I have a few winter warming dishes coming up but this recipe is actually taken from the book and was featured on Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide website. Plus I got a request in the comments section so I just couldn't resist!
Hearty Minestrone Soup This is a perfect winter meal solution, full of tasty vegetables, and filling thanks to the pasta. I use wholewheat spaghetti, but feel free to add other shapes like fusilli or pasta elbows instead. If you don’t have any paprika, you can get a bit of spice by adding a dash of tabasco sauce, or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes.
Serves 4 1 courgette, chopped into small chunks 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes 2 x 410g tins cannellini beans 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 stalks of celery, chopped 2 large carrots, chopped into small chunks 2 litres/4 pints homemade chicken stock 75g/3oz wholewheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons of olive oil A good pinch of paprika A good pinch of sea salt
In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic cloves and onion for 2 minutes or until they become soft. Stir in the celery, carrots and courgette and cook for five minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the wholewheat spaghetti, paprika and cannellini beans. Give the soup a good stir and cover. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Season with a little sea salt and serve straightaway with a good chunk of wholemeal bread and enjoy!
Grand Marnier: blended cognacs with orange essence
Speaking of tradition, it's as good as written law around here that when there are fresh, local strawberries on hand there must also be strawberry shortcake. So, we had back to back shortcake. The second time 'round though I needed it to be an easily transported dessert to bring to a party. Cake form seemed like the perfect way to go, all assembled and easy to head out with. Playing on the orange tones of my first orange-rosemary shortcake, I incorporated some Grand Marnier to lend a sweet citrus flavor to the whipped cream. Also, instead of a plain vanilla bean cake, I made a rustic cornmeal cake to add pleasant texture and sweetness from the fresh milled corn.
Cornmeal cake with Grand Marnier vegan whipped cream and fresh berries
One note though, as pretty as it is to have the green tops on the strawberries topping this cake, it's a total suckers move and I implore you to resist it! I can't tell you how many ways in which I should have known better, but the beauty of the berries with the tops still on conspired to drag me down as I opted, thoughtlessly, for aesthetics over eating. A choice that meant I later had to sit, shamefaced, as my friends picked berries out of the mess of whipped cream to remove the tops, which of course they couldn't enjoyably eat. Sigh.
Strawberry rhubarb pie with cornmeal pâte sucrée
I tried to make it up to them though with my favorite pie, strawberry rhubarb. Following the thought about cornmeal and strawberries, which worked so well in the cornmeal shortcake, I made a tender pâte sucrée with cornmeal and coconut oil instead of margarine or oil. The coconut was a very mild flavor influence on the end result and worked surprisingly well in the crust which was wonderfully flaky, light and tenderly sweet against the tart fruit filling.
Fresh strawberry jam filled rambutan mochi with Thai basil sauce and strawberry powder
Last year I served my strawberry rhubarb pie with basil ice cream, but this year my basil is not incredibly bountiful. My lemon verbena could swallow up the yard, but the basil is sort of a no-go. It's sad. There is enough to work smaller projects with though, so I made a dessert that caught my eye in Johnny Iuzzini's Dessert FourPlay a couple months ago. In the original version, Iuzzini fills strawberry mochi with strawberry rhubarb compote and serves it with basil fluid gel. I took some liberties to make the dessert a little faster to assemble and different in flavor, pairing my fresh strawberry jam filling with a freeze-dried rambutan mochi (reasoning that if I find an affinity between strawberries and lychees, rambutans would work as well) and serving it with Thai basil sauce. My mochi technique could use some work (I blame the leakage on my imperfect motor control with a hand still swollen from carpal tunnel release surgery) but overall, I adored this light little dessert and its intriguing Southeast Asian flavors.
Chocolate spiced baby banana pudding with strawberries
A more straightforward, classic pairing between strawberries and chocolate was something I noticed had fallen by the wayside this season. I guess I've been taking my chocolate pretty straight these days and have been in a particular rut with the super dry, dark and lovely 84% Theo single origin bar from Ghana. So good. But I digress. Feeling that these amazing strawberries could make chocolate even more magical, I whipped up a very random pudding of organic baby bananas, dark chocolate, anise, chilies, cinnamon, nutmeg and espresso salt, sweetened with date syrup and topped with fresh berries. It was meant as a quick treat of no consequence but was so good, I'm pledged to make it again and actually write down every element of the recipe since several friends have proclaimed it's one of the best things ever, period.
Breakfast with berries and nibs
After finally getting my strawberry and chocolate fix, I realized that I'd sort of been enjoying the two together all along in my breakfast bowl. Homemade cocoa nib granola with fresh berries isn't quite chocolate dipped strawberries, but it's more than satisfying at seven am.
