritters, whisking it occasionally (I sit the pan in the larger pan of warm water previously occupied by the jug of oil).

Squeeze the courgettes well. Finely slice the spring onions, and then put in to a large bowl with the courgettes, flour, breadcrumbs, chilli flakes and a pinch of nutmeg. Briefly beat the egg and mix in along with the parsley.

Heat enough oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat to shallow fry – if you only grease the pan, your fritters will be soggy. Once the pan is hot enough that a courgette strand sizzles as it hits the oil, add the mixture in spoonfuls, flattening out as you do so, and fry in batches until golden brown on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper, then serve with the sauce.

 

Felicity Cloake’s Peach and Mozzarella Salad with Crispy Lemon Zest and Basil

Serves 2

1 large unwaxed lemon
6 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 fairly ripe peaches or nectarines
1 ball of buffalo mozzarella
4 sprigs of basil

Peel the zest from the lemon in strips, keeping them as thin as possible to avoid the bitter white pith. Scrape any pith off the peel with a sharp knife, then cut the strips into long thin lengths. Put a plate lined with kitchen paper by the hob.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan and when hot fry the zest for about 30 seconds, until just beginning to crisp and colour. Use a slotted spoon to scoop on the paper to drain, and allow the oil in the pan to cool.

Juice the lemon and whisk the cooled oil into 2 tablespoons of the juice. Season to taste.

Slice the peaches and divide between two small plates in a circle. Sprinkle with a little dressing, then tear the mozzarella over the top. Spoon over a little more dressing, season and sprinkle with the lemon zest strips and torn basil leaves to serve.

 

Felicity Cloake’s Tricolore Jellies

Makes 6

Familiar flavours – the tang of tomato, the creaminess of mozzarella the sweet pepperiness of basil – cast in a new and unexpected form: miniature jellies. These can be made a couple of days in advance which is always handy – and though it looks like you’ve gone to great effort, the work involved is minimal and basic.

For the tomato jelly

600 g ripe tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 small garlic clove, crushed
100 ml tomato juice
¼ teaspoon sugar
2½ gelatine leaves
Neutral oil, to grease

For the Mozzarella panna cotta

1 burrata (you won’t need all of it)
100 ml whole milk
1 gelatine leaf

For the basil jelly

1 lemon
40 g fresh basil leaves, plus a few extra
1½ gelatine leaves

For the tomato jelly, whizz up the tomatoes and garlic with the juice, the sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Line a sieve with muslin or a clean tea towel, set it over a large bowl and pour in the tomatoes, then gather up the sides of the material over the tomatoes and secure the top of the bundle with an elastic band. Suspend this above the bowl and leave to drain for at least 3 hours, squeezing the bag occasionally to help it along.

Once you’ve drained off most of the tomato liquid (you should have about 300 ml – if it’s significantly less, top up with tomato juice; if more, make the excess into a Bloody Mary shot), soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water until soft and crunchable. Meanwhile, bring the juice to a simmer in a small pan. Squeeze out the gelatine and stir into the warm juice until dissolved.

Grease six small dariole moulds, or small glass dishes if you don’t’ want to turn them out, and divide the tomato mixture between them. Chill until set.

When the tomato jelly is beginning to set, measure out 75 g of the burrata, making sure you get a good lot of the cream inside. Finely chop the solid skin. Put into a small pan with the milk and a generous pinch of salt and heat gently, stirring once warm to encourage the cheese to melt. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in cold water until soft. Once the dairy mixture is smoothish, squeeze out the gelatine and stir into the milk, then allow to cool to warm room temperature, stirring occasionally. Pour over the back of a spoon on top of the set tomato jelly (to stop them merging) and refrigerate.

For the basil jelly, bring a small pan of salted water to the boil and prepare a large bowl of iced water with the juice of the lemon squeeze into it. Blanch the basil for 15 seconds, then scoop out into the iced water. Reserve 180 ml of the blanching water, and allow it to cool slightly. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine as before. Stir it into the warm blanching water and allow to cool, stirring occasionally, then drain and roughly chop or coarsely puree the basil and stir it inot the gelatine mixture with a pinch of salt. Pour on top of the panna cotta and refrigerate until set. 

Turn out onto plates if you’re feeling brave, or serve in the dishes, with a basil leaf on top, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some toasted ciabatta.

 

Felicity Cloake’s Simple Banana and Peanut Butter Ice

This is so unbelievably creamy that you won’t miss the dairy one bit – the peanut butter is optional and be left out or substituted with honey, chocolate spread or chips, nuts, spice, maple syrup….ideal for children and best eaten as soon as it’s made rather than frozen. The bananas must be really ripe or they won’t be sweet enough

Serves 2-4
(2 greedily, 4 more moderately)

4 very ripe bananas
2 teaspoons peanut butter
Handful of salted roasted peanuts, to top (optional)

Peel the bananas, chop into even slices and freeze for at least 3 hours.

Put into a food processor and whiz until smooth and creamy (you’ll probably need to keep sticking a spatula in to stop it clumping into large frozen balls, but it will happen, I promise).

Add the peanut butter, or any other flavourings, and a pinch of salt and whiz to incorporate. Serve with a few roughly chopped peanuts scattered over the top, or indeed a generous drizzle of chocolate sauce.
 

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 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column - A Real Taste of Irish Produce

It’s not as easy as it sounds to give visitors ‘a real taste of our Irish produce’ - but Darina has the answer to this common problem 

I got a wonderful letter beautifully hand-written by a woman who described herself as an octogenarian.

It was a poignant letter and a plea from a woman who wrote in despair about how difficult it now is to source good meat, chicken, pork even beef “Like you, I remember what food used to taste like and nowadays I don’t know where to turn”.

I believe she articulated the challenge that many people face in this era of relentless cost cutting and below cost selling. “Where, oh where can I find nourishing tasty food, I have visitors coming from America and I want to give them a real taste of our Irish produce?”

I totally understand her dilemma and I’m sure many others will also. The kind of produce Helen is looking for is available but rarely through the normal food retail outlets, mostly because the farmers and food producers who still produce food in the traditional, time honoured way must get the full price for their produce – otherwise they simply cannot stay in business.

The reality is that a well reared organic chicken that has been allowed to range freely on grass and grow slowly takes at least 12-13 weeks to reach maturity, over twice the time it takes for a chicken from an intensive Asian production system.

The latter will have antibiotics, hormones, growth promoters, bone strengtheners and probably anti-depressant in every feed. They simply can’t thrive in such intensive conditions otherwise.

Not the sort of bird my correspondent has in mind to remind her guests of almost forgotten flavours from a time when chicken was an occasional treat and the carcass and giblets yielded a fine pot of flavoursome broth.

I sent a list of farmers and food producers that we buy from and including free-range organic poultry producer, Regan Organic Farm, chicken, duck, turkey, pork etc

For pork my first choice was Martin & Noreen Conroy of Woodside Farm, Midleton, Co Cork, phone: 087 2767206.

For beef: go to a local craft butchers with its own abattoir who buys traditional breeds, dry ages and hangs well, for example:
Frank Murphy in Midleton, Co Cork, Phone: 021 4631557 
Cliffords Butchers, Castlemartyr, Co Cork, Phone: 021 4667336
Michael McGrath, Butcher in Lismore, Co Waterford, Phone: 058 54350
Dawn Meats, not exactly a small butcher but they have a choice of some excellent well hung meat.

RECIPES:

Traditional Roast Stuffed Organic Chicken with Gravy

Serves 6

A traditional roast stuffed chicken with lots of gravy is a forgotten flavour for many people, partly because unless you have access to a really good bird the smell and flavour will be quite different to one’s childhood memory.

People often feel that making stuffing is too bothersome but if you keep some breadcrumbs in the freezer it can literally be made in minutes. Should I cook the stuffing inside the bird or separately.

The best place for the stuffing is inside the bird where it absorbs lots of delicious juices as it cooks. Do not overfill the bird otherwise the heat may not penetrate fully. This is particularly important if you are using an intensively reared bird which may be infected with salmonella and or campylobacter.

