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.
On Tuesday I traveled down to Cork for the first time ever to meet with the guys in Mercier press to discuss the release of the cookbook and the interior design. When I arrived they had a full mock up of the book to leaf through and I'm really thrilled with the look were going for. There's lots of bits to add here and there but it's much easier to work on it when you can see something that resembles the finished product.
I'm finally getting settled back into a some sort of normal routine after a fairly exciting but disruptive Christmas period, which means I'm getting to do a lot more cooking and photo's! I cooked two pasta dishes with goats cheese yesterday, one with sundried tomatoes and basil and this one here with garlic and mushrooms.
I'm a huge fan of goats cheese not only because of its distict flavour but there is recent research that suggests goats milk and cheese can be digested by the human body far easier than cow's. As it contains a similar calcium and nutrient content as cow's milk, it's has become common knowledge that people who suffer from a lactose intolerance can often use goat's milk and cheese as a dairy alternative.
Garlic Mushroom and Goats Cheese Pasta
Garlic and mushroom is a classic combination and works super in this tasty pasta dish. Crumbling the goats cheese over the hot pasta creates a creamy coating and leaves the dish with a distinctive tangy taste. The dish only takes the time to cook the pasta and is perfect to make a little extra and stick in a lunchbox for tomorrow.
250g of wholemeal penne pasta. 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 3 cloves of garlic chopped finely. 1 onion chopped into thin half moon slices. 150g of mushrooms sliced thinly (Approx. 6 large mushrooms). 75g of goats cheese. A generous pinch of black pepper. A generous pinch of sea salt.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the pasta. While the pasta is cooking prepare the garlic and onion. In a large frying pan heat the oil, add the garlic and onion and fry gently until softened and browned. Then add the mushrooms and cook until soft. The mushrooms will turn from white to a nice creamy brown colour. When the pasta is cooked drain in a colander and put back in the pot. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil and add the mushrooms, garlic and onion. Crumble in the goats cheese, add the salt and pepper and stir together until everything is combined evenly. Serve straight away in deep dishes and season with a little extra black pepper.
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!
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.
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!
I'm in Spain on holidays this week for a few days to soak up as much sun as possible, after finally delivering all the recipes for my new book. One of my favourite things to do when I visit other countries is to create dishes inspired by some of the dishes I sample on my travels. Spanish food uses a great selection of distinctive ingredients to make up some of its well known cuisine, including smokey paprika, cured hams and one of my favourites, chorizo sausage. I have been driving everyone with me mad, because everytime we pass rolling fields full of produce, I insist we pull in to inspect the bright yellow lemons or the big fat melons which are ready to be pulled from their stalks. We have been doing a lot of al fresco eating and this is one of the recipes we had for lunch during the week.
Spanish Fried Eggs with Chorizo and Potato Hash If you wanted to serve this chorizo and potato hash as a little tapas style dish, simply leave out the egg. This recipe would also make a hearty breakfast!
Serves 4 6 medium sized potatoes 150g of chorizo sausage, cut into bitesize chunks 1 onion, chopped Juice of 1/2 lemon Sea salt and ground black pepper 4 eggs
Place the potatoes into a pot of boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and place in a bowl of cold water until cool, drain again, slice into chunks and set aside. Heat a frying pan over a high heat and add in the chorizo, frying until sizzling and bright red. The chorizo should render out a rich red oil which you can fry the potatoes and onions in. Remove the chorizo from the pan and set aside on a plate. Fry the onion in the pan in the chorizo oil for 3-4 minutes until soft. Remove from the pan and set aside with the chorizo. Add in the potatoes and fry for 5-6 minutes or until crisp and golden. You may need to add a drop of oil into the pan if you don't have enough. Add the onions and chorizo back into the pan, add a squeeze of lemon juice and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Remove the hash from the pan and place in a serving plate. Add another drop of oil to the pan and fry the eggs until the white has set but the yolk is still soft and runny. Serve the eggs on top of the hash and dig in!
