I've been packing a fair bit of travel in this summer and I'm fairly sure with the amount of airmiles that have wracked up, I'm doing the environment no favours! This week is no different I'm back in Sweden for a bit of work and to fully soak up all the best a Swedish summer has to offer! One of my favourite things about Sweden in the summer is the beautiful still lakes with their picturesque jetties. This week I finally got my first swim of the summer in and despite always being slightly worried about what lurks at the bottom of those murky waters, I can report that the water was beautiful. All that swimming in lakes can make a cook like myself hungry, so we decided to sample what the Swedes do best, the Smorgasbord!
One of my favourite places to eat in Gothenburg is the Gunnebo Coffee House and Restaurant which is situated on the grounds of one of Sweden's most beautiful neoclassical estates, just south of the city. The buffet style lunch is made with all organic ingredients and always has something interesting and healthy to offer. During the summer months the kitchen uses fruit and vegetables from the huge gardens outside, which I find very exciting to walk through! The day we were there amongst the fantastic choice of dishes there was a cabbage salad, cucumber and fennel lentil salad, herbed pork fillet, boiled cumin potatoes, roast salmon with a creamy sauce, and Roast tomatoes with Goats cheese and red onion. We assembled our plates with fairly hefty portions, a handful of the chunky homemade bread and headed outdoors to pick our way through it. There is something fairly special about eating fresh and healthy food outdoors on a warm summer day that just makes everything taste all the better! For now, as the Swedes say "hej då"!
Roast Tomatoes with Goats cheese and Red Onion This is a super way to make the most of the last of the summer tomatoes! This method brings out the fantastic natural sweetness and is perfection in every bite. You can prepare these ahead of time and serve them at room temperature.
Serves 4 4 tomatoes, cut in half 1 goats cheese log, cut in slices 1 red onion, sliced in half moons A good glug of olive oil A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas Mark 6. Arrange the tomato halves on a baking tray and top each on with a few slices of red onion and then place a slice of cheese on top. Drizzle each tomato with a little olive oil and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Place in the oven to cook for 35 minutes or until the the tomatoes are soft and tender. Serve warm or cold.
Cucumber and Fennel, Lentil Salad I think lentils are by far one of the most underused pulses. They are like the black sheep of the legume family, with many people having never even cooked them before. However that all has to change, they are full of health benefits, and just as quick as pasta to cook so no excuses! They go great with lots of different dishes but they go great here as a tasty little salad!
Serves 4 1 cucumber, cut in chunky diagonal slices 150g of green lentils A good handful of fennel fronds, roughly chopped Juice of 1/2 a lemon 2 tablespoons of olive oil A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Rinse the lentils in cold water drain and place in a pot. Cover them with plenty of water and bring to the boil, cooking for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. In a large bowl whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Add in the fennel fronds, cucumber slices, and cooled lentils. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and serve!
Unfortunately the last of the Swedish summer hasn't been as kind as I had hoped, with most of my time being spent dodging the rain, it all feels very much like home. However, the bad weather hasn't dampened our spirits and we soldiered on, enjoying one of the more traditional events of any true Swede's summer calendar, the highly regarded Kraftfest! For a foreigner, this can be a fairly strange event to come across, so put simply it's a party where large groups of Swedes don bibs and funny hats to guzzle and suck their way through mountains of Swedish crayfish, interrupted only by traditional kraftfest songs while downing copious amounts of schnapps (which, by the way, tastes like paint stripper!). In fairness to the Swedes they most definitely know how to make the best of the summer.
One of the other very exciting things I've had the chance to try my hand at is wild blueberry picking! Over 60% of Sweden is covered by rich forests which are literally teaming with low lying bushes covered in little blue dots throughout late summer. Like any good Irish fella, I never pass on the chance of free food, so as soon as I heard about these little babies, we were in the car and deep in the woods in record time.
One of the things I learned early on about Sweden is that everything has a system, and blueberry picking is no different, they have these fantastic rectangular boxes with a handle and little prongs to pick the berries, which makes it as simple as running it through the bushes, to pick up generous handfuls bursting with goodness! We are still working our way through the huge amount we picked, making American style blueberry muffins and a delicious blueberry créme brulee, but this was one of the desserts which perfectly complimented the little berries.
Swedish Gooey Chocolate Cake If you're looking for a gooey chocolate fix, you've come to the right place. This cake is perfect for a quick dessert using ingredients you probably already have in your store cupboard. To be perfectly honest, it tastes so good on its own it can just as easily be served without the cream and the berries! I have witnessed the picking apart of a cake just like this straight out of the oven by a hungry group of young ladies. It was similar to a scene from a David Attenborough documentary - believe me, they didn't need the frills!
For the topping: 500ml of double cream 150g of blueberries and raspberries
Preheat the oven to 175oC. Grease and flour a cake tin 24cm in diameter with a removable base and set aside. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the sugar and the egg and mix well. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into the greased cake tin and place in the oven for 20 minutes. The cake won't rise dramatically but you should be left with a set top and gooey middle! Allow to cool while you whip the cream until it become stiff. When you're ready to serve, spoon generous dollops of whipped cream on top and then decorate with blueberries and raspberries.
