Caesar Salad

This first appeared in the Evening Herald HQ supplement on the 26th February 2009.

Caesar Salad is the classic American Salad and appears on a huge percentage of restaurant menus. Sadly it is usually pretty awful thanks to laziness and cheap ingredients.

Caesar Salad is said to have been created in Tijuana by Caesar Cardini who was forced to invent the dish to cope with a rush of extra customers on July 4th weekend in 1924.

A true (quality) Caesar Salad must be made using raw egg in the dressing (as you would for homemade mayonnaise), the lettuce must be Cos lettuce and the Parmesan must be fresh grated Parmesan.

In US restaurants the salad is often made at the table with elaborate ritual as garlic cloves are rubbed around the bowl and the dressing is emulsified and the salad tossed in front of you; partly for theatrical effect but also to prove that it was freshly made.

Once you taste a good version like this one you will be very wary of ordering it in an Irish restaurant again.

Feel free to omit the sautéed chicken which is neither necessary nor traditional.

First cut 2 chicken breasts into thin slices and marinate in a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, a dash of Tabasco and some salt and pepper. Coat the chicken in the dressing and leave to marinate for 20 minutes or longer.

Wash 1 medium head of Cos lettuce and tear into strips. Mash a large clove of garlic with the blade of a knife and add to a pestle and mortar with a tsp. of Dijon mustard, a tbs of lemon juice, an egg yolk, a dash of Worchester sauce and 5 anchovy fillets. Pound until you have a smooth paste. Gradually add 100-125ml of olive oil, whisking all the time with a small whisk until you have a thick creamy dressing.

Make some croûtons by frying cubes of white bread in oil until browned and rub each cube with a cut garlic clove.

Sauté the chicken pieces in very hot oil until browned.

To finish the salad toss the leaves coat them generously with the dressing. Top with lots and lots of shaved Parmesan (use a potato peeler), the chicken pieces, the croûtons, and some extra anchovy fillets.

Celeriac

The following appeared in the Herald on Feb 5th last

Celeriac is one peculiar looking vegetable – it looks little like a large white turnip with a terrible skin disease.

Celeriac is a type of celery grown for its root rather than for its stems and leaves and tastes fantastic at this time of year – a winter highlight. It is relatively low in calories (half that of potato) and tastes (unsurprisingly) of celery, albeit with the texture of potato.

Cookbooks tell you to peel a celeriac like a potato but I find it easier to diagonally slice off the gnarly root end and then slice it in rounds and cut or peel off the outer skin.

Treat the celeriac like any root vegetable – once peeled it can be blanched for 5-8 minutes in boiling salted water and served with a knob of butter.

Alternatively, cube it and braise it in a covered saucepan in a little butter on a low heat for 20 minutes, or cook finely chopped with a little stock until soft and then buzz to make a purée (add cream and butter if you want to make it richer).

For Celeriac croquettes; mix cooked mashed celeriac with mashed potato (half and half) and an egg yolk (1 egg yolk per 250g) and then roll in breadcrumbs, and deep fry.

My favourite thing to do with this veg however, is to make soup:

Celeriac Soup with Garlic Cheese Croutons

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Fry a finely chopped medium onion in 50g butter for 30 seconds in a large saucepan. Add 200g of peeled diced potato and 500g of peeled diced Celeriac and stir for 30 seconds.

Allow to cook with the lid on for at least 20 minutes at a low heat, stirring or shaking occasionally to prevent the veg. from sticking.

Next add 600ml Stock (veg. or chicken) and 200ml Milk and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Buzz the soup with a stick blender or push it through a sieve.

For the croutons: toast 12 x 2cm slices of French bread (use the grill) and rub each with a cut clove of garlic. Next mix 50g grated gruyere cheese with 1 egg yolk, spread the cheese egg mix on the rounds of toast and grill until sizzling. Serve the croutons floating in the soup or on the side.

Game, Wild Food. Herald Jan 29th

The Following appeared in my column in the Evening Herald on Jan 29th last:

Wild Food
Wild food always sounds more interesting than farmed and with good reason – it is usually tastier and healthier. Wild mushrooms, wild garlic and wild fish are obvious examples but don't neglect Ireland's fantastic game birds and animals.

Many of us associate game with Christmas and the Autumn but the shooting season for pheasant, partridge, woodpigeon and wild ducks such as mallard or widgeon does not close until January 31st. and deer are culled until the end of February. Wild rabbit can be eaten all year round (but you need to know a farmer with a gun).

