Deliciously Irish (2015)

SALADS AND SIDES

An old fishing boat on Lough Gill.

Salad of Lamb’s Lettuce and Dandelion Leaves

Chicken, Orange and Rocket Salad with Walnut Sauce

Peas and Lettuce

Roast Beef Salad

Sautéed Cabbage with Bacon

Colcannon

Colcannon - Wexford Style

Gratin of Parsnips and Pears

Orange, Celery and Watercress Salad

SALAD OF LAMB’S LETTUCE AND DANDELION LEAVES

SERVES 6

Dandelions are thought to have great curative powers: true or not, I couldn’t say; but they make a great salad.

225 g/8 oz lamb’s lettuce

225 g/8 oz young dandelion leaves

3 tablespoons wine or cider vinegar

6 rindless streaky bacon rashers

1 garlic clove

55-75 g/2-3 oz Cashel Blue cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

1 teaspoon French mustard

1 tablespoon cider or wine vinegar

4-5 tablespoons olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash the lamb’s lettuce and set aside to drain. Wash the dandelion leaves and trim the stalks. Dry well, then put them in the salad bowl. Heat the vinegar and pour it over the dandelion leaves; toss and leave for about 15 minutes. This helps to soften them. Pour off any surplus vinegar.

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette, mixing the mustard, vinegar and salt and pepper together and whisking in the oil until smooth.

Fry the bacon in its own fat, with the garlic, until crisp. Remove the garlic and pour the bacon and pan juices over the dandelions. Add the lamb’s lettuce to the bowl and toss well with a little of the vinaigrette. Season to taste. Crumble the cheese on top and serve while the bacon is still warm.

Brandon Mountain, Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry.

CHICKEN, ORANGE AND ROCKET SALAD WITH WALNUT SAUCE

SERVES 6

Large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, weighing about 450 g/1 lb in total

300 ml/½ pint chicken stock

18-20 rocket leaves

2 large sweet oranges, or 3 small ones

salt

FOR THE SAUCE

90 g/3½ oz walnut halves

1 tablespoon cider or sherry vinegar

3 tablespoons walnut or olive oil

2 teaspoons sugar

1 garlic clove

Put the chicken in a saucepan and barely cover with the stock. Add a pinch of salt and poach gently until cooked but still moist, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the chicken to cool. Reserve the stock and strain. Shred the chicken by pulling it apart with 2 forks, lengthways, with the grain of the meat.

Wash and dry the rocket leaves and put in the fridge to crisp.

To make the sauce, toast the walnuts in a dry pan until crisp and just beginning to brown. Put them in a blender with the other sauce ingredients and half the reserved stock. Grind to a smooth paste. Taste, adding more vinegar or sugar as you like. Use the remaining stock to dilute the sauce to the desired texture. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sauce to finish.

Peel the oranges with a sharp knife, then slice down between the segments and separate the flesh from the dividing membrane. Allow 2 or 3 segments per person. All of this can be prepared ahead of time, or the day before.

To serve, pour a small pool of sauce on each plate and arrange some of the chicken, topped with orange and rocket, on each. Thin the remaining 2 tablespoons of sauce with more stock or oil and drizzle over the top.

Kells Bay Gardens in County Kerry.

PEAS AND LETTUCE

SERVES 6

This combination of two summer vegetables is more than 200 years old and, though its origins are French, it pops up frequently in old Irish recipe collections. No need to wait for summer: the frozen petit pois available in the chill cabinet are a great substitute for the tender young summer peas. Equally delicious with fish, chicken or lamb.

450 g/1 lb petits pois, thawed, or small fresh peas

4 baby gem lettuce

30 g/1 oz butter

3-4 scallions (spring onions), finely chopped

150 ml/¼ pint whipping cream

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chervil or basil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Defrost the peas by pouring boiling water over them. Drain well. Wash the lettuce and remove any damaged leaves. Cut each into eighths lengthways.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan or saucepan and gently cook the scallions (spring onions). Add the peas, lettuce, cream, herbs and seasonings. Cover for 5 minutes or so to soften the lettuce, but don’t allow it to break up. Remove the lid and check the seasoning. Simmer gently for 8 minutes before serving.

ROAST BEEF SALAD

SERVES 6-8

A fillet of Irish beef needs few extras and is at its best simply prepared. For this summery salad, both beef and sauce can be prepared well in advance.

FOR THE BEEF

675 g/1½ lb beef fillet, in one piece, trimmed and tied

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for blending

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

FOR THE SALAD

2 bunches of scallions (spring onions)

mixed lettuce and herb leaves

cherry tomatoes

marigold petals, chive or rocket flowers

FOR THE SAUCE

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon peppercorns

2 teaspoons each chopped fresh tarragon and parsley, mixed

4 tablespoons water

4 egg yolks

175 g/6 oz unsalted butter, softened

Trim the meat of any fat and tie it around at intervals to keep its shape while cooking. Marinate the meat at room temperature in the oil, vinegar and crushed garlic for 2-3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7.

Remove the beef from the marinade and wipe dry with kitchen paper. Mix the allspice and mustard into a paste with a little oil and spread over the meat. Roast the meat for 20 minutes. This will give pink beef. Cook for 5-7 minutes longer if preferred.

Five minutes before the end of the cooking time, brush the scallions (spring onions) with olive oil and scatter over the meat. Remove the meat to a cool place to prevent further cooking.

