Artichokes

Great plant as a border and of course the globes. There's a little preparation needed,and you will need a lemon quarter and a sharp knife.
Break of the stalk peel of the outer leaves until the soft centre ones and the choke seed heads are left. Quickly scoop these out with a spoon and discard, squeez some lemon juice over the heart and rub it in to stop it discolouring.
Now trim the heart paring any of the dark green leave ends remaining.
Rub with lemon again.
Place in boiling salted water to blanch for 4-5mins depending on the size of the hearts.
Eat as they are with some olive oil and salt, or use chopped and added to a creamy sauce with pasta.
In the picture on this page I served it with Hollandaise sauce, smoked bacon and sun-dried tomatoes.

Cold-Filtered Coffee, it's Hot!

A Simple Method.
Put 28g/ 1oz of ground coffee in your coffee plunger/ cafetiere add 840ml/ a pint and a half of fresh cold water or still bottled, cover and leave in the fridge for 12-24 hours. Then simply add the add the plunger and press down slowly.

This method produces a less astringent coffee with a round taste and more natural caramel notes, no need for all the technical data but put simply, in a normal brew proceedure if the waters too hot it burns your beans and burnt beans of any type never taste good.

Enjoy cold as it is or slightly sweetened with condensed milk.
Warm it in a pot if you wish to have a regular 'Americano'.

You don't have to drink it all at once this will keep for up to a week in the fridge, for drinking chilled or warmed as you desire.

Peaches

My favourite canned/ bottled fruit.
At the moment they are in season and apart from just eating them as they are enjoying their dribbly mess or wrapped with some salty bacon we like to serve them dried crisp, semi dried, poached and jellied, with Vanilla Meringue Champagne sorbet and Fresh Cream. Light and refreshing for summer.

Wild Garlic in Flower

Wild Garlic in perfect bloom. The flower heads are good for adding into a dish like Risotto, sprinkled onto a Salad or crushed with New Season Potatoes and lots of butter.
There's still time to get some!

Dandelion Lemonade; HERE COMES THE SUMMER

Dandelion Lemonade; HERE COMES THE SUMMER
‘Time to discover what fun is about’, 1.42 mins of perfect pop by the Undertones, there’s no guarantee of long legs lying in the sun in this quest but dandelion heads always appear, their florets clocking and disappearing in a breeze, they’re out now, grab some! Have a bit of fun making  pure ‘pop’ that’s good for you.

Dandelion Lemonade
Recipe.
30-40 dandelion flower heads
1.5 l / 3 pts water
1 Lemon, cut into quarters
50g Sugar
1tbspn Spoon of Honey
Method
Place the heads in a suitable sized bowl or bucket, first squeeze  the juice of lemon quarters into it then just chuck the skins and all in, add the sugar honey and stir in the water, leave to stand in a warm place uncovered/ or covered with muslin for 24hrs. Strain, taste adjust the sweetness with a little more honey if you like. Chill the ‘pop’ before drinking!

Here's a link to The Undertones, Here Comes the Summer, enjoy and for aural treats have a forage and listen to some of their other stuff while your there.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=31Dza1L8daA

Latte Sponge Cake and Olive Oil Scones- Updated Oldies-No Pictures

Latte Sponge Cake and Olive Oil Scones
I had to bake a cake recently and wanted something simple and quick, a quick browse in a book I always keep handy for such occasions, ‘Full and Plenty’ by Maura Laverty  a gem of a cook book from the 60’s commissioned by the Irish Flour Millers Association,  gave me up these two recipes, the first originally called ‘Hot Milk Sponge Cake’ in her book, I've just added the coffee to the original  recipe and called it Latte Cake. The second, while waiting for the cake to bake I retreated to the book and came across ‘Salad Oil Scones' new to me -at 500 pages and only a few pictures there's always something new in it.I liked the idea and gave them a go, I replaced the 'salad oil' with  Olive Oil,  (she had probably intended to use olive oil in her recipe but wanted to save you a trip to the chemist, just about the only place you’d get olive oil for sale in those days) She describes the scones as ‘extra rich and tender with a delicate crust top and bottom’.They are baked in a very hot oven, and bring the full fragrance of the olive oil out. Bake the cake first then turn up the heat and give the scones a go.


From the foreword of ‘Full and Plenty’ by Maura Laverty
‘Good ingredients are more readily available in Ireland than any other country in the world. An American agricultural expert once told me that we should go down on our knees and give thanks for those easy-going ways of ours which economist bewail. Thanks to the fact that our soil has not been worked to dust, we enjoy better-flavoured meat, more succulent vegetables, creamier milk, richer butter and cheese and more nourishing wheat.’
Prescient words considering in the sixties we'd be led down the supermarket aisles of pre-packaged food.Thankfully we are starting to turn the cycle back to appreciating what good foods we have to offer from our own land and the satisfaction of home cooking.

