Brrrr it sure is getting chilly out there! Ireland has been taken over by the wind and rain and it's fairly miserable, but pretty much to be expected. I love this sort of weather for cooking, lots of winter, warming dishes packed with flavours. I have two really tasty dishes that will do the trick and will post them during the week but for now, I cooked up a batch of caramelised balsamic red onion to go on top of crostini spread with a little paté. It makes a super little starter perfect pass around food for Christmas parties.
Caramelised Balsamic Red Onion
This method reduces pungent red onion to a sticky delicious delight which goes wonderfully with meat, mashed potato or even as a tasty addition to a quick starter. I love having that extra little touch that takes a meal to another level, with very little effort! You could use red wine vinegar here if you don't have balsamic vinegar to hand.
Serves 4-6 3 red onions, sliced into half moons 1 tablespoon of olive oil 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon of sugar
In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the red onion, stir to coat in the oil and fry gently for about 15 minutes or until soft. Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar and stir through. Cook gently for a further 15 minutes until you are left with rich, sticky onions. Serve with a little paté on a crisp crostini.
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.
Since the launch of the book I have been asked to do quite a few kids school demonstrations, and although I was a little apprehensive at first, I have pretty much grown to love them. The amazing thing that I forget about everytime I do a demo, is just how excited they get about food, and not only that, but how much they actually take in, when you speak about food. Today a little guy, around 7 years old, bravely stuck up his hand during the demo, in front of all of his mates and asked me, what was the best healthy substitute for mayonnaise. I was totally taken aback because it just shows that these kids are really thinking about the food that is being cooked! Having grown up learning how to cook from a very early age, I guess I always took that sort of knowledge as granted and to a certain extent it was just a part of normal life for me. After reading recent reports that 1in 5 of Ireland's children are obese, it's quite disturbing to think that these kids with unhealthy diets are growing up without that sort of knowledge. Knowledge which could potentially change their lives and have a dramatic impact on their health both now and in the long run.
From what I can see on the TV and in the press, the problem with kids eating unhealthy diets doesn't lie with the schools, they can only do so much, the problem and the solution lies with the food routines set out by the parents at home. Which is why an emphasis has to be put on teaching those parents who can't cook, the basic meals and cooking habits which will set them up to run a healthy, happy household. I am of course coming to you from the viewpoint of someone who doesn't have kids and I don't mean to get all preachy on you, I know there are time constraints and all sorts of other factors to consider but when you see kids who have such an active interest in food you seriously have to question where the problem actually lies. What do you think?
Food politics aside, I started a brand new weekly food column with Cork based newspaper, The Cork News, a few weeks back and it has been getting a really great response so far! Here is the recipe from today's column!
Garlic and Rosemary Chicken with Roast Cherry Tomato Salad Although I do try to buy as much in season vegetables as possible I just can't resist using cherry tomatoes in this tasty little dish. The good thing about roasting the them is that it brings out the best from even the most tasteless tomatoes. By feeding them with a little sea salt, black pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar you are guaranteed little morsels packed with punchy flavour. It's dishes like this which are really simple and full of flavour that make mealtimes far more enjoyable and take the hassle out of cooking for groups. Feel free to adapt the recipe as you wish, try using different herbs, different salad leaves, just use what you have.
Serves 4 4 chicken breasts 6 cloves of garlic 2-3 sprigs of rosemary 4 tablespoons of olive oil A good pinch of ground black pepper A good pinch of sea salt
For the salad: 4 tablespoons of olive oil 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar A good pinch of ground black pepper A good pinch of sea salt 1 large punnet of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 120g of rocket leaves 1 small red onion, finaly sliced Shavings of parmesan cheese to serve
In a bowl whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar for the salad. Add the tomatoes to a large roasting tray cut side up, pour half the dressing over and toss to combine. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Place in an oven at 200oC/Gas Mark 6 for about 35 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced in size. While the tomatoes are roasting in the oven, in a pestle and mortar or with the back of a knife, crush the garlic cloves with a little sea salt, until you have a fine paste. Remove the leaves from the sprigs of rosemary, and add them with the mushed garlic, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and chicken breasts to a bowl and allow to marinade while you prepare the rest of the salad ingredients. On a large hot griddle pan, fry the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes either side, depending on the size, but just make sure they are cooked through. In a large bowl, toss together the rocket, roasted cherry tomatoes, red onion and remaining dressing. Serve alongside the chicken with some shavings of parmesan cheese.
