Sorry for the lack of post around here lately. Since around November I have been working on a song for the Irish Eurovision selection, and I recently got news I have been selected as one of the six finalists!
Food of course is one of my big passions, but Eurovision and music are right up there with it! My song, "Double Cross My Heart" is an upbeat europop song with a catchy tune and even catchier performance, the song would be a breath of fresh air for Ireland's Eurovision entry.
I'm an absolutely huge fan of the contest (don't judge me :)!) and more than anything I want to bring Eurovision back to Ireland!
Ireland has an amazing track record at the contest so Let's show Europe, WE STILL HAVE IT!
I will be performing up first on Saturday night the 23rd of Febuary, so if you want to do your country proud this year in Serbia, be sure you pick up the phone and VOTE!
As the posts here may be lacking at the moment you can follow my progress during the whole thing at http://donalblogs.blogspot.com/ where I'll keep you up to date on all things Eurovision!
And if you have no interest in that at all, The mood food blog will be back when I actually have a chance to get back in the kitchen! :)
On Wednesday, I was out in Blanchardstown IT to launch a new campaign to get students eating healthy, the lovely girls in the pic were students at the college and we had lots of fun, though one of them got an oily courgette dropped on her lovely new UGG boots.... I think she might hate me! The launch went great and in a few week colleges and schools around the country will be serving up some Good Mood Food! You can have a read of the press release below...
NEW CAMPAIGN TO PUT IRISH STUDENTS IN A GOOD MOOD WITH FOOD Exciting new culinary campaign to boost mood, memory and concentration of students
Well-known food blogger and ‘Ireland’s answer to Jamie Oliver’, 23-year old Donal Skehan, has joined forces with the world’s biggest foodservice business, Unilever Food Solutions, to bring what he describes as “the power of good mood food” to students in secondary schools and IT colleges across Ireland.
Renowned for his love of good, simple, healthy, homecooked foods, Donal and Unilever Food Solutions are on a mission to show students and school chefs just how easy it is to make food that will lift spirits, naturally boost performance and generally put students in an all-round ‘good mood’, even in times of stress – perfect timing as Irish students face into their mid-term exams this month.
Donal has worked with Unilever Food Solutions’ culinary team to create five delicious and nutritious recipes that use a mix of readily-available ingredients that will appeal to even the fussiest of student palettes! The recipes range from fiery salsa chicken to vegetarian frittatas, which are packed with flavour and mood-enhancing goodness.
Speaking at the launch of the campaign in IT Blanchardstown, Aoife McGuigan, Channel Marketing Manager of Unilever Food Solutions said, “Good Mood Foods are foods and meals that have a positive impact on those eating them. They can be dishes that help you concentrate, an energy boost before a game, stimulation for the brain or just a dish made to share and lift the mood of all. We’re excited to have Donal on board – he’s a big believer in the power of food and how it effects our lives and is the perfect advocate for the campaign, appealing to all audiences in this exciting schools activation.”
The Good Mood Food campaign is open to all secondary schools and IT colleges in Ireland. To participate, teachers and school chefs can simply request an information pack and recipes when they place their order with their local Unilever sales representative. The information pack contains all the recipes along with colourful materials to promote the campaign in the school’s canteen including posters and Good Mood Food recipe cards that students can take home to try out for themselves.
All schools and IT colleges that participate will be entered into a competition to win a Good Mood Food masterclass with Donal where students and chefs can cook with the talented young chef and learn more about the foods that can help boost mood, memory and concentration powers.
The Unilever Food Solutions Good Mood Food campaign will commence in February, with the Good Mood Food masterclass held in April 2010.
In case you didn't know already I'm from Howth, which, for the benifit of foreign readers, is a really picturesque fishing village just north of Dublin. I've grown up here all my life, and I have to admit that it is only recently that I have really started to appreciate the natural beauty of the area. There is so much to see, amazing cliff walks, boat trips to the nearby island, Ireland's Eye, a super collection of fresh fish mongers and some really well respected restaurants.
