Sunday 12th September 2010
Salad of Woodside Bacon with Poached Egg and Gabriel Cheese
Serves 4
A gorgeous little salad which totally depends on good ingredients. Make it with battery produced eggs and indifferent bacon and you'll wonder why you bothered.
Noreen and Martin Conroy of Woodside Farm breed pedigree Saddleback and Gloucester Old Spot pigs. The pigs live outdoors (free-range) all their lives. They do not feed commercial ration instead the pigs are fed rolled wheat, turnip and kale which are grown on the farm. All meat used comes from the pigs bred on the farm. The sausages are made by Noreen using natural casings. If you can’t lay your hands on this, look out for the best quality smoked bacon you can find.
Gabriel cheese is a hard cheese made by Bill Hogan in West Cork. A good nutty Parmesan may be used instead.
a mixture of organic salad leaves
175g (6oz) smoked Woodside Farm bacon lardons
4 eggs free-range organic
Caesar salad dressing (see recipe)
25g (1oz) freshly grated Gabriel cheese, alternatively use Parmigiana Reggiano
2 slices white bread, diced into 1/4 inch (5mm) cubes
2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) extra virgin olive oil
2 ozs (50g/1/2 stick) butter
Caesar Dressing
1 oz (25g) tin anchovies
1 egg yolk, preferably free-range
1 small clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoons (1 American tablespoons + 1 teaspoons) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
a pinch of English mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon (1/2 American tablespoon +1/2 teaspoon) Worcester sauce
1/2 tablespoon (1/2 American tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon) Tabasco sauce
3fl oz (90ml/scant ½ cup) sunflower oil
1fl oz (25ml/1/8 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1fl oz (25ml/1/8 cup) cold water
freshly chopped parsley
First make the Caesar dressing. We make this dressing in a food processor but it can also be made very quickly by hand. Drain the anchovies and crush lightly with a fork. Put into a bowl with the egg yolk, add the garlic, lemon juice, mustard powder, salt, Worcester and Tabasco sauce. Whisk all the ingredients together. As you whisk, add the oils slowly at first, then a little faster as the emulsion forms. Finally whisk in the water. Taste and correct the seasoning: this dressing should be highly flavoured.
Fill a small saucepan with cold water, add a little salt. When the water is boiling, reduce the heat, crack the 4 eggs and drop gently into the water. Cook in the barely simmering water for 4 to 5 minutes or until the white is set and the yolk is still soft. You may cook the eggs separately or together depending on the size of your saucepan.
Meanwhile heat a frying pan, add a little olive or sunflower oil. Cook the lardons of bacon until crispy and golden.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a frying pan on a medium heat. To make the croutons, trim the crusts from the bread and cut into cubes (5mm), then add the cubed bread to the frying pan and stirring often, cook the croutons till light golden. Immediately transfer to a double sheet of kitchen paper on a plate to drain.
To assemble the salad.
Put a little Caesar dressing on the plate. Quickly arrange a selection of lettuce and salad leaves on top Sprinkle the hot sizzling bacon and croutons over the salad, top with a poached egg. Drizzle some Caesar dressing over the poached egg and salad leaves.
Sprinkle with freshly grated cheese (use a microplane or a fine grater) and a little chopped parsley and serve immediately.
© Darina Allen
White Soda Bread
Soda bread only takes 2 or 3 minutes to make and 30 - 40 minutes to bake. It is certainly another of my 'great convertibles'. We have had the greatest fun experimenting with different variations and uses. It's also great with olives, sun dried tomatoes or caramelized onions added, so the possibilities are endless for the hitherto humble soda bread.
1 lb (450g/4 cups) white flour, preferably unbleached
1 level teaspoon/1/2 American teaspoon salt
1 level teaspoon/1/2 American teaspoon breadsoda
sour milk or buttermilk to mix - 12-14 fl ozs (350-400 ml/1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups) approx.
First fully preheat your oven to 230ºC/450ºF/regulo 8.
Sieve the dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre. Pour most of the milk in at once. Using one hand, mix in the flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well floured worked surface. WASH AND DRY YOUR HANDS. Tidy it up and flip over gently. Pat the dough into a round about 1 1/2 inches (2.5cm) deep and cut a cross on it to let the fairies out! Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this. Bake in a hot oven, 230ºC/450ºF/regulo 8 for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/regulo 6 for 30 minutes or until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow.
Homemade Buttermilk
If you can’t buy commercial buttermilk easily, or want full-fat buttermilk, here is a simple method for producing your own. Commercial buttermilk is usually made with low-fat milk. This version, made with full-cream milk, will give you rich, thick buttermilk. To make low-fat buttermilk, use low-fat milk and 1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) of white vinegar.
Makes 225ml (8fl oz/1 cup)
225ml (8fl oz/1 cup) full-cream milk
1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) freshly squeezed lemon juice
Put the milk into a deep bowl with the vinegar or lemon juice and leave to stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes. The milk will start to curdle. Stir well before using and store in a fridge in a covered container. The buttermilk will keep for a couple of days.
