A day in the life of a chef

I did this a few months back and forgot about it until today, again its all about the producers and of course where the passion comes from..

Ardkeen Quality Food Stores

Since I am always going on about local suppliers and local food this is a taste of the real thing. The crew at Ardkeen Quality Food Store put this together and it sais it all, watch it.......

Whats up doc?

Rabbit Stew.

Rabbit was once a luxury for most families but over time it has disappeared from menus in Ireland. It is a beautiful meat to eat and great fun to cook. This recipe is a simple one so give it a try and watch your guests faces as they eat and rediscover a taste from times gone bye.

Serves 6-4

1 rabbit

350g streaky bacon

450g onions

350 carrot, peeled and sliced

700ml of good stock

Sprig of thyme

350g of mushrooms sliced

1 tablespoon of parsley

Joint the rabbit into 8 pieces and set aside. Cut the bacon into neat lardons and in a pan sauté until crisp, transfer to a casserole.

In the same frying pan sauté the rabbit pieces until nice and golden, add to the bacon. Sauté the onion and carrot in a little butter and again add to the casserole, deglaze the sauté pan with stock, bring to the boil and pour over the rabbit pieces. Add the thyme and season well and place in an oven for 30 -45 minutes at 170 degrees.

When the rabbit is cooked strain off the cooking liquid and pour into a pan. Bring to the boil and reduce. Add back to the meat and sauté the mushrooms and add to the meat and stock, now add the cream and parsley and serve at once.

SUPPORT LOCAL

We hear this slogan everywhere "support local", but the thing is, if we don't we will be in danger of loosing our food heritage to big global food corporations. We in Ireland have the best of raw ingredients in the world, we have some of the best farmers, best chefs and a passion for food that has to be harnessed and the only way we can do this is by supporting local butchers, fish mongers, grocers, bakers and anyone else that is involved in creating great food for us to eat.
I came across a fantastic product this week made by a brilliant woman, Julie Calder-Potts, its Irelands answer to maple syrup. A thick pure organic apple syrup made in Highbank Orchards in Co. Kilkenny (www.highbankorchards.com) this stuff will go with almost anything, roast pork, porridge, pancakes, ham, and I recon it would be a match made in heaven with pan fried herrings coated in oats. So if you see it buy it and support local.
Another local man who is in business 30 years this week is Billy Murphy, a old time butcher with old time values, he seeks out his own cattle and butchers them to sell in his shop in Waterford Shopping Centre. He goes about his business quietly keeping quality meat and serving loyal customers. His son Aidan Murphy spent two years rattling pots and pans in the Kitchens at the castle learning a trade which he now applies in the cook shop at his fathers butchers shop. So again if you are in the area go in and ask Billy for some of his own beef, you will not be disappointed...

Paul Buchanan pure music for the soul. Saw him live at Liss Ard festival, those who were not there will never know what they missed

Sally Barnes smoked haddock risotto, poached hen's egg, tarragon, parmesan and lemon

Sally Barnes is a living legend in the smoky world of fish; she is talked about in the finest restaurants both in Ireland and abroad. I love her stuff, I love the way she cares about what she does and above all I love her simplicity. She started Woodcock smokery many years ago with a tea chest and a few fresh Salmon, now she exports her smoked Salmon, mackerel, kippers and tuna to every corner of the country. This is a dish to honour this great woman who I have the pleasure of calling a friend. Serves 6/8 1 – 1.3 litre of chicken stock 50g of good Irish butter 2 tblsp of olive oil 1 large onion, finely diced 400g of good quality risotto rice 150ml of white wine 150g of Sally’s smoked haddock 50g of freshly grated parmesan cheese Juice of half a lemon 2 tblsp of chopped tarragon 1 tblsp of snipped chives 6 poached free range hens eggs First bring the stock to the boil and keep it simmering. Melt half the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan with the olive oil, add the finely diced onion. Sweat gently until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the rice and coat in the butter and oil, cook for 1 – 2 minutes and then pour in the white wine. As the rice absorbs the wine add the hot stock 150ml at a time stir continuously and as soon as the liquid is absorbed add another 150ml of stock, repeat this process until the rice is cooked. About 15 minutes. The risotto is done when the rice is “al dente”. It should be soft and creamy and quite loose, rather than thick and dry. At this point stir in the remainder of the butter, smoked haddock, tarragon, lemon juice and parmesan cheese. Serve at once with a poached hen’s egg sitting on top. Delicious.