During the summer months we try and get out fishing as much as possible, mackerel is normally the fish of the day, but sometimes pollack is pulled out of the blue too. Early on most sunny Sunday mornings, hidden from the sight of land lovers, there is a eclectic little group of small fishing boats from Howth, which can be found floating just off the back of Ireland's Eye, all with one aim, the day's catch. Rods and lines at the ready in the calm blue, the process of fishing takes pride of place, but of course amongst the peaceful calm there is the secret competition for the first fish. Even the most relaxed individual can't deny the envy of another boat with a line full and heavy with fish. Our most recent trip, in the first week in June, unfortunately did not produce any fish, so we arrived back to land with food on the brain.
For the past few years, traders and food producers from all over Ireland come to Howth to the farmers market which is set up every Sunday to provide locals and tourists with tasty treats, fresh vegetables, and quality meats. Although the quality of produce is generally high, it can be quite expensive, so I normally only purchase something I can't get in the supermarket. With the suprisingly good Irish summer fully in swing, there was a huge selection of fresh summer fruits on offer and I couldn't resist. Fresh cherries were my fruit of choice as I had been contemplateing a cherry clafoutis for the last few weeks, so the opportunity couldn't be passed.
Also on offer, was an incredible full cooked pig which was slowly being roasted on a spit, which they were slowly slicing pieces off, for sandwiches which were being sold.
If you are ever in Howth make sure to come on Sunday, the market is open from 10am - 4pm pretty much all year round.
Most of life's great decisions come from having absolutely no prior knowledge as to how something is going to turn out. That was most certainly the case over the weekend. You might remember earlier this year I got roped into cooking for 800 hungry Parisians for an event on a small island in the west of the city with Le Fooding magazine sponsored by our very own Bord Bia. Well after the huge success at Chalet Des Illes, the delightful Noreen Lanigan, decided she wanted more abuse from me and decided, being a blogger I would be the right person to demonstrate at the third annual Salon Du Blog Culinaire, an event organized by a cookery school north of Paris in the little town of Soissons, in November. The event is quite unique and very timely with the amount of food blogs continually on the increase. It invites lots of France's finest food bloggers to demonstrate their favorite dishes and kitchen techniques in a fairly manic two day period watched on by fellow bloggers eager for culinary inspiration. During the summer I had the opportunity to meet a group of France's top food bloggers who were on a visit to Ireland to discover the fantastic conditions our lovely animals enjoy before they head off the little farm in the sky and onto our supermarket shelves. To put things in perspective here, unlike our own Irish food blogging community which, while thriving and very rapidly increasing in numbers, this group of French food bloggers were 10 of over a thousand. These guys were the cream of crop and are well and truly established with tens of thousands of visitors a day, numerous cookbooks and iPhone and iPad Apps. Not surprising really from a nation who takes so much pride and passion in their cooking that they would be willing to fall out with each other over a bad Boeuf Bourginon! After our visit to the farm, I demonstrated some of our traditional Irish dishes, including Irish stew, brown bread and roast lamb, and was gently reminded again that Noreen had plans for me in November…
Clare Clinton who is interning at Bord Bia's Paris office got the ball rolling earlier this month with emails back and forth to decide the best recipes to show off our finest meat and fish products. Despite me dragging my feet, we eventually decided upon 6 dishes to cook and impress the French food bloggers, including mussels in Irish cider, crab claws with chilli, garlic and lemon, roast shoulder of lamb with rosemary and garlic, a good auld Irish stew and to mix things up a little an oriental steak salad and spicy Beef fahitas.
Myself and Maeve Desmond, who I'm sure many of your may have met at Bloom or the Irish Food blogger event in May, flew to Paris on Friday evening just in time for a late dinner in a beautiful restaurant very close to La Bon Marché. The restaurant proudly serves Irish beef alongside some French classics and the quite adventurous dishes I chose including Carpaccio of veal tongue served with a salsa and for mains Pieds et Pacque d'agneau which on the English menu I was reading from was translated as feet and packets of lamb. I'm big believer in always trying something different in another country rather than something familiar but unfortunately sometimes it doesn't always work out the way I had planned. The veal tongue had a very interesting texture and flavor and was complimented quite nicely by the salsa it was served and was definitely worth the chance of trying, however the Lamb feet and packets, left a little to be desired… The packets turned out to be a strange little dumplings of finely minced pork wrapped in what looked very much like tripe and actually tasted quite nice, but the feet had about as much meat on them as my little finger. Maeve and Noreen played it safe and benefited from doing so with Maeve going for an amazing long wooden platter of beautifully sliced ham and of the Irish beef and Noreen choosing a lentil salad to start followed by the most amazing French black pudding which was really rich and velvety, a stark contrast to what we are used to with a fry! Dessert was a financier de poivre, an individual little flat cake with pear and île flottante a big dollop of fluffy egg white and sugar which was served floating in a dish of vanilla cream and topped with a caramel sauce. After all that we rolled our way back to our hotel ahead of the six o'clock start on Saturday morning.
