I recently watched "Food Inc." a movie with a tagline which promises "You'll never look at dinner the same way again" and let me just say it does not disappoint. If you have seen other sensationalist style movies about food before, don't be put off, "Food Inc." is very different, not only does it reveal the shocking way in which food is produced and its links with causing life threatening illnesses, it also provides viewers with a look at the alternative lifestyle. A visit to a free range organic farm shows the stark contrast between the production values of food. One of the best points made in the movie is that we, the consumer can change the way food is produced by demanding honest healthy food when we shop. The big companies will respond to consumers needs.
Here are some of the closing lines from the movie which really drive home the changes that you can easily make: - You can vote to change this system, three times a day. - Buy from companies that treat workers, animals, and the environment with respect. - When you go to the supermarket, choose foods that are in season. Buy foods that are organic. Know what's in your food. Read labels. - Know what you buy. The average meal travels 1500 miles from the farm to the supermarket. - Buy foods that are grown locally. - Shop at farmers' markets. - Plant a garden. (Even a small one) - Cook a meal with your family and eat together. - Everyone has a right to healthy food. - Ask your school board to provide healthy school lunches. - If you say grace, ask for food that will keep us, and the planet healthy. - You can change the world with every bite.
In case you didn't know already I'm from Howth, which, for the benifit of foreign readers, is a really picturesque fishing village just north of Dublin. I've grown up here all my life, and I have to admit that it is only recently that I have really started to appreciate the natural beauty of the area. There is so much to see, amazing cliff walks, boat trips to the nearby island, Ireland's Eye, a super collection of fresh fish mongers and some really well respected restaurants.
During the summer months we try and get out fishing as much as possible, mackerel is normally the fish of the day, but sometimes pollack is pulled out of the blue too. Early on most sunny Sunday mornings, hidden from the sight of land lovers, there is a eclectic little group of small fishing boats from Howth, which can be found floating just off the back of Ireland's Eye, all with one aim, the day's catch. Rods and lines at the ready in the calm blue, the process of fishing takes pride of place, but of course amongst the peaceful calm there is the secret competition for the first fish. Even the most relaxed individual can't deny the envy of another boat with a line full and heavy with fish. Our most recent trip, in the first week in June, unfortunately did not produce any fish, so we arrived back to land with food on the brain.
For the past few years, traders and food producers from all over Ireland come to Howth to the farmers market which is set up every Sunday to provide locals and tourists with tasty treats, fresh vegetables, and quality meats. Although the quality of produce is generally high, it can be quite expensive, so I normally only purchase something I can't get in the supermarket. With the suprisingly good Irish summer fully in swing, there was a huge selection of fresh summer fruits on offer and I couldn't resist. Fresh cherries were my fruit of choice as I had been contemplateing a cherry clafoutis for the last few weeks, so the opportunity couldn't be passed.
Also on offer, was an incredible full cooked pig which was slowly being roasted on a spit, which they were slowly slicing pieces off, for sandwiches which were being sold.
If you are ever in Howth make sure to come on Sunday, the market is open from 10am - 4pm pretty much all year round.
Christmas has well and truly hit the Skehan household! We've only been in our brand new little cottage two months, but it's safe to say we've finally made our house a home. The Christmas decorations are up, the house is filled with Christmas spirit and the scent of warm baking is wafting from the kitchen. Just this week we carried our first Christmas tree up to the house from a little shop in the village; Christmas is here and I'm loving it! The festive season is a fantastic time for cooking, ingredients are celebrated and people are busy stocking up on all those essential Christmas storecupboard ingredients. I'm huge fan of Christmas baking and we're planning a big baking session with my little cousins who are coming over next week; a giant gingerbread house, homemade toffee, christmas tree biscuits and gingerbread muffins are all on the menu. If all this talk of Christmas baking has got you in the mood, then you have to try these absolutely delicious cranberry and white chocolate muffins. They make the best of leftover cranberries, but you could also use any other berry you wish. The sweetness of the white chocolate really balances out the sourness of the cranberries... utterly delicious!
Cranberry and White Chocolate Muffins If you really want to get ahead of yourself you could make a big batch of these and freeze them to serve for a Christmas morning treat! If you're making them for kids, I'd suggest quickly whizzing the cranberries in a food processor to break up them up a little.
Makes 8-12 Muffins 100g of butter, melted 200ml of buttermilk Zest of 1 orange 2 large free range eggs 150g of caster sugar 250g of self raising flour 250g of fresh cranberries 200g of white chocolate, roughly chopped
Preheat the oven to 175oC. Line a muffin tray with paper cases. In a bowl, whisk together the butter, buttermilk, orange zest and set aside. In a standalone mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the butter mixture and whisk until combined. Gently fold in the flour until just combined. Stir through the cranberries and white chocolate until combined. Be sure not to over mix the batter. Spoon the mixture into the papercases and place in the oven to cook for 15-20 minutes until brown on top. Remove from the oven and place on a wire wrack to cool.
The funny thing about the food writing biz is that you end up preparing things way in advance of certain events and Christmas is one of the major ones which editors and researchers panic about and will have you cooking turkeys and hams even before Halloween has passed! However it was very refreshing yesterday to be shooting lots of leftover Christmas dinner recipes for RTÉ's 4Live in the middle of the Christmas season with snow on the ground outside. We thrashed through 6 great festive dishes including, cranberry and white chocolate muffins, leftover ham pies, and a Christmas cheesecake. A big thanks to the lads, Robin, Mark, Niall and Tony who left the house last night stuffed... or so they told me! I'll post some of the recipes from the day during the next weeks but for now just in case you have been suffering from Christmas overload, how about some real food?