Wild ducks and pigeons are significantly stronger tasting than farmed birds and should be eaten rare – just season and brown them in a pan and roast them for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the bird.

Pheasant is much milder and is the best place to start your game exploration. Most good butchers will be able to source pheasant or visit a good craft butcher such as FX Buckley on Moore St., Lawlors in Rathmines, Downeys in Terenure or Ennis's in Rialto.

Strictly speaking most pheasant is not wild as most are reared by shooting clubs and then released for the season. In addition they are fed during the season to stop them straying too far from the shoot's land. Some do escape the January deadline however so you might bet lucky. In any event they still taste better than any chicken – if a little dryer.

Pheasant with Calvados and Cream

Season a pheasant inside and out and fry in 50g butter in a casserole until browned on all sides. Add a splash of Calvados, put on the lid and place in a 200C oven for 40 minutes. Remove the pheasant and leave to rest in a warm place covered loosely in tinfoil.

Add a good splash of Calvados to the juices in the casserole and flame or boil off some of the alcohol. Add about 150ml of cream and cook on low heat until the sauce thickens and reduces a little. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper.

While the sauce reduces, peel and dice two eating apples and fry the cubes in butter until golden brown.

Carve the pheasant, remove the legs and arrange on a warm plate. Pour the sauce over the meat and sprinkle with the cubed apple. Serve with buttered carrots and roast or boiled potatoes.

Christmas Starters

Christmas Starters

Christmas dinner is for most of us the most important meal of the year but remarkably few people bother with a starter other than the obvious such as melon or smoked salmon.

Here are 5 fairly easy starters. All work with sparkling wine – Champagne if you can afford it (my current favourites are: Laurent Perrier Rosé, Pol Roger White Foil and Louis Roderer Non Vintage). Serve Cava, Aussie Sparkling or Prosecco if you are on a budget.

Scallops and Artichoke Hearts
First source a jar of artichoke hearts in oil from a good deli and some good scallops from a fish monger. Briefly fry the scallops (4-6 per person) in butter until carmelised on the outside but still uncooked in the centre. Arrange in the centre of a plate and surround with artichoke hearts.

Foie Gras
No better luxury starter. Buy a jar of foie gras entier from Mortons in Ranelagh, Terroirs in Donnybrook or your favourite high end deli. Spread on triangles of toast or brioche and devour.


Grilled Buttered Oysters
2-4 Oysters per person. Open the oysters and discard the top shell. Loosen each oyster in the shell and leave about 1 teaspoon of juice. On each oyster place one teaspoon of cream followed by one teaspoon of grated parmesan or cheddar. Drizzle with melted butter and grill for 3-5 minutes until sizzling.


Marinated Tuna Cubes
200g of Fresh Tuna, trimmed, cubed and marinated overnight (or as long as possible) in 50ml soy sauce, 20ml sake (or dry sherry or vodka), 20ml rice vinegar, half a teaspoon of minced ginger, juice of half a lime, squirt of wasabi paste. Toss the cubes in the marinade and leave in the fridge. Thread the cubes on wooden skewers and sprinkle with more soy sauce.


Smoked Salmon and Shallot Quiche (adapted from Sophie Grigson)
Pastry: (bought short crust can be used)
200g plain flour
100g butter
1 small egg.

Filling:
100g shallots, sliced
30g butter
3 medium egg yolks
225ml Crème Fraîche (1 tub)
1tbs chopped dill
Finely grated zest of 1 large or 2 small organic lemons
Salt and Pepper
100g Smoked Salmon cut in strips

Pastry: Whiz the flour and chilled butter in a food processor for 15 seconds and add the egg. Continue to blend for around 40 seconds until the pastry has formed a ball. Remove, wrap in cling film and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Pre heat the oven to Gas 6, 200C. Line a greased 8 inch tart tin with the pastry, prick all over with a fork, cover with tinfoil and weight down with old beans or rice. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, remove the tinfoil and beans/rice and replace in the oven for a further 5 minutes to allow the pastry to dry. Allow to cool until lukewarm. Turn the oven down to Gas 4, 180C.