Almond crust mini tarts with fresh fruit, nibs and lemon verbena
Thinking about how nicely nibs complemented strawberries, I sprinkled a few Taza chocolate covered nibs into my mini tarts. They provided a nice bittersweet crunch against the fruit and buttery almond crust.
Almond strawberry cheesecake
Almonds are a natural complement to strawberries. Their rich sweetness and lightly bitter edge are perfect against tart berry notes. And there's a reason why strawberry cheesecake is so popular; sweet tangy cheese has its richness both cut slightly and complemented by each bite of berry. So, an almond crusted and amaretto spiked cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries glazed with hot strawberry syrup and sprinkled with almond slices seemed like just the thing.
Whole wheat English muffin with farmer's cheese and strawberry rhubarb jam
I've had a lot of semi-successful vegan cheese-ish substances around lately as I've been experimenting to find one that really suits me. None of them are perfect, but with a good amount of fiddling, they've all turned into tasty additions to desserts and ice cream bases. The mixture that I turned into cheesecake was also spun off into a nice mellow farmer's cheese that went wonderfully with fresh strawberry rhubarb jam (again from the Joy of Jams, but with much less sugar than called for).
bagels fresh out of the oven
In fact, I made several jams from the new book: plain strawberry, strawberry rhubarb and strawberry kiwi. With such deliciously fresh tasting jams are hanging around the house, it seemed pretty much obvious that I needed to make a delicious delivery mechanism for them. So when King Aurthur flour had a free-shipping deal, I refilled my stock of organic high gluten flour and made a batch of bagels from the Bread Baker's Apprentice, some coated into sesame seeds and some streaked with pasilla chili powder and topped with chili lime Hawaiian sea salt.
Brunch at Dara's with everyone's delicious contributions: homemade bagels and jam, fennel seitan, chicory in tahini garlic sauce, roasted potatoes, beet orzo and melon with mint
Toasted and spread equally with fresh made jam and strawberry cream cheese, these were a delicious promise that the joy of strawberries in season can last as long as the jars of jam do, even if we've only got another week or two to enjoy them fresh.
The race is on to get the decorations up, the pumpkins carved, the costume sorted and the treats and goodies all laid out! Yes, Halloween is literally two days away. I've just moved into a new house so despite the fact that we've been carting furniture in and out I have found time to pick up some pumpkins, although carving them is still on the 'to do' list. I'm planning to make a velvet pumpkin soup served in the pumpkin itself, some roasted savoury pumpkin seeds and an all American pumpkin pie if I get a chance over the weekend, but this week I've been busy baking up barmbrack! I had planned to include the recipe in last week's Cork News Menu pages but unfortunately it was eaten up before I got a chance to take a picture!
Barmbrack is a big part of Halloween tradition here in Ireland, with objects baked in the dough signifying different things. In most shop bought barmbracks you'll find a ring, which if you're lucky enough to receive it in a slice means you should be wed within one year! My mother recently told me the story of when she lived in Finland as a child and my grandmother generously baked a barmbrack for their Finnish neighbours, only to be berated by the lady next door after her child nearly choked on the ring! Needless to say they moved back to Ireland not long after! In keeping with tradition, I cheekily asked the baker at our local supermarket if he could give me a ring to put in my barmbrack, and he had no problem handing over a few, so don't be afraid to ask! This is a really easy recipe but it does take a bit of time, so if you want to enjoy it on Halloween night, make sure to get cooking today!
Halloween Barmbrack This recipe makes a really beautiful moist loaf which is packed with flavour from the mixed spice and dried fruit, which sits overnight in cold tea and whiskey to soak up all the goodness. You can drop the whiskey if you wish but I think it adds another flavour kick...
Makes one 900g loaf 225g cream flour 2 teaspoons of baking powder 375g packet of fruit mix 250ml cold tea 50ml of whiskey 125g light brown sugar 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice A ring to place inside
Place the fruit mix in a bowl and pour over the whiskey and cold tea. Allow to soak up the liquid overnight. Preheat the oven to 170oC/Gas Mark 3 and grease and line a 900g loaf tin Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and mixed spice in a mixing bowl. Make a well and break in the egg, using a wooden spoon, mix the egg with the dry ingredients. Add a little bit of the liquid the fruit mix is sitting in and mix it through. You may not need all the liquid, you are looking for a wet dough. Then stir through the fruit mix until everything is thoroughly combined. Add in the ring and stir through. Spoon the wet dough into the lined loaf tin and place in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the loaf tin and placing on wire rack. Cover in cling wrap and tin foil and allow to sit for 1-2 days before cutting into it. Serve in slices spread with a little butter and good cuppa!