I was honoured this year to be included in the line up chefs demonstrating at two of the Irish summers top foodie events Taste of Dublin and Bord Bia's Bloom in the Park. Shamefully I had never been to either events, so it was fantastic to finally have my eyes opened to massive amount of work that goes in to creating such amazing displays and stands. I have had the experience of demonstrating in front of large crowds before and a brief stint in the musical world has meant that I no longer suffer too badly from nerves, but this was a little different. When you are included on the lineup with well established people who you have watched cooking growing up the pressure is really on! For my demonstration at Bloom I did a selection of dishes based around in season produce and one of them was this mouthwatering Summer Berry Pavlova.
Summer Berry Layered Pavlova This mix makes a chewy, marshmallow meringue, which goes perfectly with the cream and berries. Layering the meringue discs gives this beautiful summer dish fantastic texture! If you haven't tried making meringues before, don't be scared as this mix is fairly fool proof, just pop the icing sugar and egg whites in a mixer and whisk till you have stiff glossy peaks, add in the cornflour and white wine vinegar, pop in the oven and you're sorted.
Serves 8 250g icing sugar 4 egg whites 2 teaspoons of cornflour 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar 500ml of cream, whipped 250g of mixed berries
Preheat the oven to 150oC/Gas Mark 2 Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Draw a large circle 25cm/10inch on each piece of parchment paper. Place the icing sugar and egg whites in a standing food mixer and whisk on high for 10 minutes until glossy white peaks form. Using a spatula, gently fold in the cornflour and the white wine vinegar. Divide the meringue mixture between the two baking trays and using a tablespoon, form two large meringue discs. Bake for 45 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Assemble the pavlova, by spooning half the cream onto the first layer of meringue, adding half the berries and topping with the other meringue layer, remaing berries and cream.
Mackerel is one of those types of food that, in my life, I have always just taken for granted, like pasta or potatoes. We have been catching them just off Howth head since I was a kid, and they have always been there reminding us that summer has started. With the first catch, comes that familiar fresh taste, lost in the months of winter, and savoured with every bite, but which regrettably soon becomes the norm and less of a novelty for lazy summer evening meals.
With the last days of this years summer well and truly behind us, and mackerel season coming to a close, last weekend we cooked up the final humongous pile of mackerel which were all individually, neatly wrapped in tinfoil and thrown in the freezer, upon their arrival from boat to land. The fish tasted almost as good as fresh and only needed the simple additional flavouring from a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of smoked sea salt and ground black pepper.
BBQ Mackerel with lemon and Smoked Sea Salt
There are so many things that you can do with fish on a barbecue, but sometimes its nice to keep things simple, a few herbs, maybe some garlic butter or just plain lemon and salt will bring the natural flavours alive. If you are freezing mackerel, freeze the same day you get it, make sure to use within 3 months, and defrost in the fridge. You may notice a change in the texture of the fish but it shouldn't be too significant.
1-2 gutted mackerel per person, depending on size A drizzle of olive oil 2 lemons A good pinch of smoked sea salt A good pinch of freshly ground black pepper Tin foil to cover the mackerel
Wrap the mackerel individually in tinfoil, and place on a hot barbecue. Cook for 4-5 minutes either side, it's a bit of a guessing game but open the tinfoil to check if the fish is cooked through. Take the wrapped fish off the barbecue and remove the tinfoil. Place the fish on a large serving dish and drizzle with a little olive oil. Generously squeeze lemon juice over the fish, and season with smoked sea salt and black pepper. Serve straight away!
Now earlier in the week I did come down a bit heavy on Sweden and their food culture, but I do have a big fondness for many parts of Swedish culture and cuisine. Whenever you talk to a Swede about the best time to visit Sweden, I could nearly almost guarantee they would say the summer. After a long cold winter the Swedes go all out for the summer with the highlight being the midsummer celebrations which take place on the 25th of June every year. With fields full of wild strawberries and crayfish pots heaving with luminous red critters, the Swedes certainly make the most of it. I have spent quite a lot of time in Sweden over the last few years and have got the opportunity to experience the country through all the different seasons, but despite the excitement of 5 feet of snow at Christmas, which let me add wears very thin when all you have on your cold Irish feet is a flimsy pair of Converse runners, the summer is always the season I look forward to the most.
I have a secret love affair with the fantastic warm lakes, complete with picture postcard jetties, the beautiful forests which are teaming with wild blueberries and big juicy yellow chanterelle mushrooms all ripe and ready for the picking. This week I was over to finish writing the recipes for my next book, and pick up a little Swedish food inspiration along the way. A few years ago I worked in a restaurant on an island just off Gothenberg and one of the things we regularly served up was big hearty slices of sweet and salty Gravadlax.
Swedish Gravadlax Gravadlax is truly a thing of beauty, and although quite different in taste, is what I like to think of as Sweden‘s answer to our delicious smoked salmon! It sounds quite complicated but I’m here to tell you that isn’t the case and you can produce this seriously impressive dish with a minimal amount of hassle! The man I bought the fish from actually suggested using honey instead of sugar as he said it produces a slightly different taste, but it's up to you!
