Homemade Paprika Roast Potato Chips When it comes to snack foods, everyone has their weakness, mine just so happens to be these homemade potato chips.
Makes enough for 4 portions, or one giant selfish one! 5 rooster potatoes cut into chips. 3 tablespoons of olive oil. 2 teaspoons of paprika. 1 tablespoon of ground black pepper. 1 tablespoon of sea salt.
Preheat the oven to 200oC. Cut the potatoes into chips about 1cm in thickness. Spread the potato chips evenly over two large non stick baking trays. Try and give the chips as much space as possible, this will make them extra crispy. Drizzle the oil over the chips and toss until they are all combined. Sprinkle over the paprika, pepper, salt and toss again. Place in the oven and roast for 40-50 minutes or until crispy and golden. Serve straightaway as a tasty snack or alongside a main meal.
I'm in Sweden until Monday and I had planned a few more Halloween recipes to stick up on the blog, unfortunately the combination of loosing my power adaptor and lots of travelling meant that I didn't get round to actually posting them. Sweden doesn't really celebrate Halloween and it is seen mainly as an American holiday but seeing as I grew up with the tradition of carving pumpkins, I thought it was high time my Swedish friends got their carve on!
Sofie and I spent the day yesterday searching for the perfect pumpkins to bring over to her little cousins who were very excited at the idea of gutting the pumpkins! In fairness to Sweden they have a great selection of pumpkins on offer and it's not all the generic ones we get in the supermarket in Ireland.
After a lot of searching and mini breakdown from Sofie, we finally found two big fat orange pumpkins! It was lots of fun carving the pumpkins with Niklas and Jonas but my favourite part of the whole process is making these delicious toasted seeds!
Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
These seeds are my perfect little alloween snack and they are far more healthy than your average Halloween treats! Try experimenting with flavours, I have yet to make a sweet version of these but I'm pretty sure they would work good too.
Serves about 4 people as a snack The seeds of 2 pumpkins 3 tablespoons of melted butter 2 teaspoons of chilli powder 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons of sea salt
Remove the seeds from the pumpkin, place in a colander and rinse with water until they are clean. Shake off any excess water and place the seeds on a dry tea towel and pat dry. Place the seeds in a large roasting tray and pour over the melted butter. Sprinkle the seeds with the chilli powder, cayenne pepper and sea salt. Toss the seeds until they are all thoroughly coated. Place in the oven to toast for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, though to be honest sometimes they taste the best straight out of the oven! Just watch out for burned fingers!
I'm packing my bag this weekend so the meals are all a little light on the ground this week. For the next two weeks I will be staying in London to photograph the recipes for my new book which is out next year. It's all getting very exciting and as I am finally putting the finishing touches to the text, the next part is all fun. The photography process will take up most of the days while we're there, but I am hoping to finally get to see a bit of London. I have had loads of recommendations of places to eat, things to see and food markets to shop in so hopefully with a little bit of luck and hard work will we have some free time to see the sights!
Herby Sweet Potato Chips These sweet and spicy little wedges knock the socks off greasy fast food chips any day. If you haven’t tried sweet potatoes before, this is a great introduction recipe, where you just can’t go wrong. Serve as a nice side dish or a quick and tasty snack!
Serves 4 5 large sweet potatoes 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 3 tablespoons of olive oil A good handful of fresh herbs 1 teaspoon of sea salt 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. If I am serving these as a side dish, I generally prepare them first and let them cook away in the oven while I get on with the rest of the dinner. In a pestle and mortar, bash together the a little of the olive oil, the herbs, garlic and sea salt until you have a smooth paste. Peel the sweet potatoes and slice in half lenghtways and then in half again, then chop into rough chips. Place in a bowl and toss with the herby paste. Place in a large roasting tin and drizzle with a little extra oil and sprinkle with ground black pepper until all the chips are well coated. Roast in the oven for about 40–45 minutes, or until the insides are soft and the edges are slightly charred.
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!
Who knew writing a book would actually take a bit of work! I've been meaning to post something over the last few weeks, but every spare minute has been focused on the writing and taking pictures. But more importantly I'm here and I have a recipe!