4 1/2 - 5 lbs (1.5 - 2.3kg) free range chicken, preferably organic

Giblet Stock

Giblets (keep the liver for a chicken liver pate), and wish bone
1 thickly sliced carrot
1 thickly sliced onion
1 stick celery, sliced
a few parsley stalks and a sprig of thyme

Stuffing

1 1/2 ozs (45g/1/3 stick) butter
3 ozs (75g) chopped onion
3-3 1/2 ozs (75-95g/1 1/2-1 3/4 cups) soft white breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) finely chopped fresh herbs eg. parsley, thyme, chives and annual marjoram
salt and freshly ground pepper
a little soft butter

Gravy

1 – 1 1/2 pints (600-900mls/2 1/2 – 3 3/4 cups) of stock from giblets or chicken stock

Garnish
Sprigs of flat parsley

First remove the wish bone from the neck end of the chicken, this is easily done by lifting back the loose neck, skin and cutting around the wish bone with a small knife – tug to remove, this isn't at all essential but it does make carving much easier later on. Tuck the wing tips underneath the chicken to make a neat shape.

Put the wish bone, giblets, carrot, onions, celery and herbs into a saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, skin and simmer gently while the chicken is roasting. This is the basis of the gravy.

Next make the stuffing, sweat the onions gently in the butter in a covered saucepan until soft, 10 minutes approx. then stir in the white bread crumbs, the freshly chopped herbs, a little salt and pepper to taste.

Allow it to get quite cold unless you are going to cook the chicken immediately. If necessary wash and dry the cavity of the bird, then season and half fill with stuffing. Season the breast and legs, smear with a little soft butter.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/regulo4. Weight the chicken and allow about 20 minutes to the lb and 20 minutes over – put on middle shelf in oven. Baste a couple of times during the cooking with the buttery juices. The chicken is done when the juices are running clear.

To test prick the thickest part at the base of the thigh, hold a spoon underneath to collect the liquid, examine the juices - they should be clear.

Remove the chicken to a carving dish, keep it warm and allow to rest while you make the gravy.

To make the gravy, tilt the roasting tin to one corner and spoon off the surplus fat from the juices and return the roasting pan to the stove. De glaze the pan juices with the fat free stock from the giblets and bones (you will need 1-1 1/2 pints depending on the size of the chicken).

Using a whisk, stir and scrape well to dissolve the caramelized meat juices in the roasting pan. Boil it up well, season and thicken with a little roux if you like (the gravy should not be thick). Taste and correct seasoning, serve in a hot gravy boat.

If possible serve the chicken on a nice carving dish surrounded by crispy roast potatoes and some sprigs of flat parsley then arm yourself with a sharp knife and bring it to the table. Carve as best you can and ignore rude remarks if you are still practicing but do try to organise it so that each person gets some brown and some white meat.

Serve with gravy and bread sauce.

Use the cooked carcass for stock.

Roast Fillet of Beef with Béarnaise Sauce

Serves 8 – 10

1 whole fillet of well hung dried aged beef 2.6kg (6lb) approximately
a few cloves garlic
pork caul fat (if available)
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Béarnaise Sauce (see recipe)

Trim away the chain if it is still attached, use the meat for Beef Stroganoff. Double over the meat at the tapered end and tie the fillet securely with fine butcher’s cotton twine.

Alternatively ask your butcher to do the ‘butchering’ for you.

Rub the fillet all over with a cut clove of garlic, season well with lots of freshly ground pepper and wrap loosely in caul fat if available. Season well with sea salt. 

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8.

Alternatively, rub the fillet all over with the cut clove of garlic as before, season well on all sides with salt and freshly cracked pepper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Heat a cast iron pan grill to very hot. Sear the beef until nicely browned on all sides. Transfer it to a roasting tin and tuck a couple of sprigs of thyme underneath. 

Roast for 25-30 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should read 50°C/125°F for rare or 75°C/167°F for well done. Alternatively the meat should feel springy to the touch and the juice should be a pale pink when the meat is pierced with a skewer. Remove from the oven to a carving dish.

Cover and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes by which time the juices will have redistributed themselves and the beef will be uniformly medium rare.

Serve cut in 5mm (1/4 inch) and serve with Béarnaise sauce.

Béarnaise Sauce

The consistency of Béarnaise sauce should be considerably thicker than that of Hollandaise or beurre blanc, both of which ought to be a light coating consistency. If you do not have tarragon vinegar to hand, use a wine vinegar and add some extra chopped fresh French tarragon.

Serves 8–10

4 tablespoons (5 American tablespoons) tarragon vinegar
4 tablespoons (5 American tablespoons) dry white wine
2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots
pinch of freshly ground pepper
2 organic egg yolks
110g (4oz/1 stick) butter
1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) freshly chopped French tarragon leaves

Boil the first 4 ingredients together in a low, heavy-bottomed, stainless-steel saucepan until completely reduced and the pan is almost dry but not browned. Add 1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) of cold water immediately. Pull the pan off the heat and leave to cool for 1 or 2 minutes.

Using a coil whisk, whisk in the egg yolks and add the butter bit by bit over a very low heat, whisking all the time. As soon as one piece melts, add the next piece; it will gradually thicken. If it shows signs of becoming too thick or slightly scrambling, remove from the heat immediately and add a little cold water. Do not leave the pan or stop whisking until the sauce is made. Finally, add 1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) of freshly chopped French tarragon and taste for seasoning.

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 all the butter is added and the sauce is a thick coating consistency. It is important to remember, however, that if you are making Béarnaise 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 Béarnaise sauce for the first time is to keep a bowl of cold water close by so that you can plunge the bottom of the saucepan into it if it becomes too hot.

Keep the sauce warm in a Pyrex bowl over hot but not simmering water or in a Thermos flask until you want to serve it.


Pork Belly with Green and Black Olive Tapenade

Inspired by a dish I ate at Amisfield Winery near Queenstown on the South Island of New Zealand.

Serves 6 – 8

1 x 2.2kg (5lb) pork belly with crackling
Rocket leaves
Green and Black Olive Tapenade (see recipe)
flakes of Sea salt
extra virgin olive oil

Score the pork at 5mm (1/4 inch) intervals. Sprinkle both the rind and flesh side with salt and allow to season for 2 – 3 hours. Wash and dry well. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350ºF/Gas Mark 4.

Put the pork, skin side up on a chopping board, season with Maldon sea salt and cracked black pepper. Pour 1cm (1/2 inch) water into a roasting tin and roast the joint on a wire rack in the roasting tin. Allow 25-28 minutes per 450g (1lb). Baste with the rendered pork fat every now and then.

Meanwhile make the Green and Black Tapenade (see recipe).

To Serve

Cut the pork into 5cm (2 inch) squares – allow 3 pieces per person. Drizzle a little chunky tapenade over and around the pork. Sprinkle with some flakes of Sea salt and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.


Black and Green Olive Tapenade

75g (3ozs) green olives, after stoning
75g (3ozs) black olives, after stoning
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 anchovies (Ortiz), mashed
4 tablespoons (5 American tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil

Roughly chop the olives, add the finely chopped garlic, mashed anchovies and extra virgin olive oil. Mix and taste.

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 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina talks about “an extraordinary fortnight of random events dreamed up by a small committee of super charged individuals” at the annual Taste of West Cork festival

I spent what I like to think were the last few days of summer in West Cork but of course in reality it was most definitely Autumn no matter how hard I tried to kid myself.

My ‘last hurrah’ before I threw myself into the Autumn term coincided with the Taste of West Cork festival, an extraordinary fortnight of random events dreamed up by a small committee of super charged individuals who are determined to celebrate and highlight what is unique about West Cork and lengthen the tourist season for as many people as possible in the greater area.

I’ve watched this festival develop gradually over the past 6 years, ebbing and flowing, but this year there were 188 events taking place in 32 towns and villages and on eight islands, an inspired mix of themed dinners, cookery demonstrations, storytelling, foraging, cocktail making, Ilen River cruises with afternoon tea...

You could roam with the buffalo on Johnny Lynch’s Farm near Macroom and taste the tender mozzarella, good enough to rival anything coming out of Italy. Learn how to smoke fish in Ummera or Union Hall smokehouse who scooped the top awards at the West Cork Artisan Food Awards. I learned how to save seeds with the seed saving hero Madeline McKeever of Brown Envelope Seeds.

Over 400 people turned up to St Patrick’s National School in Skibbereen to hear Mary Clear, the dynamic founder of the Incredible Edible project in Todmorden. I went along to visit and met Alan Foley and Brian Granaghan, the people behind the school’s impressive and award winning garden.There’s a Geodome, willow tunnel, amphitheatre, wormery, composting area, insect hotel, raised beds...

John Desmond of Island Cottage gave a demonstration of how to make a classic chocolate mousse on the pier on Heir Island.

The artisan food producers flung open their doors and travelled to share their stories and their produce with their many fans. There were cycles and walks on the wild side, golf events, kayaking and sailing all connected to food and the beautiful seafood of West Cork.