I got this recipe from my auntie Annie who originally used Delia Smith’s. It’s a really tasty little relish which goes great with burgers, fish or in a tasty sandwich. It also makes a super Christmas present- make a big batch and decant to interesting jars, label them and hey presto a cheap a cheerful Christmas gift any foodie would love!
Chilli Jam The original quantities are doubled here, as I prefer to make a larger batch. In this case you really need to sterilise the jars you use in order for the jam to last longer. To sterilise the jars and lids wash with boiling water, rinse and dry in an oven for 5-10 minutes on a baking tray at 150˚C/300˚F/Gas 2. Be careful the glass gets quite hot! This recipe makes approximately 1 litre of jam; I distributed this amongst a variety of jars. You can check what fits by filling them before hand with 1 litre of water from a measuring jug.
3 medium red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped. 1kg of tomatoes (I used approximately 16 tomatoes). 4 cloves of garlic, crushed. 2 thumb sized pieces of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped. 2 tablespoon of Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla). 450g of Demerara sugar. 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. 100ml of red wine vinegar.
Place half the tomatoes into a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium pot. Place the rest of the tomatoes, red chillies, garlic, ginger and Thai fish sauce into the food processor and blitz until it becomes a smooth paste. Transfer to the pot and place over a medium heat. Stir through the sugar, balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar. Bring to the boil stirring regularly, then reduce the heat and keep at a steady simmer for 35 minutes or until the jam has reduced by half its volume. Stir every 5 minutes. When the jam has cooked allow to cool and then transfer to sterilised jars. Cover and place in the fridge. Enjoy with sandwiches, alongside meat or fish dishes, or as a delicious dipping sauce.
Well I did think my plan to have a party on Saturday night, based purely on drinking Mohito's, was good one, however it's now Monday and my head still hurts. After not drinking for almost two months, the alcohol had me in a pretty bad way, and the drinking games most certainly did not help! (Damn you Paulie!) But I have to say the one thing that tickles me pink about having people over, is making dainty party food! It can come in so many different forms, a large sit down meal, a buffet style banquet, and even my favourite, finger food. Entertaining for me has to be easy, it has to be quick, and it's gotta be tasty! I have some more recipe's from Saturday night but here is just one of the quick snacks I came up with:
Basil Pesto with Roasted Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes on Toast
For the Pesto:
One large handful of basil leaves.
One large handful of pine nuts.
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
One large handful of grated Parmesan Cheese.
A good sprinkle of Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper.
You can either do this by hand in a pestle and mortar, or in a food blender, I have a handy little attatchment for my Braun hand blender which does the job nicely. Bung all the ingredients together in the mixer and blitz for about 10-20 seconds. Then depending on the texture of the green paste add more or less oil, different mixes will require different amounts, so don't be afraid to experiment. The pesto can be used straight away or kept in a jar, in the fridge, with a covering of olive oil.
For the Roasted Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes:
Two punnets of Cherry Tomatoes.
2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
1 tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar.
1 tbsp of Dried Oregano.
A pinch of Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper.
Half all the tomatos and tumble into a roasting tray. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over them, making sure not to allow the insides to fall out. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and oregano on top and roast in the oven for about 20 minutes at 200oC. Simple!
To finish the dish, toast slices of good hearty bread under the grill, and allow to cool. Spread the pesto generously on the bread, and add a few of the cherry tomatoes on top. Garnish with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and serve! Delicious!
Originally a middle eastern ingredient bulgar wheat is made from cracked wheat kernels. It's an excellent store cupboard ingredient which is highly nutritious and can be stored for long periods of time. This wholegrain product is packed with fiber and protein, but is low in calories, plus it's so easy to make. If you have never tried it before I would describe it as mix between couscous and brown rice.
Bulgarwheat Chicken Rocket and Parsley Salad This sort of recipe is perfect for entertaining, it can easily be made the night before and stored in the fridge.
