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.
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
2 Red Onions chopped into chunks
600ml of Veg Stock
4oz of Button Mushrooms
1 tbsp of Dried Oregano
1 tbsp of oyster sauce (or soya sauce)
1 tbsp of flour
2 tbsp of milk
I made this, this morning and it took me 5 Min's of work, the whole cooking time is about 45mins but mostly your just checking on it and your definitely left with time to brush your teeth!
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.
Soups are one of the healthiest and versatile meals you can produce, not only that, they can be frozen and reheated for a quick and simple lunch! There are so many soups that I love, that this post could be extremely long, but as I said already making soup is so versatile and once you have the basic recipe you can adapt it however you wish.
Quick Basic Soup Recipe
4 tsp Vegetable Bouillon powder (I use this but stock cubes can be used or you can make your own)
1 and half litre of boiling water
2 cloves of garlic
1 Large onion
A good pinch of salt and pepper
STEP 1-> Boil the water in a kettle, pour into a jug, add the bouillon powder and mix. In a large pot fry the onion and garlic in some oil till they soften and brown.
STEP 2-> This where you can experiment, add the rest of your ingredients, I'll include some suggestions at the end of this post, and mix with the onion and garlic mix. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and allow to soften for about a minute.
STEP 3-> Then add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for approx 20 mins.
STEP 4-> If you have a good quality stick blender you can stick it straight into the hot mixture and whizz away! At this point I normally add different spices and herbs to my taste so I encourage you to experiment! Serve immediately or leave to cool and refrigerate or freeze!
Add the following ingredients at Step 2 for different soup types:
Leeks and Brocolli (frozen or fresh).
2 large tins of tomatoes.
1 Large squash, coriander and cumin.
6 Large carrots and 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger.
1 pound of peas (frozen or fresh) and a good handful of mint. (Thanks to michael for the reminder he is having it for lunch today!)
I'm sure everyone has a favourite soup so feel free to make suggestions!
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.
Another recipe from Catherine's cookbook today and it's a damn good one, you seriously can't go wrong with homemade spaghetti and meatballs, especially on a day like today! Can you believe it's already the 1st of September? This dish would make a perfect little warming supper dish so enjoy!
Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce Meatballs form the secondi or meat course at the Italian table, while pasta is the primi, so they would not traditionally be served together. That said, they work well together, so if this takes your fancy, allow 400–450g of dried spaghetti to serve four. I also sometimes add 50g freshly grated Parmesan to the meatballs and reduce the salt, yum! Have a bowl of cold water beside you when forming the meatballs to dip your hands into, as keeping your hands moist prevents the meat from sticking when forming the balls.
Serves 6 for the meatballs: 50g fresh breadcrumbs 100ml milk 1 onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 225g minced pork 225g lean minced beef 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp salt 1⁄2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 egg, beaten extra virgin olive oil
for the spicy tomato sauce: 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 175ml vegetable stock 500g tinned chopped tomatoes 2 tbsp tomato puree salt and freshly ground black pepper pasta, to serve freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
To make the meatballs, first soak the breadcrumbs in the milk. Mix the chopped onion and garlic with the pork and beef. Add the breadcrumbs, oregano, salt and pepper to the meat mixture and mix well. Add in the beaten egg and mix thoroughly. Roll the mixture into small balls. Heat some oil in a frying pan and add in the meatballs. Fry for approximately 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Remove from the heat and set aside. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the chilli and onion and cook on a low heat for 7–10 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, stock, tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the meatballs to the sauce and leave to simmer for 10 minutes to heat through. Serve with your favourite pasta and sprinkle grated Parmesan on top.
Last month we stayed at Grouse Lodge, (the recording studios Michael Jackson used while he stayed in Ireland, don't you know!) to record Industry's new material which will be released in the UK. Now, when I'm "on the road" with the band I am usually fairly starved for foodie delights, however the lovely folks who own Grouse prepare the most amazing homecooked food! Not only that but they also have their own apple orchard, vegetable garden, and even a giant pumpkin patch. Not to mention the ducks and chickens which roam around keeping an eye on everything!
As you can imagine, I was fairly excited and spent every opportunity out taking pictures of the amazing garden! We had breakfast, lunch and dinner all freshly prepared, but one of my favourite meals was the delicious risotto which made a really tasty lunch. This is my version of it!