Roast Garlic Shepherd's Pie I was never really a big fan of shepherd's pie growing up, mainly because it was churned out most weeks (sorry mom!) so we became far too used to it, which realistically is a terribly ungrateful complaint, but it's only in the last few years I have fallen in love with this classic little dish all over again. I make mine with a twist by stirring mashed roast garlic through the potato, to be honest I normally make it with two bulbs of garlic because I'm a bit of a garlic fiend, but if you are pushed for time skip the garlic and just make the mash, it will taste just a good. Another handy tip to remember is that once you have assembled the shepherd's pie to the point just before you put it in the oven you can actually freeze the pie and cook from frozen if you fancy prepping a few in advance!
Serves 4 1 garlic bulb 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 tbsp sunflower oil 1 large onion , chopped 2-3 medium carrots , chopped 500g pack minced lamb 2 tbsp tomato purée 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce 400ml beef stock 800g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 75g butter 50ml milk Sea salt and ground black pepper to season
First things first, get the garlic in the oven! Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas Mark 6. Slice the top off the garlic bulb just enough so that each of the cloves is exposed and place on a roasting tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with a some sea salt. Place in the oven to roast for 40 minutes or until soft and tender. When the garlic is cooked, remove the roast cloves from their skins and mash with the back of a fork. While garlic is roasting, add the potato chunks to a pot of cold water, cover, place over a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potato is tender when pierced with a fork. When the potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat, drain into a colander, then add back into the pot with the butter and milk. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy. You may want to add a little bit more or less milk and butter, it is up to you! Add in the mashed garlic and season with sea salt and ground black pepper, stirring to combine. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium frying pan over a medium heat and soften the onion and carrots for 5-6 minutes. Turn up the heat and allow the pan to get hot before you add the minced lamb. Using the a fork break up the meat and allow to brown and cook through for 3-4 minutes. Stir through the tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce until combined and then pour over the beef stock. Bring to a steady simmer, then partially cover and cook for 45 mins. Preheat the oven to 180oC/Gas Mark 4. When the lamb is ready, season with sea salt and ground black pepper and transfer to an ovenproof baking dish and top with the roast garlic mash, using a fork to make a nice topping. Give the topping an extra sprinkle of ground black pepper and bake in the oven for 25 mins until the top is starting to brown and the mince is bubbling up around the edges. Serve straight away for a delicious and comforting supper!
Life is constantly full of surprises, there are some things I plan for and then there are some things that sneak up and just smack you around the chops! I was lucky enough to be shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards last month for my book Good Mood Food, but to be perfectly honest never really expected to win, it was an extremely tight category with some amazing competition. Not being a regular at black tie events I borrowed a tuxedo from my pal Simon, which just about fit, bar some tightening with a belt and dragged myself into the mansion house in Dublin for the awards. It wasn't until the first award winner Donal Og Cusack stepped up to deliver his speech, that the panic set in that on the off chance of winning, I had absolutely NOTHING prepared! Not the way I usually roll! So Best Irish Published category came up and guess what I WON! Honest complete utter shock took over and I really can't remember what I mumbled on stage but I was just so thrilled. It's a fantastic tip of the hat towards young and upcoming writers and huge win for myself, Mercier Press and of course everyone who was involved in producing the book. While celebrations ran into the earlier hours, I managed a couple of hours sleep before getting up to prep my demonstration at the Food&Wine Show in the RDS. It was a fairly packed weekend with the Taste Of Christmas also taking place at the new convention centre in Dublin. For my Food&Wine demo I ran through a collection of traditional Swedish Christmas dishes, after working at a Julbord (the traditional Swedish Christmas buffet) in Gothenberg, I had a great selection of interesting dishes to show off. Along with the Julgrot and Gravadlax I demoed the big hit of the day was the Jansson's Temptation a delicious creamy potato dish which is served alongside the Christmas Ham. It makes an interesting addition to our Irish Christmas dinner and I definitely suggest you give it a go! :) I am getting around to a full thank you video for the book award but I'll keep you posted on that!
Janssons Temptation Not unlike a French Potato Dauphinoise this Swedish take features anchovies and is a regular at the Swedish Christmas table. If you don't fancy the anchovies you could of course add some finely chopped garlic instead.
Serves 8 14-16 Swedish anchovy fillets and the brine they're stored in 2 large onions, sliced in half moons 5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into matchsticks 200ml of cream 2 tablespoons of butter A small handful of fine breadcrumbs Sea salt and ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 225oC. Put half the potatoes into a large rectangular pyrex dish. Evenly distribute the anchovy fillets and onions over the top of the potatoes and top with the remaining potatoes. Pour half the cream and anchovy brine over the top and then add the butter in knobs over the top. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Place in the oven until the potatoes are golden and after 20 minutes remove from the oven and top with the breadcrumbs and remaining cream and brine. Place back in the oven and cook for a further 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
All this snow is not good for the diet. The cold weather seems to always make me crave serious comfort food so I do have to apologise for posting another seriously delicious, seriously sweet recipe! Most of yesterday was spent very busily building a snowman in my friends back garden, so there wasn't much time for cooking. Dinner last night was a quick carbonara, thrown together using the bacon I was gifted by the lads at Truly Irish our stand neighbours at the RDS, who gave me a great selection of pork products to try out! A big pasta dish and a great movie made the perfect snowy evening in!
Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookies I don't think there is any question that the Americans know how to create the most overindulgent desserts, and this one ticks all the boxes. These were created by an American chain of restaurants and have something of a cult following in the US. Put simply, it's cookie dough piled into individual serving dishes and baked at high heat, so you get a set top and edges but a ridiculously gooey interior. When they are pulled out of the hot oven, a big dollop of vanilla ice cream is plonked on top to melt and mingle with hot, soft cookie. Makes four individual portions.
Serves 4 200g butter, softened 200g light brown sugar, packed 1 large egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 200g plain flour 1 tsp baking soda 120g good-quality milk chocolate chips Vanilla ice cream, to serve
Pre-heat the oven to 260°C/Gas Mark 9. In a mixing bowl, using a electric hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until it is light and pale. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat through. Add in the flour and baking soda, little by little, until you have a stiff dough. Using a spatula, stir through the chocolate chips until evenly combined. Divide the cookie dough among four large six-inch ramekins and place in the oven on a baking sheet. Bake for seven to 10 minutes but keep an eye on them, you want them to puff up and become golden brown around the sides and just about set in the middle. Remove them from the oven and serve straight away with a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top.
