May 2013
1 post
5 tags
Chilli Lettuce Parcels
Adapted from Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Cookery Course.
If you prefer, you can just use minced beef, though the combination of pork and beef works best.
Thanks to Liz for passing on the recipe :)
Ingredients
200g minced beef
200g minced pork
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5cm ginger, finely chopped
2 mild red chillies, chopped
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fish...
April 2013
5 posts
4 tags
Malteser Squares
Malteser Squares. There’s no calories in charity cakes, right?
In aid of The Great Irish Bake for Temple Street Childrens hospital
Ingredients
250g chocolate chip cookies
250g maltesers
100g unsalted butter
125ml (½ cup) sweetened condensed milk
400g milk chocolate
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Makes 35-40
Directions
Grease a 20cm x 30cm rectangular tin. Line with greaseproof paper,...
5 tags
Coddle
Molly Malone would probably have tutted at the addition of cider to this recipe but, apart from that, it’s a pretty authentic coddle. Even the ingredients were bought on Moore St, you can’t get more Dublin than that!
Ingredients
450g (1lb) of pork sausages, left whole
225g (½lb) smoked streaky bacon, roughly chopped
3 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
6...
4 tags
7 tags
Kale crisps
I hadn’t planned on doing two posts tonight, but I was in a cooking mood and had half a bag of kale in the fridge so decided to try Kale Crisps! Oh My God they are delicious!!
They’re so light and delicate, they almost melt in your mouth. And somehow taste like potato crisps, though more bitter. Will definitely be making these again … maybe with a bit more salt and some sesame...
4 tags
Butter Chicken
Butter Chicken thankfully isn’t nearly as fattening as the name suggests. Its often made with a mix of cream and yoghurt, but I’ve just used low-fat natural yoghurt here. It still tastes rich and creamy but without the guilt. It’s quite a saucy curry, and unusually mild for me, but you can always garnish with some chopped chillies for an extra kick.
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
...
January 2013
3 posts
13 tags
Dhal Bat
Inspired by an article in the Guardian last week on meals that cost less than a fiver
Absolutely delicious, the nicest dhal I’ve ever had!
Ingredients
250g lentils or dhal (I used a mix of moong and urid dhal)
3 tbsp oil
1 whole dried chilli
1 tsp (heaped) cumin seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida
½ small garlic bulb, cloves peeled & thinly sliced
½ onion, finely chopped
½ tsp...
2 tags
Courgette pickle
This pickle is very vinegary! If you like piccalilli, you’ll love it. It goes great with cheese, but would be equally good in a burger.
Also pictured is my wholemeal spelt and seed bread which I’ll blog seperately soon!
Ingredients
500g courgettes (2 or 3 courgettes, depending on size)
5 shallots, finely chopped
2 tbsp sea salt
500ml cider vinegar
140g golden caster sugar
...
3 tags
Macaroni Cheese
It’s not something I’d make very often, but macaroni cheese is such great comfort food and a brilliant way of using up any random bits of cheese leftover from Christmas. Served in a small ramekin with a side of salad, there’s also less calories than you’d imagine. Each portion is only around 400 kcals. No excuse to say no now :)
Ingredients
2 cups (~230g) dried...
December 2012
1 post
4 tags
Salted Caramel Truffles
Christmas truffles! I’ve just made a batch of these to bring over to Catherine & Patricks this evening. Having had one for breakfast, I can confirm they are delicious!
Happy Christmas/Nollaig Shona Daoibh/Wesołych Świąt!!!
xx Anne-Marie
Ingredients
75g caster sugar
2 tbsp water
160ml single cream
200g dark chocolate (70-80% cocoa)
250g milk chocolate
1 tsp sea salt...
October 2012
1 post
3 tags
Jamaican Curry Goat
I’ve promised a few people that I’d blog this one - so here it is at last! I’ll come back and add a photo next time I make it
Its really worth using goat if you can find some - which isn’t as easy as it should be. I buy it in FXBs on Moore St, but it sells out almost instantly when they manage to get some in. Any tougher cuts of lamb, or mutton, would also work well
...