Gently sauté the shallots in the butter until soft and translucent. Beat the egg yolks with the crème fraîche, dill, zest and salt and pepper. Spread the shallots and smoked salmon around the pastry base, pour on the cream, egg, dill mixture and bake in the oven at Gas 4, 180C for around 35 minutes until the quiche has set. Serve hot or lukewarm as preferred.

The following appeared in Monday's Evening Herald and the dishes below were shown (and eaten!) on TV3's Midday show on Tuesday 9th Dec. 2008. The Herald Article can be viewed here:
http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/christmas/homemade-gifts-get-cookin-1567259.html

Nothing demonstrates love like a well chosen gift, and a gift you have made yourself with time and care, will demonstrate this far better than any amount of money in an envelope or a voucher from Argos.

A charity goat present from Bóthar is indeed a worthy gift to give, but is often a little bit of a let down for the recipient – something easily softened by a box of home made chocolate truffles.

The gifts suggested below are mostly inexpensive to make, but could never be called cheap. The bowls, jars and bottles are re-cycled from my garage or from charity shops, and the ribbons, cloth and crepe paper were found in the house or bought from Euro shops. If do not keep empty jars, ask your mum as I'll bet she does.




Chicken Liver Pâté

Pâté seems to evoke Christmas and this is a good solid flavoured one to be spread liberally on toasted crusty bread. Small ramekins of pâté covered with melted butter and decorated with some herbs make an atttractive present. The bowls in the picture were bought for small change in charity shops and in Dunnes Stores.



500g Chicken Livers, trimmed of any green or stringy bits

1 large shallot, finely chopped

100g Butter

2 tbs Brandy, Port (or both)

Pinch Allspice, Cinnamon or Mixed Spice

Salt and Pepper

Pink Peppercorns (for decoration)



Melt 50g of butter in a pan and cook the shallot until translucent. Add the livers and sauté until they have changed colour and are firm to the touch (ideally they should still be a little pink inside). Add to a food processor with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper, the spices and the brandy/port. Blend until smooth and using a spatula scrape into ramekins. Once cool, melt some butter and pour over the pâté, add some herbs and pink peppercorns before the butter has set.





Country Pâté

This recipe also works as a large terrine. Star Anise can be found in ethnic shops and is well worth seeking out. The butchers on Moore St. are the easiest place to source pork belly and chicken livers.



300g Onions, finely chopped

500g Pork Steak (or Chicken thighs)

1kg Pork Belly, boned and skinned

500g Chicken Liver (trimmed of green and stringy bits)

4 large Eggs

2tbs Salt, Black Pepper, Star Anise, Allspice, Cinnamon (as much as you dare).



Heat Oven to 180 C. Fry the onions in a little butter until they are soft and add to a large mixing bowl. Cut the meat into chunks, removing any bones or hard fat from the belly (the soft fat is essential to the taste of the pâté). Blend the meat in batches in a food processor (or better still with a hand mincer) and use the eggs to assist in getting a smooth paste. Add the seasoning to a pestle and mortar and crush thoroughly (or omit the star anise and use extra allspice) and add to the bowl. Stir the pâté mix well and fry a teaspoon to check the seasoning. Spoon into earthenware bowls or dishes and cover with tinfoil. Place each in a large baking tray and fill with water so that the water comes half-way up the dishes. Bake in the oven for two hours at 180 C, checking the water levels occasionally. Once out of the oven place a weight on top of each dish (e.g. a tin of beans) and allow the pâté to cool. If the pâté has come away from the side of the dishes push with your fingers so that all gaps are filled. Melt some butter and pour over each dish and decorate with herbs and pepper corns. Wrapped in clingfilm this will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.

Chocolate Truffles

The finer the chocolate, the finer the taste of the truffles. Search in your cupboards and you are bound to find an old gift box which you can cover in gold paper, line with tissue paper and tie with a festive bow.

400g Chocolate (min 55% Cocoa)

225ml Cream

2 tbs of Brandy, Whiskey, Rum, Grand Marnier, Very Strong Coffee etc.

Cocoa Powder, Chocolate Sprinkles, Finely Chopped Nuts.

Place a glass bowl over a pot of gently simmering water to make a bain marie. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in the bowl with the cream, brandy/whiskey and stir until the mix is completely smooth. Scrape into a clean chilled bowl to speed the cooling process and once cool, chill for at least an hour in the fridge. Roll teaspoons of the mixture into small balls and then roll in cocoa powder or chocolate sprinkles or nuts. The truffles will keep fresh for at least a couple of weeks but it is doubtful they will last that long.