I have to admit I am a little disappointed in the food culture of Sweden, but then again coming from Ireland where we are awash with small artisan producers I guess I have been a little bit spoiled for choice. When I first arrived here a few years ago, I was so impressed to see kids at school eating proper lunches and cafe's serving full on salads on their menus. However I have scraped a little beyond the surface and despite having very balanced diets and having a good sense of "eating well" it seems to me, many Swedes food options begin and end at the supermarket. There is that ominous feeling of large food machine in operation behind the scenes spewing out what the consumer demands. While in Ireland I certainly don't shop at farmers markets everyday but I do like the option to. If you are from Sweden and can point me in the direction of some good honest food not produced for the supermarket I'd love to hear about it- prove me wrong!
New Season Spiced Lamb with Simple Griddled Asparagus Lamb is in season right now and if you are looking for something a little different try this spicy rub. Today's recipe is a bit of change up for the traditional lamb chop. While I love the simple and delicious flavours of lamb sometimes it's nice to mix things up and try something a little different, which is why I love this spicy rub. The spice rub also works well on other meats too so give it a go!
Serves 4 4 Irish spring lamb chops ½ tablespoon of cumin seeds ½ tablespoon of coriander seeds 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes ½ tablespoon of turmeric 1 teaspoon of paprika A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
For the asparagus 1 large bunch of Asparagus (3-4 spears per person) 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
In a pestle and mortar grind together the cumin, coriander, chilli, turmeric, paprika until you have a really pungent orange coloured powder. Place the lamb chops on a plate and sprinkle on the spice mixture, turn to coat. Cook the spiced chops under a hot grill for about 2-3 minutes either side until cooked through. While the lamb is cooking, snap off the woody end of the asparagus and toss the spears in a bowl with sea salt, black pepper and olive oil. Fry on a hot griddle pan until tender for about 3-4 minutes. Serve the lamb and asparagus with some salad leaves and enjoy.
A few weeks ago I got the opportunity to visit Saba restaurant in Dublin. As you might already know I absolutely love Asian food so jumped at the opportunity to go down and film a quick demonstration from the head chef! I can't believe I had missed this little gem of a restaurant in all my trips to town, the atmosphere is really chilled and the food looks and tastes absolutely amazing. But for me the most exciting part was going into the kitchen which is ran meticulously by head chef Taweesak Trakoolwattana.
The first thing I noticed was the giant wok burners which were blazing hot, perfect for speedy cooking and the amazing aromas of fresh spices and herbs wafting around the kitchen. The second thing was the sheer amount of fresh ingredients expertly prepared and ready for use in the lunchtime dishes. Chef Taw prepared a fantastic stir fried beef curry with fresh peppercorns, which I had never seen before, but if you take a look at the video, they really add something special to the visuals of the dish! After the filming I got the chance to try some of the dishes cooked up, which were all truly delicious and I will definitely be repeating the experience, next time with a few cocktails thrown into the mix!
The winner of the voucher is the lovely @urmomcooks from likemotherlikedaughters.com/
Looking for a quick "hands on" starter dish which comes packed with a punch? Well I'm pretty sure these quesadillas fit the bill! I am completely addicted to chorizo, it's full of great smokey spiced flavour, has a fantastic, rich, deep red colour and adds so much to any dish you use it in. I love using chorizo in hearty bean stews for a more wintery dish, but it will forever and for always remind me of summer. I first tasted it on a holiday in Spain as part of a tapas dish and was hooked forever more!
Chorizo and Spring Onion Quesadillas You can get chorizo in fine soft slices or in thick sausage form which I use in this recipe. If you are really stuck and can't get your hands on some chorizo for this recipe, don't panic, you can use a little leftover cooked chicken or some sliced cooked ham as a substitute. The great thing about quesadillas is that you can really adapt them to what you have, the classic ones I normally make are with some salsa, cheese and thinly sliced red onion, simple and delicious!
Serves 2 150g of chorizo, sliced in bite size chunky rounds 1 clove of garlic, finely minced A small handful of cherry tomatoes, finely chopped 4 wholewheat tortilla wraps A bunch of spring onions, sliced finely A small handful of grated cheddar cheese Sea salt and black pepper to season
Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and cook the chorizo on both sides until sizzling and roaring red. When it's cooked, remove from the pan and place on a plate lined with some kitchen paper. Drain a little of the chorizo oil, leaving enough to fry the quesadillas. While the chorizo is frying off, combine the minced garlic and chopped tomatoes in a bowl and season with a little salt and pepper. Spread half the tomato and garlic mix on one of the tortilla wraps, top with a little cheese, a generous amount of spring onions, and some of the cooked chorizo. Place another tortilla wrap on top and fry on both sides over a high heat, until the quesadilla is golden brown and the cheese inside has melted. Repeat with the second quesadilla. Serve the quessdillas sliced in quarters with an extra sprinkle of sliced spring onions, and a little of the leftover tomato and garlic mix.
