I hope you're not sick of me talking about Foodstock just yet as I have two more recipes to share with you after todays, so bear with me! One of the things I absolutely loved about the event was the super chilled outdoor feel to whole evening, people sat by open fires enjoying music, sipping cocktails and enjoying the food. Despite the huge amount of people who descended on the little island for the night, things ran very smoothly from what I could see, with a system for everything! Before things kicked off, we all got these cool red stamps elevating us to VIP status and I am all about that! :) When Raphael from LeFooding got in touch with me about the event he asked us to come up with a specially designed cocktail for the night and this is it!
Jameson Iced Fire Ginger Mint Cocktail This is a fantastic little fiery cocktail perfect for outdoor slurping in the summer! Feel free to play around with the balance of flavours here, adding more ginger if you prefer a numbing heat, or more mint if you require a cooler menthol taste!
Makes enough syrup for 8 cocktails 200g caster sugar 200ml water 100g of peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped 20g fresh mint leaves
Dissolve the caster sugar and water together in a pot over a low heat. Add the chopped ginger and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir through the fresh mint and allow to cool. Set aside to steep for at least 2 hours.Strain off the ginger mint syrup and refridgerate until ready to use.
Serve over crushed ice with a sliver of stem ginger, 1 part Jameson whiskey 2 parts ginger mint syrup
Unfortunately thanks to my hangover a few weeks ago, after one or two many Mohito's, it was not a pleasant experience pouring the rum into this recipe at 8am yesterday. Why was I pouring rum, bleary eyed, into a zip lock bag in the early hours of the morning? Well I came up with an ingenious idea to marinade the chicken in the mix for this recipe, while I was at work, so the flavors would permeate through the breasts.
I'm glad I did, because this dish was packed with really tasty flavors. I served the breasts with couscous, but it would also go really nicely with a crisp green salad. Sofie told me the chicken was like heaven in her mouth, and if that doesn't sell it to you I don't know what will!
Lime and Mint Mohito Chicken
4 Free-range Chicken Breasts.
A small handful of Fresh Mint.
2 Limes Quartered.
Juice of 2 Limes.
A glug of Rum (About 1/4 of a cup).
1 Tbsp of Olive Oil.
1 Clove of Garlic.
A generous pinch of Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper.
Chop the mint and garlic finely and place in a large zip lock bag. Add to the bag, the rum and lime juice. I butterfly the chicken breasts so they cook quicker and the garlic doesn't burn. To do this, place one hand on the breast and with the other slice through the thickest part leaving, making sure the breast is attached on one side. Put the chicken in the bag and seal. Squidge the chicken around in the bag and make sure the breasts are covered in the mint and garlic. Leave in the fridge preferably overnight, or you can make in the morning and leave for the day.
To cook the chicken, heat a pan over a high heat and fry the breasts for about 3 minutes on either side. Tumble in the lime quarters after you turn the chicken and allow to caramelize. Serve straight away with a final squeeze of juice from the lime quarters.
My little kitchen garden, which I started earlier this year is in full bloom at the moment, and if I was harvesting weeds alongside all the lovely veggies I would probably be thrilled - they've literally taken over. However, despite the amount of unwelcome weeds and other guests includings snails, slugs and a family of caterpillars who have all happily taken up residence in my little plot, I have been busy harvesting this week! Last month I plucked out eight massive bok choys which, freshly chopped, made a tasty Asian salad with chopped cashew nuts, two tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, two tablespoons of soy sauce, and a teaspoon of sesame oil. Now I could talk to you about the sense of pride there is in picking and cooking something that you've grown in your own back garden, and of course there is, but if I did so I would feel a massive sense of guilt because realistically, I'm a bad gardener! I have spurts of interest, then I get preoccupied with other things and, like last weekend, come back to check out the progress to find my plot completely overgrown.
Last year's kitchen garden was a complete disaster but this year I have my amazing raised veggie garden boxes which can be ordered on Patchworkveg.com from Sean Gallagher who installs them with no hassle and even imparts a bit of growing advice while he's at it. The raised boxes are a lot more manageable for first time veggie gardeners and make for far less back breaking work when you end up doing the amount of weeding I do! The magic of good old mother nature is a beautiful thing and even though my plants don't actually recognise me each time I come to visit, I'm still left with super veggies - like the amazingly beautiful peas I picked this week, which were so sweet and fresh that I had to be stopped from eating them all right there in the garden!