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40 Day Olives

This recipe can be found in Kevin Gould's bonkers but excellent cookery book Loving and Cooking With Reckless Abandon. All olives are improved by this preservation method but you must use un-dyed olives with their stones intact. They are best after 40 days but taste pretty damn good after seven. Asian shops are a good bet if you want to save some money on olives. The better oil, the better result - Don Carlos or Aldi Extra Virgin both work well. Once the olives are eaten save the oil for salads or dips.


Quantity of Black and Green un-stoned Olives

1 lemon

1 bunch of Fresh Mint

Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Jam as many olives into a clean jar as will fit. Pour on boiling water and leave the olives to swell for 10 minutes. Pour off the water and push in some mint leaves and thin slices of lemon. Top with olive oil, seal and leave to sit in a cool place (not the fridge) for 40 days.


Lemonade

This lemonade (or lemon cordial) is very refreshing and a good alternative for designated drivers. When giving this as a present I bottle it in old Oil or Grolsch bottles. This is an old family recipe from an Aunt in Youghal and once opened will keep in the fridge for a couple of months.


3 Large Lemons, Juice and Rind

3 Pints of Water

3 lb Sugar

2 oz Citric Acid (buy or order from your local pharmacy)

Heat the water and sugar until dissolved. Grate in the zest from three lemons, then squeeze in the juice, followed by the citric acid. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Strain into sterilized bottles and store in a cool place. Dilute with sparkling or still water.


Preserved Lemons

Preserved lemons are a crucial ingredient of Middle Eastern and North African Cookery. Any Claudia Roden cookery book will have lots of recipes. Use them chopped when marinating lamb – particularly for the Barbecue – use in Lamb Stews, Tagines, with Cous Cous, Bulgar Wheat and with fish. Roast some courgettes, peppers and root veg in the oven with olive oil and mix in a chopped preserved lemon to literally taste the Mediterranean. You need to preserve the lemons unopened for at least 30 days but they keep for a year or two once opened.

Lemons (small ones work best)

Crystallized Sea Salt (Sel de Guerande if you can find it)

Large Jam Jars

Unless you are using organic give each lemon a good scrub to remove the wax. Cut each lemon in four but not all the way through. Open out and sprinkle in lots of sea salt and push into a large sterilized jar.– feel free to cut some in half to help you fill gaps. After one week, top up the jar with lemon juice and leave for a further three weeks. After one month the skin should have softened considerably and there should be little acid taste.

Cranberry Sauce

The sharp tang of cranberry sauce will lift the flavour of bland turkey like no other condiment. Most commercial jars of Cranberry sauce taste like strawberry jam and thus miss the point. Feel free to scale this recipe up or down- the quantity below will fill 3-4 small jars.


700g Cranberries

100ml Water (or water and fresh squeezed Orange Juice)

150g Sugar (or more if you wish)

Dash of Port, Grand Marnier, Brandy or Kirsch (optional)

Dissolve the sugar in the water, add the cranberries and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries pop and soften. Stir in the alcohol and add more sugar if required. Spoon into sterilized jars.


Mango and Apricot Chutney

This fruity, sour-sweet chutney keeps for months and works as well with a toasted sandwich or boiled bacon as it does with Indian food. The chutney keeps for a couple of years so I recommend making a large quantity. The recipe below makes approx. 2.5 litres but feel free to halve the quantities.


3 Fresh Mangos, peeled and cut in chunks

500g Dried Apricots

1750g Cooking Apples, peeled, cored and chopped

300g Sultanas

10 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and mashed

100g Ginger, peeled and grated

1kg Sugar

900ml White Wine Vinegar

4tsp Salt

1 tsp Chilli Powder (or more if you like heat)

Combine all the ingredients in a large heavy pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium and cook vigorously for 60-90 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir more frequently as the apples melt and the chutney thickens. When a spoonful on a cool saucer will set easily, the chutney is cooked. Allow to cool a little, then spoon into sterilized jars.