In the midst of it all the prestigious West Cork Artisan Food Awards included Gubbeen Farmhouse and Woodcock Smokery, joint overall winner of the Awards. Union Hall Smoked Fish took the top award, West Cork Pies were also award winners, Newcomer Award was West Cork Eggs, and others included Mella’s Fudge, O’Neill’s Allihies Sea Salt, Claire’s Hummus, Thornhill Organics, Tess and the Glebers at Glebe Gardens, John and Sarah Devoy, Rosscarbery….see www.atasteofwestcork.com for the full list.

Susan Holland and Ian Parr, formerly of the Custom House in West Cork, came back from France to cook a dinner at the Boat House at Inish Beg – a ‘sell out’ of course and a nostalgic trip down memory lane for their many fans.

Glebe Café hosted Danni Barry from EIPIC in Belfast, we loved the meal she cooked as a celebration of the food from Glebe Gardens and superb beef from Walsh’s butcher shop in Skibbereen.

Visitors flocked into the West Cork area. Many events were totally sold out, over 400 people turned up to a tour of the West Cork Distillery in Skibbereen. ‘An Afternoon of Michael Collins’ included a demonstration of griddle baking over the open fire.

Visits to farms – Glen Ilen and Devoys organic farm, fermentation and pickling workshops, beekeeping including an inspirational workshop at Gurranes with Trevor Dannann, a certified natural beekeeper at the age of 16 and owner of 12 hives.

Numerous cookery demonstrations and several food forums including one attendees described as ‘life changing’. Our Farms, Our Food, Our Future organised by Majella O’ Neill. Among the speakers were Professor Ted Dinan of UCC who spoke about the connection between our gut flora and the brain. Dr Don Huber award winning international scientist and Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology at Purdue University, Indiana, USA, leading GM expert in the world who shared research into the effects of glyphosate and GM on public health, all presentations were recorded and will be available.

So many brilliant events to choose from, impossible to get to more than 2 or 3 into a day. Every town from Clonakilty to Bantry, Rosscarbery to Sherkin Island, Castletownshend to Bandon and everywhere in between was ‘rocking’.

Skibbereen is on a roll, one can feel the energy and optimism. There was something happening in every parish, every pub, restaurant, café, farm and dairy. West Cork was bursting with pride and justifiably celebrating what is unique and magical about this extraordinary part of Ireland.

There are food fairs, festivals and carnivals all over the country nowadays so it’s really tough to have a USP to attract an almost jaded public but the Taste of West Cork is certainly a model worth looking at. Congrats to each and everyone involved.

Taste of West Cork RECIPES:

Danni Barry’s Beetroot Baked in Salt and Rye with Goat’s Curd and Toasted Seeds

Danni cooked a deliciously simple meal at Glebe Gardens during the Taste of West Cork Food Festival

Serves 4

2 large red beetroot
2 large golden beetroot
200g Leggygowan Farm goat’s curd

For the salt and rye crust

300g strong flour
200g rye flour
200g coarse sea salt
6 juniper berries
1 orange zest
200-250ml cold water

For the beetroot and raspberry dressing

120ml Broighter Gold rapeseed oil
30ml raspberry vinegar
50g red beetroot trim
Rainbow chard

For the toasted seeds

60g sunflower seeds
50g brown linseeds/flaxseed

Heat the oven to 200C.

For the salt dough, crush the juniper seeds and add to the flours, salt and orange zest. Make a hole in the middle and add the water in three stages, mixing until a dough forms. Wrap in cling film and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes.

Wash the beetroots and dry them thoroughly. Roll out the dough and wrap around each beetroot individually, place on a baking tray and put straight into the hot oven. (It is important not to leave the dough wrapped beetroots sitting for too long before baking, as the salt will start to draw out moisture from the beetroot and the dough will breakdown.)

After eight minutes, turn down the oven to 180?C and continue to cook for 40 minutes.

When ready, crack open the crust and peel the beetroots while still warm. Cut into five-inch discs and place 50g of the excess in a saucepan with the raspberry vinegar.

Warm gently for ten minutes and pass through a sieve. Mix with the rapeseed oil while warm to make the dressing.

Toast the seeds on a tray in the oven and season.

To assemble the plate, layer the beetroots and goats curd, and dress generously.

Wilt some rainbow chard in a hot pan with a little oil and dress with the raspberry vinegar. Place on top of the beetroots, then spoon over the toasted seeds.

Danni Barry from EIPIC Restaurant in Belfast

 

John Desmond’s Classic Chocolate Mousse

125g dark chocolate
125g milk chocolate
50g unsalted butter
5 eggs yolks
8 egg whites
50g sugar
1 espresso cup of strong coffee
Cleaning of Copper bowl
5g salt
10 ml red wine vinegar

Break up 125g dark chocolate and 125g milk chocolate, put into large bowl with 50g of unsalted butter, place over a larger bowl of boiling water. Separate 8 eggs, keeping 5 yolks and 8 whites for the mousse.

If using a copper bowl, thoroughly clean it with salt and vinegar, rinse and dry. Put 8 egg whites into whatever you are using and whisk until stiff, add 50 g sugar, keep whisking until sugar has dissolved.

Add espresso coffee and 5 egg yolks to chocolate mixture, gentle whisk until incorporated, then add a quarter of the beaten egg white mixture, whisk thoroughly, gently fold in the remaining egg white mixture. Put into a flat bottom container and refrigerate overnight. It can also be put into individual bowls. It will keep refrigerated for a few days.

 ---

 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2016. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

Darina has been inundated with a whole new crop of cookbooks published just in time for Christmas - something to tempt aspiring, experimental and accomplished cooks

Every time I think I’ve reached ‘peak’ cookbook season, along come some new temptations. So what has piqued my fancy...

Jamie has done it again – Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook (easons.ie, €19.99) is if full of gorgeous photos of tempting foods and delicious recipes for edible gifts, party foods and new ways to love leftovers. Loved his smoked salmon toasts and Boxing Day Quesadillas.

Do you know what Hygge means? I had no idea what the word meant until relatively recently when I noticed that it seemed to be popping up all over the place. Well apparently it means in essence – ‘living cosily’ – enjoying life’s simple pleasures with friends and family, creating a warm atmosphere, fire and candlelight….. It’s a Danish and Norwegian word that’s difficult to translate, it seems to be a feeling of comfortable well-being – savouring the moment….several cookbooks have been published with Hygge in the title including a young Norweigan cook, Signe Johansen who sent me her book How to Hygge: The Secrets of Nordic Living, Nigel Slater described it as “uplifting heart-warming, life enriching. I wish I could have read this book years ago”.

Signe is a woman after my own heart, in a recent interview in the Guardian, she told Dale Berning Sawa “everything tastes better with butter. It is generally my fat of choice when cooking. I make my own but I also buy some too – both salted and unsalted. I go through so much of it”.

Admirers of Michelin starred chefs may be delighted to get a copy of The Five Seasons Kitchen by Pierre Gagnaire who was voted Best Chef in the World by his peers in 2016 and whose restaurants worldwide boast two or three Michelin stars each. The recipes are surprisingly easy to reproduce, try his cream of pumpkin soup with coconut milk below, easy and super delicious. Use a Red Kuri or pumpkin butternut squash.

Gather by Gill Meller is a beautiful book that will excite your hunter gather friends – you may not be familiar with Gill’s name partly because he stayed behind the scenes at River Cottage with Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall for years but is now Head Chef ,has been for some time, and is definitely a name to note – I love Gill’s simple food based on superb ingredients from seashore to woodland, orchard to garden, field to farm, moorland to harbour, the very best kind of honest cooking and gorgeous flavours. I’ve chosen fried pheasant with quince and bay for you to try, beautiful food photographs also. (See In Season for this recipe)

The British Table by Colman Andrews is also quite a production – a new book of the traditional cooking of England, Scotland and Wales. The photos in this book are by two of my most admired food photographers, Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton.

Many of the recipes from all four corners of the UK have been shared by some of my favourite chefs Jeremy Lee, Mark Hix, Sally Clarke, Fergus Henderson, meticulously researched and beautifully written, published by Abrams. So many tempting recipes but try this cockle popcorn which Mark Hix freely admits he stole from his local fish merchants Samways who originally served them at a local festival. Check out the English Market in Cork for a terrific selection of fish and shellfish but we also get a fantastic selection from Michael Kelly (kellyoysters.com), Carlingford Oyster Company (carlingfordoystercompany.ie) and Quinlans (kerryfish.com).

Closer to home Rachel Allen has just published yet another gorgeous book, this time it’s called Recipes from my Mother published by Harper Collins and is full of recipes from both her mum and grandmother with a few of my mum’s favourites as well – you’ll love this.

