Dinner: The Experience. Risotto with Friends.

As much as I love to cook for people, allowing them to relax and not think about how their dinner is going to come together, I relish a helping hand and a listening ear even more.

Recently, with their parents out of town, a couple of friends found themselves having to cook for themselves for a period of time. In this situation, it is easy to slip into habits of getting takeaways or cooking the same meal of chicken and rice each night, and so I decided that on this particular day, we would all get involved in cooking the dinner: an experience which we all embraced the idea of.

Fortunately these friends are interested in food; I work alongside one as a waiter, and the other I have known for many years as an avid home baker. There is something infectious about talking about good food and good produce; it is not difficult to get people excited about what they are eating, and so the day began with a trip to the English Market in Cork City. This place is a hub of activity, boasting the countries best produce within its charming brick walls. Taking a trip to this market is an experience which everyone should undertake, it is not only a piece of history, but it is very much so a pillar of now, as it supplies the freshest of food today.

Walking around the market, we were taking in all the different smells and sights, whilst sampling olives and various cheeses along the way. Stall holders didn’t need to hustle, only to let their produce do the talking and it did as we began collecting all sorts. We already had our dish in mind, we just couldn’t resist the beautiful fruits and breads and so on that crossed our paths.

Laden with goods, it was soon time to take to the stove. We were cooking a risotto with mushroom, blue cheese, asparagus and hazelnut; a simple dish, but undoubtedly one of my favourites. Now, normally the first thing would be to wash hands at the start of such a task, but this was equally about the experience of spending time together and sitting down to dinner together and so four glasses were gathered and a bottle of wine was opened… Saluté!

Risotto is one of those dishes that all recipes underestimate in my opinion. Following books, they have always advised to cook a small amount because it is such a filling dish, however from experience I say cook more. There is nothing worse than a guest thinking ‘I’d have had another spoonful’. Allow for 100g of risotto rice per person, and so in this instance the recipe is to serve 4.

Ingredients:

400g Arborio rice

1 medium onion

Knob of butter

200ml white wine

400ml water approx.

200g blue cheese (buy local or go Gorgonzola)

200g mushrooms (sliced)

12 asparagus spears

Handful of hazlenuts

Method:

Begin by chopping the onion finely and frying it in the butter on a moderate heat until soft (10 minutes).

Add the rice and fry for a minute before adding the wine and allowing to simmer.

When the rice has soaked up all of the wine add 100ml of the water. Some recipes will tell you to use stock for this part, but in this instance I don’t believe that it is necessary as it would be introducing another flavour which we just don’t need.

Stirring all of the time, as the liquid is soaked up, add more and more, seasoning all the time. At about the half way mark add the mushrooms with a generous pinch of salt at this stage (mushrooms LOVE salt).

Meanwhile, you can prepare the asparagus by removing tough ends of the stalks, cutting off the heads for frying and finely chopping their middles.

As the reaches ¾ of the way of its cooking, still al dente (firm to bite), crumble up your blue cheese and add it to the rice, as well as the chopped asparagus stems and a small knob of butter. Adjust seasoning.

In a pan, melt a small amount of butter, and briefly fry the asparagus heads in there. Serving three per plate, these will offer texture to the dish alongside the hazelnuts.

At the same time, the risotto should be ready to serve immediately. As you do so, scatter a small amount of the blue cheese and the chopped hazelnuts over the top, laying also the spear heads across each.

All that is left to do then is press play on your Dean Martin CD and buon appetito!

 

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Farmers Market Summer Roast

On a day off from work I always like to make sure that I cook something a little bit special, something that I can pour my hours of freedom into. Waking up this Thursday morning I had only one thing on my mind: the Mahon Point Farmers Market. I would start my day with a coffee and plan my dinner as I took in the food buzz. Stopping in the bookstore in the shopping centre itself I looked at the shelves with the idea that maybe I’d pick up a new cookbook and cook something from that. As I stood there looking at the mostly familiar bookshop collection, I came to the quick realisation that what I was doing was nonsensical. Less than fifty meters away was a bustling market of the finest and freshest local produce. Couldn’t I just rustle up something of my own accord? I’d be a fool not to make the most of what was right in front of me and so I got up, got out and got thinking…

There is great importance in going to your local market every once in a while, just for the sake of reminding yourself of what exactly you can obtain that has been grown and produced in your own area. Wandering around, I could see all kinds of meats, cheeses, fruits and vegetables, all locally produced and some incorporated into international dishes: pizza with Gubeen sausage, tarts made with local apples, and so on. As I began picking up bits and pieces, it soon became apparent the direction in which my meal was going: hearty family style. One pot, one purpose, several delicious components!