Pea Mint and Feta Pasta This is a super simple little supper which can be thrown together in the time it takes to cook the pasta. To be honest, if you can't get peas straight from the garden it's almost better to use frozen here, as peas begin to loose their natural sugars as soon as they're picked, so even fresh ones in the supermarket probably won't be as good as you will get frozen. This recipe is easily adapted with most leftovers you might have in the fridge. I love a little bit of chorizo added here or maybe some freshly chopped basil with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves 4 300g of pasta 5 tablespoons of creme fraiche 150g of feta cheese 150g of fresh peas if you have them, otherwise use frozen A good handful of fresh mint, finely chopped A pinch of salt A good pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack and drain. If you are using frozen peas, cook them until tender and drain. If you are using fresh peas and they are tender and young, I don't bother doing anything to them apart from shelling them and giving them a quick splash under some cold water. When the pasta is cooked, add the creme fraiche, feta cheese, peas, mint, salt and pepper and stir gently until the pasta is evenly coated. Serve straight away with a good squeeze of lemon juice!
Strawberries a true sign of summer and the ones in my garden are just about to burst with their mouthwatering red colour! A few weeks ago I was invited to the launch of National Irish Strawberry Week in Bord Bia which is runnung all this week and a fantastic strawberry recipe demonstration by the equally fantastic Catherine Fulvio. Catherine will be known to many Irish food fans for her series "Catherine's Italian Kitchen" which is shown on RTE One. Catherine also owns the Ballyknocken Cookery School in Wicklow and guided us through some really fantastic strawberry recipes which I will be posting this week. Here is the first!
Quick Millefeuille with Toasted Hazelnuts, Cointreau and Strawberry Mascarpone Cream Filling To toast the hazelnuts, purchase the hazelnuts without skins if possible, then lightly chop and toast in a preheated oven 180C / gas 4 until lightly browned, about 15 minutes
Serves 4 (makes 2 millefeuille, each serves 2 persons) 1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry (approx. 200g) Flour for dusting 1 egg, beaten 300g strawberries, hulled and sliced 20g hazelnuts, roughly chopped and toasted Mint leaves for decorating For the filling 250g mascarpone 60ml cream 50g icing sugar Zest of 1 orange For the jam 5 tablespoons of strawberry jam 2 tablespoons of cointreau (or orange juice)
Open out the sheet of pastry on a floured surface, roll it out a little thinner, to a 30 x 32cm rectangle. Divide into 3 equal rectangles. Then place the pastry on a floured baking sheet. Prick all over with a fork and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to Gas Mark 4, 180ºC. Remove the pastry from the fridge, brush with egg wash. Place in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Combine the mascarpone, cream, icing sugar and orange zest. Mix the jam with the cointreau (or orange juice). To assemble the mille-feuille, place one pastry strip on a board or serving plate, brush with half the strawberry jam, spread over a third of the cream mixture, a sprinkle of hazelnuts and cover with a layer of strawberries. Place the second piece of pastry on top. Brush with the remaining strawberry jam, spread over half of the remaining cream, a sprinkle of hazelnuts and a layer of strawberries. Place the last piece of pastry on top and spread over the cream and then a layer of strawberries and sprinkle on the remaining hazelnuts. Chill for 30 minutes. Decorate with mint leaves and dust with icing sugar just before serving.
My mom called me last week to tell me she'd eaten the first of the berries from her newly planted patch. "It was amazing," she sighed, "like they used to be when you were young." While I can't say for sure how good store-bought strawberries were when I was a kid, I do know that 20-some years of agribusiness hasn't done the strawberry any favors. Typically, they are as big as they are bland, streaked with white inside and dry as a sun-baked bone. They contain only the barest hint of what they could be were they ripened to a bright red by the sun, picked in season and eaten immediately.
Craigie on Main, a local restaurant, makes an admirable proclamation on their menu, "sorry, no tomatoes til August." It's an acknowledgment of the fact that local tomatoes eaten in season are pretty much the only tomatoes worth serving and eating. While it might seem sad to not have a tomato at any other time of the year, it turns that moment in which local tomatoes are available into a celebration of the perfection to be found in eating locally and seasonally. It's in that spirit that I also advocate a "sorry, no strawberries 'til June" position, but you know what? It's June!
This is the strawberry moment for New England. The fields are full of juicy red fruit, ready to tumble from the stem into an outstretched hand. And that's just what they did on a recent trip out to Western Massachusetts where we spent the morning picking.