What I think I love most about Gizzi's book is her take on recipes, a perfect example being this Sticky Banoffee Pudding, what an inspired idea of combining banoffee pie and sticky toffee pudding, clearly the woman is a genius! If you are intrigued by the lovely Gizzi then you should definitely take a peak at the video below, where she talks about her style of cooking and her favourite recipes in the book.
Which reminds me I really should make one of those for Good Mood Food! Now that you have a full grasp of what Gizzi is all about I think it's high time we getting cracking with one of her recipes. I chose this recipe basically because not only does it look delicious, but because it combines two of my favourite desserts, simple really! :) Also don't forget to give me your questions for Ms. Erskine in the comments below or on twitter and facebook.
Gizzi Erskine's Sticky Banoffee Pudding This is my boyfriend Dean’s recipe. While he is a fantastic cook, he is so lazy he never cooks for me, except for this. And my God, does it make up for it! The banana is terrific with the toffeeish dates and keeps the pudding really moist.
Serves 6 Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 40 minutes 250g dates, stoned and chopped 250ml hot black tea, made with 1 teabag 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 85g softened unsalted butter, plus extra butter for greasing 175g caster sugar 2 large free-range eggs, beaten 175g self-raising fl our, sieved 3 bananas, roughly mashed 1 teaspoon ground mixed spice vanilla ice cream, or clotted cream, to serve
For the sauce 100g light muscovado sugar 100g unsalted butter 150ml double cream
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4 and butter a 22cm baking dish. Place the dates in a small pan and cover with the hot tea. Bring to the boil and cook for 3–4 minutes, until the dates have softened, then stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the fl our, banana, mixed spice and the date mixture and pour into the baking dish. Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is springy and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre. While the pudding is cooking, make the sauce. Put the muscovado sugar, butter and cream into a pan, place over a low heat and melt until the sugar has dissolved. Then whack the heat up and simmer for 3–4 minutes, or until the sauce is a light toffee colour. Serve the pudding with the warm sauce and a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or clotted cream. Or remove the bananas from the ingredients and you’ve got a classic sticky toffee pudding!
(Taken from Gizzi’s Kitchen Magic by Gizzi Erskine published by Virgin Books, price £20)
When I was kid I was always in the kitchen cooking and once I'd worked through some of the basics I was introduced to Chinese cooking, after a visit to the Asian market in Dublin. With so many new and exciting ingredients to explore, I tried everything I could! If you want to try your hand at some Chinese dishes, it’s really important to make sure you pick up some store cupboard essentials. People laugh at me when I drag them around the Asian market pointing out all the exciting ingredients, but it is so much fun and a visit to your local market is well worth it. You can pick up ingredients for far cheaper, and in larger quanitities than in the regular supermarket. The one big purchase I have to suggest if you want to really experience true Chinese cooking at home, is a really good wok, there are so many out there, and it’s important to find one you are comfortable using, but carbon steel woks come well recommended.
Sticky Star Anise Honey Duck One thing I love about Chinese cooking is the fantastic spices that are used, I remember first coming across star anise and thinking it was one of the coolest spices I had ever seen and that was before I had even tasted it! If you haven’t used it before, don’t be put off, it’s really easy to use, just bash it in a pestle and mortar until you have a fine aromatic powder. The combination of ingredients in this recipe makes a wonderfully sticky and delicious dish.
Serves 2 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce 3 tablespoons of honey 1 teaspoon of rice wine 3 garlic cloves, finely minced 1 teaspoon of ground star anise 2 large duck breasts.
In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, honey, rice wine, garlic and star anise. Toss the duck breasts in the marinade until completely coated, cover and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 2 hours, or overnight if you have the time. Place the duck on an oven tray and cook for about 25 minutes at 200oC/Gas Mark 6 or until cooked all the way through. Make sure to baste the breasts with the juices during the cooking time. When the duck is cooked, place the tray under a hot grill to caramelise the duck skin for 1-2 minutes. Cut into thin slices and serve with a drizzle of the juices.
Chinese New Year falls on Valentines day this year, so it’s the perfect excuse to whip up some tasty Chinese dishes for your loved one to celebrate and I’m not talking about calling the local takeaway! But Chinese cuisine has so much more to offer than what’s on the local takeaway menu, it's packed with delicious sauces, aromatic spices, and unusual textures. If you haven’t tried cooking any Chinese dishes, I have put together some fairly easy ones which I'll be posting all week to celebrate Chinese New Year! They don’t take too much time and leave you with some incredibly tasty results.
