We Love Cooking! [Search results for soup] 

September is always one of those months like January where the slate is wiped clean and it's time to start all over again. The kids are back at school and students back to college, and professional nomads like myself are back to reality! Between all our moving around over the summer months, things were a little chaotic especially when it came to food. Normal routine went out the window, replaced by irregular eating times and extra helpings of desserts - a good dollop of cream with everything. You could definitely say I indulged over the last few months and unfortunately, I'm not exactly feeling the better of it!

Since we arrived back in Ireland however, things are back on track, the kitchen is stocked with fruit and veggies and all my essential storecupboard ingredients have been replenished. As amazing as it is to travel, there really is nothing like being back home in your own kitchen.

With the winter months fast approaching, the inclination to stay inside and out of the cold becomes all the more tempting, so instead of dodging the weather and waiting until the New Year, I'm heading outdoors and getting active! All this new healthy living will take it's toll, mind you, so luckily I have a few healthy, filling recipes up my sleeve to stave off starvation and make sure I'm getting all the good stuff. This recipe comes from my book Good Mood Food: Simple, Healthy, Homecooking, it's the perfect little pick me up for those cold winter days - packed with nutrients from start to finish and full of flavour!

Boot Camp Soup
This a surprisingly tasty soup, which is wonderfully cleansing. Used originally as part of a weight-loss diet, I make it regularly as a really substantial lunch. This recipe makes a generous amount – I freeze half the soup and keep the rest in the fridge.

Serves 8
3 onions, chopped into chunks
2 green peppers, chopped into chunks
1 bunch of celery, chopped into chunks
1 iceberg lettuce, chopped into chunks
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
800ml/1½ pints vegetable stock
300g/10½oz lentils or soup mix
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Add all the ingredients to a large pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat
and simmer for 20–30 minutes until the lentils are soft.
Blend the soup to a smooth consistency with a hand blender; you may
need to add a little extra stock if the soup is too thick. Season with salt and
pepper, and serve.

So I'm kinda working backwards a little here, but last week was a busy one so there was a LOT to digest (no pun intended!). After Paris I was back in Dublin before I had time to blink, and just in time to help launch the Stop Food Waste campaign on Tuesday with the lovely Rachel Allen and the incredibly talented Kevin Thornton. The campaign highlights the fact that by using our leftovers we can save money and reduce waste.

All the recipes I demonstrated were based around using the leftovers of a roast chicken, which, as a regular on most Sunday dinner menus, always leaves you with a few bits of leftover meat. I always save the chicken carcass and bones in a large resealable bag in the freezer until I have the remains of about three or four; the perfect amount to make a really good chicken stock. The rest I used for a delicious Chicken Caesar Pasta using mayo, Dijon mustard, parmesan and olive oil to make a simple Caesar dressing. It's dishes like these that really make the most of the ingredients that are close to hand. More often than not, they're even tastier than something you'd spend a lot of money on in the supermarket.

My mom was the queen of leftovers so I was brought up making the most of all the ingredients in the house before heading out to buy more. The veggies in the bottom of fridge were made into tasty soups and the leftover meat into sandwiches for school the next day. This chicken and sweetcorn soup is a zingy little way to make the most of leftover chicken pieces and it's absolutely packed with flavour... perfect for the cold snowy evenings we're having at the moment!

Leftover Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup
This super tasty soup has become a classic in our house, it was always requested on sick days home from school. I always find sweetcorn lends a warm and comforting taste to soups and its bright colour puts a smile on my face. Try not to skimp on ingredients for this one, it tastes best when you use the best ingredients – homemade stock and fresh ginger are a must!