 

Farmer’s Market Summer Roast

Serves 4

 

8 Gubbeen sausages (4 Cumberland, 4 Sun-dried tomato and basil)

6 Woodside Farm bacon rashers

3 red onions

3 sweet potatoes

4 baby potatoes

5 carrots

Broad beans (as many as you have the patience to deshell)

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

150ml red wine

1 tbsp dried parsley

Salt and freshly ground pepper

 

• Preheat oven to 210 celcius.

• Prepare vegeatables: peel and quarter onions, wash and cut potatoes into chunks. Peel and chop carrots.

• Arrange vegeatables on a large roasting tin with sausages and bacon.

• Pour over wine, vinegar and honey.

• Season with salt and pepper and toss with parsley.

• Toss everything in the tray and put straight in the oven for 40-50 minutes.

• In the meantime, de-shell the beans by simply breaking the pod open with your hands and dislodging the beans. These can be added to the dish two minutes before removing from the oven.

• Serve straight from the dish onto warm plates.

 

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Reaching empty plates!

To pick up where I left off: I will not. To excuse myself: I will not. To return with a more extensive and deeper understanding of food and a passion and love more prevalent than ever: I will.

Since the pages of these blog were last updated my culinary journey has gone uphill, downhill, around every corner and back again and still more and more paths show up as I continue on my way. I have now completed the Ballymaloe Cookery Course as well as having undertaken a stage in London’s finest Italian restaurant ‘Bocca di Lupo’ and Covent Garden’s increasingly popular ‘Balthazar’ bakery. Not only this but so too have we seen the coming and going of the first Ballymaloe Literary Festival. A weekend filled with some of the most inspiring cooks from around the world, at which I was given the opportunity to get involved with some of the cooking. My part may have been small, but preparing the food for the demos of Rachel Allen, David Thompson, Tomassina Miers and some of NOMA’s chefs was a great experience. Being part of the weekend in general was a pretty special feeling. Here’s hoping it will be the first of many festivals here.

In fact although it was not my intention as I began this post to write about the Ballymaloe Literary Festival, I will go on just a little bit longer about it as I feel that a few adorning words just won’t suffice.

First off, the setting. The all too familiar surroundings of the cookery school and house were perfect. On a sunny May weekend with trees and flowers alike in full bloom, the setting was truly idyllic. There was a great buzz around as hundreds of people of all ages and from all over the world came to the festival and I am delighted that they were given the opportunity to experience Ballymaloe in all it’s glory.

One of the main attractions was the ‘Big Shed’. The Allen’s had stylishly converted one of their farm sheds into a children’s play centre and food market by day and by night it became the closest thing to a nightclub which the area is most likely to ever see. There were foods of the finest quality from all over the world (with a most prominent presence of local produce) coupled with wines, coffees and teas of great variety and interest.

One of the few discussions which I attended was the ‘New Voices in Food’, a panel discussion between Rachel Allen, Donal Skeehan, Stevie Parle, Tomassina Miers and Claire Ptak. The hour and a half long session covered many topics of great interest from hearing back stories to food blogging to handling media and journalism. This was of course of particular interest to me, as writing and journalism have featured prominently in my past, and are elements which I hope will continue into my future. It was incredible to consider and hear about the achievements of each, and how each hold very different but specific roles in the world of food. Each found their niche in a world which they were drawn into by fate alone. Although I am a little skeptical of over-used inspirational quotes, I couldn’t deny the proof sitting before me which echoed the words ‘stick to what you do, to what you love and you can and will achieve’. Then I cast my mind to Darina as she says ‘there may be twelve guesthouses on a street, but one of them has to be the best, why wouldn’t it be yours?’

I was particularly impressed by Rachel Allen and Donal Skeehan. Rachel, perhaps it is because I have come to know her through the school, nevertheless she has a manner like no other: warm, friendly and light-hearted, and it is an approach to food which I try to uphold when I cook. It is no surprise that she has become one of the leading ladies in food. As for Donal, he shared a similar manner allowing for great banter between the two, but not only this, he spoke with the same passion which I possess. Only a couple of years older than myself, he demonstrated just what could be achieved. He spoke up for food bloggers and it became evident that his success to date stemmed solely from his love for food. As Irish representatives in the food world, we can be very proud of them both and our countries subsequent presence there.

