Chili Con Carne with Sun Dried Tomato and Bourbon
Last modified on 2008-12-18 09:12:05 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
The weather here in Ireland has turned a bit nippy and the hustle and bustle of Christmas has started. With all the parties, late nights and hangovers I was thinking of something quick, easy and savory. There are lots of ways to do a Chili Con Carne, I like this one as the dash of Southern Comfort gives it a smoky flavour. This keeps for days as well, gets better with age. Perfect to take out of the fridge and microwave for a quick “after-party” snack at 2am. Ugh, I sound like Nigella…better move on.
Ingredients (for 2):
200g Mince
Olive Oil
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 red chili, sliced.
Teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons of sun dried tomato paste
Small Tin kidney beans
400g Tin tomatoes
Dash of Southern Comfort (2 or 3 tablespoons depending on taste)
Method
Finely slice the onion and garlic and fry in some olive oil on a medium heat until soft. Add chili, cumin and seasoning. Turn up the heat a little, add the meat and brown. Stir in the sun dried tomato paste along with a tin of tomatoes and the Southern Comfort. Add the the kidney beans and a little water to loosen if necessary. Simmer for an hour. If you want the beans with a little more bite add them towards the end of the cooking.
Pasta with Bacon and Cabbage in a Creme Fraiche sauce
Last modified on 2008-12-04 08:48:38 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Last week’s recession-proof bacon recipe reminded me of another. This time a quick and easy pasta dish. For me, the recipe has the added bonus of using locally sourced bacon from the family run Gubbeen Farmhouse in West Cork. I love that you can find these sort of cheese makers and meat smokers on your doorstep all over Ireland, and even better that large retailers like SuperValu support them by stocking their products. I frequently mention Ryan’s SuperValu in Grange as a great place to shop and this is exactly why. Local produce that was once the domain of the markets only is now far more accessible. Great to see, I hope it lasts.
Pasta and cabbage is an unusual mix but you’d be surprised. The slightly bitter taste of the cabbage mixes well with the salty bacon and creamy pasta. Cook the cabbage for as long as you like your veg cooked, 5 minutes will still produce a good flavour so adjust accordingly for less flavour if you wish.
I have also added a few spoons of Creme Fraiche to loosen it up a little, you could go further and make a Carbonara sauce by beating two eggs into about 120g of Creme Fraiche and you’d have a Bacon and Cabbage Carbonara.
Ingredients
1 Head of Savoy Cabbage, chopped finely.
Fresh pasta for 2
1 pack of Rashers, Lardons or Streaky Bacon.
3 Heaped teaspoons of Creme Fraiche
Salt & Pepper
Pinch of Thyme.
Pinch of Cinnamon
1/2 clove of garlic, grated or finely chopped
Olive Oil
Method
Fry the bacon in a little olive oil along with the garlic, thyme and a pinch of cinnamon. When golden, lower the heat, add the chopped cabbage, cover and cook slowly for five minutes or to taste. When the cabbage is cooked to your liking loosen with the creme fraiche and mix well. Cook the pasta, drain, and add the mix to it. Stir well, season, add some Parmesan and serve.
Honey, Mustard and Soy Glazed Bacon. Cabbage optional.
Last modified on 2008-11-25 16:11:56 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
After the sheer hedonism of fresh prawns (3rd Nov) followed by self-indulgent pieces on French Wine and eating out (15th & 17th Nov) I have been flooded with complaints. “Are you aware of the recession?” wrote one reader, “Down with this sort of thing” wrote another, “An Taoiseach Brian Cowan and Minister Lenihan have displayed a stunning lack of touch and forward planning by producing a slap-dash budget that John Bruton would be proud of. Maybe the only reason they moved it forward was to get a bit more distance between it and 4th June 2009 as possible?” remarked a third. Clearly it is time to tighten the belt, ever the one to respond to the needs of the people (me, not Brian Cowan) we went to Aldi and bought a Back Bacon Joint for a recession busting €3.99. Less than the price of a pint of Guinness. How about that?
Ingredients (for 2)
1 700g Back Bacon Joint from Aldi
3 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
6 teaspoons Honey
1-2 teaspoons of Soy Sauce
Large handful of Cloves.
Method
While bringing a large pot of water to the boil rinse your bacon in cold water, you may want to soak it for a while in the water to get rid of some of the saltiness, this is especially true if the bacon is smoked. When the pot of water is warm, but not yet boiling, add the bacon and bring to the boil. Once boiling reduce the heat way down until you have a very, very, slow simmer. Barely bubbling is good. Skim off any salty residue from the top of the water and cook for 45mins per Kg. Once done allow to cool while you mix the glaze ingredients.