Pumpkin and Crispy Pancetta Risotto
I absolutely love this recipe, it is a real cosy dish, which leaves you full, satisfied and warm. Risotto may seem a little tricky, but it's just a case of giving it your full attention and slowly incorporating the liquid, so give it a go! If you can't get your hands on pancetta slices, use smoked streaky bacon. Serves 4 850g pumpkin, cut into slices A few fresh sage leaves 3 garlic cloves, roughly sliced 4 tablespoons olive oil 8 slices of pancetta 1 litre of chicken stock 150g butter 1 red onion, finely chopped 300g risotto rice 75ml white wine 150g parmesan freshly grated A good pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 220oC/425oF/Gas Mark 7. Peel and gut the pumpkin and cut into slices. Make sure to save the seeds they are super tasty roasted with a little butter and sea salt. Place the pumpkin on a roasting tray with the garlic, sage, salt and pepper, toss together. Cover with tin foil and bake until soft for about 50 minutes. 10 minutes before the pumpkin is ready remove from the oven, lay the pancetta over the pumpkin and place bake in the oven till crisp. Melt 75g of the butter and the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion until soft for about 15 minutes. Add the rice and off the heat stir through until it is totally coated with the onion mix. Return to the heat, add enough stock to cover the rice and simmer stirring until the rice has absorbed nearly all the liquid. Continue to add a little more stock at a time until it is all absorbed. This should take about 15 minutes, until the rice has a creamy coating. Add the remaining butter, roast pumpkin, white wine, garlic and parmesan. Gently stir though. Serve immediately.
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
2-3 Chicken breasts sliced into chunks
3 Garlic Cloves chopped finely
1 Large Onion chopped finely
1 Large Carrot chopped
1 Leek sliced in chunky pieces
1 Thumb Sized piece of Fresh Ginger, grated
700ml of Stock (Can be chicken or vegetable, it's up to you!)
A good handful of fresh herbs roughly chopped
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! :)
Well we're two rooms down on the house and surprisingly after 3 days in a row in IKEA, I'm still ready for more! We have just got in the door from sorting out the bedroom, with a bed and wardrobe set for delivery tomorrow. I have to admit that with all the rushing around, we have ended up in the cafe twice and I have to confess that I have munched my way through 30 meatballs in the last two days, with copious amounts of mashed potato, gravy and lingonberry jam! But then again when you are lugging your life around there is most definitely a need for some serious comfort food. Speaking of which today's recipe is one of my ultimate comfort foods- Slow cooked lamb shanks for many need absolutely no introduction as you will know just how delicious, slow-cooking this off-cut of meat is. If you haven't tried them before, give this recipe a go it's perfect for the cooler evenings.
Lamb Shanks with Colcannon Mash I really am a sucker for a good lamb shank, with it's melt-in-the-mouth texture, which literally falls off the bone, it truly is a thing of beauty! The key is to slow cook it at a low temperature. This transforms the gnarly piece of meat into a rich and juicy piece of deliciousness. You can serve it on normal mash, sweet potato mash, or with lentils, but I love colcannon and seeing as it is the season, it makes perfect sense!
Serves 4 30ml/2 tbsp of olive oil 4 lamb shanks 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 3 onions, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely diced 1 stalk of celery, finely sliced 350ml/12 fl oz of red wine A few sprigs of thyme, tied in a bunch with string 650ml/1 ½ pts of stock (vegetable or beef) 2 tablespoons of cornflour A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
In a large casserole dish, heat the olive oil and add the lamb shanks and brown on all sides. Remove and set aside. Fry the onions for two to three minutes until soft but not browned. Add the garlic, carrot and celery and fry for another couple of minutes. Pop in the thyme and stir through. Add the red wine and bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes. Place in the browned lamb shanks and pour over the stock. Bring to a steady simmer, then cover and place in the oven at 150oC/300oF/Gas Mark 2. Cook the lamb shanks very slowly, for three hours, turning them half way through the cooking time, until the meat is extremely tender and almost falls off the bone. Toward the end of the cooking time, taste and season. If you want to serve the lamb shanks with its juices, I remove a few ladles of the juices and place them in a small saucepan. Then place two tablespoons of the juices in a bowl and stir through the cornflour until you have a smooth mix, pour this back into the saucepan and bring to a steady simmer, cooking down until you have a thick gravy. Serve in large deep bowls with the colcannon.
For the colcannon: 1kg potatoes, peeled and diced 250g cabbage, finely sliced 1 bunch of spring onions, finely sliced 2 tablespoons of butter 75ml of milk or cream A good pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Add the peeled and diced potato to a pot of cold water, cover, place over a high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potato is tender when pierced with a fork. Place a metal steamer into another pot, add a little water and bring to the boil. Place the cabbage into the steamer and steam cook until it is tender. When the potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat, drain into a colander, then add back into the pot with the butter and milk. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy. You may want to add a little bit more or less milk and butter, it's up to you! Add in the spring onion, steamed cabbage, sea salt and black pepper and stir through with a spoon until evenly combined. Serve with the lamb shanks.