Latte Cake (Hot Milk Cake)
The original recipe used vanilla and lemon extracts for flavourings, and there no reason this one can’t be changed to use ‘Hot Chocolate’. I decorated mine with a simple coffee butter icing (50g soft butter beat with 100g icing sugar beat well with a teaspoon of coffee dissolved in a teaspoon of water as a simple topping).

Ingredients
2 eggs-large
6oz/176gcaster sugar,
 6 tablespoons/ 90ml of Hot Milk
 2 teaspoons Instant coffee
6oz/175g Self-raising flour - sifted

Method
Separate the egg yolks and whites.
In a bowl beat the yolks- use an electric hand mixer, and then add the sugar and coffee beat well adding the hot milk slowly until the mix is light and creamy. Fold in the flour, then beat the egg whites until stiff and fold in to the rest of the mix.
Bake in a buttered 8” 20cm cake tin at 325°f; gas mark 2,165°c in a pre-heated oven 25-30mins or until the cake  starts to shrink from the side of the tin.
Turn it on to a wire rack to cool.


Olive Oil Scones (Salad Oil Scones)
I like to add a little coarse sea-salt and dried rosemary to the surface of these before baking,
Like all soda breads these taste great split and toasted the next day.

Ingredients
8oz/227 Self-raising flour
Good pinch fine sea-salt
2 oz/56g olive oil
6 oz/176g buttermilk

Method
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and pour in the oil and butter milk, stir in with a fork until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. This dough will be wet and sticky, but we don’t want to add extra flour when kneading and shaping instead use a sheet of parchment paper or cling-film to work the mix on.
‘turn the dough onto a sheet  of  parchment paper or cling-film; lift paper/film by one corner and fold over in half, press down firmly, pull paper/film back. Repeat with other corners of paper /film until dough looks smooth.’
 Cover with another piece of parchment/film and press flat to ½” 12mm thick, at this stage try to get it rectangular in shape and cut into small rectangles with a knife and place onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 mins, in a very hot oven 475°f/ 250°c/gas mark 7


For more info on Maura Laverty  follow this link.
http://www.rte.ie/radio1/doconone/radio-documentary-mauar-laverty-agony-aunt-cook.html

Shin of Irish Beef Stew

 Shin of Beef Stew, with a load of spuds just boiled, ‘Champ’ potatoes or with a fine potato purée  every one has their preference, Chips and stew can be good at times for some. The long slow cooking of the carrots in this dish leaves them beautifully sweet and I look forward to them as much as the morsels of meat.

Recipe for 4 people.
454g / 1lb Diced Irish beef shin meat  (with out the bone- if there’s bone in purchase about 760g)
360g / 3/4lb carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 medium sized onion about 100g 1/4lb, diced finely
 2 sticks of celery, cut into four pieces
285ml / 1/2pt ‘Passata ‘sieved tomato (available to buy in most shops) if you don’t have it handy a tin of peeled plum tomatoes liquidised and sieved will do.
565ml /1pt water
Salt and white pepper to season
Vegetable or sunflower oil for browning the meat

Method
In a large pot add a couple of table spoons of oil and place on a high heat when hot add the diced meat and brown slightly this will take a couple of minutes, reduce the heat slightly then add the carrots onions and celery and season lightly with salt and pepper a pinch of each will do at this stage. Stir and place a lid on the pot for 2 mins this will help sweat the vegetables and release extra flavours into the stew.
Now add the Passata and bring the stew to the boil and cook for a further 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally this help sweeten out the tomato and take its sharp edge off. Then add the water bring to the boil again reduce the heat once this happens, place the lid back on and simmer for 2hrs approx, give it a stir now and again to be sure it doesn't stick or burn at the bottom, Taste liquid frequently to observe the development of flavours and adjust season towards the end of the cooking period.
Test a piece of the meat for tenderness; it should give easily to touch or bite.Check the consistency of the liquid if you think it is too thin increase the heat and reduce it to your desired state.

.nb. As with all stews this taste good the next day!

Serve with potato of your choice. to make a really nice potato purée use about 1.5kg or 3lbs of floury potato (suitable for mash or baking) peeled and placed in cold water to cover them in a pot with a good pinch of salt and little pinch of white pepper then  brought to the boil reducing the heat and simmering approx 20-25 mins depending on size. Once cooked drain the water and let them steam out for 4 to 5 mins, either put through a potato ricer or place in a food processor and purée them on low speed, to finish return to the pot and beat over a low heat adding a very generous amount of butter about 170g or 6oz (using a wooden spoon or heat resistant spatula) and a little milk roughly a 1/4pt or 100ml until you have a smooth purée, taste and adjust the seasoning. 

Dear Valentines , Wild Things.