Thankfully work is that little bit less busy this week, which has given us time not only to play in the snow, but also to spend some more time in our new little house. It's not there just yet, but it's really starting to take shape and after numerous trips to IKEA we finally have enough furniture to fill the place! I wasn't feeling very at home in the house, mainly because the last three weeks had been so jam packed, dinner was eaten out and breakfast was bought on the way. I know I know, not exactly the perfect routine, but there had been no time to set up the kitchen just the way I like it. So the last few days we've been making big breakfasts and enjoying really tasty dinners using up the ridiculous amount of food I've left over from all the cooking we've been doing. Ireland, for my foreign visitors, at the moment is experiencing probably the most snow that I can even remember, so I think it's definitely time for some comfort food. This recipe was from a piece I wrote on comfort food for the Irish Independent. I suggest using ready to go gnocchi, but if you are lucky enough to be snowed in, it's all the more comforting to make them yourself!
Mozzarella, Tomato and Gnocchi Bake Gnocchi in Italian translates as ‘lumps’, and it goes way beyond pasta as my ultimate bowl of indulgence. You can make the gnocchi yourself, but you should be able to pick up packs of the ready-made stuff quite easily. This dish combines the classic Italian flavours of tomato, mozzarella and basil, all baked together for a fantastic comforting dinner.
Serves 4 500g fresh gnocchi 1 tbsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 2x400g tin chopped tomatoes 1 tsp dried chilli flakes 2x125g mozzarella balls, sliced 1 tsp sugar Handful of basil leaves Sea salt and black pepper, to season
Cook the gnocchi according to the instructions on the packet, then drain and set aside. Heat the olive oil over a high heat and sauté the garlic and onion until soft. Add in the chopped tomatoes and chilli flakes and bring the sauce to the boil. Lower the heat and cook at a steady simmer for 15 minutes until it has reduced. Add in the sugar and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Tumble the gnocchi into the pan and stir through with the tomato sauce until each piece is nicely coated. Pour into a highsided baking dish (9in x 9in) and top with the mozzarella slices and torn basil leaves. Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and bubbling. Serve straight away in deep bowls with a little grated Parmesan.
So I'm kinda working backwards a little here, but last week was a busy one so there was a LOT to digest (no pun intended!). After Paris I was back in Dublin before I had time to blink, and just in time to help launch the Stop Food Waste campaign on Tuesday with the lovely Rachel Allen and the incredibly talented Kevin Thornton. The campaign highlights the fact that by using our leftovers we can save money and reduce waste.
All the recipes I demonstrated were based around using the leftovers of a roast chicken, which, as a regular on most Sunday dinner menus, always leaves you with a few bits of leftover meat. I always save the chicken carcass and bones in a large resealable bag in the freezer until I have the remains of about three or four; the perfect amount to make a really good chicken stock. The rest I used for a delicious Chicken Caesar Pasta using mayo, Dijon mustard, parmesan and olive oil to make a simple Caesar dressing. It's dishes like these that really make the most of the ingredients that are close to hand. More often than not, they're even tastier than something you'd spend a lot of money on in the supermarket.
My mom was the queen of leftovers so I was brought up making the most of all the ingredients in the house before heading out to buy more. The veggies in the bottom of fridge were made into tasty soups and the leftover meat into sandwiches for school the next day. This chicken and sweetcorn soup is a zingy little way to make the most of leftover chicken pieces and it's absolutely packed with flavour... perfect for the cold snowy evenings we're having at the moment!
Leftover Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup This super tasty soup has become a classic in our house, it was always requested on sick days home from school. I always find sweetcorn lends a warm and comforting taste to soups and its bright colour puts a smile on my face. Try not to skimp on ingredients for this one, it tastes best when you use the best ingredients – homemade stock and fresh ginger are a must!
Serves 4 Leftovers of half a roast chicken, shredded 1 litre/2 pints of homemade chicken stock 2 x 400g tins sweetcorn 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil 1 large thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 tablespoon of soy sauce 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar 1 teaspoon of sesame oil 2 eggs lightly beaten 4 spring onions finely sliced diagonally
In a large pot with a little oil, fry the garlic and ginger for about 3 minutes, add the corn and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add a little bit of the chicken stock and, with a hand blender, blitz the mixture until it becomes smooth. Add the rest of the chicken stock, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Beat the eggs in a pyrex jug, which will make it easy for you to trickle them into the soup. Reduce the heat and while the soup is still simmering, stir it continuously in a figure of eight motion and gently trickle in the beaten egg a little bit at a time to form thin strands. Add the chicken shreds and stir through. Serve with a generous garnish of spring onions.
After a few days in Sweden I'm back on Irish soil this week before I head off to Paris today. It's nice to be back, the more I travel the more I enjoy coming home; I'm not sure if it's because I don't like to leave my kitchen for too long or because it's that time of year where your house really becomes your home. As always I left Sweden with lots of Scandinavian inspiration, the shops are always so packed with amazing displays but the most interesting items I left with weren't from an expensive shop; they came from a 1950s basement. People with an interest in food photography will know that props can really make a photo and give it a certain style. Since the summer I've been on the hunt for retro kitchen items, rustic table spreads, old doors and pieces of wood to create the pretty scenes that make my food photos what they are. I hit the jackpot when I walked into Sofie's grandmother's basement - an Aladdin's cave packed with an amazing collection of 1950's style kitchen equipment and a fantastic selection of retro cookbooks, complete with old style imagery. After I'd scooped up enough potential props as my baggage restrictions would allow, I spent hours trawling through old Swedish cookbooks (I have enough Swedish to get me by and surprise, surprise, my food vocabulary is top notch!).