Healthy Singapore Noodles Singapore noodles are a standard Chinese restaurant dish, but making them at home is so easy and it also means you can monitor what’s going in to them, adding whatever healthy vegetables you feel like. The addition of curry powder to this dish not only brings a new flavour to it, but it coats the noodles and gives a great texture to every bite. Serves 2 3 cloves of garlic, minced A thumb sized piece of ginger, grated 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce 2 tablespoons of soy sauce 2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips 100g of rice vermicelli noodles 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil 2 celery sticks, finely sliced 1 carrot, finely sliced 4 spring onions 1 tablespoon of Asian curry powder 1 teaspoon of sesame oil A good handful of bean sprouts
Marinate the chicken with the garlic, ginger, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and oyster sauce. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Soak the noodles in a bowl of boiling water for 6 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside. Heat a wok over a high heat and add the oil to coat. Add the chicken and stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the celery, carrot and spring onion, and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the curry powder and toss through for another 2 minutes. Add the noodles and bean sprouts and a drop of sesame oil to taste. Toss everything together using kitchen tongs until it’s combined. Serve straight away.
I do have to apologise for having two mince pie related posts within the last few days but today is the day for posting our "Great Big Pie Bake Off" recipes and I baked these fab mini pies over the weekend!
I managed to book some time with my little cousin Maisie who has become very busy since the release of the book- she features in the dessert section with her fab cupcakes! She is also playing the angel in the Howth church nativity play so as you can imagine her schedule is fairly hectic for a 9 year old! :)
You can check out more details about "The Great Big Pie Bake Off" over here. Make sure to check out everyone else's fab Christmas themed pies! Plus keep checking back there, we'll be announcing the next pie theme very soon!
Mini Mince Pies
Mince pies are a traditionally British festive sweet pastry which are very delicious. They are pretty popular here in Ireland but I'm not sure if they are seen in many other countries across the world, maybe you can tell me! The "mince meat" consists of apples, raisins, sultanas, currants, mixed peel and a mix of Christmas spices, so as you can see there is no real meat involved! Makes 20 mini mince pies 170g flour 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 100g cold butter, cut into small chunks 1 tablespoon of caster sugar 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons of water 420g jar of mince meat 1 egg fluted circular cookie cutter star cookie cutter
Place the flour and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in using your finger tips until you have a rough breadcrumb like mixture. Don't worry it will come together! Add the sugar and the egg yolk and mix through with a spoon. Add the water slowly until a dough comes together. Form a ball with your hands, cover in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for at least 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180oC/Gas Mark 5. Roll the pastry dough out to about half a centimetre in thickness and cut out 20 circles and 20 stars. You may need to gather the scraps and re roll the pastry to get enough cases. Oil a mini muffin tray and fill with the pastry circles. Fill each mini pie with the mincemeat and top with the pastry stars. Whisk the egg and brush each mini pie with it. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the pastry turns golden brown. Serve straight away or save some for Santa, word has it there his favourite snack!
I have a few winter warming dishes coming up but this recipe is actually taken from the book and was featured on Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide website. Plus I got a request in the comments section so I just couldn't resist!
Hearty Minestrone Soup This is a perfect winter meal solution, full of tasty vegetables, and filling thanks to the pasta. I use wholewheat spaghetti, but feel free to add other shapes like fusilli or pasta elbows instead. If you don’t have any paprika, you can get a bit of spice by adding a dash of tabasco sauce, or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes.
Serves 4 1 courgette, chopped into small chunks 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes 2 x 410g tins cannellini beans 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 large onion, finely chopped 2 stalks of celery, chopped 2 large carrots, chopped into small chunks 2 litres/4 pints homemade chicken stock 75g/3oz wholewheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces 2 tablespoons of olive oil A good pinch of paprika A good pinch of sea salt
In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic cloves and onion for 2 minutes or until they become soft. Stir in the celery, carrots and courgette and cook for five minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the wholewheat spaghetti, paprika and cannellini beans. Give the soup a good stir and cover. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Season with a little sea salt and serve straightaway with a good chunk of wholemeal bread and enjoy!
It's official I have a new favourite recipe, and it has arrived just in time for the summer season! It's a really easy little number which is guaranteed to impress! Now I know the idea of cutting a chicken open, cracking bones, and skewering the flesh is all a little bit Hanibal but this recipe is so tasty and it's well worth the hassle. Though if you really can't handle it, ask your butchers to do it for you and I'm sure they will be happy to help. I served this for a summery Sunday dinner with Red Cabbage Coleslaw and some Spicy Sweet Potato Chips.
Barbeque Cajun Spatchcock Chicken The combination of spices here are so tasty, but if you are missing some, don't be afraid to use dried herbs or even whatever fresh herbs you have available to you. Barbequing can be a little tricky but the cooking time will depend on the size of your chicken, if you are worried, simple insert a skewer at the thickest part and if the juices run clear, the bird is cooked!