Serves about 12 portions 2 halves of salmon fillets 2 good handfuls of fresh dill, roughly chopped 6 tablespoons of sea salt 10 tablespoons of caster sugar 2 tablespoons of freshly ground black pepper
In a bowl combine the dill, sea salt, caster sugar and ground black pepper corns. Roll out a large piece of cling film and sprinkle the base with 1/3 of the dill mixture. Place one side of the salmon skin side down on the dill mixture and top half the remaining mixture. Place the last fillet on top flesh side down and sprinkle with the remaining dill mixture. Wrap the salmon tightly with the cling film and give it an extra layer if you need to. Place the wrapped parcel in a high sided dish and weight it down with a plate and some full cans or whatever heavy item you have to hand. Leave the salmon to cure in the fridge for up to 5 days turning half way through. The dish will fill with juices but don’t be too concerned about draining them until you are ready to serve. When you are ready to serve, remove the package from the dishes and wipe clean of the juices. Separate the sides and slice thinly with a large knife. Serve with freshly boiled potatoes and a side salad.
In case you didn't know already I'm from Howth, which, for the benifit of foreign readers, is a really picturesque fishing village just north of Dublin. I've grown up here all my life, and I have to admit that it is only recently that I have really started to appreciate the natural beauty of the area. There is so much to see, amazing cliff walks, boat trips to the nearby island, Ireland's Eye, a super collection of fresh fish mongers and some really well respected restaurants.
During the summer months we try and get out fishing as much as possible, mackerel is normally the fish of the day, but sometimes pollack is pulled out of the blue too. Early on most sunny Sunday mornings, hidden from the sight of land lovers, there is a eclectic little group of small fishing boats from Howth, which can be found floating just off the back of Ireland's Eye, all with one aim, the day's catch. Rods and lines at the ready in the calm blue, the process of fishing takes pride of place, but of course amongst the peaceful calm there is the secret competition for the first fish. Even the most relaxed individual can't deny the envy of another boat with a line full and heavy with fish. Our most recent trip, in the first week in June, unfortunately did not produce any fish, so we arrived back to land with food on the brain.
For the past few years, traders and food producers from all over Ireland come to Howth to the farmers market which is set up every Sunday to provide locals and tourists with tasty treats, fresh vegetables, and quality meats. Although the quality of produce is generally high, it can be quite expensive, so I normally only purchase something I can't get in the supermarket. With the suprisingly good Irish summer fully in swing, there was a huge selection of fresh summer fruits on offer and I couldn't resist. Fresh cherries were my fruit of choice as I had been contemplateing a cherry clafoutis for the last few weeks, so the opportunity couldn't be passed.
Also on offer, was an incredible full cooked pig which was slowly being roasted on a spit, which they were slowly slicing pieces off, for sandwiches which were being sold.
If you are ever in Howth make sure to come on Sunday, the market is open from 10am - 4pm pretty much all year round.
We've had a pretty bad summer here in Ireland weather wise, and I had high hopes for lots of lovely summer evening BBQ's with some tasty salads. Instead I have had to settle with eating out whenever it's been dry for more than 30 minutes and dragging a full table setting in out of the rain on more than one occassion. However we still have the whole of August to go so fingers crossed for that perfect summer evening! I have one more recipe from our little bank holiday break and few more photos too, enjoy! This was the view from our table while we ate this salad:
Spinach and Cherry Tomato Salad If you don't have avocado oil, don't worry, just use some good quality extra virgin olive oil. As I mentioned in a previous post I picked up some recently and it tastes great, plus it's super healthy, so if you can get your hands on some try it out!
Serves 4 3 large handfuls of spinach 2 large handfuls of rocket 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 3 tablespoons of avocado oil 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon of English mustard 1 clove of garlic, finely minced A good pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Add the oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic, sea salt and black pepper to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the tomatoes, spinach, and rocket to the bowl and toss until all the leaves are coated in the tasty dressing. Serve straight away. You could also make the dressing ahead of time and keep in the fridge.
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!
Yes it's me! I'm back blogging after a unplanned little break- which tends to be the norm for most bloggers from time to time. Sofie and I spent the long weekend in Gothenberg, Sweden where we stayed at her lovely mom, Ebba's house. It was a such an enjoyable little break and with a solid 29 degrees from Monday to Friday, it was definitely the kick start to my summer.
To my friends and family, I'm not exactly known as the most outdoors type person, and Sofie was even shocked when I changed a tyre over the weekend, but lately I think I'm developing a bit of a love affair with nature. After to moving to the apartment last year, which is situated right beside a main road, I have a constant and real urge to just be out in the silence of a park, to walk on a beach, or even to go for a quick walk around the cliffs. Needless to say I was really impressed when Sofie introduced me to the two lakes behind the house. They were straight out of the story books I used to read as a kid, complete with Jetty and Ducks and Reeds.
The water was way to warm not to get in, and even though the sun had just set I hopped in for a quick dip. There is something about the water in lakes that always seem to give me an eery, ominous feeling, but being caught in the moment meant I was oblivious to any potential late night, lake creature attacks!