Well I am just up after travelling to Gothenberg via Copenhagen last night, and I have a certain sense of accomplishment (and relief!!!) about myself today. For the last 4 weeks I have been keeping my head down busy writing recipes for the new book and in between all the writing I got the amazing and slightly nerve wracking opportunity to give cooking demonstrations at two of Ireland's leading foodie festivals, something this time last year I couldn't even imagine! Thankfully both went extremely well and it's funny how things like that can make you nervous before hand but when it comes down to actually doing them, they are thoroughly enjoyable. I suppose in life there is always goals you lead up to, things that are ahead of you that you know you have to achieve in order to go on to the next step. The last few weeks have been for me the next step and now on sunny morning in Sweden, it feels great to know that I only have a handful of recipes to write to complete the new book!
I have to admit writing the first book was a bit of a disaster because I was extremely disorganised and generally did not know what I was doing, but having learned from mistakes things have run a lot smoother this time around, I have a set recipe list which was chosen a few months ago and it is just a case of writing in a set format, which makes it both easy for me and everyone else working on it. I'm dying to give you more details about it and hopefully in the next few weeks when everything is submitted I can give you a bit more info about behind the scenes! For now though, enjoy this quick and simple creamy broccoli pasta recipe! Make it a good one! :)
Creamy Broccoli Pasta I am huge fan of simple pasta dishes which are easy to throw together in a matter of minutes and this one definitely hit’s the spot. There is a wealth of in season vegetables at the moment and you can easily replace broccoli with asparagus or cauliflower and maybe some broad beans thrown in for good measure. If you can’t your hands on parpadelle pasta, tagliatelle will do just fine.
Serves 4 250g of papardelle pasta 1 head of brocolli, broken into florets 1 tablespoon of olive oil 4 garlic cloves, sliced finely 200g of crème fraiche Juice of 1 lemon A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Cook the pasta according to the packet. Steam or boil the broccoli until tender when pierced with a fork, drain and place in a bowl filled with cold water. Fry the garlic in a large frying pan over a medium heat, for about 1 minute, then add in the crème fraiche and bring to a steady simmer. Add in the lemon juice and season with sea salt and black pepper. When the pasta is cooked, drain the water and place back into the pot. Pour in the garlic crème fraiche and broccoli and stir through gently until everything is combined. Serve straight away with an extra sprinkle of black pepper.
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!
I do have to apologise for another chorizo recipe but I think it may just be my current food addiction. Hopefully there won't be too many complaints! While I was in London recording episodes for Market Kitchen down at the Borough Market a few weeks ago, there was an amazing little Spanish food shop called Brindisa which was selling all different types of chorizo and an amazing selection of fantastic, high quality Spanish ingredients. Myself and Leonie, the amazing Market Kitchen home economist, picked up some and we actually used it in one of the dishes I cooked on camera.
Brinidisa also had the coolest little stall just beside where we were filming, where there was two busy stall holders with a massive hot plate frying up thick pieces of chorizo for the funkiest sambos I have ever seen. I later learned, after a quick google, that these little babies are famous right the way around the world, with mentions in many travel guides from Japan to Australia!
Brindisa Chorizo and Rocket Sandwiches Isn't it amazing that some of the most tasty dishes are always the easiest. This recipe is hardly a recipe really, it's a case of assembly when you get down to it. Do try and get your hands on some good quality chorizo from a speciality Spanish food shop if you can, it makes all the difference in taste!
Serves 2 4 good quality fresh chorizo sausages, halved 2 roasted piquillo peppers, sliced 2 large handfuls of rocket leaves 2 ciabatta, lightly toasted A good drizzle of olive oil A splash of balsamic vinegar A good pinch of sea salt and crushed black peppercorns
In a large hot frying pan, fry the chorizo halves until roaring red and sizzling on both sides. Toast the ciabatta halves and slice in half. Toss the rocket leaves in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper. Assemble the sandwich, place the chorizo on the ciabatta, add a few thick slices of roasted peppers, and some dressed rocket leaves. Devour immediately!