© Darina Allen
Salad of Frank Hederman’s Smoked Mackerel with Pickled Beetroot, Watercress and Horseradish Sauce
Serves 8
4-6 fillets of smoked mackerel
pickled beetroot (see recipe)
a selection of watercress and baby salad leaves
horseradish sauce (see recipe)
sprigs of dill
Cut the smoked mackerel into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces and the pickled beetroot into 1cm (1/2 inch) dice.
To Serve
Strew the base of a white plate with a mixture of watercress and baby salad leaves. Put 5 or 6 pieces of mackerel or eel on top. Scatter with some diced beetroot and top with a few little blobs of Horseradish Sauce. A few sprigs of dill add to the deliciousness.
Horseradish Sauce
Horseradish is widely available in greengrocers nowadays but it also grows wild in many parts of Ireland and looks like giant dock leaves. If you can’t find it near you, plant some in your garden. It is very prolific and the root which you grate can be dug up at any time of the year.
Serve with roast beef, smoked venison or smoked mackerel.
Serves 8 - 10
1 1/2 -3 tablespoons (1 1/2 – 3 American tablespoons + 1 1/2 - 3 teaspoons) horseradish, grated
2 teaspoons wine vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
250 ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) very softly whipped cream
Scrub the horseradish root well, peel and grate on a ‘slivery grater’. Put the grated horseradish into a bowl with the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar. Fold in the very softly whipped cream but do not overmix or the sauce will curdle. It keeps for 2-3 days: cover so that it doesn’t pick up flavours in the fridge.
This is a fairly mild horseradish sauce. If you want to really clear the sinuses, increase the amount of horseradish!
© Darina Allen
How to cook Beetroot
Leave 2 inch (5cm) of leaf stalks on top and the whole root on the beet. Hold it under a running tap and wash off the mud with the palms of your hands, so that you don't damage the skin; otherwise the beetroot will bleed during cooking. Cover with cold water and add a little salt and sugar. Cover the pot, bring to the boil and simmer on top, or in an oven, for 1-2 hours depending on size. Beetroot are usually cooked if the skin rubs off easily and if they dent when pressed with a finger. If in doubt test with a skewer or the tip of a knife.
Old-Fashioned Pickled Beetroot
Serves 5-6
1 lb (450g) cooked beetroot (see above)
8 ozs (225g) sugar
16 fl ozs (475ml) water
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced (optional)
8 fl ozs (250ml) white wine vinegar
Dissolve the sugar in water, bringing it to the boil. Add the sliced onion and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the vinegar, pour over the peeled sliced (diced or cut into wedges) beet and leave to cool.
Note: The onion can be omitted if desired.
© Darina Allen
Carrageen Moss Pudding with Wild Blackberry, Apple and Sweet Geranium Compote
My favourite way to eat carrageen moss pudding is just with softly whipped cream and some soft brown sugar sprinkled over the top, but it’s also lovely with a fruit compote. The fruit I use varies with the season.
Serves 6
7g (1⁄4oz) cleaned, well-dried carrageen moss (1 semi-closed fistful)
900ml (11⁄2 pints) full-cream milk
1 vanilla pod or 1⁄2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 organic egg
1 tablespoon caster sugar
To Serve
soft brown sugar and softly whipped cream
wild blackberry, apple and sweet geranium compote (see recipe)
Soak the carrageen in a little bowl of tepid water for 10 minutes. It will swell and increase in size. Strain off the water and put the carrageen into a saucepan with the milk and the vanilla pod, if using. Bring to the boil and simmer very gently, covered, for 20 minutes. At that point and not before, separate the egg, put the yolk into a bowl, add the sugar and vanilla extract, if using, and whisk together for a few seconds, then pour the milk and carrageen moss through a strainer onto the egg yolk mixture, whisking all the time. By now the carrageen remaining in the strainer will be swollen and exuding jelly. You need as much of this as possible through the strainer and whisk it into the egg and milk mixture. Test for a set in a saucer as one would with gelatine. Whisk the egg white stiffly and fold or fluff it in gently; it will rise to make a fluffy top.
Serve chilled with soft brown sugar and cream, or with a compote of fruit in season, such as the wild blackberry, apple and sweet geranium compote below.
© Darina Allen
Wild Blackberry, Apple and Sweet Geranium Compote
A delicious Autumn dessert.
Serves 3 approx.
225g (8 ozs/1 cup) sugar
450ml (16fl ozs/2 cups) water
4 large dessert apples eg. Worcester Permain or Coxes Orange Pippen
275g (10 ozs) blackberries
8 large sweet geranium leaves (Pelagonium Graveolens)
Put the sugar, cold water and sweet geranium leaves into a saucepan, bring to the boil for 1-2 minutes. Peel the apples thinly with a peeler, keeping a good round shape. Quarter them, remove the core and trim the ends. Cut into segments 5mm (1/4inch) thick. Add to the syrup. Poach until translucent but not broken. Cover with a paper lid and lid of the saucepan.
Just 3-5 minutes before they have finished cooking, add the blackberries, simmer together so that they are both cooked at once.
Serve chilled, with little shortbread biscuits.
© Darina Allen