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!
This was the piece I wrote for my feature in the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine, about the fantastic cookclub I attended recently:
Bright and bubbly Sadhbh McCarthy hosted one of her regular dinner parties as part of her cook club with a celebration of some of her favourite recipes for pals, Brid, Fiona, Karen, Peter and Colm. Sadhbh who works as a European policy advisor, chose her menu which was a hearty mix of cultures, based around a refreshing and aromatic starter of Vietnamese beef and noodle soup, Beef Pho. A dish which she fell in love with on a trip travelling from Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai and was determined to recreate it when she came home. The soup caused a friendly heated debate as some of the more apprehensive guests were unsure about the addition of red chilli. However the debate quickly dissipated when Sadhbh helped by Peter, presented a glowing platter of hot sizzling Thai Fish Cakes straight from the pan. Originally a Rick Stein recipe, Sadhbh adapted it using her own blend of curry paste and spoke encouragingly about being flexible when cooking Asian dishes as long as you keep the base flavours.
All the ingredients used for the recipes were sourced from the indoor Honest2Goodness farmers market in Glasnevin, run by Sadhbh’s friend Brid Carter. The pair met through a combined love of good food and Brid provided the secret ingredient for a wonderfully tender pork belly and added an extra zing to the dish by using her own blend of 5 spice powder sourced from the market.
Dessert was provided by Sadhbh’s son Jamie, who is training to become a chef in DIT, he made a mouth-watering cheesecake topped with summer berries adapted from a Bill Granger recipe which was accompanied by a smooth berry coulis which cut through the creaminess to add another dimension to the dish. It was a unanimous decision around the table that the addition of Moonshine Organic Cream Cheese from artisan producers Gerry and Mary Kelly in Mullingar set the standard when it came to adding an extra creaminess to the dessert.
Wines were carefully selected by trained sommelier and wine obsessive Colm Carter who works alongside Brid at the market every Saturday. He chose Domaine de l'Amandine Cotes du Rhone 2007 for the starter, a Vina Marro, Crianza 2006 Rioja Doca for the rich pork belly and a fruity Oddero Moscato d'Asti 2007 to go with the cheesecake.
I hadn't intended on interrupting by staying the whole evening, but Sadhbh and her friends fully welcomed me with a glass of wine and in a true case of Irish hospitality I found myself polishing off dessert with a full belly! Sadhbh summed up the fantastic evening by sharing her ethos on her cook club which was to “Cook with love and a desire to share and enjoy the experience”.
Pho Bo – Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (from Annabel Jackson’s Street Café Vietnam)
For the broth 1.7 litres beef stock or canned beef consommé 115g piece fresh ginger, peeled and smashed 2 sticks cinnamon bark ½ teaspoon coriander seeds 3 pieces star anise 1 teaspoon each caster sugar, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 teaspoons nuoc mam (Vietnamese equivalent of nam pla (fish sauce)
To serve: Hoi sin sauce and chilli sauce 2 limes, cut in half 2 fresh red chillies, thinly sliced Bunch of fresh ngo gai (if available) – this is a Vietnamese herb Bunch of fresh Thai Basil
To make the broth: bring the stock to boiling point. Add the ginger, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds and star anise. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the sugar, salt, pepper and fish sauce. Strain the broth and return to the pan. Keep hot over a low heat. Bring a pan of water to the boil, and warn through fresh noodles or cook rice sticks until al dente. Drain and divide among individual bowls. Add a handful of blanched beansprouts and some shallots and coriander to each bowl and top with the beef (still raw). Ladle the hot broth over the food in the bowl (this will cook the beef slightly). At the table, each diner can add hoi sin, chilli sauce, lime juice, fresh chilli ngo gai and basil leaves to taste. - I will be posting the rest of the delicious recipes from the dinner party this week!
If you don't know who Ken Hom is, where have you been hiding! When I was growing up he was the king pin when it came to Chinese cooking, he was the guy you turned to when you needed advice on which wok to buy and how to create that very first stir fry. I was introduced to him via his first cookbook "Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery" which one of my aunts had bought back in 1984, being an avid fan of Chinese cookery I tried so many recipes from this book and have been a fan ever since.
