Beloveds...

I watched a lovely program years ago, featuring Julia Sawahla talking about her life through food. I can't remember the name of the program but it ran for a while on BBC I think, but that is the one episode I remember because one of the things she talked about was 'beloveds' which has become a staple in our house ever since.


It was a jokey thing with a friend of hers, to make beans and add bits and pieces, and to make them with love, and so the beans became beloved.


We eat 'Beloveds' all the time in our house, and it is basically any dish of beans made with love!


My favorite way to prepare them is as follows,



Beloveds
you'll need
1 tin of your favorite beans, ours are Cannelini or Flageolet Olive oil
Half an onion, chopped
1 Garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp of worcestor sauce
Couple pinches of cayenne pepper
Handful of parsley (sometimes coriander if I have it for a very different result! if doing this add a squeeze of lemon juice!)
Salt and pepper.

Method
Stir the following in a pan until the onions are cooked. We get everyone to stir and tell the beans they love them (great way to get kids to eat them!). Serve on toast.

Gazza - WHA?

I remember the first time I had Gazpacho, sitting beside a cliff on the coast of Mallorca, an island which is dear to my heart.  Sitting there with two of my dearest friends, after a day on the sand, we ordered Gazpacho at the firm but gentle recommendation of the waiter.  

I couldn't believe it, it was probably the most perfect soup I'd ever had.

Freezing cold soup - a winner all round... who'd a thunk it?

I've never used a recipe, just followed my heart, and so you must too.  Here is a basic list of what goes in my gazpacho, but do vary quantities, add what you like. Its so easy, nothing cooked so incredibly healthy and wows the diners! Everyone oooo's at a gazpacho!

Gazpacho

6 large plum tomatoes, skinned (a minute in boiled water will do the trick!)

1 lge cucumber

1 green pepper

1 clove garlic

half a mild green chili

glass of cold water

salt and pepper

ice chips

croutons to serve

Blend all the vegetables together until smooth, season to taste, add the ice chips and stir. Pour into bowls and top with croutons.

Best eaten while listening to Julio Igleasias... or is that just me?

I heart...

...cooking for a crowd!

I really like cooking with a crowd in mind, all queueing, plates in hand, eyes eating the goodies before they've even picked up a paper plate.  Ciara and Jays annual solstice is a great opportunity to cook for a crowd, and I have a stack of easy quick big bowl salads or cold dishes to set down beside the rows and rows of colourful global cuisine that inevitably ends up there!

But this year I decided to be a bit more thoughtful, and make a pie, a main to be surrounded by salads, a staple.

The party has been put off to next week, so unfortunately we had to eat the pie between just a few of us... it was a dirty job but somebody had to do it!

I made my mothers applause inducing cheese pie, but with Ciara and Jay being vegetarians replaced the usual ham with spinach.  This made the pie a little wetter than usual but it was still absolutely scrummy!

Italian Cheese Pie

You'll need

400g ricotta

400g grated cheddar cheese

400g parmesan

400g cottage cheese

4 sheets shortcrust pastry (buy it!)

1 egg, beaten

1 sachet/2 tsp dried italian herb mix

handful of ham or spinach

handful pine nuts.

Method

Grease and line a large springform tin (about 23cms).  Measure and cut out a pastry bottom and place in the tin, brush with milk and place cut out rectangles around the sides of the tin, overlapping onto the bottom. The pastry should be left coming over the sides of the tin and brushed with milk, then set to one side.  In a bowl mix the cheeses together with the egg and the herbs, season.  

Place half the mix into the pie and top with spinach leaves or ham and the pine nuts. 

 Place the rest of the mix on top.  

Place a double layer of pastry on the top of the pie and with a fork or fingers press down to stick to the sides which have been brushed with milk. Prick the top and decorate. Bake for about 45 minutes at 190c until golden brown. Allow cool before slicing.

Eating flowers...