As I travel along this little food journey of life, one of the most exciting and fascinating things I've been learning about, is where meat really comes from, beyond the simple view of farm to plate and really developing an appreciation for the people behind the produce. I don't think I will ever be vegetarian, but I do think it's important that I make decisions to choose the right types of meat. By the right type, I mean the type of meat that comes from an animal that has lived a good life, that hasn't been fed medicine, and has been free to roam. It does sound like a lot to think of but when you see well reared animals like these and the process they go through before they reach the butchers, you really appreciate the cuts of meat so much more!
Michael Gottstein works for an Teagasc (The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority) and is also one the farmers who set up Ring of Kerry Quality Lamb. I originally got in contact with Ring of Kerry Quality Lamb a few months ago, just before Christmas, when Timmy one the farmers invited me to come down to see his farm, but unfortunately the 6 hour drive did put me off slightly- However I did promise that if I was in the area I would come down and take some pics. So when I was down in Cork for the Hope Foundation Demonstration, the next day I headed up to Killarney to check out a few of the farms.
I don't know if you have ever been to Killarney in Co. Kerry before, but it is probably one of the most beautiful places in Ireland, lots of fantastic green fields and rolling mountains, sure what more could you ask for! Probably one of the most amazing places for a little lamb to grow up! On the tour of the farms, Michael told me the reason that 25 of the local farmers came together was so that they could have more control over their final product. Before they were sending the meat to other parts of the country to be processed and couldn't be 100 percent sure that the meat coming back was their own. Now the meat is guaranteed to be from Kerry and the local farms.
One of the farms we visited was on the side of a mountain and Michael told me that throughout the year, the sheep graze on the heather on the mountains and this in turn affects the taste of the end product. Only thing is can you imagine the amount of work it must take to find the sheep and round them up! Michael and the lads are extremely proud of what they do and took me to one of the local pubs in Killarney who they supply their lamb to and left me with an amazing pack of lamb cuts which I vouch for being absolutely delicious! I have eventually got through them all!
If you are interested in trying some Ring Of Kerry Quality Lamb which comes from farms which are all Bord Bia Quality approved, you can buy and order it online nationwide via their website which is here. Also check out the video below where Michael shows us some sheep dog commands.
Gizzi Erskine may be a new name to you, she was for me, but her book, "Gizzi's Kitchen Magic" cover totally caught my eye while I was browsing through the amazon cookery section the other day. This is possibly one the coolest cookbook covers I have seen for a while and it's even cooler when you get your hands on it as it's embossed in gold! Now not being one to judge a book by it's cover I took my copy with me on my travels to have a good nose through it and get a good feel for Gizzi's writing. To give you a brief bit of back ground Gizzi is one of the "Cook Yourself Thin" girls and was orignally a food stylist before she got into the tv side of things, so has a huge knowledge of food! The one thing I do have to point out is that the book is quite girly, and I know quite a few potential domestic goddesses who could definitely be encouraged into the kitchen with a present of "Gizzi's Kitchen Magic" wrapped up in a bow! The book is absolutely jam packed with really fantastic tips on everything from what meat cuts to buy to choosing the best pastry to make. The lovely folks at Virgin books have provided me with a few recipes from the book to share with you this week and on Friday there will be 3 copies up for grabs, so stick around for that. Gizzi will also be stopping in for a quick interview aswell so if there are any questions you want answered, leave a comment below.
Gizzi Erskine's Creamy Smoked Salmon & Pea Spaghetti Spaghetti carbonara is a classic for a reason, but it is laden with cream and, therefore, also very guilt-inducing. So I decided to halve the cream content and replace the rest with Greek yoghurt. Having done this, it seemed natural to replace the smokiness of the bacon with smoked salmon. I then decided to add some green colour with the summery addition of broad beans and green peas, my favourite veggies, and fi nished with a hint of lemon to lift the dish.