There is one thing I don't do and that is early mornings, sure I can be full of energy first thing but I fade fairly rapidly during the day! Noreen runs a tight ship let me tell you (This woman has a tractor license!), so at 7.06 with toothbrush still in mouth, I answered to phone to a bright and sparky Noreen who wanted to know were I was! Rushing out the door and out onto the streets of Paris, I stumbled on Noreen and Clare (and a sleepy Maeve!) negotiating the boot of the car with Irish posters, recipe booklets and of course the suitcases. We were all bundled into the car and then the real fun started- our departure from Paris was fairly comical not helped of course by the GPS which took us on the wrong road at least twice.
When we finally arrived in Soissons and at the culinary arts school the 3rd Salon Du Blog was well underway. One of the French food bloggers who had been on the visit to Ireland, was the charming Chef Damien who makes a mean Boef A La Guiness and runs the school and a highly successful website, 750g, which attracts a ridiculous amount of visitors on a daily basis! There was definitely a huge sense of excitement as we were ushered through the halls of the school and passed the many rooms where different food bloggers would be spending their weekend. We arrived at the Bord Bia room which was positioned perfectly smack bang in the middle of all the rooms which guaranteed us constant traffic and visitors and were introduced to our helpers Suella and Virginie. It's always fairly nerve-wracking arriving at a new kitchen so there was some fierce scurrying around to get all the equipment and ingredients before we were due to kick off with our first demonstration at 11am! We got kick started with a great turnout and the rest of the day was so busy that it became pretty much a blur except for the fantastic Bloggers Picnic that had been organized for lunch, where all the bloggers had brought along a little dish to be a part of the most massive buffet of food I have ever seen! One thing that should be noted and that is instantly clear in terms of the difference between Irish food bloggers and French food bloggers, they have no problem telling you they would done something differently, where we might be a little bit more shy to go up and taste test if someone is giving a demo. So it was all fairly nerve wracking to make sure things were cooked just the right way! Either way I love their passion!
Saturday finished off with a giant blogger banquet complete with hoards of Irish cheese, Irish salmon, Irish beef, Irish lamb and randomly enough a little bit of good old Irish dancing! We were sitting having a great time but the minute the music started Noreen told us she had to get up to take some photos and we thought no more of it, a few minutes later we looked down at the dance floor and there she was like Jeanne Butler on acid leading the Ceili putting the rest to shame- and THAT'S how you represent the country! I don't know whether it was the dancing or not but Noreen headed back to Paris on Sunday and we were joined by another lovely lady from Bord Bia, the lovely Bernadette, lovely! :)
On the last demo of the day on Sunday I was accompanied by Chef Damien to demonstrate a very simple dish of crab claws with chilli, garlic and lemon. The whole thing was a crazy combination of both of us trying to translate each other language but somehow I think it worked, and I suppose it did help that we were being filmed for the French tv station! All in all it was an absolutely fantastic event and I think we represented Ireland quite well if I do say so myself. My only wish was that I had got to see a lot more of the other demonstrations, there was a massive variety of food being demoed but I did manage to catch one or two! An absolutely massive thank you to Chef Damien, my two lovely kitchen assistants, the lovely ladies of Bord Bia, and of course all the French bloggers who made me feel so very welcome!