The weekend was a huge success as myself and many other people left inspired and empowered. Anything became possible. My hopes are simply to understand as much about food as I can and maybe one day share them with many more, and already I have found these dreams becoming a reality as I am frequently asked by the people around me ‘how do I do this?’ and ‘what should I do with that?’ It’s empowering and humbling to know that others will seek your advice about a topic which puts them in their most vulnerable state. When we are eating, we are rarely thinking about the outside world. The heart of food is captured in one sensuous moment… after another… after another… Until we reach empty plates.

 

 

Hey mambo mambo Italiano… It’s pasta day!

Having had two days out of the kitchen, I was most eager to dive back in for another day at the office. To add to the excitement, today’s menu was Italian, which is probably my favourite cuisine. I have a slight massive crush on everything Italian: the food, art, culture and so on. It’s something I can’t exactly explain, but only to say that I love it.

Pastas of all varieties adorned the menu and would soon find themselves on the serving table. Although all of them delicious, I was assigned the most beautiful of them all: ravioli with sage butter. The thought alone is a salivating one. I had been waiting for this day for a long time. Now that I know how it is made, I realise that I could have done it much sooner at home had I been a more confident cook.

Pasta recipes can vary greatly. Whilst all are flour based, other ingredients can include egg, semolina, oils, herbs, water, salt and so on. Given that I am writing this long after the day, I have since found my preferred recipe, which is simply flour and egg. It is a recipe accredited to Bocca di Lupo’s Jacob Kenedy, which requires 200g of pasta or ’00’ flour, 1 whole egg and three egg yolks. As you bring these together to form a pasta dough, it is most similar to bread and pastry as you have to get to know it. Although the recipe says 3 egg yolks and a whole egg, you may not quite need this amount. Eggs vary in size too, so just watch out that you don’t make it a sticky mess by adding too much. On the other hand, eggs can be small, so don’t be far from another egg which you can crack open and work with the yolk first. When making the pasta dough, begin by adding the egg yolk, if it is in danger of becoming too sticky then it is better that you are leaving out some quantity of the whole egg. If you don’t do it this way then of course your pasta will be just fine, but why miss some of that yellowy richness the yolk gives.

So you mix them, bring them together and you have a quite a stiff ball of dough. What do you knead to do next? (Couldn’t resist the word play). Yes, you need to knead your dough. Be tough with it, being gentle just doesn’t work, unless you’ve got lots of time on your hands perhaps. Otherwise just do it and you’ll have it kneaded well in 7 or 8 minutes. Don’t forget that if you are putting it through a machine then it will be kneaded further in doing so.

When you have your lovely soft dough, you have two options: hand roll or machine. I have tried both and wouldn’t discourage hand-rolling afterwards, it is just perhaps a slower proceedure, and leaves you with a less refined finish. Whichever you use, you’ll need semolina flour to ensure it doesn’t get all sticky. Using the machine, it is most important to say that you need to turn the dial slowly. There is no point in jumping in at 5 for first rolling or jumping from 7 to 4 in one go. I tend to go down by 1 if not by .5 and it keeps your pasta nice and smooth and gives you a beautiful end result.

Having sheets of pasta, you can go anywhere with them. Think of all the different pasta dishes you know: now you can make them yourself. The thickness of the sheet is crucial depending on what you plan to make though, so roll with caution. For me it was the ravioli, and I stuffed those with the suggested cheeses and herbs, but then became brave and added an egg yolk into the centre of some. This was a tricky, heart-racing process, but oh my goodness it was worth it. Served then with sage butter: yum!

If that wasn’t good enough, there was then tirmamisu for dessert. Dinner couldn’t get much better than that. Although I had to deviate from the suggested recipe as I truly believe mine to be nicer. Having said that, it depends what it is you are looking for from your dessert. If it is a big boozy kick, then sorry, I can’t help you. For me it is all about that beautiful smooth creamy texture, and the subtle coffee flavours. I love this element of food though where there are multiple variations on a recipe, each one considered the best by their own cook. As for my preferred tiramisu, the recipe can be found here, on an earlier blog post, give it a go: https://dirtywhites.wordpress.com/2013/01/10/we-are-family-yes-chickens-im-talking-to-you/

I presented my one as tirami-two-spoons, the perfect dish for two to give a sweet, smooth finish to the end of their romantic meal. In truth, the dessert is more than manageable for just one, in fact I would manage two or three portions of well made tiramisu, but everybody likes a bit of romance so why not share one and henceforth share a heavenly moment as you take the first bite…

When in doubt: go chocolate!