RECIPES to try…

Pierre Gagnaire’s Cream of Pumpkin Soup with Coconut Milk, from The Five Seasons Kitchen by Pierre Gagnair (Grub Street, £25)

Darina’s tip - Use a Red Kuri or pumpkin butternut squash

Serves 6 as a starter

700 g pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
700 ml fresh milk
400 g coconut milk
½ kaffir lime leaf
120 g lightly salted whipped cream
40 g shredded coconut
Fine salt

Cook the pumpkin from cold in lightly salted milk. Once boiling, add the coconut milk and kaffir lime leaf, then continue simmering for a further 15-20 minutes. Remove the kaffir lime leaf and process the mixture in a blender to a perfectly smooth, creamy soup.

For the whipped cream:- carefully fold the whipped cream into the grated coconut. Serve the pumpkin soup in soup bowls. Each guest can serve their own coconut cream on top of the hot soup.

 

Signe Johansen’s Winter Nordic Salad, from How to Hygge The Secrets of Nordic Living, Signe Johansen (Pan Macmillan, £14.99) 

Kale is about as zeitgeisty as a winter green can be, but I’m actually not a huge fan and this is the only way I’ll eat it as find raw kale hard to chew. The secret is to really massage kale leaves so they start to soften and wilt. Roast squash or sweet potato make pretty much any salad better and pomegranate adds a little razzmatazz to this otherwise super simple dish.

Serves 4 as a side dish, 2 as a main

1 butternut squash or 2 sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Seeds of 1 pomegranate
1 bunch of variegated or plain kale, washed and finely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 large unwaxed lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°Fgas mark 6.

Chop the squash or sweet potatoes into bite sized chunks, put them on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes until tender.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and set aside.

Place the pomegranate seeds in a bowl. Massage the kale with the lemon zest and juice and some olive oil so that the leaves soften, then add to the bowl with the pomegranate seeds. Toss together, cover and set aside until ready to serve.

Mix the salad with the roasted butternut squash and serve with some roast fish, chicken or meat of your choice.

This salad also works a treat with diced feta, avocado and mixed seeds if you would rather keep it vegetarian.

 

Rachel Allen’s Custard Creams from Recipes from my Mother by Rachel Allen (HarperCollins, £25.99)

These are what they say on the tin, but they are a really good buttery, crumbly version of those you get in a packet.

Makes about 24 biscuits

200 g (7 oz) soft butter
150 g (7 oz) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
200 g (7 oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
100 g ( 3½ oz) custard powder

For the Butter Icing

125 g (4½ oz) soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250 g (9 oz) icing sugar

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

Line 2 or 3 baking sheets with baking parchment.

Place the butter in a bowl or in the bowl of an electric food mixer and cream well. Add the sugar and the vanilla and beat again until soft and light. Sift in the flour and the custard powder and mix well until the dough comes together.

When the dough has come together, roll it out on a floured worktop with some flour dusted on top, to stop it sticking, until it is 5 mm (¼ inch) thick.

You’ll probably need to regularly slide a palette knife under the dough with some flour to stop it sticking. Cut into shapes, squares or rectangles (making sure you have doubles of each shape so they can be sandwiched together) and carefully lift onto the prepared baking sheets, spaced a little apart as the will spread ever so slightly when baking.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until just feeling dry around the edges and light golden in colour. Take out of the oven and leave to stand on the baking sheet for a few minutes before lifting off to cool on a wire rack.

While the biscuits are cooking or cooling, make the butter icing. Cream the butter and the vanilla extract in a bowl with a wooden spoon or in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment and mix in the icing sugar until it comes together.

When the biscuits are cooked and cooled, spread some butter icing onto a biscuit

 

Whisky Soaked Raisin and Orange Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding, from The British Table by Colman Andrews (Abrams, £30). 

Serves 6-8 

145 g (1 cup) sultanas (golden raisins)

60 ml (½ cup) good quality Scotch whisky, plus more if needed

300 ml (1¼ cups) whole milk

300 ml (1¼ cups) heavy cream

Pinch of salt

2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise

5 large eggs

50 g (4 tablespoons) sugar

90 g (½ cup) mixed candied citrus peel

1 large brioche loaf bread or challah, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) slices

285 g (1¼ cups/2½ sticks) butter, softened

480 ml (2 cups) orange marmalade

Vanilla ice cream for serving, optional

Put the sultanas in a small bowl and cover them with the whisky (add a little more if necessary to completely cover them). Soak for at least 2 hours, then drain them and set aside (reserve the whisky for cocktails).

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

Combine the milk, cream, salt and vanilla beans in a medium pot. Bring the liquid to a boil, then take the pot off the heat and set aside to infuse for at least 15 minutes.

Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a medium bowl, then strain the milk mixture into the eggs and stir well.

Mix the sultanas and the citrus peel together, then spread them evenly over the bottom of a 4.5 litre baking dish.

Butter each slice of brioche or challah on one side, then cut each one at an angle into two triangles each. Arrange the slices, overlapping on top of the citrus and peel. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread, then bake the pudding, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Just before the pudding has finished baking, put the marmalade into a small saucepan and heat it over a low heat, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pudding from the oven and spread the heated marmalade over the top. Bake for 10 minutes more.

Serve warm or at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream if you like. 

 ---

 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2017. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column

This month Darina looks at the coming Food Trends for 2017 - What will we be eating in 2017?

Well for most of us it will probably be more of the same but my top tip for what it’s worth is to eat a wide variety of real food and no food products – real food is not the same as food products. We need lots of biodiversity to feed and nourish our gut biome – the health of our gut flora has a phenomenal impact on both our mental and physical health.

When I say real, I mean unprocessed, unpasteurised organic, chemical free, vegetables directly from our garden or from a real farmer or gardener in your local Farmers or Country Market.

Now, here’s a glimpse into trends and the food scene for 2017:

Flexitarian. There is a significant rise in the number of part time vegetarians – people who are reducing their meat consumption because of health, sustainability and animal welfare concerns. The rise and rise of vegan diets continues to confound the sceptics…

Free from…..everything….. Continues to gain market share even among those who do not have allergies or intolerances – the perception is that it’s healthier – this epidemic of faddism is dangerous for our health, the more we removed from our diet the less diversity we have in our systems.

Sports Nutrition is moving mainstream, energy balls, power drinks…. The virtuous triangle of great food, exercise and great sleep rings true. Bone broths are huge. Turmeric climbs and climbs, it contains curcumin, a super healthy compound, you see it in health sports drinks as well as food. Flavoured waters are exploding. Watermelon water is set to take over from coconut water in 2017. Kombucha, water and milk kefir and raw organic jersey milk and cream are virtually mainstream but there are increasingly bizarre flavours - birch water, cactus water - and then there are drinkable meals and regional cocktails.

Less Processed Food. Consumer demand for less processed foods is forcing companies to remove artificial ingredients and to reduce sugar and salt in their products. What was formerly alternative is moving towards main stream.

Rise and Rise of Online Shopping. Traffic chaos in towns and cities is fuelling the phenomenal increase in online shopping and home deliveries.

Organic, Antibiotic Free, Hormone Free, GM Free…. Demand is steadily rising as consumers become more aware and educated through the internet, media, films and Utube. Healthy Kids Meals is attracting a huge R & D budget as the obesity challenge deepens.

The Home Delivery Revolution – Meal Kits. Technology continues to play a greater role. Home delivery is well established in most major cities. The trend for ‘dining in’ instead of ‘dining out’ is beginning to cause concern to restaurateurs.

Meal Kits, with all the ingredients prepped in a box complete with step by step instructions for how to finish the dish at home, ticks all the boxes for busy commuters and parents who want the convenience and feel good factor without the hassle and waste. What’s not to like about that…. Drones may soon be delivering our meal kits and takeaway food….. Both Google and Virginia Tech are trialling this in the US.

Chefs getting more involved with farmers….Either buying or renting land themselves or partnering with farmers so they can use what is freshest and best in season and have the option to use all parts of the plant or animal. Artisan Butchery – house made charcuterie; chefs are using more unsung cuts of meat and experimenting with grass fed jerky, seafood jerky, pickles, artisan condiments Fermented foods will get even bigger. Fine dining continues to lose out to casual neighbourhood places doing edgy reasonably priced food.

Clean labels. In response to growing consumer unease, food manufactures are scrambling to produce simpler products with fewer, more natural sounding ingredients and greater transparency. The clean food frenzy is also running out of puff and credibility. Low fat, carbohydrates and sugar rich foods are the villains of 2016 and 2017.