So it was the summer solstice this weekend, with the longest days of the year stretching ahead of us, and, as they do every year, Ciara and Jay invited us to their annual solstice party.  We look forward to this party every year, to see friends and family that we probably don't see except at the solstice!! Ciara and Jay live in a rambling cottage beside the sea in Wicklow, and with the sea on their front doorstep you'd think they'd be content... but no...they have to go have beautiful reed beds and a bird reserve on their back door step!! Some people!!!

But after a cool calm friday eve, with a promising red sky at night, we were rudely awoken in the early hours of saturday with the sound of monsoon weather hurtling against our little tin van... Ciara and Jay wisely called the party off but we stayed around for the day, taking the edge off the childrens disappointment.

Some who hadn't received the text to stay at home arrived, laden with bowls of good food, as is the solstice custom.  So it was a small but happy group who sat around in the kitchen, eating and drinking and making merriment... 

When faced with adversity they say laugh and enjoy it, and when passing by a beautiful flower they say... eat it?

Nasturtiums!

The last slice of bread!

I like to do two things with leftover bread... 

Number 1

Panzanella Salad

A regular occurence on my lunch table, I'm known to hide the last few slices of bread from dinner to save for my lunch the next day.  I like it simple - plum tomatoes, stale bread, basil if I have some, and a dressing of White balsamic vinegar, Olive oil and crushed garlic cloves.  

Number 2

Fried Peanut butter bread...

Fry your left over bread in butter and then add sugar, when it gets all lovely and caramelly... add a dollop of crunchy peanut butter... some raisins and a scoop of icecream.. mmmm...!

Fondueque...

Oh I'm sorry about the title, but I can't help it! 

Okay this is a great little crowd pleaser to throw out at the last minute when barbequing for pals! Its super easy, super delicious and has a very sophisticated air about it.  You can also do this in a bonfire which would stun any party into a hum of eager chewing.

Its Bonfire Fondue, Barbeque Fondue... its FONDUE-QUE!

You'll need

1 Camembert round, in a wooden box (or Brie)

Some sprigs of rosemary or thyme

a glass of white wine

Chunks of bread

Method

Unwrap the cheese and pop it back into its wooden box, then pierce through the curd about ten times, and pinch a sprig of herb through the hole.  

Then wrap the whole thing in about 4 layers of tin foil and just before twisting the top shut, pour in your glass of wine.

Leave on a medium barbeque for about 30 minutes or so, until the cheese is bubbling through the holes in the curd.  Break through the curd to expose a bubbling fondue! 

Dip bread chunks repeatedly and eat!

We play a game called fondue forfeit when eating fondue, inspired by the one in "Asterix in Switzerland", if you lose your bread off your fork while dipping you must do a forfeit... Our favorite forfeits usually involves making a wally of yourself somehow!

Lemony Snickett...

I'm sharing this with you because I love you, I must do in order to divulge simply the easiest but most scumptious of all sauces... It goes on pasta of course (what doesn't?) but is amazing poured over skewered prawns, or as a dip for raw vegetables... You can smother cauliflower in it, broccoli, anything and its immediately transformed into a dinner party dish...

I know I'm terribly boring, yet another pasta sauce, yet another lemon dish... but if something is this good you just gotta eat! We always eat this in Italy, during our summers there, and this is the first time we'd made it at home... It was delicious but is even more so eaten outside on a terrazza, with a small breeze playing with your toes, the strong sunshine on your neck and an afternoon by the river to look forward to...

We call it Lemony Snickett, thought up by our darling Mary who loves anything lemony.

Here is her top five lemon favorites, this sauce is at number three so let that be your guide...

1)Lemon fondants

2) Fanta Lemon

3) Lemony Snickett sauce

4)Iced tea with Lemon

5) Bandi Brooks Lemon Sorbet

Lemony Snickett

or

Creamy Lemon Sauce

 

You'll need

Half an Onion

3 cloves garlic

125mls double cream

3 tbs parmesan cheese

2 tbs goats/cream cheese

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon

Olive oil

S+P

Method

Put a good handsome glug of oil into a saucepan and add the onions and garlic, stir until soft and translucent.  Add the parmesan and the goats cheese, then the lemon zest and juice.  Stir in the hot oil until the zest breaks easily with the back of a fork.  Take off the heat.  Stir in the cream and add salt and pepper. Perfect... 