Some people were a little bit upset about the lovely shots of the cute, cuddly little lambs yesterday and I got asked how I could possibly think about eating them! I appreciate that it is a sensitive subject for some, but I'm not sure I'm going to help things along when I post today's recipe for roast lamb! All I can say is non meat eating lamb lovers AVERT YOUR EYES! I guess it does come back to making the choices on the types of meat you buy, I know I would prefer to know I am eating a piece of meat from an animal that has been treated well and has had an excellent standard of life.
Ethics aside, lamb is absolutely delicious and right now it is very much in season! Traditionally if my parents were ever "down the country", they would always come back with a leg of lamb for the Sunday roast, claiming it was best you could get. You know what? I think they were right, it must be something to do with the country air! There are lots of different ways to cook lamb, but this is one of the easiest and certainly in my mind the most traditional.
Simple Garlic and Rosemary Roast Lamb Most meats really benefit from the roasting process and lamb is no different. As it is in season now, it needs very little work to bring out the really fantastic natural flavours of the meat. Roasting it with the classic combination of rosemary and garlic is simply the only way to go in my books! You get delicious, mouthwatering end results with a kitchen filled with amazing aromas! Normally I would roast lamb on the bone, so just adapt with whatever cut you can get your hands on.
Serves 6-8 1 leg of lamb, boned and rolled A few cloves of garlic, sliced into thick studs A few sprigs of fresh rosemary A generous sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper 250ml of lamb stock (or use beef or vegetable if you are stuck)
Preheat the oven to 180oC/ Gas Mark 4. Place the lamb in a large roasting tray and using the point of a sharp knife make holes all over the lamb about 2-3cm apart. Insert some rosemary and a stud of garlic in each hole. Season generously with sea salt and ground black pepper. Place in the oven and depending on the weight of the leg, roast for approximately 25-30 minutes per pound for medium rare. Alternatively check the lamb with a meat thermometer, 145oF for medium rare. Remove the cooked lamb from the pan and allow to rest on serving dish. Tip the juices to one corner of the pan and spoon off the fat. Place the pan on the hob and add the stock. Bring to the boil and make sure to whisk all the caramelised meat juices from the sides of the tray. Decant to a small jug. You can add a little roux while it comes to the boil if you want a thicker sauce. Serve slices of lamb with a little of the gravy some roast potatoes and steamed asparagus.
GOOD MORNING! Well this was dinner last night mainly because I decided that if i didn't use the squash in the fridge it was going to end up in the bin! I love love love roast veggies, when there done properly that is, I mean when there's a little crispy chewy and caramel like on the outside and soft and mushy on the inside, now that's perfection. I have just moved into a new apartment which means a new oven, which means getting used to regulating the heat! I'm used to gas hob and oven so moving to electric isn't exactly great news as it seems much harder to regulate the temperature. But I'm getting there!
Also I just want to apologise if you've seen the gaudy yellow plates repetitively in photo's and have had just about enough of them but there all I have at the moment what with the moving and all! Were going to Sweden in a few weeks time so I intend to stock up with a few Ikea essentials.
This dish came together as a result of wanting to make a meal out of the squash rather than presenting it as the weird vegetable on the side of some other complicated dish. Squash is a strong meaty vegetable and should be treated as such.
Spicy Sticky Roast Squash Salad
(serves 2)
1 Large Squash
1 Red Onion
1 Red Pepper
1 Large Carrot
8 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of Honey
1 teaspoon of chili powder
A good splash of olive oil
This is an extremely easy dish and comes out looking like your a pro! So first of all prepare all your veg. I've read about different ways of cooking squash mainly with the skin on but being a glutton for punishment I like to peel them, so there's no work involved during the eating process. Once you have peeled your squash, cut it into halves and scoop out the seeds, then cut into chunky slices. Prepare the rest of the veg cutting into chunks. Leave the garlic cloves as they are, this will result in a rich yet mellow flavour a lot more palatable than in it's raw form.
Place all the veg into a large roasting tin and toss in some olive oil, next drizzle the honey over the mix, and finally sprinkle the chili powder.
Roast in a preheated oven at about 150 degrees Celsius for approx 30 minutes or until brown. YUM!
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