To make the sauce, boil the vinegar, peppercorns and 1 teaspoon of the herbs with the water until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Strain into a bowl over hot water, or use a double-boiler, and beat in the egg yolks. Stir well until the yolks are warm, then gradually stir in the softened butter, in walnut-sized lumps, stirring until the sauce thickens slightly and will coat the back of a spoon. Stir continuously, lifting the saucepan on and off the heat to prevent it from overheating and scrambling the eggs. When the sauce has thickened, pour it into a blender and whizz for a few moments until it becomes slightly foamy. Alternatively, whisk hard with a wire whisk. Then add the remaining herbs, cover and set aside. Pour into a serving dish.

Arrange the lettuce and other leaves on a large serving dish. Untie the beef and slice very thinly. Arrange in an overlapping circle and put the leaves and wilted scallions (spring onions) in the centre. Garnish with the tomatoes and whatever herb flowers are to hand - marigold petals, chive or rocket flowers. Spoon a little vinaigrette over the leaves just before serving. Serve extra sauce separately.

Note: the beef will lose its pink colour and darken if sliced too soon.

SAUTÉED CABBAGE WITH BACON

SERVES 4

225 g/8 oz piece streaky bacon, cubed

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons wine vinegar

6 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

550 g/1¼ lb finely sliced or shredded cabbage, hard stalks removed

1 large Bramley cooking apple, peeled and chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the bacon cubes in the oil in a large pan until crisp. Remove and keep warm. Pour off the fat from pan before adding the vinegar, water, sugar and caraway seeds, scraping up the sediment, and boiling for a few moments.

Add the cabbage and apple to the pan and cook, turning frequently until the cabbage is just tender and the apple soft and melting, about 7-8 minutes. Taste for seasoning, sprinkle the bacon on top and serve.

This dish is the perfect partner for fowl and game.

Fishing in Lough Gill.

Trees at the edge of Lough Gill.

COLCANNON

SERVES 4

Though variations of Colcannon are eaten all year round, it is an essential part of the Halloween feast, when rings or coins, wrapped in paper, bring marriage or riches to the lucky finders during the coming year.

450 g/1 lb kale or green cabbage

675 g/1½ lb potatoes, unpeeled

1 bunch scallions (spring onions), finely chopped

175 ml/6 fl oz hot cream or milk

110 g/4 oz butter

salt and white pepper

Remove the hard stalks from the kale or cabbage, and cook in salted, boiling water until tender. Kale takes a surprisingly long time, about 25 minutes; cabbage will take 8-10 minutes. Drain, press out any remaining water and chop finely, or use a food processor.

Boil the potatoes in salted boiling water until soft. Peel and mash carefully by hand, removing any lumps, but don’t use the food processor - the potatoes turn into glue.

The scallions (spring onions) can be cooked in the cream or milk for a few minutes, though personally I prefer them raw. Add them to the potatoes, with the hot cream or milk, half the butter and the kale or cabbage. Beat thoroughly together, adjust the seasoning, then turn into a large serving bowl. Make a well in the centre, and drop in the remaining butter in one piece, then serve very hot.

COLCANNON - WEXFORD STYLE

SERVES 4

Almost every region of Ireland has its take on colcannon and each claims theirs as the ‘true’ recipe. Like traditional dishes worldwide, the local version contains whatever is readily available. Wexford’s comfortable farms are known for their vegetable gardens and orchards.

8 large potatoes

1 large parsnip

1 large onion

1 cabbage or kale

a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

110 g/4 oz butter

hot milk

salt and freshly ground black pepper

chopped fresh parsley or chopped scallions (spring onions), to garnish

Peel the potatoes and cook in the usual way until soft. Wash, dry and chop all the vegetables in small pieces, keeping one large cabbage or kale leaf aside. Place them in a steamer or colander over boiling water. Cover with the cabbage leaf and the lid and steam for 30-35 minutes for cabbage or up to 1 hour for kale, until all the vegetables are tender.

Mash the potatoes, vegetables and parsley together. Season with salt and pepper and add 75 g/3 oz of the butter and sufficient hot milk to make it creamy. Serve in a mound on a deep dish with the remaining butter pressed into the centre and chopped parsley or scallions (spring onions) scattered over the top.

GRATIN OF PARSNIPS AND PEARS

SERVES 6

‘Fair words butter no parsnips’

Old saying

This is a simple and delicious way with parsnips, which can be prepared a day in advance, popped in the fridge and finished when ready to cook. Excellent with roasts of all sorts and particularly good with golden sausages.

3-4 large parsnips

3 large pears

1 tablespoon lemon juice

55 g/2 oz butter

30 g/1 oz stale breadcrumbs, tossed in a knob of melted butter

grated nutmeg

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Cut the parsnips in quarters lengthways and cut away some of the hard core, then peel, trim and cut into chunks. Peel and core the pears and chop roughly. Put the parsnips and pears in a large saucepan. Add a little salt and the lemon juice and just barely cover with water. Simmer gently until tender. Drain well and mash thoroughly with the butter until smooth and creamy, adding black pepper to taste and a good grating of nutmeg.

Transfer to an oven dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

ORANGE, CELERY AND WATERCRESS SALAD

SERVES 6

This winter salad is the classic partner for wild duck, but just as good with tame fowl or pork. Lamb’s lettuce or rocket can be used instead of the watercress.

2-3 oranges

1-2 bunches of watercress

6-8 celery sticks, finely sliced

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt and paprika

Peel the oranges, removing as much pith as possible. Wash and gently shake the watercress dry. Arrange on a flat dish with the celery. Slice the oranges across thinly and arrange on top, removing any pips. Sprinkle the finely chopped onion over the oranges and season with salt.

Dress the salad with oil and lemon just before serving and sprinkle a little paprika over the top.

Calm reflections in Caragh Lake.