When glaze is mixed and the bacon has cooled down trim the outer layer of fat from the bacon and criss-cross the top and sides with a sharp knife. Brush on the glaze and add the cloves into each intersection of the criss-cross cuts. Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 20-30mins.
A good thing about this is you can boil it up in the morning and wait to do the baking part until you come home from a hard day signing on and going to the betting shop. Presto! A recession proof dinner in 20mins. Serve with some old bits of cardboard and maybe some cabbage, only if you can afford it mind.
Chicken Breast stuffed with Sun Dried Tomato, Basil and Goat’s Cheese.
Last modified on 2008-11-02 13:25:56 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
This is a great dish, it’s a bit of a pain in the ass to make but it’s nice and savoury. If there is stuffing mixture left over paste it onto some crostini, serve with salad and you have an excellent starter, without the salad it will works well as a canape…jeez I used “crostini” and “canape” in the same sentence, watch out Doorley. Let’s move on before I bust out a “hors d’oeuvres”.
Ingredients (for 2):
2 chicken breasts
2 tablespoons goat’s cheese
A good handful of sun dried tomatoes
6-10 fresh basil leaves
Method
Place each chicken breast between two sheets of cling film and flatten by hammering with a rolling pin, you will see from the photos below I’ve hammered mine into the shape of Africa, that’s purely optional. Put the goats cheese, tomatoes and basil into a mixer and whizz it up. Season to taste. Spread the mixture into each of the flattened chicken breasts and roll up in the cling film into a sausage shape. Wrap in foil and leave to set in the fridge for 30mins+. Place into a pan of simmering water and poach for 10 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. When done unwrap, slice and serve.
Now, lets get something clear before we move on. My photos suck. No excuses. They don’t do the food justice or make it particularily appetising but I’m not in this for the photography, I like eating, writing and talking about food, I don’t enjoy taking pictures of it. I’m not selling it so I don’t have to fancy it up, these are just regular photos taken with my N95.
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Beef and Guinness Casserole
Last modified on 2008-09-24 18:30:22 GMT. 2 comments. Top.
We’re heading out for the afternoon so want something that can be put together quickly and cook on its own when we’re sitting the car queuing to get into Mahon Point. A casserole is just the thing. The following is for four so adjust accordingly. By the way, this is great for dinner parties. Gotta dash!
Ingredients (for four)
2Lbs of Stewing (Round) Steak
1tbsp sunflower oil
1 knob butter
Small Bouquet Garni
1tbsp flour
4oz bacon lardons (I use Gubbeen Lardons www.gubbeen.com)
1 Large onion, sliced
1 Red pepper, sliced
500ml Guinness
500ml stock
1tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 or 3 Carrots.
Handful of frozen peas
Method
Heat the oil and butter in a pan. Dice the meat and toss it in flour and seasoning, add to the pan and brown. Remove the meat and add to the casserole dish. Fry the lardons, onion and peppers for a minuite or two before adding the mustard, sugar and 100ml of Guinness. Cook for a further minute beforer adding to the casserole. Add the stock and remainder of the stout to the casserole. Add the carrots, peas and Bouquet Garni. Cook at 140F for five to six hours.
Cannelloni with Mince, Spinach and Goat’s Cheese
Last modified on 2008-08-29 16:25:35 GMT. 2 comments. Top.
For something that is easy to make, easy to transport and can be prepared in advance if necessary try Cannelloni. This is an extremely versatile recipe, you can take the basic version and add any filling you like, this is great for kids because you can hide any amount of disliked ingredients inside the Cannelloni tubes! With children half the battle is a mental one, what they can’t see won’t hurt them, case in point here is with the spinach. Mine would never eat spinach on its own but don’t question its presence in this.
I saw Jamie Oliver do a great Broccoli and Cauliflower Cannelloni on TV recently, he reduced down the veg to almost a mush, added some seasoning, chilli and anchovies and made the topping with Creme Fraiche and Parmesan. I tried it recently and while it may not sound great on paper it really worked. Careful with the anchovies though!
Ingredients
250g Steak Mince (optional)
1 small jar of ragu pasta sauce
1 Pack of Cannelloni tubes or some pasta sheets if you prefer to roll your own
1 Bag of baby Spinach
1 Onion, thinly sliced
1 clove of crushed Garlic
1 tsp dried Nutmeg
1 pack of fresh Basil
1 tsp Oregano
2 tsp Paprika
175g Goats cheese
2 or 3 handfuls of grated Parmesean
1 bag of Buffalo Mozeralla
Method
Slowly fry the onion and dried spices in a little olive oil, when done remove from the pan and set aside. Turn the heat up and fry the mince until brown. Return the onion mix and add the spinach and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted. Turn off the heat and add the goats cheese and a handful of parmesan. Mix well, season and allow to cool.