Even the plants in my newly inherited community garden plot are bearing fruit, despite being uncared for over the winter. Next year I expect they will be even more plentiful, but this year they are good only for a quick garden snack, which is probably fine since I had so many other berries to deal with from the picking trip.
There's little that can improve upon the experience of a perfectly ripe strawberry, heavy with sun-warmed juice, but a freshly plucked mint leaf is a nice touch, the cool sharpness contrasting with subtle sweet-tart warmth.
If you do insist on messing about with these perfect berries though, I can't think of many better ways than to go with the classic strawberry shortcake. Of course, I really can't help but mess about, which is how this one-off shortcake was born. Thinking of the natural affinity between strawberries and oranges and a less obvious connection between berries and astringent herbs, I employed my orange-rosemary sugar to make spelt biscuits with lots of flavor and a little more substance than usual, but with all the flaky tender-crumbed charm of a standard shortcake. Instead of macerating the strawberries with sugar, a process usually employed to soften the berries slightly and make them give up some of their juices, I tossed the already juicy and soft berries with a strawberry syrup, made with instruction from the new and wonderful book, The Joy of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves.
The syrup is a simple matter of macerating the berries with sugar and letting them sit overnight before cooking them down, pureeing and straining the mixture. It yields a gorgeous thick syrup that is purely, deliciously full of strawberry flavor. It's wonderful over waffles and refreshing mixed into sparkling water or sparkling wine (I recommend Moscato d'Asti) for a fun brunch drink that mixes things up from the traditional mimosa.
A few things have been going on in the Irish blogging world since my little blogging break, and even though I might be a bit late on some of the news I thought it was high time I mentioned them here.
The biggest news of course is the release of the Murphy's Ice Cream book which is a really impressive collection of recipe's- lots of research, lots of tips and tricks, and some really great pictures! I think the lads really chose the best time to release it too, with Ireland's attempt at a summer coming thick and fast. If you want to pick up a copy you can do so through their blog IcecreamIreland.
The other food bloggie related news is that, Deb from The Humble Housewife, has moved on up to an even better and bigger blog which is located right here @ Tast.ie. It's already full of posts so head over and take a peak!
A few months ago, I posted about my Basil plant which was thriving at the time- since then it has been through a lot- Sofie left all the windows open one very cold day and it looked very worse for wear by the time I came home and saved it! However two months later, and despite a plague of green fly and some sort of growing fungus on the stems- it is still alive and well. Which is a hell of a lot better then the rest of my herbs. The lemon balm, mint, chives and coriander all had to be re potted and moved inside after going slightly black on the edges.
The move seems to have done the trick, with all the plants thriving, except for a few stray little flies which seem to mainly hang around the mint. Anyone have any idea why? Answers on a postcard or in the comments section below. I've now planted, bay, lavender and a brand new rosemary plant in the remaining pots, so I'll just have to wait and see if they survive the balcony.
Is there anyone else out there growing a herb garden this summer? Got any tips or advice?
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.
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!
Way back in October I got a tweet from the lovely Trish Deseine, who many of you might know from her hugely successful series on RTÉ, where she guides viewers through just some of the vast range of delicious French dishes. Trish was born in Belfast and later moved to Paris, where she mastered her French cooking skills. She asked me if I would be interested in coming to Paris to cater an event and put me in touchwith Raphael, from Le Fooding®, a Parisien magazine which seeks out the coolest eateries in the city. After lots and lots and lots and lots of emails back and forth we finally organised everything for the event which is going to be taking place in Paris at Le Chalet Des Iles on the 24th of March. From what I can gather, the event will have live music and is like a mini woodstock with food! It sounds really exciting and with only 2 weeks to go I cannot wait! The event is sponsored by Jameson whiskey and Bord Bia are sponsoring some of the ingredients from my recipes. These are the dishes I will be serving up on the night:
- Irish Seafood Chowder served with Chilled Smoked Salmon
- Kelly's Of Newport Black Pudding and Cashel Blue Cheese Salad
- Mocha Meringues with Jameson Whiskey Cream, Chocolate Sauce and toasted Hazelnuts
- Jameson Ginger and Mint Iced Fire Cocktails
If you just so happen to be in Paris that night, please do come along, I am not so sure how it works with the tickets but I have been told there is quite a demand, and people queue outside the venue to get in, so I guess you could come down and try your luck!