Serves 4
Leftovers of half a roast chicken, shredded
1 litre/2 pints of homemade chicken stock
2 x 400g tins sweetcorn
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
1 large thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
2 eggs lightly beaten
4 spring onions finely sliced diagonally

In a large pot with a little oil, fry the garlic and ginger for about 3 minutes, add the corn and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Add a little bit of the chicken stock and, with a hand blender, blitz the mixture until it becomes smooth.
Add the rest of the chicken stock, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Beat the eggs in a pyrex jug, which will make it easy for you to trickle them into the soup.
Reduce the heat and while the soup is still simmering, stir it continuously in a figure of eight motion and gently trickle in the beaten egg a little bit at a time to form thin strands.
Add the chicken shreds and stir through. Serve with a generous garnish of spring onions.

Well Hello! I woke up this morning in high spirit's and ready to take on the day, but it dawned on me that this most probably wouldn't last unless I kept myself well fed. So with that in mind, I decided to make a very tasty soup, and it is that very tasty soup that I am sharing with you today!

I think for some people, mushrooms are like marmite, you either love them or hate them. The lovely Sofie claims she doesn't like them because of the texture, a dislike she seems to share with many. For those people, please don't turn your nose up because this soup is has dark, deep and salty quality to eat and you won't be left disappointed!

MUSHROOM SOUP

1. 2 Red Onions chopped into chunks
2. 600ml of Veg Stock
3. 4oz of Button Mushrooms
4. 1 tbsp of Dried Oregano
5. 1 tbsp of oyster sauce (or soya sauce)
6. 1 tbsp of flour
7. 2 tbsp of milk

Add the red onion and about 1 tbsp of vegetable stock to a large pot and sweat for ten mins on a medium heat till the onion is soft.

Add the mushrooms, oregano, and 2tbsp of veg stock to the pot and sweat for another 10 mins.

Add the remaining stock and simmer for about 15 mins.

Reduce the heat and then add the flour to thicken, and the milk to make smooth and creamy.

I blend the soup but you can serve as is!

ENJOY!

Most people find this time of year a little depressing, the nights becoming longer, the days becoming shorter, but for foodies this is harvest season, when all the hard work in the garden during the summer really pays off. Vegetables like, carrots, cabbages, and parsnips which have benefited from the long summer days are all now fully formed, heavy and begging to be plucked from the ground.

I received a fantastic seasonal vegetable hamper from Bord Bia to promote there brilliant new best in season website, which highlights the huge range of fresh veg which is on offer throughout the year. The hamper included a great selection of parsnips, carrots, leeks, celery, cabbage, and potatoes. I have been a bit busy so didn't get to cook as many dishes as I had hoped but managed to knock up a big batch of vegetable soup!

Wholesome Vegetable Soup

Soup season is definitely upon us, and as much as I love experimenting with new flavours, and different combinations, I always come back to a good old homemade vegetable soup. This is the one I normally stick to but add whatever vegetables you have at hand, they certainly won't go astray here.

Serves 6-8

1 tablespoon of butter
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, sliced
2 potatoes, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 parsnip, chopped
bunch of celery, chopped
2 litres of vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the butter in a large pot and place over a medium high heat.
When butter is melted and foamy, add the onion, potato, and leek.
Fry for 2 minutes, then cover and sweat for 8 minutes.
Add the stock, carrots, parsnip, celery, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender when you insert a fork.
Season with a little salt and pepper to taste and then either serve as a chunky vegetable broth or blitz with a hand blender to form a silky smooth soup.

First of all I have no decent excuse for the lack of posts, well that's a lie, maybe just one, the fact that by the time I cook the recipe I want to post about, it's dark, and when it's dark the pictures look pretty terrible, and when there's no pictures the posts don't look as nice. So with that in mind, I decided that I'm just going to have to blog ahead regardless of pictures!

If the darkness wasn't the biggest clue of all, I think you may have noticed the seasons have well and truly changed. It seems to me almost impossible to avoid some sort of illness during these cold months, and generally doctors tend to treat illnesses that have gotten out of hand with strong medicines. For me, this is all to silly, because with a little care and attention most colds can be easily caught before they turn into something much more serious. One year I realised I had been prescribed almost 6 antibiotics, which probably could have been avoided. Unfortunately it seems a lot of doctors tend to treat the symptoms instead of the cause.