Plant Proteins. Perhaps the strongest food trend of all, not just vegetables but also expect to see more and more fungi and algae. (low cal, high in nutrients). Yoghurt with vegetables of course. Brussel Sprouts are having their moment; move over kale; beets are all the rage – the flavour of 2017. Kaleina, a mini version of kale, and swede turnip chips are already with us. Meat and fish substitutes abound. A veggie burger that bleeds launched in 2016 is only the beginning. The term ‘plant butcher’ has already been coined according to the sustainable food focused media.

Insect Protein. Bugs will be the next big thing in protein. I’ve seen this coming for a number of years now; I’ve eaten ants in Copenhagen. Grasshoppers in Mexico and Tarantulas in Loas but, despite the convincing nutritional arguments, I can’t see it coming ‘main stream’ in this decade.

The sous wide craze is waning at last (cooking food in a plastic bag in a temperature controlled water bath). Have to say, I was never convinced and am so delighted to see this particular practice slipping out of favour in favour of cooking over fire.

Cooking over Fire. We can’t get enough of charred, blackened, torched and smoked food not just fish but meat, vegetables, drinks, even cordials and cocktails……

Souping is the new juicing….I did wonder about that craze, surprise, surprise! turns out that soup contains the fibre, seeds, rind and pulp that juicing often discards.

Hot, Hotter, Hottest……our appetite for heat continues, chillies and ever hotter sauces, Sri Racha is now virtually looked on as a sauce for wimps but we are also loving and having fun with Shichimi ogarashi from Japan. Sweet and spicy, Gochujang from Korea, Sambal Oelek from Indonesia, Harrissa from North Africa, Tsire, a spice mixture from West Africa, Zhoug a Yemeni green chilli sauce and spicy Berbere from Ethiopia….

Heirloom varieties beyond Tomatoes, Apples and Potatoes…Ancient grains, chilis and pulses, Kamut, Einkorn, Teff from Ethopia, Amaranth the ancient grain of the Aztec, Sorghum is the new quinoa. Sorghum is an ancient cereal grain and is used for food, fodder and the production of alcoholic beverages. It is regarded as the fifth most important cereal crop grown in the world. Some of the health benefits of sorghum include its ability to prevent certain types of cancer, help control diabetes, improve digestive health. And who knew that porridge would become so cool, we’ll see porridge served at breakfast, lunch and any time in between with sweet and savoury toppings.

Food Trucks and Shacks. Street inspired foods – authentic ethnic both in cafés, restaurants and in food truck, pierogi, boa buns, multi ethnic dumplings, Japanese crepes - Okonomi yaki.

Sprouting Seeds (I remember that well) is predicted to be another strong food trend. Not just seeds but nuts, beans and grains. This hugely increases the nutritional value and creates enzymes that make plant proteins, essential fatty acids, starches and vitamins more available to the body.

Bowl Food, another hot trend. We love serving food in bowls everything from ramen to noodles, pasta, curries, conghee, tagines, rendang….. Check out Bowls of Goodness by Nina Olsson published by Kyle Books

Build your own Pizza. Pizzerias are inviting customers to build their own pizza from a range of toppings laid out like a salad bar. Can certainly see the appeal of this….

Quest for less Familiar Flavours. Expect to see more Eastern European food, Georgian, Middle Eastern, African flavours particularly Ethiopian….Poke pronounced po-kay is sweeping across the US, cubed fish or shellfish often yellow fin tuna or octopus with soy sauce, cucumber, spring onions, sesame oil served over rice. The taco craze continues unabated for 2017.

So there you have it and a few of the hot trends for 2017 but there’s much much more….

RECIPES:

Nina Olsson’s Bowl of Miso Happy Soup

Miso soup with ginger, tofu, soba noodles and shiitake mushrooms

This easy-to-make soup is the perfect, light comfort food all year around. Miso is a big deal in Japan where it’s a staple of daily life. The uses for it are endless and its rich flavour makes it a great addition to any kitchen.

Miso paste is made from fermented soya beans and is available in different varieties – lighter miso is milder in taste and has been fermented for less time than the darker variety.

Miso soup is popular for fasting and weight loss as it contains very few calories. It’s also a perfect restorative soup when you want to recharge with something light. This recipe delivers the lightness of miso soup while adding a little extra texture and flavour.

Serves 4

Dashi (Makes 1 litre)
1 strip of kombu seaweed
1 litre water

Miso Soup
250g soba noodles
drizzle of rapeseed oil
75g shiitake mushrooms
150g firm tofu, cut into small cubes
salt
few pinches of shichimi togarashi or chilli flakes
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons shoyu
75g broccolini or broccoli florets
75g miso paste (I use white or yellow)
1 tablespoon lime juice
drizzle of sesame oil

Toppings (Optional)
cucumber, cut in thin sticks
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
handful of sesame seeds
handful of fresh herbs (chives or coriander fit perfectly)

To make the dashi, soak the kombu in the water overnight in the fridge, or for a minimum of 1 hour. Transfer to a large saucepan, bring to a simmer then remove the kombu. Strain the liquid through a sieve and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Cook the soba noodles according to the packet instructions. Rinse in cold water and drain.

Heat a frying pan over a medium–high heat and add a drizzle of rapeseed oil. Stir-fry the shiitake mushrooms over a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes then remove from the pan. Clean the pan and add another drizzle of rapeseed oil, then stir-fry the tofu cubes until golden and sprinkle with salt and a little shichimi togarashi. Remove from the heat.

Bring the dashi to the boil in a soup pot, then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the ginger, shoyu, mushrooms and broccolini and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Separate 200ml of the dashi broth and dissolve the miso in it. Pour the concentrated miso dashi back into the pot with the rest of the dashi and add the lime juice and sesame oil. Taste and adjust the flavour with additional miso paste, if needed.

Pour the miso soup into four bowls then add the tofu cubes and soba noodles. Top with cucumber, spring onions and sesame seeds, chives
or coriander.

 

Taken from Nina Olsson’s Bowls of Goodness

Watermelon Lemonade

4 ozs (110 g/½ cup) sugar
4 fl oz (110 ml/½ cup) water
600 g (20 ozs/4 cups) cubed watermelon
675 ml (24 fl ozs/3 cups) cold water
110 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) fresh lemon juice

Place the watermelon into a blender. Cover and puree until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve.

Next bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cold water and lemon juice.

Put lots of ice cubes into 12 glasses, scoop 2 or 3 tablespoons of watermelon puree over the ice, then top with the lemonade. Gently stir before serving.

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LitFest 19-21 May 2017

The Food and Drinks Festival at Ballymaloe is a weekend filled with fascinating facts, inspirational stories, intriguing discussions, incredible knowledge, fantastic music, fabulous dancing and of course, delicious food and drinks. It is the only festival of its kind in Ireland and has created an important hub for food and drinks enthusiasts worldwide to meet and share ideas with each other. And it’s a new look LitFest this year, so – get booking!

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 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2017. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column - Real Bread

This month Darina talks about Real Bread

Bread and our national loaf is a subject which continues to exercise me.

I’m totally in despair at the quality of our squishy sliced bread and deeply concerned about the effects on our health and waistline, many not least the Bakers Association of Ireland would disagree with me and I certainly hope they are right. I myself can’t seem to find out what exactly is in the bread, an enormously important staple for many people. Flour, yeast, salt, water, so far so good, but what else to speed up the process and produce a loaf at this price.

The term ‘processing aids’ seems to cover a multitude of enzymes, improvers and preservatives which don’t have to be put on the labels as ‘processing aids’ are exempt, so much for transparency...

The good news however is that in pockets here and there around the country, artisan bakeries are bubbling up in response to the craving for real bread.

In Cork City, Declan Ryan came out of retirement in 1999 and started to bake real bread in his garage, Arbutus Artsian Bakery, which morphed into a large bakery employing eight full time bakers in Mayfield. Declan sells at Farmers Markets and specialist shops as far away as Dublin. He, like many others who were inspired by him can scarcely keep up with demand. Also in the Cork area - ABC Breads in the English Market and Pavel Piatrousky from Pana Bread in Midleton have their loyal devotees.

Another of the pioneers, Sarah Richards who established Seagull Bakery in Tramore in 2013 was also inspired by Declan Ryan.

In January 2015, Real Bread Ireland was started by a small group of craft bakers as a support network for those who wished to learn how to make real bread either professional or at home.

So what exactly is Real Bread? Well, in its purest form, it is bread without the use of processing aids or any other artificial additives. Real Bread is made without improvers, dough conditioners, preservatives, chemical leavening (baking powder or bicarbonate of soda) any other artificial additives or the use of pre mixed ingredients.

