Recipes

This is a really quick, healthy and delicious recipe. Over the years I have experimented with different quality Woks, I have found that the lighter (cheaper) ones are better conducters of heat and you get a crispier finish to your dish.

Serves 2

• 2 Tbsp Sunlower Oil
• ½ Inch fresh Ginger peeled and grated
• 1 garlic clove , finely chopped
• ½ red chilli deseeded and chopped (optional)
• ½ Pork steak (chain removed), cut into thin strips
• 4oz Mange tout
• 2oz cashew Nuts
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1tsp sesame oil

1. Before you start, organise yourself, measure all your ingredients and arrange them close to the hob.
2. Set your wok over high heat and until smoking and keep the heat high throughout the cooking process. Add half the sunflower oil and swirl around once or twice to heat through.
3. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, if using and stir-fry for 10-15 seconds, quickly add the pork pieces and continue to stir fry until they cook through 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Return the wok to the heat and add the remaining sunflower oil. Swirl again to heat through, then add the mangetout. Stir fry again for 2-3 minutes until crisp but tender and beginning to catch the odd patch of brown. Add the cashew nuts stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
5. Return the pork to the pan. Add the soy sauce, wine and caster sugar and stir-fry for 1 minute more. Add the sesame oil, season with freshly ground pepper and toss to mix. Serve with noodles.

Labels: Main Course

I was experimenting with bread recipes recently and used Blackrock Stout in a bread recipe - and WOW the result was fantastic. A dark, sweet bread with a wonderful malty flavour. Not to mention a great way of sneaking a little stout into the system during the Lenten period!!

• 450g/1lb Coarse Wholemeal
• 2 level teaspoons Bread Soda
• 25g/ 1 oz Pinhead Oatmeal
• 1 tablespoons Demerara Sugar
• 100g Chopped Walnuts
• 50g/2oz Butter
• 1 tablespoon Treacle
• 400ml Black rock stout

1. Preheat oven to 190C/ 375F / Gas 5. Lightly grease a 2lb loaf tin.
2. Put butter and treacle into a saucepan over a low heat and allow the butter to melt.
3. Meanwhile, put the Wholemeal, pinhead, sugar and chopped walnuts into a bowl. Sieve in the bread soda and mix well.
4. When the butter has melted, add the stout and stir.
5. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix well. Transfer mixture to prepared tin and bake for about 40 to 50 minutes until risen and when tapped underneath has a hollow sound.
6. Wrap in a clean tea towel and allow to cool.

Labels: Bread And Cakes

2012 New season Rhubarb has arrived in The Country Store, Dungarvan - YIPEE!! I was overjoyed to find Rhubarb back on the shelves of country store today. Its early this year, must be the mild weather. To celebrate its arrival I made a Rhubarb crumble.

• 750g Rhubarb cut into 2.5cm pieces
• Honey to drizzle
•  A squeeze of orange juice

Crumble

• 150g Plain flour
• 100 butter, chilled and cubed
• 75g brown sugar
• 60g Porridge oats - Flahavans of course

1. Pre heat the oven to 200C
2. To make the crumble topping, put the flour in a large mixing bowl. Lightly rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and oats.
3. Generously drizzle the Rhubarb with honey and a squeeze of orange juice, then top with crumble and bake for 30-70 minutes until golden and the rhubarb juices are bubbling.
4. Serve with cream or custard.

Labels: Dessert

I have made this dish once a week for the past month or so. Don’t be put off by the amount of garlic - it gives the most amazing flavour and will ward off cold and flus. I ask the butcher to joint the chicken for me, so one less job to to. This dish is so much better made a day in advance.

Serves 6

• 1 large free range, jointed into 8 - ask your butcher to do this
• 250g diced streaky bacon
• 2 carrots diced
• Most of a bottle of red wine
• 12 Bay leaves
• 3 whole heads of garlic, broken into cloves - skin left on
• 250g button mushrooms - small ones left whole are best
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• Olive oil

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy based pan and fry the chicken pieces until golden and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a heavy based casserole and fry the bacon pieces until golden, then add the wine, bay leaves, garlic, chilli, return the chicken to the pot and cook for a further 30 minutes over a gentle heat. 
3. Pan fry the mushrooms in a little olive oil and add to the chicken for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
4. This dish is best prepared the day before and reheated.

Labels: Main Course

This chowder is a meal in itself, with chunky pieces of fish, potatoes, and carrots in a luscious creamy broth. At home we eat big steaming bowls of Chowder with homemade brown bread.

Serves 4

• A glug of olive oil
• 2 Onions finely diced
• 2 carrots peeled and diced
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 Litre of fish stock
• 500g of mixed fish cut into chunks (Pat in Helvic Seafood usually has a selection of fish cut into chunks ready for chowder)
• 150mls cream
• Chopped parsley or dill

Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan, tip in the onions and carrots and cook over a medium heat until soft but not coloured - 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for further minute or two. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer until the potatoes are cooked - about 20 minutes.
Add in the fish and simmer gently until the fish is cooked through, this should take 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and herbs if using. Season to taste.

Labels: Fish

Fishy fishy….

Do you realise how lucky we are in Dungarvan having a dedicated fishmonger? Many places twice our population don't have this luxury.

Buying fish from a supermarket is fine, but generally fish are not prepared on site and so no fish bones are available.

My first recipe this week is a fish stock. The basis for great soups and sauces lie in the stock. The method in making fish stock is different to other stocks with a very short simmering time, and if you over step it you will end up with a saucepan of fish glue! Fish stock is just as versatile as other stocks and broths, and is very healthy, too. The stock contains vitamins and minerals from the vegetables, as well as gelatine from the fish bones lured out by the acidic wine. The gelatine in stocks is great for digestion and helps the body absorb more protein. 

Fish stock can be kept in the freezer for months if not using it right away

• 1 fennel -cleaned and sliced
• 1 leek - cleaned and sliced
• 1 Medium Onion - cleaned and sliced
• 50g Butter
• Small glug of olive oil
• 1Kg of fish bones (use heads as well) 
• A glass of white wine (100mls)
• 1.5 litres of water
• ½ lemon slices
• A handful of parsley
• A sprig of tarragon
• A teaspoon of black peppercorn

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil together, add the vegetables and cook over a medium heat until soft but not coloured - 5-10 minutes.
Add the fish bones and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Add the cold water, wine, lemon slices, herbs and peppercorns. Bring to the boil and simmer over a medium heat for 20 minutes.
Pass through a sieve.

If I am not using the stock straight away I store it in the fridge for a few days or freeze it. I find rinsed out plastic milk containers great for storing stock (don't fill to the top though - you need to allow room for expansion when freezing)

Labels: Fish