From the very first signs of cough or runny nose, I'm already treating myself with a bang of Vitamin C and the natural disinfecting solution of Lemon Juice and Honey in hot water every hour. Always seems to do the trick! For congestion, however old fashioned it might sound, I give it the steam treatment with a few drops of Olbas Oil. I can generally stop myself getting worse by applying these simple steps and eating something healthy regularly throughout the day.

My restorative Chicken soup is one of those amazing foods that, just by eating, makes me feel like I'm already getting better! I read somewhere recently about scientists who had found something sciencey about chicken soups and their health benefits, I can't remember what exactly it was but it was enough for me to go make some soup so it must have been good!

RESTORATIVE CHICKEN SOUP

1. 2-3 Chicken breasts sliced into chunks
2. 3 Garlic Cloves chopped finely
3. 1 Large Onion chopped finely
4. 1 Large Carrot chopped
5. 1 Leek sliced in chunky pieces
6. 1 Thumb Sized piece of Fresh Ginger, grated
7. 700ml of Stock (Can be chicken or vegetable, it's up to you!)
8. A good handful of fresh herbs roughly chopped
9. Good Sprinkle of Salt and Pepper

The best thing about this soup is that once the preparation is done you just bung it into a pot and leave it to it's own devices.

In a large pot, fry the chicken in a drop of olive oil for about 4 minutes till the meat is sealed and remove from the pot. In the same pot add the garlic and fry for one minute, then add the onion and fry till they turn translucent, I love that word, translucent. Anyway add the rest of the veg and cook on a low heat until the mix has reduced to about half it's size, then add the stock.

Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the cooked chicken, ginger, herbs and seasoning. Leave this to cook at a gentle simmer for about an hour, the flavour intensifies the longer you leave it so keep checking it, and season to your own taste.

And there you go, should help any cold or cough you come across! :)

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

1. 4 tsp Vegetable Bouillon powder (I use this but stock cubes can be used or you can make your own)
2. 1 and half litre of boiling water
3. 2 cloves of garlic
4. 1 Large onion
5. 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 have a few winter warming dishes coming up but this recipe is actually taken from the book and was featured on Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide website. Plus I got a request in the comments section so I just couldn't resist!

Hearty Minestrone Soup
This is a perfect winter meal solution, full of tasty vegetables, and filling thanks to the
pasta. I use wholewheat spaghetti, but feel free to add other shapes like fusilli or pasta elbows instead. If you don’t have any paprika, you can get a bit of spice by adding a dash of tabasco sauce, or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes.

Serves 4
1 courgette, chopped into small chunks
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 x 410g tins cannellini beans
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped into small chunks
2 litres/4 pints homemade chicken stock
75g/3oz wholewheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A good pinch of paprika
A good pinch of sea salt

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic cloves and onion for 2
minutes or until they become soft.
Stir in the celery, carrots and courgette and cook for five minutes. Add the
chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, and bring to the boil, then reduce the
heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the wholewheat spaghetti, paprika and cannellini beans. Give the
soup a good stir and cover. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes or until
the pasta is cooked.
Season with a little sea salt and serve straightaway with a good chunk of
wholemeal bread and enjoy!

I have a few winter warming dishes coming up but this recipe is actually taken from the book and was featured on Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide website. Plus I got a request in the comments section so I just couldn't resist!

Hearty Minestrone Soup
This is a perfect winter meal solution, full of tasty vegetables, and filling thanks to the
pasta. I use wholewheat spaghetti, but feel free to add other shapes like fusilli or pasta elbows instead. If you don’t have any paprika, you can get a bit of spice by adding a dash of tabasco sauce, or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes.

Serves 4
1 courgette, chopped into small chunks
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 x 410g tins cannellini beans
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped into small chunks
2 litres/4 pints homemade chicken stock
75g/3oz wholewheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A good pinch of paprika
A good pinch of sea salt

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic cloves and onion for 2 minutes or until they become soft.
Stir in the celery, carrots and courgette and cook for five minutes. Add the
chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, and bring to the boil, then reduce the
heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the wholewheat spaghetti, paprika and cannellini beans. Give the
soup a good stir and cover. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes or until
the pasta is cooked.
Season with a little sea salt and serve straightaway with a good chunk of wholemeal bread and enjoy!