High percentage chocolate seems to tickle the fancy of many when it comes to dessert. You must think me a fussy eater, but having spent so many years just eating certain brands of milk chocolate, I am still adjusting to yet another flavour. This was something that I had been chatting to a teacher about, who then sent me a recipe for a cake which she thought night help to build the bridge and make the leap to the higher tolerance of better quality chocolate. This was my agenda this Tuesday morning, and as it wasn’t on my assigned to do list, I would have to try and fit it in. My actual to do list was not so long anyway so there was no reason for much panic.
As it happened, today there was a birthday in the school and so my experimental chocolate cake was to become the birthday cake: dangerous! So the difference for the cake was a high volume of liquid used: milk and sunflower oil were two predominant ingredients. Also the use of cocoa powder instead of the melted Valrona chocolate chip. It was made like a sponge insofar as it was two cakes sandwiched atop one another. Then of course there was chocolate smothered in between the two sponges and then even more coated around the cake. Interestingly though when it got to covering the cake with icing it became apparent that there would not be enough to go around. What to do?! Then I was told to add just a little stock syrup to the icing and not only would it spread better and increase the quantity, it would also give the icing a glossier finish. This it did, and I now think that from now on I might intentionally add the syrup at the beginning in order to achieve this effect. Otherwise the only complication was the fact that I couldn’t taste it as it was to be presented as a birthday cake. On the plus side however it did allow me the opportunity to get a little bit creative and add some decoration. I was at a disadvantage as I hadn’t prepared an array of possibilities, the only tricks I had up my sleeve involved a paper piping bag and an ability to make chocolate curls. This by the way is so simple, melt your chocolate onto an upturned baking tray, allow it to dry, grab your cheese pairer and drag it across your chocolate (which is now also known as caraque). Anyway, ye cake came together quite nicely, and it was all worth it for the birthday girls smile. Aww!
Of course I was most interested in the taste test, having never made a chocolate cake before and so as the birthday party kicked into gear and happy birthday was sang, my heart pounded. In went the knife, hand went to mouth, and chew chew chew. Well not quite ‘chew’, as it wasn’t a chewy cake, but you get what I mean. As much as I secretly like applause, I hate the attention, but I suddenly became everyone’s best friend or so it seemed. ‘Johns recipe’ was hot topic! I’ll indulge online soon…
Funnily I was also on bread duty today and so it was compulsory that I made some. Oh darn! Well actually I had spent the night prior having tea and cake with a friend and discussing motivation and so on in the kitchen. The outcome of our conversation was that she would take on an extra task each day and so I made sure that she did a new one today which for her was the white yeast bread. Having never made it before, I was happy to act as a guide, and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed passing on the few little tricks and tips which I had either discovered or been told. So together we made white yeast bread, from which we could have fed the 5,000. In this instance I kept it simple insofar as there was no added extras, just a plait and some buns. When all of the bread turned out really well, there was a great feeling in having helped someone in achieving this. For which she was extremely grateful as she now had the confidence to tackle another technique.
Finally I quite simply had to make a grape raite. What on earth? Yoghurt, grapes, mint and honey and there you have it, a delicious accompaniment. That I truly what it was as well. It was delicious and I could happily have eaten a bowl of it. Natural yoghurt is something which I really love, but still by adding one or two more things, you can completely transform it to something else. As always, start with your basics and take it from there…

More cheese than a 90’s Boy Band!

Cheese, glorious cheese. One of my favourite things to eat, as I’m sure I have mentioned is cheese. Cooking with it is not something which I have done much of, other than numerous cheesecakes, but that might be simply be because you could serve me a plate I good quality cheese on its own and I would give it a rave review immediately.
Anyway, what I’m getting around to telling you is that I made cheese. Here at the school you get all sorts of opportunities outside of class time and making cheese is one of them. Now you’ll have to excuse me, I will never be a cheese maker, and so my explanation of the process is going to be in terms as far removed from the technically correct as possible.
Walking into the dairy, we were presented with a vat of curds and whey, the curd of which had set into quite a solid form on the top. From here step one was to cut the curd. This is simply done with by running a wire frame of sorts through it. The curd was then tested for a certain firmness which it must reach before proceeding. Then it was all hands on deck once we had been given the go ahead. Hands in to the vat we had to break up the curd and during the process whey was extracted (20L) and the temperature was brought up to requirements. Once reached, all the curd is removed and put into moulds, where they are then weighed down with weights for the purpose of compressing them. After fifteen minutes, they are then turned, having taken shape. Literally this means that they are taken out of the mould, turned upside down and put back in. This is done again after half an hour and then an hour that evening. From the second day on the cheese is turned once daily. However on the morning of the second day, the cheese is weighed and salted, an so 2% of the cheese weight is added in salt. The daily cheese turning continues for two weeks, after which the cheese can be left to sit and gather its natural mould. It will take a further 8 or 9 weeks to mature to eating standard then. So I’ll have to check back in with you later on…

Great produce. Simple cooking. Incredible results.