Grand Marnier: blended cognacs with orange essence
Speaking of tradition, it's as good as written law around here that when there are fresh, local strawberries on hand there must also be strawberry shortcake. So, we had back to back shortcake. The second time 'round though I needed it to be an easily transported dessert to bring to a party. Cake form seemed like the perfect way to go, all assembled and easy to head out with. Playing on the orange tones of my first orange-rosemary shortcake, I incorporated some Grand Marnier to lend a sweet citrus flavor to the whipped cream. Also, instead of a plain vanilla bean cake, I made a rustic cornmeal cake to add pleasant texture and sweetness from the fresh milled corn.
Cornmeal cake with Grand Marnier vegan whipped cream and fresh berries
One note though, as pretty as it is to have the green tops on the strawberries topping this cake, it's a total suckers move and I implore you to resist it! I can't tell you how many ways in which I should have known better, but the beauty of the berries with the tops still on conspired to drag me down as I opted, thoughtlessly, for aesthetics over eating. A choice that meant I later had to sit, shamefaced, as my friends picked berries out of the mess of whipped cream to remove the tops, which of course they couldn't enjoyably eat. Sigh.
Strawberry rhubarb pie with cornmeal pâte sucrée
I tried to make it up to them though with my favorite pie, strawberry rhubarb. Following the thought about cornmeal and strawberries, which worked so well in the cornmeal shortcake, I made a tender pâte sucrée with cornmeal and coconut oil instead of margarine or oil. The coconut was a very mild flavor influence on the end result and worked surprisingly well in the crust which was wonderfully flaky, light and tenderly sweet against the tart fruit filling.
Fresh strawberry jam filled rambutan mochi with Thai basil sauce and strawberry powder
Last year I served my strawberry rhubarb pie with basil ice cream, but this year my basil is not incredibly bountiful. My lemon verbena could swallow up the yard, but the basil is sort of a no-go. It's sad. There is enough to work smaller projects with though, so I made a dessert that caught my eye in Johnny Iuzzini's Dessert FourPlay a couple months ago. In the original version, Iuzzini fills strawberry mochi with strawberry rhubarb compote and serves it with basil fluid gel. I took some liberties to make the dessert a little faster to assemble and different in flavor, pairing my fresh strawberry jam filling with a freeze-dried rambutan mochi (reasoning that if I find an affinity between strawberries and lychees, rambutans would work as well) and serving it with Thai basil sauce. My mochi technique could use some work (I blame the leakage on my imperfect motor control with a hand still swollen from carpal tunnel release surgery) but overall, I adored this light little dessert and its intriguing Southeast Asian flavors.
Chocolate spiced baby banana pudding with strawberries
A more straightforward, classic pairing between strawberries and chocolate was something I noticed had fallen by the wayside this season. I guess I've been taking my chocolate pretty straight these days and have been in a particular rut with the super dry, dark and lovely 84% Theo single origin bar from Ghana. So good. But I digress. Feeling that these amazing strawberries could make chocolate even more magical, I whipped up a very random pudding of organic baby bananas, dark chocolate, anise, chilies, cinnamon, nutmeg and espresso salt, sweetened with date syrup and topped with fresh berries. It was meant as a quick treat of no consequence but was so good, I'm pledged to make it again and actually write down every element of the recipe since several friends have proclaimed it's one of the best things ever, period.
Breakfast with berries and nibs
After finally getting my strawberry and chocolate fix, I realized that I'd sort of been enjoying the two together all along in my breakfast bowl. Homemade cocoa nib granola with fresh berries isn't quite chocolate dipped strawberries, but it's more than satisfying at seven am.
Almond crust mini tarts with fresh fruit, nibs and lemon verbena
Thinking about how nicely nibs complemented strawberries, I sprinkled a few Taza chocolate covered nibs into my mini tarts. They provided a nice bittersweet crunch against the fruit and buttery almond crust.
Almond strawberry cheesecake
Almonds are a natural complement to strawberries. Their rich sweetness and lightly bitter edge are perfect against tart berry notes. And there's a reason why strawberry cheesecake is so popular; sweet tangy cheese has its richness both cut slightly and complemented by each bite of berry. So, an almond crusted and amaretto spiked cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries glazed with hot strawberry syrup and sprinkled with almond slices seemed like just the thing.