I have a few winter warming dishes coming up but this recipe is actually taken from the book and was featured on Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide website. Plus I got a request in the comments section so I just couldn't resist!

Hearty Minestrone Soup
This is a perfect winter meal solution, full of tasty vegetables, and filling thanks to the
pasta. I use wholewheat spaghetti, but feel free to add other shapes like fusilli or pasta elbows instead. If you don’t have any paprika, you can get a bit of spice by adding a dash of tabasco sauce, or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes.

Serves 4
1 courgette, chopped into small chunks
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 x 410g tins cannellini beans
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped into small chunks
2 litres/4 pints homemade chicken stock
75g/3oz wholewheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A good pinch of paprika
A good pinch of sea salt

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic cloves and onion for 2
minutes or until they become soft.
Stir in the celery, carrots and courgette and cook for five minutes. Add the
chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, and bring to the boil, then reduce the
heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the wholewheat spaghetti, paprika and cannellini beans. Give the
soup a good stir and cover. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes or until
the pasta is cooked.
Season with a little sea salt and serve straightaway with a good chunk of
wholemeal bread and enjoy!

This was the piece I wrote for my feature in the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine, about the fantastic cookclub I attended recently:

Bright and bubbly Sadhbh McCarthy hosted one of her regular dinner parties as part of her cook club with a celebration of some of her favourite recipes for pals, Brid, Fiona, Karen, Peter and Colm. Sadhbh who works as a European policy advisor, chose her menu which was a hearty mix of cultures, based around a refreshing and aromatic starter of Vietnamese beef and noodle soup, Beef Pho. A dish which she fell in love with on a trip travelling from Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai and was determined to recreate it when she came home. The soup caused a friendly heated debate as some of the more apprehensive guests were unsure about the addition of red chilli. However the debate quickly dissipated when Sadhbh helped by Peter, presented a glowing platter of hot sizzling Thai Fish Cakes straight from the pan. Originally a Rick Stein recipe, Sadhbh adapted it using her own blend of curry paste and spoke encouragingly about being flexible when cooking Asian dishes as long as you keep the base flavours.

All the ingredients used for the recipes were sourced from the indoor Honest2Goodness farmers market in Glasnevin, run by Sadhbh’s friend Brid Carter. The pair met through a combined love of good food and Brid provided the secret ingredient for a wonderfully tender pork belly and added an extra zing to the dish by using her own blend of 5 spice powder sourced from the market.

Dessert was provided by Sadhbh’s son Jamie, who is training to become a chef in DIT, he made a mouth-watering cheesecake topped with summer berries adapted from a Bill Granger recipe which was accompanied by a smooth berry coulis which cut through the creaminess to add another dimension to the dish. It was a unanimous decision around the table that the addition of Moonshine Organic Cream Cheese from artisan producers Gerry and Mary Kelly in Mullingar set the standard when it came to adding an extra creaminess to the dessert.

Wines were carefully selected by trained sommelier and wine obsessive Colm Carter who works alongside Brid at the market every Saturday. He chose Domaine de l'Amandine Cotes du Rhone 2007 for the starter, a Vina Marro, Crianza 2006 Rioja Doca for the rich pork belly and a fruity Oddero Moscato d'Asti 2007 to go with the cheesecake.

I hadn't intended on interrupting by staying the whole evening, but Sadhbh and her friends fully welcomed me with a glass of wine and in a true case of Irish hospitality I found myself polishing off dessert with a full belly! Sadhbh summed up the fantastic evening by sharing her ethos on her cook club which was to “Cook with love and a desire to share and enjoy the experience”.