September 2012
2 posts
5 tags
Roast Pork with Spinach and Pine nuts
Ingredients
1 pork steak fillet, approx 600g
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
100g mushrooms, chopped
200g baby spinach
50g pine nuts
6 slices prosciutto
Serves 4
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180°
Sweat the onion and garlic in a large frying pan until soft. Add the mushrooms and pine nuts. Continue frying until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Tip in the spinach and...
4 tags
Tom Yum Goong soup
… or as me and Liz call it, “coughy soup”. So spicy it makes you cough uncontrollably. Of course, you could tone it down, but that’d defeat the point entirely :)
Ingredients
250g raw prawns, shell on
950ml water
4 peppercorns
small piece of bay leaf
half a celery stick, roughly chopped
2 lemongrass
4 kaffir lime leaves
4 slices galangal
2 birds eye chillies,...
August 2012
2 posts
7 tags
Nut & Seed Granola
The measurements here aren’t very important. Substitute your favourite nuts or seeds but maintain the ratio of oil to other ingredients.
Its delicious warm from the oven as a snack (couldn’t resist!) or with natural yoghurt for a healthy, wheat-free breakfast.
Ingredients
1 cup linseeds/flaxseed
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup brazil nuts,...
5 tags
Smoked Salmon and Spinach Frittata
Frittata is great for using up some leftover veg and makes a quick and delicious midweek dinner. Use whatever you have in your fridge
Ingredients
3 small potatoes, peeled and sliced
a few handfuls of fresh spinach
100g of smoked salmon, roughly chopped
1 tsp cayenne pepper
a few blobs of ricotta (optional)
3 organic eggs
Serves 3-4
Directions
Preheat the grill
Cover the sliced...
July 2012
3 posts
5 tags
Roasted Tomato, Halloumi and Bulgur Salad
Ingredients
1 cup of bulgur wheat (substitute couscous or quinoa if you prefer)
1 and a bit cups of stock - chicken or vegetable
8-10 slices of halloumi
5 tomatoes, quartered
½ red onion, thinly sliced
handful of parsley, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1.5 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp cumin
2 main-course size portions
Directions
You’ll need roughly 1.25 measures of stock to 1 measure of...
2 tags
Peppercorn Sauce
Best served with a good juicy steak …
Ingredients
2 tbsp black peppercorns, roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
½ glass red wine
100ml beef stock
4 tbsp cream
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp cornflour, mixed with a little water
Serves 3-4
Directions
If cooking steak, brush both sides with olive oil, season with salt and ½ tsp of the crushed pepper. Place the steaks on a hot...
8 tags
Lentil, feta and sprouts salad with Tahini...
The citrus and tahini dressing from River Cottage Veg really livens up the earthy flavours of the lentils and pulses. The salad became a mix of what was left in the press, so its more of a suggestion than a recipe. A handful of this, a cupful of that - whatever you fancy yourself!
Ingredients
For the Dressing
2 tbsp tahini, from a well-stirred jar
1 small garlic clove, crushed
zest and...
June 2012
2 posts
6 tags
Chickpea & Spinach Curry (Chole Palak)
It’s been a while since my last post as we were over in Poland supporting the Boys in Green (and the local Boys in White and Red).
I’ll have to do some Polish-inspired posts one of these days, but in the meantime here’s one for a delicious veggie curry that I made last night … and again this morning it was so good! Thanks Nelius for passing on the recipe
Ingredients
...
4 tags
Mutter Paneer (Paneer & Pea Curry)
It’s not a very summery dish but, given the weather this June Bank Holiday weekend, I was craving something spicy and comforting!
Ingredients
250g of paneer, cubed
¼ head of cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cups of frozen peas, defrosted
1 tin of whole plum tomatoes
1 onion, roughly chopped
5cm ginger, peeled & roughly chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
3 mild green...