That pretty much rules out 90% of the bread on our supermarket shelves but the good news is there’s a quiet revolution going on at grass roots level, small craft bakers are popping up here and there around the country, the use of organic and heirloom flours is increasing significantly, the general public is becoming aware that something is amiss as the number of people with a gluten intolerance continues to sky rocket. A growing body of disquieting research is emerging on the effects of the random use of glyphosate on wheat both as a herbicide and before harvesting on our health and the environment.

‘Making a long and slowly fermented sourdough’ is certainly a mission, but a loaf of soda bread, the traditional breads of our country is literally mixed in minutes. A few scones will be out of the oven in 10 or 12 minutes while a crusty loaf will be ready in 35 or 40.

Few things we do, give so much pleasure and nourishment for so little effort. A truly nourishing, wholesome national loaf would do much to enhance the health of the nation. This was done in Norway in the 1970’s with remarkable results.

Here are two recipes for different kinds of breads but for those who would like to get started on sourdough Riot Rye Bakery at Cloughjordan gives full instructions for The Common Loaf on their website and believe me, once you do there’s no going back. Many bakers including the Ballymaloe Cookery School will share some of their sourdough starter free with keen beginners. (Please telephone ahead).

Meanwhile, be careful, much of the bread that’s sold as ‘sourdough’ contains yeast which is not at all the same as a natural sourdough.

Shipton Mill Flour

John Lister was only 20 when he and a few friends chanced upon the ruined Shipton Mill in the Cotswolds. They restored both the building and the mill wheel and started to stonegrind organic flour in the 1980s.

Shipton Mill quickly developed a cult following among the growing number who were anxious to source organic flour milled in the time honoured way. In recent years the demand for ancient grains has really gathered momentum, kamut, einkorn, spelt, durum, amaranth, buckwheat, chestnut, teff, sorghum, quinoa….now the next generation is happily and passionately involved – John’s daughter Tess recently wrote a Handful of Flour, Recipes from Shipton Mill published by Headline which shares the knowledge and tells the story of the bread revolution. www.shipton-mill.com
Another ‘must have’ for ‘wannabe’ bread makers is Andrew Whitley’s Bread Matters published by Fourth Estate.

RECIPES

Shipton Mill Burger Buns

These buns are perfect for a variety of barbecued meats, not just burgers. They taste great with pulled pork, or slow cooked beef with relish. You need a bun light enough not to be overly heavy once packed with its filling, but substantial enough to keep its shape and not fall to pieces in your hands. If you want to add seeds to the top, lightly spray water on top of the buns just before they go in the oven and sprinkle over onion, sesame or poppy seeds. The dough is subtly enriched, to make the bun more luxurious than a standard floury burger bap.

Makes 10 burger buns

190g water
70g Wheat Sourdough Starter for flavour, not for fermentation purposes (if you don’t want to use this you can add 35g more flour and 35g more water instead)
10g fresh yeast
500g strong white flour (ciabatta flour also works well)
1 small egg, beaten
60g rapeseed oil (or sunflower oil), plus a little extra for the bowl
30g sugar
10g salt
semolina, for dusting

Mix the water and starter together in a mixing bowl and add the yeast. Slowly stir until combined then add the flour.

Place the egg, rapeseed oil, sugar and salt in a separate bowl and combine by hand using a fork. Add this to the flour mix and slowly stir to create a dough, until the ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Knead the dough (either by hand or using an electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook) until it is elastic and smooth, with a lovely shine. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cloth, and rest at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Place your semolina in a large wide plate. Divide your dough into ten 80–90g lumps.

Roll these by hand into round roll shapes, then roll them all over in the semolina, and place them on a baking tray. (If you want to sprinkle the tops with seeds, just roll the base in the semolina and keep the top clear.)

Keep them at least 8cm apart to allow them to rise. Cover, and leave them to prove at room temperature for a further 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Towards the end of this time preheat your oven to 180ºC/gas 4.

Place around 12 ice cubes in an ovenproof dish in the bottom of your oven to create steam. Remove the ice cubes just before you want to bake your buns.

Place your buns in the oven, and bake for 14–17 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

 

A Handful of Flour Recipes from Shipton Mill

Spotted Dog

A variation on traditional Irish soda bread that’s a favourite at Ballymaloe.

Makes 1 loaf

450g (1lb/4 cups) plain white flour, preferably unbleached
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 level teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
75g (3oz) sultanas (or more if you’d like)
1 organic egg
about 350 - 425ml (12-14fl oz/1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups) buttermilk

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

In a large mixing bowl, sieve in the flour and bicarbonate of soda; then add the salt, sugar and sultanas. Mix well by lifting the flour and fruit up in to your hands and then letting them fall back into the bowl through your fingers. This adds more air and therefore more lightness to your finished bread. Now make a well in the centre of the flour mixture.

Break the egg into the base of a measuring jug and add the buttermilk to the 425ml (14fl oz/1 3/4 cup) line (the egg is part of the liquid measurement). Pour most of this milk and egg mixture into the flour. Using one hand with the fingers open and stiff, mix in a full circle drawing in the flour mixture from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, but not too wet and sticky.

The trick with Spotted Dog, like all soda breads, is not to over mix the dough. Mix it as quickly and gently as possible, thus keeping it light and airy. When the dough all comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface. Wash and dry your hands. With floured fingers, roll the dough lightly for a few seconds – just enough to tidy it up. Then pat the dough into a round about 6cm (2½ inches) deep.

Transfer to a baking tray dusted lightly with flour. Use a sharp knife to cut a deep cross on it, letting the cuts go over the sides of the bread. Prick with knife at the four triangles. Put into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Cook for 35-40 minutes. If you are in doubt about the bread being cooked, tap the bottom: if it is cooked it will sound hollow. This bread is cooked at a lower temperature than soda bread because the egg browns faster at a higher heat.

Serve freshly baked, cut into thick slices and smeared with butter and jam. Spotted Dog is also really good eaten with Cheddar cheese.

 

Ballymaloe LitFest 2017

The fifth annual Ballymaloe LitFest runs from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st May 2017, and all of the events over this exciting and stimulating weekend are now confirmed, scheduled and available to book on www.litfest.ie

 ---

 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2017. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column - Carrots

This month Darina talks about one of the unsung heroes of our kitchens - the humble carrot

Bet you didn’t know there was such a thing as an International Carrot Day, well indeed there is. It is celebrated every year on April 4th, the day when virtues of the carrot are highlighted through Carrot Parties and Carrot related festivities around the world.

I’m completely baffled as to why this date was chosen considering most gardeners haven’t even sown the seed at that stage in the year. We got our early crop into the soil in the greenhouse at the end of February but they are only just above the ground now.

Nonetheless, any reminder to give the humble carrot due recognition is welcome and there are lots of fat crunchy carrots still around in the shops and greengrocers - and piled high on Joseph Burns’ stall in the Midleton Farmers Market, side by side with parsnips, freshly dug and still covered in earth. That’s the way I like to buy them, they keep better, taste better and ultimately I suppose have even more nutrients because the skin is not damaged in any way by washing.

Carrots are one of our four basic vegetables alongside onions, cabbage and potatoes. We pretty much take them for granted but let’s focus for a minute or two on their many attributes. They are a powerhouse of nutrients, can be eaten raw, they store for months and will keep for several weeks even in a home fridge. They are immensely versatile in the kitchen.

Carrots are one of the few vegetables that virtually every child will eat. In fact one of my grandchildren ate almost nothing but raw carrots for months on end when he was about 3. We had to save the end of a row of carrots in the garden to feed the ‘carrot-monster’ habit.

When children from local schools come to visit the farm and vegetable gardens during the season, we encourage them to pull a carrot from the ground, wash it under the tap in the greenhouse and then they munch it with relish.

Many, in fact I would say most, have never seen a carrot growing; they presume they come already washed in a plastic bag from the supermarket. It’s a similar story for most other foods, milk, meat and some are disgusted by the thought of them coming from the ground and from an animal, such is the paranoia around hygiene and food safety. How scary is that….there’s a serious piece of education to be done and urgently.

Carrots are a rich source of both alpha and beta carotene and also goodly amounts of Vitamin K and B6 and dietary fibre. They’ve also been associated with eye health but their impact on our night vision may be overestimated.

Nonetheless they are super nutritious and because of their sweetness the cook can have fun using them in many sweet as well as savoury dishes. The tender young leaves can be used in carrot pesto or dipped in a batter and deep fried.