Whole wheat English muffin with farmer's cheese and strawberry rhubarb jam
I've had a lot of semi-successful vegan cheese-ish substances around lately as I've been experimenting to find one that really suits me. None of them are perfect, but with a good amount of fiddling, they've all turned into tasty additions to desserts and ice cream bases. The mixture that I turned into cheesecake was also spun off into a nice mellow farmer's cheese that went wonderfully with fresh strawberry rhubarb jam (again from the Joy of Jams, but with much less sugar than called for).
bagels fresh out of the oven
In fact, I made several jams from the new book: plain strawberry, strawberry rhubarb and strawberry kiwi. With such deliciously fresh tasting jams are hanging around the house, it seemed pretty much obvious that I needed to make a delicious delivery mechanism for them. So when King Aurthur flour had a free-shipping deal, I refilled my stock of organic high gluten flour and made a batch of bagels from the Bread Baker's Apprentice, some coated into sesame seeds and some streaked with pasilla chili powder and topped with chili lime Hawaiian sea salt.
Brunch at Dara's with everyone's delicious contributions: homemade bagels and jam, fennel seitan, chicory in tahini garlic sauce, roasted potatoes, beet orzo and melon with mint
Toasted and spread equally with fresh made jam and strawberry cream cheese, these were a delicious promise that the joy of strawberries in season can last as long as the jars of jam do, even if we've only got another week or two to enjoy them fresh.
Hey folks! Just to let you know I will be appearing on Nationwide on RTÉ 1 at 7pm tonight doing some shopping around Howth, and cooking up some mackerel! While over on Good Food Channel (Sky Digital 249) at the same time on Market Kitchen, I will be cooking up my Lime and Mint Mohito Chicken! Let me just warn you that this is my first outing on television cooking so fingers crossed it goes well, and if not... well I'll be hiding under a rock somewhere! :)
After months of hoping and wishing, the lunchbox of my dreams has finally arrived! A big thank you to my lovely Auntie Ann who was visiting Canada recently, and lugged it back to Ireland for me. Unfortunately none of the stockists in the US, seem to deliver the product internationally, which makes getting your hands on these handy insulated lunch flasks quite an ordeal!
However now that I have it, I am a true convert! Initially when I opened it, I was a bit concerned about the size, all the containers are a bit on the small side, and I'm a growing boy! But after using it all last week, it's actually just the right size. It's also very handy to help keep your metabolism working more efficiently throughout the day by eating small meals rather than three large one's.
The flask can either be hot or cold, and does a fairly good job of keeping things hot just in time for lunch. Here is just one of the lunches I had last week, Pineapple chunks, Mint and Green Pea Soup, Chicken and Asian Brown Rice, and Wholemeal Pizza bites- It does slightly take the magic out of fresh food but it's a whole lot better than buying out. And if your impressed with all that, head over to Flickr where they have a group specifically devoted to Bento Box lovers around the world, it's great to see all the different combinations, and has definitely given me a bit of inspiration!
So if your in Canada or America make sure to look out for Zojurushi, Mr. Bento!
*Quick update- My Bento Box was bought @ Sanko, 730, Queen St, West Toronto, ON Web:www.toronto-sanko.com*
So I guess you are totally intrigued by Kooky Dough at this stage! How about getting your hands on some? Yes? Ok well Sophie has promised me 3 of these super cute cookie jars filled with the 3 rolls of Kooky Dough!
You can enter over on twitter by tweeting the most inventive use of Kooky Dough followed by the hash tag #kookydoughrocks and on "The Good Mood Food Blog" facebook page by telling me your inventive way to use Kooky Dough!
To be in with a chance of getting your hands on this fantastic prize right here on the blog, all you gotta do is answer this simple question.
Which of these is not Kooky Dough flavour? A: Mint Chocolate B: Triple Chocolate C: Blueberry and White Chocolate
Please note that by entering this competition, you will be signing up for The Good Mood Food Blog newsletter, but if you don't wish to subscribe, please put "NS" after your answer. The competition will close on Wednesday evening (18th of March) at 9.30pm. Only one entry per person please!
Soups are one of the healthiest and versatile meals you can produce, not only that, they can be frozen and reheated for a quick and simple lunch! There are so many soups that I love, that this post could be extremely long, but as I said already making soup is so versatile and once you have the basic recipe you can adapt it however you wish.