This is Sofie's very first Halloween, as they don't celebrate the night as much in Sweden. She was working late last year and was less than impressed when I tried to introduce her to the fun of the event by jumping out of the wardrobe with a mask on! With the big night landing on a friday this year, we're getting into the spirit of things and have been busy carving pumpkins. Sofie has named our two "The Dark Knight" and "Darth Wader" (I think she meant "Darth Vader", must be the Swedish pronounciation!).
Hope you like our's, we'd love to see your pumpkins, so if you have pictures post a link in the comments section!
I had planned to post this recipe since the start of the month, so I'm glad I'm finally getting around to it. Just in the nick of time too! It's Halloween this Friday, so if you haven't got a pumpkin just yet, here's a great little snack you can put together with the reminants of the gutted vegetable.
Nacha's Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
My parents are in the fruit and vegetable business, this meant we always had two massive pumkins every Halloween, when my brother and I were growing up. Carving pumpkins became an annual tradition and everyone had a role. My brother and I would draw the faces, my mom would gut the pumpkins, and my dad would carve them. There was always huge arguements over choosing the right pumpkin and even more competition when it came to drawing the best and most scary face! I picked this recipe up from our first au-pair from France, Nacha, who taught us never to throw away any of the precious seeds. They are so tasty toasted with butter and sea salt. Here's the simple recipe.
The seeds of 2 large pumpkins. 4 tablespoons of melted butter. A generous pinch of coarse sea salt. A generous pinch of ground black pepper.
Cut off the top of the pumpkins. Using your hands, separate the seeds from the gooey insides and transfer to a colander. Rinse the slippy seeds under cold water and pick out any remaining stringy orange flesh. Transfer to a few sheets of kitchen paper or a dry tea towel and pat dry. Tip the seeds into a large roasting dish and spoon over the melted butter. Toss the seeds so they are all coated in the butter and season with sea salt and black pepper. Toast in the oven at 200oC/390oF/Gas 6, for 20 minutes or until nice and golden.
I made these drumsticks the other night and they were a huge success! The sticky and sweet chicken doesn't last too long so I would recommend making a little extra for a snack later on. Serve them with a fresh salad for a tasty supper or with this bulgarwheat salad for a really filling dinner.
Sticky Mustard Chicken Drumsticks This marinade also works great with duck or even a full roasted chicken. Don't be afraid to experiment!
Serves 4 10 chicken drumsticks. 2 tablespoons of marmalade. 1 tablespoon of wholegrain mustard. 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar. 1 tablespoon of olive oil. A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Add the marmalade, vinegar, mustard, oil, sea salt and black pepper in a large roasting tray, and whisk to combine. Add the chicken drumsticks to the tray and toss until all the chicken is covered in the sauce. Place the tray in the oven and cook for 40 minutes or until cooked through. Baste halfway through the cooking time. Remove the chicken from the oven and place on a plate. Place the roasting tray full of juices over a medium high heat and simmer and whisk until the sauce thickens. Serve the chicken with a tasty bulgarwheat salad and coat with the thick sticky sauce.
Rehearsals for the panto are in full swing at the moment so I have been doing a spot of batch cooking to keep up with posts on the blog. If your hoping to come along to the show, it starts on December 11th and runs right through to the end of January. But according to inside sources the tickets are going pretty quick, so make sure to get your tickets early!
I have a serious weakness for garlic, and even more severe weakness for this garlic bread! It's great to plonk on the table when you have friends over or even as a simple snack. This recipe can easily be made ahead of time, wrap it up in tin foil and pop it in the freezer until you need it. It should last for at least a month.
Chunky Garlic Bread You can use any bread for this really, but try and pick a loaf with a chunky crust. The bread on the inside will stay nice and soft and you will be left with a crunchy crust. I love garlic and have used four cloves here, but reduce the amount if don't want to be warding off vampires for the next week!
1 loaf of wholemeal bread. 5 tablespoons of butter at room temperature. 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped. A large handful of freshly chopped parsley. A pinch of sea salt.