Pho Bo – Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup
(from Annabel Jackson’s Street Café Vietnam)

To serve 4
450g fresh flat rice noodles or rice sticks
225g beansprouts (blanched briefly to soften slightly)
8 shallots, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander
225g beef fillet, thinly sliced

For the broth
1.7 litres beef stock or canned beef consommé
115g piece fresh ginger, peeled and smashed
2 sticks cinnamon bark
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
3 pieces star anise
1 teaspoon each caster sugar, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons nuoc mam (Vietnamese equivalent of nam pla (fish sauce)

To serve:
Hoi sin sauce and chilli sauce
2 limes, cut in half
2 fresh red chillies, thinly sliced
Bunch of fresh ngo gai (if available) – this is a Vietnamese herb
Bunch of fresh Thai Basil

To make the broth: bring the stock to boiling point. Add the ginger, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds and star anise. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the sugar, salt, pepper and fish sauce. Strain the broth and return to the pan. Keep hot over a low heat.
Bring a pan of water to the boil, and warn through fresh noodles or cook rice sticks until al dente. Drain and divide among individual bowls. Add a handful of blanched beansprouts and some shallots and coriander to each bowl and top with the beef (still raw). Ladle the hot broth over the food in the bowl (this will cook the beef slightly).
At the table, each diner can add hoi sin, chilli sauce, lime juice, fresh chilli ngo gai and basil leaves to taste.

- I will be posting the rest of the delicious recipes from the dinner party this week!

It's a bit of a slow week this week- after our trip to Sweden, we're gently easing ourselves back into normality. The weather in Gothenberg was great when we arrived on Friday at 27oC and sunny, however the rest of the weekend was interrupted, regularly by big filthy rain clouds! But the weather didn't dampen spirits and a full schedule of activities were plowed through, rain or no rain!

We ate out twice in two really spectacular restaurants, they were very pricey but offered really amazing food and stunning seaside views. Sjömagasinet specialises in Fish and is located in Gothenberg harbour. To start I had a really elegant, "Classic lobster soup with carpaccio of scallops, served with crème of green peas and deep fried belly of pork" and for mains, "Fricassee of halibut, North Atlantic cod and flounder served with roasted shallot sauce, pan fried scallop and prawns" however this came served in what seemed like a pretty pointless dish, with the fish dotted around the sides, and a soup bowl center which the shallot sauce was poured in.

My favourite of the two was, Nya Langedrag Vardhus, which is part of the main Yacht Club in Goteberg. I had an amazing Tuna Carpaccio with Pea Shoot salad to start, and Lamb fillet with terrine of portabella mushroom and celeriac, browned red wine sauce and
tomato roasted potato roll for the main course. So delicious! I seriously recommend both if your visiting Sweden!

I don't have any foodie pics but here's a bit of the Swedish scenery:

Can anyone translate that last one? ;)

Of all the dishes we prepared for Foodstock, I am pretty certain that the Irish Seafood Chowder was the biggest success. I am told that the French absolutely love their seafood which is probably why! The chowder we made had a great selection of fish, haddock, cod, smoked fish, and prawns which the amazing chefs at the Chalet meticulously prepared for us. I have to admit that cooking on such a large scale can be quite daunting in terms of producing a similar end product to that of a smaller quantity, but that said between the whole team we served up some damn tasty chowder!

For about an hour on the Wednesday night I did feel like I was in a soup kitchen and there was a high chance of some sort of repetitive strain injury after ladling the chowder 350 times! Luckily we had the lovely ladies from Bord Bia to help us out, one of whom was out on her first assignment with them, though I’m pretty sure she is well inducted after Foodstock.

Irish Seafood Chowder
This is the kind of soup that if you put a lot of love and time in you will get the best results. The key is to add the fish at the very end leaving just enough time to let them cook. Cook the fish pieces too long and you will be left with an Irish seafood mush rather than a chunky creamy chowder!