I found some really fantastic recipes for gingerbread cookies, gooey chocolate cake, Saffron bread and, of course, all the aspic jellies and gaudy plastic food images that were all the rage back when. The major find of the day was a beautiful old book in which Sofie's grandmother had written her favourite recipes into. It's in these books, handed down through the generations, that you find out what home cooking is really all about. If you have time this weekend, pull out the family cookbook and delve into the recipes which are closest to your heart. Why not start writing one yourself?
Between all the retro diving and cookbook reading, we did manage to stop for a warm hot chocolate and the famous Kanelbulle at Saluhallen, a cook's paradise not unlike the English Market in Cork, which is well worth a visit for a foodie in Gothenburg.
Swedish Cinnamon Buns Swedish cinnamon buns, or Kanelbulle, were the first thing I learned to bake when I stayed in Sweden. Pearl sugar is sprinkled on top to give it that distinctive finishing touch, but if you can’t get your hands on any, simply sprinkle a little Demerara sugar to finish.
Makes about 40 Buns 400ml/14fl oz milk 110g/4oz butter 2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast 110g/4oz sugar 750g/11⁄2lbs cream flour 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt 4 tablespoons of Pearl sugar 1 egg beaten
For the filling: 110g/4oz butter 90g/31⁄2oz sugar 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
Melt the butter in a large pot gently on a low heat and then add the milk. When the mixture is lukewarm, remove from the heat and add the two sachets of dried yeast, sugar and salt. Slowly incorporate the flour one cup at a time; be patient, as the mixture will eventually come together and you won’t be left with a sticky mess forever! You may need to add less or more of the flour to get the right consistency. When the dough has taken shape and is no longer sticky, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about three minutes. Leave the dough to rise in the bowl covered with a damp cloth for 45 minutes. Try and find somewhere warm, as the yeast will do its job a lot quicker. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Gently melt the butter in a sauce-pan and add the cinnamon and sugar, making a thick spreadable mixture. When the dough has risen, cut it in half and roll it into a rectangle about 5mm thick, and then spread the filling all over. Then, from the long side, roll the dough so you get a snail effect and slice into approximately 15–20 pieces. Place the slices in paper wrappers face up and coat with the beaten egg. Repeat the process with the second half of the dough. Sprinkle the buns with pearl sugar. Bake the rolls in the oven at 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7 for about 5–10 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Enjoy!
I'm writing this on a dark train in the middle of a snow bound Sweden, this week we are visiting Sofie's folks in Gothenburg, so I have unwillingly been catapulted into the Christmas season whether I like it or not. As you all know of course snow equals Christmas and during the long dark days in Sweden they really go all out for the festive season. We are hoping to get in all the sights and sounds of a Swedish Christmas to bring home some Scandinavian inspiration to our home just in time for the seasonal period. While all that is going on let's not forget that on these cold dark days, serious fuel is needed to boost the immune system and keep you up and running! My mushy Roast Garlic and Cherry Tomato Pasta is one of those dishes I came up with hungry after work last winter. It has all those great punchy flavors of roast vegetables combined to make the most luscious thick juicy tomato sauce for the hot pasta you tumble in on top. Don't be afraid of using a whole bulb of garlic, the roasting process will take away the strong flavors you get from raw garlic and instead you will be left with a sweet intense mush which can be pushed out its skin using the back of a fork. Possibly one of THE BEST recipes from Good Mood Food, you will make this one again and again!
Mushy Roast Garlic and Cherry Tomato Pasta Serving this little supper hot to the table with a good handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese is an absolute must! It brings the whole dish together and pumps up all those amazing roasted flavors.
Serves 4 people 250g/9oz wholewheat penne 1 large bulb of garlic 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes 1 large red onion 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons of olive oil A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper A large handful of grated parmesan cheese An extra glug of olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Slice the top off the bulb of garlic so that almost all the cloves are exposed. Place the garlic in a large roasting tray. Prepare the cherry tomatoes by slicing them in half. Place the tomatoes in the roasting tray. Prepare the red onion by peeling and slicing into rough quarters, place alongside the tomatoes and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and using a pastry brush, brush the mix over the tomatoes, the red onion and garlic bulb. Sprinkle the tomatoes, garlic and onion with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 30–35 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced to half their size. While the garlic, tomatoes and onion are roasting, bring a medium-sized pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside. When the tomatoes, garlic and onion are cooked, remove from the oven and, using a fork, carefully push out the garlic cloves from their skins and mash all the ingredients together until you have a thick mushy sauce. Tumble the cooked pasta into the roasting tray and add the parmesan cheese and an extra glug of olive oil. Toss everything together until the pasta is evenly coated. Serve in a large bowl and enjoy!
Well we're two rooms down on the house and surprisingly after 3 days in a row in IKEA, I'm still ready for more! We have just got in the door from sorting out the bedroom, with a bed and wardrobe set for delivery tomorrow. I have to admit that with all the rushing around, we have ended up in the cafe twice and I have to confess that I have munched my way through 30 meatballs in the last two days, with copious amounts of mashed potato, gravy and lingonberry jam! But then again when you are lugging your life around there is most definitely a need for some serious comfort food. Speaking of which today's recipe is one of my ultimate comfort foods- Slow cooked lamb shanks for many need absolutely no introduction as you will know just how delicious, slow-cooking this off-cut of meat is. If you haven't tried them before, give this recipe a go it's perfect for the cooler evenings.
Lamb Shanks with Colcannon Mash I really am a sucker for a good lamb shank, with it's melt-in-the-mouth texture, which literally falls off the bone, it truly is a thing of beauty! The key is to slow cook it at a low temperature. This transforms the gnarly piece of meat into a rich and juicy piece of deliciousness. You can serve it on normal mash, sweet potato mash, or with lentils, but I love colcannon and seeing as it is the season, it makes perfect sense!