Preheat the oven to 200oC/390oF/Gas 6. Slice the bread into slices being careful not to cut the whole way through and set aside. The slices should all still be joined at the bottom. Mash the butter, salt, garlic and parsley together on a chopping board with the back of a fork. When the ingredients are combined scoop up the garlic butter and slather the slices on the inside. Don't be afraid to get messy here, if there's butter on the crust all the better! Wrap the loaf in tinfoil leaving the tops of the slices exposed. You can also sprinkle the tops of the slices with a little grated Parmesan cheese at this point. Place the wrapped loaf in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden and crisp on top. Serve piping hot! If you can't get through a whole loaf in one go, freeze the slices individually and pop them in the toaster when you want to reheat them!
Well I just finished putting together the rest of the stuff we got for the apartment from IKEA and I am very impressed with myself- not really being the handyman type- even Sofie was impressed! I'm going to post a few pics of the things we got as I'm pretty proud of them- it's really amazing how just a few new things can make your house feel so much more homely!
This is a nice little recipe that can be served as a side dish or a nice TV dinner style
Crispy Sweet Potato Wedges (Serves 4)
5 Large Sweet Potatoes
3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 Gloves of finely chopped Garlic
1 teaspoon of Maldon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon of Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon of dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon of dried Red Chilli Flakes
Preheat the oven to 220 oC/ 425 oF/ Gas Mark 7
Peel the Sweet Potatoes and slice length ways into 8 pieces.
Place in a large roasting tin and toss the wedges with oil and the remaining ingredient's until all the wedges are well coated.
Roast in the oven for about 20-25 mins, or until crispy. Make sure to toss them halfway through.
Serve as a nice side dish or a quick and tasty snack! YUM!
Although the Irish summer hasn't really been good to us so far- it does provide the odd worthwhile day of sunshine, when untanned arms and legs get out for the day and prove, they too can work a pair of shorts and a t-shirt! Yesterday was one of those days, and instead of missing the opportunity we jumped in head first to summer. We even kidnapped a dog!
Well almost, James, his owner was down at the Oxegen festival so we took pity on him and brought him with us. Sofie and I were joined by Michael and Senan on our little road trip which ended up at the hill of Tara. Now being the Swedish viking, my girlfriend is, she was highly unimpressed when we showed her the magic of one of Ireland's premier tourist attractions, a hill of mud. But she did set herself up for disappointment as we walked towards the hill, when she claimed she hadn't been that impressed with the Colosseum in Rome! I'm sorry to say that there is something fairly reminiscent to the hill of Tara and an episode of "Father Ted" when they all go to a funfair in "The Field" the whole place is even watched over by a flock of sheep...
For the picnic itself, I finally got to use my handy dandy food picnic carrying thing, which was one of the presents I got for my birthday. It was my mom's interpretation of the bento box I posted about back in Febuary, but the containers are way too big for just one person, so it's ideal for feeding about 4 people.
And after all that food what better activity to enjoy on a picnic than a spot of Kite Flying. Well the enjoyment only came after a long process of trying to get the bloody thing in the air, but when we finally got it up, it was great craic.
As for the food, I made some really quick and easy Mexican Quesadilla's (recipe below), tagliatelle with homemade tomato and basil sauce and the one desert recipe I can always put my faith in, Goeey Chocolate Puddings.
These Mexican Quesadilla's are not that healthy but they are a perfect party or snack food and even a simple little starter. You can spruce them up with whatever you like, a bit of chicken, sliced peppers but this is just the straight forward way of making them:
Mexican Quesidilla's
6 Wholemeal Flour Tortilla Wraps.
130g of Red Cheddar Cheese (Or enough to cover).
6 Tbsp of Homemade Spicy Salsa Sauce (Store bought works just fine here too).
1 Red Onion Sliced thinly.
This recipe is basically all preperation. Spread 3 of the tortilla wrap's with the salsa sauce, scatter the red onions and sprinkle the cheese. Cover them up with the other 3 tortilla wraps and heat a large frying pan. If you have a non stick pan you don't even need oil, if not add a drop of vegetable oil. Each Quesidilla will take about 2-3 minutes either side on a medium to high heat.
Serve straight away or save for later, either way they still taste great!
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.