Serves 4-6 people. 200g bulgar wheat. 1 teaspoon of vegetable bouillon powder. 3 chicken breasts. A large handful of parsley, roughly chopped. A large handful of rocket, roughly chopped. 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and roughly chopped. 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.
Place the bulgar wheat in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Stir through the vegetable bouillon powder, cover with cloth or a cling film and allow to sit for about 30 minutes or until all the water is soaked up. Brush the chicken breasts with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and just before it begins smoking add the chicken breasts. Reduce the heat slightly and cook on both sides for approximately 6-7 minutes either side depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Remove the chicken from the pan and roughly chop into bitesize pieces. Add the chicken, parsley and rocket to the bulgar wheat and stir through to combine. Season with a good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper and stir through the remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!
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!
I have a notebook full of all my great ideas for Christmas posts for the blog, which will just have to wait until next year. For those of you who don't know where I have been for the last month and a bit, I have been playing Peter Pan in the Tivoli Theatre panto! Two shows a day for over a month has meant that there has been no time for the blog unfortunately. I had my first proper day off last Monday but stayed in bed all day, but I was up with and with it today so I finally got around to some cooking!
I have been living on this salad from The Food Room in Clontarf over the last few weeks, so I thought I would recreate it here! It's really delicious and full of healthy ingredients, plus it's so easy to make!
Broccoli Feta and Cherry Tomato Salad
1 large head of broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces.
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes. (250g)
1 packet of ready chopped pancetta or bacon.
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
A good pinch of ground black pepper.
A good handful of crumbled feta cheese.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. While the water is boiling, combine the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a serving bowl. Add the broccoli to the pot of water and blanch for 60 seconds, you should see the broccoli turn a vibrant green. Drain the broccoli pieces and run under cold water. Add the broccoli to the serving bowl and set aside.
Place a small frying pan over a high heat and fry the bacon pieces until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, place on on some kitchen paper and allow to cool before adding to the rest of salad. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and tumble in to the bowl on top of the broccoli. Add the bacon pieces and feta cheese to the serving bowl. Gently toss all the ingredients in the dressing and season with black pepper. Serve as a tasty side dish or a really tasty lunch. You can also add walnuts or pine nuts for an extra crunch!
And I know it's a bit cheeky having not posted for a few weeks but here's a shameless plug to remind you, if you like the good mood food blog, you can nominate it for the Irish Blog Awards here!
I'm writing this on a dark train in the middle of a snow bound Sweden, this week we are visiting Sofie's folks in Gothenburg, so I have unwillingly been catapulted into the Christmas season whether I like it or not. As you all know of course snow equals Christmas and during the long dark days in Sweden they really go all out for the festive season. We are hoping to get in all the sights and sounds of a Swedish Christmas to bring home some Scandinavian inspiration to our home just in time for the seasonal period. While all that is going on let's not forget that on these cold dark days, serious fuel is needed to boost the immune system and keep you up and running! My mushy Roast Garlic and Cherry Tomato Pasta is one of those dishes I came up with hungry after work last winter. It has all those great punchy flavors of roast vegetables combined to make the most luscious thick juicy tomato sauce for the hot pasta you tumble in on top. Don't be afraid of using a whole bulb of garlic, the roasting process will take away the strong flavors you get from raw garlic and instead you will be left with a sweet intense mush which can be pushed out its skin using the back of a fork. Possibly one of THE BEST recipes from Good Mood Food, you will make this one again and again!
Mushy Roast Garlic and Cherry Tomato Pasta Serving this little supper hot to the table with a good handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese is an absolute must! It brings the whole dish together and pumps up all those amazing roasted flavors.