Serves 4 30ml/2 tbsp of olive oil 4 lamb shanks 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 3 onions, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely diced 1 stalk of celery, finely sliced 350ml/12 fl oz of red wine A few sprigs of thyme, tied in a bunch with string 650ml/1 ½ pts of stock (vegetable or beef) 2 tablespoons of cornflour A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
In a large casserole dish, heat the olive oil and add the lamb shanks and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside. Fry the onions for two to three minutes until soft but not browned. Add the garlic, carrot and celery and fry for another couple of minutes. Pop in the thyme and stir through. Add the red wine and bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes. Place in the browned lamb shanks and pour over the stock. Bring to a steady simmer, then cover and place in the oven at 150oC/300oF/Gas Mark 2. Cook the lamb shanks very slowly, for three hours, turning them half way through the cooking time, until the meat is extremely tender and almost falls off the bone. Toward the end of the cooking time, taste and season. If you want to serve the lamb shanks with its juices, I remove a few ladles of the juices and place them in a small saucepan. Then place two tablespoons of the juices in a bowl and stir through the cornflour until you have a smooth mix, pour this back into the saucepan and bring to a steady simmer, cooking down until you have a thick gravy. Serve in large deep bowls with the colcannon.
For the colcannon: 1kg potatoes, peeled and diced 250g cabbage, finely sliced 1 bunch of spring onions, finely sliced 2 tablespoons of butter 75ml of milk or cream A good pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Add the peeled and diced potato to a pot of cold water, cover, place over a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potato is tender when pierced with a fork. Place a metal steamer into another pot, add a little water and bring to the boil. Place the cabbage into the steamer and steam cook until it is tender. When the potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat, drain into a colander, then add back into the pot with the butter and milk. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy. You may want to add a little bit more or less milk and butter, it's up to you! Add in the spring onion, steamed cabbage, sea salt and black pepper and stir through with a spoon until evenly combined. Serve with the lamb shanks.
After a fairly busy weekend the majority of my worldly belongings have been moved into our new house! The bad news we got today however is that it's going to take a whopping 25 days to get broadband installed in the house because there hasn't been a line there since 1994. So a life of robbing other peoples internet is what's on the cards for the next 25 days. Which isn't a bad thing really, I mean I would get far more things done if I wasn't drooling over my new favourite food blog What Katie Ate and talking crap on twitter. The truth is that I will probably far more focused now on cooking in the kitchen without my laptop keys getting covered in flour, corners nearly being singed and screen getting a lovely smattering of grease.
We should really talk about the kitchen, it is a bit of a work in progress but there is lots and lots of light and space so in the next few days I'll be adding a few touches to make it perfect and then you most definitely will be due a photo or two. Very exciting stuff! The other advantage this new lovely house has is a big back garden, which at the moment looks like an overgrown jungle, but with a bit of work, by next spring will make the perfect little vegetable garden! Right enough new house talk how about a recipe?
Rustic Apple and Blackberry Galettes These are one of my favorite little autumnal (yes I said autumnal, it rolls off the tongue doesn't it!) desserts, because they are really easy and make you look like a baking genius, when, realistically all you do is make some pastry and fill it with apples and blackberries. No messing around with blind baking, pie tins, or fancy latticing here, this is a no fuss dessert which you have to serve with cream or, even better, a soft scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Serves 4 Pastry: 250g of plain flour 3 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 140g of chilled butter, cut into pieces 1 large egg yolk 3 tablespoons of cold water
Filling: 250g of blackberries 250g of cooking apples, peeled and sliced thinly 4 tablespoons of light brown sugar A good squeeze of lemon juice 1 egg whisked together with a drop of milk to brush on the galettes
Add the flour, sugar, salt and butter to a mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, combine the dry ingredients with the butter, until it resembles coarse bread crumbs. This can take time, but don't worry the mixture will come together. Add the egg yolk and water and form the dough using your hands. Press the dough into a sausage shape and cover it in clingfilm, place in the fridge to chill for at least 30-40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190oC/Gas mark 5. Mix together the blackberries, apples, sugar, and lemon juice in a bowl and set aside. Split the dough in four and roll each quarter out into 6"/15cm circles on a floured work surface with a rolling pin. Transfer the rounds to a baking sheet with a non stick surface. Add a handful of the blackberry apple mix to the centre of each pastry circle and fold the sides of the pastry up and over the sides of the fruit mix. Brush with the pastry with egg wash and place in the oven to bake for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool before serving with a dollop of thick, cool whipped cream and dust with a little icing sugar.
My Grandparents Heading On Their Honeymoon To Wicklow In 1950
It's definitely a sign you had a fairly packed weekend when you only start to relax on a Monday morning! I was working on Friday, Saturday and Sunday but Saturday night was the big occasion, 25 family members, young and old packed into my parents front room to eat their way through a three course meal and celebrate my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary.
They are my grandparents on my moms side of the family, they married in 1950 and made a living as sculptors, all the while raising my mom and her 3 brothers and 3 sisters. My grandmother has a fantastic knowledge of food and I can talk with her for hours about her delicious rich recipes (if we can steal a moment away from my granddad's well trained 3rd degree questioning skills!) which always seem to transform some extremely unique off cut of meat into a melt in your mouth, one pot wonder. I love how she can tell me she had nothing in the house, yet then go into intricate detail of how she whipped up an old French recipe so delicious it would put the great Elizabeth David to shame. Needless to say that love of food has been passed down the line, so the food at gathering such as this are normally of a certain standard! Anything less of course and you can expect a full critique by the time the coffee and teas are served!
On the menu was a delicious crab salad with lemon zest, for mains we had hefty portions of slow roasted lamb shanks in red wine with a tomato and white bean stew, and to wrap things up we had the delicious mocha meringues with whiskey cream, chocolate sauce and toasted hazelnuts which we cooked for the event in Paris during the spring. All this was followed by an amazing cheeseboard from Sheridans Cheesemongers which despite the big helpings for dinner was devoured! So things are back to normality this week thankfully so here's today's recipe, enjoy!