Forest flavours...

If you ever spy 'wild mushrooms' in your supermarket (personally I would never pick them myself unless on my way to a rave...) buy them. Then make a risotto with them. Its the only thing to do. Actually if you hold them up to your ear you can hear the sound of your own lips smacking - I do not lie - try it.

First its the smell, of woodland, of earth, that permeates through the house, then its the different textures, and tastes... The nutty cepe, the mild chanterelle, the lovely chewy porcini and my favorite the pretty fairylike parasol.

Bill asked our friend James over to watch some football last night, so I jumped at the opportunity to cook for him. As we all know, and are amused by, James' off the scale appreciation for anything a la fungi, I decided to make my wild mushroom risotto.

Its great because both Superquinn and Tesco do great mushroom mixes (Tesco do a gourmet selection) in their organics range so its not like you've to go out of your way, and I know most people are slightly intimidated by risotto, but really you don't know till you try. I avoided it for years and was raging when I finally gave it a go - its so easy, although you do need to stand over it and stir, stir, stir, that just takes an ability to daydream and/or chat to a willing companion - now it is a staple in our house, one we never tire of due to its versatility...

Find a basic recipe and use it everytime, adding the extras later... here is mine.

Basic risotto.

you'll need

200g arborio rice (or carnoli)

1 litre chicken stock.

1 glass white wine (also one for sipping on as it gets quite steamy)

Knob of butter

100gms ground parmesan

1 onion (as finely chopped as possible)

1 clove garlic (crushed)

Method

Over a medium heat soften the onion and garlic in olive oil and then add half the butter and the rice. Stir constantly until the rice takes on an oily sheen. Add the glass of wine and reduce.

Add some stock, reduce. Continue adding stock and reducing for about 10/15 minutes and taste. If the rice has lost its 'grit' ie your teeth slide through, its done 'al dente'. Taste constantly until you enjoy the 'bite' and then remove from the heat. Risotto should have a consistency that spreads, when plopped into the bowl it takes on the shape of the bowl. When you are happy - season and add the rest of the butter and the cheese.

Then add whatever flavourings you fancy, cooked previously of course!

I added sauteed wild mushrooms with chives and curly leaf parsley. To serve I topped with creme fraiche and rocket leaves.

Some other suggestions are,

Roast squash and sage

Asparagus and Lemon

Green Bean and chili

Pea and bacon

Courgette Pesto...!

This is a great recipe to get as much veggie nutrution into little tums as you can! Kids love it! Get loads of sauce into them with a pasta like conchiligie or fusili...!

You'll need

handful pine nuts
1 lge courgette
Half an onion or 3 scallions
2 cherry tomatoes
clove garlic
2 tbsp groud parmesan.

Method

Dry 'fry' the pine nuts in a saucepan, without oil of course, until golden. Set aside. Add oil to the warm pan, and fry the chopped courgette, onion, tomatoes and garlic until soft. Blitz in a food processor along with the pine nuts and then stir in the parmesan cheese.

Stir through cooked pasta!

Goodbye to Winter...

There are mornings when the light thrown through my bedroom window plays cruel tricks on me, and I leap out of (or up and off) my bed thinking its finally a sunny spring day, and it isn't. This morning was one of those.

Don't misunderstand me, I actually like blustery cold rainy days, nothing that a nice fire, good book and copius amounts of tea won't fix. I even enjoy those mad dashes to the car in stormy weather, I love the feeling of hard rain in my face, my long hair caught in the swirling wind and ending up wrapped around my head in a turban. Its something to look forward to as winter storms in!

However, its supposed to be mild now. Has mother earth forgotten? I'll send her my tourist guide to Ireland where it says - Dublin in the springtime is mild and warm with intermittent showers of light rain.

So its hard to be enthusiastic about these unseasonal storms we're having. Especially when my house is on the side of a hill and sometimes feels like its about to lift off!