If I say ‘steak and chips’ many people will salivate on the spot. To ask about their favourite foods, it is often that the response is something along the lines of ‘you can’t beat a good steak and chips’. Although not my opinion, it excites me to cook something which I know that someone else will love. Also on the menu was ratatouille, a dish revived and made famous in recent years by a cartoon movie of the same name. For the simple reason that I love cartoons, I was massively looking forward to making this, especially as I had watched the movie in advance the night before. Along with those, I was going to make all of the brown breads before finally approaching the granary loaf the following day.
Anyway, steak and chips already, I hear ya! First thing is that we need to prepare the steak. To this, there is little to it. Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub all surfaces of the steak with it. The reason for this is that it heightens the beefy flavour, and there is definitely a noticeable difference. Then crack some black pepper corns over it and lightly glaze with oil. In this state, ideally you will allow it to rest for an hour at least. Meanwhile you can make your chips. Again as simple as can be. Potato, cut up in whichever way you like, a chip is a chip. You can leave the skin on or you can peel it off, if you’re just cooking at home then it’s really a question of ‘how do you like your eggs’, you choose. Of course you can cook them in the oven, but the frier just makes you feel a little more guilty as well as having a nice crispier shell, so we use the frier with our steak. For doing this, we can part cook them in advance which is of no detriment to flavour. The time for this will depend on your choice of cut, but generally look for that light golden colour, where you know that you are only two minutes from being fully cooked. This then means that later, while your steak is resting, you can get them cooked through in two minutes, plate them up and your steak is ready in perfect time.
At this point I might just point out the popularity of this dish again, and then to consider the simplicity of the process so far. That is why I can’t stress enough how important good quality produce is in any case, but particularly when you are relying on two simple ingredients and basic seasoning. Get steak and chips right and you’ll find your customers returning, so don’t compromise on quality. When I am making dishes that I wouldn’t personally choose on a menu, I like to ask those that would what exactly they expect. Making the steak and chips, I asked my teacher at the time, who also said that she might not necessarily order it all that frequently, but there is one restaurant ‘Annie’s’ in Sundays Well, Cork, which do a particularly good steak, and one which she would and does return for. The reason for this is that it’s top quality produce and cooked simply. As is often repeated here in the school ‘get to know the place stop’.
So then we get to the cooking of the steak. This part requires, what I hesitate to call technique while practice might be a more appropriate choice of word. I’m not talking about heating the grill pan and adding oil or butter, I’m talking about the question of ‘how would you like your steak?’. Rare, medium-rare, medium and so on, it is crucial that you get this spot on, or you’ll be getting steaks sent back to your kitchen, and that’s an expensive mistake. You can follow guidelines for sure, but I learnt, by error, that you need to be considering it from the moment you get you piece of meat. As it happened the steak I was cooking was a little bit thinner than it should have been, as a result, it cooked quicker. I should have anticipated it, but my unfamiliarity with the meat meant that I read ‘6 minutes on one side and three on the other’ and stuck rigidly to it. My medium-rare was medium. Not the end of the world, but if your customer is having a bad day anyway then they for sure wont be happy with an incorrectly cooked steak.
Now for those of you who have seen the movie, you’ll know ratatouille to be a French stew (as well as a rat with incredible cooking talent). The movie glorifies the dish, and this is something which I loved. It may have been made with an audience of 7 year olds in mind, but it carries a message which resonated with me as an aspiring professional cook. In heralding this old, typical dish, they made it into something beautiful and gave it a place in a society where we are blessed to have a plentiful choice of food, whether it be good or bad. At the school however it was approached with the idea that this is what it is: a stew. Of course this attitude is important especially as stews are a big part of Irish food culture, but for today I was going to be a rat with finesse and it wouldn’t just be poured into a side bowl, if I could avoid it. The ratatouille itself with peppers, aubergines, courgettes and so on wasn’t something which appealed to me greatly, but I was excited nonetheless. In honesty the dish was a time consumer. The peppers took quite a lot of time to soften fully, not a huge problem as I had it started early and I didn’t have to stand over them, but still making this a dish which one couldn’t put together in a hurry. All the courgettes and aubergines had also to be grilled on the grill pan which taught me the lesson to hold my nerve. The slices may look charred, but they might not necessarily be cooked through so hold out, otherwise 5 minutes in a moderate oven will finish them off, but be careful not to dry them out. Assembly of the dish then almost seemed impossible to make it pretty, and I soon learnt that the cartoon was exactly what it is supposed to be: fantasy. However, I tried and actually the end result is one which I would quite happily serve. Regarded here as a side dish, I’d be happy to call it a standalone course. What’s more, is that it was really tasty, if I do say so myself. I would absolutely order it and most definitely would make it again.
As for my breads, I made a wholemeal loaf, brown soda bread and brown yeast bread. All of which I have made on several occasions in the past, I just wanted to check that I’ve still got it: I do! Haha.