Whoohaa Chorizo Bean Pasta! Pasta is definitely a super-cheap store cupboard ingredient which can easily be transformed into hundreds of delicious dishes. This is one of my favourite ways of making the most of it. When making a tomato sauce, the key to getting the best flavour out of it is to cook it slowly. I love to add a good glug of red wine while it reduces to bring out a really great richness. The chorizo gives the dish a kick of heat and will leave you feeling full.
Serves four 150g chorizo, sliced in thick discs 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 red onion, finely chopped 400g tin chopped tomatoes 1 tsp dried oregano Sea salt and ground black pepper to season 400g tin cannellini beans 250g penne pasta Parmesan cheese, to serve
Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and throw in the sliced chorizo. Fry on both sides until roaring red and sizzling. Remove from the pan and set aside. You should be left with a rich red oil in the pan. Place the pan back over the heat, add the garlic and onions and fry for two to three minutes until the onions are soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and dried oregano, then half fill the empty chopped tomatoes tin with warm water and stir into the pan (if you have red wine it would be great here instead of the water). Bring the sauce to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until it has reduced a little. While the sauce is reducing, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, drain and set aside. Stir the chorizo and cannellini beans into the tomato sauce until everything is warmed through. Add the sauce to the cooked pasta and stir through. Serve with a good grating of Parmesan cheese.
I always had a sweet tooth growing up and it hasn't helped that I now am a bit of a demon in the kitchen when it comes to baking sweet things. My theory is that if you're going to go to the bother of baking, you might as well make a big batch of whatever you're cooking up. Now whether you share your baking creations or scoff them in a corner rocking by yourself, well that's entirely up to you! I try and balance all my baking and sweet stuff out with lots of healthy food too, so in mind it all balances out just perfectly. While I do very much enjoy spending time beating sugar into butter, whisking eggs into stiff foamy peaks, and icing cupcakes, sometimes, yes sometimes folks, it all comes down to little more than rice crispy buns. To be honest, I'm not ashamed to say it, there is an incredible sense of satisfaction to melting chocolate and then pouring it over crisped grains of rice, placing in paper cases, popping them in the fridge, licking the spoon (and the bowl if you maneuver yourself correctly!), and gorging on the buns when they are set! I decided recently to go one better and take the simplicity of rice crispy buns and combining them with the American sweetness of rocky road cookies, and "hey presto!", my very delicious Crunchie Rocky Road Buns!
Crunchie Rocky Road Buns Okay, so you've gotten past Rice Krispie buns; well, these Rocky Road Buns are the next step up in deliciousness. Packed with lots of goodies, these little babies will give you that quick hit of sugar you crave. They're easily thrown together in a matter of minutes with ingredients that can be found in the store cupboard. I picked up a very cute pack of 'mini mini marshmallows' to decorate the top of mine.
Makes 12 big buns 150g digestive biscuits, roughly bashed so you have nice chunks 200g mini marshmallows, or large ones chopped up 4 Crunchie bars, chopped into chunks 250g chocolate (milk or dark) 3 tbsps butter
In a large bowl combine the digestive biscuits, marshmallows and Crunchie bar chunks and set aside. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and sit over a pan of simmering water and stir until melted. You can also do this in the microwave -- just keep your eye on it and don't forget to stir halfway through. You ideally want the chocolate to be glossy and smooth. Pour the chocolate and butter over the biscuits, marshmallows and Crunchie chunks and, using a wooden spoon, stir until everything is nicely coated. Place heaped spoonfuls into paper cases and place in the fridge to firm up for about 30 minutes. You can also turn the mixture out on to a baking tray and spread it evenly, then slice them up into squares when they are set, but the paper cases are far less trouble, with no washing up!
September is always one of those months like January where the slate is wiped clean and it's time to start all over again. The kids are back at school and students back to college, and professional nomads like myself are back to reality! Between all our moving around over the summer months, things were a little chaotic especially when it came to food. Normal routine went out the window, replaced by irregular eating times and extra helpings of desserts - a good dollop of cream with everything. You could definitely say I indulged over the last few months and unfortunately, I'm not exactly feeling the better of it!
Since we arrived back in Ireland however, things are back on track, the kitchen is stocked with fruit and veggies and all my essential storecupboard ingredients have been replenished. As amazing as it is to travel, there really is nothing like being back home in your own kitchen.
With the winter months fast approaching, the inclination to stay inside and out of the cold becomes all the more tempting, so instead of dodging the weather and waiting until the New Year, I'm heading outdoors and getting active! All this new healthy living will take it's toll, mind you, so luckily I have a few healthy, filling recipes up my sleeve to stave off starvation and make sure I'm getting all the good stuff. This recipe comes from my book Good Mood Food: Simple, Healthy, Homecooking, it's the perfect little pick me up for those cold winter days - packed with nutrients from start to finish and full of flavour!
Boot Camp Soup This a surprisingly tasty soup, which is wonderfully cleansing. Used originally as part of a weight-loss diet, I make it regularly as a really substantial lunch. This recipe makes a generous amount – I freeze half the soup and keep the rest in the fridge.
Serves 8 3 onions, chopped into chunks 2 green peppers, chopped into chunks 1 bunch of celery, chopped into chunks 1 iceberg lettuce, chopped into chunks 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes 800ml/1½ pints vegetable stock 300g/10½oz lentils or soup mix Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Add all the ingredients to a large pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20–30 minutes until the lentils are soft. Blend the soup to a smooth consistency with a hand blender; you may need to add a little extra stock if the soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Mushroom hunting in Ireland is something that I feel takes place with something of an uneasy pleasure. While the idea of foraging for free food always gets me excited, mushroom hunting is somewhat more hazardous than picking a few juicy blackberries off a thorny bush. Last year I went on my very first mushroom hunt with a funghi expert who described the process as more dangerous than some of the most breathtaking extreme sports including skydiving and bungee jumping due to the large amount of extremely poisonous varieties! Mincing through the woods with a wicker basket suddenly just got a bit more manly!