' We proudly use goods from our ‘Wild Food Larder’ with Local Produce',
This year at work we are in the fortunate position to have a few goodies stored up for a special occasion and what could be a better time to break into the stores selecting some of our favourite wild things and  using them with  local produce than  St Valentines Day. It also happens to be 'Eat local and Irish Week' so we're on the ball with this one. Luckily there are a few greens out there to forage and we are glad to to be able to use those and able to pick some fresh garlic from our container garden to add a touch of Spring to the menu.


VALENTINES DAY DINNER MENU 2013

Crisp Free-range Chicken with Pickled Leek & Chestnut Terrine, Elderberry Dressing

‘Clogher Head’ Crabmeat & Cheddar Croquette,Smoked Seaweed Salad, Red Pepper Salsa

‘Fivemiletown Creamery’ Goat’s Cheese, Sweet Potato Purée, Wood Sorrel, Truffled Honey   Dressing

Baby Leaf Salad ,Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Buttermilk Croutons & a Basil Pesto

Cauliflower Soup, Curried cream with Coriander
.......
Pan-fried Dry-aged 8oz Irish Rump Steak, Foie Gras Butter, Caramelised Onion Purée

Breast of Mallard ,Celeriac Powder, Sloe Jus & Rowanberry Jelly

Roast Fillet of Pork ,Wild Irish Mushroom Cream Sauce

‘Kilmore Quay’ Scallops,Brooks ‘Urban Garden’ Garlic Butter Sauce, Sea Beet, Colcannon & Crisp Bacon

Roasted Pumpkin ,Feta Cheese Fritters, Sweet Pickled Lemon & Watercress
 ........
Selection of fresh market vegetables and North county Dublin Potatoes.
........
‘Fraughan’s’ Wild Blueberries and Lemon Curd Served with Sugared Shortbread

Elderflower Panacotta ‘Granny Smith’ Apple Foam, Elderflower Caramel & White Chocolate Crumb

Warm ‘Champagne’ Rhubarb, Honeycomb Nougatine Parfait, Ginger Snap Crumble

Irish Farmhouse Cheeses & Water Biscuits
.........
34.95 pp

Coddle, a Traditional Dublin supper Dish.

Coddle, a Traditional Dublin  supper Dish

 Coddle is by and large unappealing in sense; boiled streaky bacon, sausages, potatoes and onion with a sprinkle of parsley from the butchers counter thrown in is a brief description of a dish beloved by the Dubs, add comments from a recipe search and you'll find some add carrots others add a packet of Oxtail soup, you'll also hear distaste at the thought of eating a boiled sausage and recommendations of frying the sausage first to make them more appetising looking - don't try that at home it's disgusting.
My main problem with the recipe brief is the use of streaky bacon, I'd rather have a thick chunk of belly bacon used in mine that softens out with a slow cook out before the rest of the ingredients are added.
 My preferred recipe though uses Bacon Ribs allowing two per person, there's always something nice about eating meat off the bone and the bones add extra depth and richness to the broth.
The French have a a variation on this dish in their regional speciality ' Potée Savoyarde' slightly more complex and using a sausage with a ham base as opposed to the Dub's pure pork sausage version and with the addition of cabbage in the recipe and usually calling for smoked belly bacon, both hit the spot though on a cold winters eve and taste all the better the next day or late at night after a few sups'. The sausage used is of importance in the overall balance of the dish, I like to use one with a high meat content approx 70% that is well seasoned with white pepper so it's still tasty when cool.

'Just add Liffey water'.

Coddle, a Traditional Dublin supper Dish.
Ingredients.for 4 portions
1 1/2lb Bacon ribs (allow 2 rib bones per person).
3/4 lb 350g  Butcher Sausages (70% plus meat content).
4lb 2.2kg Potatoes- a floury potato is best, I've used Roosters.
1 medium sized onion- about 10oz 280g
Sprig of parsley, finely chopped.
white and black pepper for seasoning.
Method.
Portion the ribs this is easy to do and either pre-soak the bacon ribs over night in cold water to remove some of the salt or place them in a large pot cover with cold water and bring to the boil then discard the water and replace with fresh water. Place back onto the heat and bring to the boil again reducing the heat and simmer for approx 1. 5 hours.keep the water topped up,season lightly with some cracked black pepper and a pinch of ground white pepper.
Meanwhile prepare the rest of the ingredients;
Peel the potatoes and cut in halves or quarters depending on their size, wash and keep covered in cold water to stop them discolouring.
Twist the sausages in the middle so they are half their size (resembling cocktail sausages)  and cut them all separate, they are easier to manage on the spoon like this for eating.
Peel the onion and cut in half and slice very thinly.

Once the bacon has cooked add the prepared potatoes, onion and sausages cover with cold water,bring back to the boil check the seasoning then simmer approx 30 mins or until the potatoes are cooked and starting to break up around the edges and the starches soak up the flavours, thickening up the broth.

Divide into 4 bowls spuds and meats first, ladle broth into each sprinkle with parsley and serve piping hot.



Irish Produce.