Stuff the mix into cannelloni tubes, I use four per adult or two per child. Cover the bottom of a baking dish in a layer of the ragu tomato sauce and place the stuffed Cannelloni on top. Cover with Parmesan and mozzarella and half the basil leaves. Cook in the oven for 30-40mins until golden. When done decorate with the remaining basil and serve.
BBQ Season
Last modified on 2008-06-10 11:19:00 GMT. 1 comment. Top.
Having a BBQ in Ireland is somewhat of a lottery, in fact, it’s usually pretty a frustrating excercise.
Irish BBQ events are driven more by drinking and less by weather. They are driven even less again by food. When somebody plans a barbecue more than six hours in advance they are either a hopeless optimist or inviting you to a drinking session. It’s usually the latter.
Have a BBQ early in the day when you can enjoy the weather. Not sundown when Irish temperatures fall with the sun.
Here is a recipe for home made burgers:
For 2 Burgers (adjust accordingly)
Ingredients:
175g Steak Mince
One slice of bread (for breadcrumbs)
One egg
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/2 onion
Salt and pepper to taste.
Method:
Put the bread, herbs, seasoning, onion and mustard in the blender and whiz it up. Beat the egg and add to the meat. Add in your herb and breadcrumb mix. Mix well together. Make into burger patties. Tip: Use the inside of a soup ladle for this. Store in the fridge to set for 30mins.
Tip: You have to have the right mix of egg and breadcrumbs for this to set properly, not normally a big issue on a frying pan but on a BBQ you need to be careful. If they are too loose an idea may be to give the burgers a quick fry before transferring to the BBQ.
Go Green
Last modified on 2008-07-28 15:18:29 GMT. 0 comments. Top.
Adding the chilli tip below reminded me of an often used Thai Green Curry recipe. This was the first curry I did from scratch a long time ago and have never looked back. If I were cooking at home I would never use a paste for anything these days.
If you have the slighest (mildest?!) intestest in cooking curry take a look at Madhur Jaffry’s Ultimate Curry Bible. 300 pages of Curry from every corner of the world. It’s a stunning and incredibly informative book. Buy it.
Ingredients for 2:
1 big handful of fresh coriander (one of the standard supermarket packs)
1 big handful of fresh basil (Thai basil is hard to get, I use my home grown regular type.)
1 green chilli, chopped
1 clove garlic, skin removed
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
1 stick of lemongrass, chopped and outer layer removed
5 or 6 shallots, roughly chopped
Juice and rind of 2 limes
2 or 3 Lime leaves
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
Dash of Fish Sauce
1 tablespoon of Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Method
Add all of the above to a blender (leave the stalks on the basil and coriander) and blend into a paste. That’s it! You can adjust spice level by the amount of chilli and whether or not you use the seeds.
Once you have the paste fry your chicken pieces and when cooked add the paste. Cook for three for four minutes and then add about 300ml of coconut milk. You can use a full tin depending on how thick or thin you like a curry. Simmer for 8-10mins. I like to cook this ahead of time and leave it cool and infuse for a few hours.
Risotto Revolutition
Last modified on 2008-07-28 15:14:34 GMT. 1 comment. Top.
I rediscovered risotto about a year ago and am making up for lost time now! It is so versatile, just add anything to the basic recipe. There’s as many different risottos as there are ingredients.
The basic is below, instead of the white wine I keep a bottle of Dry Vermouth which I use. Saves us fighting over whose glass of wine goes into the risotto 
Ingredients for 2
6oz of Arborio (risotto) rice
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 sticks of celery, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 glass white wine
2 pints of chicken or veg stock
Heat some oil in a pan and add the garlic, cook for a minute and add the onion and celery. Slowly sweat for 5mins. Turn up the heat and add the rice. Cook on a very high heat for a minute or two making sure to stir so as not to burn anything. Now add the glass of wine (or Vermouth), it will sizzle and cook into the rice in a short time. When this has done reduce the heat and add a ladle of stock. Stir it into the rice and repeat the process until the rice is fully cooked. Season to taste but it will already be quite salty so be careful. All the stirring is a bit of a pain but it has to be done. It should cook in 20 to 25mins.
Once the rice is cooked stir in a handful of grated Parmesan and a knob of butter. At this stage you can add anything. Last time I cooked this I added some Vignotte cheese and Parma ham. Makes it really savoury.