The experienced mushroom hunter out there knows the chanterelle mushroom is the most prized variety. An expensive purchase at about €20 to €40 per kilo makes discovering these little beauties all the more satisfying to pick for free! With it's distinctive golden orange colour, funnel shape and thick gills, the chanterelle mushroom is by far one of the prettiest looking mushrooms and makes a delicious and meaty feast for cooking at home.
This week I headed out twice to Sweden's vast forests where foraging for chanterelles is a popular but highly secretive past time. The Swedes speak about mushroom picking hot spots in hushed tones and excited whispers, looking over their shoulders for fear someone might be lurking just out of sight to try and overhear the location of the latest hotspot! My first visit took place after we got a tip from a neighbour who had a friend who had got lucky on a path close to a lake near a forest just south of Gothenburg. The location was scrawled onto a scrap of paper, shoved tightly into a pocket and we were off. After about two hours of fruitless searching we finally came across a bumper patch close to the path, hiding at the base of a tree. The thing about chanterelle's is that once you find one, whether your eyes suddenly become aware of what you are looking for or they just grow close to each other, it seems inevitable that you will find more close by. My second visit came last night, when we were accompanied to a spot just off the corner of a golf course, to a secret location which was hidden by a group of large trees. After battling our way through wild brambles our eyes opened wide to discover a clearing literally teaming with little golden dots every where we looked. It seemed nobody had been there before, so whispering quite excitedly, so as not to reveal our very own secret location, we gathered up armfuls of mushrooms and snuck back home to the kitchen!
Simply Cooked Chanterelles with Garlic Toast Mushrooms can have the marmite effect on some people, you either love them or hate them. In my case I love them and while you can pick them up quite easily in most supermarkets, nothing is more satisfying than picking them yourself. If you are lucky enough to come across a bumper load of them in the forest, in my opinion you have to enjoy them straight away cooked as simply as this.
Serves 2 generous portions A good handful of chanterelle mushrooms per person A good knob of butter A little sea salt and ground black pepper to season 1 clove of garlic A good glug of extra virgin olive oil 4 slices of nice chewy sourdough bread, toasted
In a large pan melt the butter over a medium high heat. Add in the mushrooms and fry until lightly browned and tender. This about 5 minutes depending on the amount you have in the pan. Some mushrooms will throw off a lot of water, but don't panic just continue to cook until all the water is gone. Season with a little sea salt and ground black pepper to taste. Try not to over season as you really want to allow the natural flavours to shine through. While the mushrooms are cooking toast the bread, when it turns golden drizzle with a little olive oil and rub vigorously with the clove of garlic, finally season with a little sea salt. Top the toast with the hot and tender mushrooms and serve straight away!
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to meet Catherine Fulvio and have a quick chat, she mentioned she was filming a new tv series for RTE, but never mentioned the fact that she had a brand new fantastic book hitting book shops this month. I got a copy from the folks at Gill and MacMillan to flick my way through and it is packed with great Italian recipes and lots of lovely food shots. I have three copies to give away this week so you can try and grab a copy via twitter, facebook or on the entry form below. I'll be posting a few of Catherine's recipe here on the blog this week and remember to check out her RTE show Friday's at 8.30pm!
Beef Carpaccio (Carpaccio di manzo) Of all the delicious things to come out of Harry’s Bar in Venice, including the Bellini cocktail, carpaccio tops the list for me. Generally, carpaccio refers to very thinly sliced raw beef, but nowadays the term is widely used, from swordfish carpaccio to pineapple.
300g fillet steak, cut into wafer-thin slicesextra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper rocket, to garnish Parmesan shavings
Spread the slices of steak on a serving platter. Drizzle with olive oil and the lemon juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with rocket, sprinkle over the Parmesan shavings and serve. It’s possible to buy beef carpaccio precut and prepacked, but I always buy it fresh and ask my butcher to slice the beef. That way, I’m assured of freshness and provenance.
To be in with a chance of getting your hands on a copy of Catherine's book, all you gotta do is answer this simple question.
What is the name of Catherine Fulvio's Cookery School? A: Ballymaloe Cookery School B: Ballyknocken House Cookery School C: Cooks Academy Please note that by entering this competition, you will be signing up for The Good Mood Food Blog newsletter, but if you don't wish to subscribe, please put "NS" after your answer. The competition will close on Thursday evening (2nd Sept) at 9.30pm. Only one entry per person please!
Unfortunately the last of the Swedish summer hasn't been as kind as I had hoped, with most of my time being spent dodging the rain, it all feels very much like home. However, the bad weather hasn't dampened our spirits and we soldiered on, enjoying one of the more traditional events of any true Swede's summer calendar, the highly regarded Kraftfest! For a foreigner, this can be a fairly strange event to come across, so put simply it's a party where large groups of Swedes don bibs and funny hats to guzzle and suck their way through mountains of Swedish crayfish, interrupted only by traditional kraftfest songs while downing copious amounts of schnapps (which, by the way, tastes like paint stripper!). In fairness to the Swedes they most definitely know how to make the best of the summer.
One of the other very exciting things I've had the chance to try my hand at is wild blueberry picking! Over 60% of Sweden is covered by rich forests which are literally teaming with low lying bushes covered in little blue dots throughout late summer. Like any good Irish fella, I never pass on the chance of free food, so as soon as I heard about these little babies, we were in the car and deep in the woods in record time.
One of the things I learned early on about Sweden is that everything has a system, and blueberry picking is no different, they have these fantastic rectangular boxes with a handle and little prongs to pick the berries, which makes it as simple as running it through the bushes, to pick up generous handfuls bursting with goodness! We are still working our way through the huge amount we picked, making American style blueberry muffins and a delicious blueberry créme brulee, but this was one of the desserts which perfectly complimented the little berries.
