We Love Cooking! [Search results for crostini] 

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.

I made the decision after much talk, to finally learn how to grow my own vegetables this year. I've been pretty proud of my herb garden the last few years, so it was definitely time to make the plunge and become a real gardener! Unfortunately the last few months have been a bit crazy so I haven't had as much time to look after the garden as much as I would have wanted, but that hasn't stopped the veggies growing!

I never thought I would do it, but here it is my first recipe using my very own garden produce! I'm going to do a post with all the photos from my little vegetable over the last few months but for now, here is a recipe using one of the easiest vegetables I have had the pleasure of growing! Broad beans were definitely the most entertaining to watch growing from seed. They grow on a really sturdy stalk, and are fascinating to watch explode into giant, green torpedoes, perfect for picking!

Broad Bean Crostini
This is a perfect way to savour the fresh flavours of home grown broad beans. The thick broad bean paste can also be stirred through pasta for a tasty supper.

Serves 4
150g of shelled broad beans.
2-3 mint leaves.
½ clove of garlic.
3 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
A good handful of grated parmesan cheese.
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.
A few slices of toasted sourdough bread.

Place the broad beans in a pestle and mortar with the garlic, mint, sea salt and pepper.
Mash it all up until a thick paste forms.
Add the parmesan and a little olive oil to loosen the mixture, stir this through with a spoon.
Check the seasoning and then spread the broad bean mixture onto the toast.
Drizzle with a little extra olive oil, sprinkle with a little more parmesan and serve as a tasty little appetiser.

Apologies for the delay in this post, I am still try to get over all the excitement. The launch of the cook book took place on Wednesday evening and it really got a great turnout, I was so thrilled! So now it's official the book is finally launched! I have to say a huge thank you to everyone who came along on the night, it was so lovely to meet regular readers of the blog, and of course all my fellow Twits who attended too!

With the help my lovely aunt, we provided the nibbles, inspired by recipes in the book. We had Lemon and Poppyseed Cupcakes, Swedish Cinnamon Buns, and Roast Vegetables and Feta Crostini!

Niamh Hatton from Mercier Press spoke briefly about the book and the other books they had coming up in the next few months, she was followed by Eoin Purcell who commissioned the book way back at the start of 2008 and spoke about working on the book! Normally I prefer to speak off the cuff at these sort of events but there was so many people I had to thank, that I knew I had to write it all down!
Thanks to everyone who turned up, hope you like the pics taken by the lovely Aoife Nathan!