Following what has become one our little Swedish summer traditions, we bought 2 kilo of prawns and 1 kilo of shrimp, which you can buy over the counter cooked from the local "Fisk" shops. It's the perfect sort of food that you can eat masses of, but keeps you occupied enough, to ensure that you can continue eating without feeling full! Does that make sense? Well bottom line, you can eat as much as you want, as messily as you like! Sounds like the perfect combination to me. We ate our way through the two bags with a little help from Sofie's dad who took us on a quick boat trip through the archipelago of Sweden's west coast.
Well Monday came all too quick for me and not even a phone call to the boss could guarantee me a longer stay. So after one last dip in the lake it was back on the one o'clock Ryanair flight to Dublin.
The lovely Elisabeth Ryan from Sheridans has passed me on some interesting notes on each of the cheeses she suggested for the Christmas cheese board the other day. To be honest I have just discovered an appreciation for cheese myself and I am finding this latest food discovery absolutely fascinating, there is so many back stories to each one, so have a quick read!
Stilton
Alongside Cheddar, Stilton is the best known of all English cheeses. Unlike Cheddar, however, Stilton’s name protected status has prevented the proliferation of imitators which has blighted the image of cheddar as a quality, artisanal cheese. The Colston Bassett Dairy stands out amongst these producers for the consistently high quality of its Stilton, if Stilton is the King of Cheeses then Colston Bassett are the Kings of Stilton Production. Colston Bassett Dairy was established as a local farmers cooperative in 1913 with the specific intention of making Stilton. The dairy makes every effort to keep all aspects of production as close to traditional practices as possible. It takes 72 litres of milk to make a standard 6.5kg wheel of Stilton. The milk is pasteurized upon arrival at the dairy- all Stilton has been pasteurized since 1990- it is then cooled to 30 degrees and put into vats. Here starter and penicillum roqueforti, the blue mould culture are added. Vegetarian rennet is then used to set the curds, which are cut an hour later. The mixture is then left to settle, thus allowing the curds to separate from the whey. The whey is drained off and the curds are ladled into trays for the night. The next day the curd is milled, salted, mixed and placed into hoops. The curd drains in the hoops for a further five days, after which time the curd has drained and solidified sufficiently to allow the cheese moulds (hoops) to be removed. The surface of the cheese is then rubbed over with a knife, thus smoothing the exterior and facilitating the later development of a natural rind. The cheese is then aged for 20 days to allow the surface to dry out. By the end of this period it is ready for the maturing room. The young Stilton is kept in the maturing room for around six weeks. Towards the end of this period the cheese is pierced with long stainless steel needles at regular intervals around its circumference. This allows air to come in contact with the penicillum roqueforti and lets the cheese develop its latent blue potential. As the blue culture reacts to air it is concentrated along the lines left by the needles, thus giving Stilton its characteristic blue veining. The cheeses are given a second piercing about a week later, at which point they are ready for sale.
Mont D'ore
Mont d’Or is a seasonal soft cheese from Franche-Comté, made using raw cow’s milk. The AOC stipulates that production must take place between 15th August and 15th March. The cheese may be sold from 10th September to 10th May. The milk used must come from Montbeliard and Pie Rouge breeds feeding exclusively on grass and hay at altitudes above 700m. No fermented feed is permitted. The cheese must be encircled by a strip of spruce or pine and packaged in a wooden box. During the summer months milk from these herds goes into the production of the region’s other great cheese, Comté, but as the season changes from Summer into Autumn changes take place in the milk being produced. The cattle are producing less milk, making the production of the huge Comté cheeses less viable (an average Comté wheel weighs 36kg). Equally the protein/ butterfat ratio of the milk has changed making it less suited to the production of hard cheese. Other considerations also have a role to play in the gradual changeover from Comté to Mont d’Or production. In the days before motorized transport as the weather deteriorated it became more difficult, and less worthwhile, to make the daily delivery of increasingly small amounts of milk to the fruitières, or cooperatives, where the Comté is made. So the farmers began to make smaller cheeses with which they could feed their families throughout the winter. Mont d’Or has a washed rind, covered in a dusting of white mould and a soft, near liquid cream-coloured paste, it is a wonderfully rich cheese. The aromas are of hay, mushrooms, earth and balsam, as both the box and the spruce impart wonderful woody flavour (the black colour which often occurs around the wood is perfectly normal and is no cause for alarm). On the palate the texture is unctuous and creamy. The flavours are of cream, wood and dry undergrowth with a slightly saline finish. Baked Mont d’Or is probably one of the most hedonistic dishes there is, and is perfect for a winter’s night.
Montgomery
Montgomery’s Cheddar is generally regarded as the best of the unpasteurised, animal rennet cheddars still being made in England, in other words the best of the best. The cheese is made on the family farm near Cadbury in Somerset, with milk from the Montgomery’s own pedigree herd. Montgomery can be aged anywhere up to two years, although most people prefer it at somewhere between 12 and 18 months. Such is the demand for Montgomery Cheddar nowadays that a couple of years ago a shipment of the cheese was hijacked by thieves, who then made off with tens of thousands worth of Cheddar! Our own annual allocation of this sought after cheese is such that, in order to have ‘Monty’ in stock at Christmas we have to do without it for a couple of months beforehand. By the time the cheese finally arrives in December people are literally clamoring to get their hands on it.
