Ireland – Dirty Whites

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.

Writing an order of work is not a massive task and it comes of incredible use when it comes to cooking. We were told not to worry about them too much and that our timing would be completely off in the beginning, rather the benefit in writing them would simply be to enhance our organisational skills. True they helped with this as it meant reading the recipes carefully each day before cooking, and true we got them extremely wrong. Today, however, I had it mastered, even finding myself ahead of time from the words ‘ready, steady, cook!’

Today’s cooking would be the casserole chicken with tarragon sauce, buttered brussel sprouts and fresh sea-water boiled potatoes. I found myself in the kitchen a little bit early, with the intention of picking the best chicken on offer. This, I believe I did successfully; a beautiful organic chicken from local suppliers Dan and Ann Aherne, and so began preparation. Seasoning and smothering the chicken with butter, browning the breast and finally popping it into the oven in a casserole dish for an hour and fifteen minutes. During the process of removing the wishbone, it cracked. Given the myth connecting the wishbone and the ability to make a wish come true when cracked by two people, I am quite sure that cracking it beforehand was to my detriment as the biggest, most succulent chicken also proved to take the longest time (two and a half hours in fact: double the expected time). This added a whole new element to the challenge, as I had prepared and began cooking the other elements to my dish with the intention that everything would be ready at the same time. I managed however to rectify the situation and proved to have met my time expectations otherwise. I even managed to find sufficient spare time to make another soda bread, and to peel and chop a few apples to help another chef rushing to get her crumble in the oven. Everything turned out just dandy in spite of my wish bone curse, and I already feel as if I have gathered my stride in the kitchen. No turning back now…

A note on sprouts. It is true that sprouts are not a favourite of many people, a result of over-or-under cooking according to Darina. I cannot lie when I tell you that I hated them. No matter how hard I tried each Christmas, choking back one was a fierce task. Suddenly I found myself with a bowl full of them for trimming and halving. It was however the way in which Darina cooked them which changed my mind, and I am willing to bet it would change the minds of many more. These ones were simply delicious. Cooked for 5-6 minutes in boiling water, then rolled in a little butter, salt and pepper. Nothing too complicated there but I was converted. The cutting and trimming of the sprouts was a tedious job, but it gives you a few moments to chill out and reflect on the importance of these simple tasks.

So Friday has come and week one is down. We made it. Straight into work in Pizzeria San Marco, Midleton, where I see everything in a whole new light, even taking the opportunity to plate up a few desserts. A busy weekend of work may mean little or no time for cooking, but nonetheless, come 11pm when I make it home, I am for sure able to fit in an hour or two of studying various cookbooks, HACCP manuals and so on. My inner geek will be well fed for sure. Dinner is served.