Serves 4 Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 10 minutes 350g dried spaghetti 150g podded and shelled broad beans 150g fresh or frozen garden peas 200ml double cream 200ml Greek yoghurt 2 large free-range egg yolks 35g Parmesan cheese zest of 1 unwaxed lemon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 180g smoked salmon (about 8 slices), sliced into short ribbons A small bunch of fresh chives, snipped
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet. For the last 3 minutes of the cooking time add the broad beans and peas. Meanwhile mix together the cream, yoghurt, egg yolks, Parmesan, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Drain the cooked pasta, beans and peas, leaving a few tablespoons of water in the bottom of the pan. Return the pan to a low heat and pour in the sauce. Toss the pasta in the sauce, then add the smoked salmon and chives, giving it all a good mix round until it’s evenly incorporated and the salmon has cooked through. Serve piping hot.
(Taken from Gizzi’s Kitchen Magic by Gizzi Erskine published by Virgin Books, price £20)
As a nice way to finish off the Leila Lindholm week here on the blog, Lorraine from New Holland publishing organised a phone interview with the lady herself! I was very excited on Thursday morning to be able to call the lovely Leila, to have a quick chat about baking, the muffin mafia and of course her next book! Enjoy!
So you grew up in a family with a mix of cultures, tell me a little about the kind of food you had growing up, did you find you learned a lot about Morroccan cooking when you were growing up? I grew up with my mother and I only met my father when I was 24 so I didn't really grow up in a Morroccan culture at all, but my dad is from Morrocco.
From most of Swedes I talk to, they don't exactly rave about Swedish cuisine, but what you consider the most typical Swedish dish? It's pretty much like Swedish meatballs and we have a special kind of sausage called Falun sauasage that we eat and I think quite a lot of international food aswell as I remember we went to restauarants at least once a week to have dinner when I grew up.
I read you studied cooking, was that in Sweden? I studied a restaurant course in Stockholm and I started when I was 16 and finished when I was 19. When you finish the course you work in restaurants straight away.
I was very excited to read in your book about the muffin mafia, a baking group you started with your grandmother when you were younger, can you tell me a little about the members? It was great, it was actually something me and my grandma's neighbour made up, because I used to run over to her house and she taught me how to bake and we baked like cakes and cupcakes and muffins. Then she decided that we could become pen pals and send recipes to each other and it was me and Aunt Elsa, then her friends up in the north of Sweden, they were a bunch of old ladies in their 60's and we would send recipes to each other. But I was the boss, the mafia boss!
What were some of the first dishes you learned to cook? I think probably something simple like sausage and macoroni, or actually it was like grilled sandwiches! I used to with my best friend go to her place after to school and make all kinds of grilled sandwhiches with pineapple, really tacky sandwiches, with ketchup and pineapple and stuff on them and a lot of cheese!
You have an extremely successful career in Sweden, what would you consider your big break? Well actually I had two kind of big breaks, the first when I was 24, I was chosen Female Swedish Chef Of The Year and that was a big break because I started getting into the media and got attention from the media. I started doing interviews in the press and that was back in 1999. Then the second big break came in 2004 when I was chosen TV chef of the year and then also it was a milestone in a sense as it was my big break in the tv business, and I started getting more possibilities with my cooking shows. I started on one of the biggest morning shows here in Sweden and when I won the award I got asked to do my own cooking series and then after this it's been quite a successful story!
Well I can definitely see that! So who do you find you get the biggest reaction from your books, what kind of people? It's definitely women, but also mothers and kids, they love the baking show. I have heard from so many parents that their kids are watching the baking show on DVD's, they don't want to watch Disney movies, they just want to watch my baking show which is a little funny!
What are some of your favourite dishes to cook apart from baking? I love to do barbeques, so that's what I am really looking forward to this summer, we have a lot of snow right now, but I can't wait to start doing barbeques, that's what I really love! Doing meat like sirloin steak, lamb legs, whole salmon, I can't wait!
In every picture I have seen of you, you always look incredibly happy, are there any dishes that really frustrate you to make? I like to cook everything but sometimes there are dishes which are challenging when, of course, even for me, sometimes things don't work or like the Bearnaise sauce doesn't turn out, thats annoying. Also it's quite common, I'm sure you are familiar with this, when you have plan in your mind and it just doesn't work out when you cook it!