Carrots were originally grown for their leaves and flowers. Wild carrots are thought to have originated in Central Asia, Persia (now part of Iran and Afghanistan). They were bred selectively over the centuries to reduce the bitterness, increase sweetness and minimise the woody core and now we have carrots of many colours, red, white, yellow, purple, black and of course orange. They are sometimes long and tapered or more squat depending on the variety.

Carrots are amazingly inexpensive considering they take an average of three months to grow from seed. We all know they are super versatile, include them in chunky or creamy soups, tagines, stews, as a vegetable, roast them, boil them, grate them for salads, add to a carrot cake, transform them into carrot spaghetti with a spiraliser. Make carrot crisps, or make a surprisingly delicious jam or chutney and then there’s carrot juice….I love fresh carrot juice, maybe add some apple, a little ginger and a few leaves of fresh mint!

We’ve also been getting lots of compliments when we add carrot juice to a risotto – here’s the recipe we use plus some other favourite ways to enjoy this under appreciated vegetable and now how about a Carrot Party….

RECIPES

A Carrot Risotto

This is super delicious, made with fresh carrot juice, you really have to try it, my grandchildren love it too. This risotto is soo good. We love it on its own or with a pan-grilled lamb chop and rocket salad.

Serves 4-6

425ml (15fl.oz) home made chicken stock
225ml (8fl.oz) fresh carrot juice, (4 medium carrots, weighing approx.. 400g/14oz)
25g (1oz) butter
50g (2oz) onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt and freshly ground pepper
200g (7oz) Basmati rice
50ml (2fl oz) dry white wine
50g (2oz) finely grated Parmesan or Coolea cheese
2-4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Put the chicken stock, carrot juice and 450ml (16fl.oz) water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer over a low heat. Meanwhile, melt half the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the chopped onion, cook gently until soft but not coloured, about 5 minutes. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Increase the heat, add the rice and stir until all the grains are coated and translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the wine, stir and cook until absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Add 125ml (4fl.oz) hot liquid, stir until most of the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding broth, a small ladle at a time till it is all incorporated and the rice is tender and still a tiny bit al dente, 25-30 minutes.

Stir in remaining 10g (½oz) butter and half the Parmesan. Taste, correct the seasoning, sprinkle with chopped parsley and freshly grated Parmesan and serve immediately.

 

Julia Wight’s Carrot Cake

This recipe for carrot cake, by far the best one I know and was given to me by a dear friend. It keeps for ages.

7oz (200g) fine wholemeal or spelt flour
3 level teaspoons mixed spice
1 level teaspoon bread soda
3oz (75g) soft brown sugar
2 large eggs, preferably free range
1/4 pint (150 ml) sunflower oil
grated rind of 1 orange
7oz (200g) grated carrot
4oz (110g) sultanas
2oz (50g) dessicated coconut
2oz (50g walnuts, chopped

Cream Cheese Icing (see recipe), or Glaze:

juice of 1 small orange
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3oz (75g) soft brown sugar
Decoration (optional)
toasted flaked almonds or pumpkin seeds (crystallized – optional)

Loaf tin 9 inch (23 cm) x 5 inch (12.5 cm) x 2 inch (5 cm) lined with silicone paper

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

Put the flour, spice and bread soda into a bowl and mix well. Whisk the eggs with the sugar and oil in another bowl until smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients, add the orange rind, grated carrot, sultanas, coconut and walnuts. Pour into the lined tin. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes until well risen and firm to the touch. Meanwhile make the glaze. Mix the sugar with the orange and lemon juice in a bowl. While the cake is still warm prick the top with a skewer, pour the glaze over the cake and leave in the tin to cool.

This cake can also be made in a round tin (7x 3inch/17.5 x 7.5cm deep) which needs to be lined and will only take 1hour in the oven.

Note: When this cake is made in a round tin, the cream cheese icing is very effective and is a very tasty finish.

Cream Cheese Icing

Do twice the icing to coat a round carrot cake.

3oz (75g) cream cheese
1 1/2oz (45g) icing sugar
1 1/2oz (45g) butter
grated rind on 1/2 orange

Mix all the ingredients together and spread over the top of the carrot cake. Sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds or pumpkin seeds, crystallized if you fancy.

 

Carrot Crisps

You can make vegetable crisps from a variety of different vegetables: parsley, celeriac, beetroot, Jerusalem artichokes and potatoes of course. But you need to be careful with the ones that are very high in sugar, because they need to be cooked at a lower temperature, otherwise they’ll be dark and bitter. Serves about 8

a few raw carrots, small to medium-sized
oil in a deep-fat fryer
salt

Use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrot. Then slice on a mandolin into paper-thin slices. Leave them to dry out on kitchen paper (this may take several hours). You want them to be dry, otherwise they’ll end up being soggy when you cook them.

Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 140ºC (275ºF) and cook slowly, a few at a time. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt.

 

Angels Hair (Carrot Jam)

A blob of this carrot jam makes a super delicious starter with goat cheese, mozzarella and a few fresh rocket leaves.

600g (1 1/4lbs) carrots
500g (18oz/2 1/4 cups) caster sugar
zest of 2 large lemon, cut into strips
freshly squeezed juice of 2 large lemon
6 cardamom pods, split

Trim and scrape the carrots. Grate on a medium sized grater. Put into a pan with the sugar, lemon zest and juice and the cardamom pods. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then boil hard until the mixture is very thick.

Place into a warmed, sterilised jar and seal tightly.
  

Ballymaloe LitFest 2017

The fifth annual Ballymaloe LitFest runs from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st May 2017, and all of the events over this exciting and stimulating weekend are now confirmed, scheduled and available to book on www.litfest.ie

 ---

 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

*** 

Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2017. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie

The Darina Allen Column - The Hungry Gap

This month Darina talks about The Hungry Gap and a Pop Up ‘eating between the seasons’ dinner organised by her students recently, to raise funds for the Slow Food Educational Project

The Hungry Gap is the expression that is used to describe the 6 to 8 weeks between the end of the winter produce and the beginning of the summer crops. Brussel sprouts, leeks, parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes are all coming to the end of their season, not that you’d know if all your shopping is done in your local supermarket which manages to source fruit and vegetables all year round from one corner of the world or another.

But years ago, these few weeks, some of which also coincided with Lent were very lean ones, hence the importance of a wonderful perennial kale called, hungry gap, cottiers kale or cut and come. The latter was so called because the more you cut this tender green with the flavour of kale and the texture of spinach, the more it grew...

Because it was propagated from slips (rather than seed) Cottiers kale was passed from one cottage garden to another and of course it filled the ‘hungry gap’ before the summer greens and new potatoes were ready to eat. The botanical name is Brassica Olereaca and I’ve been fortunate to have a patch in my vegetable garden for years – mine came from Glin Castle gardens no less but theirs had come from their cooks, Nancy and May Liston’s cottage garden in Lower Athea in Co Limerick.

All of the above is by way of introduction to the main subject of this column, the Spring Pop Up dinner, organised by the 12-Week Certificate Course students to raise funds for the Slow Food Educational Project. Every term they plot and plan to create a special menu and vibe to celebrate their chosen theme. This year it was ‘Stepping into Spring - eating between the seasons’.

The students wanted to highlight the hungry gap between the seasons when fresh produce can be scare. With that in mind, they foraged around the farm and gardens for the end of the last season’s crops, wild foods and new shoots. They incorporated local lamb and the milk and cream from our small herd of Jersey cows. Students were also keen to encourage the guests to think about what they could grow themselves as the new season begins.

Planning started at the end of January. Phoebe, Shauna and Colm volunteered to be the event planners and together with their fellow students, they formed a creative team and divided themselves into small groups with responsibility for bread, canapés, starters, main course, desserts and petit four and dining room service...

The creative team planned the décor to enhance the Garden Café at the Ballymaloe Cookery School. They spent several nights making pretty pom pom flowers from tissue paper to hang from the rafters, others cut out ‘Stepping into Spring’ in letters to loop across the huge demo mirror.

The menu was decided, Harry did the graphics and then they set out to harvest and forage. Where you and I might see weeds, they imagined a delicious dinner... Shauna and Phoebe led a team of helpers to sow pea shoots and then five weeks later, they were ready to harvest. Fresh pollock from Ballycotton was cured with salt, sugar and dill while other students dug some fresh horseradish roots to grate into a bowl of rich Jersey cream to accompany the gravlax.

The starter was also made from scratch, homemade yoghurt was dripped for labneh then cold smoked. Beetroot was dug out of the winter clamp and cooked two ways for the roasted and pureed beets to complete the starter plate of Roast Beetroot and Labneh with Sourdough Bread.