Now although, there have been many Chinese chefs since Ken introduced the cuisine to our TV screens, I still think he is the best and he is regularly regarded as the world's leading authority in Chinese cookery. He was in Dublin launching a new range of Chinese ready meals he has developed with Tesco which includes Crispy Aromatic Duck, Spare Ribs, Duck Spring Rolls, Crispy Chilli Beef, and Chicken Chow Mein all quite reasonably priced. Although people can be cynical about chefs selling out and doing these sort of things, Ken had loads to say on the whole process of recipe development and taking what he described as really bad ready meals to ones which had far more authentic flavours and interesting back notes. I was convinced!
During the demonstration, he spoke about the idea of Chinese cooking and how the aim is too build layers of flavours and textures. He really emphasised the importance of cooking with a really hot wok to seal the in the flavours and how it was so important to marinate any meat you cook with, but generally no more than 20 minutes. I loved the fact that throughout the demonstration, Ken tasted absolutely everything he put in to the wok before it went in, and was really particular in the amounts he used. He also introduced us to a brand new ingredient he had started using called Chee Hou sauce which is made from fermented soy beans with garlic and has a sweet and salt taste, I will be keeping an eye out for it. If you've tried it let me know!
Beef and Black Bean Stir Fry This is the recipe we were given along with the press release and Ken actually demonstrated the dish for us. I can tell you it is absolutely delicious and you should definitely give it a go. It follows through from what he mentioned about using different ingredients to build layers of flavours and many different notes.
Serves 2 200g of beef, sliced in strips 25ml of rapeseed oil 2 teaspoons of ginger, finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped Zest of one orange 1 teaspoon of birds eye chillies, chopped 25g of black beans 75g of spring onions, chopped in 1 inch shanks 50g diced onion 75g diced red peppers 75g diced green peppers 45ml oyster sauce 40g of Chee Hou sauce 2 teaspoons of sugar 200ml water 20ml sesame oil 1 teaspoon of cornflour
Heat the wok over a high heat and add oil to coat. Quickly stir fry the meat and when it is cooked through, remove from the pan and set aside. Heat the oil in the wok and add the ginger and garlic. Stir fry over a high heat until it becomes golden and toasted. Add the orange zest and fry until it releases fragrant citrus notes. Then fry the chilli, black beans and chopped onions for 20 seconds. Add the spring onions and peppers and fry lightly until tender. Add the the Chee Hou sauce, oyster sauce, water and sugar and stir through. Then add the meat and toss until it is coated with all the sauce and vegetables. Finish with the sesame oil and thicken with the cornflour. Serve with noodles or rice.
I just booked tickets to Sweden for Christmas! Myself and Sof will be spending the big day with her family after she did Ireland last year. It's going to be my very first Christmas away from home so it should be quite different! I am looking forward to taking loads of shots of the food from over there and hopefully give you guys a different look at Christmas from another country! Back to business, here is another winter warmer meal which I hope will keep you nice and toasty in this terrible weather we are having! Enjoy!
Hungarian Goulash (Adapted from Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course) I'm not sure how authentically Hungarian this goulash is but it's the recipe we always cooked from and it always goes down well in my house! It's another great recipe to make ahead and pop in the freezer for a quick and easy dinner.
Serves 4 700g of steak pieces 2 large onions, chopped 1 clove of garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon of olive oil 1 generous tablespoon of flour 1 generous tablespoon of Hungarian paprika 400g tin of chopped tomatoes A good pinch of sea salt and black pepper A little sour cream to serve
Preheat the oven to 140oC/Gas Mark 1. Heat the oil in a large casserole pot and brown the beef on all sides. Make sure not to put too much beef in all at once as it won't brown. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and fry until soft and golden. Return the beef to the pot and stir in the paprika and flour to coat. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a steady simmer. Place the lid on the casserole pot and transfer to the oven to cook for about 2 hours. Just before serving stir through a little sour cream to create a wonderful marbled effect! Serve with some freshly cooked brown rice and some steamed veggies.
Sofie recently turned 22 and to celebrate her mom and brother came over to visit. Since we are always treated to some tasty traditional Swedish dishes when we visit them, I thought I would try and serve something traditionally Irish for our first meal! One of the few dishes that I know well as being traditionally Irish is this Irish Stew.
We always had it growing up and I’m sure most homes across the country were the same. I used to have a serious problem with the potatoes, insisting they were picked out before I was served- much to my mom’s disgust!