Serves 6-8 2 small chickens. 4 cloves of garlic. 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar. 2 tablespoons of paprika. 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper. 2 teaspoons of dried oregano. A small handful of fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped. A small handful of thyme. Juice of 1 lemon. 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil. A generous pinch of sea salt and pepper.
To prepare the chicken, place the bird breast down, and using a knife or a sharp scissors, cut along the back bone. Open the bird out and flip it over breast side up and using your fist push down hard on the breast to break the back bone. Thread a skewer diagonally through the bird from the leg to the breast and repeat on the other side. Score the bird on the legs and breasts. Repeat the whole process for the second chicken. Place the chicken in a large roasting tin. See diagram below.
Prepare the marinade. Place the rest of the ingredients in a pestle and mortar or a food processor and break down until you have a rough paste. Spread the paste over the chicken until it is completely covered. Cover the roasting tin in tin foil and place in the fridge to marinate for 30 mins to an hour, if you have time. Place the birds on the barbeque over a medium heat and cook breast side up for 25-30 minutes. Half-way through give the birds a squeeze of lemon juice. Turn the birds over and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the chickens are cooked through. If you find the chicken is blackening too much, place them on some tinfoil until they are cooked through. Enjoy!
There doesn't seem to be a huge amount of interest in the food styling demonstration, but I'll be working with Erica for the photo's in the book, so maybe I can film a few bits and stick them up here.
Is it me or is the weather at the moment causing extreme drowsiness? Maybe not, maybe it's having to work when it feels like everyone else is on holidays- maybe it's a mix. Well I'll just have to put up with it, after all it's only a few more weeks and were heading back over to Sweden again. Sofie's dad arrived last night and is staying with us for the week, so we'll be doing some sight seeing this weekend and driving cross country to Galway. If you have any suggestions on where to bring a tourist in Galway please let me know!
I have been trawling the world wide web for international food blogs, and I wanted to share just a few of the ones that caught my eye:
Bitchin Camero- Mel is from Miami, and has some really great pictures, and the recipe's to match.
Kitchen Confit- Is written by three bloggers from Nashville, Tennassee, I love their post about "Fire Pit Roasted Oysters".
A Cat In The Kitchen- A great little Swedish blog- check out the cake buffet!
Dinner's For A Year- I love the idea of a BBQ turkey.
And via Mulley.net, Lidl Treats- How to get the best out of shopping at Lidl!
Inspired by my recent trip to the Chinese Supermarket, this is another one of the snacks I made for the party last weekend. It's kind of a mix between BBQ and sweet and sour sauce, but top it with finely sliced spring onions and sesame seeds, and you'll make your intentions clear!
Asian Chicken Wings
12 Chicken Wings.
1 Cup of Chinese Sweet Chili Sauce (looks like tomato paste)
The Juice Of One Lemon.
1 Tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce.
2 Cloves of Garlic Minced.
1 Thumb of Ginger Minced.
2 Tablespoons of Honey
1 Tsp of Chinese 5 Spice powder.
1 Tsp of Sesame Oil.
1 Tsp of Cornflour.
Spring Onions and Sesame Seeds.
In a large roasting tray combine the ingredients with the chicken wings. Cover with cling film and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 oC/ 390 oF/ Gas Mark 6.
Bang the Chicken Wings into the oven on the top rack and cook for approx 45-60 mins, turning them halfway through. Serve straight away topped with sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Unfortunately I have gotten into a seriously bad habit of taking photo's of the food I cook and then doing nothing with them for a week or two, which means I end up forgetting what I have actually done, very irritating indeed! The good news is I have managed to recover this recipe, from the deep dark depths of my memory bank, and have also made a pact with myself to finally start writing my recipe's down. We'll just have to wait and see how that works out.
I haven't been doing any serious cooking this week as I'm doing a 3 day course in Dublin city for Adobe After Effects. And being in town has meant making my ritual stops at Aya, Cafe Mao, and Wagamama, for lunch time- I'm so glad I don't work in town, because my bank balance would be zero!
Today is my last day in the big smoke, so I'll be soaking up all the culture I can before I head back to the sticks of Ashbourne, Co. Meath to earn my daily bread. Not that I'm complaining though, I once loved the hustle and bustle of the city, but nowadays, I seem to much prefer the calmer side of life. And anyway who really enjoys the scrum with the 5 million Spanish students on Grafton St.?
Personal soul searching aside it's time for a recipe, when I made this a few weeks ago I wasn't so sure that it was going to come out the way I wanted and had set myself up for disappointment as soon as the over door was closed. But I was pleasantly surprised with the results- the baking of the salmon with the mix creates a really interesting texture to the bite, but doesn't loose any of the peppery spice from the chopped garlic.
Baked Dill and Garlic Salmon
2 large Organic Salmon Fillets.
A large handful of Dill.