Serves 4 people 250g/9oz wholewheat penne 1 large bulb of garlic 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes 1 large red onion 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 3 tablespoons of olive oil A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper A large handful of grated parmesan cheese An extra glug of olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Slice the top off the bulb of garlic so that almost all the cloves are exposed. Place the garlic in a large roasting tray. Prepare the cherry tomatoes by slicing them in half. Place the tomatoes in the roasting tray. Prepare the red onion by peeling and slicing into rough quarters, place alongside the tomatoes and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and using a pastry brush, brush the mix over the tomatoes, the red onion and garlic bulb. Sprinkle the tomatoes, garlic and onion with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Roast in the oven for 30–35 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced to half their size. While the garlic, tomatoes and onion are roasting, bring a medium-sized pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside. When the tomatoes, garlic and onion are cooked, remove from the oven and, using a fork, carefully push out the garlic cloves from their skins and mash all the ingredients together until you have a thick mushy sauce. Tumble the cooked pasta into the roasting tray and add the parmesan cheese and an extra glug of olive oil. Toss everything together until the pasta is evenly coated. Serve in a large bowl and enjoy!
We've had a pretty bad summer here in Ireland weather wise, and I had high hopes for lots of lovely summer evening BBQ's with some tasty salads. Instead I have had to settle with eating out whenever it's been dry for more than 30 minutes and dragging a full table setting in out of the rain on more than one occassion. However we still have the whole of August to go so fingers crossed for that perfect summer evening! I have one more recipe from our little bank holiday break and few more photos too, enjoy! This was the view from our table while we ate this salad:
Spinach and Cherry Tomato Salad If you don't have avocado oil, don't worry, just use some good quality extra virgin olive oil. As I mentioned in a previous post I picked up some recently and it tastes great, plus it's super healthy, so if you can get your hands on some try it out!
Serves 4 3 large handfuls of spinach 2 large handfuls of rocket 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 3 tablespoons of avocado oil 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon of English mustard 1 clove of garlic, finely minced A good pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Add the oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, sea salt and black pepper to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the tomatoes, spinach, and rocket to the bowl and toss until all the leaves are coated in the tasty dressing. Serve straight away. You could also make the dressing ahead of time and keep in the fridge.
I finally sent off the manuscript of text for the book to Mercier press last week, so things have finally calmed down a little here in the Good Mood Kitchen! I have to say the whole process has been a major learning process and has been totally enjoyable. The most exciting part of the entire project had to be spending the two days working hell for leather in September with Jocasta the lovely food photographer and Erica my lovely food stylist/sous chef/psychiatrist/ and Auntie!! I picked up so many great little tips, so I'll have to do an extra special post detailing them all. For now here's a great quick dinner, which I made the other night, it's super tasty and so easy to make.
Mushy Roast Garlic and Cherry Tomato Pasta
This is an absolutely delicious dish which is so easy to prepare and is perfect for entertaining. I roast all the ingredients in a large roasting tray and when they are cooked using a fork mash them altogether to create a super tasty thick tomato sauce. Don’t be put off my roasting the whole garlic bulb, it produces a really rich, deep and faintly sweet flavour and makes it a lot more palatable than in its raw state.
250g of Wholewheat Penne Pasta. 1 large bulb of garlic. 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes. 1 large red onion. 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. 3 tablespoons of olive oil. A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper. An extra glug of olive oil. A large handful of grated parmesan cheese.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 4. Slice the top off the bulb of garlic so that almost all the cloves are exposed. Place the garlic in a large roasting tray. Prepare the cherry tomatoes by slicing them in half. A quick tip I picked up recently is that in order to always get an open faced halved tomato, look for the small dimple at the top of the tomato. Always slice across this bump and you will end up with perfectly sliced tomato faces! Place the tomatoes in the roasting tray. Prepare the red onion by peeling and slicing into rough quarters, place alongside the tomatoes and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and using a pastry brush, brush the mix over the tomatoes, the red onion, and the garlic bulb. Sprinkle the tomatoes, garlic, and onion with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Roast the tray in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the tomatoes have reduced to half their size. While the garlic, tomatoes, and onion are roasting, bring a medium sized pot of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.
When the tomatoes, garlic and onion are cooked remove from the oven and using a fork, mash all the ingredients together until you have a thick mushy sauce. Tumble the cooked pasta into the roasting tray and add the Parmesan cheese and an extra glug of olive oil. Toss everything together until the pasta is evenly coated. Serve in a large bowl and enjoy!