Happy St. Patricks Day everyone! Yes today is the big day, Ireland's answer to Christmas, when the Guinness is flowing, the food is a plenty and it all generally ends messily! I was in Dublin city yesterday and the amount of tourists with cameras strapped around their necks, I presume to catch a glimpse of an elusive leprechaun or two, was nothing less than impressive. I think there is something about our fine land of green, which musters up a somewhat mystical notion in the hearts of foreigners, that we are simple folk who tend to the fields by day and drink ourselves to sleep at night. Sure if it makes for a good story, why argue with it, I say! Right I will leave you with this traditional Irish dish of Bacon and Cabbage which will be part of The Daily Spud's Paddy's Day food parade and I'm off out to pull some potatoes from the ground, have a pint of guinness and kiss the blarney stone... Slán abhaile agus go n-éirí on bóthar leat!
Good Auld Bacon and Cabbage This dish would have been traditionally served quite regularly in homes all over Ireland, as the ingredients are quite readily available. It's real comfort food for me and I love the fresh flavours of the veg.
Serves 4 900g of Shoulder of bacon 1/2 head of savoy cabbage, sliced finely 2 Carrots, chopped 1 onion sliced 2 tablespoons of butter A good pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Creamy Leek and Parsley Sauce: 2 tablespoons of butter (a generous knob) 2 tablespoons of flour 2 large leeks, sliced finely 100-150ml bacon stock 1 teaspoon of English mustard A good handful of parsley, chopped 1 tablespoon of fresh cream
Remove the bacon from any packaging and place in a pot of cold water over heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 40 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the water, place on a plate and set aside. Save the bacon stock.
To make the creamy leek and parsley sauce, melt the butter in a sauce pot and sweat the leeks until soft but not coloured. Add the flour, mixing to combine, then add a little of the bacon stock stirring until the sauce thickens. Judge the consistency of the sauce by eye, and you may want to use a little more or less to your taste. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper and stir through the English mustard. Keep warm until you have the consistency you require and then stir through the chopped parsley and tablespoon of cream.
To make the cabbage, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the onion and carrots, cooking until soft. Add the cabbage to the pan and allow to wilt down slowly, turning every now and then until it has wilted down and become tender.
Serve the bacon in slices topped with the creamy leek and parsley sauce alongside the cabbage. Enjoy!
I have a really exciting competition for you today! Starting today and running right through to next week I have beautiful kitchen aprons from the Clodagh Mckenna "Love Aprons" range. I'm a big fan of them and have already bought a few for the domestic goddess in my life, but I'm not sure I would get away with wearing one myself, well not in public anyway! So Clodagh get busy designing a good manly one for me!
Clodagh Mckenna is one of Ireland's most well known TV food personalities. She trained as a chef at the world famous Ballymaloe Cookery School and then went on to work as a chef in Ballymaloe House for 3 years. After an inspiring visit to the Midleton Market, Clodagh decided to leave the kitchen and set up her own stall at the local market. Clodagh is now known across the country from her highly successful TV show "Fresh From The Farmers Market". But all that aside, more importantly she has recently launched her very own range of gorgeous aprons!
Clodagh's aprons are stocked in selected Irish shops, a list of which can be found at www.clodaghmckenna.com, where you can also purchase aprons online!
So to be in with a chance of winning the first apron up for grabs in the photo above simply answer the following question:
Where did Clodagh Mckenna train to become a chef? A: Ireland B: Italy C: Spain A winner will be chosen at random from all the entries, one entry per person, and the competition closes 27th of November at 9am! Check back on Friday to see if you have won and for a chance of winning Clodagh's Evening Apron! Best of luck! :)
Today I went on my very first mushroom hunt! It was organised by Slow Food Ireland and this is the introductory talk at powerscourt waterfalls just south of Dublin by mushroom expert, Bill O'Dea all about the different types of mushrooms edible and deadly! You'll have to excuse the focus pulling, I'm still getting to grips with the new camera- I'll post up lots of the photo's from the day when I finally get my head around it!
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.
I'm going to be demonstrating at Bloom 2010 which is taking place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin over the June bank holiday weekend. I haven't been before so I'm very excited to be heading down! Here's a bit about the event:
The Food Market is now firmly established as a key attraction at Bloom and this year’s Food Market will be Bloom’s biggest yet! With over 40 artisan food producers, the market highlights the very best that small artisan producers from around Ireland have to offer. The producers themselves will be on hand to provide tastings and give tips on how to prepare tasty dishes using their products. The market will include a huge variety of foods from handmade chocolates, and baked goods to farmhouse cheeses and the finest Irish honey.