Cashel Blue
Jane and Louis Grubb have been making Cashel Blue on their farm at Beechmount, near Fethard, in County Tipperary since 1984. Since then the cheese has gone on to become the best known of all the Irish farmhouse cheeses. Over half of all the milk used in the production of Cashel comes from the Grubb’s own select herd of Holstein-Fresians, with the remainder coming from carefully chosen local herds Cashel Blue is a natural-rind blue cow’s milk with a soft, yellow paste and a distinctive blue/green mould. In perfect condition, ie over about 14 weeks the cheese should show little, if any, chalkiness in the paste and should bulge ever so slightly near the rind. In terms of flavour Cashel provides a wonderful contrast between the slowly dissolving, creamy paste and a well rounded blue flavour. Cashel has none of the mouth-stinging harshness of certain blues, relying far more on finesse than sheer raw power. This classic Irish cheese is great with dessert wines, the Grubbs recommend Vin Santo. For a less upmarket treat, try it with a Braeburn apple. Cashel is also a wonderful cooking cheese.
Clonmore Goat farmers, Tom and Lena Beggane, learnt cheesemaking from a Dutch neighbour. They started making Clonmore at their farm in the heart of Cork Hurling country, Newtownshandrum, outside Charleville in the late 1990’s. Clonmore is handmade using milk from their tiny, free-range herd of goats. Cheesemakers like the Begganes are very much part of the new wave of lesser known, Irish cheesemakers who have broken away from the classic Irish wash-rind tradition to explore other cheesemaking styles. The Beggane’s goats are fortunate enough to enjoy some of the finest grazing in the heart of the Golden Vale. This pasture, more usually associated with dairy farming, lends wonderful richness to their cheese. Tom and Lena are also part of that dying breed of Irish cheesemakers who are still involved in the maintenance of their own herd, the majority of Irish farmhouse cheesemakers nowadays prefer to buy their milk from one or two well trusted local sources. The combination of farming and cheesemaking makes huge demands on both time and patience and anyone still willing to commit themselves wholeheartedly to both is to greatly be admired. The Begganes also run their herd in coincidence with the animal’s natural lactation cycle, allowing their herd to dry out at the end of November. They start making cheese again in March. Clonmore is a small, gouda-shaped cheese with a beige waxed exterior and a bone-white paste that is intermittently freckled with small holes. In good condition the cheese is milky on the palate with a mild tang that gently gives way to the unmistakable rounded, goaty finish that typifies Clonmore. This is a wonderful hard goat’s cheese. It is in no way sharp or soapy yet has a distinctive, smooth flavour. Clonmore is one of those cheeses that is better served below room temperature, left out in a warm room it has a tendency to become slightly oily. This is very much a lesser known Irish cheese and is not widely available, so sit back and enjoy this treasure.
Coolea Coolea is a pasteurized cow’s milk cheese made in the mountains of Coolea, near Macroom on the Cork/Kerry border. It has been made there since 1980 when a Dutch woman, Helen Willems, began to make Dutch style cheese from the milk of her husband, Dick’s, herd. Nowadays Coolea is made by their son Dick Jnr. This is a classic Gouda style cheese made in traditional four and eight kilo rounds and is characterized by a yellow wax rind and a hard golden amber paste. It is now made from the milk of two neighbouring herd of Holsteins and Freisians. During the summer the Willems use milk from a herd about two miles from their farm, whilst during the winter they use milk from a different herd, feeding on pasture which is drier than most at that time. Dickie insists that all milk used comes from grass-fed animals as he says that silage can taints the flavour of the cheese as it ages. Since Coolea’s flavour is wholly reliant on the quality of the milk used Dickie is insistent that only the very best milk goes into making his cheese. He also uses traditional rennet because it makes far more age-worthy cheeses than those made using vegetarian rennets. Young Coolea is mild and semi firm, whilst older cheeses have a harder paste and a fuller, more robust flavour that continue to develop for over two years. At this stage of maturity the cheese takes on a sweet, almost toffee like flavour and a slight crystalline consistency, not dissimilar to that of mature Parmesan. Dickie’s preference is for wheels between 14-18 months. In 2006, Sheridans began experimenting with increasing the age profile, and now most of the Coolea we sell is between 20 months and 2 years. Amazingly, we still find that it has enough moisture to keep it lively on the palate, but is backed by a wonderfully deep finish and is just starting to become tacky in the mouth.