Irish Times magazine article about the mighty Quinn

Food file

Viva Italia

The early morning May sun rises and starts to heat up Levento, a small town on the edge of the Cinque Terre. I hear the footsteps of the local mama’s heading to the bakery to buy the first crisp bread of the day. Butchers eagerly cut up prime mussel of fine Italian beef; the fish monger displays his glissing fish on ice with a smile. The green grocer with cigarette lighting and eyes heavy with bright blue eye shadow arranges her seasonal vegetables in a beautiful display wordy of any florist. This story has been played out for generations. It’s a story about food and culture. The town folk of Levento cherish their early morning walks, they chat and purchase their provisions for the coming day. In the shadows of the evening light, fresh pasta is sold by the gram. Two men busy rolling, kneading and shaping all kinds of soft yellow dough. This is food, woven into the very fabric of these people. They know how to cook simply and perfectly. They know what is in season and what to look for; they have not lost touch with their forefathers. Knowledge will be passed on to the young people who in turn will also pass this precious gift on to the next generation. Our food, some of the best in the world is being exported all around the world to people who will pay premium prices for it. Why does the bulk of it not stay here for us to enjoy? Many Irish people have lost the art of cooking, all too reliant on readymade meals. We eat alone, on the hoof; we have no time to sit down at a table with our loved ones. Our small traditional bakeries are closing; butchers can no longer slaughter their own animals because of stupid and costly regulations. Our airports have become our fish markets, importing all kinds of farmed fish while our native fish is enjoyed in Paris, Milan and Barcelona. An English supermarket chain has taken a strangle hold on our food and we go like sheep to support it. This is wrong on so many levels. We have to seek out our small local retailer, the local butcher, baker, fish monger and green grocer and support them before it is too late. We need to take back our food and culture and be proud of it and enjoy it.

Rhubarb Rhubarb

I love it, the colour, the smell and above all the taste, Rhubarb. Its old school, its new school, it finds its way onto the best of menu's this time of year and also ends up on the dinner table at home. So it’s about time I gave you a simple recipe for the classic of all classics, Rhubarb and Custard, oh yeh..... This is the time of year to find the young shoots of rhubarb and the most important thing is not to add any water when cooking this delicious fruit, just let it stew in its own juices. You can add the zest of an orange as well it will give the rhubarb a little extra. Serves 6; 750g of young rhubarb Zest of two oranges 180g castor sugar For the custard 250ml milk 250ml of cream 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways 6 free range egg yolks 100g castor sugar Cut the rhubarb in 4cm lengths carefully. Put into a stainless steel pot over a very low heat, now add the orange zest and sprinkle the sugar over the whole lot. Put the lid on and stew for 15 minutes. Have a look now and then and give the pot a shake about; try not to stir as this will break up the rhubarb. It is cooked, simple as that, now for the custard.. Heat the milk and the cream with the vanilla pod in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Remove from the heat and whisk for a few seconds to get the vanilla seeds released into the liquid. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together and pour the hot milk and cream over this, whisking as you go. Return to the saucepan and cook over a very low heat stirring all the time until it thickens. That’s it now all you have to do is pour your custard over the rhubarb and enjoy..............

A true Legend of Irish Cuisine

It all started in the early 90's, I was a young man who needed to provide for his daughter and to be honest hadn't a clue how to do so. I had always cooked at home for my folks and could even make a better sponge cake than my Mum, a hard thing to do as she is one of the best cooks I know.
After many months of soul searching and an off the cuff comment by my Mother I called Ballymaloe and asked Darina Allen for some advice. Funnily enough she told me to go to Waterford Castle and ask the Chef there for a night or two in his kitchen. A few nights later I was in the thick of it, but knew straight away what i wanted to do. Six years later I arrived back to Waterford Castle as Head Chef.
I went to Ballymaloe Cookery School for three months and on my final day Myrtle Allen took me on to work in Ballymaloe House where i spent a fantastic four years, cooking, learning and working as hard as I could. She was and is a true inspiration to me. I was sent off to London to some of the best restaurants with a black note book and told not to come back until it was full of ideas. I remember her asking for the book once i arrived back to the kitchen. We went through the ideas and some of them made the menu in the House. I was thrilled.
So today she arrived with her whole family for lunch to celebrate her Birthday and I had the pleasure to cook her some of my food which is still deeply rooted in the Myrtle Allen's way.