Each day, Bord Bia will also host four live demonstrations on the Bloom cookery stage. Featured chefs will include award winning chef Neven Maguire; Darina Allen, Ballymaloe Cookery School; food blogger and author of “Good Mood Food” Donal Skehan (that's me!) and well known TV chef Jenny Bristow. The dishes prepared by the celebrity chefs will promote quality assured local produce and will be available to order each day in Bistro Bloom.
There will be an particular emphasis on artisan food within ‘The Food Village’, the area incorporating all the outdoor catering options, where food producers will “serve slow food fast”. A new feature for 2010 - Bord Bia will seek to bring food to life through a series of talks and demonstrations which will take place alongside the Food Market. The purpose of the showcase is to recreate the link for visitors between the food products on sale at the Market and the craft skills used in their creation. The demonstrations will also bring to life ‘forgotten’ food skills from Ireland’s past. Skills on show will include cheese making, butter churning, apple pressing and fish smoking. The demonstrators and talks will be delivered by a mix of current artisan producers and domestic practitioners.
Tickets are on sale on www.bloominthepark.com or by calling 0818 300 260, with significant discounts available in advance of the show. No booking fee applies and children go free.
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!
Today we have one of the aprons from Clodagh's fantastic evening range of aprons, and probably my favourite of all the aprons in her range, up for grabs!
Clodagh's aprons are stocked in selected Irish shops, a list of which can be found at www.clodaghmckenna.com, where you can also purchase aprons online, they would make a really great Christmas pressie for the favourite foodie in your life!
So to be in with a chance of winning the black apron in the photo above simply answer the following question:
What TV programme did Clodagh become famous for in Ireland? A: Barefoot Contessa B: Fresh From The Farmers Market C: Economy Gastronomy A winner will be chosen at random from all the entries, one entry per person, and the competition closes 1st of December at 9pm! Check back on Tuesday to see if you've won and for a chance of winning Clodagh's green apron! Best of luck! :)
HO HO HO! It's Christmas baby! Struggling to think what to buy a loved one for Christmas? Why look no further...
How about their very own personally signed copy of "Good Mood Food: Simple, Healthy Homecooking!"?
Yes that's right to celebrate the Christmas season which is well underway, well in my house anyway, I will be busy signing what ever you request on my book for your loved one. I will write whatever you want how you want it and your book will arrive wrapped in elegant recycled newspaper complete with big sticky red lipstick kisses if you so wish.
But be quick, I have a limited amount of stock, and I have team of trained monkeys who are sitting idle and waiting to get packing!
If you want your copy to be delivered in time to pop under the Christmas tree please make sure to order before the latest following dates... Ireland: 19th of December UK: 18th of December Europe: 13th of December Rest of the World: 6th of December
Ok that's all the talk, now time for some clicking pleasure, go on click it you know you want to!
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!
Well I would just like to say thank you for all the support and well wishes during the lead up to the release of "My Baby's Waiting", the good news is that we went number 1 in Ireland last week, so all the hard work payed off! I spent last week in LA for a little break in the sun, and totally gorged on a mix of completely unhealthy American food and some over the top healthy salads, so I am glad to be back to some sort of food normality. Settling back in today before life takes over, so here's a tasty recipe!
Tesse's Cheesy Salsa Baked Tortilla Chips There are a few little entertaining dishes I always have up my sleeve to impress with minimum effort. These tasty baked tortilla chips are just one of them, got the idea from my lovely friend Tesse- made in a matter of minutes they are perfect for serving with drinks. Feel free to experiment trying different types of cheese here but more often than not I use cheddar- I also sometimes add some sliced red onion to give them an extra kick.
Preheat the oven to 200oC. Place as many tortilla chips as you can on a large baking sheet. Spoon a teaspoon full of salsa on each tortilla chip and top with a little grated cheese. Place in the oven for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese goes a nice golden brown. Serve straight away and enjoy!
Cookes Restaurant,14 South William Street , Dublin, Ireland
A quality restaurant, very tasty and inventive food.
We went out for dinner in Dublin on Thursday evening, to celebrate Sofie getting a job! We hadn't booked anywhere so we ended up going for a bit of a walk to find a place we both liked!