Number 4: no more!

24 hours later and my oxtail stew is now well and truly cooked. In fact it was ready after four and a half hours cooking the day before, but of course it is just as good the following day, which is now upon us. I had still to chop cook mushrooms, before adding them and bringing the stew back to the boil. At this point it is still quite watery, but it needs nothing more than a bit of roux. Often with stews you can be tempted to add all sorts in an attempt to thicken it and in the process you believe that you are enhancing flavour, adding new dimensions and all that. More often than not it is unnecessary and you are losing flavour if anything. A little bit of roux can help you to reach that desired thicker more saucy end result. For any wondering what on earth this magical sounding ingredient this roux thing is, it is quite simply equal parts butter and flour brought together over a gentle heat. What is even more magical is that you can make it in as big a quantity as you like and store what you don’t use in your fridge. The only thing to remember when using it is that whatever it is being added to must be boiling. So my stew boiled and thickened nicely. I was eager to hear the opinion then of one of my classmates who had told me about how she and her siblings would fight over who got the bigger portion or the last drop of the oxtail stew when they were children. ‘Delicious’ was her verdict and so I relaxed, sat back and went about enjoying my own portion.
From one persons childhood connection to another, now I set about making a rhubarb tart. I love love love rhubarb! Growing up, a rhubarb tart would occasionally make its way to our table, and as only my mother and I liked it, it meant extra helpings. Similarly one could always find a bag if rhubarb and custard boiled sweets in the car pocket of my aunty’s jeep. So right about now rhubarb season is starting, and as ever in Ballymaloe, they are eager to embrace it straight away. Flaky pastry made since Tuesday, I had only to make the shortcrust pastry base. Incredibly simple, you line a tin (we even used a Pyrex plate) with your shortcrust, pile your rhubarb in the centre and pour on your sugar (175g to 900g rhubarb). Make sure you leave approximately an inch between the rhubarb and the edge of the pastry. All that is left then is to cover it with your flaky or puff pastry and skewer a hole in the centre. Of course this is the most basic option, you could add strawberries too and you can add whatever design until your heart is content. Taking only 45 minutes in an oven at 200, you couldn’t ask for a more simple and delicious tart, and that was exactly how it turned out: simply delicious.
As it so happened I had pastry of both kinds left over and so took then home with great plans for pies of some sort. However that very evening, before telling my mother about my day, in casual conversation she said ‘John, I have a load of rhubarb in the end kitchen. Is there anything you can do with it?!’ And so, I promised that after work I would make a rhubarb tart and so at midnight, for the second time that day I found myself baking a rhubarb tart. This time around though I had company and I gladly talked my friend through the process, getting him to roll out pastry and get involved. One day I’ll inspire a nation…
The day also saw me make a small mountain of bread. Brown soda bread for practice sake and olive oil and milk bread too. I also took a little detour from the recipe and made a bread with spring onions, chives and grated cheddar kneaded into the dough. As well as this I made some mozzarella stuffed buns. As regards these ‘experiments’, both tasted good. Personally I couldn’t eat massive quantities of the spring onion and chive bread, and the buns which I had made would have benefitted from being smaller. Having said that, they would be so good and so appreciated as part of a mixed bread basket or on the side with a bowl of soup, pea for example. As for the stuffed buns: more cheese. When you think you have a lot, add more, although that advice may be dictated by my love for cheese, so cater for your own pleasure.
Finally the morning took us across the world to the home of spring rolls, where we cooked beautiful fresh shrimp, before rolling them up in rice wrappers. There are limitless options to spring roll fillings, but it is necessary to consider who you are serving too and that they would generally be served as a starter and so today’s contents, in my opinion, were a perfect combination. These were the shrimp, noodles, carrot, cucumber, coriander, mint and a single leaf of butter head lettuce. My experience of spring rolls extended no further than being number 4 on the Chinese take away menu. These were like none which I had seen before. Elsewhere in the kitchen, indeed students were making the more common deep fried option, but fortunately for me I got the more beautiful and elegant option. Now, I was in a bit of a hurry and so my presentation could have been better, but take a look at the picture below. I hope you’ll agree that they are wonderfully charming. In spite of this, I believe that the Thai dipping sauce is essential to this dish and so it is not quite a stand alone piece. Easy to do at home, and impressive in both appearance and concept, I mean here you are, serving a typical Asian dish. Your friends and family will be blown away by your food culture knowledge. Pop a chopstick beside their plate and grab your silk dragon print suit, and you’ve got yourself a while theme. All aboard…