May 2012
1 post
4 tags
Hummus
Hummus … so simple a recipe, yet so often a stodgy disaster
I’ve been trying to make hummus for years, but it never tastes as nice as the processed supermarket version.
With this recipe, I think I’m on the right track at last! There’s just the right balance of garlic, tahini and lemon. When I have more time (or buy a pressure cooker) I must try it with dried chickpeas,...
April 2012
7 posts
5 tags
Beer Can Chicken
Ok, so its not a great photo - but it’s not easy to make a chicken look pretty when it’s sitting on a can! I’d great intentions of taking some more photos of succulent slices but … um … apart from a few scraps we ate it all! Oops :D
Use whatever method you want to season the outside of the chicken. Here I’ve used a spice mix, but it could just as easily be...
Homemade Pizza
Homemade pizza is one of those things that everyone is always meaning to try - this recipe is for you Sarah, by request!
Grzegorz and I went down to Ballymaloe Cookery School in east Cork last year and got addicted (thanks Clare and gang for the voucher!) They were just as good as the ones we had in Rome a few months ago, and I promise you’ll never want a frozen one again.
I’d...
4 tags
Sweet Potato & Chorizo Salad
This looks good enough to make for guests but is also really quick for a light, mid-week dinner. And only a baking tray to wash up after :)
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 red onions, roughly sliced
100g chorizo, cut into thick slices
2 roasted red peppers, from a jar, sliced
handful of fresh rocket
Serves 2
Directions
Preheat the oven to 200°C
Toss...
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it…”
– OSCAR WILDE, The Picture of Dorian Gray
4 tags
Baked Potato with Butter Beans and Roasted Peppers
I have a bag of old parmesan rinds in the freezer which get added to dishes like these butter beans. It adds an additional yum factor. If you dont have any handy, just leave it out.
Ingredients
2 baking potatoes
1 small tin (210g) butter beans, drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ roasted red pepper, sliced (from a jar is fine)
1 clove
cinnamon stick, about...
4 tags
Tomato & Lentil Soup with Soda Bread
Healthy, filling, cheap and delicious … what more could you ask for?
Ingredients
For the soup
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
3 tbsp red lentils
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
400ml vegetable stock
1 tsp cumin seeds, plus extra to finish
pinch chilli flakes
juice and zest of ½ lime
olive oil
For the soda bread (makes one large loaf, recipe can be halved for a smaller...
2 tags
Goan Fish Curry
Recently I’ve been trying to eat more sustainable fish, so when I spotted some cheap pollack in the fishmongers I decided to experiment a bit. Pan-fried it was a little plain but it’s perfectly suited to a stew, curry or pie. Pollack is firm and meaty so it holds its shape well in this Goan-style curry inspired by the wonderful Felicity Cloake. Would be delicious with some baby...
March 2012
3 posts
3 tags
Wild Garlic and Walnut Pesto
I made a big batch of this the other day after collecting some wild garlic from the woods. Seriously garlicky, I’ve used it this week on lamb burgers, with pasta and in chicken and avocado sandwiches. Mmmmm…..
Ingredients
100g wild garlic leaves
50g rocket
75g walnuts (or pine nuts)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
500-650ml olive oil
100g freshly grated Parmesan
salt...
3 tags
Leek, Potato & Parsnip Soup
Soup was the order of the day today after getting my wisdom teeth removed!
Ingredients
1 leek, halfed lengthways, and sliced thinly
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
1 medium parsnip, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 litre of chicken (or vegetable) stock
knob of butter
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
salt & freshly ground pepper
50 ml milk (optional)
Serves 4
Directions
Melt the...
2 tags
Oxtail Stew with Mustard Mash
Inspired by a Hairy Bikers recipe, this is a delicious stew if you’re in need of some comfort food on a cold day. I’ve added beef cheek here as I spotted some in the butchers but if you prefer use just the oxtail. 1 tail is enough for 4 adults.
Ingredients
For the stew
1 oxtail, cut into chunky pieces (ask your butcher to do this for you)
1 beef cheek, cut into bite-size pieces...