Serves 8 (Makes 3.15 litres)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped
100g salt pork diced (or pancetta/bacon bits)

2 dried bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 kg of peeled and diced potatoes
1.125 litre of fish stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.25kg of cod (or similar white fish)
750g of fresh salmon
500g of mussels
500g of smoked haddock
330ml of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped finely
100g of smoked salmon, cut into fine strips for garnish

In a large pot, heat the butter and sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes.
Add the salt pork and continue to fry until it colours.
Add in the fresh thyme, bay leaves and potatoes and cook gently for 2-3 minutes before adding the fish stock.
Season well with salt and pepper.
Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender yet firm. (Some of the potato will break down and help thicken the chowder).
Add the haddock, salmon, cod and mussels and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and allow to sit before finally and gently stirring in the parsley and cream.
Serve with the strips of smoked salmon as a garnish on top.

Irish Brown Yeast Bread
This has to be one of the easiest bread recipies in the world with no kneading it’s a no brainer! The loaf can be frozen and defrosted when needed and is the perfect accompaniment to a hearty soup or made into a chunky sandwich. For anyone hooked on white bread this is a really healthy alternative and you can also add rolled oats sprinkled on top for an extra crunch.

450g of wholemeal flour.
1 teaspoon of salt.
1 7g sachet of dried yeast.
1 teaspoon of treacle.
15 Fl Oz of warm water.
A small handful of mixed seeds

Mix the flour, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Dissolve the treacle in the warm water and add to the dry mix. With a large spoon combine the ingredients until it forms a wet mixture. Turn the mixture into an oiled and floured loaf tin, sprinkle with seeds and cover with cling film or a damp tea towel. Place in a warm spot to allow the yeast to do its work for approx 20 mins. Cook in the oven for about 45-50 mins at Gas Mark 7/ 220oC. You will know when the loaf is done when you tap the bottom and it sounds hollow.
The bread is quite moist and will last for anything up to a week, you can store it in an airtight container. It also freezes brilliantly for up to a month, so you could also make a few extra to save for later.

Photos: Jocasta Clarke

The beauty of a good hearty chicken stock is, that not only is it packed with health benefits, it can be the base for hundreds of different, quick and simple recipe's. The recipe I'm posting is fairly basic, but really you can add whatever herbs or root veg you have in your kitchen, and experiment with the flavors. The cooking process breaks down the ingredients and the finished product contains minerals like calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, in a form which the body can easily absorb.

Now I know that making stock is not the most exciting of recipe's to talk about, but once you do have the rich golden finished product, it can be transformed so easily. Boil a portion of the stock, add some minced garlic, ginger and chili, some fish sauce and rice wine vinegar and drop in some cooked noodles. Top with some spring onion sliced thinly and within minutes you have a healthy, hearty, Asian inspired soup.

The easiest time to make this stock is probably right after you have devoured a roast chicken, as the bones are more than likely ready for use! Just throw the ingredients in the pot and let it boil away for a few hours- effort level zero! Alternatively you can throw the bones into a zip lock bag and store in the freezer until you find a perfect stock making day.

Basic Chicken Stock

1. Leftover bones and carcass of chicken
2. 8 Litres of Water
   
3. 12fl oz White Wine
4. 1 white onion Chopped
   
5. 1 large carrot Sliced
6. 1 Large Leek Sliced
7. 1 Stick of Celery chopped
   
8. 3 Stalks of Parsley
9. 8 Black peppercorns

Then add the rest of the ingredients and allow to simmer consistently for 3 hours or until the flavour is right for you.

Make sure to check on the pot ever now and then to skim any fat that rises to the surface- this while make sure you have a nice clear stock.

The stock can be kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen in handy bags in the freezer. You can also store some of the liquid in ice cube trays, which comes in handy to add an extra bit of flavour to sauces, and gravy.

And if thats not enough about stock for one day check out this interesting article.

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*

A few weeks ago, myself and the lovely Aoife decided to head to Powerscourt waterfall to take part in Slow Food Ireland's mushroom hunt. It was my very first mushroom hunt and to be honest I didn't really know what to expect.