 

A day of dishes

Thursday morning and I had the added pressure of knowing that my boss and colleagues from Pizzeria San Marco would be paying a visit and staying for lunch. I was eager to prove myself to some cooks that I know well and who have often cooked for me. Not only this, but particularly today I hoped to be finished on time so that I would be able to join them for lunch too.
On my agenda was a beef and oxtail stew, a Cashel blue cheese salad with Parmesan crisps and colcannon. I added to this a buttery swede mash, oatmeal biscuits and white soda bread. With a precisely written order of work, I would get everything done with time to spare, or so was my intention.
When I have a salad or something involving a dressing or sauce of some kind, I make it my top priority to get that done first as in most cases I believe that the couple of hours resting in a jar allows the various flavours to get to know each other, to blend and harmonise. Doing this also allows me the opportunity to adjust seasoning and flavouring after an hours proving should it need it. Dressings can be the most exciting and curious things too. You can create your own. Simple seasoning and good quality oils, and you can transform a bowl of mixed leaves to a most wonderful dish. What’s more is that I have found that most situations that may not have turned out so well can be easily rectified, so approach without fear and with little reservation. Experiment and create!
My reason for making the oatmeal biscuits then was for the fact that although simple, I hadn’t made them before. As each day goes by, I am realising just how little time is left here. Therefore I am now making a conscious effort to make these basic things as I never know what little difficulties they might present, and so if I leave here without having made them, I may never make them in my life. If there are chances of little mistakes then I intend to make them now when I have the guidance of these brilliant teachers to help me along. Fortunately I learnt a valuable lesson to cut and portion the oatmeal biscuits before they cool completely. It can be easy when you have a busy morning to take something out if the oven and put it to one side physically and mentally. As I was advised to portion my biscuits, I was told that had left them cool much longer then they simply would have cracked into shards, quickly becoming something that couldn’t leave the kitchen in any cafe or such setting. The chef will find his or herself with a tray full of yummy biscuits that they will soon become sick of snacking on in a case of too much of a good thing.
When it came to the oxtail stew, this was the most exciting element of my day. Although it would not be possible to serve it that day as it can take four hours or more to cook through, it would be delicious the following day. When Rory picked up the oxtail in the demo, laughter rippled around the room. Many of us had never considered that it was indeed the tail of an animal. Having a delicious bowl of oxtail soup never conjured up images of this big meaty tail which now lay on the board before us. The most incredible lesson learned is the inexpensiveness of the oxtail. We were told that €3 or €4 would get you an oxtail. This would be enough meat to feed 7 or 8 people. How great is that? In any setting, be it at home or in a professional kitchen, this is a brilliant revelation. It is true for so many cuts of meat now. Everyone is buying steak, streaky bacon and so on, and few are buying these cuts that butchers have left over and so they’ll be glad to get any couple of euro for a piece that otherwise may have gone to waste. Get to know your butcher and get to know your cuts.
Approaching the colcannon, it is something which had been cooked many times along the course, but a dish which I had somehow avoided. Well I guess it caught up with me today. In fact I was looking forward to making it given that it is considered a traditional Irish dish. Learning about what is considered Irish cuisine is one of my favourite parts of this course, as I guess they are dishes which I always took for granted. This buttery potato dish I think is something which everyone enjoys. You can be quite sure that any Irish person wherever they are in the world would appreciate greatly a bowl of this delicious comfort home food.
As I progressed through the morning there were points of panic where I just stopped and thought ‘I am never going to get this finished’. Here I was cooking things which I had never cooked before, and I spent little time in my comfort zone. However, things came together in a way I could not have anticipated or imagined. To my complete surprise I was finished up by 11:30 or thereabouts, earlier than I have ever been finished yet and on a day of many dishes. Cleaning down my section and checking it off, I stepped back, took a loom at my achievements and stepped out to the dining room to great my guests with a big smile.
The lunch was enjoyed by all, as we received great feedback. It was particularly nice to hear the thoughts of people outside if the school. As we eat together daily, we can get caught up in the fast pace of the mornings work and almost forget to appreciate fully the magnificence of both the produce and the cooking on our plates and so to hear it from others is very fulfilling indeed. It is important to appreciate your own food too. You cooked it, and it is work to be proud of. Once you’ve for this, then you can run off to feed the chickens and sweep the floors. The show goes on…