There are many different takes on this recipe with many using lamb instead of beef, but this is the one we grew up with. I actually rang my mom the other day for the recipe, and she got a little bit excited and started adding all sorts of mad vegetables to it to make it more exciting, but at the end of the day Irish stew is Irish stew, so I’ve tried to keep it simple! Just like mammy used to make- without parsnips thank you very much! ;)
Irish Stew This is a really tasty one pot dinner which is perfect for cold winter evenings. Ask your butcher for stew steak, which is normally available, but you can also use any other cheap cuts of meat. This recipe serves 6 people and you will need a large casserole.
3 tablespoons of wholemeal flour. 3 teaspoons of ground black pepper. 1 ½ pounds of stew steak. 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil. 4 large carrots, chopped roughly. 2 large onions, chopped into half moon pieces. 1 ½ litres of beef stock. A good pinch of sea salt. 2 bay leaves. 5 large potatoes peeled and sliced into 1cm discs. A good handful of freshly chopped parsley.
Preheat the oven to 200˚C/390˚F/Gas 6. Place the stew steak, wholemeal flour, and black pepper in a resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag and give it a good shake so that all the steak pieces have a nice coating of flour and pepper. Heat a large frying pan with a good glug of sunflower oil and brown half the steak pieces. Transfer the steak pieces to the casserole. Repeat with the rest of the meat. Fry the onions in the meat juices on the pan for 2 minutes, adding an extra drop of oil if necessary. Transfer the onions to the casserole. Add in the carrots, beef stock, sea salt, bay leaves, and stir through. Add the potato slices on top, season with a generous amount of black pepper and cover with the lid. Transfer the casserole to the oven and cook for 1 ½ hours. Serve straight from the casserole to some large bowls with some tasty wholemeal bread. Sprinkle the parsley on top and enjoy!
I have mentioned here before that I like to have my finger in all the pies of life, and staying true to that statement I have a really tasty steak and mushroom pie recipe to share here. Not only that but I thought it was time to tell you that, I’ll be playing Peter Pan this year in the Tivoli theatre Panto in Dublin (For international visitors, panto is like a kids Christmas show). Will I have any self respect left after donning a pair of green tights while being suspended in mid air? Time will tell! We had our first day of rehearsals today and last week we all got flying lessons, which was so much fun! Check out this video, I think I still have a bit more practice to go until this looks perfect!
If you’re in Dublin at all over the next two months make sure to come to the show, there’s a really great cast, lots of laughs, and sure the kids will love it! Tickets can be bought here.
On to more pressing issues, I recently bought a huge quantity of stew steak from the butcher, so I have been trying to come up with ways to get through it. This is a really simple recipe, which makes a really tasty winter warmer. The process is fairly easy, for convenience I use ready to roll puff pastry and just place it over the top of the pie dish, but you can easily make your own and add it here. The steak and mushroom mix is really tasty and can even be eaten by itself with rice. So if the thoughts of pastry are all too much for you, don’t count it out just yet!
Steak and Mushroom Pie
These look great served in individual little pie dishes, but if you don’t have any to hand, simply use one large pie dish. You can cook the pie mix ahead of time, freeze and defrost when you want to use it.
2 tablespoons of sunflower oil. 1 ½ lb of stew steak or diced beef. 250g of mushrooms. 500ml of beef stock. 250g of puff pastry. 2 red onions, finely chopped. 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped. A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper. 2 egg yolks.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan, and brown the meat on all sides. You may need to fry the meat in batches in order to get a nice colour. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and fry the garlic and onions until soft. Add the beef stock, meat pieces, salt and pepper and combine. Lower the heat, cover and cook over gentle heat for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Make sure to give the mix a stir every now and then to prevent it sticking at the bottom. The aim is to get the meat as tender as possible, so you may need to add a longer cooking time depending on the meat you buy. 10 minutes before the mix is finished add the finely sliced mushrooms and stir through to combine. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Preheat the oven to 220˚C/ 430˚F/ Gas 7. Dust your work surface with a little flour and roll out the pastry to about ½ a centimetre in thickness. Empty the steak and mushroom filling into your chosen pie dish or dishes and drape over the pastry. Leave about 1cm of pastry over the side of the dish and then push the pastry in to the dish so you end up with a nice crust the whole way round. Using a pastry brush, coat the pastry with the egg yolk, this will produce a delicious golden coloured crust. Place in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes or until the pastry puffs up and turns a nice golden brown. Serve straight away with a tasty salad and enjoy!
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