What is it with caterers who seem to think the only solution to feeding a large amount of people means sticking everything in a deep fat fryer? Recently I have been to more than 3 events which have resorted to battered chicken nuggets, onion rings, and cocktail sausages! Now I'm not going to completely condemn them as I did have a quick nibble, as most people do, but I would far rather some simple, fresh finger food with healthy ingredients which don't rely on a vat of boiling fat to make them look pretty!
This little antipasto salad is my simple solution to any pre dinner nibbles. Three tasty ingredients combined to make a delicious little starter which can be thrown together in no time at all. Best of all it looks so damn good your guests will think you went to a whole lot of bother! To be honest this is more of a sit down affair, but if you did want to transform this dish into proper finger food, simply toast some small slices of bread, spread with a little pesto, wrap a few rocket leaves, wafers of parmesan cheese and crushed olives in some parma ham slices, place on the pesto toast and hold together with a cocktail stick.
Simple Antipasto Salad This is a great base for any salad so feel free to throw in some lovely extras if you so wish. Things like toasted pine nuts, garlic croutons, and sun dried tomatoes would all work great in this. If you buy olives unpitted, simply crush them with the back of a knife and remove the stone with your fingers.
3 large handfuls of rocket leaves. (Arugula) Half of a 100g jar of green olives (pitted). 1 packet of parma ham slices. 1 Large handful of wafer thin parmesan cheese slices. 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. A small pinch of ground black pepper.
The method for this one is so easy- Simply mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently. Tumble the salad onto a large serving dish and serve. Make sure to provide lots of crusty bread to eat alongside and enjoy!
One of the most exciting things about Foodstock was getting to show of some really fantastic quality Irish products, and it wasn’t really until I actually arrived in Paris that I realised the importance of this. Myself and Raphael spoke about organising what he called a “Dégustation” so that everybody at Le Fooding could sample the dishes we would be serving up. When we arrived at the hotel we met with the lovely Constance who would be tasting the dishes along with two of her colleagues from the magazine to give us the green light. It was only after I served up the Kelly’s of Newport Black Pudding and Cashel Blue Cheese salad that I realised how specifically Irish these products really are and just how distinctive the flavours were. I have to say with the initial reaction I was really proud, not just to be serving up a salad that went down well, but also to a certain extent that I could claim these fantastic ingredients as my own!
On the night when we served up the salad, I’m pretty sure people were a little bit apprehensive about trying the black pud but when they did the reaction was really great and we had people coming back for seconds! Louise a lovely Danish girl who is living in Paris and working for Le Fooding was overseeing the serving of the food and was on the tables with me all night. There was a system they were using where you could only get a portion in exchange for a coloured ticket. Now anyone who knows me will know that I am colourblind and have trouble differentiating similar colours or different shades which made it extremely hard to be strict with the tickets when it came to serving in the dark! However Louise was on hand with a fantastic sense of Scandinavian organisation covering up for my shoddy ticket skills and making sure things ran smoothly!
If you are Irish, this is a lovely little salad to show off some of our distinctively Irish produce to foreign visitors and if you're not you can always substitute the cheese and the black pudding for something more regional! Let me know your suggestions! :)
Kelly's Of Newport Black Pudding and Cashel Blue Cheese Salad Make sure to prepare everything ahead of time and only assemble with the dressing when you are ready to serve!
Serves 8 280g of Kelly's of Newport black pudding in 1cm slices 120g of mixed baby leaves 80g of Cashel blue cheese broken into chunks 40ml of balsamic dressing
Balsamic dressing (makes 55ml of dressing) 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon of Jameson Whiskey 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard Salt and pepper to taste
Arrange the black pudding slices on a baking tray, and place in an oven at 200oC/Gas Mark 6 for 7-8 minutes. Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. Dress the salad leaves lightly with half the dressing and toss to combine. Arrange the leaves on serving dishes with a slice of black pudding and a little crumbled Cashel blue cheese. Serve with an extra drizzle of dressing.
I would like to blame jet lag as the reason I didn't really post last week, but it was really down to pure laziness! But I'm back and that's what really counts. Saturday gave us the last sun, Ireland will probably see for the next 7 months, so we made the most of it and had a lovely salad on the balcony, which was actually the first time we have used it since we moved in!
I made a lovely salad with a dressing that I just had to share here!