A small handful of Basil
2 Cloves of Garlic crushed.
3 Tbsp of Olive Oil.
Sea Salt
Preheat the oven to 200o C. Place the salmon fillets in a large roasting tin. I used my handheld food processor to blend the crushed garlic, dill, basil and olive oil together. Season it with Sea Salt to taste. You can adapt this mix further with the addition of parsley, or coriander for an even more herby version. Spread the mix on the salmon fillets and pop in the oven for about 12 minutes or until cooked through. I served this with some steamed asparagus and thinly sliced roast potato's.
One of my most favorite things to do after enjoying a great meal out, is to recreate it from memory! Normally it doesn't exactly go to plan, but this one really worked out and it's now a classic here in the mood food kitchen. I have a terrible habit when I eat in a restaurant that when I find my favorite dish, I tend to stick to it and order the dish over and over again! I know variety is the spice of life and all that but when it tastes so good I'd feel like I was missing out if I didn't order it.
This is an adaptation of a classic dish on the menu at the Wagamama chain of eateries, I think the original recipe includes shrimp, chicken and squid but this is more of a vegetarian version. The eggs added add the end of recipe gives a great texture to the noodles!
Mood Food Yaki Soba
4oz of Ramen Noodles
1/2 Cup of Oyster Sauce
1/3 Cup of Water
1 Tablespoon of Salt
1 Tablespoon of Sugar
1/2 Head of Broccoli Finely chopped
1 cup of finely chopped Chinese Cabbage
5 Baby Corn finely sliced
1 Small Onion sliced into half moons
5 Spring Onions finely sliced length ways
2 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped
1 Red Pepper finely chopped
2 Eggs lightly beaten
Before you start finely chopping all the veg, boil the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Strain and set aside. In a small sauce pan bring to the boil, Oyster sauce, Water, Salt and Sugar. Leave on a low heat and cook for 10 mins. While the sauce is cooking, prep the Broccoli, Chinese Cabbage, Baby Corn, Spring Onions, and Onion and set aside in a large bowl. Chop the pepper and garlic and set aside. Take the sauce pan off the heat and combine it with the veg in the bowl and toss. Add the noodles and toss again. In a large very hot frying pan or wok, add about two tablespoons of vegetable oil and stirfry the pepper and garlic for about 1 minute. Add the noodles and veg mix and cook for another 2 minutes until cooked through, then add the eggs and cook for a further minute.
Serve in a big bowl and enjoy! You can garnish the dish with thinly sliced pickled ginger but that's optional.
Is it me or has it been a little quiet around here recently? I think I've only just gotten back into the swing of cooking again after my little break. Sofie and I finally made the journey up to IKEA in Belfast over the weekend to get all those essential apartment items after nearly a year. We have been threatening to make the trip, since it opened in December, but it just kept getting put off- but we did it in style and spent a whopping eight hours in the store as if to make up for it!
I know that's a bit mad but we did like 4 sweeps of the place and missed out on very little. I love the kitchen stuff in IKEA, and my favourite thing we got on our shopping trip was this cool little kitchen trolley thing which doubles up as both a storage unit and a work top! I particularly like this because now I can perform a mini cookery show when we have guests over! :) (Pictures coming soon!)
On to the food! I cooked this dish over the weekend as a bit of an experiment and thankfully no plates were left empty so I'm taking thath to be a good sign.
Cajun Salmon and Asian Greens (Serves 2) For Salmon: 2 Organic Salmon Fillets 1 tsp. white pepper 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. black pepper
For Asian Greens: Selection of veg diced (Broccoli, Carrot, Asparagus, Red Pepper) 2 Tablespoons of Rice Wine Vinegar 1 Tablespoon of Nam Pla (Fish Sauce) 1 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil A pinch of salt
In a large bowl combine the Rice Wine Vinegar, Nam Pla, Sesame Oil and salt, then add the diced veg and mix through. Cover and set aside in the fridge.
Mix the spices for the salmon together. Place the salmon fillets skin side down on a grill plate and sprinkle with the seasoning. Place under a hot grill for approx 7-8 mins.
While the Salmon is under the grill, in a hot frying pan stir fry the diced veg mix until soft.
The Salmon should be cooked by this time, if your worried it isn't cooked through, poke a knife into the centre of the flesh and check if it is still pink- if its is you may want to give it another minute or so under the grill.
When everything is cooked serve on a plate and enjoy!
This is still a fairly experimental dish, but the idea is similar to the duck salad I posted earlier this month, but without the noodles. It's really easy, quick and spicey! If you have a cold this will really clear those sinuses!