Durrus Jeffa Gil has been making Durrus at her hillside farmhouse in West Cork since 1979. Since then Durrus has gone on to become one of the most highly regarded of all the Irish farmhouse cheeses, collecting many prizes and accolades along the way, including Best Irish Cheese at the British Cheese Awards in 2003. West Cork has long been associated with milk production in Ireland, thus making it an ideal location for cheesemakers; whilst the wet, saline sea air makes the area eminently suited to washed rind production. Durrus is one of those true artisanal products which reflect the environment in which they are produced. It is unique in being the only Irish wash rind cheese which is still made using raw milk and traditional rennet and is one of the cheeses chosen as ambassador for the Slow Food Presidium on Irish Raw Cow’s Milk Cheese. Durrus’ success continues, it was named Supreme Champion at the IFEX in 1996 - for the second year running- and Jeffa was named best cheesemaker. Durrus is a semi-soft washed rind cheese made using raw cow’s milk from the neighboring Buckley and Lynch family’s herds. Jeffa’s cheese has a mottled pinkorange rind and a semi-firm creamy paste that has a tendency to bulge slightly when cut. The aroma is one of hay and wet soil, punctuated with a small dose of the pungency so characteristic of washed rind cheeses. The flavour is long, round and earthy with - depending on condition - a slight washed rind whiff. It is a flavour which is uniquely and unmistakably Durrus. This is what Jeffa describes as ‘a deep, complex flavour which captures the elemental nature of this part of Ireland.’ Jeffa reckons the cheese is best at around 6 weeks old and is not overly affected by seasonality because the milk comes from staggered breeding. Durrus is one of the consistently great Irish farmhouse cheeses. Try it on toast, in place of raclette or with pears.
Winter is coming so quickly this year, but I want to make sure I hang on to the best of the summer in my cooking during the coming cold months. How you ask? The answer- home dried herbs!
If you've been growing herbs in your garden all summer like me, this is probably one of your last chances this year to make the most of them. Plus home drying herbs is so simple and fun and they also make a great Christmas pressie for fellow food lovers!
Drying herbs can really bring out some intense flavors, which can often be even tastier than there fresh counterparts. They are a fantastic addition to recipes and I love using them to intensify the flavors of soups, stews, and sauces. Hardy herbs like Thyme, Rosemary, Oregano, Bay, and Sage, are perfect for drying and in most cases the natural oils are not depleted during the process. Try to harvest the herbs on a dry day, mid morning just after the dew has dried, this will ensure the herbs are at their freshest when you pick them.
Here are my tips for harvesting and drying herbs! :
Snip the herbs at the stem.
Choose nice long branches and pick off any dead leaves.
Give the stems a gentle shake to remove any insects or dirt. (You can choose to give the herbs a quick wash, but make sure to dry on kitchen paper, as moisture can cause rot.)
Bundle a good handful of the stems together and tie at the bottom with twine tightly. (As the herbs dry, you may need to tighten the knot)
Hang the herbs in a warm dry place, I hang mine in a small room just over the water heater, so they're kept nice and warm!
The time it takes to dry the herbs will depend on their moisture content, but in most cases when the stems crack and no longer bend, they are ready to be stored.
Store the dried herbs in an airtight container and leave the leaves uncrushed until you're ready to use them.
Enjoy the herbs right through the winter, and give your dishes some extra flavor!
We arrived in Cannes for a holiday last week, I came armed with a copy of Elizabeth David's French country cooking and Sofie my girlfriend with a copy of "The Notebook" (yes the soppy love story, the big screen version of which she has seen way too many times to count), so as you can imagine we have fairly different agendas on this summer holiday! I think it's always important to have a sniff around the local food market as a way of getting your bearings when you first arrive at a new place. It's been something that is engrained on my mind from an early age after hours of traipsing behind my parents on every family holiday, my dad busy comparing prices to the fruit and veg at home, while my mom being a bit more practical would be eyeing up a nice piece of meat for dinner. Needless to say it didn't take me very long to tire of reading by the pool and after a long drive the wrong way into Cannes and a fight with the GPS who I thought might be more interesting if we changed the language to French, we discovered the most beautiful French food market.
The Marché Forville is a massive covered market specialising in fruit, vegetables, fish and flowers and takes place every day except Monday's when it becomes the home to a spectacular antique market. The place literally crawls with activity. Big beefy stall holders eyeing up potential customers and of course the many well endowed Cote D'azur ladies, savvy French shoppers in the know, picking up up pieces of fish to inspect every inch of it, bronzed grannies beating their way through the crowds filling those distinctly French wheely bags to the brim with the best the market has to offer and then of course the tourists who like ourselves are busy snapping photos and taking it all in. You can't leave a place like this without a paper bag heavy with the summers finest fruit.
Baked Peaches with Vanilla Sugar Stoned summer fruits are whack bang in season at the moment and there are lots and lots of different recipes you can use to make the most of them, however I think keeping things simple brings out the natural juicy flavours and leaves you with far less washing up to do. A win win situation I think you'll agree! If you can't get vanilla sugar you can quite easily make a homemade batch by popping a vanilla pod in a jar filled with caster sugar. Or alternatively just use caster sugar and a splash of good quality vanilla extract.
Serves 4 8 peaches, halved with stones removed 3 tablespoons of vanilla sugar 2 tablespoons of water Vanilla ice cream to serve
Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas Mark 6. Arrange the peaches in a non stick baking tray and sprinkle over the water. Dust each peach with a little of the vanilla sugar until each one is nicely coated. Place the peaches into the oven for around an hour or until the fruit is tender when pierced with a knife. Serve the peaches with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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.