Classic Dijon Balsamic Dressing
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
3/4 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
1 Clove of crushed Garlic
A good pinch of Sea Salt and Black Pepper
I used to have a handy little plastic dressing mixer, but it's gone walking so if you don't have one like me, just place all the ingredients in a small glass cover tightly with some cling film and give it a good shake. It's ready to serve or you can store it in the fridge!
It can really bring out the flavours in a plain old salad and put a SMILE ON YOUR FACE!
I would like to blame jet lag as the reason I didn't really post last week, but it was really down to pure laziness! But I'm back and that's what really counts. Saturday gave us the last sun, Ireland will probably see for the next 7 months, so we made the most of it and had a lovely salad on the balcony, which was actually the first time we have used it since we moved in!
I made a lovely salad with a dressing that I just had to share here!
Classic Dijon Balsamic Dressing
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
3/4 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
1 Clove of crushed Garlic
A good pinch of Sea Salt and Black Pepper
I used to have a handy little plastic dressing mixer, but it's gone walking so if you don't have one like me, just place all the ingredients in a small glass cover tightly with some cling film and give it a good shake. It's ready to serve or you can store it in the fridge!
It can really bring out the flavours in a plain old salad and put a SMILE ON YOUR FACE!
Last Twinnerparty recipe today! Hope you are all set for tomorrow night, I will write a few tips later on to save time, like the things you can make ahead and so on. A huge thank you to Julian from Bubble Brothers who has posted his suggestions for wines to go with the full meal, so if you are into your wines, head over there to see which wine goes with what! Kick off time for the twinnerparty is 7pm, with an aim to serve the first course at 7.30pm, but as we are all mostly from Ireland, timing of things normally goes out the window, but sure we'll see!
Beetroot, Goats Cheese, Pine Nut and Rocket Salad
This is a really tasty starter dish which is perfect for preparing the ingredients ahead of time and simply assembling them at the last minute to create a pretty impressive salad. If you don't want to roast the beetroot yourself, you can by precooked vac packed ones in the supermarket.
Serves 6 6 medium sized beetroot 75g pine nuts 250g goats cheese, cut into bitesize pieces 60g rocket leaves 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard Half a clove of garlic, minced A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
You can cook the beetroot ahead of time if you wish, simply wrap them in tinfoil, place on an oven tray and bake for about an hour at 190C/Gas Mark 5 or until you can insert a fork smoothly. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then peel with knife and slice into quarters. On a large frying pan, over a medium heat, toast the pine nuts, until golden brown, make sure to keep an eye on them as they can burn quite easily. In a large bowl whisk together the Dijon mustard, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper and set aside. When you are ready to serve the salad, arrange the beetroot quarters and goats cheese pieces on each plate. Toss the rocket leaves in the dressing and place a little on each plate. Finally scatter each plate with the toasted pine nuts and serve straight away!
Who else is ready for the lighter foods season to start? I love Christmas and all the festive food that comes with it but after all the leftovers are eaten I am more than ready to start eating healthy dishes again. As January rolls in the focus will quickly change to healthy dishes to help all those with optimistic New Years resolutions and I can't wait!
There is nothing more exciting for me than the feeling of starting something new! So as you can imagine I am already looking forward to 2010 and the start of a brand new decade. Now everyone has new years resolutions but sometimes its easier, if even a bit scary to look at the big picture and start thinking what the next 10 years might bring! I'm still having a think about where I want to be in 2020, but one of the big things on my list is to keep eating healthy food and exercising so I'm ready for the next ten years! So come on new decade we're READY FOR YA!
Avocado, Parmesan and Rocket Pasta
As I may or may not have mentioned I am addicted to avocados! They are packed with healthy nutrients and vitamins so all the more reason to eat them. I have been coming up with different recipes just to stick them in to my diet and this is one of my favourites. Look for avocados which are slightly soft to the touch when you press them with your fingers. The only thing to remember about avocados is that, unless you give them a spritz of lemon juice they tend not to like sitting around, so always prepare them last.