Terenure - Goldwater Deli, Corner Bakery, Base Pizza

Goldwater our new deli on Terenure Rd. North from the same folk as the Corner Bakery a few doors up. expensive rice and pastas if you want them but also great value to be had from top notch veg - whatever takes his fancy from Romanesco, to fab rocket to big sweet knobly tomatoes to avocados for 60c each. it is not a fruit and veg shop but he likes to have a few unusual things. suppled from the same guys that supply chapter one (forget the name). cheese - sometimes fab value - last week I bought about 6 st. marcelin cheeses for a euro each. currently munching my way through a sandwich made with fab camembert for 2 euro. I needed vanilla and they had 2 good madascar ones for about 2.75 (later I saw them for 5.99 for 2 in Tesco). Cheese is coming direct from a supplier in Paris as irish wholesalers were far too expensive he told me. Not all is good as he had a comte recently which was great value but far too young. It wasnt unpleasant it just didnt taste like comte - having said that, I put some chilli jam on the roll I made from it and all was fine. I bought a big lump of parma ham for 20 euro (good price for the size) to use in my Lidl slicer, good chorizo and other meats. They have lots of unusual things also like chocolate sardines, quality unusual crisps and tortilla chips, lemonades and root beer and cherry cola etc.

Bread from their bakery is still excellent. they charge 1.95 for a v. good stick made from french stone ground flour - excellent crust and aeration etc.not paris prices (where you would pay 1.10 at most) but still affordable. This stick is now down to one euro for a week or two to encourage new customers. The new Craft Bakery in Rathmines opposite tesco looks good from the outside but 2.65 for a stick of bread is just too much in my view. Not been yet. it looks like a franchise but cant find info about them. design of the shop and log etc. looks far too professional to be a home grown industry. I promise to check them out soon.


Also in Terenure is a new wood fired pizza place run by two young guys called Base in the old bakery opposite Downeys. Takeaway only - open 3 weeks this weekend. Excellent pizza but not cheap - 13.65 for a c.13 inch margarita. I have had good chats with them as I was interested in the wood they use (Ash) and the size of the oven (huge) whcih they shipped in from Los Angeles. All in contrast with my little oven in the garden! (see attached pic).
The are very very busy at the weekends - quality will out and they are way better than Little Caesers and Marios (who have similar prices for takeaway) - both nearby on the same side as downeys at the corner. Our regular pizza place was Bellagio but they are doing a major refurbishment at the moment (a standard italian restaurant near the car park in terenure with fantastic pizzas - margharita for 7 euro, pizza vesuvio for 9 euro! - thin crispy base and good sauce. two levels better than the ones in cafe bar deli according to Grellan and I agree). Anyway I wish Base well but wont be going every week. they have a fab plan to bring in a (proper, highly qualified) baker once they close at 11.30 and then they would sell bread in the morning - making use of the space during the day. sounds like a great idea. 5 years ago when we moved to terenure there was virtually nowhere to buy decent food (the two over priced but good quality organic butchers apart).

shebeen chic

contrary to a couple of reports I have heard - 4 of us had a fab dinner in Sheebeen Chic on Sat. lovely staff (something the seem to be quite good at finding in that group) and a good buzzy atmosphere.

Two saucepans of plump mussels for 9 euro per saucepan. Mains - a solid irish stew - oddly served with mashed potatoes (rather undercutting the one pot tradition of the dish) but after initial confusion it was concluded this was a very good thing as mash swimming in good gravy/stew is always a good thing. My rib eye steak was ordered blue and came exactly that. I had expected a thin steak but it was a good inch thick and six inches long (23 euro) - given the thick steak, blue was a bit extreme - I like the contrast between caramalised outside and raw interior and it doesnt work quite as well with a thick steak. Tender beef with good flavours and fine crispy chips and tasty gravy - so despite a little more raw meat than i am used to this was some of the best steak and chips I have had in a long while.

Solid Confit de canard and falling off the bone pork hock for the two other mains. Next a bowl of ice cream - mint, chocolate, pistachio, vanilla. all good and all for me. we all had espressos and all were perfect. Ernie whalley (a coffee obsessive that roasts his own beans and has a professional coffee maker designed for a cafe in his house) reckons this is about as good a coffee available in the city at the moment. For wine we had an albarino (not so cheap at 27) and a good red from cotes de rousillion (I think - 4 excellent pints in the porterhouse did not help my concentration!). So a v. good meal for 40 euro per head including tip.

Good to see that jay bourke was eating there also with a six or seven friends and later I bumped into another friend who runs their ranelagh cafe bar deli branch who was out all glammed up for the night with her boyfriend. good sign to see staff choosing to eat there I thought.