From what I have read you have a big interest in styling as well as cooking, how did that get started? Well I think for me I have always been interested in aesthetic stuff, interior designs, and beautiful things so I collect beautiful things and it came from there. I love to create beautiful things and it's a huge passion I have a craving, I have to do it!
When I was in Sweden I picked up your fantastic magazine Leila's Country Living but I heard it has stopped, will you be working on new issues of it in the future? Maybe in the future but right now I decided not to because I have just had a baby, and I decided to try two issues first in 2009, to make sure it went well because I have no experience in the magazine world. Then I realised that it is so hard to juggle the tv shows, and the book and the magazine.
I was in a book shop in Dublin yesterday and spotted your book "A Piece of Cake", I didn't realise it had been released here aswell as the UK, are you hoping to come over here and break this market? That would be fantastic to work more abroad, but this is my first cookbook to be released outside Sweden, it has been released in The Netherlands, USA, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and in Italy so it's quite exciting to see where it's going to take my work. It's been nine months since I had my baby so I am starting to get back into work mode and we are starting to record season 3 of my baking show in about two weeks. I was also asked by the Discovery channel to do a couple of shows but that was when I just had by baby and it was a food travel show and it wasn't possible to travel.
I'm guessing since the success of your books and tv shows in Sweden, and even with a new baby life has become a lot busier, how has your cooking habits changed? They haven't really, I kind of cook the same stuff I cook in my shows!
Have you had any major on-air or off-air disasters when cooking on tv? No but sometimes in the studio its very hot so in like the spring time sometimes when you work with cake and chocolate and ice cream they melt, so that can be a bit of a disaster!
I am a huge fan of cookbooks, have you got a big collection of books yourself, is there any you just couldn't live without? No I'm greedy I have to have them all! I have about over 100 books, but my favourites are from Martha Stewart and of course Jamie Oliver, his books are very fresh and beautiful!
You worked with Jamie's photographer, David Loftus on one of your books, what was he like to work with? He was fun, he is a fantastic photographer, and it was great, we had done a couple of jobs for Delicious magazine in the UK, and some Swedish magazines also.
Do you have some favourite cookbooks from Swedish food writers? There is a food writer called Anna Bergenstrom, she makes beautiful food, she is like the Swedish Julia Child, a legend!
What do you think the success of a good cook book relies on? Good recipes, and recipies that work, and also that they are easy and they work for normal people. Of course the photography and styling is very important but also when you work with the text to make all the corrections in a book is so important so they are well worked through and very exact, so you are guaranteed the recipe is good.
What are your plans for you next book, will you stick with baking or will you concentrate on any other specific aspects of food? It's actually going to be a follow up to "A Piece of Cake" and I made it with the intention of making two books and I wanted to do one book with sweet stuff and another with more savoury stuff, and it's called "One More Slice" and I bake pizza, pasta, and a lot of sour dough bread recipes, and also there is sweets too. There is a chapter called Cheesecake and another called brownies and blondies, and Ice cream too! So it's all the good stuff that didn't make it in the first book! I had so much material that I wanted to do two books!
After all this unhealthy food, do you ever really feel like a good healthy salad? Absolutely I have to eat quite healthy to make sure I don't kill myself and keep in shape! But sometimes it's nice, there is always room for birthday cakes, and there is always celebrations where you are supposed to bake, it's just tradition. Also bread is a matter of when you eat it, if you have it at breakfast it is not as dangerous as eating it in the evening time!
What do you think of food blogging, would you ever consider doing it yourself? Yes, it's most definitely in my future, but in my case I have been so busy with other stuff. I had a blog for 2 years and even though I wasn't active like the way you are, I wrote something at least once a week. But it is quite demanding if you want to write a good blog with a lot of content so it's hard work and for me write now it's difficult to find the time. But the food blogs are great and it's really fun to read them. So for me it's just a matter of time right now!
Ok one last question, and I'm sure you have been asked this question a million times, but what would be your death row meal? It's a little bit of a depressing question and I would say sweets, but I am very into shellfish and seafood and oysters and a glass Chablis wine!