Spicy Chicken and Cucumber Salad
2 Chicken Breasts finely sliced
Enough flour to coat the chicken slices
Salt and Pepper
1/2 Cucumber finely sliced length ways
2 Peppers finely sliced
1 Red Onion finely sliced
6 Radishes finely sliced
The juice of 1 Lime
3 tablespoons of Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon of Fish Sauce
1 Teaspoon of sesame oil
2 Cloves of Garlic very finely chopped
Half a red chili very finely chopped
Thumb sized piece of ginger peeled and very finely chopped
Wow fourteen that's a lot! STAY WITH ME! Mix the flour with salt and pepper and coat the thinly sliced chicken. Fry them in a very hot pan with vegetable oil until nice and brown, leave to the side.
In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, sesame oil, garlic, chili, and ginger. This should be to your taste so add something, subtract something be my guest! Add to the bowl, the cucumber, radish, red onion and red pepper. Mix the all the ingredients together in the spicy dressing.
Serve the spicy cucumber salad with the chicken strips on top and enjoy!
Soups are one of the healthiest and versatile meals you can produce, not only that, they can be frozen and reheated for a quick and simple lunch! There are so many soups that I love, that this post could be extremely long, but as I said already making soup is so versatile and once you have the basic recipe you can adapt it however you wish.
Quick Basic Soup Recipe
4 tsp Vegetable Bouillon powder (I use this but stock cubes can be used or you can make your own)
1 and half litre of boiling water
2 cloves of garlic
1 Large onion
A good pinch of salt and pepper
STEP 1-> Boil the water in a kettle, pour into a jug, add the bouillon powder and mix. In a large pot fry the onion and garlic in some oil till they soften and brown.
STEP 2-> This where you can experiment, add the rest of your ingredients, I'll include some suggestions at the end of this post, and mix with the onion and garlic mix. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and allow to soften for about a minute.
STEP 3-> Then add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for approx 20 mins.
STEP 4-> If you have a good quality stick blender you can stick it straight into the hot mixture and whizz away! At this point I normally add different spices and herbs to my taste so I encourage you to experiment! Serve immediately or leave to cool and refrigerate or freeze!
Add the following ingredients at Step 2 for different soup types:
Leeks and Brocolli (frozen or fresh).
2 large tins of tomatoes.
1 Large squash, coriander and cumin.
6 Large carrots and 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger.
1 pound of peas (frozen or fresh) and a good handful of mint. (Thanks to michael for the reminder he is having it for lunch today!)
I'm sure everyone has a favourite soup so feel free to make suggestions!
As I think I mentioned before I am a HUGE fan of Asian cuisine, so I thought I would write a post about the essential ingredients for your very own Asian pantry.
I have been having a terrible time recently when it comes to cooking Asian inspired dishes because my girlfriend is extremely allergic to soya and nuts. Soya is a staple part of Asian cuisine and in many recipe's hard to avoid. However not one to be beaten I have been adapting some of my favourite dishes without the addition of soya, so I will include some of these here in the future with soya as an option.
On to the reason were here, in the ever shrinking world getting your hands on international ingredients has become ever so easy! I would normally have said just pop down to your local Chinese supermarket as this is what I would do in Dublin, but I was living in the north of Ireland for a couple of months recently and asked where the nearest Chinese supermarket was and the answer to which was laughter. There is a great little shop in Dublin that I visit regularly to stock up and it's nuzzled in the back of a building of Georges St. So if you ever get a chance to visit, do!
You can purchase lots of these ingredients in supermarket's now but I like the having the options of more than one brand to choose from.
Soy Sauce- A fermented sauce made from soy bean, roasted grain, water, and salt. I was a bit of an addict before my recent situation arose, as it really adds a salty sweet taste to dishes.
Chilli Flakes- Made from crushing dried chilli peppers, give a nice spice when added to dishes.
Rice Wine Vinegar- A much milder vinegar than the western variety, can be used in most dishes and sauces.
Fish Sauce- A sauce brownish in colour and salty in taste. Is often substituted for salt in dishes. It is more common in Thai cooking but I use it all the time.
Sesame Oil- Used mainly as a flavour rather than a regular cooking oil as it burns very quickly- has a very distinct nutty flavour.
Ginger- An aromatic root of the ginger plant, has a strong fresh flavour. Can be used in stir Fry's soups and marinades.
Oyster Sauce- It's name alone tends to put people off, but this sauce doesn't have a strong fishy taste due to the fact the oysters are boiled. It's a very rich sauce with a strong savoury flavour.
Lemon Grass- Another strong aromatic flavour here. This herb gives a distinct lemon smell and taste. It can be used in soups and chopped finely into stir fry's.
Chinese 5 Spice powder- A seasoning which combines sweet sour bitter savoury and salty all in one. It consists of cinnamon, star anise, ginger, cassia, and cloves.
Noodles- I always aim to keep a wide selection of noodles in my press, these include different varieties of Egg noodles, Rice noodles and Wheat Noodles. My best advice on this one is to experiment, it's the only way of finding your own taste.