The whole thing kicked off in the middle of a quiet field where all the participants had parked the cars. We were given a brief talk by a mushroom expert about what to look for, edible and poisonous. After being warned that mushroom hunting was even more dangerous than most extreme sports, we left in groups quite ominously not knowing who would return!

We paired up with some lovely ladies who were fairly new to the slow food movement like ourselves, and our hunt quickly became less about extreme sports and deadly ingredients and more about getting to know each other. After lots of chatting we realised we hadn't actually found ANY mushrooms! Then there was talk about heading down to the local shop to pick up a few if we were stuck as we couldn't return empty handed!

Luckily we didn't have to resort to that and the competitive streak really came out when we met fellow hunters who had baskets full of strange and interesting mushrooms! We began to look a little harder and it was a case of once you saw one you saw hundreds. After a lot of talk over which varieties we should pick, we decided to pick them all and let the expert decide!

It was quite funny to notice passer by's reaction to us bending down and inspecting these little mushrooms. Almost everyone we passed wanted to take a peak into the baskets and look very worried when we told them we were planning to eat them!

We headed back to the field where the organisers had setup a little picnic and were serving mushrooms soup and cooking up some of the mushrooms which had been picked. Everyone had brought there own dish for a cold buffet and there was a great selection of different dishes, someone even brought along a basket of delicious apples picked from their garden!

Overall it was a lovely experience, but after eating the mushrooms that were cooked after we had picked them I felt slightly unnerved with the knowledge that had any mistakes been made, I could be making a swift visit to the hospital! Hope you enjoy the photos!

The race is on to get the decorations up, the pumpkins carved, the costume sorted and the treats and goodies all laid out! Yes, Halloween is literally two days away. I've just moved into a new house so despite the fact that we've been carting furniture in and out I have found time to pick up some pumpkins, although carving them is still on the 'to do' list. I'm planning to make a velvet pumpkin soup served in the pumpkin itself, some roasted savoury pumpkin seeds and an all American pumpkin pie if I get a chance over the weekend, but this week I've been busy baking up barmbrack! I had planned to include the recipe in last week's Cork News Menu pages but unfortunately it was eaten up before I got a chance to take a picture!

Barmbrack is a big part of Halloween tradition here in Ireland, with objects baked in the dough signifying different things. In most shop bought barmbracks you'll find a ring, which if you're lucky enough to receive it in a slice means you should be wed within one year! My mother recently told me the story of when she lived in Finland as a child and my grandmother generously baked a barmbrack for their Finnish neighbours, only to be berated by the lady next door after her child nearly choked on the ring! Needless to say they moved back to Ireland not long after! In keeping with tradition, I cheekily asked the baker at our local supermarket if he could give me a ring to put in my barmbrack, and he had no problem handing over a few, so don't be afraid to ask! This is a really easy recipe but it does take a bit of time, so if you want to enjoy it on Halloween night, make sure to get cooking today!

Halloween Barmbrack
This recipe makes a really beautiful moist loaf which is packed with flavour from the mixed spice and dried fruit, which sits overnight in cold tea and whiskey to soak up all the goodness. You can drop the whiskey if you wish but I think it adds another flavour kick...

Makes one 900g loaf
225g cream flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
375g packet of fruit mix
250ml cold tea
50ml of whiskey
125g light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon of mixed spice
A ring to place inside

Place the fruit mix in a bowl and pour over the whiskey and cold tea. Allow to soak up the liquid overnight.
Preheat the oven to 170oC/Gas Mark 3 and grease and line a 900g loaf tin
Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and mixed spice in a mixing bowl.
Make a well and break in the egg, using a wooden spoon, mix the egg with the dry ingredients. Add a little bit of the liquid the fruit mix is sitting in and mix it through. You may not need all the liquid, you are looking for a wet dough.
Then stir through the fruit mix until everything is thoroughly combined. Add in the ring and stir through.
Spoon the wet dough into the lined loaf tin and place in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the loaf tin and placing on wire rack.
Cover in cling wrap and tin foil and allow to sit for 1-2 days before cutting into it.
Serve in slices spread with a little butter and good cuppa!