Leila's book "A Piece Of Cake" is in Irish and UK bookshops now or you can order online here. www.leila.se
If you're doing your last minute Christmas baking today just in time for Santa and the reindeers to arrive, check out all the Christmas recipes from the last few weeks see the links below for some inspiration to keep the big fella full on his travels!
I'm in Sweden until Monday and I had planned a few more Halloween recipes to stick up on the blog, unfortunately the combination of loosing my power adaptor and lots of travelling meant that I didn't get round to actually posting them. Sweden doesn't really celebrate Halloween and it is seen mainly as an American holiday but seeing as I grew up with the tradition of carving pumpkins, I thought it was high time my Swedish friends got their carve on!
Sofie and I spent the day yesterday searching for the perfect pumpkins to bring over to her little cousins who were very excited at the idea of gutting the pumpkins! In fairness to Sweden they have a great selection of pumpkins on offer and it's not all the generic ones we get in the supermarket in Ireland.
After a lot of searching and mini breakdown from Sofie, we finally found two big fat orange pumpkins! It was lots of fun carving the pumpkins with Niklas and Jonas but my favourite part of the whole process is making these delicious toasted seeds!
Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
These seeds are my perfect little alloween snack and they are far more healthy than your average Halloween treats! Try experimenting with flavours, I have yet to make a sweet version of these but I'm pretty sure they would work good too.
Serves about 4 people as a snack The seeds of 2 pumpkins 3 tablespoons of melted butter 2 teaspoons of chilli powder 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons of sea salt
Remove the seeds from the pumpkin, place in a colander and rinse with water until they are clean. Shake off any excess water and place the seeds on a dry tea towel and pat dry. Place the seeds in a large roasting tray and pour over the melted butter. Sprinkle the seeds with the chilli powder, cayenne pepper and sea salt. Toss the seeds until they are all thoroughly coated. Place in the oven to toast for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, though to be honest sometimes they taste the best straight out of the oven! Just watch out for burned fingers!
As you might have guessed, if you are a regular reader of the blog, I have a major thing for zingy Asian food! It all started when I was a lot younger, when my grandmother bought me a simple Chinese cookbook. At that stage I had already worked my way through most of the cookbooks in our house but had never tried to cook any sort of Asian food. Ingredients like ginger, lemongrass, coconut milk, and the rather peculiar looking star anise were all foreign to me, as a curious youngster. I took it upon myself to become immersed in this little book, being brave and cooking the most strange sounding dishes first, in order to get a taste for the vast landscape of this cuisine. From fortune cookies to spring rolls, from Thai green curry to sushi, I really gave everything a go and even though they may not have all turned out quite to plan, the process in itself was totally enjoyable and left me with a fascination for Asian culture and recipes.
I have still never been anywhere in Asia and it is my absolute dream to travel, eat and photograph my way across the continent, well maybe that's a little ambitious, maybe just the main places to start with. I don't know when it's going to happen, but it will, and when it does I want to be ready for it so, I'm putting together a hit list of places to visit, people to see, and food to eat. If you have any good suggestions for recipes, stunning places to visit, interesting stories, photos or all of the above, let me know in the comment section or drop me a mail.
Mini Aromatic Duck Salad This a slightly adapted version of one of my favourite recipes from my cookbook. It's fairly similar, the only difference really being that, I serve the salad in mouthful portions on baby gem lettuce leaves here. Apart from the duck don't be too concerned about the salad ingredients, anything goes here really, things like bean sprouts, shredded Chinese cabbage, finely sliced snow peas are all perfect also. You can get amazing aromatic duck breasts in the frozen section at good Chinese supermarkets, which only require roasting time in the oven for delicious results.
Serves 4 2 aromatic duck breasts, cooked and shredded 2 carrots, thinly sliced 6 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal 1 red pepper, thinly sliced Baby gem lettuce leaves, to serve
Dressing: 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil Juice of 1/2 lime 1 teaspoon of fish sauce 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the duck, carrots, spring onions, and red pepper to the bowl and toss with the dressing to combine. Arrange baby gem lettuce leaves on a serving platter and add spoonfuls of the duck salad to them. Serve straight away, or refrigerate the duck salad and assemble when required.