Swedish Gooey Chocolate Cake If you're looking for a gooey chocolate fix, you've come to the right place. This cake is perfect for a quick dessert using ingredients you probably already have in your store cupboard. To be perfectly honest, it tastes so good on its own it can just as easily be served without the cream and the berries! I have witnessed the picking apart of a cake just like this straight out of the oven by a hungry group of young ladies. It was similar to a scene from a David Attenborough documentary - believe me, they didn't need the frills!
For the topping: 500ml of double cream 150g of blueberries and raspberries
Preheat the oven to 175oC. Grease and flour a cake tin 24cm in diameter with a removable base and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the sugar and the egg and mix well. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into the greased cake tin and place in the oven for 20 minutes. The cake won't rise dramatically but you should be left with a set top and gooey middle! Allow to cool while you whip the cream until it become stiff. When you're ready to serve, spoon generous dollops of whipped cream on top and then decorate with blueberries and raspberries.
I've been packing a fair bit of travel in this summer and I'm fairly sure with the amount of airmiles that have wracked up, I'm doing the environment no favours! This week is no different I'm back in Sweden for a bit of work and to fully soak up all the best a Swedish summer has to offer! One of my favourite things about Sweden in the summer is the beautiful still lakes with their picturesque jetties. This week I finally got my first swim of the summer in and despite always being slightly worried about what lurks at the bottom of those murky waters, I can report that the water was beautiful. All that swimming in lakes can make a cook like myself hungry, so we decided to sample what the Swedes do best, the Smorgasbord!
One of my favourite places to eat in Gothenburg is the Gunnebo Coffee House and Restaurant which is situated on the grounds of one of Sweden's most beautiful neoclassical estates, just south of the city. The buffet style lunch is made with all organic ingredients and always has something interesting and healthy to offer. During the summer months the kitchen uses fruit and vegetables from the huge gardens outside, which I find very exciting to walk through! The day we were there amongst the fantastic choice of dishes there was a cabbage salad, cucumber and fennel lentil salad, herbed pork fillet, boiled cumin potatoes, roast salmon with a creamy sauce, and Roast tomatoes with Goats cheese and red onion. We assembled our plates with fairly hefty portions, a handful of the chunky homemade bread and headed outdoors to pick our way through it. There is something fairly special about eating fresh and healthy food outdoors on a warm summer day that just makes everything taste all the better! For now, as the Swedes say "hej då"!
Roast Tomatoes with Goats cheese and Red Onion This is a super way to make the most of the last of the summer tomatoes! This method brings out the fantastic natural sweetness and is perfection in every bite. You can prepare these ahead of time and serve them at room temperature.
Serves 4 4 tomatoes, cut in half 1 goats cheese log, cut in slices 1 red onion, sliced in half moons A good glug of olive oil A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas Mark 6. Arrange the tomato halves on a baking tray and top each on with a few slices of red onion and then place a slice of cheese on top. Drizzle each tomato with a little olive oil and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Place in the oven to cook for 35 minutes or until the the tomatoes are soft and tender. Serve warm or cold.
Cucumber and Fennel, Lentil Salad I think lentils are by far one of the most underused pulses. They are like the black sheep of the legume family, with many people having never even cooked them before. However that all has to change, they are full of health benefits, and just as quick as pasta to cook so no excuses! They go great with lots of different dishes but they go great here as a tasty little salad!
Serves 4 1 cucumber, cut in chunky diagonal slices 150g of green lentils A good handful of fennel fronds, roughly chopped Juice of 1/2 a lemon 2 tablespoons of olive oil A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Rinse the lentils in cold water drain and place in a pot. Cover them with plenty of water and bring to the boil, cooking for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. In a large bowl whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Add in the fennel fronds, cucumber slices, and cooled lentils. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and serve!
We arrived in Cannes for a holiday last week, I came armed with a copy of Elizabeth David's French country cooking and Sofie my girlfriend with a copy of "The Notebook" (yes the soppy love story, the big screen version of which she has seen way too many times to count), so as you can imagine we have fairly different agendas on this summer holiday! I think it's always important to have a sniff around the local food market as a way of getting your bearings when you first arrive at a new place. It's been something that is engrained on my mind from an early age after hours of traipsing behind my parents on every family holiday, my dad busy comparing prices to the fruit and veg at home, while my mom being a bit more practical would be eyeing up a nice piece of meat for dinner. Needless to say it didn't take me very long to tire of reading by the pool and after a long drive the wrong way into Cannes and a fight with the GPS who I thought might be more interesting if we changed the language to French, we discovered the most beautiful French food market.
The Marché Forville is a massive covered market specialising in fruit, vegetables, fish and flowers and takes place every day except Monday's when it becomes the home to a spectacular antique market. The place literally crawls with activity. Big beefy stall holders eyeing up potential customers and of course the many well endowed Cote D'azur ladies, savvy French shoppers in the know, picking up up pieces of fish to inspect every inch of it, bronzed grannies beating their way through the crowds filling those distinctly French wheely bags to the brim with the best the market has to offer and then of course the tourists who like ourselves are busy snapping photos and taking it all in. You can't leave a place like this without a paper bag heavy with the summers finest fruit.
Baked Peaches with Vanilla Sugar Stoned summer fruits are whack bang in season at the moment and there are lots and lots of different recipes you can use to make the most of them, however I think keeping things simple brings out the natural juicy flavours and leaves you with far less washing up to do. A win win situation I think you'll agree! If you can't get vanilla sugar you can quite easily make a homemade batch by popping a vanilla pod in a jar filled with caster sugar. Or alternatively just use caster sugar and a splash of good quality vanilla extract.
Serves 4 8 peaches, halved with stones removed 3 tablespoons of vanilla sugar 2 tablespoons of water Vanilla ice cream to serve
Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas Mark 6. Arrange the peaches in a non stick baking tray and sprinkle over the water. Dust each peach with a little of the vanilla sugar until each one is nicely coated. Place the peaches into the oven for around an hour or until the fruit is tender when pierced with a knife. Serve the peaches with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.