The enthusiastic breadmakers headed for the ‘Bread Shed’ to make and bake the natural sourdough bread, others went to the dairy to collect Jersey cream to make homemade butter. For the next course guests were given a shot of flavoursome organic chicken broth sprinkled with foraged with wild garlic flowers.

The lamb from local butcher Frank Murphy was served three ways – crispy lamb cutlet, lamb breast stuffed with pearl barley and a mini lamb pie. Haulie dug the leeks, which were then seared and the plate was served with a wild salsa verde – lamb breast stuffed with pearl barley.

Other students were roasting new seasons rhubarb they has just pulled from the garden. Roasting is an easy and brilliant way to intensify the flavour.

Kate folded chopped stem ginger into the homemade ice cream – so delicious... This was served with one of Rory O’ Connell’s caramel and almond flats and chocolate soil.

Meanwhile another team was creating a sylvan setting in the Garden Room to hide petit fours so the guests could forage among the twigs and chocolate soil for white chocolate and orange truffles, little puff pastry apple bites….They also had egg shells and tiny pots for guests to sow a seed to take home.

Louis Edmanson wrote a poem on ‘Stepping into Spring’ for the occasion and the gardeners played traditional music as the guests arrived. Two of our grandchildren were commandeered to help to pass around the canapés, pollock gravlax with horseradish cream and crudités with anchoide and hummus all served with a glass of irresistible raspberry prosecco.

The guests hugely enjoyed the convivial Slow Food evening and delicious food. If you’d like to know about the next pop-up, email eastcorkslowfood@gmail.com

POLLOCK GRAVADLAX WITH HORSERADISH CREAM ON CROUTINI

This was a canapé – a delicious combination. People in Nordic countries use this basic pickling technique with several types of fish and create many exciting variations. Gravadlax is flavoured with beetroot, black peppers, mustard, even vodka. Fresh dill is essential.

Serves 12–16 as a starter

700g (11⁄2lb) tail piece of fresh pollock
1 heaped tablespoon sea salt
1 heaped tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

Horseradish Cream

1 1/2-3 tablespoons grated horseradish
2 teaspoons wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
225ml (8fl oz) softly whipped cream

Garnish

wood sorrel, wild garlic flowers and/or dill sprigs

Fillet the pollock and remove all the bones with tweezers. Mix the salt, sugar, pepper and dill together in a bowl. Place the fish on a piece of clingfilm and scatter the mixture over the surface of the fish. Wrap the pollock tightly with the clingfilm and refrigerate for a minimum of 24 hours.

Next make the croutini.

Preheat the oven to 150?C/300?F/Gas Mark 2.

Slice stale-ish baguette diagonally into the thinnest slices possible. Dry in a low oven until crisp and dry, about 15-20 minutes. Store in an air-tight tin box if necessary.

Next make the horseradish cream. Scrub the horseradish root well, peel and grate on a ‘slivery grater’. Put the grated horseradish into a bowl with the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar. Fold in the softly whipped cream but do not overmix or the sauce will curdle. There will be more than enough for this recipe, but save the rest for another dish. It keeps for 2-3 days: cover so that it doesn’t pick up flavours in the fridge.

To serve, wipe most of the dill mixture off the pollock and slice thinly.

Arrange a couple of slices of gravadlax on top of each croutini and add a blob of horseradish cream on top. Garnish with wood sorrel, wild garlic flowers and/or dill sprigs.

 

STUFFED BREAST OF LAMB WITH SALSA VERDE

Serves 8-10

2 x breast of lamb, fat and bones removed

For stuffing

100g (3½ oz) pearl barley
50g (2oz) dried apricot, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1 1/2 large garlic clove, crushed
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons pistachio, chopped
2 x shallots, chopped finely
15g (½ oz) of curly or flat-leaf parsley, rosemary, wild garlic and mint, chopped

For braising

2 x medium onions, chopped
1 x large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
6 bay leaves
1 x 400g (14oz) tin tomatoes, chopped and sieved
4 cloves garlic
2 sprigs rosemary
250ml (9fl oz) chicken stock
40ml (1 1/2fl oz) white wine

salt
black pepper
string
a large oval casserole dish

Wash the pearl barley, put into a saucepan, cover with a little cold water and cook until tender, about 30 minutes, drain and cool. (Best cooked the day before.) Put into a bowl, add the apricots, brandy, garlic, lemon zest and juice, pistachio nuts, shallots and herbs. Season, taste and correct the seasoning.

Lay the well-trimmed lamb breast on a chopping board to form a rough rectangle. Spread the stuffing evenly over the lamb leaving 2.5cm (1 inch) border all the way around. Fold in the ends and then carefully roll up like a Swiss roll. Tie individually with cotton string. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Render some crispy lamb fat in a wide sauté pan or heavy roasting tin over a low heat for 15 minutes. Remove the bits of lamb fat and discard (birds love it). Brown the meat in the rendered fat (alternatively you can use extra virgin olive oil) on all sides and remove to a plate. Add the chopped vegetables, garlic, bay and rosemary. Toss and cook for 4 or 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes (save the juice), season with salt, pepper and sugar and cook for a further 5 minutes or more. Return the lamb to the casserole. Add wine and stock to come 2/3 of the way up the meat.

Bring to a lively simmer on the top of the stove. Cover and transfer into the preheated oven at 250°C/500°F/Gas Mark 10 for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 160°C/275°F/Gas Mark 2-3 and cook until completely tender – 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, serve in slices with potato gratin and salsa verde.

 

ROAST RHUBARB

Roasting rhubarb is super-easy and really intensifies the flavour. The sugar content can vary depending on the variety of rhubarb – the end result can be used in a myriad of delicious ways. Try it with warm rice pudding and a blob of cream – OMG!

900g (2lb) rhubarb
200-250g (7-9oz) sugar

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

Slice the rhubarb into 2 1/2cm (1 inch) pieces and arrange in a single layer in a medium size oven proof dish. Scatter the sugar over the rhubarb and allow to macerate for 30 minutes. Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes approximately depending on size, until the rhubarb is just tender.

RHUBARB FIZZ

Purée the roast rhubarb, put 1-2 tablespoons in a glass, top up with Prosecco or Cava or sparkling water or soda water for a non-alcoholic fizz.

 

Rory O’Connell’s Caramel and Almond Flats

Makes about 60 biscuits

250g (9oz) plain flour
1/4 teaspoon bread soda/bicarbonate of soda
100g (3 1/2oz) butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 tablespoons water
300g (10oz) soft, medium dark soft brown sugar
110g (4oz) flaked almonds, unskinned if possible

Sieve the flour and bread soda into a bowl. Melt the butter, cinnamon and water on a low heat until just melted. Do not allow to boil. Remove from the heat and add the sugar. Stir with the almonds into the flour mixture. Place the dough on a piece of strong plastic (not clingfilm) or parchment paper. Form this mixture into a neat rectangular slab, 23cm (9 inch) wide, 2.5cm (1 inch) thick, and 9cm (3½ inch) long. I use the sides of a shallow baking tray to help me to achieve neat and straight edges. Freeze until set. Slice into about 3mm thick slices and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, allowing a little room between the raw biscuits for expansion during the cooking. Bake at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Slide the biscuits still on the parchment paper on to a wire rack to cool. Store in an air tight box or tin.

 

HOT TIPS

Ballymaloe LitFest 2017

The fifth annual Ballymaloe LitFest runs from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st May 2017, and all of the events over this exciting and stimulating weekend are now confirmed, scheduled and available to book on www.litfest.ie

Ballycotton Island Lighthouse Tours Have resumed again after the winter break. Join Jerry for a truly magical guided tour and hear about the life of the fishermen and the bounty of fish and shellfish in the seas around Ballycotton. Daily tours from 10.00am and take 90 minutes. Visit Ballycotton Island summit and explore the lighthouse or phone 021 464 6875

Ireland’s First Rooftop Cocktail Herb Bed at the Granville Hotel in Waterford is bursting with a beautiful assortment of herbs like chocolate mint, pineapple sage, lemon verbena, black peppermint together with the classics thyme, sage and rosemary…herbs are infused with fruits and botanicals to create special cocktails... Tel: 051 305 555

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 '30 Years at Ballymaloe' - Bord Gáis Avonmore Cookbook of the Year 2013

Good Food Ireland Cookery School of the Year 2012/2013

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Once again, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great programme of cookery courses for all interests and abilities running throughout 2017. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite for residential courses consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens, and other accommodation is available locally for the short courses.

www.cookingisfun.ie