We (Industry) just started our radio tour for our brand new single, "Burn" which is due for release on the 21st of August, so we have been travelling all over Ireland visiting all the radio stations. It is quite hard going, early mornings and late nights, but after the last single going to number 1, it's well worth it! The one thing I have been finding difficult is eating on the road. Unless you plan ahead you are at the mercy of petrol stations at the side of the road where the choice ranges from a hot deli counter to plastic wrapped sambos- not really my cup of tea!
My quick solution is to make my own healthy salads, and somehow I got roped into making one each for the other three! Now I say roped, but really I offered and totally enjoy making them, plus I have this thing for praise... Anyway, this is the favourite salad so far and I can see why, it's pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself! Try it out, give it a whirl, let me know how you get on!
Asian Teriyaki Chicken Salad
I make this salad to go, if you want to do the same, keep the dressing separate and add it when you are ready to eat.
Serves 4 4 chicken breasts 4 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 small Chinese cabbage, finely chopped in shreds A large handful of sugar snap peas, finely sliced 2 red peppers, sliced finely 1 red onion, sliced finely 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
For the dressing: 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil 1 tablespoon of teriyaki sauce Juice of 1 lime 1 clove of garlic, finely minced ½ a thumbsized piece of ginger, finely minced
Combine the teriyaki sauce and garlic in a bowl and add the chicken breasts. Toss to combine, cover and then place in fridge while you chop the salad ingredients Heat a griddle pan over a medium heat with a little oil and fry the chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes either side or until hey are cooked through. Remove the breasts from the pan set on a chopping board to cool. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the salad dressing. Add the Chinese cabbage, red peppers, red onion and snow peas to the bowl. Toss until the vegetables are nicely coated with the dressing. Serve the salad in large deep dishes and sprinkle with a little shredded coriander. Slice the chicken thinly and arrange on top of the vegetables. Serve straight away.
For the August bank holiday weekend, myself and Sofie decided, very last minute, that we'd spend our three, free days in the lovely, little harbour town of Carlingford, which is just under two hours, north of Dublin. I had visited Carlingford before on a family holiday, but I had forgotten how peaceful it is.
We stayed in a really nice newly refurbished stone cottage just outside the town, on the grounds of an old farmhouse. Now we were all set for a relaxing couple of days, but there is one thing that gets to me when I stay away from home and that is DRIPPING TOILETS! I cannot sleep if all I can hear through the silence is a slow drip. So of course, what did we end up with? A dripping toilet! So at about 1am the first night we arrived, I was lying in bed when it was decided enough was enough, I was going to take matters into my own hands. I went into the bathroom and ripped the lid off the cistern to see if I could fix it, unfortunately it was a dual flush toilet so when I pulled at the lid, I broke the seal and water came flooding out! Panic stations! It was too late to ring the owners and the water kept spilling out, so I got to work effin and blinding, in true blue peter style and tried to seal it back up with cling film and tin foil. If you are ever in the future trying to seal a toilet, let me be the one to break it to you gently that, the combination of cling film and tin foil does NOT work. To cut a long story short, I manned up, inspected the broken part, turned the seal inside out and fixed the problem! Phew!
Now I hope that didn't put you off the food because that's coming next. Dripping toilets aside, we had a truly relaxing, enjoyable and romantic little break. We woke up to the view of a field full of horses, ate outside for breakfast, cooked some great meals and even climbed a mountain!
We also popped up to Sainsbury's to have a quick nose around and I picked up two great little ingredients which I used while we were away. The first being Maldon smoked sea salt, which I think is new in their range, it smells great, and a bottle of Avocado oil which is apparently extremely healthy and has a very high burning point, making it great for cooking!
Easy Quick Roast Chicken Dinner I can make a roast chicken in my sleep at this stage, so when it gets to that stage with a recipe, I tend to start experimenting. This is my solution to making a roast chicken even easier than it already is. By cutting the whole chicken into seperate portions, you do all the hard work before the cooking, which means when it comes to serving, all have to do is plonk it on a plate! No worries!