Quick Basic Soup Recipe
4 tsp Vegetable Bouillon powder (I use this but stock cubes can be used or you can make your own)
1 and half litre of boiling water
2 cloves of garlic
1 Large onion
A good pinch of salt and pepper
STEP 1-> Boil the water in a kettle, pour into a jug, add the bouillon powder and mix. In a large pot fry the onion and garlic in some oil till they soften and brown.
STEP 2-> This where you can experiment, add the rest of your ingredients, I'll include some suggestions at the end of this post, and mix with the onion and garlic mix. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and allow to soften for about a minute.
STEP 3-> Then add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for approx 20 mins.
STEP 4-> If you have a good quality stick blender you can stick it straight into the hot mixture and whizz away! At this point I normally add different spices and herbs to my taste so I encourage you to experiment! Serve immediately or leave to cool and refrigerate or freeze!
Add the following ingredients at Step 2 for different soup types:
Leeks and Brocolli (frozen or fresh).
2 large tins of tomatoes.
1 Large squash, coriander and cumin.
6 Large carrots and 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger.
1 pound of peas (frozen or fresh) and a good handful of mint. (Thanks to michael for the reminder he is having it for lunch today!)
I'm sure everyone has a favourite soup so feel free to make suggestions!
I had such an brilliant time on Thursday, as I mentioned here on the blog, I was appearing on Good Food Channel's, Market Kitchen! I was so nervous that I wasn't going to actually be able to fly as the whole of Ireland had come to a stand still due to the snowy weather. However the planets were aligned and even though Dublin airport had been closed the night before, Thursday morning our plane wasn't delayed and I was on my way to London!
I arrived at the Market Kitchen studios with my buddy Elaine who came along to take some pics and lend some moral support. As soon as we arrived I was whisked into makeup to get beautified, after which we were sat in the green room which had a great array of food magazines which kept me completely distracted as they had plonked the latest copy of Delicious on the table!
The lovely Faye then came to meet us to talk me through the process of recording. They had each step of the recipe planned out and what way they wanted it to flow. It was a lot to take in all at once but Faye kept telling me I would fine and to stay calm! While we were in the green room, I met the presenters Matt Terbutt and Amanda Lamb who were really lovely and very friendly.
Faye brought us up a very quiet stairs to the main studio and when she opened the door in, there was a rush of people running around, wires, cameramen, food stylists, and a lot hustle and bustle- all very exciting! We watched while another guest of the show, Simon Rimmer, demonstrated what looked like a really tasty egg dish. I have to say Simon is an expert at what he does and he certainly didn't put me at ease. An extremely tough act to follow! When Simon was finished I met the fantastic Home Economist who was in charge for setting up all the ingredients, equipment and generally making sure everything ran smoothly. She talked me through what I would be doing and made sure I had everything I needed before the filming started. I was making Mint and Lime Mohito Chicken so they had already marinated the chicken and everything was ready to go!
Before I did my cooking slot, I had a quick interview with Matt who was having awful trouble pronouncing my name, so much so that he had to hyphanate it on the autocue so that it read, Do-nal! Very funny altogether! After the interview we headed over to the kitchen space and got going on the dish. I wasn't sure if I was going to mention this but, as I was demonstrating butterflying a chicken breast, I sliced it wrong and ended up with a sad scraggly looking chicken breast and we had to cut! Let me just saw THIS DID NOT PUT ME AT EASE!
In fairness to all the crew, it was no bother to them and we just started again pretty quickly! The rest of the demo ran quite smoothly and hopefully it looks well when it's all edited together. When the demo was finished all the audience members got served mini portions of the dish to sample it and then gave their comments to camera! It was a little bit scary to hear what they were going to say but from what I could hear they were all extremely complimentary and no one got sick so it was all good! I had a ball doing the show and it was a fantastic experience, the first of many hopefully! It's going to air on the 21st of January on Good Food Channel so make sure to keep an eye out for it!
I have just got home from one of the most fascinating days of my life! There was so much to take in, all the tricks of the trade- like did you know that dead looking mint, can be revived in a bowl of soapy water? Not that it was used to today, but were you aware that the steam coming from so many mouth watering food pictures is actually the result of a water laden tampon, heated in the microwave! I'm not sure about the last one, I think they may have been joking, but you never know!
We worked on a lot of the breakfast items and soups today, tomorrow we'll be moving onto salads and main meals, it's all very exciting! It's really great to be able to see the finished product so quickly, and after months of having them down on paper, the recipe's to finally come alive.
I'll keep you posted on how tomorrow goes, until then... Goodnight!