A pastry dream

This week I was paired with one of the girls with whom I live. The convenience of this is that we don’t have to quickly arrange who is cooking what during our brief break in afternoon demo. As a result, We found ourselves perched on the bed trying desperately to decide who would cook what, but with each attempt came a digression. Such digressions as childhood stories and so on led to much laughter and discovery as we got to know more about each other as cooks, something we may not have done had we not otherwise shared a kitchen. It is so great how you can learn so much with each person you meet and talk to.

Anyway, as it so happened my partner this week loved to cook dishes like the chilli con carne which was on the menu. This meant that I got the dessert the following day. It would be so easy for me to slip into desserts every day but it is important that I continue to push and challenge myself each day and so with the decision made that I would make the apple pie, I went about setting my challenge. This soon became a pastry dream as I lined up three types of pastry and a variety of breads on my order of work.

The set apple pie required shortcrust pastry, I would make another batch of choux pastry following yesterdays attempt and finally I would make flaky pastry in preparation for a dish on either Thursday or Friday. I chose also to make white soda bread and butter and milk bread.

For the shortcrust pastry I used a magimix. A time saving machine that I am growing to appreciate more and more. I have to admit that I prefer old school ‘do it with your hands’ cooking, but with a hectic schedule, I was curious to try this potentially time saving method. I took my flour ., sugar and butter and allowed it to beat up to the breadcrumb stage and then I added an egg watching for the point when it comes together. I wondered quite what this meant as I presumed one had to gather it in their hands to do so, and so I watched as the egg bound the pastry together, wondering just when that point would be. I started and stopped the machine, testing every so often with my hands, when suddenly in a split second, there it was, my ball of perfectly mixed shortcrust pastry, ready now to be wrapped and chilled. When it came to completing the dish later, the pastry was just as good as the hand made one and so it’s good to have a steady back up should I need one in a hurry. It also makes a task less daunting, in so far as I might be much quicker to whip up a quiche or a tart of some sort at home now that I can make pastry in no time.

Then came the choux pastry. I was confident with the method now, only to cook them better and pay closer attention to cooking time. This I did, and consequently encountered no problems, leaving both my teacher and I confident in the knowledge that I had mastered the skill of making this pastry.

As for the flaky pastry, it is a funny one. The teachers all said that you will make it once and then it’ll be puff pastry. The flaky pastry is a much more complex procedure, but one which you are required to know anyway. Chances are, they said, that this would be the only time you would make it in your life. It wasn’t difficult by any means, it was just time consuming as it requires rolling out your pastry four times, leaving it to chill for 20 minutes or so between each roll. It didn’t stress me out, and I urge you to make it if you ever find the opportunity to do so. When you eat something that you have put a lot of effort, time and work into, you have a much deeper appreciation for the food, or so I believe. You want to savour this precious creation and so you enjoy every bite like it was the last. This for me is the best way to eat food and so I encourage you to try this technique.

Then I got to my bread making. White soda bread was one which I hadn’t made for quite some time and so a refresher can be a valuable experience. With this I was happy, only that in my hesitation of overworking the dough, it hadn’t quite achieved the neat finish that I should really be aiming for. Again, I will remake this the next day.

However, my main focus was on the butter and milk bread, a new white yeast recipe that involved using milk rather than water. The end result left a softer, fluffier texture in the demo, and so I hoped to achieve the same. The problem with making the breads with butter however is that first thing in the morning, the butter is so hard coming out of the fridge, and can take up to an hour to soften to the required state. I therefore enquired if I could substitute olive oil for butter in this recipe. I was met with uncertain answers and a ‘nothing tried, nothing gained’ response. Debating it in my head, I just had to go for it. I simply couldn’t wait half an hour for soft butter. I am glad that I did. The bread was a great success. It was so easy to work with too. I used my dough in a number of different ways, leading me to have a bread covered counter top by 12. That is one thing that I love with bread, is that you can take a simple dough to many different places: breadsticks, pretzels, loaves. I made bread buns, loaves and also a rolled loaf stuffed with wild garlic pesto, sundried tomato, mozzarella and parmesan. It was a big hit!

Looking at the work I managed, I was impressed to say the least. Got to challenge myself in all ways. Speed and multitasking are key requirements in a busy kitchen, and so I am determined to perfect these skills.