This week I was on The Afternoon Show cooking up some diabetic desserts and in preperation I did a lot of research on the topic and spoke to lovely Sinead from Diabeties Federation of Ireland who gave me the low down on some fantastic dessert ideas for people with diabeties. This delicious panna cotta is one of the desserts recommended and it’s an absolutely perfect one for entertaining!
Simple Panna Cotta with summer fruits and dark chocolate! If you have never made this type of dessert before, don’t be put off, it is super easy and this is a wonderfully light and fruity dessert which is the perfect little pick me up after a heavy meal. The advantage of panna cotta is that you can make them ahead of time and stick them in the freezer allowing you time to prepare the rest of your meal. I particularly like them because they really look impressive when you slip them out of their moulds and serve them with the delicious fruit.
Makes 2 Panna Cotta 4 gelatine leaves 2 tablespoons of artificial sweetener 4 tablespoons milk 500g natural yogurt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract To serve: 200g strawberries, hulled 2 squeezes lemon juice 1 tablespoon artificial sweetener 200g raspberries 100g blueberries A small handful of dark chocolate shavings
Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water in a shallow dish. Put the artificial sweetener and milk in a small pan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring up to the boil, then take off the heat. Take the gelatine out of the water and stir into the hot milk. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. Beat in the yogurt and vanilla extract and pour into 2 moulds or you could use ramekins. Chill in the fridge until set, this usually takes about 3 hours. To make the sauce, puree the strawberries with the lemon juice and artificial sweetener. Sieve to remove pips. Mix the raspberries and blueberries in a separate large, pretty serving bowl. To serve, dunk each mould into warm water for about 10 seconds, swiftly dry the base, then turn the panna cotta out on an individual plate. Spoon a little of the strawberry sauce and berries around each pudding, sprinkle with some dark chocolate shavings and serve.
I think Sweden is slightly behind on the garden growing front, we visited Sofie's dad's little garden patch last night and his strawberries are still a little bit away from bursting into colour. Though bearing in mind the last time I was here the ground was covered completely in a thick layer of snow, could have a lot to do with it! When I left on Monday our strawberries plants were heaving with big ruby red fruit and suprisingly enough the birds weren't hatching their usual plan to steal them all. I guess seeing me shouting at them in my underwear with a stick during last years seige did the trick!
One of the cool things Sweden has on the strawberry front are these fantastic wild plants which produce the tiniest little sweet strawberries you can imagine. They grow in garden hedgerows and are found throughout Sweden. Hopefully there will be a few ripe ones ready to pick before I leave so I can photograph them and show you. Today's recipe is one I shot a few weeks back with some beautiful Irish strawberries which are bang smack in season right now, so if your tempted pick up some and make this delicious cake!
Mega Strawberry Summer Cake Strawberries really should be celebrated with over the top desserts and if you want to look beyond the simplicity and utter deliciousness of strawberries and cream then this is the cake for you! When you are assembling the layers of cake make sure you give it an extra little squeeze to ensure those mouth watering dribbles of jam down the sides.
Serves 8 3 large eggs 225g of caster sugar 50g of butter, melted 100ml of milk 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 210g plain flour 2 teaspoons of baking powder
For the filling and topping: 80g of strawberry jam 300g of strawberries, hulled 250ml of cream
Preheat the oven to 175oC/Gas 4 and grease and line two x 8 inch spring form baking tins. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Mix the milk, melted butter and vanilla extract together in a measuring jug and pour into the sugar and egg. Mix through to combine. Sieve the flour and baking powder into the bowl and then using a spatula, gently fold in to the cake mix until completely smooth and combined. Divide the mix evenly between the two baking tins and place in the oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool slightly before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When both cake layers are completely cooled, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Sieve the jam into a bowl to ensure it is really smooth. If the cake layers have a peak in the middle make sure to slice it off so you are left with perfectly flat layers. Place one layer on a cake stand and dollop with half the cream, spread evenly and then drizzle with the smooth strawberry jam. Carefully place the second cake layer on top and add the remaining whipped cream and strawberries.
I'm pretty much settled back into the land of the living after the last few busy weeks and loving being back in my own kitchen. I'm especially loving the amazing weather Ireland has been having all week, summer is most definitely on the way and I am already thinking of more summer orientated dishes, with really fresh flavours! This is is the recipe for this weeks column in the Cork News, with a really simple recipe to make the best of one of my favourite fish, mackerel!
Simple Mackerel Fillets with Chilli, Garlic and Lemon I grew up on mackerel! It was and still is one of the easiest fish to catch just off Howth head. I have some of the most amazing childhood memories of sunny mackerel filled summers with my grandad Do on his boat, where my cousins and I would be busy racing to pull in rods with heavy lines, fish on each hook, while my grandad would gut them and fillet them like the pro he was, belly laughing at the fact that we were all to squeemish to take them off the lines ourselves. For me, mackerel dishes always have to be simple with really fresh flavours, and I love this quick and simple lunch which has a great kick of heat thanks to the chilli. People get a bit worried when it comes to cooking fish, but go to the fishmongers and ask them to do all the hard work and you will be left really lovely fillets of fish which are no more complicated to cook than pan frying a chicken breast!