Serves 4 250g of wholemeal pasta 70g of rocket leaves, roughly chopped 2 avocados 1 clove of garlic, minced 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar A good handful of grated Parmesan cheese A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Cook the pasta according the instructions on the pack. While the pasta is cooking, add the rocket, Parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper to a mixing bowl and set aside. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and then add it to the bowl. Pour in the vinegar and olive oil and stir the pasta until it is nicely coated. You should end up with stringy cheesy green pasta- YUM! Slice the avocados in half and remove the stones, slice thinly and add to the pasta. Serve straight away and devour!
First of all- TasteSpotting.com! Most of the online foodies out there will know exactly what I'm talking about, but if you have no idea, this site was pure indulgence for food porn enthusiasts! It hand picked some of the best photo's and recipe's from food blogs across the world, and displayed them in one handy site. I'm sure there will a similar site soon, as Tastespotting will be sorely missed.
And now, how about a recipe?
Dishes which are packed with healthy ingredients and stunning colors, are not only a cure for hunger, they can really improve your mood too. With the summer in full flow, there is so much in season veg and fresh herbs that it can get a bit traumatic knowing what exactly to with it- this quick pasta salad is a great solution as it's basically a raid on the contents of your fridge which you can transform too your very own taste. It definitely beats the image of soggy mayonnaise laden pasta salads sitting in plastic containers at your local supermarket!
I made this in about 15-20 mins right after I collected Sofie from the airport recently and not only does it hit the spot- it's a really handy and healthy little pasta salad. This is the way I do it;
:: SESAME PASTA SALAD
Wholemeal Pasta
1 Red Onion slice into half moons.
1 Carrot finely chopped.
1/2 small cucumber finely chopped.
Feta Cheese
Handful of Basil finely chopped.
2 tbs of Olive Oil
1 Tbs of Balsamic Vinegar
A handful of toasted Sesame Seeds.
A good pinch of Salt and Pepper.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the pasta, cook until tender, then drain and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, prep your veg, cheese, and basil.
In a large mixing bowl, add the vinegar and oil and give it a quick whisk. Then add all the veg cheese and herbs and combine with the pasta. Give it a good pinch of salt and pepper and serve. Top the finished dishes with golden toasted sesame seeds.
I have put together the shopping list for tomorrow's Twinnerparty which you can see below, I haven't included the following as I felt most people might have these in their storecupboard but if not make sure to pick up:
- Dijon mustard - Olive Oil - Balsamic Vinegar - Sea Salt - Ground Black Pepper - Honey
Here's the shopping list! Remember if you have any questions I am on Twitter here, or leave a comment below.
Now generally I am a Chicken and fish fan so this dish mostly came about because my girlfriend gently suggested that I should cook something other than chicken tonight! Not one to dissappoint I head to the butchers with this in mind and picked out some lamb chops. Ok I know carrot and cabbage mixed together is coleslaw but there's something off putting about coleslaw which make my mind conjure up images of soggy cabbage drenched in watery cheap mayonnaise. Ew! So that why I'm sticking with carrot and cabbage salad!
Oregano Lamb Chops
4 good quality lamb chops
3 cloves of garlic chopped finely
3 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of good quality balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
A good pinch of sea salt and ground pepper
Put the lamb chops in a ziploc food bag and add the chopped garlic plus the rest of the ingredients to the bag. Zip Lock the bag then shake so that the mixture completely coats all the lamb. Then put the bag in the fridge to marinate, while you prepare the salad. It's like sooo easy!
Simple Carrot and Cabbage Salad
The salad is just as easy. You will need:
1/4 of white cabbage
1 Large carrot
1 tablespoon of homemade mayonaisse
A good pinch of Sea Salt and Ground Pepper.
Peel the carrot and slice into thin strips and place in a large bowl. Then chop the cabbage finely and seperate into pieces. Add the cabbage, mayo, salt, pepper and mix it all up! Put the salad mix in the fridge.
I normally cook this for just my self and my girlfriend so I take two of the chops out of the marinade bag, reseal it and freeze. I find that when the meat is defrosted in the marinade it makes it very tender. So anyway take the lamb chops out of the fridge and place on a hot grill and cook till brown on both sides (about 5 mintues either side). Take the carrot and cabbage salad out of the fridge and put a portion on a plate and place a golden brown chop ontop!