Reading some of my favorite bloggers muse about the wonders of springtime where they are has made my impatience grow lately. I find myself tut tutting at the rivets of water on the window, leaving my jacket at home in utter defiance of the non season!

I am physically craving the fresh breath of spring... but it hasn't started for me... no daffodils in my garden, no buds on the tree and the local squirrel seems to be still asleep, i haven't seen him anyway. The night is a hissing screaming banshee and the crisp icy bite in the air doesn't bode well for family walks... so Bill is like a coiled spring, his sitting quietly reserves are running seriously low. And all the food in the pantry is for stews, soups and casseroles... I'm itching to make light fresh food for my family, to hear the satisfying squeaky crunch of spring vegetables between their teeth but I can't bring myself to when it looks and feels like it may snow any minute!!!

Then just as I thought I had somehow found my way through the wardrobe where it would remain winter eternally, on my way out to the car in scarf and hat, I spied it... A lovely daffodil. Sitting tucked into the bush in the corner.

Suddenly the rain faded to a bare patter, my little finch family hopped across to fight over their peanuts and a blast of sunshine threw itself across onto my face for a second or two.

Finally...

Asparagus and Lemon Risotto

200gms risotto rice
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 spring onions, finely chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
Glass white wine
1 litre chicken stock
Extra water if needed
Butter
Parmesan

Soften the onion in olive oil,and add the asparagus and the rice, stirring until translucent. Add the spring onions and the white wine, reduce.
Add the lemon juice and some of the stock, stir until the liquid is absorbed, add more liquid.
Keep adding stock, or additional water until you are happy with the texture of the rice.
Stir through the lemon zest, a knob of butter and some parmesan...

Springtime in a bowl!

Sweet Potaytah...

I usually have a fair idea what I'm making for the dinner by around 12 noon, usually due to Bill ringing me wanting to know so he can "think about it all day"!!

However today, when I realised I hadn't taken the haddock out of the freezer, nor had I any rice, my plans for kedgeree were scuppered. I looked into the vegetable rack and this is what I saw... A sweet pepper, four shallots and three large sweet potatoes. There was no meat in my fridge, no tins of tomatoes, no onions even... I really had dropped the ball.

In the fridge there was a small remnant of parmesan, the end of a bottle of white, half a pound of butter.

What on earth could I make with that?

I roasted the sweet potatoes to start off, still not sure what to do...

Then I got a vague memory of seeing a recipe for pasta with sweet potatoes and a beurre blanc sauce. Beurre blanc, thats wine and butter right? So here is what I did... It was surprisingly nice!

Sweet Potato Pasta

Serves 3 1/2 people


3 or 4 Sweet potatoes

3 cloves garlic, halved

350g wholewheat spaghetti

4 shallots, finely chopped

125g butter

glass white wine

handful parsley, chopped

olive oil


First peel and chop the sweet potatoes. Place them in a cold roasting tin, along with the halve cloves of garlic and add enough oil to come halfway up the pieces. Roast in a hot (200degree) oven until the edges are beginning to become black. Put to one side covered with foil.

Cook the wholewheat pasta according to the packet instructions.

In a small saucepan, melt a tablespoon of the butter and add the shallots, stirring until they are soft. Add the parsley and the wine. Reduce by half on a high flame. Take off the heat and stir in cubes of the remaining butter.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Its a strong flavour but don't worry, it just coats the spaghetti and is very subtle when eating.

Stir the sauce through the pasta, top with the roasted sweet potato and some parmesan cheese.

EAT!

Cavalfiore...

The cauliflower and I have had our ups and downs, I left it off my shopping list almost completely as an adult, until I met Bill who absolutley loves it. Funny because he is the ultimate foodie and where I had associated cauliflower with unhappily chewing it as a child, he raved about it as if it was a luxury! Bill loves to challenge his palate with new and unusual tastes and textures... from scrambled sea urchin to eel stew (both items he has recently chosen in restaurants) and more, he is the guy happily popping snails in his mouth like popcorn, nonchanantly chewing on a pigs ear in a rustic italian bar. Not that I wouldn't join him, but I have to confess my snail eating involves not looking at what I am about to put in my mouth for fear I should spy a little waving eye!