After a walk down South William St, up Georges St, and through Georges St. Arcade we ended up stumbling into Cookes, who were offering a set menu of, starter and main course for €21.95, probably the best priced set menu for it's class we came across that evening.
Unlike my last meal in town, the waiting staff were extremely professional and very attentive. I was asked three times if I was finished my starter but in general they paced the courses quite well, leaving time to digest and have a good chat!
For a starter I had a Caesar salad, and Sofie ordered a Beef Carpaccio with rocket. The Caesar salad was very tasty but lacked croutons and had just that bit too much cheese. Sofie's Carpaccio was excellent, a perfect balance of taste and texture. For me the perfect dish is one that has a variety flavours that combine to become the perfect mouthful!
For mains, in a bit of turning of the tables Sofie went for the Caesar salad, and I chose the Duck Confit with Beans. The salad was standard again with the same criticism, however the duck was very tasty, I felt that the beans could have been stewed a little longer in the sauce as they were still a bit hard and didn't really compliment the texture of the dish.
All in all the meal was really enjoyable and perfect for an early meal out. I would definitely recommend Cookes, it definitely has a feel for food.
Today is the day I am going to share one of my ultimate favourite recipes from the book! I started writing my first food column in the Irish Independent Weekend magazine last weekend and got the opportunity to share some of my personal favs from the book, including Kerstin's bursting berries with white chocolate, Chicken Thigh Supper, Lime and Mint Mohito Chicken and Hasselback potatoes. However as I know there are a lot of readers beyond Ireland that might be interested in these recipes I thought it would be worth posting here too! Let me know if you want any of the other recipes included in the article posted here!
Crispy Hasselback Potatoes
I came across the recipe for Hasselback potatoes when I was younger and they are so visually appealing that I had to make them. The traditional recipe, originally from Stockholm, calls for breadcrumbs and cheese, but I have tried to make it as simple as possible for this recipe. The potatoes go nicely alongside most dishes. If your potato slices don’t separate while cooking, increase your heat and you should get better results.
Serves 4 Approximately 20 baby potatoes 2 tablespoons of melted butter A generous pinch of sea salt
These potatoes are a little bit daunting at first, but once you get the knack of it you’ll have no trouble! The idea is to cut slices about 3mm in thickness right across the potato, but to keep them attached at the bottom. If that all sounds a bit too much, there is a quick trick you can use: place the potatoes on a wooden spoon and slice down: the dip in the spoon will prevent you from slicing all the way through. When you’re finished, place all the potatoes sliced side up in a roasting tray and brush each one with the melted butter and give a good sprinkling of coarse sea salt. Roast at 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 for approximately 45 minutes or until the slices of the potatoes fan out and turn golden brown. Serve straightaway and dig in!
If the last recipe had drooling, well then I have a special treat for all you Duck Confit fans! The lovely Laurent from Confit De France has provided me with a tin of 4 Confit Duck Legs to giveaway here on the blog.
The duck legs come in a tin and are stored in duck fat which is perfect for roasting crispy potatoes! I decanted all the fat into a big jar which will last me at least 4 roasts! Brilliant!
The duck itself is so easy to prepare, just stick it on a baking sheet and shove in the oven. For such a little amount of work in the kitchen the results are absolutely amazing, the duck meat practically falls off the bone and is so delicious!
If you want to get your hands on your very own tin of these gourmet delights all you have to do is leave a comment telling me about your favourite French food!
The competition will close Tuesday 20th of October and is open to residents of Ireland. A winner will be selected at random from the comments!
Sorry to leave you hanging on the recipe front, I really got into writing the book last week, so it's left the blog a little quiet. But I haven't been far, I've been keeping up to date with the world of food blogging and beyond.
I recently got a message from John Maguire who has set up a great little forum for all things Food in Ireland, at www.askaboutfood.ie. Take a look at the site- lots of interesting topics.
Eoghan and Nathalie at CasaCaseyCourtney have announced they will be food blogging, and I'm looking forward to it, because they already have a great eye for pictures!
A special congrats to Kate at LidlTreats who has exploded on to the blogging scene and has even made the National Evening News! Brilliant stuff!