Serves 4 1 whole chicken cut into portions. A good handful of rosemary sprigs. 5 carrots, cut into rough chunks. 2 red onions, chopped in rough chunks. 4 cloves of garlic. 2 tablespoons of olive oil. 1 tablespoon of sea salt (smoked, if possible) 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper.
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5. Pinch off the leaves of half the rosemary and chop finely with the garlic, sea salt and black pepper. Place the chicken portions on a large baking tray, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil and toss to coat. Add the carrots and red onions to the tray. Rub the garlic and rosemary onto all the ingredients on the tray until they are all coated. Push the remaining rosemary sprigs onto the chicken portions and place in the oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Enjoy with a tasty salad.
Happy Easter everyone! Do you dig my chicks? They're just hatched, so if the one in the back looks like it hit the beers last night, give him a break!
Unfortunately my planned posts didn't exactly happen this week, I've been travelling quite a bit so trying to find time and a good internet connection ultimately worked against me. But I do have these cheery colourful Easter cupcakes for you today.
Simple Fondant Technique
This is more of a technique post so if you're looking for a basic cupcake recipe click here.
You will need: A large rolling pin. A fine sieve. Icing sugar. Ready to roll icing. A variety of food colouring. Butter cream frosting.
Slice a chunk of the ready to roll icing, which can easily be found in most supermarkets, and add a drop of food colouring.
Using your hands knead the colouring into the icing until you get a nice even colour.
Repeat until you have a variety of coloured icing.
Sieve a little icing sugar over a work surface and the rolling pin.
Roll out the icing to about 1/4cm in thickness.
Using a glass or cookie cutter about the same size as the surface of the cupcakes, make circular cutouts from the icing.
Spread an even layer of butter cream frosting over the top of the cupcakes.
Place a circle of the icing in your hand, turn the cupcake upside down and place on the center of the icing.
Turn the cupcake up the right way and using your fingers gently smooth the icing all the way around, until you have a nice even surface.
To get rid of any excess icing sugar and to achieve and nice even finish on the icing brush with a little water.
Et voila! These are just simple plain fondant cupcakes, think what you could do when you let your imagination run wild- Head over to Bakerella for more cupcake inspiration!
I just got back from Sweden on Sunday night. I was over there working in Stockholm and then got the train down to Gothenberg to support my friend Jonathan who was in this year's Swedish Eurovision Selection. He performed amazingly but unfortunately didn't make it through to the next round. I'm sure he'll be back next year to make it to the finals! Sofie was due to come out on Thursday but thanks to the snow and four cancelled flights, she didn't make it out until Friday night. Which meant I had a bit of time to spare, so I went for nice big walk in the snow, here's a few pictures:
There has been a few new Irish food blogs but check out the latest blog I came across CheapEats.ie which is great for spotting shopping bargains on offer across the country! Another cool one particularly for its travel pics is thefood.ie warblings check them out, it's always great to see new blogs!
This recipe is actually one I wrote for the book. I had toyed with whether or not to include a Sweets chapter, and in the end decided I couldn't do without. The cookies took a few tries to get the mix right especially using whole wheat flour, but the end result is a chewy sweet cookie which is really tasty. They literally take minutes to make and have quickly become my solution to the TV watching munchies!
Peanut Butter Cookies These are incredibly tasty little cookies which are so easy to make. Perfect for cooking with kids!
Makes approximately 9 cookies. 4 rounded tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter. 1 large egg. 2/3 cup of dark brown sugar. 1/3 cup of whole wheat flour. Place the sugar, and flour in a large mixing bowl and combine. With a wooden spoon create a well in the center of the bowl and add the egg and peanut butter. Beat the egg and peanut butter with the flour and sugar until a thick dough forms. If the dough is too moist simply add a little extra flour. Allow the dough to sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Remove from the fridge and place rounded tablespoons of the dough onto a greased baking sheet. Bake in the oven at 180oC/ for approximately 15 minutes or until the cookies brown slightly. Remove from the baking sheet and allow to cool.