Recently at a friends house the subject of Casu marzu came up, when he heard about the practice of eating maggot infested (jumping maggots to add to your horror) cheese in sicily, Bill said "Weird, I'd love to taste it" and when horrified "whys" followed, he said "Well they eat it for a reason don't they, it obviously has something to offer". You can see how much of a foodie he is!

Anyway, he loves cauliflower and when I first met him he used to tell me about a dish an italian friend of his would prepare for him. He described it as a creamy cauliflower pasta. I thought it sounded horrible. Pasta and cauliflower? Stodgy old fashioned sour cauliflower? Surely not! Bills "weird food" fetish was going too far!

Then, while flicking through an old italian recipe book I'd inherited, I spied a recipe for pasta with cauliflower or Penne al Cavalfiore. I decided to give it a whirl, putting my own spin on it.

I'm so glad I gave it the benefit of the doubt, it is now a firm family favorite, so quick and easy, especially if you have a bag of frozen cauliflower in your freezer. Its really really good, always hits the spot - Do try it out! I've used large macaroni in the picture but penne is better...!

Penne al Cavalfiori (I love the italian word for cauliflower, much more appealling!)

Penne or tube pasta (about 100g per person)

Bechamel sauce (see recipe in comments)

Bag of frozen cauliflower florets

Cayenne pepper

Parmesan

S+P

Boil the pasta along with the cauliflower florets, when the pasta is done as per the instructions, the cauliflower will be done.

Mix through the bechamel sauce, grate parmesan over the top, sprinkle as much cayenne pepper and salt and pepper as you like.

Eat!

Surprisingly good isn't it?

Shroom for more...

Today I was feeling the drag of these "is it winter, is it spring" days, I longed to throw open my windows and feel sun on my face, but I knew the view from my window was misleading, the bright grecian sky was teasing, the daffodil sun a mere illusion...

I dislike this time of year, its not one thing or the other, when inticed by cloudless blue skies and the summery brightness I venture out only to wish I'd brought another jumper... and worn socks...

This afternoon, I began feeling the rumbling of hunger and wandered into the kitchen to have a snuffle around and see what I could put together for dinner... The mirage of summer outside made me feel like eating something fresh and light but the cold glass of the windows, and the draft coming under the door to taunt my feet made me long for something hearty, full of flavour.

Mushrooms have the perfect balance between summer lightness and winter stodge and as I love mushrooms and always have plenty in stock, I decided to make one of our favorites - Mushroom tagliatelle as inspired by a lovely picture in Gordon Ramsays Fast Food. I usually fry the mushrooms with onion and garlic, lace with olive oil and stir through pasta adding plenty of salt and pepper and grated parmesan... For some reason today, however, I took down the book and took a long proper look at the recipe as it should be. Shallots, not onions. Shaved parmesan, and lots of fresh herbs, parsley, rocket and chives!!

Intrigued, I weighed out the mushrooms, chopped shallots finely with crushed garlic into the pan to sizzle, added mushrooms then the herbs... stir stir.... into the pasta and onto the table. Simple, not too different in preparation than my own.

However the difference was in the eating. The oily pasta, tang of chives, slippery mushroom and salty cheese... and then the crunch of the rocket... fantastic! I knew instantly that no other mushroom pasta would be prepared in my kitchen but this one!

Its true that inspiration is key to any creative process, all artists need to be inspired, but for something to be great, for a masterpiece, you will first need to accept the instruction of a maestro!

Tagliatelli of wild mushrooms - Gordon Ramsay

500g wild mushrooms

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1 large cloves of garlic, crushed

Handful of parsley, chives and rocket, roughly chopped

Fresh tagliatelli

Shavings of parmesan

Olive oil

S+P



Fry the shallots and garlic in olive oil till transparent and golden, add mushrooms.

When the mushrooms are cooked stir in the herbs and season.

Add to just cooked pasta, top with parmesan and serve.