But now, back to our scheduled programming, I have a recipe! After writing out a grand menu plan for the week in order to keep things running smoothly, three days later it has gone to pieces and I haven't cooked one of the meals from it! But I'm not too disappointed, because in an attempt to save an Avocado from becoming over ripe, I came up with a tasty little salad.
Even my just about overripe Avocado, is one of the true underrated super foods- It's packed with essential fatty acids, Vitamin K and antioxidants- it also makes a lovely face mask! (But you didn't hear that from me...) Radish's are often linked to aiding digestive problems and are beneficial for the teeth and gum's- So overall this salad is packed with nutrition and is a perfect Good Mood Food recipe!
Enjoy! (In case your wondering, those are pea shoots on top of the salad.)
Balsamic Chicken with Avocado and Radish Salad (Serves 2)
2 Free Range Chicken Breasts.
1 Avocado.
6 Baby Radishes.
A Large Handful of Oak Leaf Lettuce Leaves.
1 Red Onion, cut in half and sliced wafer thin.
1 Small Garlic Clove, Peeled and Minced.
1 Teaspoon of Wholegrain Mustard.
2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar.
6 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
The Juice of Half A Lemon.
A Good Pinch Of Coarse Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Peppercorns.
If you have the time to marinade the chicken breasts overnight, by all means go ahead. Remove any fat (or "icky bits" as I've heard them reffered to in my kitchen) from the breasts and place in a zip loc baggy. Pour in 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar, 3 Tablespoons of EV Olive Oil, the Juice of half a Lemon, and a pinch of Black Pepper, seal and give a good shake! In a jar, bowl, or whatever you want to make your dressing in, combine, 1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar, 3 Tablespoons of EV Olive Oil, Garlic, Wholegrain Mustard, and a pinch of Sea Salt. Whisk or shake to combine, set aside and prepare the salad. Place a good handful of lettuce leaves on each plate, and scatter with the red onion. Slice the Avocado in half and remove the stone, spoon out the green flesh and slice into thin strips, arrange on top of the salad. Cut the baby Radishes into quarters and place on the outside of the plate. Heat a large frying pan (I would use a griddle pan if I had one!) till just before it begins smoking and place the breasts on, you shouldn't need any extra oil as Olive Oil is used in the marinade. Cook for approx 4-5 Minutes either side, remove from the heat, let it rest (if you can wait...) and slice into thin strips. Arrange on top of the avocado and using a spoon dribble the dressing over the salad.
I have a huge respect for the way people in Sweden view food. There is a major emphasis on eating well from a young age and also making the time to eat. While I worked as a chef in Gothenberg one of things that I was always impressed with was how, when lunch time rolled around, everything stopped and everybody working, from the kitchen porter to the restaurant manager, sat to eat a meal cooked by the head chef. The meals we ate were not just sloppy seconds, they were well thought out, healthy and delicious.
I've seen a similar emphasis on eating well being set in Swedish schools also, with fresh and healthy meals being produced for kids on a daily basis. When I went to school we were constantly served processed food with very few healthy options. I am aware that in Ireland many schemes have been introduced to teach kids about healthy options but it still does not seem to have a deep impact. In a world where we have more knowledge about food and it effects on the body than ever before, from what I can see our younger generations aren't easily provided with healthy wholesome meals as standard. It can't be hard to achieve and with with some simple planning this sort of eating can easily become common place. What do you think? How do schools in other countries approach healthy eating?
Swedish Cabbage Salad In Sweden it is quite common for restaurants to provide diners with a salad buffet table to accompany any main meals ordered. This tangy salad is quite common and is one of my favourite Swedish side dishes.
Makes about 6-8 portions. 500g of Dutch Cabbage (About half a head of cabbage). 100ml of rapeseed oil. 4 tablespoons of malt vinegar. 1 tablespoon of sea salt. 3 tablespoons of ground black pepper.
Prepare the cabbage by slicing into thin pieces and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the rapeseed oil, vinegar, sea salt and ground pepper. Mix the cabbage until all the ingredients are combined. Taste a piece of cabbage, you may want to add another spoonful of vinegar or perhaps a little more black pepper. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge. It's best to leave the salad for at least an hour or two or even over night. Serve cool as a tasty, healthy side dish.