Serves 4 4-6 mackerel fillets 2 red chillies, finely chopped with the seeds removed 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped Juice of 2 lemons A good drizzle of olive oil A good pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper
Place the mackerel fillets on a large plate and drizzle with olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Don't use all the lemon juice here, as it's nice to give the fish an extra squeeze of lemon while it cooks and then at the end to serve. Sprinkle over the chilli and garlic and gently rub into the fish on both sides, turning to coat in the lemon and olive oil. Season the fillets with sea salt and black pepper and cook on a hot, non stick griddle pan, over a high heat, for 2-3 minutes either side, depending on their size or until they are cooked through. Halfway through the cooking time, give them another splash of lemon juice. Serve the mackerel fillets with a spicy tomato salsa or a fresh side salad for a really light and healthy lunch!
I would like to blame jet lag as the reason I didn't really post last week, but it was really down to pure laziness! But I'm back and that's what really counts. Saturday gave us the last sun, Ireland will probably see for the next 7 months, so we made the most of it and had a lovely salad on the balcony, which was actually the first time we have used it since we moved in!
I made a lovely salad with a dressing that I just had to share here!
Classic Dijon Balsamic Dressing
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
3/4 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of Dijon Mustard
1 Clove of crushed Garlic
A good pinch of Sea Salt and Black Pepper
I used to have a handy little plastic dressing mixer, but it's gone walking so if you don't have one like me, just place all the ingredients in a small glass cover tightly with some cling film and give it a good shake. It's ready to serve or you can store it in the fridge!
It can really bring out the flavours in a plain old salad and put a SMILE ON YOUR FACE!
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?
Another recipe from that amazing dinnerparty I keep mentioning, this time it's the turn of the amazing cheesecake which Sadhbh's son Jamie prepared. Cheesecake is definitely a winner when it comes to making desserts ahead of time, and even if you don't have a son to make it for you, it's not to tricky to get great results! :)
White Chocolate Cheesecake (Recipe from Bill Granger's "Bills Food")
Serves 8 100g plain digestive biscuits 50g butter, melted 400g of good quality white chocolate 284 ml carton of double cream 250g full-fat soft cheese (such as Moonshine Farm cream cheese) 250g tub of mascarpone cheese
For the sauce 275g blueberries, raspberries or strawberries, plus extra to serve 50g golden caster sugar 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Whizz the biscuits in a processor until they look like breadcrumbs. Pour in the melted butter and whiz again briefly. Line the base of a 20cm springform tin with a disc of baking parchment. Tip the mixture in and press firmly to cover the base in an even layer – use the back of a spoon. Cover and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to make the topping. Break the chocolate into small pieces into a heatproof bowl. Put it over a pan of simmering water, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside until the chocolate has melted. Stir once or twice. Remove the bowl from the pan and leave to cool slightly. Gently beat the cream, cheese and mascarpone in a bowl until well-combined – don’t overbeat it or it will go too stiff. Stir in the melted chocolate until the mix is smooth. Spoon this mixture on to the biscuit base and put the cheesecake back in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight. To make the sauce, tip half the blueberries into a blender or food processor, add the sugar and lemon juice and puree until smooth. Press through a sieve into a bowl and set aside until needed. Remove the cheesecake from the tin and cut into slices. Transfer to serving plates, drizzle with the fruit sauce and top with the remaining fresh fruit.
You may have noticed there has been a serious lack of recipes around here lately, but I want you too see that as a good thing! The good news is that behind the scenes I have started work on my new book, so right now that's the main focus and everything else is kind of on the back burner at minute! Hopefully very soon I'll be able to reveal a lot of really exciting news about the book and some other VERY exciting projects coming up. I will do my best to keep the recipes coming but for now here's a really great little summer dish! Enjoy!
Zingy Purple Potato Salad When people think of potato salads in Ireland, heavy mayonaisse laden over boiled potatoes come to mind, but I'm here to change all that! This potato salad is light, bright breezy and packed full of zingy flavours! There is nothing better than great veggies being shown off at their best with a really simple recipe! While most good vegetable shops have them from time to time, t these purple potatoes can be tricky to come across and while not essential for this recipe, they really add great colour to the dish! If you can't get your hand on them, normal baby potatoes will do just fine. This dressing is a great compliment to any steamed or boiled vegetables like asparagus or garden peas!
Serves 4 750g of baby potatoes (mix of purple and white) 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1/2 a lemon 1 garlic clove, finely minced 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard 3 spring onions, finely chopped A handful of dill and basil, roughly chopped A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Place the potatoes in a pot of cold water, cover, place over a high heat and bring to the boil. Simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Drain the potatoes and slice in half lengthways. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the dressing. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, spring onions, and herbs. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Pour the dressing over the cooked potatoes and gently toss, until everything is combined. Serve straightaway!
